Saturday, September 5, 2009

Industrial Work in Iraq

Wow, I've been working in Iraq for almost seven months. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. The pace of work, lack of time off and lack of personal space blends one day into another. Even given the difficulties, the work is some of the most rewarding that I've ever done. Here are a couple of links to stories:

http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/04/20/19879-patrolling-for-industry-coalition-forces-assist-local-businesses-with-improving-productivity/index.html

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27470&Itemid=225

Friday, January 30, 2009

Big Changes

It's been some time since I posted. It hasn't been the result the laziness, or even a lack of ideas. Rather, there have been some big changes for me. I've accepted a full-time position with the US State Department and have reported for duty this week. I'll share more of my experiences as the job develops, and will use this blog to do so. I'll definitely be traveling to some interesting places.

That said, there will be a need to re-interpret the title of the blog. Normally, you would assume that I mean "China Business" and "China Travel." In this case, I would ask that you allow the "China," "Business," and "Travel" blog.

During my time with the State Department, I'll be working as an Industrial Advisor. I should have some great opportunities to compare and contrast the state of technology as well as business opportunities in some diverse places. As I said, I'll keep you posted here as things develop.

Monday, January 19, 2009

National Day of Service

In his excellent blog, Seth Godin reminds us that Martin Luther King day is thankfully being transformed into a National Day of Service (instead of another shopping day). He offers a list of service ideas that web-savvy people might consider.

In that spirit, I'd like to tell you a little bit about a charity that my family and I support, the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). IOCC is the official international charitable organization of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). IOCC is involved with a wide range of charitable efforts -- everything from helping to feed refuges in the Gaza Strip and Iraq to working to eliminate hunger in the United States.

In many ways, you might say that IOCC is like many other charities. But there are differences, and those differences are why I support IOCC, and urge you to as well. You're not likely to see many celebrity endorsements (though I'm sure IOCC wouldn't mind), and you certainly won't see any marble-floored corporate headquarters, or millionaire Directors. Volunteers and employees of IOCC and related organizations go about their duties quietly and lovingly, called by Christ Himself to be like the Samaritan on the road to Damascus, and help those whom others have passed by.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Outsourcing Body of Knowledge II

In August of last year, I posted about Mr. Govindarajan Ramu and his effort to develop an outsourcing body of knowledge. Mr. Ramu is an experienced professional, and highly knowledgeable about the topic. I just found out that he presented on the topic of outsourcing quality to the Hong Kong Society for Quality. You can find the announcement here, and the actual presentation here. Looks like great material!