On April 9, 2004, Judge Besty Kolkoski and her husband Dick honors Dr. and Mrs. Tony Lei with a nice reunion dinner. The location is at the Cheese Factory in Summerlin. The party is held by Judge Kolkoski in celebrating of Easter for the two famillies.
Congratulations!

On April 10, 2004, Judge of Las Vegas Municipal Court Honorable Betsy Kolkoski was the winner of visitor's number at #50,000th (now at #85,547th on the morning of October 24, 2004) on Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) website at:
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti

The Summerlin of Las Vegas has been elected as the First Place in among 12 ranking communities nationally of United States the ideal and best selling homes for big builders in 2000 again.*1 South Shores is one of the important district of Summerlin together with Desert Shores, Sun City, among others. The beautiful lakes centered in this area are one of the greatest attractive- ness of Las Vegas for millions of visitors all around the world. People would enjoy dreamly the sun rising and sun setting of the calm, clean, and nice scenes of these artificial and great work on the lilltle bridges. These bridges are built above the golden and beautiful waves of the lakes which are surounded by elegant residences. People love Summerlin. People love this Las Vegas' mighty fine! Dr. Tony Lei has been re-elected as a Director of South Shores Community Association with the highest poll by voters in December 2002.

Judge Betsy Kolkoski of Las Vegas Minicipal Court did also invite Dr. and Mrs. Tony Lei with a reunion dinner at Village Pub and Casino in Summerlin on February 28, 2001. Accompanied by her husband to the dinner, the Judge was bright and pleasent. In 1971, Judge Kolkoski graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law with Juris Doctorate degree. As Nevada's Elder Rights Atnorney, an Associate Fellow of the Culture Institution (CI) and Chairperson of the Aging Services Study Committee of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI), she advocated statewide for the legal rights of senior and elder abuse prevention. Her research projects and papers presented together with former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa to the national conferences were publicized by WBTI locally and internationally. CI has been led by Dr. Sue Fawn Chung as its Director and Fellow. She is an Associate Professor and former Chairman of the History Department at UNLV. Dr. Chung was also named one of the two Nevada advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2000.

"PAI is exploring such themes as computer and quantitative analysis for administration, seniors power by voting, economic renewal, educational technology, elder abuse, social security and Medicare, and the important relationship between faith and public policy," Dr. Lei noted. "We have worked to provide a setting of ideas in which the principles and perspective of the program come into contact with leading issues of the day in order to improve the quality of life of all our Nevadans."

The value of an academic institute should also put an eye on community service aside from its academic research. Take only one example, for the positive effort of the research and promotion of the seniors benefit, the Institute has done sizable works and received valuable results. At the end of 20th and in the very early of this 21st century, Associate Fellow of the Public Administration Institution (PAI) of WBTI, Elder Rights Attorney Besty Kolkoski of the Nevada Division for Aging Services (NDAS), with Juris Doctor degree of University of Cincinnati College of Law held the Forth Anniversary Meeting of the Nevada Elder Abuse Prevention Council (NEAPC) as Co-Chairpersons with Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. Betsy did a research paper on elder abuse prevention through quantitative methodology. Both of them had received a fruitful consequence on the prevention of elder abuse with their cooperation of the NDAS and the Office of the Nevada Attorney General. Associate Fellow Sheri Vogel of PAI, a Juris Doctor degree holder of Detroit College of Law, Detroit, Michigan, has been the Project Administrator of the City of Las Vegas Senior Citizens Law Project since 1986. Sheri has obligatory assisted to and solved the concrete benefits and difficulties of seniors for many thousand cases. Her effort to help Las Vegas Seniors has won a lot of applauses. The President of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI), Dr. Tony Lei, had been a member of the Las Vegas Senior Citizens' Advisory Board. He is now also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of the U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley . Dr. Lei, elected as Executive Vice President of Seniors United in 2000, had been supported both by the educational and political sectors to get advance in leading the research and promotion of the seniors benefit, social security, and Medicare.*3

"WBTI is a very well respected and integral part of this community. To be an Associate Fellow of its Public Administration Institution (PAI) is a very prestigious honor for me. I am also grateful to be joining such a distinguished panel of professionals who are committed to improving the lives of our citizens in this community," said Judge Ann Zimmerman at the time when she was a Deputy Attorney General of Nevada.*4

