Thursday, December 9th
of men and their need to leave a mark
music: none
mood: serene
almost a year has passed since I took a moment to write,and as I look back on these weeks and months
I realize that I have accomplished precious little by the usual standards of achievement we are all accustomed to measure ourselves by:no job,no increase in salary,no new client,no magnum opus in the offing...Yet,I sit tonight and feel that this year has not been unproductive,quite the contrary.
I am alone these days,but my heart is full of Love,and this is new to me.I used to feel anxiety and fear loneliness.Is it a perk of maturity,or have I got something right finally?
The world looks more incomprehensible by the day:I do not feel that I am much part of it anymore,I don't have the energy,and as I walk through the streets of any city,I sense that I am slowly withdrawing,moved by the tide of my years.
What will be left after I pass on,whether tomorrow or twenty years from now?what will I leave behind?
It remains an important question and I do not have the answer at this moment.
Marcel on 12.09.04 @ 09:37 PM GMT [link] [No Comments]
Monday, March 22nd
second class citizens
music: Swiss national anthem sputtering followed by an embarassed silence
mood: pensive...and somewhat grateful for Canada
I had never given much thought to Canada's human rights charter.Actually,I occasionnally had the
vague feeling that it provided overgenerous protection to criminal elements such as drug lords,murderers and a generous source of income for lawyers.Until these last few days when I got a glimpse of Switzerland's multi class system,which enshrines a second class citizenry which under current rules lasts up to 13 years.
The system is particularly harsh towards immigrants from Africa,who no matter what their actual qualifications are,must accept to wash dishes,and thus spend the most productive years of their life in
limbo,outright discrimination,and below minimal pay,while waiting for full citizenship .It is not uncommon at the end of the 13 year wait for these people to wait an additional 1 to 3 years for the red tape to
lift and the famous passport to be delivered...To make this system even more discriminatory,voters may be asked to accept or turn down the request,based on their personal prejudice,on the ground that they do not find these proposed new citizens to their liking.And of course the application is fairly expensive,proportionate to the previous year's income,and non refundable!
Now let us imagine our new and proud Swiss citizen ready to apply for a job finally on an equal footing with fellow applicants...The 13 to 15 years almost guarrantee that he or she will be past the optimal age required,and it will likely be back to filling the bottom job market positions.
Now why would they even bother to come in the first place?They are looking for better living conditions and are eagerly welcomed because their presence lowers the overall cost of running the swiss economy,a reasoning mildly echoing the slave eras of not too long ago.
The amount of pain these human beings withstand to offer their offspring a better chance,is unbelievable.It is happening on a daily basis,based on reactions to their colour,from the way they are being served at a restaurant,to hiring decision reversals,and the need to prove their status at all times,an unthinkable obligation for their first class counterparts.
A wide gap separates this Switzerland from the postcard version of milk chicolate and creamy white slopes.and Canada looks better every second,even doused in maple syrup. 
Marcel on 03.22.04 @ 11:56 AM GMT [link] [1 Comment]
Wednesday, March 17th
the victory of terror,where is Bond?
music: 007's license to kill
mood: resolute yet stripped of the last ounce of power
As terrorists start opening recruiting offices at a shopping mall conveniently or disturbingly located near you,one has to wonder if their success has not been aided by some sinister multinational consortium whose vital interests are better served while the perception of a threat gets stronger and closer to home.The fact is that terror players like Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein have been well known and repeatedly met,
courted and financed by the same officials who are currently making their sacred mission to obliterate them.So,it is rather clear to me that James Bond must have had them in shooting site many times(as he usually does) and could have used his famous license, only to be taken off the mission to preserve the acquired target for future considerations.
As a result of Madrid's bombings,huge amounts of money were lost on world markets by ordinary investors.Will we ever know who took positions in the preceding days to benefit from a sudden fall of
the spanish index,the ibex?Are ordinary world citizens aware that their life is rapidly being modified to meet the appetite of the security industry at the expense of freedom,which may actually disappear forever once tempered with by so called security experts.Yet,we remain eerily indifferent to where this all leads...
These are new high stakes games where all of us have not been invited but where we play fodder for both sides.It won't be long before an international terror body sends delegates to the United Nations,
where they'll enjoy top security protection.James Bond may well be asked to supervise the proceedings
being so well acquainted with the new guests.
I guess that my point is that we are being lied to,repeatedely,cynically and profitably.Our democracies are no longer delivering citizens willing to serve,but coteries of special interest operators eager to reshape the issues even when it means dancing with the devil.
All this is is a bit helter skelter,but I am infuriated by the constant loss of life,and responses which only reinforce the ability of the terrorists to hit harder.
