NEXT BOARD MEETING: Saturday, August 10, 2013 @ 1100 hours. All Cathay Post members and supporting friends are welcome. Lunch will be served immediately after the Board meeting. Cathay Post. No. 384 American Legion 1524 Powell Street San Francisco, CA 94133 Telephone: 415.392.2882 Fax: 415.392.2882 www.cathaypost384.org From the Commander’s Desk 2 The 1st Vice Commander 3 The 2nd Vice Commander 5 The 3rd Vice Commander 7 Chinese American Heroes 8-11 Veterans Success Center 12-13 Inside this issue: Cathay Chronicle CATHAY POST NO. 384 Volume 4, Issue 8 August 2013 Cathay Post Board of Directors Top, L to R: John Li, Ryan Qui, Chee Yee, Collyn Fong, Gary Chew, Roger Dong, John Peng, Richard Ow, Bottom, L to R: Steven Lee, Dale King, Tony Zhang, Jay Pon, David Y. Wong, Nelson Lum, Galin Luk, and Ed Wong
Transcript
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Saturday, August 10, 2013 @ 1100 hours. All Cathay Post members and supporting friends are welcome. Lunch will be served immediately after the Board meeting.
Cathay Post. No. 384 American Legion 1524 Powell Street San Francisco, CA 94133 Telephone: 415.392.2882 Fax: 415.392.2882 www.cathaypost384.org
From the Commander’s Desk 2
The 1st Vice Commander 3
The 2nd Vice Commander 5
The 3rd Vice Commander 7
Chinese American Heroes 8-11
Veterans Success Center 12-13
Inside this issue:
Ca
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CATHAY POST NO. 384
Volume 4, Issue 8
August 2013
Cathay Post Board of Directors
Top, L to R: John Li, Ryan Qui, Chee Yee, Collyn Fong, Gary Chew, Roger Dong, John Peng, Richard Ow, Bottom, L to R: Steven Lee, Dale King, Tony Zhang, Jay Pon, David Y. Wong, Nelson Lum, Galin Luk, and Ed Wong
Volume 4 , Issue 8 Page 2
college admissions. There are
also referrals to seminars, com-
puter labs with Microsoft Office
software applications, training
opportunities and a network of
organizations, all designed to
support you in any capacity to
obtain employment.
It is with sadness that I report to
you, the passing of two of our
life (PUFL) members of Cathay
Post No. 384. Comrade Woo
Hom was a member for over 62
years; Comrade Benjamin Louie
was a member for over 65 years.
On behalf of the board mem-
bers, fellow veterans, and sup-
porters of our Post, we extend
our deepest condolences to the
Hom and Louie families.
The September newsletter will
be issued later than usual. This
is because several contributing
writers will be attending the
American Legion’s National
Convention in Houston. On my
agenda, I will be meeting with
the 2011-2012 National Com-
mander Fang A. Wong, to dis-
cuss a number of legionnaire
topics. He is truly a loyal sup-
porter of our Post. We will have
some news coverage of the con-
vention in the September issue
along with additional news in-
formation in the October issue.
Thank you for your continued support of our Post.
Respectfully yours,
Commander David Y. Wong
Bristol Myers Squibb for the
special catered luncheon and Dr.
Clifford Wong for talking to the
Post about hepatitis B. Based
on the number of questions that
were asked, our audience was
very interested in the topic and
very engaged.
Korean veterans who served
along the DMZ in Korea between
April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971
are now eligible for VA health
care and disability compensa-
tion benefits for Agent Orange
related medical issues. On an-
other note - Vietnam Veterans –
veterans who served in the Re-
public of Vietnam between Jan-
uary 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975
have been added to Group Prior-
ity 6 according to the Veterans
Health Benefits Handbook.
Those members who fall into
this classification and have ques-
tions, please contact one of our
commanders for assistance.
If you are a veteran seeking em-
ployment, I encourage you to
visit the Veterans’ Success Cen-
ter. The facility is now located at
1720 Market Street, near Valen-
cia Street, in San Francisco.
There are daily job listings com-
ing in from local employers, and
veteran friendly employers seek-
ing job candidates. There is a
professional resume develop-
ment program from experienced
professionals and skilled resume
writers. At the Center, you can
obtain technical assistance re-
garding online VA benefits and
Dear Cathay Post Members and Friends,
The American Legion’s new fis-
cal year began on July 1st. Vet-
erans should have received their
2014 membership renewal state-
ments from the National head-
quarters. Payments as noted on
the invoice coupon should be
mailed directly to Cathay Post.
Once the funds are received, we
will record your name and mem-
bership number on a transmittal
report which will be submitted
to the Department of California
for processing and updating.
Support members’ annual dues
should also be remitted directly
to the Post. Despite the per cap-
ita tax that was levied by the De-
partment of California and ris-
ing operating costs, your board
has agreed to keep the member-
ship dues at the current level.