In the first paragraph of the article entitled "Election Winner Judge Kolkoski Recognizes Dr. Tony Lei as a Great Leader,' It was wrote that, "During the congratulating conversation from Dr. Tony Lei to Judge Betsy Kolkoski for her re-elected as a Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge, she told him that Dr. Tony Lei is really a great leader.*5

U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley wrote Dr. Tony Lei early April this year from her U.S. Congress Office in Washington, D. C. : "I can not thank you enough for all you do for me, my dear friend. I just read the 'Washington Business and Technology Institute' publication. It was wonderful!"*6

Seasons greetings are significant to famillies! With honor as the Assistant Democratic Leader of U. S. Senate, Senator Harry Reid wrote Dr. and Mrs. Tony Lei on January 11, 2001 from his office in Washington, D. C. : "The holiday season is a time for remembering the good things that have happened during the year, for reflecting on the many blessings of our lives, and for renewing the bonds of love and friendship that make our lives special."

The famous political leader from Nevada continued his literary and intimate writing that, "This year has been eventful for the Reid family. Our first child, Lana, and our three grandchildren live in the Washington area. Roary and three more of our grandchildren live in Las Vegas. Leif is in Reno with two more grandchildren and have just told us another is on the way.

Josh just passed the bar, is living in Reno and also has announced our new daughter-in-law is expecting. Finally, our youngest, Key, lives in the Washington DC area with our newest grandchild. So, as you can see, we have the pleasure of grandchildren in each of our frequent stops, Las Vegas, Reno and Washington."

The Bible says: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:26) Take what the Senator says to Dr. Lei in his letter that, "On behalf of Landra and our family, I want to thank you thinking of us during this holiday season. Each holiday greeting reminds us that we are truly fortunate to have so many friends and loved ones with whom to share this special time." And if a humble individual like Dr. Lei may be treated so friendly by our Senator Reid, obviously everyone of us in Nevada would be taken care by his extended kindness. And this be our mode: "In God is our trust!"

His love to his family and his friends revealled his dignified and humane spirit through his words in the letter. For a great and powerful person like him to have such a beautiful and kind heart is really the glory of God. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves," says the Bible. (Romans 12:9-10) At the end of the letter, the famous U.S. Senator says that, "The Reid family has been richly blessed and we look forward to the years ahead. I hope that the season brings happiness and good fortune to you and your loved ones. With warmest regards."*7

----------------------------
References

*1. Chang, Tiffany. 'Judge Kolkoski honors Dr. and Mrs . Tony Lei with reunion dinner,' "WBTI Newsbrief," (February 28, 2001), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*2. Ibid.
*3. Chang, Tiffany. 'WBTI encourages a life of service,' "WBTI Newsbrief," (June 16, 2000), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*4. Ibid.
*5. Chang, Tiffany. 'Election Winner Judge Kolkoski Recognizes Dr. Tony Lei as a Great Leader,' "WBTI Newsbrief," (2001), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*6. Ibid
*7. Moss, Cheryl; and Chang, Tiffany. 'Chief Justice of Supreme Court William Maupin Presides District Court Institure Ceremony,' "Nevada Examiner," (February 2001), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.

---------------------------------------------------
NATURE'S DESIGN?
By Mike Lei

Where did we come from? Did we evolve from apes? Scientists hope fossils would provide the answers to how modern humans came into being. A recent USA Today (online) article on July 11th reported the discovery of the fossil of another human ancestor that is the oldest so far at 6 million to 7 million years. According to Paleontologist Bernard Wood, who viewed the new skull, know as Toumai, this skull is the oldest ever found, but it has features of a modern face not seen again on fossils until about 1.5 million years ago. The article states that ¡§Over the past few decades, the evolutionary family tree have morphed from an oak with a nice straight trunk and neat branches into something more like an unmanicured hedge.¡¨ In other words, over the years, newer fossil findings have changed the way evolutionary models are drawn. The article explained that in the past, humans were thought to have evolved from Neanderthals, but today the evidence shows Neanderthals are from a different lineage. We used to see in textbooks the drawing with an ape at one end and the human at the other. It would show Neantherhals came before humans. But now, the USA Today article states that, ¡§A more accurate representation should have Neanderthal, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens walking side by side."*1

