Sunday, August 31, 2014

We must act for SELF PRESERVATION


The Dead Sea - 2011


Moral Judgement.

This is what we inevitably must render upon others relative to their actions and pronouncements. Many confuse this conclusion as outside our authority since it is a common belief that only the "law" and "god" are capable of judging any person or group of persons. Yet, every day, we make assessments through observation, through here-say, and through our own biases about others, individuals and groups. Therefore it is disingenuous and possibly hypocritical that we should not, even as we do. However, we can not and must not evade the optical and conclusive evidence of the moral behavior and beliefs of individuals, groups or institutions. We clearly understand that Nazism was inherently evil in the destruction of fellow human beings different from a chosen "higher class" of beings. We know that certain regimes around the world espouse doctrinal and interrelated political and religious beliefs, that when at odds with other forms of societal and religious or non-religious ways, fully disregard these as heretical and propose annihilation of the non-conformist. We are not too far removed in this "post-racial" period of the American experience when individuals of a different race or religious faith or nationality need "not apply" for jobs outside of menial labor; "not in my neighborhood" exclusion from housing and school choices; should worship to the chosen god, but not in my church.

There is a vast difference from bigotry and discrimination without knowledge of the individual in question and the judgement we must levy against others regarding their actions and pronouncements. If Hector is a cheat in his business dealings, then others will find out and avoid doing business with Hector and his economic demise will be certain. If the quality of eduction in a certain school is less than what the norm establishes, then parents will move their children to better schools, and should act to remove the incompetent teachers and administration as just desserts.

Individuals have the need to judge out of self-preservation. If exclusion and oppression is how a group treats certain individuals or others, then it is the responsibility of the oppressed to move away or stand and fight for their moral rights. It is very interesting to see how some people who judged indiscriminately, when faced with the reality of the worth or perseverance of an individual, can choose to evade the reality, but they can not change the reality. Then cognitive dissonance occurs and they must change their beliefs or accept consensual ignorance, which many choose to do so as to remain a member of their "group" for fear of being outcast due to their change in beliefs, which ultimately is becoming a mental slave. Only free people can use reasoning and independent thinking to assess reality, and through induction and deduction, make up their own minds about what is truth and what is not. You can not delegate your thinking, and when you do so, then you cease to be a valid contributor to your society. Things may be what they seem to be, but only you, alone with your own mind and empirical evidence can make that assessment.

Thinking and being are co-dependent and individual actions, the aggregation of such individuals form societies that are either moral or not. You either are or you are not.


In the final analysis, your attitude determines your effectiveness in everything, every time! LGL www.LuisLobo.Biz

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A book review by Luis G. Lobo: The NEXT AMERICA, by Paul Taylor


THE NEXT AMERICA by Paul Taylor

A book review by Luis G. Lobo


July 14, 2014

This work by Paul Taylor and the Pew Research Center in DC provides a window into the present demographic picture, the here and now. My friends at the Pew Center and I have developed a mutually beneficial relationship over many years through Roberto Suro, previous director of the Pew Hispanic Center and now on faculty at USC – Irvine, and Rakesh Kochhar, senior researcher at Pew.

The Next America discusses the post-Great Recession impact on a hobbled economy during the mid-term of the Baby Boomer’s generation, and career cycle - the last of who will “retire” in the next 10-12 years. The over-supply of now, “can’t retire” Baby Boomers is creating a job lockout  for Millennials, who witnessed the undoing of their parent’s financial stability in 2008. Most significantly, The Next America portrays a permanently altered national fabric, contributed by the surge of U.S.-born children of Latino and Asian immigrants now in their 3rd generation. 

This multicultural block of U.S.-born children of immigrants impacted the 2012 Presidential elections where the majority of Asians, Latinos, and Blacks voted for Obama. Given the continued negative dialogue by the Republican Party against immigrants (i.e., Latinos, Asians,), it is highly probable that this will also impact the 2016 elections. (See Chapter 6, pp 84-86).

The role of women in America has also reached a state of permanent change.   This, along with racial minorities predicted to become the majority by 2030 will continue to significantly change the national fabric.

The Next America should give us pause as to how we must reach and serve clients today. “Tomorrow” is now “Today.” We have learned through multicultural markets, that we must persistently be visible where people exist. It is also imperative that we use social media, and electronic delivery channels to drip financial knowledge on our households, businesses, and personnel, to uncover needs they may have not yet identified as crucial to their future and financial success (insurance, home ownership, investments, etc.).

I believe that we must reflect the communities we serve to be relevant and successful,  giving us ample opportunity to educate and serve their financial needs.

I have noted key areas to read that follow.

Thank You!

