Not racial

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

It's easy to jump on the racism bandwagon as the explanation for the racial difference in the school's admission of new students. But the gap is not limited to Stuyvesant High School.

Educators around the country are well aware of a racial gap in student performance and have tried to fix it. "[E]fforts to close racial achievement gaps have increased over the years with varying degrees of success." Some efforts have helped; many have not. 

Perhaps the critical factor is not innately racial. There's no low achievement gap among Asian students. As a group, they achieve academically higher than either black or white students.

But there is another factor setting black students apart and hindering their achievement. Only 30% of black children live with married birth parents. For comparison, a whopping 80% of Asian students live with married birth parents.

Studies have found that "there is no meaningful difference in school grades among demographically diverse children raised in intact families."

A black student's family structure is a matter outside of the classroom. Schools are probably doing all they can -- but they can't manage that family. 

from WSJ

Racist school?

Stuyvesant is an elite public high school in New York which admits students (photo) on the basis of merit, that is, how they do on an entrance exam. Their incoming class numbers 777, but only three students are black. What could be the reason for this imbalance? Why are there not many more black kids? 

Predictable accusations come next. A New York Magazine columnist says that the "idealistic progressives and socialists" who lead the city ought to attack the "shameful, entrenched segregation of New York's public schools."  

"New Yorkers know a hustle when we see one, and the recent news that Stuyvesant offered admission to only three Black students this year is the latest example of a grotesquely obvious hijacking of public benefits, cynically disguised as a fair, merit-based outcome." They're racist. The test is unfair.

But there's a hidden factor in the racial achievement gap. 

from NYMag

(cont'd tomorrow)

No utopia

We Americans do know that neither we nor our country are perfect. So, the political left floats ways to perfect us by overturning or "transforming" the institutions that have served us since our founding so that we can live in utopia.

They may point to other, as a recent president called them, "normal" countries as a desirable model. "Normal" countries have more equality, free this and free that, etc. In the video below, you hear that this is sheer ignorance. Before we decide to transform the US, we need to be educated about the true conditions that exist in those countries.

Konstantin Kisin lived in a "progressive paradise." Does he want to go back? No way.

Dirtiest

Soccer fans visited America last month and discovered some good things about our country. I'm glad they were here to learn about us firsthand.

Because they came, we realized that we have reason to be more grateful in the US. Many of them loved our food and AC and big stores. We totally take them for granted. 

Here's another wake-up call for us. We need to thank God for clean living conditions. Surprised by this one? The video below makes it very plain that not everyone has that.

Soft splashdown

Test flight #13 took off last Friday evening, a successful flight for Starship and a step closer to the lunar space dream. According to the SpaceX narrator (video below), the landing of the ship is "everybody's favorite" part of these test flights.

It must have been especially true this time . . because something they always hope for finally happened: a soft splashdown. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot called it "Lucky Number 13!" Ship did not break into pieces or explode upon landing (2:23) but came to rest floating in the ocean on its side. 

Cameras kept rolling, and engineers can carefully observe the ship after it landed, a luxury they haven't had before. (Listen to the super excited crowd watching back at Starbase TX where it launched.)

You can see a close-up of the ceramic heat shield tiles on Ship's nose (4:29). It's "a dream scenario" for the team that's trying to refine the heat shield. They now have a "mountain of data" to work with.

Btw, if you wonder where these views are coming from? Starlink.

Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls and The Chosen, an unexpected partnership! They did a show together. 

Members of the cast plus director and creator of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, were coaxed into scary experiences. Grylls is known for his adventure/survival shows, and it turns out that he is a true fan of the series about the disciples of Jesus Christ, too. Who knew?

Here's the trailer:

Somali born 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

With knowledge of her background, we can respect her insight as applied to the Somali community in Minnesota. She says they have "clustered tightly and predictably with the same social logic that governs life in Mogadishu, where I was born."

"Social logic" in Mogadishu is clan-based, with total loyalty going to the clan or family. It's a worldview where "resources are scarce, the world is dangerous, and survival depends on extracting maximum benefit for one's own family."

