What A Lot Of Asians....

Asians have surpassed Hispanics as the largest group of new immigrants to the United States, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.
The study, called "The Rise of Asian Americans" and released on Tuesday, reveals that Asian-Americans also have the highest income, are the best educated and are the fastest-growing racial group in America.
About 430,000 Asians—or 36 percent of all new immigrants—arrived in the United States in 2010, according to U.S. census data. About 370,000, or 31 percent, were Hispanic.

[Related: U.S. Census: Minority babies now majority, surpassing whites for first time]

The wave of incoming Asians pushed the total number of Asian-Americans to a record 18.2 million, or 5.8 percent of the total U.S. population, according to census data. By comparison, non-Hispanic whites (197.5 million) account for 63.3 of the U.S. population, while Hispanics (52 million) and non-Hispanic blacks (38.3 million) account for 16.7 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively.
The influx of Asians reflects "a slowdown in illegal immigration while American employers increase their demand for high-skilled workers," the Associated Press said.

"The educational credentials of these recent [Asian] arrivals are striking," the report said. Sixty-one percent of 25-to-64-year-old Asian immigrants come with at least a bachelor's degree—more than double non-Asian immigrants, making the recent Asian arrivals "the most highly educated cohort of immigrants in U.S. history."
[Also read: The full Pew report]
The study also found that Asian-Americans are "more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place a greater value on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success."
Last month, data released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that there were more minority children born in the United States than whites for the first time in history—signaling what the Washington Post called "the dawn of an era in which whites no longer will be in the majority."
According to the census report, 50.4 percent of children born in a 12-month period that ended July 2011 were Hispanic, black, Asian-American or from other minority groups, while non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births in that span. In 2010, minority babies accounted for 49.5 percent of all births.
(source: The Lookout)

Wither April Fools' Day...

(source:LiveScience)

No joke: Researchers say we are moving away from personal, real-world pranks and into a world of media-driven jokes and Internet tomfoolery. Does this spell the end of April Fools' Day as we know it?

Though pranksters and joke-lovers in many countries now gleefully prepare to dupe friends and loved ones on April Fool's Day, no one knows exactly when or why, or even where, this tradition began.

A giddy spurt of practical joking seems to have coincided with the coming of spring since the time of the Ancient Romans and Celts, who celebrated a festival of mischief-making. The first mentions of an All Fool's Day (as it was formerly called) came in Europe in the Middle Ages.

The importance of this day of prank-pulling freedom is no laughing matter. It's integral to American culture, a day of funny is important to society, and also helps humans bond. Researchers say our take on comedy is changing, though. And that may mean fewer pranks in the future.

"The usual pranks that we would see 50 years ago are much less common," Gary Alan Fine, a sociologist at Northwestern University in Illinois, told LiveScience. "I think we are seeing the decline of interpersonal pranks." [5 Fake Scientific Breakthroughs]

Pranking or bullying?

"At one time, prankstering played a bigger role in American society. Some of the prankstering was also very harmful," Joseph Boskin, a professor emeritus of history at Boston University, told LiveScience.

This type of harmful prank-playing was usually directed toward marginalized sections of society. "Pranks have played a very big role in this situation, so I'm glad that the prankster part of it has declined, but the poking fun at life in general goes on," Boskin said.

The big problem is knowing where to draw the line between playful pranks and meanness on the verge of bullying, Fine said.

"Practical jokes of a certain sort shade into bullying, they shade into meanness and we are very concerned as a society about meanness," Fine said. "Finding out what that point is, is difficult for a society."

Equality and social control

Because of our conscientiousness and desire to ensure equality, Americans may have drawn that line too far along the spectrum, hedging out playful pranking. And traditional pranking may be left out in the cold, Fine said.

Sometimes, a funny prank pulled in one group would be seen in another group of people as inappropriate.

"Treating every incident as unique in itself on one level makes things easier, but then it means that someone who did X [a given prank] would be treated differently than someone else who did X [the same prank in a different group]. In society, that's not fair," Fine said. "How do you find that balance in that society where there needs to be rules that apply to everyone?"

