My China Kanfa.....China on My Mind

Much ado has been made about China’s eventual surpassing of the United States’ as the World’s pre-eminent Power.    Nevermind I cannot think of one instance where one up and coming rival surpassed or tried to surpass another on the global stage peacefully, without conflict.    Doesn’t happen.     Sparta vs Athens?   War. Spain vs England?   Same Germany vs Britain?   Ditto What about on the regional stage? Japan vs China? So let’s just get this out of the way;   China should someday surpass the United States as the World’s eminent Power…… Last year a global survey was taken and the question was asked: “China will or already has replaced the US as Superpower”? Now this is a bit of a clever question.   Because it asked not is or can , but will ?   Of course China will!   But will it happen in my lifetime?   Of course not(Thank God). Though it should happen within a couple h...

The PSAT, or Pre SAT is a test designed for kids and parents to understand where their child basically stands in terms of preparation for the SAT itself.    American kids start taking this exam in the 8 th grade.   Not all schools in America have this exam but many do.    My child took this exam a few months ago and the results have come back. She received a 98 percentile.   That is, 98% of all test takers scored below her.    She had a 99 in math and a 95 in reading/writing.   I was ecstatic.   For about 20 minutes.   So was Tiger Mom.    The score report was kind enough to tell us what questions she missed on the exam, though not the questions themselves.   Like I said, my euphoria quieted down within half an hour.   Why is that? My thoughts, my memories went back to all the Chinese kids we know.   Some with perfect SAT scores, others with nearly perfect SAT scores.   That is, a 2380...

(And not for the first time, pen in hand, list of topics I wish to post at the ready, do I stop everything, My Pulitzer but at the doorstep, to serve thee….) With over twenty years of self-inflicted torment on the clock, my mind is but only sometimes…..clear.   I’ve learned that in time, with but the change of a mood my Dear China Wife will say “yes” when but only a day before she had said “no”.    I’ve learned the hard way that China Mother in Law simply yaps her gums to hear herself talk-a personality defect no doubt.     Yet one reinforced by the meek compliance of her husband, himself a very fine man. In short I’ve adjusted.   Well….almost. Like a good Southern Man you see I come with certain cultural baggage.   The very poor habit of calling my wife “Woman” when feelings of exasperation rise to the surface.    Yet I consider myself liberal.   Some would say “meek”.   But I beg to differ.   My purported...