(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 27, 2022). The Chechen special forces sent by Russian President Putin to Ukraine to hunt for Ukrainian President Zelensky were annihilated by the Ukrainian army on the 26th. Their 56 combat vehicles were destroyed near Hostomel, northeast of Kiev. Bombed to pieces, the Ukrainian army killed Magomed Tushaev, the second-largest Chechen army figure, known as the "King of War".

The Russian military's aggression against Ukraine has been hit hard. The armed group, known for its brutal violence and human rights abuses, is said to have been destroyed by Ukrainian missiles the day after it reached Ukraine. Hundreds of people died.

Among those killed was Tushayev, commander of the 141st Mobile National Guard, an elite unit of Chechen head of state Ramzan Kadyrov.

Tusayev was also photographed with Kadyrov, showing his importance to the Chechen regime, which has gained notoriety in the West for hunting down, torturing and killing homosexuals. (Magomed Tushaev (left) - Image taken from twitter)

Kadyrov is said to have even visited this elite unit in the Ukrainian forest.

This dealt a huge psychological blow to Putin's conquest of Ukraine. Russia sent this group to capture or kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, knowing that the fighters' reputation for brutality would further fear the beleaguered Ukrainians.

Each fighter was given a stack of cards with pictures of the Ukrainian officials they were hunting. But Zelensky is still standing, and he has become a global hero.

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)

The Celebrated Wines of Bordeaux - A Short Description

By

Roanld G. Jan, M.D

1855 in preparation for a visit from England’s Queen Victoria the Emperor of France, Napoleon III (nephew of Napoleon I), directed a classification of the wines on the west side of the Gironde Estuary/Garonne River in Bordeaux based on the price of the wines at that time. 4 wines were selected as the top and weredesignated “First Growth” - Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux, and Chateau Haut Brion. (Map of France with Paris and Bordeaux - Photo credit Shutterstock)

 

  Chateau Latour 

 

 Chateau Lafite

                                                                                            

 

Chateau Margaux

 

                                                

  Chateau Haut-Brion

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was classified as the best of the Second Growth and responded,

“Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis”

(First, I cannot be, Second, I deign not to be, I am Mouton)

1973 the classification was upgraded, and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was included in the top tier’s First Growth to which Mouton-Rothschild responded,

“Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change”

(“First I am, Second I was, Mouton does not change”)

 

            

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 

                                               

Note the label is designed by famous painters (e.g., Picasso, Miro, Degas, etc.)

The wines in Bordeaux are almost always blends of grape varietals—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and occasionally Malbec. Each grape varietal brings something special to the wine—like instruments to an orchestra.

            Cabernet Sauvignon brings high tannins with medium acidity and full body, rich black fruit (black cherry, blackberry) with herbaceous notes.

Merlot brings softer tannins, with medium acidity, medium to full body with black fruit (black cherry, blackberry)

            Cabernet Franc brings softer tannins, vibrant black fruit with floral notes.

            Petit Verdot brings higher tannins and a deeper color.

            Malbec brings deep color and full body.

The winemaker then blends the wines from each of the above cultivars to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Furthermore, the grape varietals grow best in different soils and often ripen at different times of the year.   For example, Cabernet Sauvignon grows best in gravely soil with excellent drainage and cannot do well in soil rich in clay that holds water well. But Merlot can do quite well in clay. Merlot ripens early and can be harvested earlier—sometimes before the fall rains that could damage the grapes.

The soils in Bordeaux differ on different sides of the estuary/river. On the west side (“Left Bank”) soils are more gravely and drain well. As such, the wines from the west side (“Left Blank”) are blends with a predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which require a sufficient drainage and hence, preferred gravel soil.

On the east side (“Right Bank”) the soils are more clay-like and hold onto water well which is good in dry years but not good for grapes that require good drainage. And so, the wines from the east side (“Right Bank”) are blends with a predominance of Merlot which can grow better in the water—retaining clay soils. You will also see more Cabernet Franc used as well especially in the limestone-rich soil of Saint Emilion.

The climate is warm maritime because of the warm currents from the Gulf Stream into the Bay of Biscay.

You may have noticed that all the First Growth Bordeaux wines are from the West side (“Left Bank”). The wines from the East side (“Right Bank”) are equally celebrated (and equally expensive). Most noted are the wines from Pomerol and Saint Emilion.

Chateau Petrus, Chateau Ausone, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Angelus, and Chateau Pavie

 

                                                       

 Chateau Petrus

 

 Chateau Cheval Blanc 

 

 

Chateau Ausone

                                 

 

 

    

 Chateau Angelus  

 

                                           

Chateau Pavie

Certainly, some of the finest wines in the world can be found in Bordeaux. These famous wines have earned their reputation. And there are many excellent wines from Bordeaux at a fraction of the price and deserve exploration and sampling with different foods.

 

                                                                           

Bon appetite!!

About the author: Dr. Ronald G. Jan who specializes in Vascular Surgery is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine. As a hobby, he holds WSET level 3 certification in wines and has been writing and publishing wine commentaries.

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 26, 2022) Russia invaded Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea yesterday, killing all 13 soldiers on the island. (Photo credit: CNN.com)

According to a leaked recording, when the Russian warship approached Snake Island, it forced the Ukrainian army to surrender, but the Ukrainian army still held on to their posts, even swearing.

CNN reported that according to this recording, the Russian army approached Snake Island and shouted to Ukrainian soldiers: "This is a warship, this is a Russian warship, I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid unnecessary casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed."

A Ukrainian soldier responded: "Russian warships, you die." This was the last known message from the island.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that all 13 Ukrainian soldiers on the island had died.

Zelensky said: "All the border guards on Snake Island were heroically killed, but they did not abandon their defense. They will be posthumously awarded Ukrainian heroes."

Snake Island is in the northwest of the Black Sea, 48 kilometers from mainland Ukraine and about 300 kilometers west of Crimea. Crimea, a Ukrainian territory, was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Although Snake Island is only about 18 hectares in size, a report last year by the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank, said it was "key to Ukraine's maritime territorial claims in the (Black Sea)".

(Source: Compiled from Online Information)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 25, 2022) The system of "reinstatement of insurance and reinstatement of insurance" for overseas Chinese may become history. Some overseas Chinese living in Southern California believe that this seems unfair to some overseas Chinese who have returned to Taiwan not long after each time. (United News Network)

According to Taiwan media reports, the system of "recovery of insurance" for overseas Chinese may become a thing of the past. The overseas Chinese in Southern California believe that it is not fair to abolish the suspension system for some overseas Chinese who have returned to Taiwan for a short time each time. However, there are also overseas Chinese who do not object to continuing to pay health insurance premiums but suggest that the government can develop a fairer review system. As for the dissatisfaction caused by the Taiwanese people over the return of overseas Chinese to Taiwan for insurance, most overseas Chinese also said that they never thought of abusing health insurance, just to protect their own health during their stay in Taiwan.

The National Health Insurance Association of the Ministry of Health and Welfare recently discussed a number of financial adjustment measures for health insurance. In addition to the plan to increase some of the burdens of drugs and inspections, the suspension system may also be abolished. In other words, the public will not be able to apply for health insurance suspension, returning to the principle of compulsory health insurance coverage, which is considered to "improve fairness".

Ms. Zhu, who lives in Orange County, is very dissatisfied with this development. She feels that this is unfair to overseas people because some people will not return to Taiwan for more than two years, but they still must pay fees to maintain their household registration, which will invisibly cause overseas people an extra expense. Ms. Zhu said that for her to have health insurance in Taiwan, she was only afraid that she might need to see a doctor in case of health problems when she returned to Taiwan. She did not intend to abuse health insurance at all.

Ms. Chen, who lives in Los Angeles, also said that when she returned to Taiwan to visit her parents every year, if she entered the country with a passport of the Republic of China, she had to enroll in health insurance, even if she went back for two weeks. But she did not plan to use health insurance at that time, wondering why household registration and health insurance should be tied together? Ms. Chen believes that it would be unfair for people who only stay in Taiwan for one to two weeks a year if the suspension system is abolished.

Another overseas Chinese said that he had joined the health insurance for more than ten years. At first, he went back to Taiwan to visit his parents for a short period of time, because he was afraid that he would have health insurance before he received health insurance. In the past ten years, she thought about the health insurance that she had used. Except for a routine check-up at the ophthalmology department when her father-in-law was hospitalized, she had never used health insurance. Even when she returns to Taiwan University for a colonoscopy every five years, she almost pays for it out of her own pocket, paying nearly NT$4,000 each time. She has not stopped paying health insurance fees in the past ten years. She does not understand why the health insurance would target on removing the flexibility on overseas immigrants. Compared with many Taiwanese people who regard doctor visits for rehabilitation as a daily activity, she believes that the health care expenses of overseas immigrants are negligible. She wonders how this will benefit Taiwan.

However, Mr. Lin, an overseas Chinese who has continued to pay health insurance for decades, said that whether the system is good or bad depends on individual’s opinion. He believes that compared with the medical expenses in the United States, Taiwan's health insurance costs at most 30 to 40 US dollars a month, which is not a lot of money, so he has not stopped insurance for decades. On the other hand, he also regards this move as support and encouragement for Taiwan's health care and believes that he has owed nothing to Taiwan.

Mr. Chen, an overseas Chinese, is not opposed to this possible new policy, but believes that the government should make decisions based on individual special reasons. Mr. Chen said that continuing to pay premiums is an extra expense for some overseas people, which may cause financial burdens, so they must stop and restore insurance. However, for overseas Chinese who are financially able, it is not a problem to continue to pay health insurance. He pointed out that this policy affects not this group of people, but those who are under economic pressure. He suggested that the government can develop a fairer review system, which may be reviewed based on factors such as income.

According to the current health insurance regulations, those who have been abroad for more than two years will lose their health insurance eligibility due to deregistration. Although those who have been abroad for less than two years are eligible for health insurance, they can still voluntarily apply for insurance suspension, and will not resume insurance after returning to Taiwan. Many people apply for suspension of insurance when they return overseas, and resume insurance as soon as they return to Taiwan to enjoy health insurance resources, which has caused a lot of criticism. For this reason, the second generation of health insurance requires reinsurers to pay premiums for at least three months.

(Source: United News Network)