cool global BIZ

A New Era of Global Culture, Spirituality & Compassionate Business

 

CoolGlobalBiz is an independent, non-partisan blog that explores the cross-border fusion of culture, spirituality and compassionate business. Every few generations, we're rocked by economic and cultural upheaval, from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Now we're at the cusp of another major epoch, an era of quickening change, innovation and cultural diversity. The seasons are turning, turning. For better and worse, the new world is here.

This blog was founded in 2009 by Edward Iwata, a California-based journalist, former USA Today business writer and author of the e-book novella The Billionaire's Gift: A Spiritual Business Parable and the business e-book Fusion Entrepreneurs: Cross-Cultural Execs & Companies Revolutionizing the Global Economy. Thanks very much for reading.

Email: Info "at symbol" CoolGlobalBiz.com.

Twitter: "at symbol" EdwardIwata.

"Tower of Babel" by Peter Brueghel the Elder, from Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license.

 

The Reader in the Coffee Shop

 

ON A RECENT night, my wife and I celebrated my e-book's recent success on an Amazon Kindle Bestseller list by dining at a local coffee shop. Party people, yeah.

My fiction debut, a novella/business parable called The Billionaire's Gift, somehow had soared on Saturday to a No. 19 ranking on the Kindle Bestseller List for literary fiction (free book list) -- one of many bestseller lists created by Amazon's clever algorithms that seduce authors into believing we're J.K. Rowling. Since then, my e-book has sank to near-obscurity. But let's pretend it's still rising, I'm John Grisham, and we're dining with Manhattan literati.

As I droned on about the e-book market, I noticed a bespectacled middle-aged woman, in the booth behind my wife, eating dinner with her e-reader.  She looked tired, pensive, a tad sad. When I mentioned my book, she glanced up, then looked down when I caught her eyes. I thought of a quote from a novelist at last year's Los Angeles Times Book Festival: "I write for people who carry their loneliness with them."

As my wife and I got up to leave, I made polite chit-chat with the lady. She looked happy to talk with someone. I asked her if she liked her e-reader. Yes, she said, she reads a lot on it. When I told her that my fiction debut hit a bestseller list for two days, her eyes gleamed and her face lit up in a huge smile. She looked like another person. I left my business card with her, and thanked her for being such a passionate reader.

In the weeks before my e-book's roll-out, I had fretted over marketing strategies. I had gotten intimidated by savvy authors and their big reps. I had worried about what pros would think of my rookie efforts in the e-book game. As a journalist, I had stormed fearlessly into big news stories and business investigations. But as a first-time fiction writer, I was scared shitless. I knew there was a long trek ahead.

Sometimes, though, the most important things are right in front of you. Amid all of my nail-biting and head scratching, I had forgotten the most rewarding part of the writing journey.

The woman in the coffee shop was a stranger, and I'll probably never see her again. But the thrill on her face made my whole weekend. Clearly, she was a book addict, a devout reader. I hope that she got my novella and devoured it in one sitting. I hope that it touched a chord, made her ponder and reflect and even cry a bit. I hope that she enjoyed it, and that she keeps reading many more books and authors.

That's why writers write, yes?

                                                                       - Edward Iwata

 

"Reading Woman" by 19th century Russian painter Ivan Kromskoi. Photo by paukrus, under a Creative Commons license on flickr.

 

My Promise to Readers

 

HERE'S MY PROMISE to readers of The Billionaire's Gift and future books: If you have taken the time in your busy lives to read my writings, I promise to express my gratitude and appreciation somehow. By e-mail. By a tweet or blog post. In prayer or meditation. But mostly, by writing books, essays, and short stories that hopefully move and inspire others.

You have my word that I'll do my best to treat you with respect, regardless of your status and standing in society, whether you're rich or poor, young or old, famous or not. Are you an "influencer" or a non-influencer? Do you have one follower, one thousand, or one million? No matter. Your voice and your spirit count. If I ever break this covenant with readers, please tell me.

The global community of readers and writers remains one of the last great hopes of the world, and it must survive and flourish.  Thanks for your support of all digital and traditional authors.