On another note, I would en-
courage you to log on to myL-
egion.org. This will allow mem-
bers to view information on file
at National headquarters. This
feature will also allow other
myLegion members to navigate
various networking tools.
I want to thank members who
attended July’s monthly meet-
ing. After a “smooth sailing”
meeting, members and guests
were treated to a special buffet
along with a whole roast pig. It
wasn’t just a luncheon, it was a
feast. I want to take a moment
to thank Natalie Parkinson of
From the Commander’s Desk
From the 1st Vice Commander
Page 3
Cathay Chronic le
The summer months tend to be
the most chaotic months for my
family. What to do with the kids
when school is out? How are
they going to get to their morning
program? How do they get home
at noon? How can I plan a work
week with a schedule that chang-
es every week? Somehow every
summer, my wife and I (plus
mom, Agnes) seem to figure out
how to sacrifice our lives for the
kids by moving our schedule
around them. There are many
other challenges families face in
raising a child, nothing is ever
easy. Our work life balance is
constantly in flux.
Post 384 is no different. The
Post is our extended family, there
is leadership (the head of family)
and the members (family).
Within our Post there are many
members that will give their con-
tinued service to the community
and country without strings at-
tached. Others use the Post for
their own personal reasons.
As the 1st Vice Commander, I
want to reiterate that my goal is
to serve you. I want to be able to
provide the resources and guid-
ance to make each member, my
extended family, a better person.
I want to make Post 384 a better
place each and every day . From
the older members, I want to
learn from your experience to
avoid as many wrong turns, as
possible; if there is something
you need, please tell me. From
the younger members, we need
your strength and zeal; if there
is something you need, please
tell me. My kids, my wife and
my mother constantly tell me
what they want, so should you.
If it is within my abilities, re-
sources and morals, I will sup-
port your efforts.
My goals may not align 100%
with yours, but it would please
me to see you succeed in what-
ever you pursue. Nothing is
ever perfect.
Speaking about not being per-
fect....how about the United
States Constitution. The origi-
nal document was sign in 1787
and enacted in March 1789.
Six months later, 10 amend-
ments were proposed for adop-
tion! It took nearly another 2
and half years to enact these
changes:
Amendment 1 Congress shall make no law re-specting an establishment of reli-gion, or prohibiting the free exer-cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a re-dress of grievances. Amendment 2 A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment 3 No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, with-out the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Amendment 4 The right of the people to be se-cure in their persons, houses, pa-pers, and effects, against unrea-sonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no war-
From the 1st Vice Commander
Page 4
Cathay Chronic le
rants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and partic-ularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Amendment 5 No person shall be held to an-swer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeop-ardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due pro-cess of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensa-tion. Amendment 6 In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been commit-ted, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusa-tion; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtain-ing witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of coun-sel for his defense. Amendment 7 In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be pre-served, and no fact tried by a
From the 1st Vice Commander
jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than ac-cording to the rules of the common law.
Amendment 8 Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unu-sual punishments inflicted. Amendment 9 The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be con-strued to deny or disparage others retained by the peo-ple. Amendment 10 The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are re-served to the states respec-tively, or to the people.
What have I been up to? Trying to figure out how we can recruit the many quali-fied veterans to Join Cathay Post 384. I’ll be meeting with our vice commanders soon to discuss some ideas, including accepting Com-cast’s very generous offer of going on their cable net-work show and visiting some of the local college campuses. I encourage you to share with me your thoughts? Keep in mind, if you have a veteran friend who is not a member, you should invite him or her to join!
Galin Luk, 3rd Vice Commander
Page 8 Cathay Chronic le
Our Newest American Hero - is Chinese from Australia who grew up watching Sesame
Street.
Congratulations to our newest Hero –Dr Terrence Tao, “The Tao of Math.”
Terrence Tao
Profession: Professor of Mathematics.
Education: Bachelor of Science (Honors), Mathematics, Flinders University [Australia], 1991; Master of
Science, Mathematics, Flinders University, 1992; Ph.D., Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles,
1996.
Awards: 2012, Crafoord Prize (Mathematics), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; 2010, Nemmers Prize,
Northeastern University; 2010, King Faisal International Prize (Mathematics), King Faisal Foundation;
2010, George Pólya Prize, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics; 2008, Onsager medal, Lars On-
sager Lecture; 2008, Alan T. Waterman Award, National Science Foundation; 2005, Ostrowski Prize, Os-
trowski Foundation; 2007, MacArthur Fellowship, MacArthur Foundation; 2007, SASTRA Ramanujan
Prize, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy; 2006, Fields Medal, International Math-
ematical Union; 2005, Australian Mathematical Society Medal, Australian Mathematical Society; 2002,
Bôcher Memorial Prize, American Mathematical Society, 2000, Salem Prize, Salem Prize Committee; 1992,
Contribution: Dr. Terence Tao and his family are great “mathematicians.” His father, Dr. Billy Tao, was a pediatrician who immigrated to Australia from Hong Kong in 1972. His mother earned a mathematics and physics degree from Hong Kong University and taught mathematics in a Hong Kong secondary school before arriving in Australia. Dr. Terence Tao’s brothers, Nigel and Trevor, have mathematics degrees. When Terence was 2, his parents sat him in front of the television to watch "Sesame Street." As his father admitted, “We basically used ‘Sesame Street’ as a babysitter.” Terence started to use spelling blocks that his parents had bought for him to spell out words and to demonstrate simple math problems. But his father ad-mitted he bought the blocks as toys, not for education, “You expect them to throw them around."