This focus on equality may mean fewer interpersonal pranks are being played on April Fools' Day. "That's not a bad thing…the world's not a worse place without practical jokes. Without pranks, it might even be a slightly better place," Fine said. "On the other hand, the downside is we put all of these institutional controls on people, and that may not be such a wonderful thing."

Corporate pranking

While personal pranks may be on their way out the door, the spirit of April Fool's' Day is still alive in corporate hoaxes, Alex Boese, curator of the website Museum of Hoaxes, told LiveScience. When asked if April Fools' Day is dying, he said:

"I think it's just the opposite. It's more prevalent and stronger than ever, because it's been so strongly embraced by advertisers and corporations."

"It’s a great marketing opportunity for them," Boese said. "They come up with … these elaborate April Fools' Day jokes because these jokes turn viral, and they get quite a bit of free marketing out of them."

You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

Anwar doesn't Know How to Choose His Chums...

I mean, consider that some of the people closest to him parted ways with him and -- bared all...or some would say -- kiss and tell.
Let's see, there were Ezam and Anuar, to name just two. Then Chandra Muzaffar. Aah...his erstwhile confidante and tennis buddy --Mr Nallakarupan.

And what about Raja Petra Kamaruddin?????

OMG Anwar...either there's something wrong with these people, OR, there's something really wrong with you!

Here's Another Way of Looking at the Anwar Sex Video...

Hell, yeah. When you stop being emotional, just step back and look at things objectively, and you begin to see things in perspective.

You can still love him if he is actually that guy with the China Doll, it's up to you...

Just read the red Saga's take on the issue "You Are Found Wanting":

It is important for Malaysians, especially Malays, to understand the issue of the Anwar Ibrahim sex video clip in the proper perspective.

Bearing in mind that there are two sides to a coin, of course, we can then argue which perspective is the right one?

Bear with us. And if you do not agree with the perspective that we present, then ignore it as just another ranting of a delusional mind.

Firstly, why did the sex video clips emerge?

Obviously they are to prove that Anwar is not as saintly as he portrays himself to be.

HAPPY HAPPY 2012!

Long break. Too long.

Me and my Harley.

Happy new year, guys!

US$30 Billion In Libyan Assets Seized

I don't know Col Mommar Gadhafi from Adam.

But I do know that he has ruled Libya for more than 4 decades.

How did the Libyan people go on for that long under a dictator? There's mayhem and murder in Libya. Forces loyal to Gadhafi are attacking dissidents whom some people are calling, rebels. They in turn are attacking the Gadhafi loyalists.

It is civil war in Libya.

The US is just waiting to strike. Just waiting. We hope that will not happen. Let the United Nations crack the whip. They've already citing Gadhafi for crimes against humanity. They're enforcing an embargo against Libya. That will hurt.

So, here's an UPI report from Washington: The U.S. Treasury announced Monday it froze $30 billion in Libyan assets belonging to leader Moammar Gadhafi, his family and government entities he controls.

The action was taken under an executive order President Obama issued Friday, The Washington Post reported.

"As of today, at least $30 billion in government of Libya assets under U.S. jurisdiction have been blocked," David Cohen, Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said. "This is the largest blocking under any sanctions program ever."

Click here for the rest of the report.

A Brighter 2011!

Yay, I say.

An AP report in Washington says that the economy will gorw faster than envisioned threee months ago.

According to the latest quarterly AP Economy Survey, there is growing optimism among leading economists.

Still, unemployment will stay chronically high — nearly 9 percent by year's end.

Also a majority of economists say it will be 2016 or later before unemployment drops to a historically normal rate of around 5 percent.

Economists have become more confident 19 months after the worst recession since the Great Depression ended. Lower Social Security taxes and higher stock prices will embolden Americans to spend more and help power the economy, they say.

Well, as far as I'm conerned, that's good news.