Next Year in…?

For Jews, this is not a question but a statement of purpose, repeated year after year at the end of the Passover Sedar:  "Next year in Jerusalem." Some take it literally and plan trips to the Holy Land.  Others take a more metaphorical journey and seek out their Jewish spiritual "home" in the coming year. But if you're an Urban Nomad, each year, you ask it more as a question, not knowing where the coming year will take you and whether the journey ahead will be profound or banal. The vernal Passover Sedar is the time to start the clock again, so to speak. Time to reflect on journeys past and adventures ahead, friends and family, food and wine, good and bad. A time to sit back and ponder life's joys as well as its hardships and losses.

Tonight, as we recite the "Four Questions" we start by asking "Why is this night different from all other nights?"  I believe it's because it forces us to even ask that question. It gives us a vacation from other nights of television and Twitter, a time to be with family, whether you like them or not. We argue. We debate. We challenge each other. We question our very existence and the root of our "Jewishness." Had it not been for some "parting of the waters" about twenty five hundred years ago, we would not be sharing this meal with each other. Rather we'd still be desert-dwelling slaves, or nomads or even a non-existant tribe referred to only in history books.

But we are here. We've multiplied. We've thrived. We've assimilated. We've become part of the fabric of many cultures. And, some of us have returned to our more nomadic roots.

This year, my family and I are happy to be in California but as we think about the coming year, we don't know where the path will lead us. It is an unknown, as it is for all of us. Next year …could be in Jerusalem. It could be in Prague. Or Greece. Or New York. Or ...

Wherever you land, may it be a fruitful journey. Chag Sameach.

4G, 3G, 2D, 3D: Why Should I Care?

4G technology is here!  Woo-hoo!  I was excited when Apple released 3G!  But 4-Gs!  Wow.
The cartoon "Dilbert" says 4G stands for "g-g-g-good." Wikipedia says it's " referring to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards" and "is the successor to 3G and 2G."  Huh?? If you're still not sure what that means and you really think that 4G technology somehow is a successor to 3D or 2D, raise your hand.

Basically, in real layman's terms, the "G" standard refers to "D-igital." So, it should be "4D" but that was taken by the movie and entertainment business.  I guess since the "D" was not available, some brainiac came up with a "G" since it's the closest letter to "D" and because "E" and "F" just didn't seem appropriate. G and D really have nothing to do with each other. Those in the telecommunications industries know that the 4G system is supposed to provide super-duper, comprehensive and secure Internet-based solutions to connect phones and wireless device users to really cool services:  gaming, multimedia streaming, IP telephone connections and much faster service than we can even comprehend now.

We used to just pick up a phone, dial and get connected to the person we needed to speak to on the other end. We didn't need to know the technology behind MaBell. In fact, we didn't care about the technology behind MaBell, unless of course you worked there or aspired to from your lab at MIT or CalTech.  Phones just worked. Not so anymore. In order to get the best deal, we need to understand the footprint, the device's capabilities, just how many apps it supports, Now, we have so many choices, that we have all become de facto engineers, salesmen, phone repair guys and geeks.

Why should we care?  Because we all still want to get the best deal, don't we? We don't want to be left out. Maybe 4 G is THAT g-g-g-good. Maybe we'll have to wait for 5Gs to be really wowed.





c Copyright 2010 Q Ventures

My alter ego is Latina.

Hemingway had an alter ego. I learned that in seventh grade, when we read The Nick Adams Stories. They say Adams, the protagonist of more than two dozen short stories, was inspired by the author's own experiences -- from growing up fishing on lakes in Michigan to serving as an ambulance driver in Europe during World War I. The unfolding of a boy's adolescence into adulthood is carefully crafted in these stories, all linking a life together. Or maybe two lives, really: Nick's and Hemingway's.

Similarly, I have an alter ego and she has been present for many, many years. Although some have known her, this is her official and "public" coming out.