Ian Tattersal, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, concludes from looking at hominid fossil throughout the world that many of these fossils are not directed related to each other, but are from different groups. ¡¥¡§And there is a lot more species out there than we have had the courage to recognize,¡¨¡¦ Tattersal says.¡¨

An interesting comment came at the end of the article. ¡§Wood says one important conclusion that may arise from the new discovery is that human evolution is no different from that observed in other animals, such as birds and cats: Nature allows many different designs of the same basic model to develop.¡¨

In my profession as an electrical engineer, we have different kinds of jobs. There are design engineering jobs and non-design engineering jobs. The design engineer is the one who implements an idea to make a circuit perform a certain function. The other engineers support the design by testing the circuit or doing other functions to make sure the circuit will work in the real world. If the design engineer does not know how to create the right circuit, the other engineering support engineers would not be able to do anything without a workable design.

The reason why I went off this tangent to talk about the importance of design engineers in the process of engineering is because if Nature can allow many different designs of some basic model, then it shows Nature has intelligence. Who is Nature? Isn¡¦t it just the physical world around us? Is it Nature who allows designs to happen or could it be a creator God? In nature, we see the laws of nature, such as gravity, atrophy and chemical reactions. But who came up with these laws? According to evolutionary theory, life arose from random processes of chemical reactions. There are no intelligence or design behind this random process. However, we see there are intelligence built in all things. Just look at our DNA code. It has taken years to map out the human genetic code. A code is not a code without an initial creative intelligence behind it. Who wrote the DNA code? In the movie ¡§Contact¡¨, the scientists searched for intelligent life by trying to detect patterns of radio waves that are not random, but have intelligent patterns. It is hard to look at the complexity of the natural world, such as the structure of a single cell, without seeing intelligent design in it. Today, robotic scientists spend years and millions of dollars to mimic simple functions of the human body, such as walking. From this, we can see that to orchestrate the simple functions of a living organism require intelligence that can be beyond our understanding.

As this news article shows, new fossils have confounded the models used in the theory of evolution. What was once thought to be a simple process of a less developed creature evolving into a more developed creature has proved to be inaccurate. If what used to be thought of as ancestors of humans lived side by side with humans, then are they ancestors at all or are they just a different species. We know many different species have become extinct, so maybe these fossils are not human ancestors, but are different species that had become extinct. That¡¦s why we do not see them today.

Here are some questions to ask about the theory of evolution. What came first? The chicken or the egg? In order for DNA to be replicated, transcribed, and translated into protein, a host of specific proteins must already be present. What came first? Proteins or DNA? Can chaos create order? Can a tornado going through a junk yard produce a 747?

Why is the living world full of amazing adaptive strategies that defy evolutionary explanations? Did the peppered moth of England prove the evolutionary theory of natural selection? Why did nearly all species and adaptive structures appear suddenly in the fossil records with few if any predicted evolutionary transitions? Swimming (whale, seals, turtles, etc.) and flying (insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats) adaptations appear suddenly in the fossil record with no transitions. Have you ever seen a mutation that benefited the person or animal and was passed on to the next generation? How many ¡§favorable¡¨ mutations are required to give a bird wings, feathers, lungs, bone structure, brain morphology to fly? Why is beauty so pervasive in the natural world, from subatomic particles to crystals to biochemical pathways to butterflies to tropical jungles to the planets to the universe? How often can randomness, chance, accident create something beautiful? If beauty were the result of necessity, why would we be soothed by bird songs used to attract males, establish territories, and threaten enemies? Can we appreciate beauty in nature because our mind is patterned after the intelligence that is responsible for the beauty?

Will the current evolutionary theory change again with new fossil findings? The evidence from fossils will continue to stump the theories of scientists who try to fit evolutionary theory in all this, because the whole theory is not based on intelligent design. Nature can¡¦t have a design without a Designer. Maybe this realization will help us understand where we come from.*2

------------------------------------------------------------
References

*1. Lei, Mike. (2002) 'NATURE'S DESIGN?,' "Special Column of 'Nevada Examiner'," Las Vegas, Nevada: Nevada Examiner.
*2. Ibid.