The Next America

Chapter 2: “Millenials and Boomers”

Page 24 - “In the early 1980s before most Boomers started raising families, they were called too selfish to have children…too involved in their lives...accused of moral relativism, too politically correct. No one blamed the World War II generation for the Vietnam War, pollution, nor discrimination against black, women, and gays.
Page 28 - “…born in 1984, you were in middle school when the Columbine massacre happened; in high school on 9/11/01…”

Chapter 3: “Generation Gaps”

Page 40 – Millienial’s view of Boomers is not substantially different of older generations and are slightly less critical of business than the views of Baby Boomers.

Chapter 4: “Battle of the Ages”

Page 47 -   Even when multiple generation don’t live in the same home, they look after one another in other ways…Boomers have already inherited $2.4 trillion from the Greatest Generation with another $6 trillion forth coming.
Page 54 – 43% say the government is responsible for a minimum standard living for older people. 40% say individuals and families are mostly responsible. 14% say equally responsible. 

Chapter 5: “Money Troubles”

Page 59 – if a 65-year old married retiree were to convert $120,000 into a standard annuity today, it would yield $575 per month.  $120,000 being the typical balance today for the 60% that have such a program on the cusp of retirement. 75% of those on the cusp of retirement have $30,000 or less in retirement savings.
Page 64 – Figure 5.4 – In 2011, 22% of households age 35 or younger are in poverty.

Chapter 6: “The New Immigrants”

A.        “Immigrants are strivers”: Only the very motivated uproot themselves for economic, religious, or political freedom.  The United States’ 325,000,000 population has 42 million immigrants and 37 million U.S.-born children of immigrants: 24 % (immigrants and U.S.–born children of immigrants).
B.         College entry rates: Asians - 84%, Whites - 69%, Hispanics - 69%, and Blacks - 65% (2000-2012 high school graduates eligible to attend a 4 year college)
C.         Median household income, 2012: U.S. Population - $49,000; Asians - $66,000; Whites - $54,000; Hispanics - $40,000; and Blacks - $33,000.
D.        Read Immigrants and Politics p.84-86.

Chapter 7: “Hapa Nation” (This term means a person that is half of one race or mixed ethnicity).

A.        15% of all U.S. marriages are between spouses of a different race.
B.         Intermarriage trend has risen from 2.4% in 1960 to 15.5% in 2011.
C.         Read “The Hispanic Identity Conundrum” page 97 and “The Blacks in Obama’s America” page 99.

Chapter 8: “Whither Marriage”

Page – 108 …70% of unmarried Millenials say they would like to get married one day. Money is holding them back…they place marriage on a pedestal…and associate marriage with positive economic outcomes.
Page 114 – In 2011, 41% of all births in the U.S. were to unmarried mothers, up from 5% in 1960…mostly to women in their 20s and 30s… 6 in 10 single mothers have live-in boyfriends, when they give birth.

Chapter 9: “Nones on the Rise” – (not religious)  

Page – 126 – Figure 9.1: The Churching of America
Rates of church membership: 1906 – 51%; 2000 – 62%.
Page – 132 – Nor are “nones” uniformly hostile towards organized religion. A majority think that religious institutions can be a force for a good society.

Chapter 10: “Living Digital”

MUST READ – “Natalie was born in 1988 and was 18 in 2006 when her digital life on message boards began.  Natalie is a digital native, now 26. Natalie has always been “connected,” this is her principal method of assembly and awareness.

Chapter 11: “Getting Old”

Page 163 – Figure 11.2 - % saying that a person is old when…has gray hair (13%); Turns 85 (79%).

Chapter 12: “Empty Cradle, Gray World”

Page 171 – Japan’s baby bust is the most acute in the world, but similar dynamics are taking hold on every continent. 
Page 173 – The fertility rate (U.S.) is among the highest in the wealthy world (Just under 2 per woman). The bulk of the global population growth will come in the poor countries of Africa and Asia.

Chapter 13: “The Reckoning”

Page 184 – The young today are paying taxes to support a level of benefits for the old that they themselves have no prospect of receiving when THEY become old.
Page 194 – Going forward, it’s unrealistic to expect families to take on more of the challenges of caring for the elderly; it’s quite possible they will do less.

Appendix:

Includes an excellent array of charts and tables relates to specific chapters.



http://www.amazon.com/The-Next-America-Millennials-Generational/dp/1610393503



In the final analysis, your attitude determines your effectiveness in everything, every time! LGL www.LuisLobo.Biz

Sunday, May 18, 2014

AMERICAN ME!









Felicia and her grandfather Gerardo "Jerry"  Lobo, both at 21.











