"Every man has a train of thought on which he travels when alone. The dignity and nobility of his life, as well as his happiness, depend on the direction that train is going, the baggage it is carries and the scenery through which it travels."— Joseph Fort Newton
Drivel Starved Nation;
Nothing quiets prejudice, hatred and biases more efficiently than travel. Only until one sees, smells, hears and learns from different cultures and their people can you intelligently grow as a citizen of planet Earth. Over the past 4 years, my 8-9 trips to China have been filled with wonderment, awe, disgust, dismay and joy. I thought this field trip idea would be an equally fun learning experience for Bridge City customers. And it was. Continue reading
"Tell me I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand."— Chinese Proverb
Drivel Starved Nation;
After our kick-off dinner, we all took a nice walk along the Bund which was a block or two from our hotel. Here is how it looks to my cell phone at night;
After this spectacular view, we retired for the evening. Well not all of us… but that is another story. Continue reading
“The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.” (Analects 4.16)” — Confucius
Drivel Starved Nation-
Your favorite Tool Potentate just returned from three weeks in China. I spent a week in Guangzhou, 3 days in Shanghai, a week in Nanjing, and 3 days in Beijing.
While in Shanghai I met up with the Bridge City China field trip participants. And while in Beijing we had the privilege of a private dinner with the American ambassador of China and his wife in their private residence followed by a private tour the next day of the American embassy, the largest American embassy in the world. In short, this experience was more than any of us expected and will take multiple posts to share all that we explored.
TRIVIA #1: “Jing” means capital. “Bei” means north. “Nan” means south. Nanjing is the old capital of China and Beijing is the current capital.
Continue reading
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”— Anonymous
Drivel Starved Nation-
Here are a bunch of photo clues for you. Guess where I went and you will win…. NOTHING!
-John
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet."— Abraham Lincoln
Drivel Starved Nation:
This Thursday, I will host the final design review for the Chopstick Master—the production prototype is being hand delivered to Portland this week.
Never in my life did I ever expect to be responsible for a product that makes people so happy. Over the last 32 years, it seems all Bridge City has ever accomplished is the ability to piss people off because we don’t have “Made in China” prices. The irony is appropriate I suppose.