geneva « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Salariile “NESIMTITE” ale directorilor de Agentii si Institutii din structurile guvernamentale – doar varf de aisberg!

maresalul — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:01:10 +0000

Pentru cine inca nu a observat, aceste salarii exorbitante indelung mediatizate nu sunt altceva decat INLESNIRI TACITE oferite de guvernanti, fiecare pe feliile lor dupa cunoscutul algoritm politic al guvernarii.

Aceste “INLESNIRI” constituie in fapt “MITA pentru TACERE” asupra modului in care se “cheltuie” (mai precis se directioneaza sau se invarte) BANUL PUBLIC si unde ajunge EL.

Poate multi dintre dvs. – cititorii – ati lucrat sau lucrati in sistemul bugetar si nu va sunt straine bilanturile contabile, estimarile bugetare, devize de proiecte etc. – costuri exorbitante de miliarde, zeci si sute de miliarde de lei sau sute de milioane de Euro – in vreme ce dvs., salariatul executant, nu vedeti decat o leafa de mizerie de 7-15 milioane/luna.

Orice banal calcul contabil poate scoate la lumina ca in aceste structuri guvernamentale salariile reprezinta poate cel mult 20-25% din bugetele repartizate, restul fiind REGIE. Da, o regie de 75-80% deghizata in costuri de intretinere, inchiriere, consumabile, dotari, colaborari externe, diverse consilieri, protocol, publicitate, chiar si construiri de noi sedii foarte frecvent intalnite.

Din aceasta ultima si curioasa categorie de cheltuieli dau spre exemplu numai locatia Autoritatii Nationale pentru Restituirea Proprietatilor care, in urma cu 3 ani fusese proaspat instalata intr-un grandios office de P+3 pe Calea Floreasca, aidoma unui hotel de 4 stele, pentru a constata recent ca nu-i era suficient, extinzandu-si activitatea intr-un al doilea corp nou la 15 m in spate, asemanator primului iar ca birou de primiri destinat persoanelor indreptatite la acordarea despagubirilor care nu mai vin este rezervata o singura incapere unde mai tot timpul simti ca ramai fara aer, gasind inauntru cel mai adesea zeci de batranei din toata tara pusi pe drumuri pentru vreun act in plus sau care au de pus vreo petitie ori de aflat vreun raspuns.

Oare cati salariati pregateste Guvernul si Ingrid Zaarur sa angajeze si pentru cati ANI de activitate de acum inainte, pentru ca, date fiind investitiile institutionale, nu pot fi decat 2 variante: ori procesul acordarii despagubirilor se va intinde pentru cel putin 15 ani (pana prin 2025) ori asa inteleg “baietii destepti” sa revigoreze domeniul protocolului de stat ori vreun “cel mai iubit dintre pamanteni” asteapta sa le cumpere pe 2 lei!

Aceasta moda de construire de noi si noi sedii pentru multitudinea de INVENTATE Agentii Nationale, regionale ori locale dateaza de vreo 10 ani buni, croindu-si diverse sedii luxoase, ca apoi – pe fondul sciziunii ori dezintegrarii practic a agentiilor respective - sa fie lasate in stapaniri curioase, inchiriate la privati, concesionate ori vandute pe sume derizorii. Costurile unor astfel de sedii se ridica la cateva milioane de Euro.

Revenind la regiile enorme, umflate artificial la intelegere cu partenerii de afaceri – subcontractorii, furnizorii de consumabile, firme de cleaning – mai nou, achizitii logistice etc, aceste costuri apar acoperite de facturi, in fapt contractele fiind simulate, astfel intorcandu-se direct in buzunarele guvernantilor si partidelor lor jumatate din bugetele destinate tuturor acestor Agentii. Cei care jongleaza cu aceste masinatii sunt Guvernantii si liderii partidelor aflate la guvernare care, la "intelegere-ordin" asupra Directorilor numiti ai acestor Agentii, huzuresc, isi consolideaza averi si secatuiesc bugetul tarii, mentinand salariatul pe post de scalv. NESTIINTA Primului Ministru, Presedintelui si altor guvernanti este efectiv un “CIRC pentru PROSTIME” preelectoral. Semnificativ este si ca sumele salariilor expuse recent sunt proportionale “meritelor” fiecarui Director, rezultand astfel ca ANRE este foarte importanta, profitabila si cotizanta, rolul ANRP fiind de asemenea important ...

