Author: canadaslim

Canada Slim and the Distant Bench

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 21 October 2017 There are two distinct types of citizens in many countries: those who are native-born and those who are not. As formerly the former and of late the last two decades the latter, this change of status as a Canadian living in Canada and then as a Canadian living in Asia and… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Distant Bench

Canada Slim and the Undiscovered Country

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 20 October 2017 Captain Spock: Nature abhors a vacuum.  I intend for you to replace me. Lt. Valerus: I could never replace you.  I could only succeed you. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Above: Poster for Star Trek VI It is a legitimate question. When we are gone, who replaces us? I know… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Undiscovered Country

Canada Slim and the Life Electric

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 17 October 2017 We live in such modern times that sometimes it is hard to imagine that there were times before that weren´t so modern. Perhaps in a thousand years, folks will think that the manner of measuring time using the abbreviations BC and AD (before Christ and Anno Domini – in the… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Life Electric

Canada Slim and the Coming of the Fall

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 13 October 2017 There are some things that I don´t enjoy about working at Starbucks: shift work, impolite customers, how horribly messy the customers can be, how terrible things can become when things get insanely busy, especially with the arrival of autumn and the annual St. Gallen OLMA fair on now. No job is perfect. As… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Coming of the Fall

Canada Slim and the Inappropriate Statues

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 11 October 2017 Watching American politics these days is like being witness to a horrific traffic accident: You want to look away but somehow…. You just can´t. So much every day exploding or threatening to explode in the overly Excited States of America. And yet it is this constant turmoil of emotion and endless,… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Inappropriate Statues

Canada Slim and the Birth of a Nation

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 9 October 2017 I was 24 and living in Ottawa, Canada, in 1989, when I read the news about the fall of the Berlin Wall that had separated West Germany from East Germany for a generation. Above: Centre Block, Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Canada I would see remnants of this wall in subsequent visits to… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Birth of a Nation

Canada Slim and the Isle of Silence

Landschlacht, Switzerland,  8 October 2017 It may be the greatest of romances, the strongest of friendships, the warmest of families…. Yet travelling together will put these bonds to the test, for there will come a time when the trip is not ideal for all the travellers simultaneously. For some travelling duos, these moments may be rare and short in duration. For other… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Isle of Silence

Canada Slim and the High Road to Anarchy

Landschalacht, Switzerland, 7 September 2017 Six nights ago the world was shocked and saddened when a lone gunman in a hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, shot into a crowd of more than 20,000 people, killing 60 and injuring hundreds. The world has learned that… Continue reading Canada Slim and the High Road to Anarchy

Canada Slim and the Injured Queen

Cernabbio, Lago di Como, Italia, 1 August 2017 We disembarked from the lake steamer, the wife and I on vacation, eager to visit the Villa d´Este and Villa Erba. The day would make me consider the role of women in the world and especially the role of my wife in my own. The Villa d´Este, originally called… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Injured Queen