Author: Jared Bloch

I'm an avid outdoorsman who enjoys marathon hikes and all aspects of cycling including building from recycled materials and trading in classic bikes. I have a passion for elegant but simple “engines” including older Japanese motorcycles and Volvos, and a penchant for off-the-beaten-path brews; all of which he writes about for All About Geneva. On the professional side, I am a humanitarian worker and communications and media relations expert working for 25 years in the realms of refugee resettlement, development and disarmament. I have worked for US-based Catholic Charities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Catholic Migration Commission, the International Organization for Migrations, InterPeace, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the International Development Law Organization and the International Labour Organization.

Sister Sledge reminds different is good

This is not an alternative fact, or a cleverly timed WikiLeaks allegation, this is a story as it happened to me. Sister (Joni) Sledge has died. Why is that important? One, because she was much too young to die, and yet another in a trend of much-too-early deaths in recent months. And two, because her…

Healthy restaurant option near Nations Plaza

GENEVA – Tucked away in the culinary desert that is the Nations neighborhood of Geneva, hides Takinoa, a delish healthy eatery offering ASC and MSC certified fish, local in-season products, healthy and tasty menus to the lunch crowd in the area.

The circle of life, on two wheels

I have just come full circle in my motorcycle trajectory. Twenty-seven years ago I bought my first motorcycle in Nicaragua, a Kawasaki 500 enduro I can amazingly find no picture of (it was a disaster save for one memorable outing with a friend, thanks Susan). One year later in Texas I got my first real…

Thun: in the eye of Bernese Oberland

Located at the lower end of the lake, Thun is the gate to the Bernese Oberland, the heart of Switzerland and only a 2hr train ride from Geneva.

Of Nails and Doors

GENEVA – The last job on my Sunday chores list involved repairing one of the original interior doors in our circa 1913 Geneva flat. I say circa, because that is the date stamped on the abutting building of identical construction to ours.

Lake Geneva Unplugged

So quiet you could hear the fish feeding…

Opinion: US Response to Refugees a Blow to Freedom

GENEVA – As a former refugee resettlement program director in the United States, and resettlement assessment officer in the field, it is heartbreaking to watch the xenophobic reaction against refugees and Syrian refugees in particular, in the US (and elsewhere) in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris.