Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

recent posts

about

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.

Tag: Hollywood

  • Twice the romance

    For almost a century, we have gotten used to Hollywood‘s sunset scenes of the Pacific (they could even make Skid Row desirable). Now, fiction is trumped by recent discovery of a two-sun planet. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/215013/20110916/planet-two-suns-star-wars-kepler-16-b-tatooine-seti.htm Sunset scenes will need to be re-cut. Twice the work. But also, twice the romance. As evolving species, we will adapt,…

  • Last summer day

    The academic calendar starts just about now. A different season. Different drum beat. Formula and conjugation. Grades and test scores. Cafeteria and classroom. Principal and peers. Pranks and punishment. Same starting point, different finish lines. Education is democratic in nature. I admire people in wheel chairs, still being wheeled their way around the library, trying to reach…

  • Reality cross-over

    In a  God-Father scene, the execution order was carried out as cut-away from the black-tie wedding scene. Lately, President Obama in Brazil attending state dinner (while France-led air strike was carried out over Libya no-fly zone ), and two nights ago at the White House Correspondents’ dinner (while the takedown was carried out in Pakistan). Hollywood materials. (at…

  • Beauty, yes. Beast, no.

    Elizabeth Taylor and Colonel Gaddafi. What do they have in common? Nothing, except for being on the cover of People and TIME, respectively. The Queen of Tinsel Town once played Cleopatra, while the Colonel orchestrated his self-ascendency to be King of Kings (Africa). She was surrounded by men (husbands) he women (bodyguards). Liz hung out with…

  • On self-repackaging

    The age of frozen self has finally arrived i.e. you either update your web presence, or remain “frozen” in cyber space. Years from now, people remotely connected to you will Google you  and mine all the intimate data about you or written by you. Personal digital archive. At the turn of our century, Command-and-Control model dominated…

  • Maslow and Vietnam

    Tocqueville saw in America a country full of contradictions. He could say the same with Vietnam: people are moving up the Maslow scale, but some want to leap-frog security step i.e. basic needs to self-esteem need. Nouveau riches switch companions like Hollywood celebs. Forbes or Swiss bank lists almost 200 Millionaires (USD). Everything is bought…

  • California Dreaming

    TIME spotlights California on its cover this week. As a country, California would be with the G8 ( between Italy and Brazil, thus displacing BRIC with CRIC  i.e. California, Russia, India and China). Yet it has no world-class soccer team (despite having in-shored Beckham) just yet. That’s said, it is one of the brownest States…

  • The New Low

    Canadian University system has just introduced a new low grade (lower than F) for Academic Dishonesty (plagiarism or online essay service etc…). At least, the University is catching on with high-tech trickery, and how these portable devices and outsourcing services can aid cheaters. TA’s will have to play cops, always vigilant and alert. I suggest…

  • Heroes in our eyes

    We got some footage about those Japanese astronauts now. This brings me back to those endless summers when I watched all sorts of movies: French, American, Chinese and Japanese. Among the Japanese ones, the most memorable is the “blind Samurai”, who exemplifies the spirit of quiet strength. We self-project, so our heroes tend to reflect…