***About the writer:

At the time when he wrote this article, Mike Lei worked at Fujitsu Microelectronics America in Dallas, TX as a product development engineer. He was also active in his church.

Mike Lei serves as a youth deacon at Carrollton Chinese Church. He like to play tennis and jogging. He has been an engineer for 6 years. He currently works at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. He has submitted 6 patents dealing with forward error correction circuits while at Alcatel Telecom. You can reach him at mlei@fma.fujitsu.com.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wish you a very Happy Father's Day! ---On this Father's Day, I have many things to be thankful for and to be proud about
By PAI of WBTI*1

We are pleased to post the following happy father's day e-mail and trophy from John Lei and Mike Lei to Dr. Tony Lei:

DEAR DAD,

On (t)his Father's Day, I have many things to be thankful for and to be proud about.*2

I'm thankful I have a Dad who really cares about his family, a Dad who cares about the welfare of his children, a Dad who understands the importance of authority and love in a family, a Dad who cares about the financial stability of a family, a Dad who knows marriage is for a life-time, a Dad who treasures and loves his wife, a Dad who thinks more about the family than about his own career, a Dad who don't push his own agenda on his children, a Dad who values the freedom and individuality of his children, a Dad who looks for the best in his children, a Dad who fears God, a Dad who can laugh at his own mistakes, a Dad who can share his true feelings to the family, a Dad who spends more on other members in the family than himself, a Dad who values and treasures the love and words of his sons, and a humble Dad who can listen to the words of advice from his sons.

I'm proud to have a Dad who kept the family together for over 30 years, a Dad who was a pioneer in business management in Taiwan, a Dad who wrote many books on management and leadership, a Dad who worked as a professor in higher education, a Dad who moved his family to a new country and raised 2 successful sons, a Dad who have many honors and accomplishments in education, academics, and community service, a Dad who loves God, a Dad who continues to model hardwork and perserverance, a Dad who doesn't give up when he meets challenges, a Dad who treats his family well, a Dad who is a leader with confidence and knowledge, a Dad who can be comfortable sitting with high level officials as well as talking with a waiter, a Dad who can continue to write articles everyday, and a Dad who can see how to build people up.

Dad, God knows your heart and efforts. May He reward you richly and help you to continue to increase in your love for Him and other people.*3

With lots of love and thanks from your son,

Mike

-----------------------------------------------
Dear Dad,

I wish you a very Happy Father's Day!!!*4

Thank you so much for all of your sacrifices for Mom, Mike and Me over these many years. God really blessed us with a wonderful Dad!

On this special day, I want to honor you for your academic accomplishments, community services, books you authored, public honorary positions, WBTI Presidency, WBTI website, and most of all, your love for God and for our family.

I remember the many times you encouraged me for school and work, which contributed to my academic and career successes. You also worked so hard to provide for our family. Thank you!

I pray that God will bless you with abundant success this coming year and with good health. May you continue to seek and serve our Lord with all of your heart and mind. Celebrate this special day with joy!*5

Your Loving Son,

John

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

-------------------------------------------------------
References

*1. PAI of WBTI is the initial of Public Administration Institution of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI).
*2. Lei, Mike. 'On This Father's Day, I have many things to be thankful for and to be proud about,' "An e-mail to Dr. Tony Lei from John Lei," (June 17, 2004), Carrollton, Texas.
*3. Ibid.
*4. Lei, John. 'I wish you a very Happy Father's Day!!!' "An e-mail to Dr. Tony Lei from John Lei," (June 16, 2004), Las Gatos, California.
*5. Ibid.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark R. Denton and Valorie J. Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service aspects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Canyon Trip
By Mike Lei***

A family road trip is always fun and a good time to bond. This year, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon sounds like a good destination. Our family last went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon five years ago. We all remembered that as a great trip. We haven't had a family trip like that since then. Four years ago, I went to work in Dallas. My brother John went to work in San Jose two years ago. This time, both of us planned to be home for Christmas week. I reserved the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn for Dec. 26-27th. We would make this a 3 days, 2 nights trip. Not too long and not too short.*1

The day we left for the trip is a nice day. It was sunny and not too cold. After eating a big lunch, we started towards Arizona. There were some congestions at the Hoover Dam. The opposite traffic was worse. The backup extended for miles. This is due to the "holiday traffic". We felt sorry for the motorist who were stuck in the long line. We managed to get to the hotel by 8pm. It was already dark. Our dinner consists of Ramen cup noodles and Chinese stew eggs, which we all enjoyed very much after all the big meals we've had during Christmas. We prayed and thanked God for the meal. We talked about God's grace to our family this year.

