Are high achievers born or made?
Lee referred to a recent WSJ (Wall Street Journal) article, The New White Flight (cf. Thomas Sowell’s commentary about it at capmag.com) and the Asian Week editorial about it, Diversity is NOT Black and White. [ht: Musings of an Urban Christian] For those of you who are skimmers and scanners, here’s the quick read summary: In Cupertino, California, a growing Asian American student population is causing rising academic standards — and causing many white parents to withdraw their children from the school and some to move out of the community.
Compare and contrast with this excerpt from this GMA (Good Morning America on ABC) piece [ht: Peter Ong] : Are Asian Children Smarter? Authors Explain How Their Parents Motivated Them to Learn
Asian-Americans comprise only 4 percent of the United States’ population, yet they make up 20 percent of the Ivy League. The daughters of Korean immigrants and authors of “Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers ? and How You Can Too“, Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim, say their parents raised them to be successful. Abboud is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jane Kim is a lawyer who specializes in immigration issues.
Because God Doesn’t Always Fit
This little text ad showed up in a recent newsletter I get:
Because God Doesn’t Always Fit into a Church-Shaped Space.
In 2000, the church was the focal point of faith activity for over 65% of American believers. Current trends indicate that by 2025, this will drop to 35% or less. At the same time, a new mixture of spiritual activity, community, and new forms of Christian leadership are appearing. For a taste of what God is doing, get Revolution, by George Barna.
And, a friend gave me a CD with a condensed reading of a portion of this new Barna book, with the inscription: “Please pass this on to a fellow revolutionary.” I’ve contacted Barna Group about passing this along online, via MP3 audio here, but haven’t heard back yet. So, this is at risk of doing it prematurely, and taking it literally, here is my passing it along for now (72 minutes; 68MB).
You can also read Chapter 1 online (PDF), hear an excerpt, and read chapter 14 online. You can buy Revolution by George Barna at amazon.com.
One blogger is doing a chapter by chapter review. Jollyblogger didn’t like the book at all. And, this blog post had a great comment: Christainity [sic] without church is like marriage without sex–it only lasts one generation. Other blog posts about this book: Is THIS the Church of the New Millennium?, We are failing as Christian Churches in the world of Cyberspace; So You Say You Want a Revolution?
[update 12/28/05: CT posts its review of Barna's book - No Church? No Problem: George Barna wants commitment to the local congregation to sink lower than ever. 1/23/06: Tod Bolsinger begins an extended response from his pastoral and theological perspective.]
2 tech notes
When I use my preferred Firefox browser (1.07) to view certain websites, like timetales.com, I get extra pop-under(?) windows that go to ilead.itrack.it and sometimes wind up at redorbit.com. Some video starts playing in the background and I hear sound bites about cancer or diabetes or some other medical condition. I don’t keep a detailed track of what websites I’m surfing, but I do know when a video starts playing in a background tab window.
Rumor has it that a web statistics tracker at webstats4u.com, formerly NedStats Basic, triggers this. One other blogger at j-walkblog.com mentioned this unwanted behavior too.
Supposedly, AdBlock extension can help, but I’ve had problems with that extension in the past. Setting tighter Javascript controls (i.e. Tools > Options > Web Features > Enable Javascript > Advanced, click off most of those options) helps. But what really gives you (obsessive) control over Javascript is the NoScript extension. This extension keeps Javascripts from going bonkers, or from doing anything at all, until you grant permission, whether temporarily or permanently on a site by site basis. No more popup windows gone wild!
2ndly, NYT offers a hot lead: A Novel Repair Concept: Replace Battery, Not iPod. Go directly to the vendor’s page, get yourself an iPod battery that lasts longer than the original. Note: warranty will be voided. Use at your own risk. Not for the risk averse or faint of heart.
thankful for a truck
The deed is done, the papers are signed. We got ourselves a new 2005 Nissan Xterra! (specs: 4WD + S trim package + Solar Yellow color). Not to be confused with happy face yellow. Photos here.
My car buying history has been 1 used + 4 new, since graduating from college in 1988. While people say that one can save a lot by buying used, I didn’t see the lots of savings on the listed price of used cars. Plus, I didn’t want to spend that much time checking out a used car to make sure everything was okay. With a new car, one has the reassurance that you’re the first driver (not counting a few test drives). As for comparison shopping and negotiating, we are not much for playing those games. I did do some online research, we did buy the Xterra at invoice price, and we’re happy with the special manufacturer’s financing and the customer rebate. No need to second-guess ourselves on whether we could have gotten a better deal if we did this or that. Now, time for a ride!
bus warfare
WaPo piece today: Some Low-Fare ‘Chinatown’ Buses Told to Halt Over Safety. Would Angry Asian Man call this article racist? 
Note his distinct and broader use of the term racist; yet he does also acknowledge Asian racism too:
As much as I focus all this energy on pointing out racism and hate directed towards Asians in this country, I will also be the first to admit that Asians are also quite capable of racism?hell, they excel at it. I’m afraid racism is a human condition, and Asians are not immune. Especially when it comes to hating on fellow Asians.
WaPo had profiled Angry Asian Man, aka Phil Yu, a few weeks back.