The only social model they trust is "the family, the clan, the inner circle. The state [country and government] becomes a distant entity to be milked, repeatedly and without hesitation." Retribution and violence will follow.

Loyalty to the clan and hostility to the wider community (like the city or state) is not compatible with the values of their American neighbors. "If [they] don't undergo a full cultural and moral reboot--true assimilation--then they will carry those assumptions into the societies that receive them."

"Minnesota now faces problems it can't make sense of, let alone solve." The stakes are high.

from The Free Press

Somali born 1

When it comes to connecting fraud and gang activity to Somali people in the Twin Cities, there's controversy. 

Not even the verifiable facts of the issues are agreed upon, since the Hennepin County Attorney calls statements of the Ramsey County Sheriff and his department "lies" (yesterday's post). 

We can get some clarity about Somalia from Ayaan Hirsi Ali who is a heroic, naturalized American citizen today but grew up in Somalia. She has the authority of personal experience when she talks about the country and religion of her birth. 

Get acquainted with her as she tells her story below. It includes how she came to faith in Jesus. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Somali fraud

Fraud on a huge scale has been uncovered over the last year in Minnesota. Largely, though not entirely, those involved were Somali. It's a bigger issue than the gangs (yesterday's post). It got the attention of not only the state, but the whole country. 

Social welfare government programs were the target of the fraud. Nick Shirley, not a professional journalist, published a video of his visit last December to multiple childcare facilities run by Somalis. Site after site appeared to be caring for few or no kids. 

Yet they were drawing huge payments from the state of Minnesota. Altogether, the fraud schemes stole hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars from taxpayers.

State government officials, especially the governor and the attorney general, apparently turned a blind eye to evidence of fraud in these programs even though they were alerted to the evidence. The threat of being called "racist" was seemingly enough to get their cooperation.

If you are American, you probably know most of this. If you're not, this is a simple explanation for you of what's going on here. It's all in the courts now, and convictions have started. But the politicians aren't being prosecuted - yet.

The Somali community in Minnesota has earned their notoriety.

from Imprimus

Somali gangs

"A dozen Somali gangs with hundreds of members, mainly teenagers, are wreaking havoc in Minnesota, committing public shootings and murders out in the open, according to local officials." 

One official is the Ramsey County sheriff. He says that up to 300 young Somalis are involved in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). Gang battles arise from social media and rivalries, not from drug traffic which is more common among criminal gangs. 

"Somali gangs were responsible for at least 14 homicides in the past two years, as well as over 100 shootings" in the metro area according to the sheriff's office. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, head of Minnesota's largest public law office, flatly denies the situation described by the sheriff in a political statement a few months ago:

"There are no roving gangs of Somali people harassing, threatening, or doing anything inappropriate to community members. Those are simply lies."

Well, somebody is definitely lying.

from Washington Examiner

Fly test fail fix

Starship was scheduled to launch yesterday on test flight #13. But it didn't. It's a disappointment for all concerned, and that no doubt includes those who invested their own money in the success of SpaceX last month by purchasing the spaceflight company's stock.

"The stock is on a five-day losing streak." 

Some engines failed to ignite "triggering an automatic launch abort," as Elon reported on X. Two of them will be replaced by new engines and then the test flight can proceed next week. 

It's just as Jim Bridenstine (former NASA administrator) described SpaceX five years ago. They "fly, test, fail, fix - repeatedly." Yes, that's SpaceX, and that's life, too.

from CNBC

Nuclear & NASA 3

By the end of 2028, we will have launched our mission to Mars on the "first-ever nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft" -- if Administrator Isaacman's ambitious goals come to pass.

Called the SR-1, it will begin a new era in space flight. “After decades of study," he said, "and billions spent on concepts that have never left Earth, America will finally get underway on nuclear power in space.” 

Chemical propulsion (hydrogen and oxygen) is being used to power rockets now and will continue to enable escaping Earth's atmosphere. But nuclear will power movement in space. It's far more efficient. So, with the same volume of fuel, space craft will be able to go further and faster.

from MIT Technology Review

NASA changes

Every incoming executive probably has plans to change something in his new role. New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has a plan for America's space program which he says will take us back to basics.