In 1983, as a young Spanish-speaking speechwriter, aspiring political promoter and basic go-fer, I was sent to Venezuela as part of a strategic team to work for a year on a Presidential campaign. There, under a name given to me by their Secret Service, I became Conchita Davila and had access to the Cabinet, DISIP (their Secret Service), the President, the presidential candidates and top COPEI party officials.

Among my friends and colleagues from those days, the name stuck and they jokingly still refer to "Conchi" in the most endearing terms.  But even more lasting has been her spirit, which has provided an impetus for my years of working in Latin America and the US, predominantly in television as a writer, producer, marketer and promoter.   I have won numerous awards for both writing and promotions, including an Emmy for a series called “Youth Speaks Out,” a special commendation for a documentary called “Cori: A Struggle for Life”; ADDYs, Tellys and BDA awards for promotional campaigns at networks including WNBC, Telemundo, Cinecanal, MTV Latino and The Weather Channel / El Canal del Tiempo. 

But what's always been my motivation are not the accolades, but the ability to transform . In particular, transformation to a culture that was not my birth-right, but my passion. What I've come to realize is that,THAT is the spirit of the Urban Nomad -- the desire to understand the depths of emotion, motivation, action and reaction of a culture not your own and make it your own in new ways, by living it.

In my “spare time,” I have always written fiction. Now, I have decided to write under my alter ego. Conchita's screenplay, is, in fact "writing what I know," as the experts always advise. 

The Sanchez Clause, is a holiday tale with, I think, huge commercial potential.  Part Beverly Hills Chihuahua, part Fred Clause, this comedy featuring a somewhat “dark” Santa Claus,  a loving Latino family from East LA, crazy characters from the Caribbean, Harlem and Park Avenue , I believe, offers a true cross-over opportunity for audiences and actors alike. 

I hope you'll embrace Conchita Davila and her works with as much love and support as you've given me, as Karen.

English as a Foreign Language

Is it my age? Am I totally out of step with my own American culture? Has our spoken language  finally crossed into foreign territory? Here's what I am talking about: What exactly is it that makes a song that opens with lyrics that shout "Boy, boy can you get it up?" so popular?

When Rihanna's "Rude Boy" comes on the radio, and she belts out  those words, I have to say I get the creeps.  Not only do I hate that my seven year old son has to deal with that particular question every morning on "pop" stations, but what first comes to mind is "Didn't this girl get beaten up brutally by her boyfriend?"  " I'mma let you be a rider…" "I'mma let you do your thing??" This,  from the victim of abuse? Please tell me when being a cock tease became acceptable behavior.

When rappers introduced  'hos as girls, that naturally made some people angry. Now even that seems tame and mainstream.
The "N" word. In my vernacular, that was-- and remains -- a No-No, used by ignorant slobs who didn't know better or freely wanted to promote hatred. But, some use it even as an endearing term for mate, buddy, pal. OK.
Gangster into Gangsta.  Timbaland's "…gettin b-tches tipsy…" Waka Waka says "One shot man down, his brains go ka-pow…"

Bitch, ho, shit, pow…when did killing, maiming, verbal denigration, and abuse become so commonplace? For the early rappers, these lyrics and styles were  -- dare I say -- poetic, political, true expressions of telling the world what was going on in their neighborhoods, communities, families. It was a reflection of their very existence and a mirror on society.

I don't feel the same way now about what's become so easily "pop" culture and I don't understand it.  It seems to me we've crossed some line where ethics no longer exist. Right and wrong have no definition.

I respectfully suggest that Ethics become a subject we re-introduce into our educational system. Maybe teaching Ethics as a foreign language would now be appropriate. Because I'mma gonna tell ya that this 'hos outta touch.

"Better and Cheaper Outside the US"

In my last position as a senior executive at a Spanish language television network, my colleagues and I were told that layoffs were inevitable because all the work could be done "better and cheaper outside the United States." This presumed "fact" led to, as Brits like to say, the "redundancy" of nearly 200 people at one company alone. ( I love that phrase "to be made redundant" for a firing, lay-off, loss of job. So very quaint, isn't it?)

