Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for president. I am waiting for people like Donald Trump who demanded Obama verify that he was born in the U.S., to come out and say that Cruz is not eligible.  If people like Trump would not say that Cruz is ineligible, then why all the fuss about where Obama was born?  If being born in the U.S. is needed to be president, then Cruz is not eligible since he was born in Canada.  I personally think that if someone is an offspring of an American citizen and lived in the U.S. most of his life then he is eligible.  I think the original intention of the founding father was to prevent someone born in England become president and possibly undermine our independence.  In any case, I am still waiting for Trump and others who demanded proof even when proof was already given, say what they think since there is proof that Cruz is not born in the U.S.

I didn't see the comment from LBOAYM from the last blog till today.  The article of the artist is very interesting.  Our family, like many immigrant families from China, are from Taishan of Guandong province.  We were considered poor uneducated hillbillies in China.  Yet many immigrants from that area have flourished, not only in the U.S. but also Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia.  Lee Kuan Yew would be an example of descendants from Guandong province who went on to do great things.  By the way, Fareed Zakaria, the host of CNN's GPS program, said today that Lee was the most interesting man in the world.  Very few people in the U.S. know about him and it is too bad.  Most people in the U.S. probably think the most interesting man in the world is that guy in the Dos equis beer commercial!

The Chinese Exclusion Act was all to real.  We are a country of immigrants but our treatment of immigrants is no where near the ideal that we were taught in school.  The quote on the Statue of Liberty:  Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...."  is well known to school children but the Chinese Exclusion Act?  I would bet 95% of college educated Americans had no idea of its existence.  What native born Americans don't realize is that the people who are willing to make a horrible journey, face discrimination and still work very hard are the people who push this country forward.  Without the drives of immigrants, we will lose our world leading status in a very short time.  We, the Chinese immigrants, have to remember those who came before us, our Jackie Robinsons.  It was their dedication and suffering that made it so much easier for us today.

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore has died.  I consider Lee the greatest leader of a country in the last 50 years.  Although Lee has many critics, Singapore is celebrating its 50 years of independence as a thriving economic powerhouse.  I don't think that in 1965, Lee or anyone else in the world could have predicted that Singapore would survive 50 years let alone be a rich nation.  There was problem with its much larger Muslim neighbor Malaysia.  There was also a restless native population that did not like the idea of being ruled by people of Chinese ancestry.  Lee had to act to protect the country and unify it at the same time.  Given all that and take the country from the third world to be one of the tigers of Asia in less than three decades is a great accomplishment. 

Of course there is the question of individual freedom in Singapore.  Lee did rule with an iron hand.  But when the country became stable and prosperous, Lee did step down even though his influence continued behind the scene.  Obviously laws such as no chewing gum in public will never be accepted in western countries.  But the type of discipline that Lee brought to Singapore helped it survive and thrive.  Lee is the father of the country, literally.  He is the father handing out tough love and the children do well as a result despite resentment.  The difference between him and other dictators is that he did not do it to benefit himself.  He lived frugally and did not become extremely wealthy while the country stayed in poverty.  With his passing, I am sure the laws will gradually loosen up.  Young people of this generation did not grow up in danger or poverty.  They may not appreciate what Lee had to do.  They will demand more individual freedom.  And that would be the right thing for Singapore.  But we must not forget that without Lee, Singaporeans would be living as Muslims under Malaysia today.  They would not have more freedom under that system and certainly will not be as rich.

Forty seven GOP senators wrote to the ayatollah of Iran telling him that any nuclear deal made by Obama will be cancelled with the election of a new president.  I think it is safe to say that the negotiators from Iran have a very good understanding of how our government works.  I am sure they know the party of the current president may not be in power in 2017.  They also know about the difference between a treaty which needs the approval of the senate and an executive agreement.  So I don't think that Iran will stop negotiating after reading this letter.

But the letter is stupid in that gives the advantage to Iran.  Now if the negotiation breaks down, Iran can blame the Americans because the U.S. government as represented by these senators are going to go back on any deal.  Sure, the agreement may be a bad one and Iran can cheat after making the agreement.  But we can always restart sanctions if Iran does not keep their end of the bargain.  And what is the alternative?  Bomb Iran on behalf of Israel?  Israel is perfectly capable of doing that herself.  But it will only delay and not stop Iran from building the bomb.  If negotiation completely fails, can we count on our allies to continue sanction if it appears people in our own government is sabotaging the effort. 

In two days Israel will have their election.  Netanyahu's speech to Congress at the invitation of GOP was a political move by him and his hosts.  We will see if the citizens of Israel agree with them.

Was away during the weekend.  Trying to catch up with the news today and found about the U. of Oklahoma racist video.  I was a little shock that in 2015 that college educated people would still think nothing of saying these sickening things.  Then I realize that I would be naive if I don't think that this happens behind closed doors in college campuses everywhere.  It just happens that this time somebody who is appalled by this is able to send out a video recording to the public.  I think most people believe that with each succeeding generation, racism decreases.  But despite being more diverse than previous generations, I think the young people of today maybe no better or even worse than last couple of generations when it comes to racism.

