Turning Point

Prepared by Peter Kuo

At the Cui-Villa, I was listening to former President Lee Teng-hui's views on diplomacy, he said: "Because of the non-governmental person like you, it is possible to open the way for Taiwan."

Taiwan was originally a poverty agricultural society, and the "Dragon Boat Festival" was a “Turning Point”. Taiwan, which relied on bananas for exporting to Japan, because of the cancellation of purchasing orders. On the Dragon Boat Festival in 1966, the "People Market" of Qingnian 1st Road was full of bananas which piled up like a mountain and a bunch of fifty cents, but it was still unsalable.

Witnessing the miserable situation of agricultural products, a 13-year-old young boy, A-Chang, insisted on his belief that "Industry can make Taiwan strong", and he worked hard every day in a small factory building on Zhongxing Street that was a rented place next to the market. Not only for keeping a family of nine alive, but also trying to use the fine industrial metal-parts he made himself to do business with foreign businessmen who came to the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone (KEPZ).

Unexpectedly, in December 1966, he (A-Chang) really succeeded in doing business with American firm—“Transworld Electronics Corporation”. Since 1967, he had made a net profit of several hundred thousand NT dollars every month. And in the next ten years, he had developed thousands of technological and industrial products with customers, and been composing Tainan’s famous legendary story of a poverty family turning over. And further there was plenty of energy to help his country-people transforming and upgrading.

A-Chang knew the truth of "If you want to be noble, you must read". So after working 18 hours a day, he still had to take time to the “Night School” to learn the necessary knowledge. Meanwhile, he also prepared the desks for each of his brothers, and was strongly requiring them to read. And those young boys gradually became men. In 1977, the young man (A-Chang) served in Chenggongling as a second lieutenant platoon leader, he taught a student of the 27th term of reserved officer, that student was graduated with a bachelor degree in medicine from the National Taiwan University, and went on to graduate in the master degree of “Public Health School”— after communicated with him and realized that it is more important to establish a good "Public Health System" better than to treat those who already in illness. Consequently, encouraged his younger brother to study in the Department of Public Health and obtain a doctor degree, and preaching the benefits of "Environmental Protection" and "Hygiene First", which have become a trend among the relatives and friends ever since. Moreover, after the Department of Medicine, studying for a "Master of Public Health" seems to have become a fashion.

The Department of Public Health needs to study "Immunology", focusing on "Prevention is better than cure." When I went to see my younger brother in the dormitory of NTU, his one of classmates I met, he later accomplished his department of medicine and further obtained a master's degree in "Public Health"; And then he went into the politics, to hold the positions from Legislator, Mayor, Prime Minister and to a Vice President. Obviously, Taiwan has very good Public Health talents, especially in the Presidential Palace.

Former President Lee once said: "When I was Taipei's Mayor, I had an idea of ‘National Health Insurance’ for the people. Later, I had the opportunity to serve as the national leader and immediately gathered the experts from all parties to study its feasibility. After several Prime Ministers, It was done in 1994 in the hands of Lien Chan. Later, Lien Chan became a ‘Vice President’, and there was still a lot of affairs to do, so I asked Lien Chan to continue to serve as ‘Prime Minister’ until 1997…” It can be seen that employing people is only talented, do not think too complicate.

Taiwan has been doing the most rigorous anti-blocking work since the discovery of the new corona virus (COVID-19) from Wuhan during the Chinese New Year last year. The success of the epidemic prevention has made the world look at Taiwan with admiration. When countries began to administer vaccines and the epidemic slowed down, Taiwan was disrupted by a "British Variant Virus"; from an excellent anti-pandemic state, it became a country with a mortality rate of close to 2.8% due to the COVID-19-- According to the statistics.

Afterwards, many people are arguing about "Vaccine". People with good financial conditions fly to the United States to get “Pfizer's BNT Vaccine”; those who don’t have the conditions live tremblingly every day. Everywhere we go, we have to scan the code, and even the buffet has to be separated with plastic wrap, with the help of the storekeeper to pick up the meal; the storekeeper who even can make money, but too tired to smile. In contrast, the news reported that "Regent Taipei Hotel" sold their "Domino’s Pizza" in exchange for cash to prepare for the cold winter--even now is just the summer.

Taiwan’s success in preventing the epidemic last year made the people seem to be living in a paradise on earth, and many people have forgotten the dangerous, and finally tasted the bitter fruits of the outbreak this year. The Political TV Shows are endlessly argument, and the pundits are focus on the "Vaccine". Political commentators questioned that "Why don't you purchase the 'mRNA' vaccine, but instead wait for the 'Recombinant Protein' vaccine?"

The official replied: "Because we can't get the vaccine from abroad."