Tot de practici similare (political corruption - asa cum sunt ele definite) sunt afectate si FONDURILE STRUCTURALE si de COEZIUNE, alocate de Uniunea Europeana, fiind direct controlate si avizate de cateve ministere ca AUTORITATI de MANAGEMENT si intermediate de cateva ORGANISME de INTERMEDIERE, care in fapt apreciaza doar proiectele supraevaluate din care se pot constitui COMISIOANE importante sau doar propriile LOR proiecte prin care isi pornesc noi afaceri GRATIS, fiind astfel grav afectata si intarziata dezvoltarea Romaniei si atingerea scopului propus de EU - de recuperare a intarzierii dezvoltarii economice si sociale.

Interesant este ca pe fondul acestui CIRC au gasit de cuviinta sa diminueze bugetul ARMATEI! Astfel, ceea ce va relatam cu ceva timp in urma este cat se poate de evident. ARMATA ROMANA, grup de elita ce a jurat sa-si apere tara, cat si pe cetatenii sai, este marginalizata subtil, locul ei fiind luat de catre Politie si Securitate, structuri ce-si amplifica efectivele pe zi ce trece, scinzandu-se in diferite formatiuni precum Politia Comunitara, Jandarmeria, Politia, SRI, SPP, SPIR si o multitudine de structuri mai mult sau mai putin private de protectie si paza.

Asta denota clar ca TEAMA comunistilor ce ne asupresc vine doar din partea ARMATEI, singura capabila sa elibereze un popor manipulat, dezinformat si efectiv condamnat.

Retineti: VA ORDON - NU VOTATI.

Lasati ARMATA sa intervina pe fondul nelegitimarii clasei politice comuniste.

Maresalul

Tsy sarin'ny lalao CAN Côte d’Ivoire-Madagasikara | Cette image n'est pas du CAN Côte d’Ivoire-Madagascar | This image is not from ACN Ivory Coast-Madagascar

tomavana — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:20:21 +0000

Tsy diso famaky ianareo, tsy sarin'ny lalao fifanitsanana fiadiana tompon-dakan'i Afrika [CAN] sy lalao famarana fiadiana tompon-daka eran-tany taranja baolina kitra Afrika Atsimo 2010, nifanaovan'i Côte d’Ivoire sy Madagasikara io. Tsia, tsy nalaina tany Abidjan velively io sary io fa taty Genève androany Alahady tolak'andro, tamin'ny fifandonan'ny mpifanolo-bodi-rindrina Servette de Genève [mena matroka am-panafihana] sy FC Lausanne-Sport [fotsy sy manga ary miaro ny tsatokazony] izay tsy nasiana vidim-pidirana | 9'988 no isan'ireo mpijery tao anaty kianja (foana ny roa ampahatelon'ny sezan'ny kianja) | Genève Servette 1 - Lausanne-Sport 1 [1-0] |
Tsahivina fa : Côte d’Ivoire 3 - Madagasikara 0 | faha-41 min, 1-0 Boubacar Sanogo | faha-55 min, 2-0 Boubacar Sanogo tamin'ny loha, tolotra avy amin'i Baky Koné | faha-65 min, 3-0 Salomon Kalou tamin'ny penalty, i Baky Koné no nanosika ny Malagasy hanao fahadisoana | Raraka i Madagasikara

Vous avez bien lu, ce n'est pas une image du match éliminatoire combinée de la Coupe d’Afrique des nations (CAN) et du mondiale 2010 qui opposait Madagascar à la Côte d’Ivoire. Non, cette photo n'a pas été prise à Abidjan mais à Genève ce dimanche après-midi, à l'occasion du derby qui opposait l'équipe Servette de Genève [grenat à l'attaque] au FC Lausanne-Sport [blanc et bleu en défense] et dont l'entrée était gratuite |
9'988 spectateurs (le stade était aux deux tiers vide) | Genève Servette 1- Lausanne-Sport 1 [1-0] |
Rappelons que : Côte d’Ivoire 3 - Madagascar 0 | 41ème min, 1-0 Boubacar Sanogo | 55eme min, 2-0 Boubacar Sanogo de la tête sur un centre de Baky Koné | 65eme min, 3-0 Salomon Kalou sur penalty, faute provoquée par Baky Koné | Madagascar est éliminé

