JarJar Nixon's Blues Kitchen

A bit like Rip Van Winkle, when we went property hunting out in Virginia the past couple of days we were stunned to discover formerly distant, remote Civil War areas like Haymarket covered with subvidisions and a downtown acre lot selling for over $600k. Looks like when we retire in the US it won't be around the DC area.

Calista graduated from her week-long horse riding camp today. This past week has been her first time on a horse (actually, a black and white pony named Katie), and she rode with total confidence. The farm is just a few minutes from my mom's house, and is one of the few that has not been sold to developers.

From a recent issue of the popular daily newspaper Thanh Nien. Echoes from a similar conference organized by my friend M. on the west coast.



Vietnam’s universities recently deliberated on whether to develop American studies into a separate major to suit global trends and meet increasing student demands at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City. “It’s time to have a separate division of American studies in Vietnam,” stressed Vice Principal of HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities Dr. Le Van Quang at the seminar. American-related subjects have been taught for years as minors in different branches of many universities nationwide, particularly in foreign languages and social sciences faculties, Professor Le Ngoc Tra said. But up to now, the subject has not been extended into an independent major, except for short-term courses offered by the Center of Research, Cultural and Educational Exchanges under HCMC University of Education 10 years ago. “American studies is not new in Vietnam, but the problem is that it has not been as well developed as it should be,” said Professor Tra. According to experts, this is abnormal since several Vietnamese universities have expanded their Asia-Pacific studies into separate Australian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Indian divisions. Hundreds of students graduate in these majors every year, they said. If American studies are expanded into a separate major, it should provide both academic and practical knowledge to meet students’ different demands, experts said. Universities should offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs for full-time students as well as short-term courses for those who are keen on learning about the country. (Thanh Nien Daily)

Bought "Hot Fuss" by the Killers last week and played it at least a dozen times going down and back to North Carolina. Also picked up the most recent ones from Van Morrison, the Beastie Boys, the Wu-tang Clan, the White Stripes and Joshua Redman. Plus Nora Jones and Jimmy Buffet.

Went to North Carolina over the weekend, out toward the west where the humidity has been chased away by the gently breezes rolling in over the hills.

With my parts of my family (Cal is at summer camp in Leysin). Also Thu's best friend and old college buddy, who happens to be African-American. Some things I had always took for granted I thought twice about: we decided not to go to a Cracker Barrel restaurant when our friend said they had a reputation for not serving black people (and some have sued). We decided to pull in to a Chinese place instead, figuring we would not have a problem, but the hostess showed us to an isolated, cold room away form the other guests. Of course Thu marched over to the best table in the whole place and that's where we sat. But it is a reminder that we can learn a lot by experiencing the world through someone else's eyes and skin--and some of the experiences are pretty sobering.

James Doohan, who faked a Scottish burr to create one of television's most endearing characters - Scotty, the chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the original "Star Trek" - died yesterday at his home in Redmond, Wash. He was 85.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/arts/television/21doohan.html?


Gerry Thomas, who designed clever packaging for a frozen meal and called it the TV dinner, died on Monday in Phoenix, Ariz. He was 83.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/business/21thomas.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1121964414-8epHYp8cFASqlk5BVdyMuw

This story shows that IPR has not yet seeped in as a mentality. Used to be the same in other developing Asian countries. It has to become ingrained through broad public education and following existing laws. A combination of public diplomacy and law enforcement, a little bit of Kofi Annan and a little bit of Kojak.


Fake goods mar major textile fair19/Jul/2005 Thanh Nien
A major fashion fair in HCM City at a critical time for the garment industry turned out to be a major disappointment after many products found on display proved to be fake, copy cat or of low quality. The six-day 2005 Vietnam Fashion Fair (VFF), organised by the Vietnam Textile & Garment Corp. (Vinatex) and the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), opened on July 15.
The VFF has 200 booths displaying products of up to 80 Vietnamese textile producers, according to organisers, and representatives from about 20 foreign importers from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Pakistan, and Japan have come to visit the fair.
Many booths did not have signboards or company details displayed mainly Chinese and copycat goods, even carrying the brand name and logo of Nike, although Nike has confirmed that it did not participate in the VFF.

