Tag: Barack Obama

War’s reluctant start

It’s true a century ago with the assassination of an Austrian baron. It’s true half a century ago with one ( or two) incidents in the Gulf of Tonkin. It’s true this very Labor weekend, even when we all saw photos of little bodies – dead by chemically induced weapon.

Labor Day traditionally meant as a break for the working class (well, somehow it got co-opted by Congressmen and women as well). Sort of poorman’s vacation e.g. kids back to school, mom back to PT work etc…

Who would want to go shoot down somebody. Not a convenient time. Not in everyone’s mind, nor purview.

It might sell some weapons to take down “creative destruction” weaponry. But in this post-Recession era, it is a reluctant call.

There is no rationality to how war started and takes on a life of its own. I have no prejudice against the Syrian people per se.

After all, Steve Jobs, with Syrian DNA, gave us Apple and the I-phone.

It is more convenient if it were the Chinese, whose money we owe, who crossed the red line

War has always been inconvenient. It destroys at many layers and its effects unending (a century ago, it got the US addicted to war as gold treasure ballooned up , hence, war as economic solution – half a century ago, now, the lingering effect of Agent Orange).

So, why bother?

Acts of aggression take place everyday, everywhere.

Some made the news. Many and most don’t.

But I happened to see the photos (just like I did witness the burning monk, the last chopper and Three-Mile-Island up close).

When you are engaged, you are responsible.

This one matters to me.

Some future misuse of chemical weapons will mater to you and your loved ones.

It’s not enough to turn sword into ploughshares.

Or write a letter or a blog.

There are more effective ways to get your point across.

It’s our century’s dilemma: data rich, but determination poor.

We have become of species of special access (broadband for everyone), but not of anger.

We don’t feel. But then, we will regret (for things we did not do).

President Clinton once made a stop in Ireland to seek consultation from a just-dead poet, before facing E European troubles.

This time, Mr Obama might want to seek consultation from Congress-on-vacation (back in ten) and history book.

All Presidents must face crisis and call to war.

It always has a built-in ambivalence and unintended consequences.

Leaders face fear and challenges but go ahead with gut calls.

Or else, we are all managers, tweaking and cooking the books.

Yes. It’s regional and sectarian. It’s even civil war.

But by zooming out, we realize that chemical weapon violation marks a bookend to humanity.

From here on out, either we say No to “chemical addiction” or we end up using it ourselves.

An assassination there, a regional sea brush here. All seemingly regional and reluctant.

But it’s necessary. To stand (not a cowboy stance, in ready gun-draw posture ) and put down our ploughshares to take up the sword.

White fence to White House

In-your-face campaign slogans. Last-minute push. Local, State and National level. Voter drive in full drive.

From Alfred Smith (Catholic) to Kennedy (Catholic) onto Romney (Mormon). Religion on the fringe, now got NYT full-page endorsement by Billy Graham.

I thought the Reverend was supposed to play neutral, and be wise-man to Presidents, Red or Blue.

It’s great to see the two sides going at it. There is hope that the best man will emerge.

Once again, the world waits and watches. This every-four-year balloon-filled ballroom celebration called Election Victory (With every successive presidency, things tend to get more lavish and costly, despite the Recession and huge Unemployment figures).

Last time, young voters turned out to assert  “Yes We Can”. This time, Utah is no longer content with staying inside the Tabernacle. They want to move from the White Fence to the White House.

Then the last frontier is for women to occupy it (no punt intended for the use of verb).

We then have to come up with a new term for First Husband.

Sensitive men, supportive men, statesmen.

My grandchildren generation perhaps. Maybe one-two punch: an Asian woman in the White House.

Already held Department of Labor and Energy, Asian American have been on the rise.

I saw various choices for local leadership where I live.

Hispanic women are also on the rise. How about that for demographic shift.

The ping-pong match has been along party line: Kennedy-Nixon, Carter-Reagan,  Gore-Bush.

What has been more subtle is the rise of the rest, right here in America.

First people came, FOB. Then they acculturated i.e. Language, culture, commerce, sports, arts and perhaps, politics.

The idea of Americanism lives on, although its expression changes. More nuances (Iraqi and Syrian refugees).

Yes, people put on T-shirts, even cheering for their alma-matters’ or their kids’ team.

But to harness the drive and ambition, the energy and expectations of millions who left the known for the unknown called America, we need to expound the formula (Bill of Rights) and adapt it to new context and constituency.

