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Coronavirus : Update 3 from the Epicenter

Posted by in Coronavirus

Apologies for the change in tone, but I felt compelled to write something regarding the science driving the response to the virus in the UK, which is different to the way the rest of the world is handling it.Like China, Italy saw an explosion of cases in a concentrated area of the country which quickly overwhelmed hospitals.  Both countries ring-fenced those busy towns in order to avoid the uncontrolled spread of the disease.  The level of China’s military crackdown allowed them to stop there, whereas Italy’s democratic government had not…read more

Coronavirus : Update 2 from the Epicenter

Posted by in Coronavirus

Only 4 days have passed since the last mail, but the situation has unfolded rapidly : – Monday morning, all sport facilities (ski resorts) were closed, and all public gatherings of 2 or more people were banned. – Monday afternoon, the 11 red zones were extended to the whole country – Wednesday, all shops, restaurants and bars were shut down All 60 million people are now confined to their homes.  Any travel must be documented and police are performing regular spot checks.Some companies have asked their employees to consider this…read more

Coronavirus : Update from the Epicenter

Posted by in Coronavirus

This is the first of a series of mails that I started sending out to friends and family when it became apparent that the UK and US media were not always being fully transparent, politicians in those countries were, well, being politicians, and the few days or weeks of grace those countries had been granted were not being used to protect the public. The Covid-19 coronavirus is similar to the flu in the way it transmits and the symptoms it provokes, with the following differences :1. Flu has a shorter…read more

…to Chicago

Posted by in Travel Nightmare

This was a doozy. Scheduled for a Monday morning flight landing in Chicago at 1pm, I received a series of texts from Lufthansa rescheduling me through London (3 hour delay) and then Rome (6 hour delay) – all due to a storm that was forecast to hit Northern Europe the next day. Knowing my chickens (as the Italians say), the last thing I wanted to do was get stuck in Rome, and so I began calling Lufthansa offices in order to better understand my options. Italy : no answer. Germany…read more

…from Vegas

Posted by in Travel Nightmare

A new record! Total accrued flight delays of 18 hours within a single 4-day business trip! First the baggage handlers broke the door seal on the plane in Frankfurt, requiring us to deplane, change aircraft, leave for Denver 8 hours late, miss the last flight to Vegas and finally arrive 15 hours after our original ETA. On the way home the valve that balances the fuel between both wings stuck (fortunately just before takeoff). We sat on the plane for 3 hours while someone hit it with a hammer before…read more

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…from San Francisco

Posted by in Travel Nightmare

What’s the worst thing you can imagine happening to your plane? Late arrival? Blocked toilet? How about exploding engine mid-flight? It was already 10pm when we took of from SFO -> Munich, so we could see the flames engulfing number 1 engine as a series of explosions shook the fuselage. There were a lot of “Oh God, oh God”-s and the girl next to me went into full panic attack and required restraining. I broke the rules and wrote a short note to the wife. Fortunately the captain was able…read more

…from NY

Posted by in Travel Nightmare

After a good couple of days in Brooklyn that included an evening at Flushing Meadow to see Serena Williams and Federer… …Alitalia went on strike – delaying my Rome -> Genova flight for 9 hours. Groovy. Best option : train. Rome Airport -> Rome -> Milan -> Genova. 6 hours. Then taxi to Genova airport to pick up the car, and finally home.

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…from Detroit

Posted by in Travel Nightmare

This one was particularly memorable. The first leg of my 7pm flight Detroit -> Chicago -> Munich -> Genova was delayed due to storms in NY where the plane was coming from. This meant missing the international flight, so United changed my itinerary to Detroit -> Chicago -> Copenhagen -> Munich -> Genova with an arrival delay of just 4 hours. So far so good. Next, SAS cancelled the Copenhagen flight before I made it out of Detroit. Back into the queue for the service desk. To cut a very…read more

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Haiku

Posted by in Haiku

Every morning Hair twisted round her finger She drinks from the tap

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Haiku

Posted by in Haiku

Sopraelevata, Surfing through Genova town, It’s good to be home

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