Richardson, Texas, USA Though it may not have the patriotic grandeur of military powers of the past, make no mistake, the US is a war-culture. We express it in subtle ways – less with poetic honor,more as a statement of fact. Growing up in North Texas, you don’t need to look far to find it. Many of the US’s military equipment contractors are nearby – Bell Helicopter, Lockeed Martin, Raytheon, as well as suppliers of Read more…
Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, in many ways, is a glorious celebration of the senses. The colors, sounds, smells, there is a lot to love about the city – particularly the historic district. Transportation is always interesting to me. In Santo Domingo, a popular form is in vans that drive bus-like routes. Each van has a driver, his partner that hangs out the side of the van looking for riders and taking their Read more…
Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic When I think of security, I always think back to the twisted face of a close friend, the CIO of a company I worked at as he proclaimed with astonishment: “there isn’t really any agreement on what is ‘secure.’ I just, don’t get it.” It reminds me of the parable of two men in the jungle. A cougar enters the camp and one man sits down to put on his running Read more…
The World I really like ‘Peoples’ Cars.’ I give the genre that name after Hitler’s baby – the ever-popular Volkswagen beetle designed by Ferdinand Porsche for the Nazi people of Germany. But Peoples’ Cars have this interesting tendency to grow into their own. For Americans, the Beetle is the staple, but traunching around in East Germany or the former Soviette states, you’ll find a similar affection for the USSR’s famous Peoples’ Car, the Trabaunt (or Read more…
Every once in a while, I decide to practice my singing in public for the strangers around me. I don’t know why. Most of my repertoire is old ska songs that nobody has heard of, and I sing, currently, only in English. My singing voice is ok, but not noteworthy. I don’t make any money; last time I went out – down the street a few blocks form my current apartment in Mexico city I made ten Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico I grew up in the suburbs of Texas in the US, so ‘back-to-school’ always meant a trip to the popular big-box store Target to buy the things I and my three little sisters needed for the year ahead. I first came to Mexico around the same time and, after getting completely lost wandering around with a friend, we came upon the back to school rush in the the big city. Chaos of Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Hanoi, Vietnam; Shanghai, China; Mexico City, in many ways, is a beautiful explosion of color. I’m always impressed by the men and women who sell balloons here. How they expertly weave through the narrow streets – low hanging balconies and powerlines with hundreds of colorful balloons for a few pesos. As I travel, I always like taking pictures of balloon people. It seems like it Read more…
