One of the highlights of any trip to China is the Great Wall. To enjoy it, you must see those sections far away from Beijing, where there will be fewer tourists and less commercialism. Unfortunately, when I first lived in China, nearly twenty years ago, my visit to the Great […]
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Following on from last month’s issue, Kieran Doyle reflects further on a road trip in the USA. In the previous issue, I explored my perception of American patriotism, which was very much aligned to their military past and indeed present. Their role as kingmakers in the foreign policy of other […]
Bob Log III – the helmet-wearing one-man band from Tucson, Arizona returns to one of his favourite places on Earth this month, having been “cooped up” in his house in Melbourne since November. Armed with Silvertone archtop guitars, and kick pedals rigged to a set of acoustic drum and cymbals […]
Our ancestors believed that there is only a very thin veil between this world of mortals and the Otherworld. This veil disappears completely twice a year, at ‘Bealtaine’ (May Eve and May Day) and ‘Samhain’ (November 1). On these pivotal dates the spirits of the Otherworld intermingled with mortals. Supernatural […]
The academic philosopher Julian Baggini claims the ‘fundamental basis of reasoning about matters of fact is empirical – based on observation and experience’. Simply put, observing the evidence for yourself. Once we undertook a decision to travel to the States, we undertook a historical road trip, observing, the great pillars […]
John Coughlan reviews Maradona’s autobiography, El Diego. Fred Astaire was the best dancer in the world, someone once said, but Ginger Rogers could do everything he did but backwards and in high heels. As they near the end of their careers, it’s clear now, Messi was better than Cristiano […]