I have long been irritated by the fact that the town in which I live has some 10,000 inhabitants but the "new" station has "pick up and drop" facilities that provide parking for only TWO cars. Moreover, those cars have to be Smarts or some such very small car to actually fit into the parking space provided. If a car is any larger, it does not fit into "its" space and creates problems then for the 2nd car that might theoretically fit into that space. That also creates problems for the taxis that are supposed to be parked contiguously there (again, two spaces only) as well as for the continuously parked public buses!
I notice also that all (or at least many) "new" SBB stations are being built without drinking water fountains. No doubt this may be very good for vendors of bottled water and other drinks, but it is bad for customers who don't want to be forced to buy plain water that is provided at very good quality on the basis of taxes that we already pay.
Saturday 31 December 2011
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Trains continue to be late
Yesterday morning, the regular service for Zurich which should have arrived at Weinfelden Station at 9.26 a.m., saw the train arriving instead at 9.31.25 a.m.
There was no pre-announcement regarding the delay, no explanation for the delay, and no apologies.
There was no pre-announcement regarding the delay, no explanation for the delay, and no apologies.
Tuesday 27 September 2011
Will the Euro collapse?
Some people are totally convinced that the eurozone will collapse.
They have also therefore of course put huge sums of money on bets in order to make money if there is such a disaster.
What they don't seem to realise is that if the euro does collapse, the disaster will be so huge that any money they make will be meaningless:
The dollar will rise, but all other currencies (not only the euro) will collapse, as bets will then be made on all other "weak currencies" (that includes the currency of China because it is so heavily dependent on exports - and trade has already been practically frozen since the summer).
If the Chinese currency collapses that is basically the end of China for the moment, and therefore of all parts of Asia and Africa that are closely intertwined with it.
In turn, that will mean that all emerging markets (that's basically everything outside the USA) will collapse - possibly excluding India, which is not so heavily reliant on export but the impact on Indian exports remains to be seen if the Indian rupee comes to be seen as something to invest in as an "alternative safe haven" from the US dollar).
The Canadian dollar and Mexican Peso will probably do all right because they are so closely linked with the US, though they will suffer at least a bit because of the collapse of commodity prices including oil. That also applies to all countries whose currencies are pegged to the dollar.
That will mean the US flying high (not for any good reason, of course), but the rest of the world will be so badly hit that the US itself will be hit as all export-related jobs and companies will be hit.
Not a pretty scenario.
If you have any sense or conscience, therefore, do not bet against the euro. If that goes down, all of us go down.
Meanwhile, if the euro is properly rescued, those of us who have money there will do well out of it.
The euro is, overall, by far the more intelligent bet.
They have also therefore of course put huge sums of money on bets in order to make money if there is such a disaster.
What they don't seem to realise is that if the euro does collapse, the disaster will be so huge that any money they make will be meaningless:
The dollar will rise, but all other currencies (not only the euro) will collapse, as bets will then be made on all other "weak currencies" (that includes the currency of China because it is so heavily dependent on exports - and trade has already been practically frozen since the summer).
If the Chinese currency collapses that is basically the end of China for the moment, and therefore of all parts of Asia and Africa that are closely intertwined with it.
In turn, that will mean that all emerging markets (that's basically everything outside the USA) will collapse - possibly excluding India, which is not so heavily reliant on export but the impact on Indian exports remains to be seen if the Indian rupee comes to be seen as something to invest in as an "alternative safe haven" from the US dollar).
The Canadian dollar and Mexican Peso will probably do all right because they are so closely linked with the US, though they will suffer at least a bit because of the collapse of commodity prices including oil. That also applies to all countries whose currencies are pegged to the dollar.
That will mean the US flying high (not for any good reason, of course), but the rest of the world will be so badly hit that the US itself will be hit as all export-related jobs and companies will be hit.
Not a pretty scenario.
If you have any sense or conscience, therefore, do not bet against the euro. If that goes down, all of us go down.
Meanwhile, if the euro is properly rescued, those of us who have money there will do well out of it.
The euro is, overall, by far the more intelligent bet.
Die widerwilligen Zeitgenossen: Ein Blick auf die Geschichte des amerikanischen Fundamentalismus
A friend draws my attention to: http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/kultur/aktuell/die_widerwilligen_zeitgenossen_1.12675976.html
My response: The author, Francis Müller, has interesting things to say about "Fundamentalism" but he does not seem to understand that people of faith (any faith - including atheism, rationalism, evolutionism, secularism, et al) are always, by definition, going to be appreciative as well as critical of all that is around them. Appreciate because any faith worth having must heighten our appreciation and gratefulness for all that is good.
But why critical?
For those like me, who are followers of Jesus, we are bound to be as anti-Christian as we are anti-modern. In the tradition of the prophets, we affirm what is good and seek to embrace the best, but we retain the right to reject and to resist (lovingly and peacefully) all that is wrong.
