Obama Delivers a Speech at Yangon University (Video/Transcript)

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Myanmar Naingan, Mingalaba!  (Laughter and applause.)  I am very honored to be here at this university and to be the first President of the United States of America to visit your country.

I came here because of the importance of your country.  You live at the crossroads of East and South Asia.  You border the most populated nations on the planet.  You have a history that reaches back thousands of years, and the ability to help determine the destiny of the fastest growing region of the world.

I came here because of the beauty and diversity of your country.  I have seen just earlier today the golden stupa of Shwedagon, and have been moved by the timeless idea of metta -- the belief that our time on this Earth can be defined by tolerance and by love.  And I know this land reaches from the crowded neighborhoods of this old city to the homes of more than 60,000 villages; from the peaks of the Himalayas, the forests of Karen State, to the banks of the Irrawady River.

I came here because of my respect for this university.  It was here at this school where opposition to colonial rule first took hold.  It was here that Aung San edited a magazine before leading an independence movement.  It was here that U Thant learned the ways of the world before guiding it at the United Nations.  Here, scholarship thrived during the last century and students demanded their basic human rights.  Now, your Parliament has at last passed a resolution to revitalize this university and it must reclaim its greatness, because the future of this country will be determined by the education of its youth.

I came here because of the history between our two countries.  A century ago, American traders, merchants and missionaries came here to build bonds of faith and commerce and friendship.  And from within these borders in World War II, our pilots flew into China and many of our troops gave their lives.  Both of our nations emerged from the British Empire, and the United States was among the first countries to recognize an independent Union of Burma.  We were proud to found an American Center in Rangoon and to build exchanges with schools like this one.  And through decades of differences, Americans have been united in their affection for this country and its people.

Above all, I came here because of America’s belief in human dignity.  Over the last several decades, our two countries became strangers.  But today, I can tell you that we always remained hopeful about the people of this country, about you.  You gave us hope and we bore witness to your courage.

We saw the activists dressed in white visit the families of political prisoners on Sundays and monks dressed in saffron protesting peacefully in the streets.  We learned of ordinary people who organized relief teams to respond to a cyclone, and heard the voices of students and the beats of hip-hop artists projecting the sound of freedom.  We came to know exiles and refugees who never lost touch with their families or their ancestral home.  And we were inspired by the fierce dignity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she proved that no human being can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your heart.

When I took office as President, I sent a message to those governments who ruled by fear.  I said, in my inauguration address, “We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”  And over the last year and a half, a dramatic transition has begun, as a dictatorship of five decades has loosened its grip.  Under President Thein Sein, the desire for change has been met by an agenda for reform.  A civilian now leads the government, and a parliament is asserting itself.  The once-outlawed National League for Democracy stood in an election, and Aung San Suu Kyi is a Member of Parliament.  Hundreds of prisoners of conscience have been released, and forced labor has been banned.  Preliminary cease-fires have been reached with ethnic armies, and new laws allow for a more open economy.

So today, I’ve come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship.  America now has an Ambassador in Rangoon, sanctions have been eased, and we will help rebuild an economy that can offer opportunity for its people, and serve as an engine of growth for the world.  But this remarkable journey has just begun, and has much further to go.  Reforms launched from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form its foundation.  The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished -- they must be strengthened; they must become a shining North Star for all this nation’s people.

And your success in that effort is important to the United States, as well as to me.  Even though we come from different places, we share common dreams:  to choose our leaders; to live together in peace; to get an education and make a good living; to love our families and our communities.  That’s why freedom is not an abstract idea; freedom is the very thing that makes human progress possible -- not just at the ballot box, but in our daily lives.

One of our greatest Presidents in the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, understood this truth.  He defined America’s cause as more than the right to cast a ballot.  He understood democracy was not just voting.  He called upon the world to embrace four fundamental freedoms:  freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.  These four freedoms reinforce one another, and you cannot fully realize one without realizing them all.

So that's the future that we seek for ourselves, and for all people.  And that is what I want to speak to you about today.

First, we believe in the right of free expression so that the voices of ordinary people can be heard, and governments reflect their will -- the people's will.