I think there is a perception among young people today that economically they will go backward compared to their parents.  White males still make the most money compare to others with the same education.  It is just that a college educated white male have to battle with females and males of other races for a job that would have gone to a white male before.  There is a perception that Asians are getting the top college spots, not realizing that Asians actually get less spots than their credentials would indicate.  (more on that in the future)  There is also the perception that minorities are taking jobs away from whites through affirmative action.  Add to that the rants from conservatives about our black president and you can see why young naive people can become racist.  I don't know if any of this apply to the U.of OK video but I will not be surprised if more of this goes on behind closed doors on campuses today than in the past 20 years.

The GOP blockage of funding for homeland security is totally ridiculous.  They are willing to hold hostage the security of the country in an attempt to stop Obama's immigration policy?  There is no chance that they would succeed because they don't have enough vote to stop filibuster in the senate nor override a veto from Obama.  This is an exercise in futility.  Even most Republicans agree with this.  While this may not cripple the country in the short term, it will have consequences if the department is not funded.  Do you really want the people who are working in security lose their concentration because they are forced to work without a pay check?  Just like the debt default debacle a few years back, the confidence in the U.S. is at stake here.

I don't know why the GOP is wasting time on this and trying to kill Obamacare.  Their best chance in these are in the courts.  They have no chance legislative wise unless they elect a GOP president in 2016.  They can enhance their chances in that if they can show they can govern.  If they put out laws that are moderate, they have the votes to pass both houses.  Then if Obama vetoes then they can use that against the Democratic nominee.  If he signs, then the GOP show that they are reasonable and able to govern.  So if they are smart, they won't waste any more time trying to do things that are impossible and endanger America.

Speaking of presidential election, Rand Paul won a conservative poll this week while Jeb Bush got booed at the gathering.  Don't read too much into this.  Both Rand Paul and his father Ron had won this poll in the past and neither have been close in getting the nomination.  Jeb Bush is not a favorite among conservatives but he has the name and money.  With Romney bowing out, Bush is still viable among the moderates in the party.  I think Scott Walker is in a good position as he has placed himself between the extremists and moderates.  Plus he is from a toss up state that the GOP nominee needs to win to get elected.  So I would place him as the front runner at this time.

Happy Chinese new year!  Since it is Chinese new year, we will talk about Hong Kong today.  As you know it had been a year of turmoil in HK.  A long protest called the umbrella movement put light on Beijing's rule of HK.  Although the street occupation by protesters have been stopped, I think we will be revisiting the same in the near future.  So it is interesting that the very unpopular chief executive of HK, C,Y. Leung came out with a statement asking the people of HK to behave more like sheep in this the year of the sheep.  Sheep are considered to mild and gentle and live in groups without fighting.  Of course, Leung is called the wolf by his critics.  So this is not lost on the people of HK and all kinds of jokes or serious discussion will come out of this.  The word for sheep, goat or ram are all the same in Chinese.  Since I am born under this sign, I will prefer to say its is the year of the ram since I think the ram is tougher than goats or sheep.  I mean the LA Rams sound a lot better than LA Sheep or Goats.

Also from HK, a Filipino domestic worker recently won a scholarship to NYU to study photography after her photos of Filipino domestic workers in a shelter for abused migrant workers in HK came to light.  There are 320,000 foreign domestic workers in HK.  When I was there in 2007 I walked into a park on a Sunday where many of these women were congregating.  This was the one day off they had and since they can't afford other entertainment, they gathered there to visit with each other.  I felt a little uncomfortable then even without knowing that some of them were abused.  As a land that was colonized for much of recent history and now being governed by a communist government, I would think the people of the land I was born, would be very cognizant of human rights.  I think now that HK people are well off financially, they should be treating others as well as they wanted to be treated when they were under British rule.  Now that they are demanding more human rights from Beijing, they should be giving more rights to their foreign workers.  I see some abuses are being tried in court and there are calls for laws improving the lives of foreign workers.  I hope HK will continue to make improvements in this sad situation.

Brian Williams has been suspended for 6 months by NBC for telling a false story of his helicopter being hit during the Iraq war.  Now more stories that he has put out there are under question.  It is a disturbing pattern with a person in such a powerful position when it comes to informing the public.  If it turns out he had lied about another story, then I think his career as an anchor and possibly as a serious journalist is over.

I never did like Brian Williams. I don't have problem with him going on lots of talk shows.  Even presidents do that.  But he tries to be the funny man whenever he goes to the shows.  And it is not just when he is outside of news coverage that he is trying to be funny.  In 1999 when the U.S. "accidentally" bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Williams said of the mistake "oops"".  When innocent people are killed, there is no room for jokes.  It showed an immature behavior for a person in such a serious profession.  Some people have joked or seriously mentioned that with Jon Stewart quitting the Daily Show, Williams should take over that role.  Frankly, if the accusations are accurate, Williams is too unrealistic for even fake news.   I think Jon Stewart has much more integrity as a comedian than Williams as an anchor of a network news organization.