Marcel on 03.17.04 @ 09:09 AM GMT [link] [3 Comments]
Sunday, March 14th
der tod...
music: bond
mood: sweet and sour
Last night I was treated by a dear friend at her house in a charming dorf outside zörich,beyond Triemli
and over the Uitlieberg mountain.The house is home to two cats ,two guinea pigs and several lively fish,
but the real master of the house is 11 year old Michael,a sharp and charming young man,who helped his mother organize the evening by making a tomato sauce that topped our osso bucco,and a splendid pudding.After showing me around upon my arrival,Michael produced a few poems he had written,and I must share one with you,because I actually liked them so much and found their rhythm so inspired:
das rätsel
das rätsel das kann endlos sein
man lösts mit frenden oder allein
des rätsels sog zieht dich hinein
man kommt nicht heraus nur herein
das rätsel das ist ganz verschwomen
den es hat dir den verstand genommen
so vergehen vielen leben
die lösung is bei vielen das streben
doch es wurde nie gefunden
und tausend menschen sind darin verschwunden
This led me to reflect upon the task of bringing up children and the amazing results achieved by so many women without input or assistance from their male partners...How is this possible or even acceptable?Do we need looking any where else to start working on a better world?Or should women altogether eliminate these male cromagnons,sorrycompanions,and lay the foundations of a not so brave new world?
Let me know what you think,out there.I think this subject is worth some thought and your input.
Marcel on 03.14.04 @ 09:11 AM GMT [link] [3 Comments]
Friday, March 12th
sunshine at last
music: bloomberg television
mood: digestive
Today,I finally emerged from the feared jet lag effect resulting from last week's journey.The weather was vastly improved from yesterday's gloomeez.I enjoyed a four hour walk through the city,taking in the sounds and sites,running into a school of Italian students meandering through the gassen,gässchen,and plätzer in search of some Chagall vitrails.Oddly enough they were from Florence,
away from the radiance of Tuscany looking for twenty century footnotes of craftmanship,in the stark labyrinths of this northern lutheran stadt...Whatever,I thought it odd.
Excellent prune pie,actually downright divine at the storchen hotel bar;warm,offering succulent half prune bites in a light custard,and a moist crumbly crust.
Last night I met a charming young zurich boy,who drew a detailed chart of his classroom,and offered an
exhaustive analysis of each every one of his 25 schoolmates,while we were having dinner in a downtown restaurant.Now I know everything there is to know about the eleven year old bully Tommy ,and the Zina the reigning queen lording over this young man's heart.
the weekend looks pleasant,and next week....well who knows?
Marcel on 03.12.04 @ 09:44 AM GMT [link] [No Comments]
Thursday, March 11th
bitte kein geld aus fenster werfen
music: tramwheels grinding
mood: sleety and snowy
woke up this morning and got shocked by the Madrid massacre of unfortunate commuters.This sort of crime goes unpunished and so the scourge runs full tilt until?Life in Zurich is similar to nothing else .The level of civil obedience is still so high that public transportation users can come and go all day long without being controlled even once...But should a control occur and one be found without a valid ticket,a heavy fine would be levied on the spot.There is a sign in every car:please do not throw your money out the window...
It is snowing but the temperature will drift up rapidly over the next couple days.Perfect day for downing a mighty fine wienerschnittzel,overhanging my plate at both ends,served with a huge and juicy half lemon,and the deadly rosti...where`?at the zeughauskeller,the scrumptious version of our own Magnan tavern.The zeughaus is decorated with all the weapons ever used by the swiss military since the midlle ages ,and features crossbows and ground to air missile launchers:I looked for a replica of the nuclear missile the swiss are rumored to possess,but could only detect some highly fissile material
in the highlander a dark brew topped with a shot of prune alcool and set on fire upon serving.If you ever pass by,order the schwert, a medieval sword used as a skewer for a three foot kebab,and served with a mere half ton of vegetables salad and pommes friten(the civilized name for French fries)
Remarkably light after this rubennesque feast,I witnessed the current paranoia of the swiss concerning money launderingéwestern union requires passport and proof of residence before consenting to fleece you for sending some money abroad !Stores along the banhof strasse keep reinventing expensive:watches on sale at 20000!suits at 5000,and shirts for a mere 498$ Italian mind you.Fortunately the side streets belong to the other world :yours and mine.
Marcel on 03.11.04 @ 09:58 AM GMT [more..] [No Comments]
Thursday, March 4th
femi and finula
music: mysterious,sort of oriental/african/celtic
mood: wonder
i had to record the fact that I saw Femi Oke and her inevitable cohort and straight woman Finnula something.Once I am exposed to her dangerous accent,I become hopelessly silly,and yes,it happened again!If you travel to Europe,do not miss the weather foecast delivered by Femi:she will drive you insane,you'll dream that she's lying in bed next to you,whispering a litany of natural catastrophes in the sweetest voice.
Marcel on 03.04.04 @ 05:16 PM GMT [link] [4 Comments]
Europe's gate
music: bloomberg....
mood: very tired
I have landed again in Zurich,and I type this from my bedroom at the intercontinental hotel.This is the ultimate tech heavy room I have yet come across:state of the art tv, hi fi sound system,internet,fax,energy efficient switch,and yes,the ultimate bath tub with the most complete line of cosmetics and fine soaps.definitely a great package,yet to be emulated in Canada.
I arrived this morning at 6:30AM,and as usual Swiss was impeccable,and actually my pasta was tasty and digestible.I was fortunate not to be treated to the new nightmare also known as terminal E...You need to take a train after landing to reconnect with the rest of the airport.Sometimes it is anecessary evil,but here in little ole zurich,it's a bit of overkill.BTW,the only little flaw in my great room,is that this keyboard has the y and z mixed up,so you must hit z to get y,and vice versa....small price to pay
good night!special hello to all of you and yes,you too!
Marcel on 03.04.04 @ 02:21 PM GMT [link] [1 Comment]
