Honoring the men and women who have fought for our country and the freedoms we enjoy each day.
When will the owls cease to be Watchers?
Owls have been known to perch among the branches—and have been accused of watching the world go by. While Truth has it that owls have been long sought out as birds of wisdom, so too does it tell that owls are tremendous observers.
And that the watchers of society need to heed the wisdom inherent in owls. For, although it is granted that owls do indeed see everything, they tend to be pictured as aloof—above the fray. And yet, in a turmoil-boiled world, comfort can be derived from the fact that owls are designated to observe, comment, and inspire.
Maybe, it’s not the owls’ aloofness that bothers watchers. But rather the owls’ ability to transform a moment of silence to a flutter of activity within a once tranquil sea of conformity.
Or maybe, it is the unknown quality behind those pictures of owls that seem to frighten people.
There seems to be a power gathering beneath the owls’ surface which will eventually be released—when the owls cease to be Watchers.
Yona Goes To the Magic Flute
Yona Goes To The Magic Flute is a fun-filled fantasy introduction to Mozart’s great opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte).
An extraordinary young girl travels with her teachers and her friend, Ulysses, to the Metropolitan Opera in the Flights of Fancy, a flying piano. Their adventure/lesson is a unique introduction to Mozart’s genius––for opera goers, their children, and grandchildren.
The young heroine is Yona Short, who has magical musical powers. She can change human behavior just by THINKING ABOUT MUSIC.
CES Opens With 2200+ In-Person Exhibitors
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® in-person event opens today January 5, 2022, in Las Vegas and runs through January 7, 2022.
Over 2200 exhibitors are confirmed to exhibit in person at CES 2022. In the last two weeks, 143 additional companies have signed up to exhibit in person. Construction of exhibitors’ show floor space is well underway and soon attendees will be able to see and experience the latest tech innovations.
“As the world’s most influential technology event, CES is steadfast in its pledge to be the gathering place to showcase products and discuss ideas that will ultimately make our lives better,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “We are shortening the show to three days and have put in place comprehensive health measures for the safety of all attendees and participants.”
China, Into the Breach
The U.S.’s primary economic rival continues its efforts to be the predominant influencer in Asia. On September 16th, China submitted its official application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The irony of this development is that the U.S. had once been the country leading the effort for concluding this agreement when it was known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
The U.S. announced its participation in negotiating the original TPP in 2009. The eleven foreign countries involved in the negotiation represented over 40% of the U.S.’s export market for goods based on 2013 trade data. By the end of 2015, U.S. industry advisory groups were providing the Obama Administration of their views generally supporting a final TPP agreement. No trade agreement is perfect and industry recognized that the benefits agreed to outweighed some of the less favorable provisions.
Despite support for the TPP, the Trump Administration had the U.S. withdraw from it. Our trading partners worked toward finalizing and implementing the TPP with a new name, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Without the U.S., the eleven countries remaining decided that some provisions that the U.S. had insisted upon could be suspended. For example, U.S. insistence on higher levels of protection for patents and copyrights (inventions and creative works, both strong areas of U.S. industry) were set aside and not part of the CPTPP’s final text.
When the U.S. withdrew from the TPP, another Asia-oriented regional trade agreement was being negotiated without the U.S. and pushed by China. China was engaged in negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP). The RCEP was a counterbalance to the TPP and negotiations began in 2012. The RCEP has some of the same countries that are part of the CPTPP. For example, Japan, the third largest global economy, is part of both agreements.
The RCEP negotiations have been concluded and the fifteen member countries signed the agreement in November 2020. It will go into effect upon ratification of the required number of countries.
Commentators have noted that the RCEP does not include any chapters on environment or labor whereas the U.S. negotiated TPP did include chapters on both of these subjects. Moreover, the U.S. negotiated TPP addressed state-owned enterprises that are plentiful in China. The RCEP, however, does not have a chapter addressing specifically state-owned enterprises.
With China taking a leadership role in Asian trade through the RCEP and with its application to join the CPTPP, China is taking advantage of the U.S.’s absence in these regional trade agreements. It becomes more difficult for the U.S. to obtain concessions from other members of these agreements if China beats us to the table or when we decide not to sit at the table.
At present, it is difficult to see what the U.S. trade agenda is as it relates to Asia and, more specifically, regarding the CPTPP and RCEP. What is clear is that we are no longer sitting at the big table where trade provisions are being negotiated and have implications for U.S. business interests. Whereas at one time the U.S. was drafting the provisions that would help U.S. businesses operating in the region, today we are not in the room where the discussions are taking place.
China’s economic and trade influence has been on the rise for some time. It should be no surprise that China would now seek to capitalize on the U.S.’s withdrawal from the TPP and seek to become a dominant party to the CPTPP. The task of obtaining concessions and getting our preferred language into future trade agreements has just become more difficult and complicated. The U.S. needs a dynamic and vibrant trade strategy that allows all interested sectors to provide inputs to confront a very challenging global trading system.
We are all Entrepreneurs
Whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a business executive, we are all running a small business, which is called our life.
Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (Hulu)
Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself is a film I can’t explain. I believe it is one of the most poignant, emotionally moving, and challenging minutes I have spent. I have watched it three times in its entirety. Each time I go away feeling something inside of me has changed. And it has. I just can’t explain it. I would encourage you to take that journey yourself. Turn your cell phone off and any other distractions. Turn off your inner dialogue and let the film flow to you.
