The little panhandle in the south of the Netherlands has a border with Germany and Belgium, making it a border of three nations. On the Dutch part of the border lies a little town called Vaals, which is just an Read more…
This small town between Berlin and Stettin has lost nearly half its population since the 1970’s. For that reason, it is a very quiet town indeed full of retirees and safe, albeit empty streets. It’s location on the Mündesee makes Read more…
Though it may seem like the thread of events have nothing in common, they actually do, and their occurrence reveals potential hazards with our current democratic model of politics. Last week, a friend asked if I wanted to participate in Read more…
Where that famous treaty was signed – The Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI and more or less started WWII. The town is beautiful as is the Palace of Versailles, which Louis XIV resided in after he decided not to Read more…
Ah, Paris, the subject of fame when it comes to all things cultural, yet my experience has been so different. “Ooh, it’s so beautiful! This is what I imagine Paris must be like.” ~ Marge Simpson Yes Marge, it is Read more…
After reuniting with Tim in Vancouver in 2016 after a decade of not seeing each other, I thought I’d had to wait another decade to see him again. Apparently not, after ‘floating’, as Tim would put it, the idea of Read more…
You were in the bedroom cleaning out some of your late husband’s clothes into old brown cardboard boxes ready to donate them to the Salvation Army. Though he was killed in action in the Gulf War over two decades ago Read more…
Asia’s last remaining greyhound racing track closed in June of 2018, so I decided to pay it a visit just before it closed. Greyhound racing has a significantly lower profit than horse racing, a brief glance at the information board Read more…
At a job application, I was asked what I thought about the role of technology in humanitarian work, here is my answer: Like any other field, technology is the new reality when it comes to improving effectiveness and outcomes. Smaller Read more…
Some call it beer, I call it inspiration. After a long hard weekend of work and fun I’m finally breaking out a Molson’s and feeling very inspired. Yesterday, I drove all the way to Squamish to admire the beautiful show-topped Read more…