Already voting is in multi-lingual.

Already voting is by scanning.

But what about those who don’t show up.

Why?

They must have heard about the idea of America, of freedom of expression and election.

Perhaps they are too busy mending the white fence to worry about who is moving in or out of the White House.

Perhaps they need to be taken care of, to be listened to. Perhaps they need to be taken into consideration and counted in as valuable national assets. After all, to raise a child in the US costs about $200,000. How is that for national treasures and future promises that keeps America competitive. You don’t need Kotler of Harvard to tell you we are slipping, and if not corrected, on a downward trajectory. The rise of the rest means people might not decide to come at all. It needs both pull and push factors for one to leave the known for the unknown. Nowadays, the choice is not a clear-cut.

In fact, tourists from Paris and elsewhere were told to leave behind their belonging and make a run from Sandy, the storm.

That storm swept through both the White House and any white fence on its path. Glad it’s only a few days to drop the importance for the urgent, white fence for the White House.

 

Learning by failing

NYT Opinion Page wants to debate about being informed vs being educated.

With the dcline of Newsweek, readers have moved on to Google News (ironically, today celebrates National Print Day) and other mobile content.

Short bursts: Obama won the debate. The Giants got chemistry.

We will someday think that a tweet, 140 characters, is too long.

Just like the 2-minute  microwave oven wait (used to shorten boiling time down to 2 minutes from 5).

That’s how quick our brain evolves

Yet there is no substitute for trying and failing.

Those lessons stuck around longer, since they are more personal.

Time we could have spent with our kids.

Money we could have invested in an art course that could help turn passion into profit etc… Yet, we only have regrets to show for.

In business, we missed a few steps: being too late to market, or too early.

Committing too few resources to a gigantic task (thinking we were exceptions to the rule such as Valley of Death, burnt rates etc…).

Failing begets failing.

We all hide our weakness and failure.

The culture of celeb and cinema extolls IMAGE (of heroism and hedonism).

We are supposed to be cool, hip and always on point.

In life, it’s only one take. Action and cut. And that’s a wrap.

Those who rehearsed more will get  it righ the first time.

Either way, no pain no gain.

We rehearse i.e. fumbling through, learning a new angle , a new way to interpret the script.

Life has its own script for us: put in the hours, get something back. Spend wisely and save for rainy days.

That script is universal.

Yet we keep having to relearn it. Mostly, by failing to adhere to it.

But then, whose life is it that doesn’t stray from the track? McGovern of S Dakota?

Bush of Austin, TX? or Arnold in Hollywood.  Everyone seems to have a book out. All learned by doing, by failing. The WSJ titled McGovern “Bested by Nixon“.

Will your life and mine be remembered by one defining failure? Then why do we need a whole book? Save a tree.  Just tweet, something like: I THOUGHT I WAS AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. I WAS NOT. HARD EARNED LESSONS.

Now go celebrate National Print Day. Read about others’ struggles and striving. How they handled their own failures.

Maybe we can learn by their failing besides our own.

Alternate Dream

American Dream has undergone a makeover of late (maybe because the Chinese economy itself was heading for a cliff, so it needed to apply a break on lending).

Whatever the underlying reason, America middle class is contracting not because of shrinking population , but mostly because of declining income and consumption. In short, the good old time isn’t rolling back anytime soon.  At least, not for the same people. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

For the past few years, we became schooled in all kinds of financial instrumentation: derivative, quantitative easing etc….

New economy, old economists.

Half of them was right half of the time. The other half call themselves “contrarians”.

I bet on the future.  I know kids are smart. They have been told to play it safe, to hold their cards closer to the chest.

And it (the Dream) did not materialize for them (at least, not  for their European counterparts).

So, they figure. I am going out on the limp to strike for gold myself.

Estonian kids saw the success of Skype. As a result, they are learning how to code at an early age.

Long way from the fall of the Berlin wall  to the building of the firewall.

Meanwhile, back  at the range, American are forced to be “content” with loss leaders, everyday.

Dollar Stores are rising while the dollar itself isn’t worth much.

Made-in-China use to be jeered at. Now it’s the only game in town.

