Watch

Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio August 2025: Ep4 Tim’s Travails — Meet Mark Cohen, former intellectual property attache at the US Embassy in Beijing August 2025 — Tim asks Mark: What advice would you offer someone studying Chinese today? What are the challenges facing US diplomats in China on Intellectual Property? What do you see as the trajectory for US-China relations in trade and especially in Intellectual Property? Learn all about it! Read

August 2025: Ep4 Tim’s Travails — Meet Mark Cohen, former intellectual property attache at the US Embassy in Beijing

August 2025 — This month on Mark Cohen, former intellectual property attaché at the US Embassy in Beijing

Today’s Topic: Understanding China through a Professor’s Eyes

Tim will talk with Mark about:

What advice would you offer someone studying Chinese today?
What are the challenges facing US diplomats in China on Intellectual Property?
What do you see as the trajectory for US-China relations in trade and especially in Intellectual Property?

About our guest: Mark Cohen is a non-resident fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research and the University of California, San Diego. He serves as a guest professor at Renmin University (Beijing) and on the Advisory Board of the Asia Society. He previously led the Asia IP Project at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology at Berkeley Law School, where he was responsible for teaching international trade law and researching and writing on IP issues. Previously, Cohen was Senior Counsel, China in the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, after serving as a visiting professor at Fordham Law School (2011-2012). Prior to that time, he served in such functions as: Director, International Intellectual Property at Microsoft Corporation; Of Counsel to Jones Day’s Beijing office; and Senior Intellectual Property Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (2004-2008). In total, he has over 30 years of private, public sector, in-house, and academic experience in China and transition economies, with a focus on technology trade and intellectual property.

Cohen was the first IPR Attaché posted by USPTO to handle IPR issues in a foreign country. In addition, he launched the annual “Ambassador’s IPR Roundtable,” which he co-chaired for five years, devised IPR “toolkits”, “road shows”, pro-bono programs, internal training programs for the US government and external training programs, and worked with USPTO and other US agencies to engage China and Chinese IP agencies. Cohen led a China team at USPTO consisting of 21 individuals in DC, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, China on all aspects of USPTO’s activities in China. Among his book-length publications are Antimonopoly Law and Practice in China (Oxford University Press, 2011, with Steve Harris et al.). He was also the editor of Chinese Intellectual Property Law and Practice (Kluwer Law International 1999) and has edited or published a number of online publications, including the blog www.chinaipr.com.

Mr. Cohen has taught and lectured at numerous universities in the United States, Asia and Europe. Amongst other honors, he was the recipient of the US Chamber of Commerce’s “IP Champion” award in 2014 and the Meritorious Service Award—the highest award in the U.S. civil service—from President Trump, upon the recommendation of President Obama. Mr. Cohen holds a JD degree from Columbia University (1984), an MA from the University of Wisconsin in Chinese Language and Literature (1979) and a BA from the State University of New York at Albany in Chinese Studies (1977).

Publications

Photos of Tim by AnnaGibbs.com

About Tim’s Travails: In this podcast/video sereis, IP attorney and author Tim Trainer introduce us to experts around the country who have insight into the law, international trade, and more, to help us better understand our world in 2025 and beyond.

Tim, himself, fits the bill for he worked for three decades for the US government and private law firms focusing on international trade, and has developed a deep understanding of global economics and politics.

Writing books is his passion. The author of seven books as of 2025, he has penned several non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2020. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2017, Pendulum Over the Pacific was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains. In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection. In December 2024, he followed it with The China Factor.

Stay tuned for more episodes on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv, and of course, log in regularly for new blog entries and other information on Tim’s website, www.TimothyTrainer.com.

Read

“From Authoritarian to Democracy” by author and IP attorney Timothy Trainer

August 6, 2025: It began disastrously for the United States. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor inflicted a horrible blow on the United States. Warships were sunk and badly damaged and thousands of military personnel were killed and wounded. Japan was the enemy to be defeated in the Pacific.

Today, and Aug. 9th, we observe the 80^th anniversary of the use of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. These two events forced Japan to formally agree to unconditional surrender in September 1945: Surrender of Japan (1945) | National Archives

Historically: There are many events between 1868 and 1945 that transformed Japan. It went from the period of Shoguns to a more modern political system that included the period of authoritarian rule: Meiji Restoration | Summary, Effects, Social Changes, Significance, End, & Facts | Britannica

The immediate post-war period had the U.S. intimately involved in creating a “new” Japan, different from the militaristic/authoritarian country that it had been. The U.S. was influential in crafting or encouraging certain provisions in Japan’s post-war constitution. Some of the most profound changes included downgrading the emperor’s status to that of a figurehead without political control, placing more power in the parliamentary system, promoting greater rights and privileges for women, and renouncing the right to wage war, which involved eliminating all non-defensive armed forces: Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations – Office of the Historian. In recent years, Japan has engaged in heated domestic debates over the issue of deploying its self-defense forces outside of Japan.

After World War II: U.S. government programs funded Japanese to travel and study in the United States. During the period between 1949 and 1966, over 4,700 Japanese students benefited from study here. Government funds were available from the Government Account for Relief in Occupied Areas with the objective, in part, to “re-educate and reorient the people of Japan through ideas of American style democracy.” The untold story of Japanese students sponsored by the U.S. military

Interestingly, efforts to rebuild Japan included a complete make-over of the country’s education system that had incorporated elements of military indoctrination and other aspects that were not promoting democratic ideals. One major recommendation for Japan’s new education system was to transform the education curriculum “from indoctrination to knowledge acquisition.” Education Reform in Post-War Japan: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Policies, Impact, and Historical Context (1945–1952) | At-tadzkir: Islamic Education Journal

Given Japan’s current status as the fourth largest economy in the world (Japan slips in the global economic rankings: So what’s next? – The Japan Times) and the high-tech industries in which it competes and leads globally, it’s safe to say that many of the efforts undertaken by the United States were successful. Of course, it also required the Japanese people to accept defeat and accept the notion of change, some drastic.

As we observe the 80^th anniversary of these two horrific events, we should be proud of a country that has firmly embraced democracy. For the past 80 years, Japan’s economy has grown, and its business enterprises and government provide billions in investment and development around the world. And, as evidence of its confidence in the U.S., Japan is the largest foreign owner of U.S. government debt. Top 15 Largest US Treasury Holders in 2025: Who Owns America’s Debt? Japan helps the U.S. economically by purchasing U.S. Treasuries. It is also a partner in our national security.

After nurturing the development of a strong democracy in Japan, the question now is whether Japan and other democracies around the world need to teach some lessons to the United States. As we seem to be devolving into a country open to indoctrination, it appears that it is the United States that needs to move in the direction of knowledge acquisition. The roles have reversed.

About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.

Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.

Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Read

Timothy Trainer’s newest novel, “The China Factor,” about China’s Information Theft, Makes Award List

July 25, 2025, Alexandria, VA — Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) announced today its 2025 list of books worthy of this year’s awards that will be announced in September, including Timothy Trainer’s The China Factor in the Mystery, Thriller, Crime category: 2025 Season — Military Writers Society of America.

Available on amazon.com/dp/B0CW1GQL8D, the novel comes on the heels of Tim’s previous book, The China Connection, which received a 2024 Bronze Award from the MWSA in the Mystery, Thriller, Crime category.

MWSA reviewer Nancy Kauffman writes in the Military Writers Society of America: “The China Factor includes international industrial espionage with military implications, political shenanigans, and biases, as well as the continuing difficulties of biracial children in Vietnam who were fathered by American soldiers.”

About The China Factor: The third novel by the intellectual property and trade attorney opens with the FBI foiling a government employee’s attempt to pass sensitive and valuable information to China. Throughout the twists and turns of the plot, Trainer takes readers inside the tense and competitive U.S.-China economic and trade relationship. “China needs to offshore its production to third countries, and Vietnam is a prime candidate,” he explains.