In the United States, for more than two centuries, we have worked to keep this promise for all of our citizens -- to win freedom for those who were enslaved; to extend the right to vote for women and African Americans; to protect the rights of workers to organize.

And we recognize no two nations achieve these rights in exactly the same way, but there is no question that your country will be stronger if it draws on the strength of all of its people.  That’s what allows nations to succeed.  That’s what reform has begun to do.

Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected.  Instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted.  And as you take these steps, you can draw on your progress.  Instead of being ignored, citizens who protested the construction of the Myitsone dam were heard.  Instead of being outlawed, political parties have been allowed to participate.  You can see progress being made.  As one voter said during the parliamentary elections here, “Our parents and grandparents waited for this, but never saw it.”  And now you can see it.  You can taste freedom.

And to protect the freedom of all the voters, those in power must accept constraints.  That's what our American system is designed to do.  Now, America may have the strongest military in the world, but it must submit to civilian control.  I, as the President of the United States, make determinations that the military then carries out, not the other way around.  As President and Commander-In-Chief, I have that responsibility because I'm accountable to the people.
Now, on other hand, as President, I cannot just impose my will on Congress -- the Congress of the United States -- even though sometimes I wish I could.  The legislative branch has its own powers and its own prerogatives, and so they check my power and balance my power.  I appoint some of our judges, but I cannot tell them how to rule, because every person in America -- from a child living in poverty to me, the President of the United States -- is equal under the law.  And a judge can make a determination as to whether or not I am upholding the law or breaking the law.  And I am fully accountable to that law.

And I describe our system in the United States because that's how you must reach for the future that you deserve -- a future where a single prisoner of conscience is one too many.  You need to reach for a future where the law is stronger than any single leader, because it's accountable to the people.  You need to reach for a future where no child is made to be a soldier and no woman is exploited, and where the laws protect them even if they're vulnerable, even if they're weak; a future where national security is strengthened by a military that serves under civilians and a Constitution that guarantees that only those who are elected by the people may govern.

On that journey, America will support you every step of the way -- by using our assistance to empower civil society; by engaging your military to promote professionalism and human rights; and by partnering with you as you connect your progress towards democracy with economic development.  So advancing that journey will help you pursue a second freedom -- the belief that all people should be free from want.

It's not enough to trade a prison of powerlessness for the pain of an empty stomach.  But history shows that governments of the people and by the people and for the people are far more powerful in delivering prosperity.  And that's the partnership we seek with you.
When ordinary people have a say in their own future, then your land can’t just be taken away from you.  And that's why reforms must ensure that the people of this nation can have that most fundamental of possessions -- the right to own the title to the land on which you live and on which you work.

When your talents are unleashed, then opportunity will be created for all people.  America is lifting our ban on companies doing business here, and your government has lifted restrictions on investment and taken steps to open up your economy.  And now, as more wealth flows into your borders, we hope and expect that it will lift up more people.  It can't just help folks at the top.  It has to help everybody.  And that kind of economic growth, where everybody has opportunity -- if you work hard, you can succeed -- that's what gets a nation moving rapidly when it comes to develop.

But that kind of growth can only be created if corruption is left behind.  For investment to lead to opportunity, reform must promote budgets that are transparent and industry that is privately owned.

To lead by example, America now insists that our companies meet high standards of openness and transparency if they're doing business here.  And we'll work with organizations like the World Bank to support small businesses and to promote an economy that allows entrepreneurs, small businesspeople to thrive and allows workers to keep what they earn.  And I very much welcome your government’s recent decision to join what we've called our Open Government Partnership, so that citizens can come to expect accountability and learn exactly how monies are spent and how your system of government operates.

Above all, when your voices are heard in government, it's far more likely that your basic needs will be met.  And that’s why reform must reach the daily lives of those who are hungry and those who are ill, and those who live without electricity or water.  And here, too, America will do our part in working with you.

Today, I was proud to reestablish our USAID mission in this country, which is our lead development agency.  And the United States wants to be a partner in helping this country, which used to be the rice bowl of Asia, to reestablish its capacity to feed its people and to care for its sick, and educate its children, and build its democratic institutions as you continue down the path of reform.

