From the fabricator: Not a shocker

It did not come as a gigantic surprise when I read Glass Magazine's coverage on the problems at the Freedom Tower podium. This situation was a major flashpoint in our industry back in early 2009 (or as I like to say, "the good old days") and mostly surrounded the frustration of a major American landmark having material from China on a significant portion of the structure, especially given what the building stood for and so on. But the design was so intense that it did limit the playing field from a cost standpoint, so at the end of the day, getting it sourced from China outweighed patriotic duty. Plus, it was during this time that I was told a classic line about the process: Barber Glass of Canada was going to be the fabricator, and there was a school of thought that dictated there was no difference between Canada and China because they were both "foreign" entities. That thought still galls me. While it may be factually correct, you just can't lop those two together. Anyway, Glass Magazine has some great coverage out of the gate on this, and we will see how it progresses. It's just a shame so much had to suffer in the meantime for something that had the potential to be so good.

Elsewhere...

• I just don't think there's been enough "soap opera" style story lines in our industry lately... yeesh. All we really need is a love triangle and we could have an Oscar contender on our hands.
• Gas prices supposedly now will drop. And I was right about the $6 per gallon; that mark was eclipsed in Hawaii already. The frustrating thing here is gas prices can go up 10 cents to 20 cents plus per week but going down takes a lot longer. Also, with the unrest continuing in the Middle East and Libya, I still think it's going to be very ugly.
• Speaking of ugly... the Kentucky Derby results... my daughter's Triple Crown streak comes to an end... Oh well, I guess I didn't really want to live in Vegas anyway.
• Last this week... as you have seen me note a few times, in our midst is a fantastically talented artist. Glass Magazine's own Katy Devlin is on the path to stardom, and she now has a pretty awesome music video out. It's my video of the week but you can also access it by clicking here. By the way, the mirror she used in the video, I am sure was made domestically.... Check it out and keep in mind that when she wins her first Grammy, she will thank all of the fine people in the glass industry for supporting her! 

Read on for links of the week...

Max Perilstein is chief marketing officer for Vitro Architectural Products, Memphis. Write him at mperilstein@vitro.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.