Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In that time, few peoples have transformed themselves for the better to the extent achieved by the Germans. This afternoon Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, stated that neither the reasons nor the responsibility for what happened can be attributed simply to Hitler the madman. He said that it rests with German individuals who chose to allow it to happen.

One thing that stands out for a North American in Europe today is the supreme humility that exists among the Germans. Nowhere will you ever find an individual who prides himself or herself on being German. After massive suffering, the German people appear to have discovered a profound truth that most other nations have yet to perceive.

The contrast is particularly striking when you ferry the five kilometres across the Bodensee into German-speaking Switzerland. There, everything Swiss is the best. If today was 1930, and Switzerland had a massive economy, it might be Switzerland rather than Germany where "Nazionalsozialismus" finds its fateful footing.

They are re-releasing "We Are The World" in a special two-DVD set to support the tsunami relief. It includes four hours of footage from the 12-hour recording session. Have a look at this CNN article for the story of how the rock musicians that day didn't want to appear with the non-rockers, since they thought it would hurt their image. But when Springsteen refused to leave, the nonsense melted.

Way out there on the moon named for the vanquished gods of ancient Greece, the Huygens probe has turned up the unexpected. And the story is precisely about the very untamed natural forces that Prometheus and his kin embodied.

Scientists Reveal Startling New Information About Titan

An old Saturday Night Live episode from 18 September 1976 is on. Highlights: the first Ford-Carter Presidential Debate, James Taylor with lots of hair, and a great line from Chevy Chase on Weekend Update:

"Ugandan President Idi Amin has announced that he will undergo a species-change operation, in order to become a human being."

Classic.

A story of supreme personal courage in the face of immense, unrelenting obstacles.

And to seal the movie's ---, it also stars Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale, one the most talented-- and the other the most beautiful--woman in film.

Michelle Wie, a young amateur from Hawaii, is the biggest story in golf since the rise of Tiger, and could carry women's golf right along with her. Not yet 15 years old, she can already drive the ball over 300 yards. At a recent pro-am she outdrove Nicklaus on all but two holes.

But the most astonishing thing is a comment from Fred Couples: "When you see her hit a golf ball . . . there's nothing that prepares you for it. It's the scariest thing in the world."

Fred Couples is one of the most powerful hitters on the PGA Tour. For him to say that is like Bill Gates gaping in awe at someone else's net worth.

Political correctness marches on into even more ridiculous frontiers, and this time it's the English who are leading the charge. "Thoughtshower" is the latest intruder on the English language, a verb that means to brainstorm. "Brainstorm", you see, is an insult to people who suffer from epilepsy.

According to an article in the excellent British Airways in-flight magazine "Business Life", the BBC has banned the older offending term from its company meetings. The new usage: "We were then instructed to return to the meeting and thoughtshower."

My house is on its way to Toronto! After this morning's entry, I put the nose to the grindstone and finished everything with time to spare, since the truck was four hours late!

Also, special thanks goes to my taxi driver, Vincenzo, who graciously agreed to bring me a new roll of tape and 20 metres of soft, bubbly, plastic stuff to finish my packing.

Countdown to take-off is now 33 hours, 36 minutes and some seconds!

On Wednesday I am moving back to Canada. I have been here on Lake Como in Italy for just over a year, and in Europe for two-and-a-half.

Europe is a beautiful place, especially here in Italy. It is January, and Lake Como is paradise every day. But the best part about living here in Italy is the people. Everyone is so warm and welcoming. At least, that is what I have experienced since I have been here. But for all its great qualities, I am grateful for being able to move back home.

What do I miss about Toronto? In a nutshell: diversity, real TV, and being in the middle of things.

Living in Europe is kind of like living in a whitewashed house. For a Canadian used to the most multicultural city in the world, living in Europe sometimes scares me: everybody here is white. The realization hits home when you see the handful of people who are not, and find yourself thinking, "Hey, there's a Chinese person!" What a strange thing it is to notice skin colour.

Also, in Italy you get great Italian food, in Switzerland you get Swiss food, which is fine, but sometimes you want something else. Some of my friends here are amused when I tell them that my first seven dinners when I move back into Toronto are going to be Korean, Thai, Indian (both northern and southern), Japanese, Ethiopian, and finally, Iranian.

Living in Europe means watching four channels. Unless you go and spend the earth for SKY satellite, and even then it still doesn't measure up to good old North American basic cable.

Living in Europe is kind of like living in Puslinch. Puslinch is a little town between Hamilton and Guelph in southern Ontario. Puslinch is off the mainstream. Not much happens in Puslinch, and it certainly isn't the centre of the world, nor does anything world-shaking happen there. Europe used to be the centre of the world, but after living here for almost three years, I can't help but feel that history has passed it by.

For real action today, you have to at least cross the Channel; to get to the creative centre of our world, you have to cross at least one ocean, maybe two.

So here I am tonight, with the movers coming in five hours, and I still haven't wrapped my pictures, or packed up my kitchen, or typed out my shipping manifest, or sealed all my boxes. And to top it all off, I am running out of tape and this is 4:00 a.m. on Sunday night.

So, of course, what else can I do but write a new blog entry? You know, I might just be able to maintain this thing.

My blog is going to be on many subjects, including reflections of all kinds. But I am also going to write down here fragments of ideas or unfinished thoughts that I need to place somewhere for safe-keeping, so while everyone is, of course, welcome to comment on everything, some things might not make complete sense.

I work in emerging technology, with a focus on education and strategy, but my main intellectual interest is in applying the insights in the writings of the Baha'i Faith to contemporary subjects. This is not about shouting my opinions with a megaphone, but is really about my own learning: to help myself understand the different sides of these concepts and to gain a deeper appreciation of them.

If I was to list broadly the things I am interested in, and which I am constantly thinking about in relation to the Baha'i writings, the list would probably look something like this, in unordered fashion:

* Learning & Human Potential (moral education, executive education & corporate training, youth, teaching and learning approaches, cognitive psychology, brain research, technology-enabled learning and strategy, and the various aspects of the subconscious mind)

* Current Affairs, Historical Patterns, Trends, and the Future

* Emerging Technology and New Media

* Cultural History

* Governance and International Development

* North American Popular Culture (not the only pop culture I am interested in, just my deepest familiarity)

* Design (as a discipline and mental endeavour)

* Art & Photography

* Business Management, Innovation, and Strategy

* Marketing and Communications

I hope that gives you some idea if this blog is anything you might like to read.

"Ready, Set, Go!" was the name of an early page layout program that was my initial entry point into the world of desktop publishing back in 1989. So, I think it is an appropriate heading for my first post here, which represents my very first entry into the world of blogging and personal Web publishing.

Why am I starting today? Because a few hours ago, the keynote at MacWorld ended, and what better day is there in any year to begin something new? Don't think that this blog is primarily about technology, or that I am a fully-authorized geek, because that's not true. It just so happens that the product announcements today have inspired my first posting, which follows next.

So begins the next creative stage of my life. Go!