The novel highlights Kellie Liang, the Chinese American protagonist. Her involvement in the FBI-led investigation raises her visibility in ways that may jeopardize her nomination to a sensitive government position. Undeterred, Kellie works with the FBI and learns that her close friend Aaron is vacationing in Vietnam with his Vietnam War veteran uncle. Despite being half a world apart, Kellie and Aaron use whatever resources are available to piece together how the Chinese intend to use the stolen information.

Bringing headlines to life: “Readers are dropped into a real-life adventure with only tidbits of fiction in these novels when they read Tim Trainer’s page-turners,” says publicist Hope Katz Gibbs, founder, Inkandescent PR & Publishing Co.

For more insights:

Tim’s blog gives us additional perspective on current events: www.TimothyTrainer.com/blog
Check out his Substack posts: substack.com/@timothytrainer
Tim’s Travails, the author’s podcast/video show, features interviews with attorneys who specialize in international trade: http://tinyurl.com/timtrainertv
Stay on top of what’s happening around the world: Keep out an eye for updates TimothyTranier.com
Click here to buy “The China Factor:” tinyurl.com/chinafactor

Read

Looking “American” by Timothy Trainer

July 15, 2025 — Has anyone ever said to you: You don’t look “American”? For some foreigners, making such a statement isn’t so strange. Foreigners who are ardent fans of basketball or football can be forgiven if they are confused about what Americans look like given the fact that in both the NBA and NFL black/African Americans make up over half the players. NBA receives an A for racial and gender hiring practices – ESPN, 20+ National Football League Demographic And Financial Statistics [2023]: NFL Revenue + History – Zippia.

The world of sports doesn’t reflect everyday life or, in some cases, reality. These days when there are raids to round up people, detaining them and deporting them to an undisclosed location or unnamed country, it’s worth exploring this strange and weird notion of looking “American”. There’s a funny thing about this looking “American” concept and idea. Looking like you are a descendant of someone from Europe, i.e., like Trump and a lot of his anti-immigrant minions, you should be the first suspects rounded up and put into a detention facility.

When someone like the border czar Tom Homan says things like ICE agents being able to confront individuals without probable cause and detain them because of their “physical appearance”, that seems to mean that agents who might have true links to being native Americans should be able to go up to people who look like Homan, Trump and Hegseth and detain them. Homan claims ICE officers ‘don’t need probable cause’ to ‘briefly detain’ people.

Apparently, there is great confusion about what “Americans” look like. For those who have taken U.S. History in high school or college (apparently a course that did not make an impact on many elected/appointed federal government officials), you might recall that there were people living on the North American continent when those European explorers arrived in what has become the United States. Strange as it seems, many of the people being rounded up and deported or simply caged in detention centers look more American than the masked people who are doing the rounding up.

First and foremost, the United States is located on the North American continent. That would tend to imply that everyone in Canada, United States and Mexico are “Americans”. Beyond this, the western hemisphere is made up of two continents: North America and South America. That might be a hint that everyone living in these two continents can legitimately claim to be Americans. There is some support for the idea that native Americans are those people who are the aboriginal peoples of the whole western hemisphere. Native American | History, Art, Culture, Reservations, Tribes, & Facts | Britannica.

Another thing to consider when wondering about this whole looking “American” concept is that those who have studied past migration patterns find support for people coming to the North American continent from Asia. The Origin of Amerindians and the Peopling of the Americas According to HLA Genes: Admixture with Asian and Pacific People – PMC. This migration predates the Europeans by thousands of years. Stretching the point and raising the question, do Asians (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc.) look more American than those whose ancestry is European?

Now that we have an Administration that would like to take the United States back in time when those descended from Europeans controlled everything, e.g., corporate board rooms, educational institutions, military, maybe it’s time to be honest about what’s going on here. Given that masked men wearing guns and badges are carrying out instructions from those who look like Trump, Homan and Bondi, it wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to think that the current onslaught that rounds up U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who look a certain way is nothing more than a bigoted effort to falsely make U.S. citizens of European descent feel “safe” from their own fears of “others.”

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Read

“Independence Day: Land of the Brave?” by author Timothy Trainer

July 4, 2025 — Fireworks, picnics, parades, and flag-waving will be on tap for July 4^th. Thousands of people will attend sporting events, and they’ll stand for the singing of the national anthem. Around the country, millions will find some way to celebrate Independence Day.

Just days ago, we demonstrated to the world that we possess some of the most sophisticated weaponry ever made. Stealth B-2 bombers flew thousands of miles undetected to drop bombs on Iran and project U.S. military power.

Throughout the country’s history and its many wars, we’ve been fortunate to have brave and courageous citizens serve in our military. They have fought and died around the world. When one looks at the names of those who have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, there are the obvious names one expects like Adams, Bailey, Jones and Smith. Other names on the list of recipients include Espinoza, Hayashi, Alvarado, Nishimoto, Silva and Wai. Looking at the photographs of those who have received the highest award for military valor, they include men from disparate ethnic backgrounds and one woman. Congressional Medal of Honor Society | Official Website.

The names of professional athletes who provide entertainment and escape from the more serious aspects of life are no different. Those who compete under the U.S. flag can be as common as Collins, Keys, and Paul. Other Americans competing have names like Tien, Tiafoe, Li, Anisimova, and Nakashima.

On one hand, we see this diversity of names, people and their ethnic and racial backgrounds as typically American. Yet, on the other hand, today we have many who seem to fear what we assumed gave us strength.

What is strikingly apparent in recent months is not American courage. It’s American fear. Indeed, we have our American military power to project and use abroad, but at home within our borders, people in the most powerful positions exhibit and project fear. Worse, they instill fear in others like a disease, and it becomes a disease used to divide the citizenry.

At the very top of the power structure of the United States, fear of free speech is on display daily. Free speech sparks rants and tantrums from the highest office holder in the country. Free speech prompts government threats against institutions, businesses and individuals. Free speech exercised by those abroad results in threats by U.S. Government officials and threats of denying visas.

Through our Secretary of Health and Human Services, we see fear of research backed science. From a man whose background is void of scientific study and research, he promotes, at best, questionable theories. He has used his name and position to cause many to question the efficacy of vaccines despite decades of evidence that vaccines have allowed millions to either avoid contracting certain diseases or survive them. He promotes the fear of vaccines to the point that many children will not be vaccinated and will likely lead to higher deaths not only in the United States but around the world. How Kennedy Has Worked Abroad to Weaken Global Public Health Policy – The New York Times. It leaves in doubt the future health and safety of the children and grandchildren of Americans who benefitted from decades of vaccinations that allowed us to grow older without many diseases.

The fear of freedom of religion allowing parents and individuals to make these personal decisions for themselves and their children is still prevalent as state governments attempt to intrude on such personal matters. What other reason exists in yet another attempt to force the display of the ten commandments in Texas schools? New Texas law will require Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom | AP News. Despite court rulings that have found these laws unconstitutional, the continuing effort to thrust one religion onto Americans appears to be evidence that many fear beliefs of others. Does the fear of someone else’s different religion threaten the convictions of one’s own faith? Is it a lack of conviction that requires the state that is in favor of one religion to legislate its beliefs over all others?

The recent decision to rename a navy vessel (renaming USNS Harvey Milk to USNS Oscar V. Peterson), USNS Harvey Milk, ship honoring slain gay rights leader, being renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson, Hegseth says – CBS News, also reflects the fears of many. According to Secretary Hegseth, who wants to project a warrior ethos, he probably doesn’t like the idea that a gay man served in the military. However, a reality that we should all be able to accept is that throughout our history gay men and lesbian women have served.

Of all the fears being promoted in the U.S., it is to fear immigrants. Specifically, fear of the current immigrants, not people descended from immigrants. While political points are scored by targeting illegal/undocumented immigrants as the people committing crimes, it’s hard to find any supporting evidence that they commit violent crimes at a rate higher than citizens. Immigrants less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born : NPR, Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas – PMC.