I know new games are in the works. Part of the chain of evolution is to invent disruption e.g. flat panel TVs vs tube TV‘s,  Wi-fi vs cable wiring. Perhaps someday we will see the electrification in transportation. For now, adjust your expectations. Wake up hot-dog nation. Rise from your slumber. Step out into the darkest of nights where the stars are few, but much brighter. The glass has always been half full.  It’s in the American character, belongs to those who left behind the familiar for the unfamiliar. Those who dare to dream and dream big. Anchor it  really high. And turn a portion of it into reality. One by one, and together, Yes We Can, again. An adjusted American Dream., smelled more like our new reality, is still better than none.

Ennobling

You don’t have to be rich or poor.  Nobility is a choice.

A willful act of service. A realization that your words, which might injure someone, be best left unsaid.

WWII servicemen, having seen and heard all there was to be experienced, have put themselves through school (GI Bills) and affected the change we see today in America.

Ennobled, encouraged and emboldened.

The next generation saw the Fall of Saigon. This time, servicemen and women got jeered at upon returning home.

How long will it take to right the wrong? Agent Orange and secret agent.

No safety net for people whose call of duty is to protect others’ safety.

But if they did volunteer and serve out of noble causes and conviction, they will rise again.

The Phoenix indeed does rise from the burning ashes.

And so it goes.

Yesterday’s gone. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

Rich or poor, gay or straight, nothing can stop you from being ennobled.

It’s a choice, not a birth right, unlike the European feudal system which is passe.

It’s time  to arm oneself with the best of knowledge (coursera) and connection (social media) to affect change.

Get out and vote. Get up and be ennobled. I am sick of having a dream. The journey of a thousand miles does begin with that single first baby step. Deal with innertia and get off that couch! Just Do It!

Ma Belle

She hit all the right notes. Struck the chords. Evoked the emotion.

Great speech arouses.

Got the audience on their feet.

They were waiting to hear, not for a hand-out but for a herald.

Together we can.

But the disconnect is when it comes to action: People simply don’t believe either side i.e. the propaganda, the politics and the promises.

But if everyone elects not to vote, the problems won’t go away. Collective denial.

Suicide.

The take-away, and there are many, from Michelle O’s speech was that she is a concerned mom, just like everyone else.

Down to earth, homie and honest.

Just need a chance.

A shot at the dream, and not a shot in the dark.

An opportunity to work, to materialize the dream.

America has been about hardware (military and moral righteousness). Now it needs to be nimble, to focus on its strength: software, education and not entitlement, creativity and not exclusivity, competitiveness but not isolation.

Soft power.

After all, it has learned hard lessons from relying on hardware and hard numbers alone (ironically, there is a piece  about Hubbard Sciences attempt to cure Agent Orange victims in Hanoi . Twice the wrongs won’t make one right).

We keep exporting the worst (sex and violence in films), while suppressing the best (foreign language and art programs).

(Apple’s late CEO – Steve Jobs – said he honestly could not find enough qualified engineers to produce the I-phones in the US).

Go figure.

Back to our Mom-in-Chief.

From the standpoint of a delayed-broadcast viewer, I am still at a loss about our complacency: we can now view broadcast from any laptop, at any time, anywhere.

We live in a time when Presidents can tweet. And we can too. From the People, by the People.

Yet we are out of touch, not because of lacking in ways but in will (courtesy of Lloyd Tran of the Cleantech Institute).

Kids will take charge. They will look back at this generation as the “transitional” one (from go go to so-so times).

Though we will not be remembered as the Greatest Generation, at least, depends on how we act,  as the Survivors Generation. The phasing out of the Old Order (Post Office, hard-back books, Internal Combustion Engines, polluted nation, homeless nation etc…) to the new (4-hour work week, EV nation, Virtual  Leader of the World.) Be all you can be America. Keep the Dream alive and attractive, still. The whole world is watching, not just the speech, but the story, to see how the narrative unfolds. Empires have all gone down this path, with beginning, middle and ending.

Let’s hope we can stretch our plot  a while longer. Keep them guessing. Hint: share the software and start the chain of goodwill effects.

On Persuasion

Lights, sound, camera, ACTION!

He is back, still with “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow” for an entrance and an exit punch line “the Union, as conceived and committed to by the Founding Fathers.”

He systematically laid out the choices, an either-or.

He mentioned the opponent’s alternate universe , where 2+2 might not = 4.

Or…4 more years.

He wanted us to do some gut checks: are we letting them “double down” on ” trickle-down”?

Are we going to rob Peter (handicapped and seniors) to pay Paul (oil rich countries and outsourcing nations)?

Do you feel it? Maybe not yet. The lagging effect (from Fact to Feeling) of a barely resuscitated economy.