How many ways is it wrong to tell your staff their work can be done "better and  cheaper" somewhere else before even giving them the chance to prove that incorrect? When my department proposed programs that were in fact more economical to produce right here in the U-S- of A, we were dismissed. Literally. Laid off.  Gone with anything local.

Perhaps this was because the owner was Mexican and needed to monetize his own facilities in Mexico. Perhaps someone was taking a kick-back from other producers of content and could not afford to have that stream dry up. Perhaps it was simply an inability to understand how to maneuver and prosper in the United States. Whatever the reason, it has convinced me that we need to protect our American assets, workers, communities and businesses now more than ever.

Austerity budgeting, buying American and keeping our working families financially healthy is critical to our nation's future.

Celebrating Permanence

Today would be my Grandfather's 111th birthday, were he still alive. Mike Pauker, "Grandpa," was an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, an opera-lover, a traveler, a devoted member of the Jewish community, a man who never forgot where he came from and helped those who needed to get back to their own roots. He used his significant self-made wealth to help create permanence in his own life and secure homes for those who couldn't do for themselves. His family, his extended family, his business family and all those who knew him counted on him. He was the antithesis of the "Urban Nomad."

His family came from Bukovina, Romania and when he was as a baby, they arrived in New York on a ship with many other aspirational and fortune seeking travelers.  He was the youngest of  many brothers and sisters, most of whom I never met. They were all firmly planted on US soil. Their desire was to stay-put.

At seven, Mike ran a pushcart filled with handmade ties around the Lower East Side. At fourteen, he left school, having finished eighth grade, and started a business. His older brothers followed him and together they eventually created one of the largest knitwear companies in the United States. When his family needed help, he was there. When his wife's family needed support, he was there. When Israel called for arms, he was there. When Hitler tortured and killed the Jews of Europe, he was there. He helped relatives and friends of relatives escape to New York and Israel. He made sure that future generations would be safe, secure, healthy and educated by donating his time, wisdom and money to building homes, schools and hospitals.

My permanent tribute to my grandfather is having a son named Michael who shares a joy of life with his great-grandfather. He left us the legacy of getting the best out of life in the time we have. It's ironic. Through permanence, Mike found happiness and security. Yet, for us nomads, constant movement has been the way we've been able to create a secure and fulfilling life.  Strange what can happen in two generations.

Happy 111th Birthday, Grandpa.




© Copyright 2001-2010 Q Ventures LLC

What is an Urban Nomad?

I bet you've heard things like "50 is the new 30," "the world is flat" " you can never be too thin" and other catchy phrases that have become cliche. Well I am here to introduce a new concept soon to qualify in cliche terms: the rise of the Urban Nomad as a permanent state. No, I'm not talking about those bereft souls who wander the streets, otherwise known as "bums." Nor am I referring to that small but diverse segment of society that goes to work in urban areas but can't rent, own or otherwise reside there. I am speaking of the new and growing segment of international citizens who are in a constant state of transplanting themselves in search of the next big career opportunity. Well, the next career move, at any rate. Not necessarily even a big one. A sustainable one. One that puts food on the table. One that clothes your kids. One that helps pay the car insurance and, if you're lucky, a big chunk of health insurance too. One that keeps you under a roof.

My own crooked nomadic path has taken me from New York to Budapest to Miami to Mexico to Argentina to the woods of Upstate New York to Los Angeles and, I soon feel, to ports yet unknown.

I am starting this blog to share ideas, doubts, humor, insights, feelings raised in this crazy world of impermanence, from child-rearing to employment searching. From being a good spouse amid turmoil to finding the right words to express all of this in new languages of your new homelands.

I hope you'll follow along and share your thoughts, wisdom, and humor with me.

Karen, the Urban Nomad in LA