Instilling fear has become a hallmark of our government. From the White House on down, it seems that people filling these positions of power hope Americans will embrace these fears and surrender their rights or stand aside and allow the rights enshrined in the constitution and the laws of these United States to be trampled with impunity.

As millions celebrate Independence Day and there are occasions on that day to sing along with the national anthem, how much longer will this be the land of the free? Are the days of being the home of the brave already only a nostalgic sentiment because we’ve surrendered to the fears that our own government wants to instill in its citizens?

There is no warrior ethos that is missing within the United States as those in the U.S. military have never failed to demonstrate their commitment to their mission. Electing a convicted felon to the highest office in the land brings into question the ethos of the United States. Is Trump a felon? A year later, he is fighting the guilty verdict. As the president displays his contempt for the constitution and the rule of law, it leaves to us, the people, to determine whether the United States can shake off the fears that those in government want to instill. We the people need to make choices.

To the extent we retain the right to vote, the question is how brave is the U.S. electorate? Do we go forward electing officials who tell us what to fear? Do we continue to allow those with contempt for the constitution and the rule of law to occupy decision making power? Or, do we promote a country that, without erasing history, facts, and people, acknowledges it will be stronger because of an inclusive community working and competing to improve and progress? We, the people, must determine which future awaits the United States.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Watch

Listen

Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio July 2025: Ep3 Tim’s Travails — “The China Factor” is our topic today with guest Thomas Moga, a pioneer in protecting and enforcing IP rights in China July 2025: On this month's episode, Tim and guest Tom Moga dive deep into the current state of affairs in 2025 with the US and China, and share insights from Tom, who has more than 30 years’ experience in domestic and international IP portfolio development and enforcement. Don't miss it! Read

July 2025: Ep3 Tim’s Travails — “The China Factor” is our topic today with guest Thomas Moga, a pioneer in protecting and enforcing IP rights in China

July 2025 — This month on IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer’s podcast/video show we meet patent attorney Thomas Moga

Today’s Topic: The China Factor and what might happen next

Tim will talk with Tom about: With his latest book being The China Factor, Tim has deep insights into the inner workings of international trade. Today, he’ll dive deep into the current state of affairs in 2025 and will share with the audience insights from Tom, who has more than 30 years’ experience in domestic and international IP portfolio development and enforcement.

What got you interested in China?
What was it like to be a Fulbright Scholar living in China?
What prompted the need to get a degree in biochemistry after getting a law degree?
Looking back over the past few decades, have you noticed China’s move up the value chain through your work?
How did you become the Special Assistant Attorney General for Intellectual Property for the state of Michigan?

Don’t miss it!

About our guest: Thomas Moga is a pioneer in protecting and enforcing IP rights in China. He has represented foreign companies there since the 1980s. He is an experienced patent prosecutor in the mechanical, chemical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical arts and testifies as an expert witness in patent disputes.

As an IP portfolio developer, Tom’s experience includes the development of domestic and foreign patent portfolios primarily through the drafting and prosecution of patent applications for filing in the United States and abroad. He also oversees a team that specializes in receiving and filing patent applications with the USPTO on behalf of foreign applicants. The U.S. filing team includes experienced attorneys, paralegals, and a China-born engineer who was a patent examiner with China’s patent office (CNIPA).

Tom’s experience also includes the acquisition of registrations for trademarks and copyrights, licensing, and policy development both at home and abroad.

In the arena of IP rights enforcement, Tom manages a team responsible for patent enforcement and anti-counterfeiting, primarily in Asia, through the identification, monitoring, and halting of counterfeiting activity. Specific activities of the anti-counterfeiting team include:

identifying unauthorized advertising and sales activity on the internet;
monitoring and charting such activity in order to develop an anti-counterfeiting action plan;
overseeing initial counterfeit product investigation once infringers are identified;
selecting and working with local investigators;
selecting and working with local counsel;
preparing administrative and judicial documents; and
participating in raids.

Tom was a Fulbright Scholar in China, where he taught patent law at Jilin University and acted as a foreign advisor to China’s patent office. He was a visiting foreign expert in law at Xiamen University, China, and worked as a foreign legal expert for a patent and trademark law office in Taipei, and is a past board member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Fulbright Association, and the Fulbright Academy. In 2018, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC 13). As the only representative on the committee for the U.S. automotive industry, Tom’s contributions include analyzing national trade positions and providing advice on a broad array of trade issues as they relate to IP for both the White House (by way of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative) and the Department of Commerce in pursuit of trade agreements that benefit U.S. businesses, workers, and the economy. Learn more about Tom here.

Photos of Tim by AnnaGibbs.com

Read

“Workers (Undocumented) and Employers,” by Timothy Trainer

When federal law enforcement officers conduct raids on workplaces to round up, detain, and arrest undocumented workers, cameras belonging to bystanders or reporters sprout and capture the moment, and a story is immediately born. Social media posts will appear with videos, images, and reactions. The enforcement focus on undocumented workers provides an almost daily dose of these stories. They fuel the fury of Americans who applaud these actions or infuriate those on the other side.

On the flip side: How can there be any undocumented workers unless there are employers willing to ignore the law to hire them? Where are the articles in mainstream media informing us of the federal government’s efforts to identify and impose penalties on employers? How can there be hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers in the United States unless we have individuals in companies/businesses who deliberately look the other way and hire them?

According to information available on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website: “The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 requires employers to verify the identity and work eligibility of all individuals they hire, and to document that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. ICE uses the I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law, part of a comprehensive strategy to address and deter illegal employment.” Worksite Enforcement | ICE. Given the overall situation in the country, it wouldn’t be at all inaccurate to say that ICE’s work at finding, pursuing, and deterring employers has fallen flat as a way to prevent hiring of undocumented workers.

Though not as prominently reported and not in significant numbers, there are employers who become the target of federal law enforcement. At the end of April, ICE notified three Denver-area businesses of an intent to impose fines totaling approximately eight million dollars. ICE Denver levies over $8 million in fines on local businesses for employment violations | ICE. ICE’s press release indicated that 143 undocumented workers were working for the three businesses.

It requires some digging to uncover news of other enforcement actions against employers, and much of the reporting is dated. For example, between March 2018 and March 2019, an article published by The Center for Public Integrity states that “11 individuals were prosecuted for hiring undocumented workers and only three received any jail time”. Employers escape sanctions, while the undocumented risk their lives and prosecution.

It’s difficult to reconcile the tens of thousands of arrests of undocumented workers and the few legal actions against employers. Gambling on jobs, income, and the ability to provide food, clothing, and shelter for individuals and families might be worth taking during times of less aggressive enforcement against undocumented workers. Even greater is the risk worth taking by employers if they know that they will, for the most part, be able to operate without complying with employment laws. The relatively few enforcement actions against employers undermine deterrence as undocumented workers, while bearing the brunt of enforcement actions, continue to be lured to available jobs offered by employers who ignore an individual’s legal status.

The focus on undocumented workers and how politicians use the issue to tug on the emotions of voters overlooks certain distasteful realities. Employers can ignore minimum wage laws, labor laws on treatment and conditions for workers as well as others.

There are industry sectors that rely on undocumented workers because there aren’t enough documented workers or Americans to do the work. As a recent article reported about the plight of the agriculture industry, one farmer pointed out that “I’ve employed Americans, and they quit after a few days . . .. They quit after a few hours.” Abandoned by Trump, a farmer and a migrant search for a better future – Washington Post. If the route to becoming a documented worker requires overcoming bureaucratic hurdles that take years, it becomes nearly impossible for law-abiding employers to operate.

The question is whether those who could improve the situation do, in fact, want to fix the problem or simply continue using the issue for political gain. If recent history is any indicator, it seems that members of Congress would rather complain and campaign over the issue rather than address it and find solutions.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Read

“Party and Parade,” by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

We’ve arrived at an interesting place in the history of the United States. As Washington, D.C., prepares for a great parade to celebrate the U.S. Army’s birthday and founding on June 14, 1775, the city prepares for the birthday celebration of the sitting president, whose birthday coincides with that of the U.S. Army.