This country is famous for its natural resources, and they must be protected against exploitation.  And let us remember that in a global economy, a country’s greatest resource is its people.  So by investing in you, this nation can open the door for far more prosperity -- because unlocking a nation’s potential depends on empowering all its people, especially its young people.

Just as education is the key to America’s future, it is going to the be the key to your future as well.  And so we look forward to working with you, as we have with many of your neighbors, to extend that opportunity and to deepen exchanges among our students.  We want students from this country to travel to the United States and learn from us, and we want U.S. students to come here and learn from you.

And this truth leads me to the third freedom that I want to discuss:  the freedom to worship -- the freedom to worship as you please, and your right to basic human dignity.
This country, like my own country, is blessed with diversity.  Not everybody looks the same.  Not everybody comes from the same region.  Not everybody worships in the same way.  In your cities and towns, there are pagodas and temples, and mosques and churches standing side by side.  Well over a hundred ethnic groups have been a part of your story.  Yet within these borders, we’ve seen some of the world’s longest running insurgencies, which have cost countless lives, and torn families and communities apart, and stood in the way of development.

No process of reform will succeed without national reconciliation.  (Applause.)  You now have a moment of remarkable opportunity to transform cease-fires into lasting settlements, and to pursue peace where conflicts still linger, including in Kachin State.  Those efforts must lead to a more just and lasting peace, including humanitarian access to those in need, and a chance for the displaced to return home.

Today, we look at the recent violence in Rakhine State that has caused so much suffering, and we see the danger of continued tensions there.  For too long, the people of this state, including ethnic Rakhine, have faced crushing poverty and persecution.  But there is no excuse for violence against innocent people.  And the Rohingya hold themselves -- hold within themselves the same dignity as you do, and I do.

National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for the sake of this country’s future, it is necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence.  And I welcome the government’s commitment to address the issues of injustice and accountability, and humanitarian access and citizenship.  That’s a vision that the world will support as you move forward.

Every nation struggles to define citizenship.  America has had great debates about these issues, and those debates continue to this day, because we’re a nation of immigrants -- people coming from every different part of the world.  But what we’ve learned in the United States is that there are certain principles that are universal, apply to everybody no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what religion you practice.  The right of people to live without the threat that their families may be harmed or their homes may be burned simply because of who they are or where they come from.

Only the people of this country ultimately can define your union, can define what it means to be a citizen of this country.  But I have confidence that as you do that you can draw on this diversity as a strength and not a weakness.  Your country will be stronger because of many different cultures, but you have to seize that opportunity.  You have to recognize that strength.

I say this because my own country and my own life have taught me the power of diversity.  The United States of America is a nation of Christians and Jews, and Muslims and Buddhists, and Hindus and non-believers.  Our story is shaped by every language; it’s enriched by every culture.  We have people from every corners of the world.  We’ve tasted the bitterness of civil war and segregation, but our history shows us that hatred in the human heart can recede; that the lines between races and tribes fade away.  And what’s left is a simple truth: e pluribus unum -- that’s what we say in America.  Out of many, we are one nation and we are one people.  And that truth has, time and again, made our union stronger.  It has made our country stronger.  It’s part of what has made America great.

We amended our Constitution to extend the democratic principles that we hold dear.  And I stand before you today as President of the most powerful nation on Earth, but recognizing that once the color of my skin would have denied me the right to vote.  And so that should give you some sense that if our country can transcend its differences, then yours can, too.  Every human being within these borders is a part of your nation’s story, and you should embrace that.  That’s not a source of weakness, that’s a source of strength -- if you recognize it.
And that brings me to the final freedom that I will discuss today, and that is the right of all people to live free from fear.

