Perhaps you noted radio silence from my studio lately. I spent the last two weeks of May in Vietnam. Each year at this time I lead a group of students (from the University of San Francisco where I am a professor) on a trip to monitor the effects of globalization. Last year our destination was India, the year prior to that to Peru.

I want to see firsthand if expanding global markets are creating increased opportunities for the world's poor. My students and I study how economic markets are structured in a given country, and whether mechanisms in place will lead to economic growth for the many or affluence for the few. We also focus on how political systems respond to changes in capital investment and new production. Finally, we take a close look at cultural values, and whether they are stable or lose their hold on individuals and families in a fast-changing society.

Last year I wrote a column decrying the added fees that were buried in my cellular phone bills. The realization that I had financial parasites discreetly feeding off my cash flow motivated me to start paying more attention to my monthly bills.

So when a "Systems Analysis Charge" of $10 popped up on my monthly statement from US Bank, I suspected unauthorized access to my savings. I did not recall asking for an expert to pour over my "systems." In fact, I did not even realize I owned "systems" - who could guess that my personal checking account suddenly could be so complicated?

The culture wars raged on in Seattle again this past week. Microsoft had a change of heart. And Starbucks decided to tune out the Boss.

Microsoft switched back to its original public position on legislation that would protect the rights of gays in the workplace. The reversal comes just 15 days after an anti-discrimination bill was defeated in the Washington State Senate by one vote. The measure would have added to a state law that already bans discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, religion, marital status and other factors.

I got pulled into a debate in the Seattle media this past week over the Microsoft Corporation's decision to shift positions on anti-discrimination legislation in the state of Washington.

If you missed the firestorm, Microsoft a year ago issued a letter of support for proposed laws that would prevent an individual from being fired on the basis of his or her sexual orientation. The legislative package also included basic civil rights for gays that mirror the commitment that Microsoft has made to its own workforce.

Then last week, The Stranger, a Seattle alternative weekly newspaper, reported that Microsoft had changed its position from support to neutrality, and that the change came under pressure from Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, Washington. Hutcherson, who charged that supporting gay rights was an affront to Christian morality, had threatened to organize a national boycott of Microsoft products.