My last blog before going on vacation! China wins chess Olympiad with India finishing third. China becomes the first Asian country to win what is essentially the world team championship in chess. It is also the first time two Asian countries medal in the same Olympiad. This has to be very frustrating to Russia as it finishes fourth and has failed to win the championship for 4 straight times! Russia in chess is like the U.S. in basketball. Their number 5 player is better than most teams' number one. Sure a Bobby Fisher can beat any Russian but in a team competition over 11 rounds of play, you would think they cannot lose. In fact China did not send 3 of its top 5 players, including their number 1. So Russia's number 5 is ranked higher than Wang Yue, who played first board for China in this championship. India is also missing its top 2 players, including its former world champion! So how did this happened? I have no idea. But with this result, you can bet there will be a surge in chess in China, India and maybe other places in Asia.
First night on the NBA schedule: Houston at Lakers. I did not know that the NBA wants to give Jeremy Lin a chance at revenge so fast! Well, Lin vs Rockets is not the top story line here. How about Kobe vs Dwight after they parted ways last season? Or Kobe vs Harden since Kobe is upset that people are saying Harden is the best SG in the NBA. Looking forward to opening night on TNT!
Now that the Tigers have traded for Price and Soria, they just need couple more starting pitchers and couple more relievers and they can maybe catch the Royals!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Obama decides to use air power to stop the advancement of ISIS. I am ambivalent about getting involved in Iraq again. It seems we are just trading one dictator for another whenever we are involved in this area of the world. ISIS appeared to be our worst nightmare. A terrorist group that somehow got so powerful that it is operating in the open and destroying the Iraqi army that we have trained. The major reason for this is that the current government refused to be inclusive of the Sunni minority which led to the rise of ISIS. It is also so corrupted that the military is run by incompetent people and thus many of the soldiers refuse to fight for them. So unless there is significant change at the top, I don't see how the U.S. can help them. We sent in "advisers", just as Kennedy did in Vietnam. But like Vietnam, if the people are not willing to fight for that government, we will end up in a quagmire.
So is Obama making a big mistake by using air strikes now when he did not do so in Syria? I don't think so. In the past few days before the air strikes, ISIS was advancing toward Kurdish territory. This area has been an oasis in Iraq. The Kurds were abused under Saddam Hussein. They were hopeful that after the first Gulf war, Bush the First would have gone into Baghdad and got rid of Hussein and help establish Kurdistan. That didn't happen but the U.S. did create a no fly zone to help the Kurds somewhat against Hussein. Since the fall of Hussein, the Kurds have been trying to be loyal to the new government despite not getting anywhere politically. They have also made peace with Turkey so that now I think Turkey would accept an independent Kurdistan at its border. The area has been democratically run and westernized. So I think we cannot let this oasis fall to ISIS.
The Kurds are willing to fight for their homeland, unlike many of the Iraqis under the Baghdad government. They had to retreat due to the overpowering forces of ISIS. But I believe with U.S. air power, the Kurds can turn back ISIS. So here we have a democratic ally that needs our help. It is essential that we give them help. Criminals like easy targets. Once they realize that they can't overrun Kurdish territory like they did in Mosul, ISIS will turn back toward other areas of Iraq. We should allow Kurdistan to be declared an independent nation. If it can survive and prosper, we may have a model for other countries in the area.
So is Obama making a big mistake by using air strikes now when he did not do so in Syria? I don't think so. In the past few days before the air strikes, ISIS was advancing toward Kurdish territory. This area has been an oasis in Iraq. The Kurds were abused under Saddam Hussein. They were hopeful that after the first Gulf war, Bush the First would have gone into Baghdad and got rid of Hussein and help establish Kurdistan. That didn't happen but the U.S. did create a no fly zone to help the Kurds somewhat against Hussein. Since the fall of Hussein, the Kurds have been trying to be loyal to the new government despite not getting anywhere politically. They have also made peace with Turkey so that now I think Turkey would accept an independent Kurdistan at its border. The area has been democratically run and westernized. So I think we cannot let this oasis fall to ISIS.
