the last word
Publisher ’ s Note
As a teenager growing up and a student in high school , most of my classmates talked of leaving Houston after graduating for Los Angeles , Las Vegas , New York , or Chicago . I must admit that it also crossed my mind to do the same . Houston was seen and promoted then as a “ cow town ran by the good ol ’ boys ” with few opportunities for a kid on my side of town . Instead of feeling stuck in the city of Houston , I decided to heed to a quote of my father , “ Always look for the positive in where you are and what you do for a living .” So , after growing up , I did just that . I started asking myself what was positive about Houston . After all , I was a native Houstonian , a rare breed !
After examining it further , I realized that Houston was the Space capital of the world . I recall President John F . Kennedy ’ s famous quote from when I was a kid , “ We plan to go to the moon ,” and as we all know , Houston was chosen to lead that initiative . Then I asked myself , what else is there ? Of course ! Houston is also home to the largest medical center in the world — the Texas Medical Center , the Oil and Gas capital of the world , the third largest Consular Corps — soon to be the second largest in the nation . The diplomats
stationed in Houston are some of the finest in the world , which brings to mind the Consul General on our April edition front cover , H . E . Ambassador Li Qiangmin , a remarkable figure and a pleasure to interview . It ’ s easy to understand why he was chosen to head the Consulate General of the People ’ s Republic of China in Houston .
I ’ ve mentioned the word world several times in this note with the intent to describe a world-class city . But have I mentioned the worldclass people of the City of Houston I ’ ve come to know ? Not yet , because I ’ ve saved the best for last .
Our Houstonians are wonderful people with a great sense of humor , many of them coming from around the globe to enrich our city with such notable cultural diversity . No wonder Houston ’ s economy is strong . When economies embrace new ideas that come from demographic diversification , they generally fare better .
I ’ ve traveled to many places around the world and I am certain of one thing : I wouldn ’ t live anywhere else !
And as always , thank you for your readership !
Val
Val Thompson Publisher & CEO Val @ iFMagazine . net
64 iF Magazine | April 2018