Watched the third and fourth episodes of Fresh off the Boat.  I find these two episodes to be a lot better than the first two.  If it continues to be this funny, it deserve a renewal for next season..

I want to hear some opinions on the new sitcom Fresh off the Boat.  Since this is only the second Asian American sitcom after Margaret Cho's show, I am hoping it would be a success.  It is extremely difficult for a show like this to succeed. On the one hand, if the characters are portrayed like "average Americans" then what would be special about the show?  But if too much racial undertone is used then "average American" may not watch.  And if too much stereotype is used, then it would not serve Asian Americans well.  So all this is a fine line to walk on.  Add to that, you have to be funny.  So this is a high mountain to climb.  I just wish the show the best of luck.

I actually did not watch the Super Bowl last week.  Don't ask!  After hearing people say that Pete Carroll called the worst play in history of the Super Bowl, I looked at the highlights.  I didn't think that was such a bad call.  I mean, there was about 30 seconds left and one timeout.  If they ran the ball and failed, they would have had to use the timeout.  Then if they ran it again and failed, they may not have time to run a third time without a no huddle.  Sure, the chances are they would have scored on two tries running from the one.  But there have been times when NFL teams fail on 2-3 times running from the one.  And the odds are overwhelming that they can pass for one yard as well.  I suspect the odds of an interception from the one is not higher than a fumble from the one.  If the pass is incomplete, the next two plays can be run without a no huddle regardless of what happen.  So I don't think it was a gamble at all for Carroll.  On the other hand, why no criticism for Belicheck for not calling timeout after the first run?  Maybe by not watching the game itself, I missed something but that is my opinion from the highlights.

With no more elections for himself and no democrat needing to shy away from him in the next two years, Obama went on the offensive in the State of the Union Address. It was the type of the best defense is offense theory that I proposed at the midterm election.  As I mentioned before, it may not have changed any results but by shying away from Obama, the Democrats were essentially agreeing with the Republicans that Obama was a failure.  In reality, as Obama pointed out, by almost any measure he was way more successful than Bush.  So now he makes proposals that will have no chance of passing the Republican majority in both chambers.  But at least he makes his points.  For example, didn't Wall Street screw up the economy last time?  So now you are worried about regulations for Wall Street?  I think Obama's vision will cause the Republican nominee to lean to the right and will make he/she less likely to win moderates in 2016.

While I agree with Obama in most issues, I don't agree that community colleges should be free.  From my experience, when someone gets something free, he is less likely to appreciate it.  I think here in California, the cost of attending junior colleges is very affordable.  I know a lot of people who go to junior colleges and work to save money to transfer to a 4 year school.  If it is necessary to lower the cost of junior colleges, I think they should first have to get rid of the sports programs in these schools before asking for more tax money.  I don't think these schools should be a minor league for the pros or 4 year colleges.  I know of people who played two years and had no credit toward transferring to a 4 year school.  I can't think of any country whose technical schools or colleges spend millions for intercollegiate athletes.  If the goal is prepare kids for the real world, don't use these schools to be minor leagues in sports.

I got the feeling that the Patriots are going to throw a ballboy under the bus like USC did a few years ago when they did the same thing.  Belichick is the usual bad guy.  But I can't imagine he would tell someone to deflate the balls to below standard since he is not the one throwing the ball.  I hope Brady is not involved other than telling the ball boy to get it down to 12.5 psi, the lowest allowable level.  While the Patriots are not going to be thrown out of the Super Bowl no matter what happens, Brady's legacy could be in jeopardy if he instructed someone to cheat on his behalf.  The whole thing is stupid anyway.  Why do each team have different balls?  Baseball pitchers don't bring their own balls.  Why didn't the officials notice a difference of almost 20% among the balls before half time?  And if Brady cheated, why was he so stupid?  Sure, a softer and lighter ball is easier to grip.  But a lighter ball would also be more affected by air resistance.  So it would be more difficult to control in bad weather.  Think in extreme:  would you rather throw a baseball or a ping pong ball in the wind?  So why cheat?

Many people disagreed with the pope who said that freedom of speech has its limits.  While he says killing in the name of religion is wrong, it is also wrong to insult other people's religion.  I would not equate insulting with killing of course.  But the Pope gives an example that if someone calls his mother a bad name, he would have punched him.  I would agree with the Pope on this:  human beings can be provoked into doing something violent.  The Pope would be wrong to punch the guy but it would be an action that was not surprising.  In the case of the Paris terrorism, there is no question of the heinous crime. The cartoonists had the right to write what they want, but what purpose did it served?  Everyone has the right to walk in the worst areas of the city at 3 am, but why would you?

To paraphrase Tina Fey at the Golden Globe award:  thanks to North Korea, we are forced to watch a bad movie.  Same with the Charlie magazine which is selling like hot cakes.  People who thought that making fun of Muhammad for the action of extreme Muslims is like making fun of Jesus for Christian criminals, are now buying Charlie.  So it goes to show you, when you go extreme against something, it usually make that thing more popular.  Whenever the Catholics protest a movie, it would help increase its box office.  This is something to keep in mind when we try to solve problems with blinding force without thinking it through.