July 28, 2010
Photo Diary: Outdoor Concerts
Few things say “summer” more than live outdoor music, and Amsterdam, Portland and Tokyo do not disappoint in this entertainment department. Here are a few clips from some the destinations’ more famous summer festivals: Fuji Rock Festival, MusicFestNW, and concerts at Vondelpark. Read more »
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June 7, 2010
Mercy Corps on Improving Lives Nonstop
Traversing the world is not just part of what many of the 150 Portland-based Mercy Corps employees do. It’s downright essential to our mission. Providing emergency response, visiting the many forgotten corners of the globe where Mercy Corps operates, meeting with partner organizations across the world – these happen frequently and require fast and efficient air transportation. The nonstop flight services that PDX provides allow Mercy Corps employees – myself included – to do our job more efficiently. Read more »
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June 2, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 11
May 27, 2010
Presently riding the high speed train between Tianjin and Beijing. As you can see by the attached photo, we’re going 321 kilometers per hour or, almost 200 miles per hour. The trains are quite nice and clean, all in all a very civilized way to travel.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Port of Portland
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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 10
May 27, 2010
A delegation from the Port of Portland visited the Port of Tianjin in Northern China today. We are working with them to develop an executive exchange program. The Port of Tianjin is on reclaimed land (that’s what the Dutch call it…we would just say landfill) and it is enormous. 300 million cubic meters of fill were used to create the Port area which has marine terminals, warehouse and distribution facilities, a cruise terminal, housing and recreation facilities. Read more »
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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 9
May 26, 2010
We visited the Chinese car maker BYD. They are rapidly becoming a leader in electric vehicle technology and production. They are also the fastest growing auto brand in China. BYD began as a maker of cell phone batteries and has expanded into cars (including electric vehicles), solar panels and related technology, smart energy, net energy homes and most recently, electric buses. The Port first visited BYD about 3 years ago and was visited by BYD at about that same time.
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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 8
May 26, 2010I had the chance to visit the flagship Nike store in Shanghai today. Aside from being quite large, I was struck by the unique to China product line, and not one, but two Nike iD studios where customers can select shoes from the Nike product line and then pick custom colors and other amenities to their own taste. The customized shoes are shipped directly to the customer. -
June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 7
May 25, 2010The delegates on the Governor’s Asia Trade mission were treated to a water-side tour of the port area of Hong Kong harbor, one of the busiest in the world. That was followed by a visit to the Hutchison International Terminals’ logistic center, an enormous building with 5 million square feet of space devoted to stuffing containers with manufactured goods from Hong Kong and southern China. Many, many household and electronic items that you and I purchase everyday pass through this facility. Read more » -
May 24, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Parts 5-6
Asia Trade Mission Blog #5 (05/19/10): The Governor’s Asia Trade Mission delegation has arrived in South Korea on the very day that the South Korean government will announce the findings of an international investigation into the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel which has concluded that North Korea bears responsibility. In South Korea the proximity of the North and the hostilities between North and South are never very far from any conversation. Read more »
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May 21, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 4
Here are two different perspectives on Japanese bullet trains. One on the outside and one from the inside looking out. These trains connect all the major cities of Japan and travel at speeds of approximately 180 miles per hour. Read more »
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May 21, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 3
Asia Trade Mission Blog #3 (05/17/10): The attached video shows members of the Governor’s Asia trade delegation test driving the Mitsubishi I-miev, their plug-in electric auto. Mitsubishi intends to introduce this vehicle to the US in 2012. The Governor is hoping that Mitsubishi will choose Portland as the launch site for North American sales of the I-meiv which goes over 100 miles per charge. Each charge costs roughly $2.00 in electricity costs. Read more »