Jeremy Lin

The penchant for individuals to stereotype each other based on one’s gender or nationality is once again become prevalent in the United States of America. This is not to say that the behavior ever disappeared, but in recent times it is once again becoming an unnecessary habit in our culture. The recent international – well deserved - media coverage of the New York Knicks basketball team point guard Jeremy Lin is an example of my observation. Lin, who is a Chinese born American, in his first seven games as a starting point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) has compiled statistics – points scored and assists – as good as and better than some of the NBA’s greatest Hall of Fame point guards, namely Earvin ”Magic” Johnson, Isaiah Thomas and John Stockton. A word, “Linsanity,” has even been coined to describe Lin’s success.

Yet, Floyd Mayweather, an African-American, who is considered the current pound for pound best boxer in the world, issued a remark which intimated there were African-American basketball players who did what Lin was doing, but they did not get the same recognition. Mr. Mayweather’s comment was incorrect, because he failed to realize Lin was being saluted on “the first seven games of his career as a starting point guard in the NBA.” No other starting point guard to date had attained Lin’s achievements in their first seven games. The kudos bestowed upon him were appropriate. Among all the wonderful accolades Lin was receiving, the stereotyping continued when a sports item was reported included the word ”chink.” ESPN Anchor, Max Bretos, who made the remark, was suspended and his colleague, the writer who penned the disparaging comment, was fired for the insensitivity. Lin, a Harvard University graduate, has accepted his new celebrity status with much humility. His remarks have been gracious even to the individuals who have mocked him.

The Jeremy Lin story has become an international sensation, because the most unlikely gentleman (Lin), based on his nationality, athleticism and school he attended, was not supposed to succeed in a sport where African-American athletes are dominant. Is Lin the current best point guard in the NBA? I say no. That honor is reserved for Chicago Bulls point guard and 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose. What Lin – once again – has proven is when opportunity and preparedness converge success is inevitable. Let’s give him credit for being prepared and stop the stereotyping.

Whitney Houston

Two weeks ago, my friend, California Assemblyman Steve Bradford, called and asked me to provide him with some background information on my former boss, media mogul and humanitarian Quincy D. Jones. Steve was appointed to introduce Mr. Jones to the California Legislature before presenting him with a prestigious award. Thus, he requested information which was not commonly placed in Mr. Jones’ bio. One of the items I gave him included Mr. Jones’ regret not signing Whitney Houston to his Qwest Records label. And, the rest as they say is showbiz history. The untimely passing of Whitney Houston on the eve of the 2012 Grammy Awards was a tragic incident. It reminded me that less than a week ago I was discussing her with Steve. She had one of the most gifted voices in recorded music; a voice for the ages. Her extraordinary talent will never be duplicated or forgotten by her fans all over the world.

I remembered the first and only time I met Whitney Houston. She and her publicist at the time, Regina Daniels, came to meet with my former boss, Bob Jones, Vice President of Communications for the late icon Michael J. Jackson. I greeted Whitney and Regina upon their arrival at our office and escorted them to meet with Mr. Jones (Bob). I remembered she looked beautiful and wore a smile that could warm a thousand hearts. After meeting with Bob for about 30 minutes, she, Bob and Regina left to visit Michael Jackson at his home, Neverland. They walked across the street and entered the Armand Hammer Building on Westwood Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles got into the elevator to the rooftop, entered the heliport area, boarded a helicopter and travelled to Neverland to meet with Michael. From all reports of Whitney’s visit to Michael’s home, a wonderful time was enjoyed by all the individuals involved. To this day, whenever Regina and I see each other we always hug and smile knowing (without saying it to each other) what we both experienced that day.

Over the years, Whitney’s problems with drugs and alcohol have been well documented. Recent media reports have noted she seemed in the best of health and was getting her life in order. So, her sudden passing shocked us all. We, her fans, were cheering her on to destroy the demons which had invaded her life. She must be remembered for the millions of young women and men she inspired to be the best they can be and not for the problems that plagued her during the latter part of her career.

The lost to her family must be unexplainable. I pray for them. Hopefully, her passing will serve as a teachable moment for all of the young entertainers who are attempting to make their mark in the “high-pressured” entertainment business. How many of us can say we have not done anything wrong? The difference is entertainers live their lives in the public eye, so everything they do or say is scrutinized. How can one live a life where you are celebrated one moment and ridiculed the next minute? It is a lifestyle not for the “faint of heart.” Young entertainers must learn that their behavior, good or bad, blaze a trail for their future. They must proceed with caution.

