harlekins spirit

International Relations – from a private perspective

(Episode 2, part 2)

You could say my wife, whom I met while working in Germany and abducted to Dutch Friesland, and I have been surrounded by cultural differences for so long they have become second nature. In our relationship we rarely think about the fact that she grew up in one country and I did in another. We think – maybe others don’t – that we do not fit the stereotypes.

International Relations – from a private perspective

(Episode 2, part 1)

After Harlekin Beate’s article on “International Relations” was published she asked those other Harlekins who are married to “foreigners” to write on their personal international relations. But then, I thought, I’ve never been married to someone from my original home, so how can I compare? I’ve spent much more of my life outside my “home” than in it, living in 4 countries other than Britain, so much that I wonder how British I really am now. The “home” I left is not the same now nearly 50 years later.

The Ten Commandments…

… of the early bird swimmers

In the year of the Lord 2020 we experienced not only a warm but once again dry summer. When the world was then also afflicted by Corona, people looked for alternative sports and leisure activities. And so it came about that young Mathias made the acquaintance of the community of the early bird swimmers.

International Relations – from a private perspective

In past articles I have written about international cooperation on company level. But there is also a lot to say on a purely private level. In my family and circle of acquaintances I am not the only one who has moved to another country to live with their partner. And during an exchange of experiences with other “impacted” people I have discovered interesting parallels.

What does CORONA have to do with toilet paper? – An attempt at an anal -ysis (Part 2)

Let’s start with a neutral version of the smart-ass, the know-it-all. Basically, the same applies here: Nobody likes know-it-alls! Unless he is a „Bezzerwizzer.“ Because Bezzerwizzer (corrupted German for “know-it-all”. Mattel couldn’t come up with a better name in English.) is a family game published by Mattel at the beginning of the new millennium. It is a knowledge game based on games like Trivial Pursuit or shows like “Who wants to be a millionaire? We realize that wise guys and bezzerwizers are not marginalized, they are a mainstream of our time.

What does CORONA have to do with toilet paper? – An attempt at an anal-ysis (part 1)

At first I was just amused, the first phase of the CORONA pandemic was somehow strange. Searching for relevant information about this dangerous pandemic, or, depending on my perspective, some new sort flu, I stumbled over and over again over the involuntarily funny contributions to toilet paper hoarding. Reports of brawls in supermarkets, toilet paper purloiners in hospitals and family tragedies with (but mostly without) toilet paper were the order of the day. Americans, Australians and many other nations shared a new fondness for beautifying their homes with rolls of toilet paper. OK, the French also hoarded large quantities of red wine and the Dutch experienced an additional run on their coffee shops – to quickly stock up on marijuana before they closed.

Great Minds Think a Lot

… and lesser ones too

Dear listeners, let me welcome you to our live feature here at Harlequin Radio on “Conspiracy Theories and Fake News”. Of course we have again invited guests, whom I will introduce to you in a moment, but please participate directly. Our lines have already been open for an hour and we look forward to your contributions. My name is the Harlequin von Zurich and today I am pleased to welcome as guests: Mark Twain, Frank Zappa and Oscar Wilde.

How not to get your feet wet…

This emancipated woman obviously had not heard that according to Christian conviction only Jesus could walk on water. The most ingenious home-made filter system I have ever seen, together with a “guardian angel” – what a day.

(The picture was taken in 2012 while visiting the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing – also known as “the Egg”. )

The new normality?

What an awful term, it has been haunting me for some time now. Why? Well, I find it highly problematic – and I would like to share the background to it with you.

Art is beautiful, but it’s a lot of work.

When I read the quote from Karl Valentin this morning, I had to think of us Harlequins and our Harlequin.blog. Because even small works of art are a lot of work.

For more than 3 years we have been writing, inexperienced but eager-to-learn “fumblers in the dartk”, and have published a new text every Friday. Each author follows his own path. Some look at IT and change projects with their consulting glasses, others discover stylistic howlers in (real?) life and others philosophise about all the world and his wife. With time we have built a list of guest authors who like writing for our Harlekin.Blog.