You've read, this is not a photo of the dual qualification process match for the African Cup of Nations (ACN) and the South African World Cup 2010 between Madagascar and Ivory Coast. No, this picture was not taken in Abidjan but in Geneva this Sunday afternoon at the derby between Servette Geneva football team [garnet in the attack] and FC Lausanne-Sport [white and blue in defence], the entrance was free |
9 ' 988 spectators (the stadium was in two thirds empty) | Geneva Servette 1 - Lausanne-sports 1 [1-0] |
Let us remind that : Ivory Coast 3 -Madagascar 0 | 41th min, 1-0 Boubacar Sanogo | 55th min, 2-0 Boubacar Sanogo with his head on a assist from Baky Koné | 65th min, 3-0 Salomon Kalou on penalty, fault provoked by Baky Koné | Madagascar is out

Nano – A Return Gift on Ratan Tata’s Birthday

theanarchia — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:06:27 +0000

[caption id="attachment_182" align="aligncenter" width="466" caption="Nano - Basic and Luxury Version"][/caption]

If you plan to celebrate December 28^th as Ratan Tata' s birthday, then there stands one more reason to do so – the first birthday of Nano. Yes! Call it coincidence or history repeating itself, the world's least expensive car 'Nano' is likely to be rolled out around the time Ratan Tata celebrates his 71st birthday on December 28, just as the 'Indica' was launched a decade ago when he turned 61.

[caption id="attachment_183" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ratan Tata - Man of Steel"][/caption]

According to informed sources, Tata Motors is working on a plan to launch the 'People's Car', as Tata fondly refers to, to coincide with his birthday with about 10,000 units being readied to be rolled out from the company's facilities in Pune and Pantnagar.

Nano – The way ain't smooth

The passion and fervor with which Ratan Tata followed his 'Nano' dream do showed he is man of steel. Various controversory came in the way right from international suspicion on the fidelity of model and inland Singur Controversory. A brief account of the Singur Disaster goes here:

Singur Controversory

Singur gained international media attention since Tata Motors started constructing a factory to manufacture their $2,500 car, the Tata Nano at Singur. The small car was scheduled to roll out of the factory by 2008. The choice of Singur was made by the company among six sites offered by the state government. The project

[caption id="attachment_184" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Singur and Mamata Bannerji - The Dreamspoilers"][/caption]

faced massive opposition from 2,000 of the 12,000 displaced farmers. The unwilling farmers were given political support by West Bengal's firebrand opposition leader Miss Mamata Bannerjee with an eye to the upcoming Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) elections. Miss Bannerjee's "Save Farmland" movement was supported by celebrity anti development activists like Medha Patkar, Anuradha Talwar and Arundhuti Roy. Miss Bannerjee's movement against industrialization of Singur was also supported by several Kolkata based intellectuals like Aparna Sen, Kaushik Sen, Shaonli Mitra and Suvaprasanna. Ultra left activists also shared the platform with Miss Bannerjee's Trinamool Party. The Tatas finally decided to move out of Singur on 3rd October, 2008. Mr Ratan Tata blamed violence by Miss Mamata Bannerjee and her supporters for the pullout decision. The pullout decision meant, loss of huge investment for the state of West Bengal. On 7th October 2008, the Tatas announced that they would be setting up the Tata Nano plant in Sanand, Gujarat.

History Repeating itself:

It may be recalled that the 'Indica' was also launched on December 30, 1998, two days after Tata celebrated his 61st birthday.

At that time Tata had to overcome doubters, who suspected the company's ability to make cars, considering it was only into commercial vehicle manufacturing

Appendix:

Launch of Nano at Geneva

Nano – A brief Introduction

The Nano will be launched in India later in 2008. The car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual's preferences.