English(c) 2005. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Police arrested two men in southern Vietnam for allegedly attempting to send a human skull to a relative in the United States to be used as a prayer idol, state-controlled media reported Monday.
Doan Ngoc Phang, 37 and Huynh Thai Son, 49, were arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday and accused of "encroaching on graves and remains," the Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper said.
The case was uncovered last week when customs officials found the skull stuffed in a plaster bust. Phang said he paid Son 1.6 million dong (US$100) for the skull, which he tried to send to a relative in California who wanted to use it to pray for prosperity, according to the paper.
Police are investigating where Son got the skull, the paper said.

The key to Disney's Magic Kingdom is not the smiling 200-centimeter high carton characters walking around the park, or the thrill rides or sweet smelling chocolate shops.

The key is the janitors.

Every time a child spills a bag of chips, or someone tosses a paper towel in the wrong direction in the restroom, a Disney staff member is there to clean it up, usually within five minutes.

The result? As a guest, you feel just as inclined to clean up after yourself as the janitors. You feel that the entire organization respects itself and you as a guest. You feel a bit better respected, maybe you end up spending a bit more in the park's stores. So the system works well for your mental well-being as well as for the park's top line.

This dial-up Internet I am using here in Orlando is faster than any DSL I ever used in HCMC. Wow! It almost posts messages before I am finished writing them.

For me it is just a personal convenience. But imagine a country with slow Internet connections everywhere. How much does that impede business and information flow? How much money and work hours are lost every year? Likewise, how much fuel, time and money are lost from narrow, crowded highways? Or how about decisions--how many lost opportunities from sticky bureaucracy and bogged down permit processes?

Orlando. Sea World yesterday. Shamu show now features a huge 22-foot, 12,000 pound killer whale, largest in captivity.

Hot and 85% humidity during the day. US-based family memebrs melting, I feel like it is just a cooler version of Angiang, very comfortable. I am totally heat-adjusted.

Rented the obligatory family minvan but also a great white Sebring convertible. Top down at midnight, racing down Highway 192...

We flew down to Orlando this afteroon. It was too cool in DC after coming from Saigon. Down here it is in the 80s and pleasantly humid. Having an afternoon thunderstorm right now. Just need some motorcycle sounds outside my window and I will feel as if I were half-way 'home' in HCMC.

First thing I did after getting off the plane was run to Pho 75 in Arlington. It is the equivalent of 100,000 dong in Vietnam, ten times the price of crubside pho in Tan Binh District. The bowl was three times larger than in saigon and had about half a cow of beef in it, but the noodles tasted preserved and the broth seemed more watered down than usual.

But it was still invigorating and re-energizing.

I have to get used to a world without paper back here. Checked out a rental car without looking at or signing a single piece of paper--just walked to the Emerald Row at National Rental Car, picked a car and drove off in about five minutes.

Some human touches though. I dropped my office passport, but when I rushed back to the parking lot a Sikh luggage cart attendant had found it and immediately gave it to me when I showed up. He did not want a reward but I pressed money into his hands.

Our kitty Calico got onto an ANA flight in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday night and she arrived at Reagan National Airport almost 30 hours later. She was fed and watered and had a stopover in Tokyo. Mr. Nhut and the airport people looked at her papers, smiled and said nice things to make her feel better.

Now she is lying on the bed in Grandma's house in Maryland, still a bit dazed by the trip half way around the world, oblivious to the large doe that just walked by Grandma's bedroom window.

Oh yeah, I made the trip too. I was watered by Mr. Chau and Mr. Khoi at a special room at the HCMC airport, and William and other friends came to see me off at home and at the airport. And I was fed on the airplane, and Mr. Nhut and the airport people looked at my papers and said nice things to make me feel better.

And very soon I am going to be collapsed on the couch watching a re-run of Seinfeld and catching up on a week's worth of stateside-edition Wall Street Journals.