In general, the world just seems a whole lot tougher than it was even 10 years ago. We’re dealing with a global recession (hopefully not for much longer), several wars, joblessness and lots of bitterness. We seem to have forgotten the things that we learned while we were growing up; things like decency and respect.

New Years resolutions come in a lot of different flavors. Some people want to stop smoking, others look to lose weight and still some want to be more fiscally responsible. Good alternative New Years resolutions could be to help make our world a more pleasant place in which to live, even if it’s a simple act of politeness.

Barney and Friends (remember them?) use to sing the magic words “Please and Thank You.” Do you remember the last time you said “thank you” to the grocery clerk? Or, said “please” when asking for something at the store?

I’m as guilty as the next person. Sometimes in my hurried day I’ll run into the store and rush out with my item, without so much as saying “boo” to anyone. But, try it out one day and you’ll see the clerk’s face light up when you say “thank you.” In return, you’ll get a very pleasant “you’re welcome! And, “please come back.” This response will likely put a smile on your face, too.

New Years resolutions don’t have to be about lofty weight loss goals or better eating habits. In fact, I believe that these simple “Please and Thank You” words would help to “de-stress” our world. Less stress could lead to better eating habits and better eating habits … well, you get the picture.

And, what about the word “Yes?” Too often these days I hear people say “No” or “But” or “Can’t.” Times are tough for everyone. There are foreclosures on practically every block, unemployment is above 10% in many parts of the country, and we live in uncertain times.

And, “Yes” is surely a much more positive word than “No!” Try it out and see how it stimulates you to action. “Yes, I can have a more positive attitude.” “Yes, I can start my own business (see my post Small Business Opportunities.” “Yes, I can achieve my goals.”

Let’s make our New Years resolutions about making a difference for the better, even if it’s as simple as a smile or a “Thank you.” And, while you’re at it, say “Yes” to a new resolution to clean out the garage!”

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It’s no wonder that celebrities, entrepreneurs, news stations and more are moving to online media marketing. This new media allows direct interaction with and between publisher and consumer. No other media exists that combines the speed of implementation with the analytical horsepower of “near immediate” feedback.

The California governor candidates are an interesting test case to see if they can repeat the success of the Barack Obama campaign. There have been many politicians who hopped on to the technology bandwagon after they witnessed firsthand the ferocity at which President Obama took the oval office. The famous words printed in The Book of Job “Speak and ye shall hear” are aptly appropriate to describe the Internet social networks.

The use of technology has completely changed the landscape of political campaigning forever. In the old days, California governor candidates would have produced and mailed campaign brochures, gotten their message printed in newspapers and scheduled speeches. Oftentimes this required months of planning and hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

Today, the use of social networking sites and blogs literally allow you to speak and be heard … or “write and be read.” Of course, this strategy depends heavily on having enough friends, fans, and followers to make a difference. This is precisely why celebrities like Oprah, Britney Spears, and Ellen DeGeneres hire experts to make all this magic happen.

The field of California governor candidates are no slouches either. In fact, a couple of them have reached “celebrity” status themselves. Gavin Newsom has 1.1 million Twitter followers and Jerry Brown somewhere in the 900,000 range. These numbers put the politicians on par with real celebrities like Paula Abdul (ex-American Idol) and John Legend.

It’s interesting to note that, at least at this moment, there is an inverse relationship between campaign spend and online marketing “success.” The two Republicans who have spent the most amount of money, Meg Whitman ($900,000) and Steve Poizner ($100,000) have the least number of votes by a factor of several thousand percent! It’s too early to tell what this really means. Is it because they need a new team of technologists or is it just that they have the wrong message?

Whatever the answer, these California governor candidates have a huge challenge on their hands. With a budget deficit of $26 Billion, an unemployment rate of 12% an unfavorable business environment, and California’s education tanking, employers and families will pick up stakes and move elsewhere. No matter how you slice it, no amount of technology is going to create a quick fix to California’s problems.

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In a recent article published by the Associated Press Education Secretary Arne Duncan states “Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today.” The point that I think she makes is that the U.S. today has moved further toward a services based economy. This requires that our education system adapt to a curriculum that puts kids in school longer and provides more studies around math and science.

President Obama insists that education in America must evolve in order to keep our nation competitive with other world economies. In 2007, according to the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, 28 out of 49 countries were open at least 190 days for instruction in the eighth grade, with some open as long as 230+ days. On average, U.S. schools were open only 180 days.

Education in America is not an option that we can afford to leave to the next generation to solve. The next generation of leaders is right behind us and we are crippling them with budget cuts and, to some extent, apathy.