The Kurds are willing to fight for their homeland, unlike many of the Iraqis under the Baghdad government. They had to retreat due to the overpowering forces of ISIS. But I believe with U.S. air power, the Kurds can turn back ISIS. So here we have a democratic ally that needs our help. It is essential that we give them help. Criminals like easy targets. Once they realize that they can't overrun Kurdish territory like they did in Mosul, ISIS will turn back toward other areas of Iraq. We should allow Kurdistan to be declared an independent nation. If it can survive and prosper, we may have a model for other countries in the area.
Sunday, August 03, 2014
First a water pipe broke near UCLA spewing millions of gallons of water, breaking concrete roads, flooding parking lots and buildings, including the famous Pauley Pavilion. Then underground gas lines exploded in Taiwan, destroying buildings and killing people. Then the water supply in Toledo got contaminated with a toxin from algae, causing a run on bottled water and shutting down restaurants. All of these may seem like isolated incidents but I am wondering if more of these things will increase in the future.
I am not sure what happened in Taiwan. It maybe an accident from nearby petroleum companies. The UCLA situation is obviously a sign of crumpling infrastructure. The pipe that broke was over 90 years old. It is estimated that the pace of repair and changing pipes in southern California is such that it will be 300 years before all the pipes will be repaired or changed. So if the pace is not picked up greatly soon, I see a lot more pipes bursting. And it is not pipes underground but bridges are not being maintained in this country also. Remember the bridge that broke in Minnesota a few years back? That bridge was fixed but I have not heard of a national effort to check and repair all the bridges. There will be more collapsed bridges for sure.
The detection of toxins in Toledo actually worked well, giving warnings before anyone got sick. But isn't algae always going to be growing in Lake Erie? Are there any proactive plans to prevent contamination in the first place? I think most of the time, the local government spent money on what the people can see, such a police, fire and schools. Most people never think about what is under the ground or the electric grid until something happens. So unless we demand that our infrastructure be upgraded, we are just waiting for the next disaster to happen.
Besides exposing our poor infrastructure, I am worried that what happened in the last few days also give terrorists ideas. It seems to me that if they have a few smart scientists they can figure ways to cause explosions in gas pipes or contaminate our water supply. So besides upgrading, we also would need to find ways to protect our infrastructures.
Meanwhile I am thinking what my late grandmother used to admonish me: stock up on more rice and water! I am also going to drive faster when on a bridge so that I will spent less time on it!
I am not sure what happened in Taiwan. It maybe an accident from nearby petroleum companies. The UCLA situation is obviously a sign of crumpling infrastructure. The pipe that broke was over 90 years old. It is estimated that the pace of repair and changing pipes in southern California is such that it will be 300 years before all the pipes will be repaired or changed. So if the pace is not picked up greatly soon, I see a lot more pipes bursting. And it is not pipes underground but bridges are not being maintained in this country also. Remember the bridge that broke in Minnesota a few years back? That bridge was fixed but I have not heard of a national effort to check and repair all the bridges. There will be more collapsed bridges for sure.
The detection of toxins in Toledo actually worked well, giving warnings before anyone got sick. But isn't algae always going to be growing in Lake Erie? Are there any proactive plans to prevent contamination in the first place? I think most of the time, the local government spent money on what the people can see, such a police, fire and schools. Most people never think about what is under the ground or the electric grid until something happens. So unless we demand that our infrastructure be upgraded, we are just waiting for the next disaster to happen.
Besides exposing our poor infrastructure, I am worried that what happened in the last few days also give terrorists ideas. It seems to me that if they have a few smart scientists they can figure ways to cause explosions in gas pipes or contaminate our water supply. So besides upgrading, we also would need to find ways to protect our infrastructures.
Meanwhile I am thinking what my late grandmother used to admonish me: stock up on more rice and water! I am also going to drive faster when on a bridge so that I will spent less time on it!