As I said before, I am not a fan of the winter Olympics.  But since the games are over and thank goodness no terrorist attacks, I will make some comments.  I had predicted that the U.S. would beat out Russia for the medal count.  I was wrong but it was not fair.  I had no idea that Russia would get 6 medals from non Russians.  "Viktor" Ahn, a former South Korean short track speed skating star was enticed by the Russians to represent them.  Ahn had injury issues in recent years despite being a big star in South Korea before.  He was left off the Korean team and so he took the Russians' offer.  He won 3 individual medals plus a relay gold medal for Russia.  Then an American Vic Wild decided to do snowboard for Russia because they gave him more money.  He wins 2 gold for them.  So that is 6 medals for non Russians and the difference between Russia and the U.S. was 5 medals.  So I would have been correct if real citizenship was enforced.  To be fair the Russians did lose a gold medal to Switzerland because one of their guy, nicknamed "I Pod", won the half pipe for Switzerland after having represented Russia in the past.  So it would have been a tie between U.S. and Russia but the U.S. would have won on gold medal total under "fair" competition.

Speaking of fair, I think that Yuna Kim should have won.  It was a close competition and not highway robbery.  But I think that even though the Russian had more jumps and thus technical difficulties, she did double footed one of the landing.  This should have made the technical part much closer and Kim wins based on artistic performance.  I understand there is home court advantage in any sport but the fact that one of the judges is married to the head of the Russian skating federation and another judge had been found guilty of cheating in the past, does make this outcome more suspicious.  By the way Ashley Wagner did all right but her complaint about being robbed seems absurd.  Who cares if she is 6th or 7th?  Controversial decisions are common place in figure skating.  If not for one of those decisions, Wagner would not have been in Sochi in the first place.

The Winter Games keep adding sports and events to fill the schedule and try to get younger viewers.  An old person like me have little interest in these sports.  If I had any interest I would have watched the X Games.  If they need more sports for the Winter Games, I would suggest that they move wrestling and the martial arts sports to the Winter.  The Summer Games have too many sports according to the IOC.  These sports are indoors and can be done in winter or summer.  It would fill out the tv schedules better for the Winter Games and give these sports more exposure than they are receiving in the Summer Games.

Couple of rich people's statements last week makes me wonder if being smart is a prerequisite for becoming wealthy in this country or that once you became rich you have lost all perspective.  Tom Perkins, a venture capitalist, said that people should only be allowed to vote if they pay taxes and it is one vote for each dollar a person pays.  He also said that the assault on the rich today is like the Nazi's assault on Jews.  Frankly I do not know of anyone who is assaulting the rich today that can send Tom Perkins to the gas chambers.  I am shocked that no Jewish group has come out to attack Perkins for making light of the Holocaust.  Asked in what way are the rich being assaulted, Perkins cited higher taxes under Obama.  I think that a lot of Jewish people who perished under the Nazis would have been glad to pay Perkins' tax rate.  As for one dollar one vote idea, I always thought that this nation was created under the idea that all men were equal.  So Perkins believe that if you pay a million dollar in taxes and I pay a thousand, then he is one thousand times greater than me.  I think he needs to go back to high school history class.  And with the one person one vote system we have now, there are many millionaires in Congress but no one on welfare is in either chamber.  So in what way are the rich being underrepresented now?

Then there is Bud Konheim, CEO of a luxury retailer.  He claimed that people at the poverty level in this country would be rich in 99% of the world.  He set the poverty level at $35,000.  I am sure a lot of poor people in this country, not just in other parts of the world, would be happy to be making $35,000.  But of course by making this argument in the first place shows how absurd his thinking is.  I am 5 ft 5 in tall.  I am taller than overwhelming majority of the people in the world. (Don't forget women, old people who have shrunk, and of course children).  This fact does not make me feel tall, nor would anyone consider me to be tall.  A person making the minimum wage in this country cannot take his money and buy food and housing in Africa some place.  He has to eat and live here!  To make such statement just makes me wonder how this guy got rich in the first place.

These two guys proves Warren Buffett's point.  That is just because you are good at something and also was lucky to be successful, it does not make you a better person.  Buffett said that if someone puts him in the jungle somewhere, he would not survive.  He was just lucky that investing pays off well in this country.  I agree with him.  I consider myself a hard working, self made immigrant.  But if I grew up some place else, under different circumstances, I would not have done anywhere as well.  So yes, I know there are irresponsible people who take advantage of the system and blame the rich for their problems.  But it is fair to say that those who have made it rich, depended on the system to help make them succeed.  They did not do it by themselves.  If they think they can create wealth without the system, then I suggest that Perkins and Konheim be dropped off in the jungles somewhere with a couple of welfare recipients and see who survives better.  I will bet on the welfare recipients.

The Lakers' Robert Sacre was allowed to continue playing after committing his 6th foul the other day.  The Lakers was down to 4 players if Sacre was disqualified.  This was due to the fact that they had only 8 players dressed because of injuries  Then 2 of the 8 were injured during the game.  Then another player had fouled out before Sacre.  The rule was that a team must have 5 players on the floor so Sacre was allowed to stay in and the Lakers were assessed a technical free throw.  This seems like a small price to pay to avoid playing a man short.  Seems to me this loophole can be exploited.  Say Kobe Bryant had pick up his 5th foul, you may want to send all the bench players to the lock room with fake injuries and then if Bryant picks up his 6th foul, he would be able to stay in the game.  I think this rule needs to be revisited.

This reminds me of a dream I had several years ago.  I dreamed that I was in Boston Garden watching the Pistons play the Celtics.  The Pistons ran out of players due to injuries and they announced they need someone from Detroit to play for them.  Naturally I ran to the floor and got in the game.  I realized that I can't guard any of the Celtics and can't block them out for rebounds.  So as soon as the Celtics take a shot, I would run to the other end, hoping the Pistons get the rebound and I can cherry pick.  This actually worked in the dream and I scored several layups.  Then with a few seconds left and the Pistons down by 1, Laimbeer fired a pass to me but as I went up for the layup and win, I got a horrible cramp on my right calf,.  I fell to the floor and missed the shot.  At this point I woke up all mad.  I then realized that I did have a cramp on my right calf which took several minutes to go away.  Lately I have been having sciatic attacks on that same right leg.  I wonder if this is the consequence of playing in that game.  Curse those Celtics!

Went to a movie premiere last night.  It is a documentary about a Korean adoptee going back to Korea and finding his biological parents. In my opinion, this is a great movie. It was produced and directed by Asian Americans.  They all did an excellent professional job.  I laughed and cried throughout the movie. Men sitting by us also cried.  It is a movie about love, family and identity.  I think all these are universal values.  Full disclosure:  the young man in the movie went to middle and high school with my son and they are still great friends today.  So I knew parts of the story before hand but I was still surprised how the movie brought out such emotion in me and others.  The movie will be shown on Korean tv as a four part mini series.  After that they plan on putting it on YouTube.  But I think it can go farther than that.  It has yet been officially named.  I will write when it is distributed in the U.S.

Saw a picture in Chinese newspaper of Li Na accepting an award from the governor of her native province after winning the Australian Open.  Her face tells it all:  no smile.  The article says the Chinese sports federation regard her success as a result of the training and nurturing China gave her.  It is laughable.  Li was a mediocre player until she broke away from the restraint of the Chinese system.  Other athletes who have done most of their training outside of China include Sun Yang, who trained in Australia, and Lu Xiang who trained in the U.S.  I am not sure that they would have become world champions if they stayed in China.  I think the rigid Chinese system hurt many athletes and more should be going abroad to improve their skills.

Happy New Year, everybody!  Time to watch the Super Bowl.  I have taken Denver since NE lost but I don't really have a horse in this one.  Just hope it is a good game!