Some charter schools in the U.S. have been progressively moving toward longer school days. An example that was given included the Kipp network of 82 charter schools. Their students attend 3 hours more school than the typical public school. This has translated into higher test scores than the district average.

Clearly we must recognize that more days / hours in school will require more funding. The big debate, of course, will be “at what expense?” I would submit that education in America is far more significant than waging a war in which we can never hope to win. The Trillion dollars we’ve spent fighting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could easily have funded a well-rounded education system, wouldn’t you say?

Our nations leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, must recognize that a sea change has already occurred around the world. Our leadership role in everything from creativity, innovation and ingenuity has shifted to countries that have invested in education.

According to a 2008 NPR report, record numbers of teachers will be retiring, especially at the high school level. The report stated “The number of teachers expected to leave the field is double what it was 12 years ago.” I’m sure that many of the retirements come on the heels of compensation disparity, as well as “early retirement” because of budget issues.

Education in America and the school system is what I call our last “trusted source.” Where else in America do we entrust our children’s safety, well-being and future than in the hands of the teachers? If we don’t fix our education system in this generation, there won’t be a legacy to leave behind.

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As an American-born Chinese, I grew up during a time when people used to describe us as “Chinks” or “Slanty-eyes.” I got angry at these derogatory remarks until I realized that maybe these people just didn’t know any better. Perhaps they came from a part of the country where there wasn’t very much cultural diversity. Or, maybe, they were just afraid of other cultures that they knew little about.

But, guess what? I grew up in this country. I’m pretty much as American pie as everyone else who has lived here for any length of time. I just happen to also know how to order Chinese food, as well as Italian, Hungarian, Thai and, yes, steak and potatoes.

The thing that irks me the most, though, about the Barack Obama racism is that there are some well-heeled people stirring up the pot who should know better. One famous talk show host recently suggested that Mr. Obama is somehow causing racism throughout the country. He tried to label it “Obama’s America.”

How can any intelligent person possibly link an un-related school bus beating with Barack Obama racism? The only logical conclusion that most people have come to is that this talk show host is looking to create controversy for his own financial gain. After all, controversy does seem to sell and it certainly seems to be the tactic of today’s hyper-tensioned country.

I’m not sure when America lost its “innocence.” But, I can remember the days when Camelot died … when JFK, Bobby Kennedy and, yes, even Ronald Reagan passed through our lives. While there was controversy during their times, at least there was general civility and respect amongst their colleagues and civilians.

Who would ever have thought that a “jackass” would stand up in front of congress and call the President of the United States a liar? This is not kindergarten folks! What kind of example are we passing on to our children, let alone to the leaders of the “free world?”

The Barack Obama racism issue is not a Red State vs. Blue State issue. It is an all state issue. At a time of unprecedented unemployment, health care inequity and education disparity, how can we allow our country to digress into this shameless act of self-destruction?

Ex-President Carter may or not be right that some people do not believe that an African AMERICAN could possibly be capable of leading our great nation. But, if a person with a Political Science degree from Columbia University and a Magna Cum Laude law degree from Harvard can’t lead this country, who can? The talk show host with NO degree?

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Through my work with Patti Austin, the 2008 Grammy award jazz vocalist, I’ve learned that domestic violence is not just an act perpetrated against a person, but a family, a neighborhood a community. Her leadership in working with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is a model by which our nation’s leaders and people of influence should follow. Patti’s Blue Movement speaks out against this disease, helps to support the victims and encourages our nation to stand up in solidarity.

Unfortunately, the domestic violence cycle is one that all too often ends tragically. One of the perpetuators of this problem is the media. I watched with utter disbelief Larry King interview Chris Brown as if he were on a pedestal. He showed “humility?” and “remorsefulness?” and declared that “he still loves Rihanna?” How can any sane person, let alone a network buy into this type of sensationalism?

In the U.S., we treat domestic violence victims almost as if they were the cause of the problem. “She or he asked for it.” or “They deserved what they got.” We also treat the symptom, rather than the problem. In so doing, the symptom often has a tragic ending. One Midwest state reported 80 deaths attributed to domestic violence from 2002 to 2003. That’s ONE state over ONE year. Do the math … it’s staggering. Compare that with the war on terrorism. We should think again about where we spend our valuable resources. How about fixing the home front first?

One sobering report is a review of Google’s search data on trends and insights related to domestic violence. On this page it’s hard not to notice the headlines … “Broncos rookie faces domestic violence charge”, “Upshaw arrested on domestic violence charge”, “Domestic violence, child abuse, may be on the rise amid economic troubles.”

Taking a leadership position, we should work to get to the root cause before the violence begins and before it can continue. We need to recognize that the domestic violence cycle is exactly that, a cycle. It may begin at home and passed on to the young, a relationship gone south, or even a random act of “power.” However it starts the cycle needs to be broken.

