Author Mark W Sasse recalls a childhood trip to the world's first commercial oil well - Drake's Well - built in 1859. This remarkable achievement by Edwin Drake started an oil boom in Western Pennsylvania.

This experience allows him to ruminate about the oil industry, the innovators of modern society, and whether the climate change pushers in this day and age should be trusted or not.

The Crossing Ideas Podcast seeks to understand the world of today through a lifetime of international travels.

Author Mark W Sasse recalls getting caught up in the anti-Russian protests of March 2022 in Tbilisi Georgia, just after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He talks about visiting Stalin's underground printing press in Tbilisi and theorizes how activism hasn't really changed much at all through the years. Learn more about Stalin and his roots in Georgia, and then see how that relates to the Georgian take on the Ukranian War.

Oh, and there's a statue of Reagan to explore in Tbilisi as well. Can't leave that out.

Tbilisi, Georgia. I've visited there four times. There's something unique in the air. A place steeped in culture, the Georgian Orthodox Church, their claim to being the birthplace of wine, their precarious setting south of Russia, with the mighty Caucasus Mountains standing guard. In this episode, I delve into the wonderful sights and sounds of Tbilisi, and check out its heart and soul: its bathhouse culture. In doing so, I begin to ponder about the culture of my own country. Is America still a melting pot? What can I learn about my home through experiencing the rough and tumble culture of this proud eastern European country?

Let's find out.

In the season 1 finale of the Crossing Ideas Podcast, author Mark W Sasse delves deeply into those characteristics of both Vietnam and American, which have permanently bored themselves into his mind. He realizes that no matter how long he has lived overseas - including long stints in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia - he will never shed his love for America. Likewise, even twenty years after leaving Vietnam, its imprint is still seen on his soul today.

Season 2 will be coming later this summer with an ETA of August 2023.

Check out my books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU

In episode 11 of the Crossing Ideas Podcast from Author Mark W. Sasse, he relates what it was like for his kids to grow up in a rapidly changing Vietnam in the mid to late 1990s. He is able to see some parallels, as unlikely as that may seem, in how he grew up in Pennsylvania. He also recalls an incident when his child realized that she was different from the other kids around her, which elicits some reflections about the reparations debate currently raging in the USA.

Check out Sasse's blog and books at: https://www.mwsasse.com/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markwsasse

In episode 9 of the Crossing Ideas Podcast with Author Mark W Sasse, the topic is cooking, and in turn, what do we really need to learn in school. Sasse recounts his arrival in Vietnam in 1994 as a frightening experience for his sensitive, bland American palate. He struggled to figure out how to buy food and then what to do with it, but as time progressed, he learned something about himself: he loved cooking! He goes on to contemplate about the lost skills of the classroom. What aren't we teaching kids today that we should be?

Check out Sasse's many books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU

In the 8th episode of the Crossing Ideas Podcast, author and award-winning playwright Mark W Sasse recalls the hilarious story of trying to find a Christmas tree in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam in December of 1999. It was not an ordinary tree by any means, and it required climbing a tree to actually get it. This bizarre story allows Sasse to delve into the special moments of life which we all hold dear. He takes this strand and extrapolates into a look at religion in Vietnam and the beliefs, traditions, and ties that bind humans together.

Don't forget to check out Sasse's novels on his Amazon store, including his latest, Christmas in '45. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU

In the seventh episode of the Crossing Ideas Podcast, award-winning playwright and author Mark W Sasse compares the language experiences he had between learning French in the United States and learning Vietnamese in Vietnam. He recalls stories of his three different language teachers, who taught him how to respect language and use it to build bridges with people around you. This gets Sasse thinking about the dumbing down of our own language back home in the United States.

Check out Sasse's 12 novels, including many about Vietnam: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU

In the sixth episode of the Crossing Ideas Podcast, award-winning playwright and author Mark W Sasse recalls an unforgettable motorbike trip to the far reaches of northern Vietnam to visit the Ban Gioc Waterfall at the China border. The scenic vistas made the trip truly mesmerizing, but it was the interaction with border control guard which allowed Sasse to reassess his views of country borders and the ongoing saga of immigration that the United States has been dealing with for over forty years.

Check out Sasse's 12 novels, including many about Vietnam: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0058BFJHU