INSIGHTS. IDEAS. INSPIRATION.
Whenever we can see the world through other eyes, we see something new. The more different those eyes are from our own, the more different our viewing experience will be. Maybe surprising, maybe confrontational, maybe something new. Our world is hurting, from sharp political divisions, disease and poverty, religious strife, conflict, a strained environment, looming resource scarcity and much more. If we can start looking at the world through each other's eyes, we may be able to develop the mutual understanding and discover the common ground we need to overcome these global problems. It's one world we share. It's one world we will pass on to the next generation. What kind of a world do you want it to be?
Come, don't be afraid, take a look thru other eyes.
A few photos as an impression of the road I am traveling. So if you want to have a glimpse of some parts and times of my life you are welcome to see what I have seen.
America is in trouble. American democracy is in trouble. The country is being led by two men who have proven themselves to be totally unfit for their positions of responsibility and leadership. To the extent that their policies have had any benefit, either by circumstance or design, only a very small group of mainly privileged Americans have any reason to be happy with 7 years of Bush-Cheney. These two men have disappointed and betrayed the public trust in so many varied and serious ways.
Obfuscate:To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand Synonyms:camouflage, disguise, cloud, obscure
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I have always been disgusted by the term collateral damage especially when it is applied to the destroyed lives of totally innocent men, women and children. It is how we sterilize and de-humanize the horror of war. It is how we insulate ourselves from the gruesome consequences of the actions we actively support or facilitate by our inaction. It’s a word that soothes our individual and collective conscience and allows us to sleep at night. It’s how we replace the guiltless yet bloodied and mangled face of innocent death with a false mask of acceptability. It’s the sugar that helps the disgusting medicine of war go down.
The weekend of August of 4th marked the occasion of Amsterdam’s annual Gay Pride celebrations which have become most known for its unique canal boat parade. In a country which has always prided itself on tolerance and a leading international position in the area of gay rights the parade this year was more political than usual given the rising tide of anti-gay violence and rhetoric on the streets and in the schools.
Those of us who live here are painfully aware of this slow but noticeable increase in intolerance. The many gay and lesbian tourists who visit what once was rightfully considered Europe’s gay capital still labor under the illusion that Amsterdam is the ideal place to be one’s self. This cost the gay American journalist