This is not because we are "anti-modern" (even "post-modernists" are "anti-modern").
This is because we try to seek for and follow Truth, not merely the truths, standards and criteria that are merely respectable or even fashionable in our age or in any age.
Best wishes
Prabhu
My response: The author, Francis Müller, has interesting things to say about "Fundamentalism" but he does not seem to understand that people of faith (any faith - including atheism, rationalism, evolutionism, secularism, et al) are always, by definition, going to be appreciative as well as critical of all that is around them. Appreciate because any faith worth having must heighten our appreciation and gratefulness for all that is good.
But why critical?
For those like me, who are followers of Jesus, we are bound to be as anti-Christian as we are anti-modern. In the tradition of the prophets, we affirm what is good and seek to embrace the best, but we retain the right to reject and to resist (lovingly and peacefully) all that is wrong.
This is not because we are "anti-modern" (even "post-modernists" are "anti-modern").
This is because we try to seek for and follow Truth, not merely the truths, standards and criteria that are merely respectable or even fashionable in our age or in any age.
Best wishes
Prabhu
Thursday 1 September 2011
Train travel in CH does have some inconveniences!
One inconvenience is very loud annuncements in the train and on train stations(there is an opposite problem in UK, which has unprofessioinally soft announcements in strange accents!) And these announcements last ages, as they must, because they have to be in three or even four languages. But the irritating thing is that the announcements cover not only the relevant announcements, about train destinations and such, but also long sales announcements from the train vendor of coffee et al
The second inconvenience is quite extraordinary: that the train network still isn't properly linked to wireless broadband yet, with the result that you can't access emails during the otherwise very pleasant train journeys here. Actually, you CAN access emails, but the connection breaks unexpected and without any announcement (!) with the result that you have to log back into the system, then into your provider, and then into your email system. Once you have done that about 3 times in the mountains, you are so fed up that you desist entirely. At least that is what has happened with me. I don't even try to get on to email.
Nor, for that matter, do I try to make 'phone calls during train journeys - for the same reason. No doubt, fellow-passengers consider that a mercy! Actually, I do too.... But it is an inconvenience nevertheless.
The second inconvenience is quite extraordinary: that the train network still isn't properly linked to wireless broadband yet, with the result that you can't access emails during the otherwise very pleasant train journeys here. Actually, you CAN access emails, but the connection breaks unexpected and without any announcement (!) with the result that you have to log back into the system, then into your provider, and then into your email system. Once you have done that about 3 times in the mountains, you are so fed up that you desist entirely. At least that is what has happened with me. I don't even try to get on to email.
Nor, for that matter, do I try to make 'phone calls during train journeys - for the same reason. No doubt, fellow-passengers consider that a mercy! Actually, I do too.... But it is an inconvenience nevertheless.
Saturday 23 July 2011
empfohlen Diskussion über sexuelle Aufklärung in der Schweiz: http://wp.me/p12A9I-5o
empfohlen Diskussion über sexuelle Aufklärung in der Schweiz: http://wp.me/p12A9I-5o
Monday 16 May 2011
Chinese visas and the Chinese Consulate General in Zurich
The Consulate building, curiously, does not fly the Chinese flag (as far as I could see) and does not have an entrance from where you would expect it to be, given the street address - and there is no sign to tell you where to go either. Only if you take the side street uphill next to the building and look into the building's entrance which should have an entirely different street address (since the entrance is therefore located on the side street) do you discover a small sign saying "Visa" and pointing around the building....
I made these discoveries this morning, as I had to go there to get my visa for an international conference in China that I am scheduled to chair
all the work around the building indicates enhanced security measures but there are no toilet facilities for the public - in fact there are no toilet facilities anywhere in the area around the building either, and you have to take the tram for two stops before you come to any so, if you have to go the Consulate, make sure that you go with your bladder well emptied!
The work of getting the visa was efficiently done - I arrived just before 9.00 a.m., which was supposed to be the time of opening, and some individuals had already completed their work at the window, so the windows were obviously open before time
it took me less than 3 minutes to reach one of the 3 windows (two are for submissions, one for collections), and less than one minute to complete the additional form they wanted me to fill (as my Passport is not Swiss).
They asked me to return at 11.30 a.m. I was there at about 11.20 a.m. and my passport was already in a neat bundle waiting to be picked up
BTW, one of the people in the queue in a friendly way suggested that I check he dates in the visa, as he had had the experience of asking for a 90-day visa but being given a 30-day one - however, as he did not check it, he remained unaware of it all the time he was in China. When it was time for him to leave the country, he discovered to his particular chagrin that he had to pay a fine nearly ten times the visa fee! (A visa now costs CHF80, and he had to pay a fine of CHF750). He tried to reclaim the money from the Consulate but his attention was drawn to the sign at the window which asks you to check the dates in the visa...something you may tend not to do, because you are aware of the people behind you in the queue and you don't want to waste their time unnecessarily...