In many ways, fear is the force that stands between human beings and their dreams.  Fear of conflict and the weapons of war.  Fear of a future that is different from the past.  Fear of changes that are reordering our societies and economy.  Fear of people who look different, or come from a different place, or worship in a different way.  In some of her darkest moments, when Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned, she wrote an essay about freedom from fear.  She said fear of losing corrupts those who wield it -- “Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”

That's the fear that you can leave behind.  We see that chance in leaders who are beginning to understand that power comes from appealing to people’s hopes, not people's fears.  We see it in citizens who insist that this time must be different, that this time change will come and will continue.  As Aung San Suu Kyi wrote: “Fear is not the natural state of civilized man.”  I believe that.  And today, you are showing the world that fear does not have to be the natural state of life in this country.

That’s why I am here.  That’s why I came to Rangoon.  And that’s why what happens here is so important -- not only to this region, but to the world.  Because you're taking a journey that has the potential to inspire so many people.  This is a test of whether a country can transition to a better place.

The United States of America is a Pacific nation, and we see our future as bound to those nations and peoples to our West.  And as our economy recovers, this is where we believe we will find enormous growth.  As we have ended the wars that have dominated our foreign policy for a decade, this region will be a focus for our efforts to build a prosperous peace.
Here in Southeast Asia, we see the potential for integration among nations and people.  And as President, I have embraced ASEAN for reasons that go beyond the fact that I spent some of my childhood in this region, in Indonesia.  Because with ASEAN, we see nations that are on the move -- nations that are growing, and democracies that are emerging; governments that are cooperating; progress that’s building on the diversity that spans oceans and islands and jungles and cities, peoples of every race and every religion.  This is what the 21st century should look like if we have the courage to put aside our differences and move forward with a sense of mutual interest and mutual respect.

And here in Rangoon, I want to send a message across Asia: We don’t need to be defined by the prisons of the past.  We need to look forward to the future.  To the leadership of North Korea, I have offered a choice:  let go of your nuclear weapons and choose the path of peace and progress.  If you do, you will find an extended hand from the United States of America.
In 2012, we don’t need to cling to the divisions of East, West and North and South.  We welcome the peaceful rise of China, your neighbor to the North; and India, your neighbor to the West.  The United Nations -- the United States will work with any nation, large or small, that will contribute to a world that is more peaceful and more prosperous, and more just and more free.  And the United States will be a friend to any nation that respects the rights of its citizens and the responsibilities of international law. 
 
That's the nation, that's the world that you can start to build here in this historic city.  This nation that's been so isolated can show the world the power of a new beginning, and demonstrate once again that the journey to democracy goes hand in hand with development.  I say this knowing that there are still countless people in this country who do not enjoy the opportunities that many of you seated here do.  There are tens of millions who have no electricity.  There are prisoners of conscience who still await release.  There are refugees and displaced peoples in camps where hope is still something that lies on the distant horizon.
Today, I say to you -- and I say to everybody that can hear my voice -- that the United States of America is with you, including those who have been forgotten, those who are dispossessed, those who are ostracized, those who are poor.  We carry your story in our heads and your hopes in our hearts, because in this 21st century with the spread of technology and the breaking down of barriers, the frontlines of freedom are within nations and individuals, not simply between them.

As one former prisoner put it in speaking to his fellow citizens, “Politics is your job.  It’s not only for [the] politicians.”  And we have an expression in the United States that the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen -- not President, not Speaker, but citizen.  (Applause.)

So as extraordinary and difficult and challenging and sometimes frustrating as this journey may seem, in the end, you, the citizens of this country, are the ones who must define what freedom means.  You're the ones who are going to have to seize freedom, because a true revolution of the spirit begins in each of our hearts.  It requires the kind of courage that so many of your leaders have already displayed.

The road ahead will be marked by huge challenges, and there will be those who resist the forces of change.  But I stand here with confidence that something is happening in this country that cannot be reversed, and the will of the people can lift up this nation and set a great example for the world.  And you will have in the United States of America a partner on that long journey.  So, cezu tin bad de.  (Applause.)
Thank you.  (Applause.)

Gaza: How can the US manage the crisis?