A friend of mine said:  "there is a book in that Luis!", after I told him that my daughter Felicia Lobo     www.felicialobo.com
was graduating New York University, almost 50 years to the month, of my father Gerardo Lobo's arrival at JFK International, February of 1964.

I have written about his motivations to come to the United States, from our ancestral Costa Rica, a young man 21 years of age, the same age as Felicia upon her graduation ( Jerry Lobo could have never imagined....) .  Yet, what drives one individual to act, does not necessarily drive another to act accordingly.  Felicia has no memory of her grandfather, as he passed away when she was the age of two.  Her older  brothers Andres and Thomas have few visual recollections of my father.  What they all have shared has been an incessant dialogue, over the years,  on who he was, what he accomplished for himself and his family and the impact that he had on his community.

Highly motivated individuals cause things to occur.  Less motivated individuals watch things occur.

There is the interminable analysis of NATURE VS NURTURE.  Malcolm Gladwell has written about drive and motivation in "OUTLIERS" where he gives examples of individuals nurturing their passions, at a rate of 10,000 hours, to be on the competitive plane of sports, academia, or anything. He also wrote "David and Goliath"on the most conventional advantage, David's nature in speed, agility and rifle-like sling, in destroying a visibly superior competitor.

There are also an encyclopedia of work on the subject: Qubein - "The Time is Now. The person is YOU"; Peters - In Search of Excellence"; Pink - "DRIVE"; Useem - "The GO Point". There are 100's of  other relatively respected works with all the evidence in the world that proves the point being conveyed:  "if YOU do this and that, then, this and that will occur."

Sure, in a frozen and controlled universe it may occur.  We do not exist in a frozen and controlled universe.  Our lives are crashing forth, wether we are consciously involved or not, on a time continuum that ultimately ends in death. Very motivated individuals recognize this race against time.  Everyone else lives day to day, tacking to the winds, simply trying to make it at some level acceptable to their own self-esteem.

What causes a child to sing before she can rise to hold herself up on her crib? We did not actively play music in our little house in Burlington, NC.  What motivation seeks to understand the written word before entering the public schools, her day school teacher telling my wife: "Felicia can read", at three years of age. How can a child of 10 grasp a grown-up concept of where she wants to live (NYC), and what she wants to pursue (the stage), without an active visual example, such as parents or friends in the entertainment industry?

I believe that the "Immigrant Story" has had a lot to do with the second and even third generation children of immigrants having a bold and driven nature. The history of the United States is that of "A Nation of Immigrants" as written by JFK.  I also believe that the children of accomplished individuals have a better chance than others of also becoming successful simply because they have seen it done and it is not mystifying to them. Yet, there are countless individuals; bound by economic, physical, cultural and totalitarian walls, that surmount these challenges across  the globe.

Felicia, and my other children, and now my nephew, have had a tremendous advantage in the persistent day-to-day involvement of my wife Debbie.  This is the structural organization and moral upbringing that comes with strict boundaries, lots of love and affection, and an ongoing emotional support.  A love of self is more important than any degree, and these are earned early or they are not.  My grandfather Andres called this the education that is gained at home, not the education that is gained at school.

Just this very moment a child was born, somewhere in the world, with the odds stacked for or against them.  That child will be able to "see over the wall" of religious intolerance, political oppression, or economic disadvantages.  Because of increasing world-wide freedom, that child will be able to quickly assess his little or large  town or village in comparison with the rest of the world relatively earlier than ever before.  He or she will make a decision to become a person of impact (motivated), or the thought may not ever cross their mind (unmotivated).  IF we can continue to be the greatest country conceived by the mind of man,  that child will want to come here above anywhere else.

When that child arrives in this country, young or later in life, all of us and our descendants will be the beneficiaries of the drive, productivity, innovation and ethics from that one point of light.  It takes thousands and thousands  points of light to  continue to illuminate the world.

Gerardo Lobo changed our reality 50 years ago.

CONGRATULATIONS to Felicia!

EN ESPANOL



Un amigo mío me dijo: "hay un libro en el que Luis", después de que le dije que mi hija Felicia Lobo www.felicialobo.com
se graduó de la Universidad de Nueva York, casi 50 años en el mes, de mi padre la llegada de Gerardo Lobo en el aeropuerto JFK International, febrero de 1964.

He escrito acerca de sus motivaciones para venir a los Estados Unidos, de nuestra ancestral Costa Rica, un joven de 21 años, la misma edad que Felicia en su graduación (Jerry Lobo nunca podría haber imaginado ....). Sin embargo, lo que impulsa a una persona a actuar, no conduce necesariamente otro para actuar en consecuencia. Felicia no tiene memoria de su abuelo, que falleció cuando ella tenía dos años de edad. Sus hermanos mayores Andrés y Thomas tienen pocos recuerdos visuales de mi padre. Lo que todos ellos han compartido ha sido un diálogo incesante, a lo largo de los años, sobre quién era, lo que él logró para sí y su familia y el impacto que tuvo en su comunidad.

