Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 July 2016 Brexit and the European Championship seem all anyone can talk about these days, whether in the classes where I teach or at the Starbucks stores where I work as a barista. As I don´t have a stake in either event, my thoughts are more preoccupied with my duties at hand, plans… Continue reading Canada Slim behind bars 2: Punishment preserved
Category: History
Canada Slim behind bars 1: Voyeurs of tragedy
Dorchester Prison, Dorset, England, Saturday 9 August 1856 A day of drizzle, a crowd of 4, 000 people of all ages gathered to watch a woman swing from a prison scaffold. Before the gallows, Martha was counselled by the Reverend Clementson, the prison chaplain, so she faced her death composed. Elizabeth Martha Brown had been… Continue reading Canada Slim behind bars 1: Voyeurs of tragedy
When the last Luddites walk away…
Nottingham, England, 1811 They move about in bands at night, masked and sworn to secrecy, smashing up the new machinery which is taking over the textile industry. Their leader is a mysterious man named Ned Ludd of Sherwood Forest, who has been likened to the legendary Robin Hood as a friend of the poor and… Continue reading When the last Luddites walk away…
Shakespeare in the original Klingon
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 20 June 2016 “All the world´s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts.” (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7) “You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the… Continue reading Shakespeare in the original Klingon
Shame denied
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 16 June 2016 “You can judge a nation by the way it treats its most vulnerable members.” (Aristotle) “…the best test of a nation´s righteousness is how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable in its midst.” (Jim Wallis) In St. Gallen stands a man, a beggar named Bruno, who hangs around outside… Continue reading Shame denied
Back on the Underground again
1852, Chatham, Ontario, Canada “Many a time I have looked out in the moonlight and seen my little children, just able to walk in the fields, carrying buckets of water. They used to carry the buckets on their heads. They would wear off their hair and I used to make pads to protect the sore… Continue reading Back on the Underground again
Once upon a time, once upon an Alp
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 14 June 2016 “Once upon a time, high upon a Swiss Alp… It is a placid existence, this Alpine life. There are no neuroses, no anxiety, just flowers and sunshine. Most people know that there are a lot of mountains in Switzerland. In point of fact, there is at least one peak for each… Continue reading Once upon a time, once upon an Alp
Walking with the President
“Dear Mr. President Come take a walk with me. Let´s pretend we´re just two people and You´re no better than me.” (Pink, “Dear Mr. President”) Landschlacht, Switzerland, 30 May 2016 What if the unthinkable actually happened? What if Donald “Duck!” Trump became the President of the United States? New York City, New York, USA, 1… Continue reading Walking with the President
This Gais in Plain Sight
Gais, Appenzellerland, Switzerland, 30 March 2016 Most places have two sides: what is seen in the light of day and what is found in the shadows. Gais, my last stop in my day´s explorations before heading home, is no exception. I was compelled to visit this town of 3, 000 persons for a co-worker of mine… Continue reading This Gais in Plain Sight
Railroads to Anywhere: Urnäsch and Appenzell
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 25 May 2016 The sun is shining outside my window, birds sing their sweet melodies and I have the morning free to catch up on a long-neglected blog. There is a smile upon my face as I try to capture in words the sense of a region I often visit, a region which… Continue reading Railroads to Anywhere: Urnäsch and Appenzell