By the way, the strident communist red in previous visa stickers has now been replaced by a military-style olive green. Not sure whether this is symbolic.
I made these discoveries this morning, as I had to go there to get my visa for an international conference in China that I am scheduled to chair
all the work around the building indicates enhanced security measures but there are no toilet facilities for the public - in fact there are no toilet facilities anywhere in the area around the building either, and you have to take the tram for two stops before you come to any so, if you have to go the Consulate, make sure that you go with your bladder well emptied!
The work of getting the visa was efficiently done - I arrived just before 9.00 a.m., which was supposed to be the time of opening, and some individuals had already completed their work at the window, so the windows were obviously open before time
it took me less than 3 minutes to reach one of the 3 windows (two are for submissions, one for collections), and less than one minute to complete the additional form they wanted me to fill (as my Passport is not Swiss).
They asked me to return at 11.30 a.m. I was there at about 11.20 a.m. and my passport was already in a neat bundle waiting to be picked up
BTW, one of the people in the queue in a friendly way suggested that I check he dates in the visa, as he had had the experience of asking for a 90-day visa but being given a 30-day one - however, as he did not check it, he remained unaware of it all the time he was in China. When it was time for him to leave the country, he discovered to his particular chagrin that he had to pay a fine nearly ten times the visa fee! (A visa now costs CHF80, and he had to pay a fine of CHF750). He tried to reclaim the money from the Consulate but his attention was drawn to the sign at the window which asks you to check the dates in the visa...something you may tend not to do, because you are aware of the people behind you in the queue and you don't want to waste their time unnecessarily...
By the way, the strident communist red in previous visa stickers has now been replaced by a military-style olive green. Not sure whether this is symbolic.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Following my post about inefficiency in Swisscom
Someone who knows me a bit has put my case "forward ...to the concerned support department. Someone from Swisscom support will be contacting you soon about it". He says further: "I hope the support team is able to offer a solution which meets your requirements."
I hope so too!
I hope so too!
Tuesday 8 February 2011
When efficiency becom INefficiency
When I retire from UBS at the end of this month, I have been offered the option of taking my mobile number with me. This is of course very acceptable, so I completed and signed the form several days ago. However, there has been no response from Swisscom.
So i sent them a contact form from the Swisscom website the day before yesterday.
Still no response
So I rang them today. They told me that I have to ring my company as they have all my account details.
When I rang my company they asked me if I have completed all the formalities. I confirmed that. They said that after that it is not their responsibility and I have to speak to Swisscom.
So, back to Swisscom. Who wanted to put me back to my company again - but of course I was wise to that strategy by this time and stopped that, with the simple question: please forget my account and answer two simple questions: does Swisscom offer me a new Blackberry? And on what terms and conditions?
The man then checks my account (so, clearly my account had not even been checked till then!) and tells me that I can have the new terms and conditions as well as the new phone on the day after I retire.
This is totally incomprehensible, I tell the man. Can't you tell me, 3 weeks before the account is to start, what I have to pay? He replies, "Regretfully, no, sir". Can't I have the phone before then, but to be activated on that date? Again, "Regretfully, no, sir".
Nice man. But he must have to deal with questions like man every day. In fact, Swisscom must have to deal with questions like that each day.
They may thnk they are being very efficient from their own point of view, but they are totally inefficient from the viewpoint of the amount of salary they spend on people like that poor man dealing with people like me. They are of course totally inefficient from my viewpoint as a customer.
As it happens, I have to travel from the day after I retire. So my flight will have left Switzerland before the Swisscom shop opens. I have the choice of being without a mobile phone for the 6 weeks that I am travelling. Or of course going to a different supplier (and so having a different mobile number)
Neither is a very good for me as a customer.
I have to think about that one.
Any advice welcome.
So i sent them a contact form from the Swisscom website the day before yesterday.
Still no response
So I rang them today. They told me that I have to ring my company as they have all my account details.
When I rang my company they asked me if I have completed all the formalities. I confirmed that. They said that after that it is not their responsibility and I have to speak to Swisscom.
So, back to Swisscom. Who wanted to put me back to my company again - but of course I was wise to that strategy by this time and stopped that, with the simple question: please forget my account and answer two simple questions: does Swisscom offer me a new Blackberry? And on what terms and conditions?
The man then checks my account (so, clearly my account had not even been checked till then!) and tells me that I can have the new terms and conditions as well as the new phone on the day after I retire.
This is totally incomprehensible, I tell the man. Can't you tell me, 3 weeks before the account is to start, what I have to pay? He replies, "Regretfully, no, sir". Can't I have the phone before then, but to be activated on that date? Again, "Regretfully, no, sir".