Against the Red, White and Blue background, and with proper acknowledgment of key supporting cast (Michelle, Biden and Hillary) while the cut-away shots kept showing Clinton’s First Kid (reminded me of the Kennedy’s clan,  just as Clinton’s goodbye  evoked Carter-like statesmanship) and seamless delivery of a well-crafted value proposition, President Clinton once again established himself  as a premier speech Master, if not, Magician.

He was more in control this time, but still on occasion, showed some emotion (I believe). And no doubt, he does care more for the world (Haiti) then just America, whose leadership in Education has slipped a bit (to no. 60).

I majored in Communication. Specifically, media. And I know a good speech when I see one. This one is for keeps.

Just as Reagan who concluded his reelection speech with a stunning visual “a shinning city on the hill, …” as he recounted a drive on 101 from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. Television tends to favors telegenic charisma (Kennedy over Nixon) and irresistible narrative (A man from Hope).  And we prefer personalities who can tell stories (not just sound bites) that make us feel a lump in our throat.  Last night’s speech at the Democratic Convention delivered a bowl full. Truth that hits home. Music that resonates. And a pitch that gets us on our feet. We need ALL the help, from both voters and viewers. I just know that speech was best in class. We communicate, cooperate and celebrate. Especially in hard times. Now we know who we are by the choice we made of our leaders. Both sides draw a nice picture. But this one spins really good and sounds really good. Talking about persuasion. I still believe in the idea of America, not Exceptionalism, but one as I would expect it to be.

When in doubt, bet on America, exceptional or not.

Anchor kids

Although “Last Men Out” tells a story about the last Marines on the last day of Vietnam, readers still learn a great deal about the Vietnamese “group culture”. Many workers of the former US  embassy were on the list to be “chopper” out (Operation Frequent Wind). It just so happened that the gardener of the embassy came in the back gate (his work place) with a long rope that tied all his relatives so they wouldn’t be cut off. The marine could only authorize those on the list. The gardener’s reply: you chose for me.

Story like that repeats itself on Pan Am last flights (three-fold increase) as well.

Later, we saw the waves of Boat People in 1980-1990.

And finally, just an “anchor kid” here and there to send home money.

I did not think of my now divorced wife as an “anchor kid” until it dawn on me, that’s what happened.

Inadvertently, I was pushed into playing the benevolent, guilt-ridden 7th fleet which I had once been on.

We have come in full circle.

Now, she is free to go “black friday” shopping (for an I-pad).

I meant to title this blog as “I hate Steve Jobs“, but in the Vietnamese tradition, we try not to speak ill of the dead.

So, here I am, on the clock at a neighborhood Internet gaming center, next to rowdy kids, while my wife, having spent ten years in the US, called to ask how she could get wi-fi in our home in Palm Beach, FL.

Again, I have to play the role of an remote IT administrator.

In the tradition of “tech and multi-cultural marketing”, this blog is both personal and reflective of a larger trend: people will do what is necessary to rise to the next level on the Maslow scale. Next year, there will be another version of the “Ipad” probably in a Palo Alto garage, in time for Black Friday.

Being savvy and quick to adapt, Vietnamese families barely finish wiping their tears at the airport before sending their next “anchor kid”. It’s both a burden and a badge (of honor).  Escalade, Lexus, and Camry will be bought on installment, not to interfere with set allowance for families back home.

Mexican, Filippino and Chinese workers in the US follow the same immigration pattern (wage arbitrage). The US costs of service and goods are subsidized by millions of personal stories like my cousin’s.

She saved up to send her oldest boy to America.

I first met him back in 1990, as a bus boy in Orange County.

Next thing I heard, he already turned manicurist, then he and his wife, owned a nail shop in Chicago.

Later, his wife died, left him with a pair of twin daughters, and a life insurance compensation. He then upgraded to a plush salon in Dallas, TX (and remarried, perhaps to another “anchor kid”).

With his income, he sent home to bring his youngest brother to the US to complete his PhD in mathematics.

Next thing I know, his youngest brother is now full professor at a Vietnam’s private University (all in English, I believe).

Anchor kids. Lifting one boat at a time. Some want I-pad, others PhD.

Unstoppable.

Same people who pulled the heavy canons up the hill of Dien Bien Phu.

Same people who would not leave any relative behind at the back door of the US embassy.

Same people who fended off not two but three wars with next to nothing to eat.