Stylish, comfortable

- Designed with a family in mind, the Nano has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room.

- Can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

- With a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.

- Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.

Fuel-efficient engine

- The Nano has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.

- The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency.

- Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements

- The Nano's safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.

- Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly

- The Nano's tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today.

- The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint

Oct 12: Weather prediction, a job without accountability

atramentov — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:32:57 +0000

Imagine, you are going to bed in Geneva and waking up in London. I got such a feeling this morning when I looked out of the window. Accompanied by the BBC news there was fog. Nothing else but thick, gloomy, and omnipresent fog. This is the second time in my life I see such a fog in Geneva.

Now, about the forecasters: if they were predicting stock market, they all would have been fired. But here, they get away with murder. Proud descendants of Merlin! When you come to think of it, the next day weather is the easiest thing to predict. Nah! The forecast yesterday was: clear sky, sunny, warm. This morning it is frigid and you can't see a thing. Hope it will clear up later today, though.

P.S. salaries of weathermen (and their gender counterpart, weatherwomen) should be tight to the accuracy of their predictions.

P.P.S. relevant joke:
ОБЪЯВЛЕНИЕ
На время мирового финансового кризиса крупный инвестиционный банк срочно примет на должность начальника аналитического отдела опытного синоптика

In English:
During world financial crisis Major Investment Bank X has an opening for head of analytical group. Preference will be given to a candidate with an extensive experience in weather forecasting.

Geneva Watch (USA & Canada) Up to 50% Off

pollar99 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:41:25 +0000

Geneva Watch (USA & Canada) Up to 50% Off - Geneva Watches > > Shopping Cart Geneva Watches Geneva Watches : Up to 50% Off Geneva Platinum Round Face Polished Cuff $22 99Geneva Platinum Polished Silver Cuff Watch $17 99Fashion Lupa Style Hip Hop Watch $19 99 Geneva Platinum Black Dial Wire Beaded Band $16 99Geneva Platinum Retro Round Link Fashion Wa $16 99Geneva Platinum Women's Silver Faux Leather $22 99 Geneva Platinum Polished Ornate Cuff Watch $20 99Geneva Platinum Antique Style Bangle $23 99Geneva Platinum Pink Oval Face Fashion Watc $16 99 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > > Geneva Watch (USA & Canada) Up to 50% Off | Shopping Cart | About us Search Select Category Geneva Watches Browse by Category Geneva Watches About us Similar Items Lorus Ladies Bangle Watch with P $9 95 Lorus Watch Multifunction Sport $9 95 Fashion Lupa Style Hip Hop Watch $19 99

Versoix, Switzerland

travelinyourmind — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:18:11 +0000

Versoix, Switzerland (next to Geneva on Lake Leman). January 2005.

French Embassy in Geneva: we don't know Blue Cross Blue Shield

atramentov — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:57:09 +0000

Несколько дней назад я попросил ЦЕРН послать мои документи на Шенгенскую визу. Сегодня она должна была быть у меня. Просто и быстро, да? Нет - это Франция, вернее её Швейцарский Женевский эквивалент, - им нужно детальное письмо от BlueCross Blue Shield, а.к.а. health insurance, о том что у меня есть coverage в Европе. Просто ксерокопии моей карты им было не достаточно.

Fremdgehen

Dannie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:33:48 +0000

It is the last day of this Autumn's Bernese school vacation, and of the city parliament's recess. On November 30th there are city wide elections, and it could be that I am re-elected or it could be that I am not re-elected. I am not the campaign animal, and life is more than usual busy around here.

Last night I told Ivo at the Dojo that today I was not showing up today for the usual Friday night training which he leads, and that I was elsewhere. Given that the conversation took place in German, the word that I used was "fremdgehen" to express that I was breaking the routine. Am I being unfaithful tonight? Hardly. Am I cheating on my partner? Cheating, no! Not working out with one of my most regular Aikido partners, yes! I have been training with Ivo on a regular basis for many years.

