According to Amy Chua and Jeb Rubenfeld, Yale law professors and authors of What Drives Success? A New York Times Sunday Review feature article, success in certain ethnic groups has to do with three underlying principles: 1) A superiority complex 2) An inferiority complex 3) Impulse control. For instance, believing that certain groups are chosen, better than or more elite can add extra confidence for individuals to persevere when times are tough. Feeling not good enough, not smart enough or not successful enough can add extra drive or motivation. Without the ability to delay gratification or learn to control one’s impulses, people won’t work hard enough in the now to secure longer term success. This article is very interesting and worth considering. Some statistics are especially interesting like Nigerians who make up less than one percent of the Black population in the United States yet in 2013 nearly one quarter of the black students at Harvard Business School were of Nigerian ancestry. read more

The Wegener brothers have reinvigorated old Hawaiian wooden surf board designs that have certain advantages over regular foam and fiberglass designs. The Paipo, a small wooden board that almost resembles a boogie board is especially good in smaller surf which is way more common than the big waves. read more

I find international politics and business fascinating. Each week, I read about Vladimir Putin somewhere. His grip on power in Russia is extraordinary and his strategic moves are equally fascinating! For instance, he gave Edward Snowden, the former U.S. government contractor, asylum in Russia basically giving President Obama and The United States the middle finger. In his latest move, he pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the billionaire tycoon imprisoned ten years ago on dubious charges of tax evasion. He seems like the ultimate power broker often out-maneuvering his western counterparts. On the one hand, he seems clever and bold. On the other hand, he seems downright diabolical. As a nation, Russia seems to repeat the same patterns (early childhood dynamics) over and over like most people do. With a long history of dictatorial and authoritarian rule, not all that much has changed. Changing old patterns, whether it is for an individual or a country is never easy. It takes time, patience, commitment, and desire. For now, much of that desire seems to be lacking in Russia or perhaps, it is simply too dangerous. All things change, however! read more