Source: Aljazeera

"As United States has said many times, it cannot want something that the actual leaders in the region are unwilling to accept. So we can't force an Israeli prime minister and a Palestinian president to sign an agreement that they are not yet willing to sign .... In fairness, there are two visions of how to get to a peace agreement, President Abbas is committed to a peaceful negotiation, Hamas is not. United States is not going to endorse a group that rather than seeking peace wants to continue the resistance." - PJ Crowley, former US state department spokesman

To Hamas and other Palestinian groups, the US president sent a strong condemnation, saying there is no justification for "the cowardly acts" of launching rockets into Israel.
To the Israeli prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, he sent a message of support and simply urged him to "avoid" civilian casualties. 

So far around two dozen Palestinians have been killed including six children and a pregnant woman.  Three Israeli civilians have been killed.

This is a conflict that the world has become all too familiar with. It was almost exactly four years ago that Israel launched a 22-day operation in Gaza that left more than a thousand Palestinians, and 13 Israelis dead.

At the time Barack Obama had just been elected but had not yet assumed office. The reaction from outgoing President George W Bush was much the same as what we are hearing from Obama today.

But over the last few years, the Palestinian-Isreali conflict has been largely ignored as unrest swept across the Middle East. Democratically-elected leaders in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt are showing new solidarity with the Palestinians.

So what options does President Obama have in dealing with this crisis as US influence in the region wanes?

The White House response has been that of support for Israel.  A statement released by the office of the press secretary on Thursday said:
"The President reiterated to Prime Minister Netanyahu the United States' support for Israel's right to self-defence in light of the barrage of rocket attacks being launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians.

"The president urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The two agreed that Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate."

From the moment of Israel's creation, successive US administrations have appreciated the special relationship between our two nations.

Israel continues to be the one true democracy in the Middle East that brings stability to a region where it is in short supply.

Whether fighting Soviet expansionism or the current threats from regional aggression and terrorism, Israel has been a consistent, reliable ally and friend and has helped to advance US interests.

So what role can and should the US play in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as the Middle East continues to change?

"If we are going to forward a process here, the United States is going to have to become engaged .... here we are with a four-year presidency, no re-election campaign in the offing, with the United states pivoting towards Asia, [and] new democracies in the Middle East, maybe now is the time to intervene [with] much more substance and robustly than he [Obama] has before." - Mark Perry, a military and foreign affairs analyst

To discuss this, Inside Story Americas, with presenter Kimberly Halkett, is joined by guests: PJ Crowely, former US state department spokesman; Ali Gharib, a senior editor for The Daily Beast blog, Open Zion; and Mark Perry, the author of Talking to terrorists, why America must engage with its enemies.

President Barack Obama Weekly Address November 17, 2012 (Video/Transcript)

Hi, everybody.

Four years after the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, our economy is growing again and creating jobs.  But we have much more to do. Our task now is to build on that progress.  Because this nation only succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class. 

That’s what drives me. That’s what I campaigned on for the past year.  That’s what will guide me in our work over the next four years. And I’m willing to work with anyone of any party to move this country forward.

Because soon, we face a very clear deadline that requires us to make some big decisions on jobs and taxes; on investments and deficits. Both parties voted to set this deadline. And I believe both parties can work together to make these decisions in a balanced and responsible way.

When it comes to taxes, for example, there are two pathways available.

One says, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, then everybody’s taxes automatically go up – including the 98% of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year. Our economy can’t afford that right now. You can’t afford that right now.  And nobody wants that to happen.

The other path is for Congress to pass a law right away to prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of anyone’s income. That means all Americans – including the wealthiest Americans – get a tax cut.  And 98 percent of Americans, and 97 percent of all small business owners, won’t see their income taxes go up a single dime. 

The Senate has already passed a bill like this. Democrats in the House are ready to pass one, too. All we need is for Republicans in the House to come on board. 

We shouldn’t hold the middle class hostage while Congress debates tax cuts for the wealthy. 

Let’s begin our work by actually doing what we all agree on. Let’s keep taxes low for the middle class. And let’s get it done soon – so we can give families and businesses some good news going into the holiday season.

I know these challenges won’t be easy to solve. But we can do it if we work together. 

That’s why on Friday I sat down with Congressional leaders to discuss how we can reduce our deficit in a way that strengthens our economy and protects our middle class. It was a constructive meeting. And everyone agreed that while we may have our differences, we need to come together, find solutions and take action as soon as possible. 

