Monthly Archives: December 2011

Happy 2012!

Posted on 31/12/2011 by Lohcifer

What a year this has been! The biggest event was my leaving the employ of a globally integrated corporation I have been with for the past ten and a half years. Oh I should have left earlier. Being able to … Continue reading →

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Bosses & Colleagues

Posted on 30/12/2011 by Lohcifer

My last day with the circus was on July 31 this year. In August I inked contracts worth at least 80k worth of work. September was another bumper month. Ditto October and November. A couple of days’ work each month. … Continue reading →

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Latest Toy

Posted on 29/12/2011 by Lohcifer

Got it because this one makes tea! Now it seats pretty next to my Nespresso machine.

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Please Look after Mom

Posted on 28/12/2011 by Lohcifer

On Christmas eve I gave everyone in my family a copy of the book Please Look after Mom. There’s a reason for that. When Lincoln’s wife delivered a baby, she – a Chinese born in Canada – declared to all … Continue reading →

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Fish Rots from the Head

Posted on 27/12/2011 by Lohcifer

By now every mother’s son has said his two cents’ worth about the recent MRT failures. There were lots of finger-pointing and gnashing of teeth. This is my take of the whole she-bang: The MRT saga – three disruptions in … Continue reading →

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Stanwell & Johs

Posted on 26/12/2011 by Lohcifer

Received two lovely pipes this Christmas – one a Stanwell (a company established in Denmark back in 1942) and, in the foreground, a Johs. Mogens “Johs” Johanssen lives and works in Frederikshavn, Denmark and churns out about two thousand pipes … Continue reading →

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A Rolando Negoita Pipe

Posted on 19/12/2011 by Lohcifer

Just bought myself a Rolando Negoita pipe. Rolando Negoita was born in Transylvania, Romania, and teaches Metalsmithing and Product Design at Parsons School of Design in New York. He is also a pipe maker. He is constantly inventing shapes and … Continue reading →

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Castello & Parks

Posted on 18/12/2011 by Lohcifer

Two recent acquisitions – a Castello and a Michael Parks. Castello (meaning “castle” in Italian) was founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti in Cantù, Italy. His son, Franco Coppo, now runs the factory. Each Castello pipe is made by hand … Continue reading →

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Immovable

Posted on 17/12/2011 by Lohcifer

The immovable ladder at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is symbolic of the schisms in Christendom. There are no fewer than 17 Christian creeds present in Israel – the Roman Catholics fighting with the Greeks, the Copts, … Continue reading →

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Pilgrimage to Israel

Posted on 16/12/2011 by Lohcifer

Israel is nothing more than the world’s largest tourist trap exploiting the religious and the vulnerable. I came to this conclusion after being persuaded to go with my wife on a church-led “pilgrimage” from December 4th to 15th. Yes – … Continue reading →

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