Although International Need to Know comes out every Thursday, ordinarily we wouldn’t fill your inboxes on American Thanksgiving. And we won’t tarry long here but we would be remiss if we did not talk about Son Michael Pham. We first met Son many years ago when we worked at the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. Son was originally from Vietnam, and when we worked on a World Bank project in Haiphong with two IT professionals, Son helped us with connections and wisdom. He also asked us if we would check an extra bag filled with donations for one of the orphanages he supported. We gladly did and each subsequent trip to Vietnam I’d check an extra duffel bag filled with toys and necessities for the kids in the orphanages.
On the first trip, one of the IT professionals accompanying us, Bruce, was also a talented guitar player. He played for the children and one young tot, probably no older than five, stared up at Bruce as he strummed and sang, entranced–not an abandoned child but of and with the world. Another orphanage I visited on a different trip was filled with bedridden, disabled children. The visit was not for the faint of heart. But Son Michael was nothing but heart, a successful immigrant businessman who gave back in a million ways to the country he left as a refugee and to his adopted homeland, always with a gentle smile and a soft twinkle in his eyes. Son Michael passed away last week after his last trip to Vietnam.
So, as you give thanks today over turkey, stuffing and pie (especially pie, the manna from heaven of desserts) save a thought for Son Michael and the countless others like him in our world (including our friend’s father, Louis Donald Williams, who we also recently lost). In that spirit we leave you with three charts of progress, presented without comment.
Without further ado, here’s what you need to know.
Vaccines Are Good
The Sun Also Rises
We Started Out As a Child