Because if anything, that’s the message I heard loud and clear in the election. 

Work as hard as you can to make our lives better. And do it together. 

Don’t worry about the politics.  Just get the job done. 

Everywhere I went in that campaign – from farms in Iowa to the Vegas strip; from Colorado’s Rockies to the Florida coast – I was inspired by the grit and resilience of the American people, by your hard work and sense of decency.  And it makes me want to work even harder for you. I saw it again this week in New York, where our fellow citizens are going through a really tough time, but are helping each other through it. And we’re going to be there to help them rebuild.

Every single day, the good people of this country work as hard as you can to meet your responsibilities. Those of us you sent to Washington are going to do the same. 

Thanks and have a great weekend.

Tough love: An education

Is 'Tiger parenting' the key to Asian academic success and what happens when the pressure becomes too much?

Source: Al Jazeera

Asia is renowned for producing some of the best and brightest students in the world. Such academic achievement is often underpinned by parental pressure, strict discipline and relentless hard study.
  Hong Kong, the demand for extra tuition has turned cram or tutorial school teachers into rich celebrities.

Yet some students have been driven to contemplate suicide as they try to make the grade.
101 East asks: What is the secret behind Asian students' academic success and what happens when the pressure becomes too much?

In search of the Tiger mother

By filmmaker Lynn Lee

What was your childhood like? If you are Chinese, was it filled with after-school tuition classes, piano and swimming lessons, ballet and homework? Did your parents tell you it was all for your own good? Do you now agree?

Recently, we spent three weeks in Hong Kong visiting schools and talking to a whole lot of kids. Our brief was to make an Amy Chua-inspired film about education in one of Asia's most competitive cities. We hoped to prove a few theories – primarily that Chinese parents tend to be more hands on, more demanding and less forgiving of their children, and that the kids tend to be more stressed out than their western counterparts. We left with a few surprising conclusions.

Early on in the shoot, we tried hard to track down a so-called Tiger mum or dad. It seemed like the logical thing to do. Kids in Hong Kong regularly top global rankings in Maths and Science. The city's universities are some of the best in Asia. Competition for a place is intense. Perfect conditions for Tiger parenting. Or so we thought.

"No one wants to be regarded as a Tiger!" Deborah, our production assistant, wailed one afternoon. She had made countless calls, sent out emails, even posted messages on Facebook. There were a few leads. But none led to that aggressive, in-your-face, unapologetically demanding parent we thought we so badly needed.

We wondered if the people we approached were put-off by the negative connotations associated with the Tiger label. Surely there had to be more than a few Amy Chuas in Hong Kong?
How else would you explain the child who excels at school, published a book at eight, passed her Grade Eight piano exam at 12, regularly wins music competitions, and fills up the rest of her time with French, swimming, yoga and basketball?

Yes, this kid exists. Her name is Stephanie Eng and she is just 14-years-old - a tiny, intense, focused ball of energy who when asked, admitted to being incredibly stressed out sometimes. But Stephanie also came across as highly motivated, unresentful and very eager to make her doting dad proud. Asked if she was under too much pressure, she said she pushed herself even harder than her parents do.

It is a sentiment we would hear over and over again in Hong Kong. It made no difference whether we were speaking with genius kids or middling students. They all said they worked hard in order to get ahead, stress was an inevitable part of growing up, and a good education meant good jobs, which in turn meant higher salaries and a cushier life. Parents played a part in motivating them. But they were their own harshest taskmasters.

The perfect way?
One morning, we found ourselves filming in one of Hong Kong's better secondary schools. It was the start of the new term and we had been invited to attend the prize-presentation ceremony. Sitting at the back of the assembly hall, I marveled at how quiet and attentive the students were.

The principal's welcome-back speech caught my attention. "Discipline," she said, "must begin before poor practices become habitualised and character is permanently bent and twisted. When you say you have done it, ask yourself, is it in the best way or the best possible way? Or the perfect way?"