Yesterday in a private rant over email to a friend I asked myself what was it that I am doing in this town given that my closest and dear friends are all elsewhere from Zurich and Zug through Tokyo, Paris, Rome and the family is scattered through Oman, Los Angeles and a few other corners of this world. In the moment of recalling how far my friends are, I forgot that one of my strongest ties to Berne is the Dojo. Come to think of it, my relationship to the Dojo intensified when a few years ago I made some plans about leaving it. The reasoning then was that if I was going to leave, then I wanted to take with me as much Aikido as possible. What I did not take into account then was how very slow my body is in learning this thing called Aikido. No regrets here, but... I just did not have a clue.

The word priority has been on my mind for a while now. Once, long ago, I was accused of not knowing how to set priorities right. After years of resistance to that idea, I must confess that that is true indeed. Given who accused me of such crime, this one makes for a whole story in itself. Suffice to say that that person actually stood under official protection of the government and drove around in a bullet proof car. Needless to say that I avoided riding in that car. Those are the glamour points of that personality, then there is all the other stuff about being human and extremely vulnerable beyond what a bullet proof car can protect against, and that is what makes for a great story. It is a story that I may never write.

The whole bit of being unfaithful, in which ever context you may choose, just does not compute with me. I think that it is impossible to go against one's nature, priorities here or there. When it comes to people there are no priorities, and when it comes to work and activity, there is something called choice. Priority? Is that not just another word for choice. Choice is a bit more binary, and frankly I can not deal with anything beyond binary. Confession: I have been spending way too much time with the work of a man named John Baez, and I am starting to feel like a bit of an idiot since I tend to get lost in the beauty of his fiction. But I always get lost in the beauty of fiction, be it the one from Christoph Geiser, be it the one from John Baez!

I have also been spending a fair amount of time in research libraries and databases. I have been writing and writing, and for the most part I do not recognise myself. Something about this year being about death is coming through in my life. Some part of me has died, and that is not a bad thing. Recently somebody told me that having suddenly lost the life's partner was like walking around with a part of the self missing. I was stunned by the words. I know that feeling. I have walked around like that for over forty years, and it is that part of me that I have let go, the missing part. The missing part is dead.

Fremdgehen. Yes! I am walking around unburdened by what was missing. I love change, truly do. And to think that the adventure just begun is truly intoxicating!

Speeding in Switzerland

atramentov — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:06:19 +0000

Answer: just don't, even 8km/h -- don't. They gonna catch 'ya.

A forestory. A colleague of mine (Russian if you should know) just sent me an email complaining about the speeding tickets that he just received from Geneva police. No, biggy, many people speed, and if you are doubling the speed limit there should be some way to stop you.

In US of A you are not stopped for speeding 10 mph (=16.5 kmh). But in Switzerland, especially in Geneva, there is no mercy to uninitiated. There are many automatic speed traps with rather sophisticated equipment to clock you and bill you for hundreds of dollars for speeding as low as 8 km/h over the limit (50-60 km/h). The fines range form 120CHF to 280 CHF for the first offense, doubling later on.

When the fines are so steep, people just can't afford to speed. And they don't here! Only unsuspecting visitors provide a *stable* cash flow to the city of Geneva.

Top Cities with the Highest Quality of Life

zamanoftoday — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:01:35 +0000

What city is the best to live in? Where are enough parks, shops and other services for your life to be as comfortable as possible? The western standards are getting higher and higher, people are moving in and out more frequently for better job opportunities as well as for better quality of life and they are also getting harder to please. Mercer Human Resource Consulting Company has recently done a research focused on the quality of life and general living standards in cities and capitals around the world. People were asked to judge the quality of their life and to estimate how comfortable and content they are about their lives. The output of this research is the list of the world’s top ten inhabitant-friendly cities.

	1. Zurich It is no surprise that Switzerland has three cities in the top 10, two of them in the top 3. The living standards in this Alpine country, rich in industry as well as nature and cultural sites, have long been one of the highest in Europe (Switzerland has been fighting for victory with Iceland and Norway). In the overall satisfied country, the inhabitants of its largest, yet not capital, city are the most content ones and feel their lives to be as good as they can be.