                                                                        - Edward Iwata

Global Art Thriving in India, China, Other Fast-Growing Nations

 

 

"Horse," a painting by M.F. Husain, a leading modernist painter and filmmaker in India. Photo credit: Vaishalee, under a Creative Commons license on flickr.com.

LIKE INDIA AND China, more fast-growing countries in the 21st century are at the cusp of breaking out as hotbeds of fine art for collectors worldwide, according to Dan Herwitz, a professor of art history and comparative literature at the University of Michigan.

Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, South Africa and other nations boast artistic communities and political climates eager to break free from European modernism, to shape their own art movements. "It is a story that can be told in many places," said Herwitz, speaking recently at an "Eye on India" cultural event at Stanford University.

Herwitz's late parents, Chester and Davida Herwitz, were crusaders and collectors of Indian art since their first visits to India half-a-century ago. India's city streets, people, color, and sounds reminded them of New York's Lower East Side, where Jewish immigrants thrived in the early 20th century.

India's post-colonial artists, free of British rule, fought to create their own cultural language and aesthetic, seeking "a fusion" and "a melding" of the old and new. They aimed to "reclaim their cultural past while reaching out to the modernism of the West, to assimilate the idea of a global modern style," Herwitz said. For the most part, though, the art world pooh-poohed their work as second-rate imitations of European and American art.

The Herwitz family sought to introduce post-colonial and contemporary Indian art -- particularly the works of the late M.F. Husain, a leading modernist painter and filmmaker -- to the West. When a New York gallery owner told the street-savvy Husain that he should paint in the abstract like Picasso, Husain said, "There is nothing abstract about 800 million people."

The advocacy by the Herwitz family and a rising upper-class in India finally paid off. In the late 1980s, Christie's held a famous auction in Mumbai that gave global exposure to Indian artists. Overnight, prices skyrocketed ten-fold to 100-fold for the most prized paintings by Husain and others.

"Suddenly, everything changed," Herwitz said. "The Indian art market has become as robust as any in the world."

 

Blake Shelton, Usher Duet on NBC's "Healing in the Heartland" for Oklahoma Hurricane

 

 

NBC's "Healing in the Heartland" musical benefit, May 29, 2013. Credit: Video courtesy of NBC News and BoomFiyahX's channel on YouTube.

 

INSPIRING TO SEE superstar performers Blake Shelton and Usher cross musical genres and color lines to help raise money for the people of Oklahoma hurt by the devastating tornado in mid-May. Also inspiring to see NBA superstar Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and country music superstar Carrie Underwood donate $1 million each to the cause.

Great role models in a media world of self-absorbed celebrities and reality show stars. But in the realm of mega-rich mega-stars, why are there so few Blake Sheltons, Ushers, Kevin Durants, Carrie Underwoods? Why does the best of humanity seem to arise only during disasters?

Donate at United Way's Facebook page on NBC's "Healing in the Heartland."

Opinion Piece in Seattle Times on Rise of Global Workplace Diversity and U.S. Competitiveness

 

HERE'S AN OPINION piece I wrote on visionary companies and executives exploring the new global workplace diversity. The essay ran today on the editorial pages of the Seattle Times, a multiple Pulitzer Prizer-winner and an industry leader in the digital news media. Seattle and Washington state, of course, are home to the corporate headquarters and facilities of Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Weyerhaeuser, Costco, Boeing (manufacturing facilities in Washington, corporate offices in Chicago), and other U.S. and global business leaders.

 

CNN Honors Nepalese Activist Pushpa Basnet as "Hero of the Year"

 

 

Pushpa Basnet, a woman in Nepal who houses and raises more than 40 children whose parents are in prison, was awarded the 2012 CNN "Hero of the Year" and $250,000 by Anderson Cooper. Video clip courtesy of CNN.

 

IN A WORLD of gloomy news, CNN's annual "Hero of the Year" special gives people hope and inspiration. Last night, CNN recognized common people engaging in uncommon and extraordinary deeds: heroes from around the world who organize projects and programs for those in need. Those honored range from a woman in Afghanistan who provides educational opportunities for girls to a Montana father who has convinced thousands of youths to pledge not to drink after a drunk driver killed his 14-year-old daughter.