We need more launches, he says first, "on a yearly cadence." Can our Artemis-designated space vehicle, Boeing's SLS, keep up with that aggressive push in light of its history of missing both budgets and target dates? His response: "It's 100% achievable." With regard to past SLS failures, NASA will take responsibility to "make better decisions." I hope so.

An additional launch was added to the original Artemis plan. Artemis 3 will launch next year, 2027, because it's "imperative," he says, to practice the docking of the SLS with the lunar lander (made by either SpaceX or Blue Origin). No human feet will stand on the Moon's surface til Artemis 4 which is scheduled for 2028.

Voter cleanup

How frustrating it is to learn of illegal or corrupt practices happening in real time while also knowing that nothing is done about it. Many of us believe that some of our elections have been corrupted, but we don't have the power to stop it.

Judicial Watch does have the ability to get things accomplished in the legal arena. Using various actions, they've worked on cleaning up voter rolls in several states. Their lawsuits in Oregon and Colorado led to the elimination of 1.1 million ineligible names recently, people who had died or moved away or were otherwise ineligible to vote.

Added to other initiatives, they have managed to get a total of over six million voter names across the country off the voter rolls--names which should not receive a mail-in ballot for the above reasons. 

It's good to know that somebody in a position to make a difference is getting things done.

from Judicial Watch

Somaliland

Migrants from the African country of Somalia, known in America for fraud and crime, seem to have earned a bad reputation. So, the people of Somaliland, located next to it on the African continent, would like to have it understood that they are a different country.

Though each country speaks the Somali language, Somaliland has a different system and a different currency. Their one and only terror incident in 35 years, according to the official below, was perpetrated by a terrorist from the United States who was radicalized in Minnesota. A proud and stable democracy, Somalilanders refused an offer from China.

As the official says, they live in a tough neighborhood.

Welcome, world!

So much energy, so much passion is happening during the World Cup hosted in the US this summer! It's been thrilling to see global visitors have fun here, and to hear many say they felt a warm, friendly welcome. Somebody produced an awesome song about it.

Scots celebrated their Scottish-ness, Norwegians their Viking-ness; as the song below says, "Flags from every nation waving proud and on display!" We loved it. Only a small minority of us stick up their noses (meaning) at people who love their own country. Do I love America, too? I sure do. 

Our visitors liked things I wouldn't have expected, like Walmart and Costco and Buc-ee's, things in our day-to-day ordinary life and . . American food, another surprise. Media portrayal of America did not lead them to expect overall abundance in our way of life. I'm glad they came.

Enjoy 😄

Quiet

A few readers of this blog went back to something from 2013. It got my attention, so I went back and read this 13-year-old post again. It's still good! Hope you enjoy:

Introvert

When I reserved Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking at the library, there were 500 people ahead of me.  It took about six months to finally get the book. The author did a TED talk which is a favorite of Bill Gates.

Somehow this self-identified introvert woman has really made headlines, and it cannot have happened by accident.   So, she put herself out there in uncomfortable situations by speaking in public and promoting and doing whatever she had to do, all to affirm that it's really ok to be an introvert who likes to do none of this 😄 

Author Susan Cain says on her website, "I’m actually not sure if I went to the cafés to write or wrote so I could sit around in cafés, which is my favorite activity."

Here's her TED Talk, which has been viewed by 4.7 million people. She says that introverts should be allowed to do what they do best (see my post "Strengthen Your Strengths"), and that is to think and create in solitude.  

Space debris 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

America's Space Force has a program in place to mitigate collision risk. Its 18th Space Defense Squadron monitors and tracks "all artificial objects in Earth’s orbit to ensure the safety of our satellites, astronauts, and space exploration endeavors.”

Satellite operators use "AI-powered maneuver planning systems [to] analyze conjunction data and suggest safe trajectory adjustments in real-time."