Immediately a couple of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) came forward and expressed their willingness to help obtaining the vaccines, but it was stuck in the "Emergency Use Authorization" (EUA) of the relevant authority. When Japan donated 1.24 million doses of the AZ "Adeno Virus Carrier" vaccines arrived to Taiwan on June 4, making the controversy even more heated and the credibility of officials declined.

Recall that I received the first purchasing order from an American firm in December 1966. The first word I learned was "Vendor"--means "Supplier", and the buyer requested "Certificate of Origin"--means a prove of the manufacturing place; It seems that the officials in charge of vaccine procurement are very confused about the above words and have been mentioning the "Certificate of Original Factory"--Don't they know that multinational companies like Pfizer have many factories all over the world? Or they have no idea about Pfizer provides the original factory formula to the factory where the market is located?

Nevertheless, the new coronavirus pandemic has created a superstar called "mRNA" (messenger Ribonucleic Acid)--this is the key ingredient to Pfizer and Moderna's use of the COVID-19 vaccine. After studying, I realized that mRNA itself is not a new invention from the lab, it evolved billions of years ago and is naturally found in every cell in your body. The Scientists think RNA originated in the earliest life forms, even before “DNA” (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) existed.

DNA contains molecules of all genes spelled with the four-letter code--"A, C, G" and "T". The structure of RNA is similar to DNA but has some important differences. RNA is a “single strand” of code letters (nucleotides), while DNA is “double-stranded”. The RNA code contains a U instead of a T – “Uracil instead of Thymine”. But the information from your genes has to get from the DNA in the nucleus out to the main part of the cell – the cytoplasm – where proteins are assembled. Cells rely on “Proteins” to carry out the many processes necessary for the body to function. That’s where messenger RNA, or mRNA for short, comes in.

As the intermediary messenger, mRNA is an important “safety mechanism” in the cell; it prevents “invaders” from hijacking the cellular machinery to produce foreign proteins. Because any RNA outside of the cell is instantaneously targeted for destruction by enzymes called “RNases”. When these “enzymes” recognize the structure and the U in the RNA code, they erase the message, protecting the cell from false instructions.

The goal of the vaccine is to make your "Immune System" respond to the harmless version or part of the germ. Therefore, when you encounter the real thing you’re ready to fight it off. Researchers found “a way to introduce and protect” an mRNA message with the code for a portion of “the spike protein” on the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s surface.

The “vaccine provides just enough mRNA” to make just enough of the spike protein for a person’s immune system to generate antibodies that protect them if they are later exposed to the virus. The mRNA in the vaccine is “soon destroyed by the cell” – just as any other mRNA would be. The mRNA cannot get into the cell nucleus and it cannot affect a person’s DNA.

Messenger RNA vaccines get the “recipient’s body to produce a viral protein” that then stimulates the desired immune response. Although these are new vaccines, the underlying technology was initially developed many years ago and improved incrementally over time. As a result, the vaccines have been “well tested for safety”. The success of these “mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”, in terms of safety and efficacy, predicts a bright future for new vaccine therapies that can be “quickly tailored to new”, emerging threats-- That is, when a virus produces a variant, the "mRNA" can “be modified within a few weeks” very quickly to combat the new variant. It is said that "Recombinant Protein" lacks the advantage of such rapid modification.

In short, "mRNA is easier to update”, and it seems that the effect of killing the enemy is better; no wonder, someone are leaving the country for the United States to get the BNT vaccine.

Finally, what I personally want to express is that former President Lee Teng-hui once said: "National leaders should love the people like their own children, and they should do what they should do." He was referring to the fact that even though received great resistance from the opposition party as Lien Chan doubled as Prime Minister and Vice President. President Lee still let Lien Chan complete the affairs he was supposed to do. He was not allowed to serve as a full-time Vice President until September 1997. Today, there is an excellent expert of "Public Health" in the Presidential Palace, and he is also qualified as a physician. Is it possible to give him a chance to develop his talents, and let the people of Taiwan be free from fear as soon as possible?

Peter Li-chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years and was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit.

Reference:

https://pkpreaching.blogspot.com/2021/06/614.html (轉捩點)

Links:

Linda Din’s Invention:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6304796 (VAM)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030197061 (Shopping System)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030107468 (Entry Security Device)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20040054595A1/en?inventor=Linda+Din (ETC)

https://ipr-patent.blogspot.com/2018/11/3-major-claims-for-ipr-of-tes.html (3 major claims for the IPR of TES)

https://kuo-social-service.blogspot.com/2015/11/social-responsibility-investment-sri.html (Social Responsibility Investment)

https://3rdsectorkuo.blogspot.com/2015/12/taiwans-third-sector-for-development-of.html (Taiwan’s Third Sector for the Development of Information Society)