I was pleased to hear the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the advisor to President Obama on domestic violence issues. This signals to the nation that support for the fight against domestic violence is finally coming from the top. Vice President Biden recognized the seriousness of this issue as far back as 1994, when he helped pen the Violence Against Women Act.

October may be awareness month to end the domestic violence cycle, but the cycle doesn’t begin and end in one month … it’s an every day thing.

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The debate about the message of the Obama education speech is the wrong place to spend one’s energy. I find it hard to believe that any politician can be accused of “spreading their political agenda” through a topic on ensuring that our children stay in school and taking responsibility for their success.

Let’s evaluate the opposite approach taken by some people who oppose President Obama’s speech. They are recommending that parents keep their children home and not listen to the President’s speech. What kind of message does that send to our children, “that education is not important or that our nation’s leader is one not to be trusted?”

At a time of unprecedented turmoil within the U.S. and abroad, we need to bring some sanity and stability back into our culture. Education at every level is a cornerstone to keeping our country from slipping into a third world state. It’s been proven that education elevates countries from the depths of poverty.

I recently finished Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, wherein he discusses the characteristics of success and how that success does not just come from the individual, but also the culture, community and family around him or her. The Obama education speech speaks right to the facts to which Mr. Gladwell reports.

Malcolm Gladwell states, “The only problem with school, for the kids who aren’t achieving, is that there isn’t enough of it. He goes on to say that the Japanese go to school for 243 days a year and the South Koreans 220 days. There are many other countries with school years far exceeding America’s 180 school days. Mr. Gladwell points to the fact that summer vacation is so indoctrinated into our society that we may never be able to make the shift to more education.

Couple this cultural problem with the fact that education is often the first thing cut during economic downturns … for example $1.3 Billion in California school budget cuts in 2009 and a proposed $4 Billion in cuts in 2010. The Chief of California State Schools, Jack O’Connell, once wrote in a press release “We can talk about courage until we’re blue in the face, but courage is just a word until it is supported by the right kind of action. And the right kind of action in this case means protecting education and investing in the future.”

The Obama education speech addresses the point to which Mr. O’connell speaks. Investing in the future means ensuring that our school age students are stimulated and encouraged to fully participate in their own education. Let’s all hope that the cards are not stacked against them.

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Senator Ted Kennedy has had his share of sorrow and tragedy throughout his family’s legacy. I learned a tremendous amount about why health care reform was so important to him. In 1973 he learned firsthand how families had to make critical decisions about health care for their children because of their ability, or worse, inability to pay for medical care.

At that time, his 12 year old son, Teddy, had to have his right leg amputated because of an aggressive cancerous tumor. During the treatments to fight cancer, Mr. Kennedy met and interacted with other parents who were financially less fortunate than him to pay for aggressive, sometimes experimental cancer treatment.

That was a defining moment for Senator Ted Kennedy’s health care reform stand. He goes on to state that “That experience with Teddy made it clear to me, as never before, that health care must be affordable and available for every mother or father who hears a sick child cry in the night and worries about the deductibles and co pays if they go to the doctor.”

Mr. Kennedy talks about his son Patrick who had asthma serious enough to require hospitalization on numerous occasions. His daughter, Kara, was also diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002. Thankfully, because of quality health care and chemotherapy, she has survived that insidious scourge.

Here is a man who has the wealth of the Kennedy family to afford the best medical treatment for himself and his family. Why should he care about those who cannot? There are certainly other legislative policies that Mr. Kennedy could have taken up that would have been much easier to “win.” But, he chose this piece of legislation because he is a leader of the cause and plight of the common people.

No matter what side of the political fence any of us sit, the cause for health care reform, or more appropriately, universal health care is one that is consuming our country’s attention. Many have asked to rename Barack Obama’s health care reform after Mr. Kennedy. This is certainly a worthy idea as many of the tenets of President Obama’s plan come from Mr. Kennedy’s four decades of work in health care.

I just returned from visiting one of my UC Berkeley school mates. He is also terminally ill with cancer. Over the last couple of months I’ve learned how our broken health care system has tried to initially deny his hospital stay and then his desire to live out the rest of his short life at home. It has been proven time and time again that end of life patient care at home provides a better quality of life than in a hospital setting AND it saves money!

If Senator Ted Kennedy’s health care reform policies and lifelong work succeeds in the hands of the current administration, he will have achieved what countless presidents and politicians before him have failed to do … not just universal health care, but a platform for a more fair and just society. After all, isn’t that why our forefathers immigrated to America in the first place?

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