Make a Joyful Noise with Psalms: Happy Thanksgiving to All, With Much Gratitude

 

 

Thanksgiving on Combat Outpost Cherkatah, Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army, via flickr and Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

"A joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful."
    - Book of Common Prayer (1892)

 

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
    - Cicero, Pro Plancio (54 BC)

 

"Your Lord is bountiful to mankind: yet most of them do not give thanks."
    - Muhammad, Koran, 27.73

 

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
    - Cynthia Ozick (b. 1928)

 

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling."
    - Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)

 

"The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy."
    - Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

 

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
    - Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

 

"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."
    - The Bible, Psalms, 95:2.

 

 

Sources: Wikipedia, Wikiquote, Bartlett's Quotations, King James Bible, WisdomPortal, Book of Common Prayer.

 

President Obama & the Great American Cultural Mash-Up, Or Will the Republic Survive?

 

DASHING AROUND THE Democratic National Convention in San Francisco in 1984, it seemed surreal and revolutionary to watch female v.p. candidate Geraldine Ferraro and black presidential candidate Jesse Jackson speak to the crowd and the nation. Few thought it would happen in the traditional, hidebound realm of U.S. politics.

The 1980s had exploded with diversity-related news and trends. Society was at the cusp of vast social change. Multiculturalism and diversity soon became dirty words, and a culture war and strong backlash against political correctness swept America.

Gays in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York were creating communities and gaining political strength.. Women and minorities were rising to political office and the corporate suite. Immigration, economic isues, the apartheid movement were making news. Ethnic studies in universities continued to grow and expose students to broader U.S. history. A former colleague, the late gay journalist Randy Shilts, was breaking the first stories on AIDs. I was writing stories on the Japanese American internment during World War II, including my family's history at Manzanar, and the political fight for monetary redress from the U.S. government. During the 1984 presidential race, I landed an interview with Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, the most controversial and polarizing figure of that election year.

The nation was divided. Volatile social issues seemed to be everywhere, and I wondered at the time if the country would ever change or heal.

Here's a Real Split Ticket: Barack Romney and Mitt Obama. Get Out and Vote.

 

HMMM, IN CLASSIC centrist fashion, I was planning to split my vote in the U.S. presidential election Tuesday between Barack Romney and Mitt Obama. Sorry, neither side ever has a monopoly on the wisest policies for our nation. I'll take a merger of many approaches over dead-set dogma and doctrine.

But hearing an off-the-record panel talk involving White House politicos at Stanford the other night may have swayed me in one direction. The panelists were current and former national security and foreign policy advisors, including those involved in the biggest global issues and news events of recent years. Not surprisingly, they were clear and convincing that the President was the right man to lead our country into the new and scary global future. Having said that, policy-makers and public servants on both sides are well-schooled in posing and posturing for the public -- in this case, well-heeled Democratic donors. Political spin? Say it ain't so.

I'm convinced, though, after listening to these learned panelists and watching them in action at a reception. I plan to cast my precious ballot tomorrow morning for . . . .

 

(Illustration, above) "The Fight 2012" by Cain and Todd Benson, under a Creative Commons license on flickr. These guys are good. They describe themselves as artists who pose questions, not give answers.

 

Golden Advice from Author Seth Godin: "Start Down the Wrong Path, Right Now"

 

 

"My Heart is Split Like Rio" by Matthew Stewart, under a Creative Commons license on flickr. To find art for this blog post, I searched for "North Star" on flickr, and this photo popped up of this Queensland landscape. Stewart is a talented photographer in Brisbane, Australia, whose landscapes are striking, memorable, resonant -- all of the critics' cliches apply.

 

GOLDEN ADVICE FROM Seth Godin, the marketing pro and best-selling author in his blog, Seth Godin's Blog: "Don't wait for the right answer and the golden path to present themselves . . . The way to get unstuck is to start down the wrong path, right now."

This seems to apply to entrepreneurs, innovators and anyone chasing a long-held goal or dream. It doesn't mean make a blind, wild, foolish leap of faith. Do your homework and due diligence. Be realistic about your skills and resources. Follow your instincts. Then take that wise leap of faith.

Just don't surrender to fear and caution, to analysis by paralysis, to the many excuses that hold back all of us. Each hour, each day, each lifetime is full of risks. It's the easiest and hardest move of all, to find your true calling. There is no greater responsibility in life.