Friday 7 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The blank page is cold before the writer’s touch, a winter’s field before the kindling of thought. But then — ah, then! — the first spark, the strike of flint against stone, and a small ember glows in the mind’s cavern. A phrase, a character, a scene — it… Continue reading The fire and the pen
Tag: Islam
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
Burkinis on the beach
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 25 August 2016 As I read the headlines of recent newspapers I can´t help but feel a sense of sadness about how much discussion can be generated over themes of relative unimportance while other themes that should be talked about are often marginalized and ignored. More headlines are devoted to athletes and Hollywood… Continue reading Burkinis on the beach
Canadian home sickness and the Excited States of America
As a Canadian resident in Switzerland there are many things I miss about life in Canada: I miss old friends and family. I miss the magnificent splendour of my home and native land. And I miss small things too: Food like Habitant pea soup, poutine, tourtiere, Canadian breakfast, perogies, microwave dinners, beavertails… Comedians like Lorne… Continue reading Canadian home sickness and the Excited States of America
The Jihad of Canada Slim
The one thing Canadians are usually pretty adept at is knowing when they are walking on thin ice. I know that this post is akin to this kind of dangerous territory. Yesterday I went to Konstanz, only 15 km from my village, for my weekly investigation of what´s new in the stores in the line… Continue reading The Jihad of Canada Slim
Tough to be the Chosen
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche, 1844 – 1900) We live in strange times, built upon the past which itself was strange at times. Today, the world’s fast growing religion is Islam, yet simultaneously also one of the most hated since 9/11 is Islam. The main enemy of Islam?… Continue reading Tough to be the Chosen
Them and us: points of view
Young men and women have been, and will continue to be, fighting and dying in the Middle East, and though they do so in the names of their home nations, I wonder if they really understand WHY they are doing so. In the Gulf War and the War with Iraq and the War in Afghanistan,… Continue reading Them and us: points of view