The next day, we ate breakfast and drove to the entrance of the park. The day was beautiful. It wasn't too windy. It was sunny and warm by winter standards. We decided to go to as many scenic spots as we could. We planned to hike in the afternoon. As I walked to the points that overlook the familiar Grand Canyon, I took in the breathtaking views. The views were the same as the pictures I've seen in magazines and calendars, except now they are like a huge 3-D canvas spread out in front of me. I gazed at the rock formations, the red colors, the flat top, and the way the canyon was carved to give it the chiseled look. No matter how hard I looked, it was not enough to take in all of the details at once. The formations were like hand crafted palaces for some ancient civilization.

The grounds at the view points still have some ice and snow, so we were very careful when walking on the rocks. Even though both my brother and I are adults now, my Dad's fatherly instincts told him to warn us against walking too close to the edge. He made an interesting comment while looking at one icy boulder where we were standing. He said one accidental slip on the icy rock and you can slide all the way to heaven. I thought that was a pretty funny way to look at the situation. Death can mean going to heaven or hell. But I guess it's better to think about heaven in such a case. We saw signs that warned tourists not to hike in certain places. One place where we saw the sign was on a steep place about 20 feet down from the railing. My brother pointed to me that if a person is close enough to be where the sign is, it's probably too late.

I walked to a pavilion with telescopes that looked into the Canyon. There was a bronze inscription on a rock. The inscription is from Psalm 68:4. "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds-his name is the LORD-and rejoice before him." Whoever put that inscription there must know that such natural beauty can only be the work of God.

The trails were still icy in some places. We choose the Kaibab trails to hike. We gingerly stepped down on the steep icy trail. I'm usually very confident on trails, but the icy ground made me take every step cautiously. One misstep can be hazardous. We found 2 walking sticks. We slowly made our way down the steep trail. The canyon side casts a shadow on the path where the ice did not melt. But where the sun can shine, we walked on muddy, not icy grounds. We only made it to a rocky outlook, where both my brother and I climbed to the top of a ledge that overlooks the Canyon. It was a pretty dizzying sight, so I didn't look down much. A picture is enough. I thought my eyes were closed on the first picture, so I told my brother to take a second picture. I wanted to make sure my risk taking resulted in at least one good picture. Going back up was not as dangerous. Falling on your face or hands is better than falling and rolling over the edge of a cliff. We found others who went down further and who seemed much more tired than us as we hiked up.

That night, we went to the evening program in the park. The slide show is on "How the Grand Canyon Came to be". The slides were presented by a park ranger who has been there for 20 years and who had much knowledge about geology and the Grand Canyon. His talk was interesting and funny. He even showed us a cheesecake he made as an illustration of how the Canyon is like a layered cake. I didn't take notes like a good student. I will try my best to remember what he said. The five ingredients which make the Grand Canyon are 2 types of rocks, the Colorado River, upward thrust of the earth plates, and time. The ranger told the audience that he just wants us to remember 4 words to tell people when they ask us what is the Grand Canyon. "Enormous proportions, magnificent beauty". If we can't remember these 4 words, he offered a simpler version. "Large pretty". According to him, the Grand Canyon is the only canyon on earth and in the solar system which boasts both size and beauty. Even the huge canyon on Mars can't compare to the Grand Canyon because people standing on one side of the canyon can't see the other side because of the long distance. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long. In some places, it is 1 mile deep and 10 miles wide. And it is all inside the state of Arizona.

Our Dad chose to stay in the hotel instead of going to the evening program. I suggested he spends the time reading the Book of Ecclesiastes. When we came back, he showed us his summary of the book: "The accomplishments of man must be because he loves God." I was pretty impressed by his exegesis of the book and the whole night we had a good discussion on spiritual things. This trip is turning out to be mentally, physically, and spiritually refreshing to the whole family.