The White House occupant wants a parade with soldiers, tanks, and other accoutrements projecting strength and power. What an irony given that the White House occupant allowed his father to use the power of money to evade service in uniform at a time when his peers were called upon to serve. It seems that we have now become accustomed to and receptive of older, privileged men who easily wrap themselves in the flag and boast of their patriotism and their manhood despite the lengths to which they or their families would go to avoid service while others served in harm’s way. As Donald Trump Heads to Vietnam, Here’s How He Used Bone Spurs to Avoid War, Military Service – Newsweek. It’s so easy to walk and talk with bravado years after one needs to be concerned about serving in uniform.

The desire and need to engage in self-absorption and expend millions of taxpayer dollars for a military parade runs counter to what many understand as service and sacrifice to and for the country. While a military parade might quench the thirst of many, it feels wrong to this scrivener of a certain age. It is counter to being raised by those who lived, suffered, sacrificed and survived the depression, World War II and the immediate aftermath of those years. Americans exercised a degree of humility. Americans seemed to require that individuals earn respect from others as it was not freely given. Americans seemed to appreciate modesty from those who were accomplished over naked bravado.

Celebrating the U.S. Army’s birthday has never been a “thing” in my memory. Thinking back to my youth, it seems everything was more restrained, subdued and understated. Surrounded by the army for the first two decades of life, uniforms provided the “substance” of a soldier’s service and achievements but talk of one’s service-related exploits was reserved for the select few and in select settings, not the public.

If we are to celebrate the U.S. Army’s birthday, then we should look carefully, intently at the uniform worn by those who have served and are serving. We need to recognize the sacrifices, pain and suffering of each soldier who wears a Purple Heart, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, an Air Medal and other medals earned by serving in harm’s way.

The birthday of any branch of service is not nearly as important as recognition of those who have served. The ultimate question about a parade to celebrate the U.S. Army is what “gift” should be bestowed upon the service? Are we celebrating the men and women who have served and are serving or is this a display to feed one man’s ego? In view of the fact that the man who has decided to have this parade claims to have millions and billions in personal wealth, wouldn’t it be a more befitting if the funds required for a parade were spent as a gift to the Army to pay medical professionals and care givers to attend to the needs of those who, through their service, suffer from service-related medical conditions and disabilities.

It is hard to celebrate the U.S. Army’s birthday when the day appears to underscore wasteful spending, misplaced priorities and bogus patriotism.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Read

“Bluster and Bullying v. Arsenal,” by author Timothy Trainer

June 2, 2025: No, this is not a new lawsuit, although that would be appropriate given that Trump is a party to this. Every day seems to provide us with a new episode in the Trump-created global trade war against everybody. Today’s headlines include a New York Times article: U.S. Dependence on China for Rare Earth Magnets Is Causing Shortages – The New York Times. And a Reuters headline the same morning read China Rejects Trump’s Accusation That It Breached Geneva Trade Deal.

Americans should bypass the blame game of whether the U.S. or China breached the May tariff truce “agreement.” A more substantive issue arises from the current chaos. Several days ago, Reuters had the following headline: China’s Magnet Curbs Risk Halting Indian Car Production – Industry Documents: China’s magnet curbs risk halting Indian car production – industry documents | Reuters.

China’s dominant position regarding rare earth minerals and their availability to the world market is a powerful economic weapon. China’s ability to turn off the spigot to these products gives it significant global control. The New York Times article notes that “Carmakers need the magnets for the electric motors that run brakes, steering and fuel injectors. The motors in a single luxury car seat, for example, use as many as 12 magnets:” U.S. Dependence on China for Rare Earth Magnets Is Causing Shortages – The New York Times. In the same article, one industry consultant stated that the U.S. auto industry could stall. Beyond the auto industry, other industries are also reliant on China’s supply of rare earth minerals.

The crucial underlying question that we should be asking is this: Is anyone in a responsible position in our government was willing to raise his or her voice and sound the alarm to warn the very highest office holders about the U.S.’s vulnerability if China took the step of shutting off access to rare earth minerals, including these magnets, that are needed in so many industries? Who at the Defense, Transportation, State, or Commerce Departments spoke up? Or did everyone cower in the corner afraid of being shouted down or fired?

While the first Trump term and the beginning of this second term have underscored Trump’s need to rant, accuse and demean, the question that seems to have been answered is that no one within Trump’s inner circle is capable, willing or desirous of any semblance of normality and building a relationship based on trust and reliability with any of our trading partners. Indeed, they appear to have surrendered and contributed to what they believe is a wonderful way to proceed in a chaos-oriented approach to global economic affairs.

For the American public, the serious question is the strength and qualitative depth of the arsenal available to our trade adversaries to impose greater economic pain on the United States. Trump and his appointees can stand before the cameras all day every day and tout their actions to bring back jobs, or that we will be rebuilding our capacity for these rare earth minerals, but they won’t say that this will take years to relieve the U.S. of its dependency on China. China, on the other hand, is able and willing to impose real economic pain today, tomorrow and through the coming months.

The people of both the U.S. and China are enduring economic pain from this trade war. What Americans should expect and demand is that those who have chosen to engage in this economic battle get real about the economic weapons in China’ arsenal to wage this economic warfare and what the U.S. has to counter them. If, however, we have initiated a trade war without assessing our vulnerabilities and without the “generals” willing to risk their positions to speak honestly to Trump and the American people, we are adrift.

Standing before a gaggle of reporters to be photographed and quoted making blustery statements won’t be enough for the U.S. to “win”. What we should all hope for is that those waging this global economic war in the name of the U.S. understand that compromises will be necessary because of the interdependence of a global economy we helped to construct.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com

Watch

Listen

Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio June 2025: Ep2 Tim’s Travails — “The Importance of Embracing Change” is our topic today with attorney Stacey Kalamaras, founding partner of Kalamaras Law Office LLC, an intellectual property boutique in Chicago June 2025 — Having started her career in Washington, DC, close to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and more recently here in Chicago, Stacey worked for one of the world’s largest law firms, managing global trademark portfolios. But her journey wasn't in a straight line. find out how she learned to pivot, and is the better for it. Read

June 2025: Ep2 Tim’s Travails — “The Importance of Embracing Change” is our topic today with attorney Stacey Kalamaras, founding partner of Kalamaras Law Office LLC, an intellectual property boutique in Chicago

June 2025 — This month on IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer’s podcast/video show we meet Stacey Kalamaras, the founding partner of Kalamaras Law Office LLC, an intellectual property boutique in Chicago, IL.

Today’s Topic: The Importance of Embracing Change

On today’s episode, Tim asks Stacey:

Tell us about the importance of ensuring small businesses protect their brand/logo/trademarks.
Why is it so essential, and should this practice be part of a small business strategy?
What is your opinion of what’s going on today with global trade and tariffs? How will it impact small businesses?
What is your forecast for the future of small businesses and protections?

About Stacey: Having started her career in Washington, DC, close to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and more recently here in Chicago, Stacey worked for one of the world’s largest law firms, managing global trademark portfolios. She has spent over 30 years working for some of the world’s most beloved brands in more than 150 countries and for clients in diverse industries. In January 2018, with the founding of her eponymous firm, she now assists small and medium-sized businesses identify, register, protect and commercialize their brands both in the U.S. and abroad. Before going to law school, she was a brand manager and advertising director in the consumer-packaged goods industry, which gives her valuable insight into her clients’ businesses on a practical level.

Awards and Peer Recognition: Stacey has been recognized by her peers as a Super Lawyer® for the past six years for her outstanding knowledge and service in intellectual property law, a recognition and honor given to just 5% of the lawyers in Illinois. The firm was recently recognized by CorporateLiveWire as Trademark Law Firm of the Year for Illinois for 2024/25. Stacey was ranked among World IP Forum’s 2021 list of 250 Powerful Women in IP and was profiled by The Top 100 Magazine as a top lawyer for 2020. Learn more at klolegal.com.