Individuos altamente motivados causan las cosas ocurran. Los individuos menos motivados ven las cosas ocurran.

No es el análisis interminable de NATURALEZA VS NURTURE. Malcolm Gladwell ha escrito acerca de la unidad y la motivación en valores "atípicos", donde él da ejemplos de personas nutrir sus pasiones, a un ritmo de 10.000 horas, para estar en el plano competitivo de los deportes, la academia, ni nada. También escribió "David y Goliat" en la ventaja más convencional, la naturaleza de David en la velocidad, la agilidad y el rifle como honda, en la destrucción de un competidor visiblemente superior.

También hay una enciclopedia de trabajo sobre el tema: Qubein - "El tiempo es ahora la persona es USTED."; Peters - En busca de la excelencia "; Rosa -" DRIVE "; Useem -" The Point GO "Hay 100 de otras obras relativamente respetados con toda la evidencia en el mundo que demuestra el punto que se transmite:." Si haces esto y que, a continuación, esto y eso ocurrirá ".

Claro, en un universo congelado y controlado puede ocurrir. No existimos en un universo congelado y controlado. Nuestras vidas están cayendo hacia atrás, si podríamos participamos conscientemente o no, en un continuo de tiempo que finalmente termina en la muerte. Individuos muy motivados reconocen esta carrera contra el tiempo. Todo el mundo vive día a día, virando al viento, simplemente tratando de hacer que en algún nivel aceptable de su propia autoestima.

¿Qué causa que un niño a cantar antes de que ella puede elevarse a enderezarse en su cuna? No jugamos activamente la música en nuestra pequeña casa en Burlington, Carolina del Norte. ¿Qué motivación tiene por objeto entender la palabra escrita antes de entrar en las escuelas públicas, su profesor de escuela de día le decía a mi esposa: "Felicia puede leer", a los tres años de edad. ¿Cómo puede un niño de 10 comprender un concepto adulta de donde quiere vivir (NYC), y lo que ella quiere seguir (la etapa), sin un ejemplo visual activa, como los padres o los amigos en la industria del entretenimiento?

Creo que la "Historia de Inmigrantes" ha tenido mucho que ver con la segunda y tercera generación, incluso los hijos de inmigrantes que tienen un carácter audaz y conducido. La historia de los Estados Unidos es la de "una nación de inmigrantes", como escrito por JFK. También creo que los hijos de individuos talentosos tienen más posibilidades que otros de también tener éxito, simplemente porque han visto hacer y no es desconcertante para ellos. Sin embargo, hay un sinnúmero de personas; obligado por las paredes económicas, físicas, culturales y totalitarios, que superar estos desafíos en todo el mundo.

Felicia, y mis otros hijos, y ahora mi sobrino, han tenido una enorme ventaja en la persistente participación en el día a día de mi esposa Debbie. Esta es la organización estructural y la educación moral que viene con límites estrictos, mucho amor y cariño, y un apoyo emocional continuo. Un amor a sí mismo es más importante que cualquier grado, y estos se ganó pronto o no lo son. Mi abuelo Andrés llamó a esto la educación que se gana en casa, no la educación que se adquiere en la escuela.

Justo este mismo momento nació un niño, en algún lugar del mundo, con las probabilidades en su favor o en su contra. Ese niño será capaz de "ver por encima del muro" de la intolerancia religiosa, la opresión política o desventajas económicas. Debido al aumento de la libertad en todo el mundo, ese niño será capaz de evaluar rápidamente su pequeña o gran ciudad o pueblo en comparación con el resto del mundo relativamente temprano que nunca antes. Él o ella tomar la decisión de convertirse en una persona de impacto (motivado), o el pensamiento no puede jamás cruzarse en su mente (sin motivación). Si podemos seguir siendo el país más grande concebido por la mente del hombre, ese niño va a querer venir aquí anteriormente en ningún otro lugar.

Cuando ese niño llega a este país, joven o más tarde en la vida, todos nosotros y nuestros descendientes serán los beneficiarios de la unidad, la productividad, la innovación y la ética de que un punto de luz. Se tarda miles y miles de puntos de luz para seguir iluminando el mundo.

Gerardo Lobo cambia nuestra realidad hace 50 años.


In the final analysis, your attitude determines your effectiveness in everything, every time! LGL www.LuisLobo.Biz