The last day was more windy. Good thing we hiked the day before. We were glad how good the weather had been. We went to the park in the morning and left after noon. My brother and I want to make it back for the evening youth service at the Living Word Christian Church. Usually family trips include some mishaps. We almost had one when my brother saw the gas gauge almost empty. The next town was still 14 miles away. Fortunately, we found a gas station in between.

I have seen the magnificence of the South Rim Grand Canyon, but most importantly I'm awed again by the beauty of nature created by God and the good times God can bring to a family. Everything seems to work out perfectly on this trip. Even the traffic on the trip back was pretty smooth and could have been much worse, as we saw on the other side. The whole family is very grateful for the wonderful trip, which we all felt were especially blessed by God.*2

------------------------------------------------------------
References

*1. Chang, Tiffany. 'The Grand Canyon Trip,' "Newsbrief, WBTI," (January 17, 2002), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*2. Ibid.

***About the writer:

At the time when he wrote this article, Mike Lei worked at Fujitsu Microelectronics America in Dallas, TX as a product development engineer. He was also active in his church. He wrote this article on December 28, 2001.

Mike Lei serves as a youth deacon at Carrollton Chinese Church. He like to play tennis and jogging. He has been an engineer for 6 years. He currently works at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. He has submitted 6 patents dealing with forward error correction circuits while at Alcatel Telecom. You can reach him at mlei@fma.fujitsu.com.

-------------------------------------
Blessings to You On Your Birthday --- Such a special day...
By Mike Lei*1

Dear Mom,

This is a little card to say Happy Birthday and I Love you.*2 You have always been the model of the woman I will look for. I hope to find someone who will truly be the helper, supporter,and encourager to the husband. Someone who puts down her own dreams and wishes to make it a family dream and invest in her busband and children. One friend is going to marry a girl. She told him,"You serve God, and I will serve you". This is very biblical. It reminds me of how Dad's career really became successful when he married you. I also hope to marry someone who will be a partner in serving God the same way you were a partner to help Dad be successful. God will and rewarded you. See Proverbs 31:30-31 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." God remembers and we remember too.*3

Love Son Mike Lei

--------------------------
References

*1. Mike currently works as design engineer at Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. and volunteers as church deacon and youth worker at Carrollton Chinese Church in Carrollton, Texas.
*2. Lei, Mike. "A birthday card to Mom," (April 26, 2004), Mike Lei from Dallas, Texas.
*3. An editing was confirmed with Mike Lei through a phone call from his Mom in Las Vegas to him in Carrollton, Texas in the evening on May 8,2004.

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Culture Affair

Fifth annual Asian Art Now exhibition features art, events and entertainment*1

By KEN WHITE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

***G. S. Kabir's "Rejection of Earth" is one of the works featured in Asian Art Now: 2004 at the Las Vegas Art museum.

***"60th Birthday Series" by Kamol Tassananchalee is a mixed media work with acrylic on handmade paper.

***The exhibit shows a wide range of work, including "Woman at the Bazaar" by Kenji Tajima.

The Las Vegas Art Museum presents its fifth annual Asian Art Now exhibition of contemporary art with a variety of events and entertainment.

Today, from 6 to 9 p.m., a fund-raiser reception and exhibition preview will be at the museum. Attendees are expected to include Honorary Consul General of Japan in Las Vegas, Wayne Tanaka, plus artists and representatives of the Asian Cultural Exchange Association from Japan.

Food and beverages will be provided by Roy's, Panda Express, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, DeLuca Liquor & Wine, Nevada Beverage Company and Lee's Discount Liquors.*2

Entertainment will include a traditional Chinese lion dance performed by the Lohan School of Shao-lin; taiko drumming performed by Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko ("kaminari" is Japanese for thunder); modern koto performance by Shose Yanagimachi and students; Kahiko, an ancient Hula and Hawaiian chant blessing; and demonstrations by members of the Asian Cultural Exchange of chado (tea ceremony), ikebana (flower design) and bokki (calligraphy).

Admission is ... per person. (Please call for information.)

On Saturday, a special opening for members of the Las Vegas Art Museum will be from 2 to 4 p.m.