Eli Manning

In celebration of my 50th blog post (whew), I decided to write about the sport I love and since my New York Giants won the XLVI Super Bowl  this past weekend for the second time in four years, here’s to the G-Men. As I watched the back and forth score of Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, I could not help thinking what has happened to the invincible Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots. I know Patriots fans will ridicule me for what I am about to say, but I have facts on my side. It seems the New England Patriots have not been able to win a Super Bowl since their coaching staff was caught cheating (spying on their opponents play calling) in 2007. Their coach the “great” Bill Belichick was fined $500,000.00 by the National Football League (NFL) and he has lost the two Superbowls his team has played in since the “spying controversy.” As great as Tom Brady is it seems his team is not able to win a Super Bowl when they have no knowledge of the other team’s playbook.

I think Tom Brady is a good NFL quarterback, but is he the best that ever played the game? I say no way. Joe Montana, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, gets that honor in my humble opinion. Until Tom Brady can demonstrate he can win a Superbowl since the aftermath of the New England Patriots cheating scandal, his greatness must be placed on hold. Who really knows how many of the three Super Bowls he won were not with the aid of cheating? Eli Manning on the other hand, a quarterback who has endured the ridicule of the New York Giants fans, media and individuals like me, has won two Super Bowls in four years. Yet, some of the so-called NFL experts are pondering whether he is a top-tier quarterback. Eli Manning has earned my respect for being himself when everyone was against him. He just kept plowing forward with the support of his teammates, coaches and the New York Giants owner. He has proven that hard work without the aid of props usually is rewarding.

Meanwhile, most times, those who seek to engage in bad behavior always comes up a bit short in attaining their goals or usually their successes are fleeting. I felt good watching Eli Manning’s team beat Tom Brady’s team in a Super Bowl for the second time in fours years. Here’s to avoiding the nuances of cheating. Simplicity, hard work, honesty, talent and faith are invaluable traits to live by.

Technology is changing the way we behave. The opportunity for us to access critical information at a moments notice certainly is amazing. But, when is enough information enough? In today’s highly technological age, you cannot – quite a lot of times - have a conversation with a friend, business partner, sibling or anyone for that matter without them reaching to view or answer their omnipresent mobile phones. It has become so pervasive that most individuals accept this behavior.

While dining in restaurants, I have noticed too many fellow diners under the age of 40 years old, who are supposed to be engaged in conversation with their table mates, seemed to have their heads pointed toward their laps. These individuals ignore politeness by being  transfixed with the information emanating from their mobile phones. Having dinner with them cannot be much fun. I recently read an article where a business owner was admonished by his wife to stop bringing his mobile phone to bed with them. A decision that the business owner recalled was a very difficult one for him to make. Most of us can recall a moment when answering our mobile phones was not the polite thing to do, but we did it anyway.

After witnessing an accident where one of the individuals injured was driving and texting, I decided to write this post. Too many of us are placing our lives in peril to answer our mobile phones or respond to a text while driving. It’s almost as if our lives don’t matter anymore. Our cell phones buzz or ring and our inclination is to respond “immediately” to the words or numbers on our mobile device screens. Yesterday, I answered my home phone and a robot voice instructed me to tweet some pertinent and secured information to a colleague. I was astonished. Whatever happened to calling me direct to get the information we discussed? Why was a robot instructing me to send personal secured information through a tweet?

I plan on being more polite and not answer every mobile alert, especially while I’m engaged with my spouse, friends, business partners or siblings. What about you?

MPAA Rating Sign

I am an ardent movie fan. As a hobby, movie watching ranks high on my list of things to do when I am not working. So, I am paying keen attention to the recent Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Stop Online Piracy Act. I am not fully vetted on the details of the legislation, but this I know the optics of the MPAA’s conflict with some technology business interests are not good.

More than a decade ago, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was faced with a somewhat similar challenge. Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing (mostly music) internet service, was omnipresent among millions of music fans who shared the company’s typically audio MP3 format.

The RIAA fought to shut down Napster because of copyright infringement. Millions of music fans rebelled against
commercial music companies by finding other pirate file sharing internet services to obtain free music. Napster was eventually shuttered, but the collateral damage from closing this popular and well loved internet service was a Recording Industry which no longer was profitable. Several record companies went out of business. Moreover, several of the companies (Tower Records, Virgin
Record Store among others) that sold music closed. Today, the Music Industry is trying to find the way forward from its glory days.

I trust the MPAA will be strategic in dealing with their adversaries during the antic-piracy discussions they are engaged in at the moment. I know, “it’s Hollywood and Hollywood is powerful,” but I would hate to see the same thing which happened to the music industry occur in the movie business. That would be a sad day for me and millions of movie fans.

USA President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, Tuesday, January 17, 2012, the day after Dr. Martin Luther King‘s Birthday, I am inspired to post one of his many profound remarks as this week’s blog. Below is the text.

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question,  ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

Enough said.

