“My rank is the highest known in Switzerland: I’m a free citizen.”
So remarked Bluntschli to the snooty Bulgarian aristocrats in George Bernard Shaw’s incisive play Arms and the Man. And certainly these words carry a distinct resonance in these times of the diminishment of the great American dream. Contrast today’s Switzerland, a fiercely independent Social […]

Our friend Jeff who plays in a couple of very cool New York bands recently turned us on to his new obsession, Brussels based rockers Bonaventure. While sultry pop/soul singer Nelson sings in French it doesn’t take a dictionary to translate ‘Boom Chikka Boom’ and the beautiful ballad ‘J’ai Reve Son Nom’ gets it’s point […]

No recovery of Mad Men era drinking-culture looms on the horizon, it must be sadly admitted. But focusing on the few positive developments has the effect of softening the sting just a bit. And the vodka wars - which began in earnest back in the 80’s, when Absolut goaded the competition by flaunting such impeccable […]

New developments in online marketing come fast and furious these days and it’s fun to be part of the excitement, except of course on those days when you get completely sick of it and would rather set your new MacBook on fire than read another word about THIS MONTHS new rules for SEO.
The frenzy surrounding […]

Malcolm McLaren’s cheeky attempts aside, selling opera to a generation raised on techno, Scandinavian furniture and Zaha Hadid would seem about as easy as selling muskets to the Mossad. Opera is simply not hip to hipsters. So, dropping a futuristic opera house in a rather exotic locale would seem to have an underlying angle of […]