Hotel @nyware

The Pearl is an artifical island, creating over 32 kilometres of new coastline and  extensive canal system. It's Venice again.

With the king of all birds, The Falcon

With 31 towers and over  42,000 apartments, villas, and townhouses, it's quite impressive.

Ferrari, Maserati and Rolls Royce have dealership but I'll take a Ducati bike anytime.

Talking Turkey At The Marriot for Thanksgiving 2016

Your mother said, "Bi-son".

Home on the range under an immaculate sky

An estimated 50-60 million buffalo freely roamed upon the Great Plains (PRE Civil War) American Indians hunted them for food and they were a sacred animal.

Their numbers dwindled when the wilderness was settled, and if not for the efforts of modern-day conservationists, the plight of the Bison would be one of extinction. It is nice to see them on private lands and in National Parks.The Buffalo is a symbol of life and love of this land.

In America's fiction--- Everyone gets a trophy, for just showing up. EGAT undermines the spirit of competition and breeds mediocrity.

That sense of just showing up for the longest time informed and infected my thinking- A thought virus or meme started by a Woody Allen quote " 80% of success in life is showing up.". I suppose I bought into making the world safe for hypocrisy. Now I am more cynical.

I am more interested in the other 20% these days-the difference between good and great, between winners and learners. Showing up isn't good enough. That's Trophy Communism. The wussifcation of America  and Generation Snowflake  makes us soft.  America has essentially got rid of losing and many are suffering for it, and that is: The Millennial truth.

"Hay look how fantastic I am. I'm here,  at The US Olympic Rowing training facility. I participated.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. And when you lose, you have something to strive for-first prize. For me, it is not an option- a socially acceptable self-deceit  designed to spare hurt feelings and puff up our self-esteem. In fact, when the truth finally shines through--that is the real downer.

How can you handle pressure, disappointment, or gain perspective in a world of manufactured triumphs?  Where is the resiliency?

I live and work with the British, so I don't inhabit a self-congratulatory society in which we constantly reassure each other how great we are doing. In fact, when I was standing at  a cross walk at a traffic light,  I got asked"Are you American?" and I said proudly "Yes, how did you know"..and The Englishman replied, "because you were smiling." It is still hard to shake off my malignant American optimism of just" being there" and "in it". Nevertheless, I don't deserve a trophy for doing something unconventional-living abroad.

To sum it up, trophies are best earned, not bestowed.