Different Slants

Seeing the World from a New Angle

Zeitgeist, The Movie

Filed under: Conspiracy Theories,Humor,Politics,Social Policy and Justice — Rick at 7:40 pm on Friday, May 23, 2008

Here is another fascinating movie for all you conspiracy theorist. This one comes in three parts: Christianity, 911, and the Federal Reserve. What do these have in common? More than you might think but, you have to watch the movie to find out.

Runtime is about 122 minutes. Get your snacks ready in advance.

Exploring the Unexpected

Filed under: Travel — Rick at 7:52 am on Tuesday, May 6, 2008

2004080929, originally uploaded by richard_munden.

One of the things we love to do when traveling is to explore the places we unexpectedly come across. We were on a bus returning from a day at Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany when we spotted this pedestrian street. We jump off at the next stop and spent an hour or two just walking along and enjoying all the interesting little shops and cafes.

Our style of travel involves a minimum of planning. I usually reserve my hotel the day we arrive at an overseas destination because I know I will be too tired and jet lagged to think. I may also plan our departure so there is no hassle getting to the airport on time. Everything in between is part of the adventure of travel.

On this trip we knew our arrival date in Amsterdam and our departure date from Salzburg, Austria six weeks later. I also had a date for a speaking engagement in Belgrade, Serbia. The rest of the trip was extemporaneous. Sometimes we would use the web to research accommodations one stop ahead. Other times we didn’t start looking until we got off the train. It always worked out and we met great people everywhere – although less planning seemed to result in meeting more people.

So, this column’s advice is, “Take your time and don’t over plan your trips”.