About Tim’s Travails: In this podcast/video sereis, IP attorney and author Tim Trainer introduce us to experts around the country who have insight into the law, international trade, and more, to help us better understand our world in 2025 and beyond.

Tim himself fits the bill. He worked for three decades for the US government and private law firms focusing on international trade and has developed a deep understanding of global economics and politics.

Read

“Memorial Day: Thoughts of the Past and Present,” by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

Was it late 1966 or 1967? I don’t remember the precise year or month. I had just entered my teens. What I do remember is opening a letter from my father. It was during the first of his two combat tours in Vietnam. To this day I remember reading that Sgt. Parker had been killed. Sgt. Parker and my father had been posted to Ft. Knox prior to their respective orders informing them that they were heading to Southeast Asia.

The letter was about the death of a career soldier. It left me thinking about one of Sgt. Parker’s sons, my age. I knew Sgt. Parker’s son from playing pickup baseball games in our Ft. Knox dependent housing neighborhood. I knew that Sgt. Parker had a handful of young kids and after reading that letter all I could think about was what would happen to them now that their father had been killed. It’s something I will never know, but it’s still something that comes to mind occasionally or, perhaps, more often than I care to admit.

As I can still recall reading about Sgt. Parker’s death and my thoughts turning to his kids, there was another reason for that bit of information. It didn’t register right away. I don’t know when it dawned on me that the letter about the death of Sgt. Parker was my father’s way of preparing me in case it happened to him. Thankfully, we never had to endure that kind of loss and feel the pain that comes with such a loss.

While Memorial Day wasn’t declared a national holiday until 1971, its origins date back to the Civil War: www.va.gov. It was originally referred to as Decoration Day because it was the day to decorate the graves of those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the observance was expanded to remember those who died in all of our wars.

This coming weekend’s holiday is intended for us to take the time to remember those who gave their lives in our wars. While many will simply see this as a three-day weekend marking the beginning of summer, we should also remember the families left to grieve. There are spouses, children, parents, siblings and other family members who feel the pain of those lost in our wars. Along with the moment of remembrance spent to honor those lost, it is also important to remember those living with those losses.

We should also remember that there is that family of brothers and sisters in arms who also feel the loss. This is the other family that is often overlooked. Far too often, they were unable to take the time to grieve the loss when it occurred. The men and women who survived the firefight, the battle, the war in which one of their own is lost are members of a different kind of family. For those who lived and witnessed that last breath, that last moment of life, the toll on them is no less and possibly more than the toll on traditional family members. For many, those images of those moments of loss will never leave them.

Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering those who died fighting in our wars. Hopefully, most will take a moment to remember that during the long weekend. It is also important to remember that we owe much to those who are still living and who have served and suffered the physical and mental scars of serving in harm’s way. We reserve a day to remember those we’ve lost. We should make sure that every day we remember to support and provide what is needed for those who survived.

About The Fortunate Son, by Timothy Trainer

In this book, Tim recounts the parallel lives of an army brat and a group of Vietnam veterans who intersect decades after the war. “The veterans open up to me, the army brat, perhaps in a way they never have with their own families,” explains author Timothy Trainer. “Through my father, Top, their First Sergeant, we have a common link. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know each other. They begin to understand the sacrifices of an army family. But, more importantly, they want me to understand how our family’s sacrifice and my father’s tour of duty in Vietnam with them, in the jungles, gave them confidence to believe they would make it home alive.”

The Fortunate Son is not about a single battle or a single soldier’s tour of duty. You will meet us, learn something about us, and get a glimpse of our lives during the war years. You’ll find out why half a century after that tour of duty ended, we remain bound together. If you’ve ever been in the military or part of a military family, you’ll know that we all are bound together. For those who find the military to be foreign and unknown, our story may help you to understand why it binds so many together.

Fourteen of these soldiers have shared their stories. Their stories describe two life transitions—first from civilian teenagers or young men to combat grunts trying to stay alive in the jungle—and then back to stateside life. What happens between these transitions, as they slog through the jungle day by day paints their portrait of Top, my father. Now, I appreciate why they remain bound together half a century after their tour ended. Their stories are an unexpected gift that bestows new insight to me on my father. So, as you read and “listen” to these soldiers’ stories, both what they say and how they describe Top, you understand why I’ve learned that I am The Fortunate Son.

Click here to Buy the Book.

Click here to watch more videos from The Fortunate Son on TimothyTrainerTV.

About the Author: Tim Trainer is an army brat. He was born into the Army in Japan and was a high school junior when his father retired from the Army. Typical of Army or military brats of the times, he had attended 10 schools by the time of his high school graduation. He did not arrive in the United States until he was past his fifth birthday. After arriving in the United States, the Army life meant living in various parts of the United States, on and off post, depending upon his father’s duty station.

He had three “tours of duty” at Ft. Knox, KY, (some elementary school, some high school, and basic training). Upon his discharge from the Army in July 1975, he left the Army behind permanently. At the time of his discharge, he was twenty-one and half years old but had spent twenty years as either an army brat or on active duty.

After the Army years, he eventually earned a law degree and moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1987. Since moving to the Washington, D.C., area, he has worked as an attorney in federal government agencies and in the private sector. He has traveled extensively around the world, including several trips to Vietnam.

This work is evidence that his break from the Army was not “permanent.” In the late 1990s, his father, who was reuniting regularly with men he had served with in B2-7, invited him to meet the guys when they met in Washington, D.C. This led to his father’s invitation to attend a summer reunion in 2003. Since 2003, Mr. Trainer has been a regular attendee of the B2-7 reunions in Washington, D.C., and at the summer gatherings at what he calls “Camp Gast.”

Learn more about Tim and his books: TimothyTrainer.com

Read

“The Big Sigh as US-China Engage,” by author and IP attorney Timothy Trainer

May 13, 2025: The “deal” that isn’t really a deal. This amounts to buying time to allow both sides to sit down and talk about the possibility of some type of economic agreement. Simply talking caused U.S. markets to fly high on May 12: Wall Street equity indexes close higher after US-China tariff truce | Reuters. It’s worth noting, too, that Reuters refers to what happened as a truce, not a deal.

Though the two governments announced this tariff truce and lowered tariff rates, a few trade issues seemed to evade clear answers. Will China ease restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals that U.S. companies and the defense industry rely upon? There seems to be some opinions that China is likely to continue using rare earth minerals as a lever in its negotiations with the U.S.: After U.S. and China pause tariffs, rare mineral exports now in the spotlight of future trade deals | Fortune.

Any U.S.-China bilateral engagement is wrought with significant challenges. These challenges are because the trade value between the two biggest economies was approximately $583 billion in 2024. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html. Given the volume and value of trade between the two countries, the negotiations will require a lot of hard work and a commitment from both sides to fulfill the obligations an agreement when one is reached.

It is worth noting that the U.S. and China have engaged in years of discussions related to bilateral economic and commercial activities. The relationship has had its turbulent periods. Before China entered the World Trade Organization, the U.S.’s allegations of China’s massive exports of substandard, counterfeit goods to our market triggered legally required consultations in the late 1990s. That period also included U.S. threats to impose trade sanctions. The sanctions were avoided when China committed to undertake steps to address the problem. Unfortunately, years after these commitments, China has remained the main source of counterfeit goods seized by U.S. authorities at the border.

The U.S. and China have also created other mechanisms for bilateral talks aimed at addressing economic and commercial issues. As far back as 1983, the U.S. and China established the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade for the purpose of “addressing bilateral trade matters and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China.” geneva.usmission.gov. From 2006 to 2017, the U.S. and China also engaged in another bilateral discussion framework that began as the Strategic Economic Dialogue then renamed the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue.

Basically, the two governments have been in constant dialogue on economic and commercial issues for decades. Anyone can argue the efficacy of all these meetings regardless of the framework constructed for holding bilateral talks. Each side has known what the other is unhappy about throughout the decades as they’ve been discussed for many years.