Here is what Hulu says about its original film: “In & Of Itself tells the story of a man fighting to see through the illusion of his own identity, only to discover that identity itself is an illusion. An intimate and powerful exploration of what it means to be and be seen, the film chronicles Derek DelGaudio’s attempt to answer one deceptively simple question, “Who am I?” His personal journey expands to a collective experience that forces us to confront the boundaries of our own identities.”
In one of the opening scenes, members of the audience are looking at a large board with “I Am” cards to pick from. Some are very contemplative, others less so. Some are smiling, others are very serious. But each one has to make a decision before sitting down. Carrying in their hand a slip of paper identifying who they believe they are . . . at least at that moment.
In the background, you hear Derek DelGaudio.
They ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Later they ask, “What do you do?” which means “What have you become?”
It is not enough to have a name. They need something to call you. So, you search. You look at the roles the world offers you, trying to find the one that reflects who you are.
Only a lucky few get to play the role they want. The rest settles for what’s left or struggle with what they have been handed. Then we all learn to embrace our illusions of identity.
I did. I thought I knew my role. Then I met a man who told me who I really was.
And I knew he was right. I just didn’t know why.
From that scene in the film and on, I will not spoil the journey for you. As I said, I can’t really explain it. You just have to watch it yourself.
In & Of Itself is a Hulu Original and was a one-of-a-kind theater experience, created by Derek DelGaudio and directed by Frank Oz. The show had its World Premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on May 3, 2016, where it saw several extensions before moving to the Daryl Roth Theater in New York City. It opened Off-Broadway to critical acclaim and once more quickly extended its initial 10-week engagement, selling out its intimate 150-seat house, night after night. The show continued extending its run, again and again, until DelGaudio decided (somewhat controversially) to end the show at the height of its success, stating, “I feel like I’ve said what I wanted to say.” After 72 weeks, 560 performances, and grossing over $7 million at the box-office, In & Of Itself closed as one of the most successful shows in off-Broadway history.
Independence Day and Freedom to . . .
The annual July 4th Independence Day celebrations with fireworks, cook-outs, and family gatherings are all moments of light-heartedness and fun. Reflecting on the holiday and the birth of a nation provides a broad spectrum of things to consider regarding the continuing experiment in this democracy.
Since last year’s Independence Day, so much has occurred in the United States that there is no shortage of issues that the country and its citizenry should consider and address.
In late June, General Mark Milley, the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the U.S. military became the focus of the news media. Speaking before a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, he stated that he, personally, wants to understand white rage. He admitted to reading books about communism and Marxism. He seemed to emphasize the importance of having a well-read and educated military force. He was so bold as to point out to members of Congress that West Point (the U.S. Military Academy) is a university, a place of learning.
General Milley raised interesting and relevant issues. Today, the U.S. military is a diverse organization with approximately 30% of the overall military self-reporting as other than white. He rightly pointed out that his force is made up of people who come from the general population and, therefore, it is important to understand the issues that plague society as a whole. The fact that this commander and others who oversee the daily effectiveness of our fighting force seek to improve their understanding of complex social issues and prevent those issues from being a distraction to the fighting force should be supported.
We should remind ourselves that those who are serving, regardless of rank, race or ethnicity, take an oath to protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic. That oath that they take means they serve to ensure everyone’s constitutional rights.
General Milley and other retired officers know that despite all the efforts undertaken, the U.S. military has far to go to be better when it comes to understanding some of these divisive issues. The General’s comments are encouraging and exhibit a desire to understand in order to ensure a unified fighting force that protects the foundations of the United States.
It is surely a sad development when the General’s stated determination to understand the issues that divide the country are met with derogatory name-calling.
While the derision and name-calling are hard to understand, one thing is clear. Americans have the right to insult the General. They have the right to deny facts and reality. They have the right to ignore science and believe in lies. And, as a result of having a society where millions can exercise deliberate ignorance, the only question that remains unanswered is how long it will take until the denial of facts and reality bring down this democratic experiment.
The views expressed are those solely of the author. Timothy Trainer is an attorney and veteran.
Ingram’s Transformation of the Publishing World
If you’ve never heard the name John Ingram, you will be surprised to learn that his family has been instrumental in transforming the publishing industry. In “A Conversation with John Ingram” at Publishers Weekly’s U. S. Book Show, you learn that Ingram played an important role during the recent pandemic in keeping books available while supply chains were disrupted. Years ago, Ingram Books started Lightning Source, a digital printer and wholesaler, which was instrumental in transforming the world of publishing into print on demand or POD. What that means is that books are printed and distributed as needed rather than sitting in a warehouse waiting for orders. Now this concept was totally transformational in the publishing business, where traditional publishers, as they still do, print thousands of books at a time, store them in a warehouse, and send them to bookstores when orders are received. Of course, the pandemic changed all of that. As John Ingram would say, Lightning Source’s motto is, or rather became, “Just in time, just in case.”
In June of 2020, 50% of the books on the New York Times bestseller list were provided, either printed and/or distributed, by Ingram’s Lightning Source. While that percentage will change as we return to “normal,” you cannot help but wonder if this lesson will not be lost by the industry as a whole. Would you want to risk printing of your content and your ability to distribute that content without the backup Ingram Content Group offers publishers?
So, what led to Ingram’s success. John Ingram summed up his business philosophy like this: “I want to do well by helping others do well.”
If you want to learn more about this success story, buy the book. You won’t regret it.
About the Interview:
Jim Milliot, V-P and Editorial Director, Publishers Weekly, sat down with John Ingram, chairman of Ingram Content Group, and Keel Hunt, author of The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books (West Margin Press), for a discussion about how the company has managed to remain one of publishing’s most important players and what is ahead for the industry.