Clearly, blowing up a satellite (yesterday's video) would turn one dangerous object into many and is decidedly not the right thing to do.

Taking responsibility for what you send into space is the right thing to do. So, Starlink (as the largest launcher by far) has a plan. They monitor their satellites and de-orbit the ones that fail in a controlled, safe way. In the 6 months ending May 31, 2026, they "successfully executed controlled atmospheric deorbit" on 216 satellites. As they descended, eventually there was "total thermal destructive burn-up." 

Watch the video to see how Starlink actually works to deliver internet access:

Space debris 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

All told, there's more than a million pieces of space debris greater than one centimeter. 

Each functioning satellite in orbit represents a significant financial investment for the country or company that launched it, and continuing investment in operators who maintain it to keep the data flowing. Collision is a growing threat which they take seriously.

Yes, they have already happened (video below). One satellite stopped working and was out of control when it crashed with an American satellite. Another was intentionally blown up by its country. Both resulted in thousands of fragments:

America's Space Force and the European Space Agency both have projects in place to mitigate the risk.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Space debris

Space looks mostly empty, and it is. But there's a bit of concern about the number of things humanity is putting into orbit.

Satellites of all kinds number 14,500 this year with 90 countries having at least one. They function for science, weather, military, communication, spy purposes. Starlink, providing internet connectivity, has 9900 up there (as of March 2026) with plans for a total of 42,000.

But there's more. Over 3000 defunct satellites are still orbiting though they no longer function. Rocket upper stages and fragments of old rockets or satellites also float through space.

Tens of thousands of pieces of "debris" (including functioning satellites) are being tracked. 

from "How Many Satellites Are in Orbit?"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Faith & freedom 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Human rights, responsibilities and liberty were granted by our Creator (see the Declaration). American founders and the people believed the government must support these things. So, they fought a war to separate themselves from a tyrannical king and to set up a self-governing system--not an easy task.  

After the Revolution, Founder John Adams had this to say about the government they instituted: 

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”

Os Guinness, the interviewee in Wednesday's video, has explained the American system well. Freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, and true faith must be uncoerced--it requires freedom (image).

Happy Independence Day, Americans! Respect your heritage and enjoy your holiday.

Faith & freedom 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post) 

Liberty was, in one sense, the goal of all the revolutions: liberty from the ruling regime. 

Les Francais (the French) wanted release from their monarchy. But they murdered their king outright, then moved on to aristocracy in a "nightmare bloodbath of terror." Faith in God was present among the people, but it wasn't the foundation of the revolution. Priests and nuns were also targeted in the bloodbath. 

Russia's Tsar and his family were killed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918 to make way for communist rule. Both in Russia and after the revolution in mid-century China, millions of their own people were killed to make way for regime change. Neither revolution resulted in the people gaining the freedom to govern themselves.

But America's revolution did bring that about. Faith in the God of the Bible had grown deep in its people, largely descendants of the strong people of conscience, faith and courage who had dared come to this land. The Great Awakening increased that faith's presence. They knew God was their ultimate Sovereign, not the government.

from NY Post

(cont'd tomorrow)

Faith & freedom

"Many educated people have no idea about this," says Eric Metaxas in the video below. In writing his book, Revolution, he found out that our founders were motivated by a strong desire for freedom inspired by their Christian faith - and schools tend to neglect that faith connection.

Other revolutionary wars happened in other countries, but usually they didn't end well. The French revolution (which happened soon after ours) produced mass executions, less freedom, and eventually a new dictator (Napoleon). 

Our own revolution produced peace, more freedom, and a form of government where the people were free to govern themselves. Metaxas's book documents the faith in God that led to a different sort of revolution resulting in good outcomes. It led to "covenant" power of the sort in the Bible, not to "hierarchy" power like the sort in the Roman Empire.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Intervention

Last week you heard on this blog that the leader of our war for independence, General George Washington, lost more battles than he won. You know that England was the most militarily powerful nation on earth at the time, while our military was far from professional.