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Several years ago, I was watching Jim Cramer, TV personality and host of CNBC Financial Show “Mad Money,” on television.  On this particular night, Mr. Cramer was advocating to his viewers to buy Conoco Phillips (COP) stock. He was bullish on COP and enthused it would rise from its current price (lower $80s’ at the time) to $125.00 in a short while. Oil stocks he raved was hot and this one (COP) was going to be a good investment. The next day, I did some research on COP and was impressed with the dividends the stock paid, moreover, Jim Cramer said it was going to rise to $125.00. So, I bought several hundred shares of COP. Several weeks later, to my chagrin COP fell to the low $50s’ and I lost thousands of dollars. Rightfully, Jim Cramer was ridiculed in the media and thousands of his viewers lost faith in his stock predictions. Many investors were infuriated, yours truly included. If you mentioned Jim Cramer’s name in the same breath as COP to any stock investor during this period, you would have heard a few explicit words (which cannot be reported in this blog) describing him. Even the ratings for his show fell a few points.

In 2009, TheStreet.com, the financial Web site founded by Cramer, was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Presently, Cramer is on television giving stock advice to his ardent fans. I have noticed that he has not said a word about COP’s bullishness during his recent television rants. Maybe it’s because COP has not been higher than $82.00 in the last year. And, Cramer’s prediction of COP rising to $125.00 remains a pipe dream.

I learned a valuable lesson listening to Jim Cramer; listen to the stock experts’ advice at your own risk.

Individuals who must shoot their guns on New Year’s Eve should go to a shooting range where it is guaranteed their actions will not endanger another citizen’s life. There at the shooting range, they can fire as much ammunition as possible at targets provided for them without injuring anyone. I don’t know who or where this dumb behavior started, but it has got to stop. Innocent citizens are dying from the silly irreverent actions of ignorant individuals. We need a national campaign which mirrors the strategy Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) employed to assist in changing the “shooting guns in the air on New Year’s Eve” behavior. Police Departments cannot do it alone.

I am all for having fun on New Year’s Eve, but let’s do so without shooting bullets into the air. The law of gravity says what goes up must come down. Moreover, the velocity of a bullet on a downward trajectory is just as deadly as one fired from a gun horizontally. So, the next time you hear your neighbor shooting bullets into the air on New Year’s Eve call the Police Department, because you may save someone’s life.

Contemplating our future in 2012, the United States of America’s Baby Boomer generation is set to become a major economic force in America. We are living in an America which has seen dramatic social changes yet boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than 50% of discretionary spending power. We are responsible for more than half of all consumer spending, buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of OTC (Over The Counter) medication and 80% of all leisure travel and yet we feel anxious. Many Baby Boomers are living in a world they did not expect. High unemployment sometimes equate to our children not leaving home to start their lives independent of boomers’ financial assistance; a collapse of the housing industry has seen the erosion of our personal wealth; the high cost of health care remains a problem; the American education system is in need of fixing and the high cost of the wars we are engaged in are contributing to the increase of our huge national deficit.

As America is tested on all fronts, I am betting that this great country will blossom from this difficult period in our history. Americans are resilient, hardworking, adaptable, generous and ambitous. I plan on doing my part to aid in America’s revival. What about you?

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The CNN Hero of 2011, Robin Lim, became a midwife after her sister died during pregnancy. Since 2003, she and her team have helped thousands of poor Indonesian women to realize healthy pregnancy and child births. The program also featured Derreck Kayongo, a Ugandan native, who collects soap for  his Global Soap Project. Kayongo collects the used soap - which is usually thrown away at the end of the day – from hotels across the United States of America. He reprocessed and shipped the soaps to impoverished countries around the world. Amy Stokes, whose non-profit organization, Infinite Family, is connecting hundreds of South Africans teens with mentors around the world was also a CNN Hero. For at least half hour each week, the volunteer mentors and the teens meet virtually on what’s called Ezomndeni-net, the Zulu words for ‘everything related to family.’ There were seven other CNN Heroes. They all had incredible stories. CBS 60 Minutes reported on a prior story they did on teenage poverty. The amazing results emanating from the earlier story was inspiring. People from all over the United States of America donated funds to the families who were featured in the story and some of the teenagers received scholarship offers from several American universities. The demonstration of kindness to these families was heartwarming.

I believe when called upon to help others, there is no other country or people in the world like the United States of America and Americans respectively. Most Americans volunteer and donate their resources to non-profits and charitable organizations of all statue. Americans believe in giving back to the society which blessed them. And, because of this behavior many individuals globally are beneficiaries of American’s largess. As the end of the year 2011 approaches, Americans should remember there is much good taking place in the world. We must continue to lead the way by behaving appropriately helping our fellow citizens.