Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

Author: Thang Nguyen 555

  • flat “pyramid”

    Viewed from above, the Pyramid in Egypt looks flat,  almost origami-like. And viewed from where I am sitting, the 18-day Revolution looks protean: leaderless, collaborative and spontaneous. Although not the first to use Twitter ( Iranian post-election was), last week’s protesters showcased coordination and team work only digital natives can pull off. First, they understood…

  • Gone are these jobs!

    I read today about 10 jobs that did not exist a decade ago. http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111973/jobs-that-didnt-exist-10-years-ago It quickly came to mind jobs that are now gone, for good: Telephone switchboard operators Gas station attendants (who used to wipe our windshields and check the oil) One-hour photo clerk (Remember Robin Williams?) Milkman, mailman, newspaper boy (fewer jobs) Typist…

  • The new scribes

    The protesters in Cairo said that their fingers got tired from tweeting. They should be thankful that Twitter only allows 140 characters per tweet. Think of the scribes, who had to copy down tons of papyrus in ancient Egypt. For now, young people just want to celebrate:” let’s tweet again”. They tried back-up node and…

  • Mini Legacy

    I opened the NYT and read about Ken Olsen, 84 and J. Paul Getty III, 54 (their stories were on opposite pages). A lot can be accomplished in the extra 30 years that drug overdose took from someone. Mr Olsen managed to trim down then IBM mainframe into a DEC mini-computer. In today’s terms, it…

  • from gook to geek

    It’s been a while since The Right Stuff was released. Gabby’s husband (Mark Kelly) was going back on the last Endeavor mission. The President referred to our Sputnik moment , and how we should move Science Fair under the Super (Bowl) dome. All this reminds me of a piece of moon rock on display by USAID…

  • Ad avant-garde

    Super Bowl Ads depict senior citizens who watch TV from the nursing home and argue among themselves. Ads use special effects. Ads show animation (transformer) inside an upcoming movie. And ads with humor, lots of them (dogs, Doritos and Darth Vader). New approaches for new demographics. The Temple of Sports anchors millions of viewers into that…

  • boom bang

    At 6:30PM today, the Packers will hit the Steelers who will definitely hit back. Boom Bang! Boys and girls, both will be watching NFL football (it is worth noting that there has been an increase in NFL female audience). $3 Million per Ad . Lots of eyes balls. Wear this, take that and drink those. Consumer…

  • Poverty and empathy

    Studies show an inverse relationship between socio-economic background and emotional intelligence. http://geronimarion.posterous.com/emotional-intelligence-linked-to-socio-econom In short, those privileged kids don’t give a damn how you feel, at work, that is. Kids whose fathers fell from grace (Madoff, Skilling) committed suicide (former) or died a mysterious death (later). And we all knew what happened with Hearst and Getty‘s.…

  • Burning flesh, jasmine scent

    I used to live just a few blocks from where it happened on that fateful day in 1963. As an active kid, I joined the throng to witness history in the making: monk’s self-immolation as a peaceful act of protest against the Diem’s dictatorship. The city had been permeated with the smell of tear gas…

  • Yearning for the new

    The Year of the Cat. Al Stewart in white suit. Cyclical, eternal and in sync with nature. No “dominion over the land and seas” as in Western theocracy (in an ironic twist, outside my window, the work crew keeps digging, plowing, flattening and paving the sidewalks – one after another, from water to power, cable…