As the two governments have called a truce while they discuss how to move forward, a sigh of relief could be heard around the world on May 12. We will now await what happens during the discussions that will be held over the coming weeks.

What are the two heads of government doing? While the U.S. tends to claim some victory, China’s Xi was meeting with Brazil’s president as those two countries work to hammer out agreements on future projects and cement a stronger economic bond. Brazil seeks China trade boost amid Trump tariff chaos as Lula meets Xi. In addition, China’s Xi will be speaking at a forum this week in Shanghai where Caribbean and Latin American government heads of state will be in attendance. China’s President Xi Jinping to speak at opening of China-CELAC Forum on Tuesday | Reuters.

Americans shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that all is well because of the current U.S.-China truce in the tariff war. The geo-economic strategies of all our trading partners need to be studied as our future economic health depends upon what others do. In particular, it is critical to our economic future that we watch and analyze how China is working to create economic relationships to protect itself from U.S. decisions that might have negative effects on its economy. The question is whether the team the U.S. has assembled is up to the task of what’s needed for the U.S. economy to thrive in a global environment.

Read

Congratulations to Timothy Trainer’s “The China Factor” now #63 on Amazon’s Asian Literature list

May 2025: Timothy Trainer’s 2024 book, “The China Factor,” popped into the Top 100 in Asian Literature for Amazon Kindle books — moving from number 450 to 63. Click here to get your copy!

About The China Factor

In the spring of 2005, the FBI foils a government employee’s attempt to provide confidential information to the Chinese. As the FBI struggles to understand why the information is valuable, its investigation entangles Capitol Hill staffer Kellie Liang and jeopardizes her nomination to a State Department position. Under scrutiny, Kellie thrusts herself into the FBI investigation. Seeking a voice of reason, Kellie reaches out to Aaron Foster only to learn that he is vacationing in Vietnam with his uncle, a war veteran. Surprisingly, Aaron believes he has found a Chinese corporate connection to the information theft, and from two sides of the world, Kellie and Aaron work to thwart China’s efforts and save Kellie’s nomination.

Timothy Trainer, an attorney, worked in multiple federal government agencies and in the private sector. His non-traditional legal career included a significant focus on international trade issues. His work required extensive travel around the world, including dozens of trips to the Asia-Pacific region. His experiences led him to co-author a legal treatise for fifteen years, penning the novels, The China Connection and Pendulum Over the Pacific, and authoring a non-fiction book, The Fortunate Son: Top, Through the Eyes of Others, about men who served in Vietnam with his father.

Read

Kent State: 55 Years (War, Protests and Lessons), by Timothy Trainer

We often commemorate events in ten-year intervals or at the quarter century, half-century or century mark. This year, however, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of a day 55 years ago on May 4, 1970. In view of the onslaught of federal government cuts to university research funding, threats to foreign students, and the White House’s threats aimed at universities that fail to bend to the President’s will and way of thinking, we should remind ourselves that those who are in positions of power can press the panic button that leads to the most extreme government actions.

The tragic shooting and killing of students on May 4, 1970, followed years of nationwide campus unrest and protests regarding U.S. involvement in Vietnam. It’s worth noting that during the first several months of 1970, April proved to be the deadliest with 730 U.S. troops killed during that month, including 70 killed on the first day of April. Firebase Illingworth Illuminated in a Titanic Horror – VFW (additional statistics available: amerianwarlibrary.com/vietnam/vwc24.htm).

Between 1964 and the end of 1969, the military draft had resulted in the induction of over 1.5 million young American men. https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/induction-statistics/. During that same period, over 48,500 Americans had died in Vietnam. https://www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics. Tens of thousands of others serving in Vietnam were wounded. On April 29, 1970, President Nixon ordered the military incursion into Cambodia and informed the country of this development the next day. The expansion of the war into Cambodia was met with protest around the country. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/remembering-vietnam-online-exhibit-episodes-9-12.

Whether young adult males were in college or not, they were needed to serve and fight in Vietnam and Nixon’s speech was seen as expanding the war not an attempt to bring the war to an end. Nixon’s announcement resulted in college student reactions around the country: historicexhibits.lib.iastate. At the time, the reaction in Ohio was similar to those on other campuses and college towns around the country.

The reason the Kent State shooting becomes even more important today is because of the way the federal government and Trump are targeting universities and students. Just as political leaders ignored their young constituents more than half a century ago, those in political leadership in the nation’s capital today seem intent on ignoring or, worse, punishing those whose opinions are not in line with what the White House wants to hear.

The U.S. Government should not force a way of thinking, requiring institutions of higher education to bend to one man’s set of facts and opinions. If these places are intended to be centers for learning, part of that mission is to be a place of diverse opinions, diverse peoples and the willingness to debate issues from all sides.

University and college campuses are places where young minds should be exposed to new thinking, different thinking and where we challenge what has been learned and observed. The point of education is to broaden us as individuals; it is not for us to surrender to someone else’s ego-driven desires.

History should teach us, inform us of something. Fifty-five years ago, the war, the political conduct of the war and the tensions between opposing views of what should be done resulted in the government’s use of deadly force.

There are many lessons arising from that day and each person will take from that event what they wish. One thing is certain, some in the ruling-political class of that time didn’t want to accept the views or opinions of those opposing the war. Ultimately, armed force, lethal force was unleashed on the Kent State campus.

The government, whether at the federal or state level, has the tools available to call upon those who are armed and in the service of the government and in the name of the citizenry to quell and quash those whose opinions the government doesn’t like or to simply ignore the laws of the land and act beyond the law to intimidate those who speak out against the government.

What was true 55 years ago and remains so today is that whether it is an institution of higher learning or anywhere else, differing opinions exist around a set of established facts. Under our system, the government may set policies and implement them, but the government does not tell us what opinions to hold, how we interpret facts presented and whether we can express those opinions. The lesson is that we cannot allow the government to suppress thought and speech because there are times when the government’s actions demand a response from the people.

Watch

Listen

Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio May 2025: Ep1 Tim’s Travails — Don’t miss this new podcast/video show on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv featuring intellectual property attorney and author Timothy Trainer May 2025 — Stay up to date with Tim's blog, where he regularly writes about topics that provide a glimpse into how the Trump administration handles international trade. What inspires these posts, and what can readers hope to learn? Listen to our interview here, and read all about it at TimothyTrainer.com. Read

May 2025: Ep1 Tim’s Travails — Don’t miss this new podcast/video show on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv featuring intellectual property attorney and author Timothy Trainer

May 2025: Hello friends! I’m Hope Katz Gibbs, founder of Inkandescent, and I’m so happy today to introduce you to our new client and podcaster — IP attorney and author Tim Trainer. We met at Elaine’s Literary Salon just after his 3^rd novel, The China Factor, was published this year. In the months since, our Inkandescent team has had the privilege of launching his new website, TimothyTrainer.com and posting entries to his blog that talks from experience about international trade, especially with China, as well as the current state of global economics and politics.

Writing books is his passion. In his downtime, Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2020. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2017, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains. In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection. In December 2024, he followed it with The China Factor.

On this podcast/video show, Tim’s Travails, will be talking about topics and interviewing other experts who will help us better understand our world in 2025.

Today, in Episode 1, we focus on Tim who shares:

You grew up with a father who had an impressive career in the Army. Tell us about your experience as an “Army brat,” and what led you ultimately to pen, “The Fortunate Son.”
Tell us about what led you to become an intellectual property attorney and what your 30-year career was like, traveling the world and specializing in international trade.
In your blog, you write about topics that provide a glimpse into how the Trump administration is handling international trade, especially with China. Headlines include “Hairline Fracture or Clean Break,” in reference to an April 16 article in Raw Story: Trump business allies reeling as they realize ‘he is crazier than they thought’: analysis – Raw Story. In a post called “Shutdown Threats and the Numbers Game,” came just before the government threatened to shut down. Tell us about what inspires your posts, and what you hope readers learn.
In this podcast/video show, you’ll be tackling other important topics. Who will be some of your guests?
We’ll also be doing something fun: Having conversations with the characters in your books. I think it’s fascinating to hear from the author about the backstory of their characters and what helped to birth them on the pages of the books. Today, can you pick one character and tell us about him/her?
What’s next for Tim Trainer? More books?