	2. Geneva The second largest city in Switzerland and also the second one in this ranking is Geneva. The Swiss are obviously a very happy nation! We should nevertheless admit that high living standards are connected with very high living costs. The most expensive cities are Oslo, Tokyo and Reykjavik; Zurich and Geneva nevertheless ranked eighth and nine respectively in this contest. They are still the only cities from the “most expensive” list, who are at the same time members of the “best for living” group.

	3. Vancouver The only representative of the Americas, Vancouver, the largest city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, holds the third position. It is remarkable that there is no U.S. city in the top ten. Maybe USA ceases to be the paradise it used to be. If you want to live an American dream, forget America, your countries are Switzerland and Canada.

	4. Vienna Another European city on the fourth position. And another German-speaking one! Actually, there are only German-speaking European cities on this list, which probably means that the Germans, except for being “pünktlich” and obsessed by cleaning are also very happy with the way and the place they live their lives (did you know that there are more expressions for cleaning of all kinds in German than in any other language?).

	5. Auckland The second one of the three Commonwealth cities in the top ten is Auckland, the largest city of New Zealand. It is especially the large amount of parks and generally the closeness to the nature that the inhabitants appreciate the most. Auckland resides 1,4 million inhabitants, which is about one fourth of the overall population of New Zealand. Unlike Vancouver, that stands for the North America alone, Auckland has an Australian backup - Sydney - on the rank 9.

	6. Düsseldorf Positions 6 to 8 are occupied by German cities. From these three, Düsseldorf, the centre of German advertising industry, situated in the largest German industrial area called the Ruhr area (with Cologne, Duisburg or Dortmund for neighbours) is the winner. It is quite a surprise that Berlin did not make it to the top ten, as it is widely considered a multicultural and a very pleasant place to live. Beat it, Berlin, viva Düsseldorf!

	7. Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main is the fifth largest city in Germany and obviously also the second most popular and pleasant city for life. One of the city’s characteristics is its skyline with many skyscrapers that count among the tallest ones in Europe and a huge airport.

	8. Munich The third and last German representative, Munich seems to be the least surprising one. The capital of Bavaria, the largest and one of the richest states in Germany, definitely is a nice place to live. One of the things that make Munich interesting and exceptional is the Oktoberfest – the biggest beer celebration in Europe. During this event, people drink beer from one-liter glasses. It is thus no wonder that they are happy and smiling all the time.

	9. Bern The third Swiss city on this list is the capital of Switzerland. Thus there are three German and three Swiss cities in the top ten, which makes Germany and Switzerland the total winners of this little competition. On the other hand, the losers are also clear – Asia, with no representative in the top 10, and the Americas, with only one of them.

	9. Sydney Sydney shares the ninth position with Bern, which is quite a success, considering it was founded to be the put-off place for the British criminals! Its first inhabitants would scarcely believe that one day people will be so fond of living here. Of course, Sydney has changed a lot since then and belongs, with its modern architecture, many parks, beaches and multicultural atmosphere to the most beautiful cities in the world.

15 June 2008 - Euro 2008 Fan Zone in Geneva

stranana — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:46:36 +0000

UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland. Part of a very good year in sport for Spain as they took the title from Greece by beating the Germans 1-0 and Xavi Hernández was named as the Castrol Player of the Tournament. The vast majority of matches in the tournament hit a very high standard of play and it was both frustrating yet refreshing not to see England there. The down side for a British national is obvious but the upshot was being able to watch some really good football without being too worried about the overall outcome.

As one of the host cities, Geneva was a great place to be. With the Czech Republic, Turkey and Portugal playing their games at the Stade de Genève, the large Turkish and Portuguese communities here were making the city come alive. In fact Geneva, being such an international city, came alive to the sounds of horns and cheering almost every night. This was also largely due to the Fan Zone in Plainpalais where you could go down to watch the matches outside on big screens, eat good food and have a few beers or caiprinhias.

15 June 20088 was the beginning of the round up of the group stage. Group A was to be concluded tonight and this being Switzerland’s group, a few of us went down to the Fan Zone to watch. We weren’t down there to see the Switzerland – Portugal game however. Both these teams’ destinies had already been decided. What was more interesting was the fight for second, between Czech Republic and Turkey, to make the knockout stages. Both teams had beaten Switzerland and lost to Portugal and scored and let in the same amount of goals in total. This was already a knockout game that could have gone to extra time, and would have done, if Nihat Kahveci only scored one late goal that night. Once his second went in it was clear that ten-man Turkey were through and Geneva wouldn’t sleep for another night.