And on Sunday it's Asian Pacific American Community Day at the museum from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Among the more than 14 artists on display this year are Kamol Tassananchalee, Hirofumi Ohkuma, Letsu Sugiyama, G.S. Kabir, Koichi Terai and Kenji Tajima.

They work in an array of different media: oil, acrylic, watercolor, printmaking, fiber, ceramics, sculpture, digital images and mixed.

One of the exhibit's best-known artists, Tassananchalee, born in Bangkok, Thailand, earned an MFA in 1977 at the Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles and currently lives in West Hollywood.

Founder of the Thai Art Council in Pasadena and the Thai Art Center in Los Angeles, Tassananchalee has exhibited in Asia and the United States.

"To me, art is a universal," Tassananchalee has said. "Concepts, and ideas are infinite. Therefore, I feel comfortable incorporating ordinary things around me into my artwork. A good foundation with deep cultural roots has, without limiting me unduly, provided me with the security and strength to pursue my creativity."

Tassananchalee said the themes in his work "are developed from my life experience, which is a balance between two hemispheres of the globe. With the stable mind of the Thai artist, I am on my own journey, combining East and West together in my work. Since I have been on this path for a long time, I have discovered that the basis for creating quality art is rooted in an artist living a candid and honest lifestyle. The goal is to express the values of mankind in works of art that will endure forever. The pursuit is both a continuing challenge and its own reward."*3

Organized by the Asian Cultural Exchange Association of Japan, the exhibit is designed to promote international understanding and cultural exchange.

Admission is .... children 12 and younger are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

what: Asian Art Now: 2004
when: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays (through June 20)
where: Las Vegas Art Museum, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.
tickets: Please ask for information. (360-8000)

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References

*1. White, Ken. 'Fifth annual Asian Art Now exhibition features art, events and entertainment,' "Las Vegas Review-Journal," (April 29, 2004), Las Vegas, Nevada: reviewjournal.com.
*2. Ibid.
*3. Ibid.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark R. Denton and Valorie J. Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends!
By Mike Lei*

Jesus in Las Vegas

Coming back home to Las Vegas from Dallas this year has been a very meaningful time. I spend much of the time with my parents, encouraging them in the Christian faith. I also went to my mom's church and saw their Christmas play. It's great to see the people who acted in the play actually have real life testimony. One girl was healed of a lung tumor disease. Another actor also had a testimony of God's healing for an illness. The pastor there also shared about the fulfillment of a dream - to have a prayer mountain over Las Vegas. They will have a 24 hour prayer center to pray over Las Vegas. Las Vegas is not abandoned by God. I believe this is actually a place with much grace from the Lord. The bibles says, "But where sin increased, grace increase all the more, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."(Romans 5:20b-21). The people here has experienced the power of God over sin and death. One time, a youth pastor came and told us that we should not feel bad to be in Las Vegas. Even the town Jesus grew but in was known as a bad town where there are a lot of sins because it was occupied by the Roman soldiers. That's why one of the disciples (before he became one) doubt about Jesus because of the town he came from. "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46). For me personally, I did not believe for 20 years until I came to this desert place - Las Vegas. I am proud I came to know Christ here because this is an unlikely place to be "spiritual". But, I know this is actually a good place to know God. You can see the contrast between the things of the world and the things from God. When people see the things here they know they need forgiveness from God.

One of the things I did this year was to go on the strip and hand out the Gospel of John with a tract to the people who were passing out cards and pamphlets to the tourists. Usually, I would walk far away from these people and look at them with disgust because of the pictures they are handing out. But this year, I feel a compassion for these people. I handed out one book to a young boy and he accepted it. Then, I saw a couple handing out the pictures, and I gave a book to the wife. She thanked me and I said "God bless you" in Spanish. It's something I learned on mission trips to Reynosa, Mexico. Another lady I gave the Gospel of John looked really grateful to me and thanked me. I feel so happy to spread the good news to these people. We are all sinners. Some of us have it better in terms of our social status. We don't have to do those shameful things. But, sin is in the hearts of the rich as well as the poor. No one can say they have not sinned. Actually, if I say I am better than another person, I've already sinned because it showed my arrogance.