Name in English: Terence Chi-Shen Tao
Name in Chinese: 陶哲轩 [陶哲軒]
Name in Pinyin: Táo Zhéxuān
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1975
Birth Place: Adelaide, Australia
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Cathay Chronic le
Terence Tao was marked as a child math prodigy in Australia very early in his life. Terence was enrolled in a private school at just 3 1/2 years old but was withdrawn just six weeks later. He was not ready to spend so much time in school and the teacher wasn't ready to teach a child prodigy. When Terence was finally enrolled in public school when he was 5, he was allowed to progress at his own pace in a special program developed for him by administrators, teachers, and his parents. He was "given the freedom to enjoy life" including playing bridge and experiments in music dubbing. Terence quickly ad-vanced beyond his peers by several grades in science and mathematics but stayed even with them in courses such as English. "When I was a child in Adelaide, Australia, I loved games with clear, unambiguous rules; puzzles that were tough but fair; and the clean, abstract, simplicity of numbers and symbols. So it is perhaps not surprising that I have been drawn to mathematics for as long as I can remember." Essays though dis-comforted him, “I never really got the hang of that. These very vague, undefined questions. I always liked situations where there were very clear rules of what to do.” By 7 ½ he was studying math at a local high school and by age 8 he scored a 760 out of a possible 800 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) math section and was starting to study calculus. For a while there were discussions about accelerating Terence's education to graduate from a university as quickly as possible. His parents talked with experts in the education of gifted children and examined the often sad history of many past child prodigies (high academic achievements and acclaim by their mid-teens, asocial recluses and dropouts by twenty.) They decided to keep their son in regular schools and have college professors mentor him instead. His father said, “To get a degree at a young age, to be a record-breaker, means nothing. I had a pyramid model of knowledge, that is, a very broad base and then the pyramid can go higher. If you just very quickly move up like a column, then you’re more likely to wobble at the top and then collapse.” In 1986, at the age of just 10, Terence Tao became the youngest medal winner in the history of the Interna-tional Mathematical Olympiad when he took a bronze medal. The following year he won the silver medal. In 1988, he became the youngest ever to win a gold medal at the age of 13. In 1989, at the age of 14, he final-ly left high school and enrolled full time at Flinders University in his native Adelaide. In December 1991 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with Honors and, six months later, his Masters of Sci-ence in Mathematics. In that same year, at just 16, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to continue his postgraduate studies at Princeton University from which he earned his Ph.D. at the age of 20 in 1996. He then became an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was a full professor by 24, the youngest full professor in the history of the university. Dr. Terence Tao has explored many different fields of mathematics and been consulted about numerous sci-entific and mathematical problems by his peers. One field that especially interested him were prime num-bers, numbers greater than 1 that have no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. A simple mathematical concept but at the root of such complicated fields were cybersecurity, cryptanalysis, and codebreaking. When you transmit your credit card number or other sensitive information electronically a prime number key is always involved to keep that information safe. The Green-Tao theorem of 2004 looked at prime num-ber progression and proved that it is always possible to find in the infinity of integers, a progression of any length of equally spaced prime numbers. This had been a problem tormenting mathematicians for over 2,300 years since the Greek mathematician, Euclid, pondered the problem in 300 BC. In 2004, Professor Emmanuel Candes, then an applied mathematician at the California Institute of Tech-nology, presented Dr. Tao with the problem of reconstructing images with the least possible information. Today's digital cameras record several million pixels then use a compression algorithm to reduce the amount of data in the picture for efficient storage and transmission. Why couldn't a camera start with the compressed data first and make the process faster and more efficient?
Page 10
Cathay Chronic le
Dr. Tao responded the next day with a new and complex algorithm that allowed an accurate picture to be cre-ated from just a small sample of data. The field of compressive sampling was born. Work is already being done to develop a new MRI for medical and scientific purposes using the new algorithm. The US Department of Defense is also very interested in the research. Their idea is to drop many small and very stupid one-pixel cameras each transmitting their tiny bit of data to a computer which can then assemble a very complete pic-ture of any area. Possible national security applications could also include faster digital recognition at air-ports and other checkpoints. Another field could be more compressed and faster data storage and retrieval with obvious commercial and military applications worth billions of dollars. In 2009, Dr. Terence Tao, became a dual American-Australian citizen.
Publications:
From 1996 to 2013, Terence Tao has published, submitted, or co-authored over 250 articles in mathematics.
He is also the author of eight books on mathematics.