Stay tuned for more episodes on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv, and of course log in regularly for new blog entries and other information on Tim’s website, www.TimothyTrainer.com.

Read

“Vietnam: 50 Years of Transformation,” by Timothy Trainer

April 30, 2025, marks the 50^th anniversary of the fall of Saigon in 1975. Saigon, renamed Ho Chi Minh City, fell to North Vietnamese troops on this date. Twenty-nine years earlier, in a January 18, 1946 letter, Ho Chi Minh wrote to President Truman that stated, in part, “[t]he French have tremendously increased their fighting forces. Millions of people will suffer, thousands will be killed and invaluable properties will be destroyed, unless the United States would step out to stop that bloodshed and unlawful aggression. . .. I respectfully request you to interfere for an immediate solution of the Vietnamese issue. The people of Vietnam earnestly hopes that the great American Republic would help us to conquer full independence and support us in our reconstruction work.” historynet.com/ho-chi-minh-truman-letter-vietnam

History informs us that the U.S. did not respond to the letter as Ho Chi Minh had hoped. Instead, the U.S. pursued a course that would take us into Vietnam and engage in a war that is still subject to many debates and controversies.

Much has changed in Vietnam during the intervening half century. An agrarian country has transformed itself into a hub of activity. Today, Vietnam’s energetic population fuels a growing economy. The country attracts foreign investors who see the economic potential of an industrious population. In turn, increased opportunities provide its citizens with opportunities to continue the country’s rapid economic development.

While the country is described as a politically communist country, Vietnam’s commercial activity, both domestic and international, relies on a capitalistic approach. It is more appropriate to consider Vietnam as having a “socialist-oriented market economy.” Is Vietnam still a communist country? – Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions. Recalling a 1997 trip to Moscow and Hanoi only weeks apart, the two capitals could not have been more different to this traveler. While Moscow’s store shelves seemed bare, Hanoi’s streets buzzed with commercial activity where people busied themselves in all forms of commercial activity. The streets of Hanoi were alive while those in Moscow were gloomy.

Vietnam is following in the tradition of other Asian countries as it climbs the ladder in economic performance. Depending upon whose data one looks at, Vietnam ranks in the mid-thirties for gross domestic product in the world. GDP by Country – Worldometer, Vietnam GDP – Gross Domestic Product 2005 | countryeconomy.com, Vietnam’s Booming Consumer Class – The Globalist.

Having watched a war on the nightly news and endured the daily “what if” during my father’s two combat tours of duty in Vietnam, it is gratifying to see a country we once deemed an enemy grow and develop as Vietnam has. With multiple trips to Vietnam over the past quarter century, the takeaways include observations of enthusiastic students, hard-working people and a country that emits a palpable and infectious level of energy.

Despite the miscalculations and missed opportunities in the past, we should endeavor to grow our relationship with a country that has so much going for it. Hopefully, our current policies will not drive the country away when there is so much to gain.

Read

“Sledgehammer or Scalpel?” asks IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

We love to target the government. Many have the image of lazy, overpaid government employees. What do they do to improve the lives of citizens? What do they do to improve the ability of our businesses to compete in an ever more competitive global business climate? How does the government protect our international interests militarily and otherwise? Well, the questions about what the federal government does for its citizens and the country could go on and on.

Most will likely agree that sledgehammers and scalpels are very different. If the goal is to break up a slab of concrete, it’s probably a lot easier to do that using a sledgehammer, but that same sledgehammer is the wrong tool to use if cutting into a body to get at a joint that needs replaced or to access a body organ. In many ways, the lack of precision in reducing government waste is likely to result in the kind of damage a sledgehammer causes.

It is not difficult to get agreement on the topic that there is waste in government. The federal budget is like many household budgets. For most, there’s always room for cutting expenses. The question is who should do the cutting and how it should be done.

What we’ve witnessed during the past few months is a sledgehammer approach by people who do not understand the role of the federal government, what it does, how it does it and why. Businesspeople and entrepreneurs have an enormous advantage over the government because they concentrate on a return on investment (profits) and oversee an operation that is much more limited and focused than what a government is expected to deliver to its citizens. At this point, the vast array of what the government is expected to deliver for its citizenry and businesses is an endless list. Some are simple things like national security, but even that is not as simple as many might wish to believe.

Today, the concept of national security is much more complex than one might imagine. Simplistically, it might be understood to be those who serve in the armed forces. It’s the “military”, but that fails to capture the concept of national security in all its forms. Does the concept of national security include the research and development of the latest technologically advanced weapons systems? If so, who does all this research, and where? Who manufactures these systems? Should economic issues be considered as part of “national security”? If so, what does that entail? Should the government take on the task of ensuring that U.S. businesses are treated equally under the law in a foreign country as if they were a domestic company? A discussion on national security can quickly expand into areas that many may never have expected.

Given the fact that the federal government is not transparent in the numbers of government employees being fired or taking buyouts, there are no precise numbers. However, the New York Times has attempted to compile statistics that reflect the number of job cuts, buyouts, and expected future reductions to federal agencies. The Times’s effort to compile the numbers reaches an overall federal employee reduction of roughly 270,000. What We Know About the Trump Administration’s Cuts to the Federal Work Force – The New York Times

The challenge for anyone cutting government staff is to understand why a particular office exists, what it does and how many people it might take to fulfill a particular mission. Simply eliminating offices and staff without the appropriate analysis can do more harm to the government’s overall mission.

For all intents and purposes, the gutting and elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a great example of doing harm without assessing what it does and how it delivers positive results for the U.S. While the superficial appearance of the activities of USAID may seem wasteful, this should not be the basis for the complete elimination of the agency and its activities.

For example, do we want to encourage a more positive business climate for U.S. businesses in foreign countries so they can operate under fair and equitably applied laws and regulations? If the answer is yes, then USAID activities that addressed commercial law issues in a particular country, working with a foreign government to improve laws and regulations that would attract more U.S. commercial opportunities and improve the ability of U.S. businesses to generate profits, seem to be worthwhile activities. These were activities conducted in numerous countries. Essentially, USAID worked to provide a more welcoming legal landscape for U.S. businesses. These are not activities individual companies undertake.

There is no doubt that some of USAID’s work was duplicated by other government offices. Several government offices and agencies are involved in economic and commercial development programs abroad that work to improve the business climate for U.S. businesses, but the sledgehammer approach fails to appreciate the work, the skill sets, and expertise that are needed to engage various foreign government agencies to make necessary progress.

A more precise management approach to reorganize or consolidate agencies, offices, and staff that are tasked with these projects is more efficient than the wholesale elimination of the agency without consideration of the goodwill these projects generated toward the U.S.

While USAID is only one agency, there are other losses among these personnel cutbacks that are priceless. No price tag can be placed on the loss of institutional knowledge, expertise, and specialized skills of thousands of employees leaving government service. Ultimately, the country will likely pay a high tax price to rebuild what is lost. It’s hard to fix anything if you fail to use the right tools.

Read

“Hairline Fracture or Clean Break?” asks IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

This isn’t about an accident involving the need for medical attention. Nor does this refer to a marriage with problems. Headlines can grab attention when they include words like “crazier than they thought” in reference to businesspeople saying that about the president. Trump business allies reeling as they realize ‘he is crazier than they thought’: analysis – Raw Story (April 16, 2025). Apparently, within the business world, the supposed businessman at the helm seems crazy to some of his fellow executives.

