Landschlacht, Switzerland, 6 February 2017 “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” (Konstantin Josef Jirecek) Could this statement be strangely appropo if we viewed it from the perspective… Continue reading Half the sky: the wonder of Woman
Out of the Shadows
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 February 2017 Sometimes inspiration flows like sap through a maple tree. Sometimes it is as slow-moving as molasses in January. Those who read this blog (both of them!) or follow me on Facebook (the rest of their families!) are aware that I work…a lot. Between working as an English teacher during the… Continue reading Out of the Shadows
Canada Slim and the Promised Land
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 21 January 1858 “I am astonished more and more at the stupid extravagance… Fashion rules so absolutely… The people in the house would lend me any amount of flower garden bonnets if I would but go out in them. This is so like the Americans… They are generous and kind but… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Promised Land
The cure for Wanderlust?
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 28 January 2017 As those already acquainted with myself already know, I earn my income in two ways: I am a Canadian, resident in Switzerland, working as a freelance English-as-a-second-language teacher and part-time Starbucks barista. And while both physical and psychological health remain I wish to continue to do both jobs for a… Continue reading The cure for Wanderlust?
The sorrow of Batman
Istanbul, Turkey, 10 September 2016 In Istanbul, extraordinary experiences are found around every corner. Here, dervishes whirl, müezzins call from minarets and people move between continents multiple times a day. Istanbul is home to millenia-old monuments and cutting edge art galleries – sometimes on the same block. It is an utterly beguiling city full of… Continue reading The sorrow of Batman
The sons of Karbala
St. Gallen, Switzerland, 9 January 2017 “Turkey seems to be falling to pieces, the fall will be a great misfortune. It is very important that England and Russia should come to a perfectly good understanding… and that neither should take any decisive step of which the other is not apprized.” “We have a sick man on… Continue reading The sons of Karbala
Eye problems
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 9 January 2017 Today is my first day back to work as a teacher and this, of course, involves planning. Planning involves going through my wee little library here at home in search of interesting material to share with my students in the hopes that as they learn they might also be entertained,… Continue reading Eye problems
The Underestimated: The Bold and the Reckless
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 7 January 2017 It is normal to underestimate the Swiss. In fact other nations generally don´t see and rarely think about the Swiss. And the Swiss themselves don´t help themselves in this regard. To the outside world, the French-speaking Swiss to the west of the country seem little different from the French of… Continue reading The Underestimated: The Bold and the Reckless
One foot down
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 6 January 2017 “An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress.” (William Butler Yeats. “Sailing to Byzantium”, The Tower) Above: William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) Yesterday, working at Starbucks… Continue reading One foot down
The Wolves of Washington
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 5 January 2017 Sometimes I believe that there is hope for us simple humans. Other times… I am not so sure. Been reading lately of the US Republican Party seeking to dismantle or at least disable the US House Committee on Ethics. It has many functions, but they all revolve around the standards of… Continue reading The Wolves of Washington