Silk Road International Blog

No generic “happy holidays” here–we’re into the real deal.  Thank God for Pilgrims, America, the Founding Fathers, and Deng Xiaoping.

I’m thankful for Deng’s Opening Up plan that gave me the opportunity to meet my wife.  I’m grateful for those in governments around the world that honestly sacrifice their own interests for the benefits of others–though few and far between, I’m please to know some in China, Thailand and the US.  Thanks, Mom.

I’m thankful for good advice–stay out of dept, be prepared for a rainy day and be prepared to help others.

I’m thankful for my Danish and Irish heritage.  For a great grandmother that immigrated from Denmark in 1913 as a child, who left family and a comfortable life for a new life and a new religion in the US.  I’m grateful she taught me to make kleiner and panika and taught me Danish nursery rhymes that I can still remember (and which I shared with a Danish guy I met on the way to work just this morning!).

I’m grateful for my wife’s Chinese heritage.  For the incredible lessons in hard work, humility, thrift and love that she teaches me.  I’m grateful for her family for welcoming in a big fat loud slightly odd foreigner.  They are incredible people and for no other reason than so that my children can speak to their amazing grandparents, we will always speak Chinese in our home.

I’m grateful for my family’s willingness to serve in the military.  My grandfather, uncles, my father and currently 6 cousins.  I’m grateful that we have a tradition of service.  Despite the problems in the US and atrocities of war, I’m eternally grateful for those who put there lives on the line so I can be safe and raise a family and vote and have so many wonderful freedoms an opportunities (and have the freedom to complain about it all too).

I’m grateful for being raised in a home of faith.  For being taught of God, forgiveness, repentance, charity and principles that do not change with the political or social winds.  I’m grateful that I was taught to work, to practice, to love to learn and to love to read.  I’m grateful that I had the opportunity for as much higher education as I wanted.

I’m grateful for a successful business, many opportunities, wonderful partners and employees.  I am grateful for clients and suppliers that I can trust and that trust me.  How grateful I am to have work in this time of extreme economic crisis.

I’m grateful for friends that are great examples of good lives, successful families, professionalism and who honestly care about others.  Truly, good friends are worth more than gold.

I’m grateful for my parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, one remaining grandma and all those that have passed on.  I’m grateful for 5 smart, handsome, healthy boys.  What’s the point of life without family?!

I’m grateful for tradition–whether it’s football on Thanksgiving, or Old Beatles movies on Christmas or yellow cake on my father’s birthday or heartily waving the red-white-and-blue on the 4th of July.  I’m writing this post today as a continuation of our family’s tradition of sharing what we’re thankful for before we gorge ourselves on our annual Norman Rockwellesque Thanksgiving dinner.

And finally, I’m grateful for those who write about China on many blogs and in books that I love to read.  I’m grateful for those of you who read and comment here.  May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and, with or without turkey, may you take a moment to remember all that you have.

Happy Thanksgiving

David Dayton

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For at least 5 hours each, at two different times today, SRI was off line due to a confirmed SQL attack. The server that hosts SRI in the US was overwhelmed with traffic that shut down the entire server (multiple sites). No email, no website, no blog, no online project access.

If you tried to contact SRI today/yesterday and have not heard back, please contact us again. We’re back on online now!

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A. The British

B. The Chinese

C. The Americans

D. Anyone/everyone else.

Answer: B?

Regardless of what you think the answer should be, the article puts the rise of China into an interesting light.

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If your name is Rick and you called me on Saturday from the US and are still waiting for me to call you back–I’M SO SORRY.   I’ve lost your number; it didn’t record in my phone and I’ve just been praying that you’ll call me back on your own–please do.

Sorry, Rick.  And sorry to the rest of you for making you read this post.

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Flying from HK to LAX is just like going to the moon. American in general, and LAX in particular is like visiting a miniature UN, a fat farm, and a shock-therapy treatment center all in just a few hours.

First person off the plane that I talk to is the customs agent. He asks me about living in China, how long I’m back in the US for; all the typical questions. He wonders why I’m home for the holidays without my wife (she’s already here). He then lets me go with “You can come back and live here forever, you know.” I’m sure my parents paid him to say that.

But things go downhill from there. In the next 3 hours, all while still in LAX, my luggage gets lost, found, lost and then found again. As I try to check in for my domestic transfer, I find out that Delta won’t accept luggage over 50lbs from international flights other than Delta flights. No exceptions. 62lbs means another bag or $50. What ever happened to an “overweight” tag? I guess all the Delta flight attendants are wearing them on their butts. Anyway, I repack my bag into the extra duffel I brought and not so politely inform the desk agent that I have a choice with whom I fly and I no longer will chose to fly Delta. You’d think that during a well publicized hostile takeover the service would be better than average rather than worse than usual.

Then, joy of joys, I get selected for screening and set off the security screening alarms not just once but twice. “Male Assist. Double Alarm.” They offered me a private room for the impending pat down—really! Then my shoes register some chemical residue and have to be completely wiped down, re-x-rayed and check by a supervisor. I get “wanded” twice and then patted down. After that every single piece of electronic equipment (watch, camera, phone, mp3 player, computer, extension cords, portable hard drive, jump drive) gets wiped down and tested for chemical residue. Of course everything is unpacked and I’m unzipped and standing spread eagle in the hallway by the time we’re done. One more “beep” from the wand and I’d be naked—they told me that. Next time I’m taking the private room.

Now, I’m glad that someone is helping us be safe, but honestly, wouldn’t it suck to work for TSA?! I mean, there is no one that is happy to be selected, is there? These TSA people have to deal all day with people who are basically pissed off that they’re just doing their jobs. Cudo’s to Fernando Jr. for being polite the entire time.

So now, finally, I’m at the gate. Delta announcer says: “This is a beverage flight only. You still have a few minutes to run and get some food to bring on the plane if you want.” Are you kidding me?! While air service is getting better and better around the world, why does it seem to be really digressing in the US? Security delays aside, why is flying in the US such a pain now days? Flying in the US today means poor service, rude air hostesses and fees for everything. FYI: it costs as much to fly one-way from LAX to SLC as it does to fly roundtrip from Hong Kong to Bangkok; but HK-BKK flight is longer, uses a bigger planes with more passengers per flight, flys out of the biggest airport in the world, offers a full meal each way and I get great service to boot!

It took me three hours just to get from terminal 3 to terminal 5! At least I got to people-watch and didn’t miss my flight. And, since I have time while I’m waiting to board (zone 9, of course) I can say that after 6 years in China, I love that American is more and more (obviously) multicultural each time I come back. The security guards in customs were African Americans, the customs agents seemed to be all Asian or White Americans. The baggage guys were all India(n) Americans. The Delta employees were all old White or Asian American women wearing way too much makeup. The TSA people were all African or Hispanic Americans except for the supervisors who where all white—everyone. The “missionaries” outside were African American while the Salvation Army people were all old Whiteladies. The counter workers in every one of the shops were Hispanic Americans—I stopped into a few extra shops just to make sure I wasn’t just over generalizing. And, just so I’m not called a racist—remember, this is just what I saw waiting and waiting and waiting in LAX.

Finally, EVERY ONE REGARDLESS OF RACE IS GROSSLY OVER WEIGHT!! We obviously need to start exporting more food to Asia—let’s balance out the trade deficit and drop some lbs at the same time, eh?

Welcome to America.

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