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

  • Don’t cry for me, America!

    My name is Boat People, actually the other half. The no-shows who didn’t make it. Hence, I am not here, to witness my dream flushed down the toilet. I am not here to thrive, to contribute, to compete and to make a life for myself and my children. I am not here to witness the…

  • Love surprise

    Scarlett Johansson gets married…again. Why not. Love in the times of covid. It should be encouraged, urged and nudged. How many chances do we get in life…before they get taken away… by tiny rebellious pathogens and virus. Let love go viral, not the virus. By now, we have learned to live with it: neither at…

  • An October surprise

    Amber Alert is one thing. Abandoned in immigration/concentration camp is another. It’s hard to imagine it is happening here in the US: kids lost in the shuffle. I thought it only happens somewhere far far away, where the “thin red line” is (and even then, the whole village would chip in, help out and raise…

  • Where is CBS?

    Tonight, instead of the second Presidential Debate, we’ve got each candidate pitching under the banner of NBC and ABC. Perhaps the moderator will end up on CBS. I still remember the days of ABC 3-anchor Network: Max Robinson (Chicago), Frank Reynolds (D.C.) and Peter Jennings in London (wearing a tan London Fog). Maybe I will…

  • The “smart” ethos

    Use everything to advance yourself and your agenda. Speak out of turn and speak up a game. Always be in front of the camera armed with tweet-able gabs e.g. “Deal or No Deal” “You are fired!”. Get much exposure good or bad (counting on the mass’ short-term memory, on “mis” translation and on force-multiplier when…

  • My 68

    While Cream’s White Room was on the air, 2001 A Space Odyssey on the screen, I was sitting at home, on lock-down. It’s Hue 68, and the US Embassy in Saigon was under attack. Across our tiny alley, on tin roof, black-pajamas and rubber sandals chased by police (one of VN famous photos afterwards was…

  • Absolutely last

    I want to say Goodbye. Perhaps Farewell. It’s too much on my plate. Our plate. The virus trend is back up (June 27th, 2020) while it’s not the V-shape economy (I heard that back in 2008) we had expected. Can’t travel to NYC. Can’t travel to Paris or London. You can sit next to me…

  • All that lovin’

    Born to run. Born in the USA. Born to be wild. Born to be Black. We sing and swing, party and celebrate. Music unites us. Sports do too. Then we unite in the face of common enemies e.g. WWII, Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan (Contras in between) as the most integrated US troop. Despite being born –…

  • Raw Rage

    Raw Rage

    I am angry! Unfortunately, available emoticons are now with masks while covid-19 is still under “diagnostic uncertainty”. Hence this winding rant. Lots of uncertainty and anxiety: will I catch covid-19 if I showed up at the gym? at school? at work (if still holding a job). Anxiety: where do my checks come from after the…

  • Til it’s our turn

    Facts: In NYC nursing homes, we learned more colored old folks died by covid-19 than white (as of April 22-2020) It would be interesting to overlay that with 9/11’s deaths in NYC just for juxtaposition. Today, we witness “the proverbial tree” shaken with old folks slip quietly into that gentle good-night, covid-19 assisted. We got…