Reading something like this should raise lots of eyebrows. One serious question to ask is whether the greed factor of many executives is so great that they ignored or overlooked so many warning signs pointing to the negative effects on the country and its people. Why are business leaders surprised? Aren’t they old enough to remember Trump’s first term? Didn’t they see how tariffs during that first term fell far short of the stated goals of the businessman in chief?

The reaction of the business world is not limited to U.S. executives. Globally, there is a massive shift that may be underway and unstoppable. The tariff impositions and threats from Washington have had a tidal wave effect. China’s leader is not blind to things happening outside of China, and the United States, as a headline on April 16 read: China Pounces as Trump Turns on Europe. China pounces as Trump turns on Europe. The Telegraph article states that the “trade war has given China the chance to shake off its image as the rogue giant of global trade and investment, and appear as a pillar of stability in contrast to a volatile and unpredictable US.” Unfortunately, it’s hard to argue with this point in view of Trump’s constantly changing position on tariffs.

Every day seems to bring new rounds of chaos as the guessing game continues in April. Given all the announcements this month, referencing a chart like the one provided by NBC News is needed to keep up with these announcements. Trump tariff timeline: How the U.S. turned global trade into an economic battlefield.

The April 2^nd announcement of 10% tariffs for the world was followed by the April 3^rd announcement of an additional 25% on auto parts.
On April 8th, an additional 50% tariff went into effect for Chinese goods, with an additional 21% added the next day, along with an announced 90-day reprieve for the rest of the world regarding the 10% announced on April 2nd.
On April 11^th, tariff exemptions were announced for electronic products, Smartphones and computers are now exempt from Trump’s latest tariffs | CNN Business, though these exemptions might be lifted at an announced time, injecting instability into the news of the electronics goods reprieve.

With China, the European Union, and other governments looking to bolster their trade and economic relationships without the U.S., it should make everyone think about the future economic health and stability in the U.S. Moreover, with China’s announced bans of exports of rare earth minerals along with a government order to stop acquiring Boeing planes, the trade war takes on a new dimension far beyond just tariffs, i.e., prices of goods.

In addition, hints at foreign governments not seeing the U.S. as an economically stable place to invest are likely to result in other types of economic pain in the form of higher interest rates for homes, cars, and other products. What you need to know about the sell-off of ‘safe haven’ US bonds | AP News. Thus, while the U.S. has sought in recent years to have our companies become less reliant on China by moving facilities back to the U.S., the current overall picture of the world is that foreign governments do not see the U.S. as a stable and reliable place to place bets on and continue financing U.S. debt thereby moving away from us. It is unrealistic to believe that the U.S. can maintain the kind of standard of living and comfort we’ve become accustomed to by implementing policies that drive away governments that provide the economic support necessary for the U.S. to thrive.

As the rest of the world reassesses its economic links to the U.S., the question is whether the injury is a minor hairline fracture or if trading partners are looking for a clean break. Unless more serious and thoughtful decisions are made and soon, this is likely to be a self-inflicted injury that may require lots of micro-level hardware to fix to keep things together.

Read

Tim’s Tale: A little fictional humor and diversion from the daily news cycle

Silversea’s World Cruise 2022 has lasting after-effects. A local news piece reported that several restaurants and bars filed police reports about a mature-aged man with limited mobility having skipped out on his food and beverage bills. Local police departments distributed a sketch of the man who was finally identified by a local restaurateur and prevented from leaving unless he paid his bill.

Police were called when he objected to what he described as barbaric treatment and terrible service. Upon questioning, he vehemently denied running out on any bills. “I haven’t been able to run in decades, look at me,” he told the police. “At my age, does this body look like a runner’s body?” he challenged them. Police agreed he probably waddled out rather than ran out on a check.

Police were curious about his repeated non-payment at all the establishments. “These people,” the man said, turning all red. “They just expect you to walk to a table, never offered to pull out a chair, never placed a napkin in my lap. Then, of all things, they expect me to use the same silverware for my appetizer, main dish, and dessert. There’s something wrong with these people. Where’s their dignity, their sanity? I’m used to a certain level of service. They can’t just treat me like, like, well, everyday people. I’m a member of the Venetian Society.”

That’s when police placed him in the squad car, convinced that the retiree was not all there. When asked where he lived, he told them Cabin 630. When prodded for more information, the man said Whisper. The police officers spoke softly in a whisper. The retiree, shaking his head, simply told police, “You just don’t get it do you.”

Making his one phone call, it wasn’t to his lawyer or family member, he called his travel agent who put him through to Silversea’s new PCR-Syndrome Hotline (Post-Cruise Reality Syndrome), established after several passengers had reported having similar problems.

Local police have added a new profile to identify post-world cruise syndrome victims.

Read

Scouting Report, by Timothy Trainer

April 9, 2025 — At this point, foreign officials and business leaders may be exchanging notes about all the reasons for minimizing the U.S. in their respective plans for seeking future economic and trade stability. With the track record of Trump’s first term and the first 90 days of his return to the White House, it might be a rather simple scouting report: Trump White House is unreliable and not trustworthy, knee-jerk decision making, lacking in strategic thinking, blanket application of tariffs, simplistic approach to global trade issues, inability to distinguish between friend and foe. Much more might be on the list, but these points might appear near the top.

Days of global financial chaos arising from Trump’s announced tariffs resulted in an about-face today as he announced a pause in imposing those hefty tariffs on many countries. Trump Pauses Some Reciprocal Tariffs for 90 Days, Raises China Tariffs to 125%: Live Updates – The New York Times. Senator Ron Johnson, a GOP senator, was quoted as saying, “I still don’t know exactly what his total strategy is”. Pro-Trump Sen. Ron Johnson Makes Stark Admission About Tariffs

Despite the announced 90-day pause in imposing those high-rate tariffs that were announced on April 2nd, the real question is why would any person in a foreign government that was targeted for tariffs take the American president seriously? The initial announcement wreaked havoc on global financial markets, resulting in losses in the trillions. Looking forward, Trump could abruptly change his mind again and not wait 90 days and impose tariffs on some countries that are getting the reprieve.

With a 90-day reprieve for many governments, excluding China from this moratorium, it provides these governments (and businesses) with time to outline and draft economic and trade strategies that might help in the future when Trump decides to impose tariffs. Unlike Washington’s apparent “strategy-free zone”, officials in world capitals might spend the next few days and weeks talking to each other and developing a way forward that reduces the US factor in the economic equation, knowing this will be difficult.

Understandably, foreign businesses and governments will not simply turn away when the U.S. is the biggest market for many of them. Nevertheless, the instability, chaos, and whiplash effect of Trump’s actions as he treats our closest allies as if they are economic enemies either will or has already caused a deep chasm in relations. The level of trust in the U.S., if it still exists, has been diminished significantly.

Given the past week’s on again, off again and who knows when again tariffs situation, Trump’s actions may fuel greater economic and trade cooperation via existing regional trade groupings that do not include the U.S. China’s involvement and influence in both BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and six other countries) and RCEP, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (ten ASEAN countries plus China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand), provide fertile arrangements for governments to explore various ways in which to soften the blow of U.S. tariffs by increasing economic cooperation within these groups.

Other regional trade agreements, such as MERCOSUR (South American countries) and CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) that do not include China, may also be pressed to explore and expand ways to avoid the worst impacts of future U.S. tariffs.

The pursuit of improved economic and trade cooperation is already being reported. On April 10^th, the South China Morning Post reported that China is increasing its outreach to the European Union and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). China seeks to strengthen EU, Asean ties as US trade war escalates | South China Morning Post

While Trump’s closest advisors tout new interest by our trading partners to negotiate, the question to ask is: are the negotiations by our trading partners a way of buying time while they get their economic and trade strategies in order with the rest of the world knowing that the U.S. is no longer reliable and likely to inject continued instability into the world’s trading system. If there is such a thing as malpractice in governance, a head of government who is not exploring ways to retain some semblance of economic and trade security and stability with the rest of the world, excepting the U.S., would seem to be committing malpractice.

Previous 1 2 3 4 Next