News From East Asia
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As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives. Henry David Thoreau
Just a Thought
FACT: This area includes most of the industrial economical powerhouses of the world from the original Four Tigers of Asia (some say Five Tigers). Well, I've decided to compile my own modernized Five Tigers list: Mainland China (which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan), South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. Including China was a no brainer since they manufacturer almost every item in your household ("Made in China"). With a surplus of economic capital, the America government is one of many countries which China regularly loans money. Times have really changed.
News worthy, as of second quarter 2013, China was both financing and helping to build a new airport in Khartoum, Sudan. This was one of several major business ventures in various African countries. China is obviously doing quite well in Africa and these countries aren't defaulting on their financial obligations.
US banks have notoriously loaned money directly to counries that have repeatedly defaulted on loans. Seems the money could have been better spent on solidly secured business capitalization projects for a return on the investment. Also, US federal, state, and local goverments could have benefited from strategic foreign investments in developing countries as well rather than enforcing Eminent Domain to "recyle neighborhoods" IMHO. Remember the Marshall Plan (if not google it) anything is possible, like the millions that were spent on Space Exploration. So much for American foreign aid money to countries. All I can say is this is American's opportunity loss!
The common demoninator in this region is high academic achievement enforced on the parental level. This has led outsiders to view East Asians are inheritedly smarter than most which is a myth in itself. Most East Asians resent this stereotype. My perspective on this is simple, educational support starts in the home. The Asian mother typically takes on the role as the "Tiger Mom" ensuring educational goals are being met whether at home or with after school educational programs. The father may try to counter balance a childs life, but he too ultimately has to answer to the boss - his wife. The pressure to succeed educationally is intense both at home and through peer pressure. Therefore, failure is not an option. Suicide is not an uncommon solution in response to "dishonoring" the family. No one wants to be a failure.
The flipside is these overachievers may view others (especially Americans) as lazy, mentally weak, and may come off as aloof and discriminating. Truth of the matter is any American can achieve the same results with similar efforts and self-discipline.
It's interesting to note, many after school businesses are now common in America to better prepare children academically for the future. One of the biggest is the world-wide franchise based Kumon. This was founded in 1954 in Osaka Japan by Toru Kumon a math teacher to help her son. Note this was a "working mom". So "Tiger Moms" aren't restricted to just stay at home mom status.
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Map Source: East Asia map sourced from asianempires.wikispaces.com an educational website. This map is being used solely for the purpose of illustration of the region under the "Fair Use" copyright guidelines for news reporting (copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html).
