In an earlier article “Yin-Yang Theory and Martial Applications of Taijiquan” published in December 2006 in this website, we said that Taijiquan was originated as a martial art and we discussed the underlying basis behind Taijiquan as a martial art. In Taijiquan, one doesn’t oppose an opponent’s attack force with a frontal counter force, but one utilizes the opponent’s force and momentum to get him off-balance. Saying it another way, one complements the opponent’s force (Yang force which could be large) with one’s force along the same direction or at a slightly different direction (Yin force which could be small) either to get the opponent off-balance or to deflect the attacking force. When one senses the opponent changing direction, one also changes direction and again utilizes the opponent’s force and momentum to get him off balance. This gives rise to the statement that four ounces can deflect a thousand pounds. The two fundamental features of Yin-Yang complementarity and their constantly changing nature are symbolized by Taijiquan’s Yin-Yang symbol.
Additional Analysis of Racial Group Staff Disparities in NJ School Districts
A previous article “Racial Group Staff Disparities in NJ School Districts” published in February 2007 in this website (see “Archived Pol/Soc Commentary” page) presented our initial analysis of racial group (RG) staff disparities in NJ school districts. That analysis showed that there is significant under-representation of minority RGs at the certificated staff level for the six school districts analyzed. The article ended with the statement “it seems that the under-representation of minority RGs at the certificated staff level is a systemic issue in NJ, and is not limited to just a few school districts in NJ.”
Because of the interest generated on this issue, the current article discusses additional analysis done for 10 more school districts, and presents the results for all 16 school districts in a more easily readable format. Our additional analysis confirms the above statement that the under-representation of minority RGs at the certificated staff level is a systemic issue in NJ.
Myth or Reality?
In this article, I discussed a few real-life examples of medical treatments based on acupressure and Qigong. Their results are difficult to understand from a traditional western medical point of view, and could often be dismissed as myth, and not reality.
About 16 years ago I injured my left little finger while I was playing goalie in a soccer game. When I dove to block a shot at goal, I landed on that finger in an awkward way and damaged its tendons and ligaments. That finger was swollen right away and I felt a lot of pain. I left the game and went home. Since the finger did not improve after a night’s rest, the next day I went to see my orthopedic surgeon, who after examination referred me to see a specialist orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating hand injuries. So I immediately made an appointment and went to see that hand specialist orthopedic surgeon who put a splint on my finger and treated me with physical therapy on a weekly basis for six months.
At the end of six months, he told me that he was finished treating me, even though when I closed my left hand, my little finger could not close completely and left a gap of about one-third of an inch from touching my palm. Another six months passed, or a year after the injury, a friend mentioned to me about a Chinese woman doctor, Dr. Su, in the East Brunswick area. Having nothing to lose, I went to see her. While in China, Dr. Su was trained both in western medicine and in Chinese medicine, which included acupuncture treatment and acupressure treatment, and had worked in China as both a western doctor and a Chinese doctor. Since immigrated to the U.S., she only practiced Chinese medicine, and in particular, at that time only acupressure and herbal medicine.
Should Public High Schools Require Mandatory Community Involvement?
In many private schools, especially church-sponsored private schools, community involvement is part of the required curriculum. The rationale is that when young people provide a helping hand to others in the community, it helps to foster their moral and ethical values. It allows them to see the lives of the less fortunate, e.g., low income senior citizens, people with disabilities, children from broken families. Furthermore, if the students come from a background of middle class or above, community involvement can help them gain a better understanding of another part of society that they normally might not see. Community involvement could reinforce the importance of working hard and getting a good education in order to move ahead in life.
This last point is something that immigrants to this country from less developed countries can resonate with. Children of first generation immigrants still can remember how tough life was in their old countries, and how hard work by their parents and themselves can significantly improve their livelihood. On the other hand, children of second generation immigrants might already be brought up in a middle-class environment with the corresponding comforts, and relatively speaking may have less incentive to study and work hard.
Read More »