She sounded so much like the principal at my Junior College. And according to Kirsten, our assistant producer, she sounded like her principal too. And then it hit me. Forget Amy Chua. Parents in Singapore or Hong Kong, whether tigerish or not, are really just a subset of the environment – an environment where kids think it is normal to attend hours of classes outside of school, learn music, excel in sports and still feel they have to do more.
Growing up, it never occurred to me that my parents or teachers were being unusually harsh. Every kid I knew understood why it was important to work hard. It was something we learnt from a very young age. Amy Chua might seem extreme in the US, but in Singapore and Hong Kong (and probably China), the pursuit of perfection is viewed not only as a good thing, but as necessary. Demanding parents are not being unreasonable. They are merely giving their kids a leg up.

Not everyone in Hong Kong is obsessed with perfection though. Towards the end of our shoot, we visited Gaia School, which we jokingly referred to in our research notes as "the hippie place". The primary school sits in the middle of a traditional village, on the edge of a large country park. Students do not wear school uniforms, or take exams in their first two years. Concepts like democracy and personal responsibility are inculcated early on. Play is an important element of the day's curriculum. It was a refreshing change, but we wondered if kids from Gaia leave academically disadvantaged

"We don't have to produce geniuses," Gaia's principal told us over lunch. "We just want our children to be happy."

Before we left, we interviewed Bonnie. Her son was starting Primary One and she had taken the day off to settle him in. The boy did not look like he needed much help though. In fact, he appeared to be having a really good time. We asked Bonnie why she decided to send her child to Gaia.

"My daughter was a student here too," she said. "This school gives students a mind of their own and a good sense of who they are."
Bonnie's daughter graduated last year and is now in a regular secondary school. She topped her class recently.

Stop income inequality!

Forget the "fiscal cliff." A new documentary, "Inequality for All," explores our country's gravest economic crisis

This originally appeared on Robert Reich's blog. 

Don’t be distracted by January’s fiscal cliff or looming budget deficits. The central problem of our economy is widening inequality.

It’s reducing the purchasing power of the vast middle class on which job growth depends, and turning the economy into a speculative casino for multimillionaires and billionaires.

It’s also undermining our ability to turn the economy around, as those millionaires and billionaires subsidize politicians who refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy and seek to cut spending critical to the middle class and the poor.

We can reverse this trend.

The first step is to make sure Americans understand what’s occurred, why it’s occurred, and what must be done.

And one of the best means of doing so is through film.

That’s why I’ve joined a team of talented filmmakers to produce a new documentary called “Inequality for All.”

We need your help. Please watch the following short video, and do whatever you can.

 Robert Reich, one of the nation’s leading experts on work and the economy, is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. Time Magazine has named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including his latest best-seller, “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future;” “The Work of Nations,” which has been translated into 22 languages; and his newest, an e-book, “Beyond Outrage.” His syndicated columns, television appearances, and public radio commentaries reach millions of people each week. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, and Chairman of the citizen’s group Common Cause. His widely-read blog can be found at www.robertreich.org. More Robert Reich.

President Obama Tours Storm Damage in New York City (Video/Transcrit)

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, everybody.  I’m going to be relatively brief.  I came up here right after the storm, was on the Jersey side, and I promised to everybody that I was speaking on behalf of the country when I said we are going to be here until the rebuilding is complete, and I meant it.  So I’m going to come back today, but I’m also going to be coming back in the future to make sure that we have followed through on that commitment.

I want to thank the outstanding leadership that’s been provided by state and local officials.  Obviously, Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg have done an outstanding job.  To borough president Molinaro, thank you so much for your leadership at a time when the folks here on this island were obviously going through extraordinarily difficult times, the people of Long Island who are going through really tough times.

Across the board, what we’ve seen is cooperation and a spirit of service.  And for the first responders who are here, the police officers, the firefighters, the EMS folks, the sanitation workers who sometimes don’t get credit but have done heroic work, we are so grateful to you because you exemplify what America is all about.  I’m grateful to the Red Cross who has been so responsive not just here, but in disasters around the country.  And I want to thank all the volunteers.  As we were shaking hands over there, we had folks from every part of the country.  We had some Canadians who had come down to help out.

