Category: History

A Revolution of One: Under the Covers

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 29 March 2017 You say you want a revolution, but you are not really sure where to start. There are just so many things wrong with this world that demand change. In this series A Revolution of One, I have written about the importance of passion and the value of keeping a journal to discover what… Continue reading A Revolution of One: Under the Covers

Fear Itself

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 28 March 2017 And the madness continues…. London, England, 22 March 2017 (1440 hours) Just another day, business as usual. Tourists take selfies outside the Houses of Parliament while inside the politicians buzz about on the business of Brexit and schoolchildren view the spectacle of Prime Minister’s Questions. On Wednesday, exactly one year… Continue reading Fear Itself

How to Train a Dragon: Canadians in China

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 23 March 2017 The further away a country is, the harder it is to know and understand that country. China is such a country. So it is with caution that I express my opinion of the events that have so far transpired with China and its relations with the rest of the world.… Continue reading How to Train a Dragon: Canadians in China

The rise of Recep

Landschlacht, Switzerland, St. Patrick’s Day 2017 I am a Turkey watcher. I have twice visited this beautiful country and I have rarely met a Turk I haven`t liked. I began to talk about Turkey in this blog, because of the event that began 2017: the ISIS attack on a nightclub in Istanbul. Above: The Reina restaurant/nightclub,… Continue reading The rise of Recep

Big Yellow Taxi

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Ides of March 2017 These are interesting times we live in, where nothing seems as certain as it once was. Uncertainty as to whether foreign governments can determine other national elections… Increased irrationality and xenophobia and hate crimes against folks whose only offence is the appearance of being different… Wars that never end,… Continue reading Big Yellow Taxi

A Revolution of One: The Power of Passion

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 14 March 2017 Pick up a newspaper. Read a book. Explore the Internet. And the thinking man is left with one conclusion… There is much that is wrong in the world: disease, division, war, terror, discrimination, denied opportunities, environmental degradation and pollution, a scarcity of water, unequal distribution of resources, hunger and starvation,… Continue reading A Revolution of One: The Power of Passion

Slave to the Machine / One Flew Over the Internet

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 12 March 2017 I like Facebook. There I said it. I like the variety of news items that appear, the exchange of ideas, the casual contact with friends and family close or far away, and I find Facebook gives me a forum to share my thoughts. But a few days ago I began to notice… Continue reading Slave to the Machine / One Flew Over the Internet

Deserving democracy?

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 9 March 2017 As a Canadian who grew up exposed to American culture, and now as an expat with a fair number of American friends, the US remains for me what Allan Fotheringham called “the Excited States of America”. Above: Allan Fotheringham and his wife Anne For Americans always seem overly agitated by everything.… Continue reading Deserving democracy?

Behind the veil: Islam(ophobia) for dummies

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 1 March 2017 There are moments when the well runs dry, the fire is out, the spirit extinguished. Moments when I look at this blank screen and ask myself: What should I write about? Regular readers of my blog (both of them?!) patiently wait for some blog series to continue and/or conclude –… Continue reading Behind the veil: Islam(ophobia) for dummies