Book Review: The World Is Flat

It is amazing how much you can learn about a person by analyzing what they allow into their psyche. So I enjoy asking people that I am interested in getting to know better, “ what was the last book you read?” This question is very strategic for people will often start many books and never finish them. If they happen to read a book in its entirety they had to find it somewhat appealing and so I’m always curious as to why. So what have you read lately?

For me it was this book that has been hanging in the balance for quite some time - “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman. It is The New York Times columnist’s analysis of 21st-century economics and foreign policy and it has been listed on the National Best Sellers list for 36 weeks. I was first introduced to this book by my mother over a year ago, as it was a part of her course material in college, but I did not pay it much attention. Then over a month ago, my cousin, the investment banker, handed me the book and suggested that I read it, espousing that it would answer a lot of questions I asked of him the day before regarding the global economy. I personally felt he did a fair job of fielding my inquiries so I casually perused through the manuscript that night, read a few lines and then used it as decoration for the room. I like the look of books; they make me appear more intelligent. But most recently, a close friend that knew I had the book asked if I had finished reading it and I had to admit that I had not given it much thought. So in the midst of the financial meltdown on Wall Street, and the government bail out/buy in, whatever they want to call it; I felt an extreme compulsion to find out if there was something I needed to know that I did not know already. In two days I digested 473 pages of text, and much to my chagrin as a business graduate, I learned that I had fallen behind.

One of my favorite quotes by Louis Pasteur reads, “Fortune favors the prepared mind” and was appropriately included in this book. Friedman revealed a reoccurring theme that if we Americans are not reinventing ourselves and using our creative imaginations in this flattening market then we will be left behind by the Chinese and Indians who are seeking such opportunities. A test to any good form of media is my reaction, and this book made me want to change how I was living my life and to engage others in the process of preparation for a world that is flat. I have long wanted to pursue some creative talents but I must now reevaluate higher education in a science or mathematics related field to remain competitive. Why? Because I’m not quite ready for retirement (do I even have any retirement income?) and there are Chinese and Indians ready and willing to outwork and outsmart Americans, 24/7/365, for a taste of the kind of lives you and I have taken for granted. Those days of entitlement are over. Some of us did not even know we had it so good.

But we can grasp that America's place in the world is different from the way it was just 10 years ago. The playing field is being leveled and the rules are still being written. High skill/high wage and fungible jobs have already been lost to outsourcing, insourcing and offshoring within this new globalization - the players are suited up and ready to play. Yet many Americans are all too consumed with reality television with the stars, and teenagers living elitist lifestyles, while the American economy is going through a major metamorphosis. Why are we so distracted? Where is our game face? I say, if you want to escape that badly, read this book and others like it, find a way to make yourself indispensable, militate those around you and please, educate the children about the true REALITY of a new expanding world that is flat. Game on.

So again, what have you read?

Not My America - Politics and Palin

I have voted since I was 18 years old, in fact, I remember registering to vote during Mr. Rubin’s AP American History class in the fall of my senior year. It was a rite of passage in a way; from merely learning about government to exercising my freedom to participate in the political process. And since that day, I have never missed an opportunity to vote. Never! And never have I felt the passion and zeal that I do for this election. So much seems to be at stake. I’m personally affected in a way that I never have been before and I know so many others who feel the same way. So as we get closer to Super Tuesday, I wanted to share my thoughts and concerns about the Republican candidate for Vice President, Sarah Palin, in hopes that you will help me.

First of all, who is Governor Sarah Palin? What makes her “appropriate” to become the Vice President of the United States of America? Well, last night at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN, she sought to set the record straight about her background and I was all geared up to hear it. Having watched her speak when McCain first introduced her as his “woman” of choice, because you knew it would be a woman, right? I’m not sure I gleaned any additional information about her as a person from her speech. What I perceive is that she is very aggressive and on the attack. In her words “a pit-bull with lipstick." As a woman, I can respect her tough girl act because politics on this level means playing with the big boys, however, I still have two major concerns with her speech and perhaps, with her:

The Comparison. Why is she comparing herself to Barack Obama? Why is ANYONE comparing Palin to Obama? Is this a minority issue – black versus female? Are we back to that again, or should I ask, have the Republicans picked up where the Clintons, oops, I mean where the primaries left off? But at least when Hillary was the opponent, she and Obama were on the same turf. Obama is running for the highest office in the land and Palin is the opponent’s running mate. That does not make sense to me. Are her complaints about Obama relevant to McCain as well? Was he ever a city council member, mayor, governor? Does this mean he has no executive experience either?

The Family. Should family be off limits? When you enter a political contest you must be aware that the roof comes off the house and your life is now a reality show. It comes with the territory, which is why so many great candidates choose not to run. Remember Colin Powell? How great is he? I read that he declined to run for president in 2000, mainly to protect his wife’s privacy? Family first, right? Well, Palin has an interesting family. Her husband Todd, of 2 decades and 5 years have 2 boys and 3 girls in between. Her youngest, Trig, has downs syndrome and she shared that “children with special needs inspire a very special special love” and went as far as to “pledge that you will have a friend, an advocate in the White house". Having a sister with autism I can appreciate her stance because this part of our society is too often overlooked and dismissed as useless. I really hope she will be an advocate for special needs children and adults even if she does not make it to Pennsylvania Avenue. However, the bigger topic of the day is whether she will advocate for teaching safe sex or abstinence in schools? With the boom in teenage pregnancies and the amount of sexually transmitted diseases associated - this is a topic to be addressed, but she did not do so last night. So what message is she sending to the American people? Palin says her family has the “same ups and downs as others.” Does the awareness that she has five children, one with special needs and one (a teenager) with child, make her more amiable to you? Ultimately, is it her best decision to pursue this role with so many family matters on her plate? Is Palin putting her family first? Is this a fair representation of her leadership style? I don't know, do you?

Again, there is a lot at stake and America needs the right leadership for the right type of change. Furthermore, when you come out swinging you have to be prepared to take a few punches. I owe it to myself to examine all the candidates, male or female, black or white. Sure, I have my preference and I've had my say, but I'm open to hearing from you in your own words.