How did America win that war against tremendous odds? Factor in the character of the General, the conviction of American patriots, the help of the French. There's still another factor: all throughout our history, Americans - including George Washington - believed they had the help of God Almighty.

Watch below to answer this question, "where did He intervene in a special way during the Revolutionary War?"

We should know the legendary stories around the founding of America.

Eyes opened

None of us average Americans (who have homes, jobs, families, neighborhoods, etc.) think America is perfect. But the horrid picture ("dangerous, racist, broken, failing") that legacy media paints for the world is not accurate. It's a delight to see global visitors for the World Cup get an experience of our wonderful country the way it really is.

So many have posted stories of their eyes being opened to the good things (which we average Americans take for granted) over here. Our current president's picture is featured on these videos, but may I suggest that you just ignore it if you don't like him . . and watch them anyway. They're not about politics 😊 (Woops, there is some political talk at the end of the first video)

Rights are real

Human rights exist independently of governments' decisions, regardless of whether or not government leaders ever write them into civil law. They come from "nature and nature's God" - so says our Declaration of Independence.

Our first president told Americans that "religion and morality" are essential supports of political prosperity and happiness. 

Faith and virtue supported the founding of this country. As Washington said: if you undermine them, you are no patriot.

Scots in Miami

World Cup soccer is big in the US right now. Last night, Scotland and Brazil (the biggest World Cup winner in history) met each other in Miami, Florida, and it was party time. 

About eight thousand fans from Scotland descended on the city, calling themselves the Tartan Army, singing "Country Roads," bringing their bagpipes and kilts and bursting with energy.

They enjoyed meeting "everyday" American people, watching them "being themselves, kind, welcoming, and, yeah, a little confused at our food choices. These are the real people, the people who are the fabric of the country." In Providence NJ they donated $30k to a local hospital.

A Miami sportswriter reports that they were friendly and they mingled with the locals. Miller Lite brought a barge loaded with beer to town, just in case the bars ran out (which has happened once or twice).

Fans from the world came to America, and they had a great time. I love it.

Nashville gains

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Seattle, Washington, has been losing ground. Seven more US states are ranked with Washington as "worst for business": California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey and my own state, Minnesota.

Ranked as "best" are the states of Texas, Florida and Tennessee. Dallas TX and Nashville TN attract businesses with advantages that make it worth the effort of a big move.

Local lifestyle factors in both cities are attractive to employees. With a lower cost of living, families may spend less but get more of what they want. Dallas has seen big growth in its technology and aerospace industries. 

You know Nashville as a huge music center ("Music City") but there's more. Amazon took a million square feet of office space. Health care is the biggest industry economically, and there's a young, well-educated labor force. Real estate here is the fifth hottest in the country. Oracle is moving in.

Nashville is booming. 

Seattle losses

Seattle's newly elected mayor advised its citizens not to buy the product of one of its iconic businesses last November: Starbucks coffee. She walked back her comment later, but it could symbolize an unfriendly trend toward financial supports of the city.

Starbucks originated and is still headquartered there. They made no response to the mayor but they're still planning a partial move to Nashville TN to open a second business hub. They will invest ~$100 million in the new hub and employ about 2,000 by 2031.

The coffee company is not alone in withdrawing some of their presence. Office vacancies around the country average about 17%, but downtown Seattle has vacancies of 36%. The city has lost the confidence of some of the business community. 

Since 2018, 465 company headquarters have moved elsewhere, mostly tech and manufacturing. The massive Boeing left the city back in 2001. Amazon has vacated a million square feet of office space since 2020.

Where do they go?

(cont'd tomorrow)

Disclosure

"Disclosure Day" came out this month. Its opening was well-timed, since the government has been releasing classified material about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (formerly called UFO's).

Since it's produced by Steven Spielberg, I hoped for a movie something like "Close Encounters" in quality. Having now seen it, it's just not inspiring.

Oddly, there has been some public controversy about whether faith in God was attacked in the plot. "Odd" I say, because I don't see it, though I would be sensitive to that vibe as a believing Christian.

Was that controversy cooked up to get people into the theatre? That's the opinion of this reviewer.