I prayed to bless everyone I see as I'm walking on the strip. I did this because I heard from the sunday sermon about the unlimited blessing from God that we can give to others. The pastor encouraged us to bless everyone as much as possible. So, I did that as I was walking on the strip to everyone- small, big, Asian, Middle-eastern, Indian, Caucasian, etc... We can bless everyone. There's unlimited blessings from God we can give to others. I don't have to be afraid others are getting blessed because God's blessings are unlimited. It's not if other's get blessings, then you won't be able to get it. Like a pie that everyone has to share.

For Christmas eve, I went with mom and dad to the Living Word Chinese Church. This is where we got started to be Christians. It's good to see so many new faces. This means the gospel is reaching many new people. It's good to see the new sanctuary, which let people have a better place to worship. The message is about the gifts we can give to Christ. But first, we must understand the gifts God gives us through Christ. These gifts are righteousness, eternal life, and the Holy Spirit. All these are free to receive for anyone who would believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose again and is willing to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Later, the Chinese pastor lead us in a song. The main words are "Come home, come home, to God's house." I believe this is the cry of everyone who knows the gift of God. We want everyone to come home to God's house. We can give the gift to others by telling them how they can come home to God's house through Christ.

Lastly, I was able to catch a wedding. This is a special blessing from God because these two people were from my youth group years ago and they were married. But, they were divorced 1 year later . I was not expecting God to answer my prayers for them to get back together. I thought this was impossible. However, both walked into the youth group meeting and I was just shocked. The guy told me that he has came back to church and started to serve again. I can see God really brought him back. The girl was so happy. I had the priviledge to attend their wedding reception and it was just a joyful time. I know God can do the impossible- not just raising the dead- but restoring broken relationships which human efforts cannot mend.

If you still are struggling in life, I would suggest you come home to Christ. Accept Him as your Savior. Ask Him to come into your life to be your Lord so He can lead you. Ask Him to forgive you of all your sins. Turn from living life your way to start to follow God. He will give you the Holy Spirit to help you. Accept this gift of eternal life so you can be with God forever in heaven. It's a free gift, but had a costly price. This gift was purchased by the blood of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

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*About the author

Mike serves as a youth deacon at Carrollton Chinese Church. He like to play tennis and jogging. He has been an engineer for 6 years. He currently works at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. He has submitted 6 patents dealing with forward error correction circuits while at Alcatel Telecom. You can reach him at mlei@fma.fujitsu.com.

Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark R. Denton and Valorie J. Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
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SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM MIKE

Dear friends,

I'm glad to come back to Las Vegas again to visit you. I just want to share with you what Christmas means to me. When my family came to the U.S., we didn't buy a Christmas tree that first Christmas. They were cutting Christmas trees from the campus where we lived. So, we went out and found a small tree they had left on the ground. We brought it home and put whatever decorations we can find- yarns and popcorn . In my second year at UNLV, someone invited my brother and I to a Christmas party. It was hosted by a church youth group. We started going to the youth group and soon received the gift of eternal life. Christmas has become more meaningful for me since then.

Why do they exchange presents during Christmas time? Is it because of the Magi who gave gifts to the child Jesus? I'm not sure, but I know the greatest gift is the reason for Christmas. The bible says "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23b). This free gift is available to everyone. A free gift is not earned or deserved. The reason is because "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23). So, no one can get to heaven by their good works because all have sinned. God's justice makes it necessary to punish the sin, yet His love provided a way for us to have eternal life. That is why God sent his only Son Christ (fully God and fully man) to die on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. If you were to die today, do you know for sure if you will go to heaven? You can receive this gift and know for sure you will go to heaven. How? I'm glad you asked.

First, you need to turn from depending on what you have done to get to heaven to what Christ did on the cross for you. Second, you need to receive Jesus as Savior. Third, you need to receive Jesus as Lord (as the Person who has control of your life). Lastly, you need to repent from your sins and turn to follow God. Here is a simple prayer to receive this free gift. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and do not deserve to go to heaven. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please come be my Lord and Savior. I turn from my sins to follow You. Thank you for this gift. In Jesus' name, Amen."

This is my simple way of explanation the gift of Christmas. I hope you will keep in touch and let me know if you have been touched by this letter. I can be reached at leimih@yahoo.com.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Mike Lei
(Mike currently works as design engineer at Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. and volunteers as church deacon and youth worker at Carrollton Chinese Church in Carrollton, Texas.)