The US has bogged down in two wars at the tune of Trillion Dollars. Maybe there are some take-aways here.s Just imagine how humiliated for privileged boy to start as a bus boy and nail boy. Then, the anchor kid serves as a monkey bridge for next kids to cross. To their credits they don’t burn the bridge. As of latest figure, Vietnam now ranks 8th highest number of students attending US colleges and universities. The line for foreign students’ visas now stretches long and winding at the same spot where  “Last Men Out” was depicted. At least, this time, they are not tied together by the gardener’s rope. But still with the same script “You choose for us”. Anchor kids.

Trading down: Gap to Goodwill

You know how good the economy is by seeing how many Hummers are on the street. But we 2.5 per cent growth 1Q 2013, we go from Hummers to Hyundai, from Gap to Goodwill.

With 90% debt level, half-a-million debt per man woman and child, trading down is the least of our worries (Patriotic millionaires asked to pay more tax, instead of token donation of used computers or running shoes for write off).

Meanwhile, BRIC countries push up energy and environmental demand resulting in higher food costs.

Every summer, a bunch of senior citizens died of head exhaustion in their lonely Chicago apartments.

We said Goodbye to Dr Death. You can catch Al Pacino portraying him on HBO.

Here is our near-term play-outs : consumers retrenching i.e. value-shopping (Costco, Wal-Mart), the reincarnation of IKEA (renters nation) and office furniture, DIY online shopping (prosumerism meets e-com). In Micro Trends, the author already noted the return of knitting among teens.

The productivity movement is moving out of high-end enterprise, down to SME and public-sector (right!).

And the return of pig-ear antenna in our living rooms (Archie Bunker).

At the conclusion of President Obama town-hall style at Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered his signature hooded sweat saying “in case you want to dress like me” (the joke in context was that President Obama was the only one who made Mark sweated out in suit and tie).

Japanese business men were asked to dress down to save energy.

If you are familiar with Japanese business protocol, you will know how off-script this is (loosening a tie while partying already was too much. Now they are in Hawaiian shirts).

Brazil, however, has no problem with these new austerity measures: they look at this as a prolonged extension of their Mardi Gras. So much for trading down in post-Recession era.

Just make sure to buy supplies in bulk. And no traveling this summer to ease energy pressures. No wonder online ad spending is on track to double-digit grow. That’s where the action is. And where talents are flocking into, one recruitment tweet (CV) at a time. Even resume email service has disappeared as twitter now takes over. Elevator speech has “traded down”.

Traditions: collide and compromise

East meets West. New Year and Valentine’s. Families vs lovers.

In Vietnam, with a strong Confucian foundation, filial quality stands above all else.

So on that first day of this year of the Tiger, sons and daughters are expected to show up first thing at the parents’ door steps.

Then, in the evening, this year only, they can sneak out to rendezvous with their sweethearts on Valentines Day.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/201002/Tet-trumps-Valentine%E2%80%99s-Day-in-Vietnam-894718/

If you took the fireworks in major cities into the mix, we are talking about Western traditions wrapping around Eastern culture.

Today, it’s President Day in the US. And President Obama will face tough choices: to meet with the Dalai Lama, risking to alienate a huge bond holder.

We expect Presidents to take a stand at the crossroad: Kennedy facing up to the Cuban invasion, Johnson choosing between the Great Society or inheriting French Vietnam, and now Obama electing to have government intervention and involvement in financial institutions.

Values often collide and force a compromise.

You can measure a man’s maturity by seeing how many of those compromises he has made. (And his integrity by how few).

By design, we are made of “opposites attract” from a set of parents. No wonder we walk that tight rope our whole life (at least I have) with the creative tension of push and pull.

The only way to keep the balance is to move forward, inadvertently, creating a Third force, a synthesis. Einstein once said life was like riding a bicycle, you needed to keep paddling forward to stay in balance.

Those in sales can recognize this dynamic: corporate expectation versus market reality. Customers expectations ride on top of lab engineers’ vision.

(Google video store had been a flop before the YouTube acquisition).

So, red lucky envelope or heart-shape chocolate? Just one day, but an important one, we saw a rare eclipse. In Vietnam, young lovers have never celebrated  New Year this eagerly. They have their own agenda. And sneaking out will only make forbidden fruit taste all the more sweeter. And years from now, it will be their turn to scold their young ones for not showing up first thing (with a mischievous smile of course). This generation wants it both ways, without compromise. Text and talk.