Nice man. But he must have to deal with questions like man every day. In fact, Swisscom must have to deal with questions like that each day.
They may thnk they are being very efficient from their own point of view, but they are totally inefficient from the viewpoint of the amount of salary they spend on people like that poor man dealing with people like me. They are of course totally inefficient from my viewpoint as a customer.
As it happens, I have to travel from the day after I retire. So my flight will have left Switzerland before the Swisscom shop opens. I have the choice of being without a mobile phone for the 6 weeks that I am travelling. Or of course going to a different supplier (and so having a different mobile number)
Neither is a very good for me as a customer.
I have to think about that one.
Any advice welcome.
Thursday 27 January 2011
The Picasso Exhibition in Zurich
Over the last 15 years, I have rarely had time to go to an exhibition of Western art.
A bit of a luxury, therefore, just before I retire, to visit the Picasso exhibition at the Zurich Kunsthaus a couple of days before it closes.
But very special to be able to see it, as the last exhibition of Picasso's work in Zurich was in 1932 (present at the exhibition this year in the form of black and white photos of the same works, though in a different order - which felt most strange).
My responses to the works themselves was very different from what I expected.
In no particular order, the works that struck me most were:
- Head of a Sleeping Woman (study of a nude with drapery) 1907 - which was captured more feeling than Woman's Head 1907 or Woman's Head 1908 (the latter might almost be regarded as studies for Head of a Sleeping Woman)
- Fountain by a Cloister (where the reflections on the water are radiantly rendered)
- Head of a Woman 1909 - this sculpture has the woman with a hairdo suggestive of a snake or dragon, though the fearful connotations were neutralised by the elegance of the face
- Suite des Saltimbanques - captures hopelessness and expectation equally
- Sketch for Salome 1908 - wonderfully radiates a dancer's energy
- Bathers with Beach Ball - one of the few "typical" Picassos that still impresses; actually, I found the whole of his Impressionist period uninteresting except historically; for example, the fragmented bodies felt curiously flat (though I suppose it better to dismember bodies on a canvas than in reality!)
- Abstraction (Head) 1930 - with its ambiguous shape that could be jaws, nose, mouth, head, ears...
- Jug and Bowl of Fruit 1931 for its formal and experimental dynamism
- The Drawing Lesson 1925
- Studio with Plaster Head. 1925 - a visual metaphor for worldly wisdom?
- The Bird Cage 1925 - the range of his experiments with tsimilar visual themes is fascinating
- Portrait of Paulo with a White Cap - which captures the child's innocence and diectness
Finally, seeing the originals versus the reproductions (for posters et al) is an interesting lesson in the exigencies of popular taste versus the sensitivity of an artist - the innocence and "littleness" of Paulo with a White Cap is lost and it communicates instead (because of being blown up in size) an abiguous surliness.
A bit of a luxury, therefore, just before I retire, to visit the Picasso exhibition at the Zurich Kunsthaus a couple of days before it closes.
But very special to be able to see it, as the last exhibition of Picasso's work in Zurich was in 1932 (present at the exhibition this year in the form of black and white photos of the same works, though in a different order - which felt most strange).
My responses to the works themselves was very different from what I expected.
In no particular order, the works that struck me most were:
- Head of a Sleeping Woman (study of a nude with drapery) 1907 - which was captured more feeling than Woman's Head 1907 or Woman's Head 1908 (the latter might almost be regarded as studies for Head of a Sleeping Woman)
- Fountain by a Cloister (where the reflections on the water are radiantly rendered)
- Head of a Woman 1909 - this sculpture has the woman with a hairdo suggestive of a snake or dragon, though the fearful connotations were neutralised by the elegance of the face
- Suite des Saltimbanques - captures hopelessness and expectation equally
- Sketch for Salome 1908 - wonderfully radiates a dancer's energy
- Bathers with Beach Ball - one of the few "typical" Picassos that still impresses; actually, I found the whole of his Impressionist period uninteresting except historically; for example, the fragmented bodies felt curiously flat (though I suppose it better to dismember bodies on a canvas than in reality!)
- Abstraction (Head) 1930 - with its ambiguous shape that could be jaws, nose, mouth, head, ears...
- Jug and Bowl of Fruit 1931 for its formal and experimental dynamism
- The Drawing Lesson 1925
- Studio with Plaster Head. 1925 - a visual metaphor for worldly wisdom?
- The Bird Cage 1925 - the range of his experiments with tsimilar visual themes is fascinating
- Portrait of Paulo with a White Cap - which captures the child's innocence and diectness
Finally, seeing the originals versus the reproductions (for posters et al) is an interesting lesson in the exigencies of popular taste versus the sensitivity of an artist - the innocence and "littleness" of Paulo with a White Cap is lost and it communicates instead (because of being blown up in size) an abiguous surliness.
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