Landschlacht, Switzerland, 28 September 2017 Celebrities ARE different. They get more public attention and media exposure than we do. They usually have far more wealth than we do. Some achieve celebrity status through their successful careers in sports or entertainment or politics. Some become famous due to media attention on their lifestyle, wealth or controversial actions,… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Quest for George Clooney
Tag: world politics
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
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
Strange bedfellows?
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 5 December 2016 The older one gets the more one realises that perception is everything. And in every country´s elections it is perception that determines the rise and fall of a nation´s ruling elite. Perception in American elections seems usually shaped by factors such as military records, marital status, religious adherance, place of origin,… Continue reading Strange bedfellows?
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
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
Arguing with the gatekeepers
I´ve been reading Mark Hertsgaard´s The Eagle´s Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World and what follows is a combination of his thoughts alongside my own. It is always difficult to argue with the right or conservatives of America. It is often difficult to debate or discuss with many an “average” American. Americans, for… Continue reading Arguing with the gatekeepers
Through the looking glass
Everyday there are constant reminders of the difference between how we are perceived and how we perceive ouselves, between one´s reputation and one´s self-image. Yesterday I dropped into St. Gallen for a day of “Adam is good to himself today”. Chatted with Starbuck´s colleagues, had a meal and a movie with my good friend Adrian,… Continue reading Through the looking glass
Delivery refused
Sins, that which is counted against you when one´s life is assessed, come in two basic forms: commission (what you did but shouldn´t have) and omission (what you should have done but didn´t). Clearly, there are no innocents, alive or dead, in the world. This lesson was powerfully demonstated to Ute and I yesterday when… Continue reading Delivery refused