And during difficult times like this, we’re reminded that we’re bound together and we have to look out for each other.  And a lot of the things that seem important, the petty differences melt away, and we focus on what binds us together and that we as Americans are going to stand with each other in their hour of need.

Now, more specifically, we are now still in the process of recovery.  As you can see, as you travel around parts of Staten Island, as we flew over parts of -- other parts of the city and the region that had been impacted, there is still a lot of cleanup to do.  People still need emergency help.  They still need heat.  They still need power.  They still need food.  They still need shelter.  Kids are still trying to figure out where they’re going to school.  So there’s a lot of short-term, immediate stuff that has to be dealt with.  And we are going to make sure that we stay here as long as people need that immediate help.  That’s FEMA’s primary task.  And we’ll be coordinating closely with state and local governments to make sure folks are getting the short-term help.

But what we’ve also already heard is that there’s going to be some long-term rebuilding that’s required.  You look at this block and you know that this is a community that is deeply rooted.  Most of the folks that I met here have been here 20, 30, 50 years.  They don't want to see their community uprooted, but there’s got to be a plan for rebuilding, and that plan is going to have to be coordinated, and they’re going to need resources.

So what I’ve committed to doing is to work with the outstanding congressional delegation led by your Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, also working with Governor Christie and the Jersey delegation to try to come up with a game plan for how we’re going to be able to resource the rebuilding process.

And I’m confident, as Governor Cuomo said, that we’re going to be able to do it.  But it’s going to require everybody focused on getting the job done.  We’re going to have to put some of the turf battles aside.  We’re going to have to make sure that everybody is focused on doing the job as opposed to worrying about who is getting the credit or who is getting the contracts or all that stuff that sometimes goes into the rebuilding process.

On the federal level, because this is going to be such a big job, I wanted to assign one particular person who would be in charge from our perspective, who would be our point person -- because FEMA basically runs the recovery process, it doesn't focus on the rebuilding.  For that, we’ve got to have all government agencies involved.  Janet Napolitano has done a great job with respect to DHS, but we thought it would be good to have a New Yorker who is going to be the point person.  And so our outstanding HUD Secretary, Shaun Donovan, who used to be the head of the New York Housing Authority -- so he knows a little bit about New York and building -- is going to be our point person.  And he's going to be working with the mayor, the governor, the borough presidents, the county officials to make sure that we come up with a strong, effective plan.  And then, I'll be working with the members of Congress to do everything we can to get the resources needed to rebuild.  And I have every confidence that Shaun is going to be doing a great job, and so people should feel some confidence about that.
Let me just close by saying this:  I had the opportunity to give some hugs and communicate thoughts and prayers to the Moore family.  They lost two young sons during the course of this tragedy.  And obviously, I expressed to them -- as a father, as a parent -- my heartbreak over what they went through.  And they're still obviously a little shell-shocked.

But they came here in part because they wanted to say thank you to all the people who have been supportive of them.  They in particular mentioned Lieutenant Kevin Gallagher of the NYPD, who, when they knew that their sons were missing, Lieutenant Gallagher made a point of staying with them and doing everything he could so that ultimately they knew what had happened with their boys and were able to recover their bodies, and has been with them as a source of support ever since.

That's not in the job description of Lieutenant Gallagher.  He did that because that's what so many of our first responders do.  They go above and beyond the call of duty to respond to people in need.  And so I want to give a shout-out to Lieutenant Gallagher, but I also want to point out, the Moores, even in their grief, asked me to mention Lieutenant Gallagher, and that says something about them as well.

And that spirit and sense of togetherness and looking out for one another, that's what's going to carry us through this tragedy.  It's not going to be easy.  There's still going to be, believe it or not, some complaints over the next several months.  Not everybody is going to be satisfied.  I have to tell you the insurance companies and some of the other private sector folks who are involved in this, we need you to show some heart and some spirit in helping people rebuild as well.

But when I hear the story of the Moores and I hear about Lieutenant Gallagher, that's what makes me confident that we're going to be able to rebuild.
I'm very proud of you, New York.  You guys are tough.  You bounce back, just as America always bounces back.  The same is going to be true this time out.  All right, thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)

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