We left the Fan Zone that evening soaking up all the atmosphere of the slightly subdued Portuguese celebrations (owing to their loss to Switzerland 2-0) and exuberant Turkish crowds. In the midst of all the celebrations a Swiss reporter, working for the Swiss-German television station SF2, was interviewing some Turkish fans so I decided to go and listen in. Before I knew it the microphone and TV camera are on me (wearing my Suisse T-shirt) and the guy is saying, “…and here we have a Schwiizer fan… bla bla bla…”. My response, in Schwiizer-Deutsch, was, “Sorry I didn’t really hear or understand what you just said.” followed by an awkward silence, me shrugging my shoulders in a ‘what am I supposed to do now kind of a way’ and then me walking off. I imagine I am on a TV recording somewhere looking like a total prat. Oh well, life continues.

Lepiej pózno niż wcale czyli zdjęcia z salonu w Genevie2008

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:19:25 +0000

To na co wszyscy czekali czyli... salonowe dziweczyny:

dziewczyny Genevy

i już mniej interesujące- samochody:

samochody

Transit Art: CEVA

marco — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:07:10 +0000

Here in Switzerland, the ultimate decision on infrastructure and urban planning comes from people, so a good communication campaign is essential in order to promote a project. So, public administrations always put a big effort on promotion and communication, as in the case of CEVA, the new underground link between the Swiss and French railway networks in Geneva. In order to promote CEVA, the State of Geneva has commissioned a series of video to student of Geneva Applied Art School. The results can be seen here.

(source: les urbanités)

Andreea Marin, indragostita la prima vedere de Salma Hayek

amyshoor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:06:53 +0000

In calatoria pe care Andreea Marin a facut-o in Africa in cadrul campaniei lansate de UNICEF in colaborare cu Pampers, zana a avut ocazia de a o cunoaste personal pe actrita Salma Hayek. Cele doua vedete sunt implicate in cadrul aceluiasi proiect umanitar Andreea este Ambasador UNICEF in Romania, iar Salma este purtatorul de cuvant al campaniei UNICEF- Pampers. Andreea Marin a fost foarte impresionata sa o cunoasca pe celebra actrita, si pentru ca a dorit sa impartaseasca si fanilor aceasta experienta, ea a postat pe blogul personal impresii despre aceasta intalnire.

Personalitatea actritei, a fascinat-o pe zana

„E incredibila uneori discrepanta dintre ceea ce te lasa sa vezi micul ecran si caldura pe care o poate degaja un om atunci cand il intalnesti fata in fata. Poate ca suntem facute din acelasi aluat, poate ca ne uneste in acest moment faptul ca suntem amandoua mame si luptam pentru aceeasi cauza, dar as putea spune ca am avut parte de o surpriza foarte placuta cand am intalnit-o pe Salma Hayek“, scrie Andreea pe blogul ei. Sotia lui stefan Banica, declara ca aceasta intalnire a fost ca o „dragoste la prima vedere“, ea fiind fascinata de personalitatea actritei. in curand, telespectatorii romani vor putea urmari, in cadrul documentarului realizat de Andreea Marin Banica in Africa si la Geneva, un interviu cu celebra Salma Hayek. (M.C.)

Incoming Venue: Jibtown II @ Geneva-CH

dtone — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:38:50 +0000

[caption id="attachment_65" align="aligncenter" width="470" caption="Jibtwon II set up by DTONE!"][/caption]

We're very glad to announce that Jibtown II, D snowboard & freeski open venue, is actually under construcion @ Geneva.

DSNOW team already begun the snow production (since Monday the 6th) and it's working very well.

DTONE all together work on finishing the event registrations (over 200 skiers and snowboarders on spot this week-end!), moves from phone to studios for media announcement, interviews and promotion, set the finals things up all around to offer all the attendants a fantastic experience of jibbing.

Mathieu Schaer (snowboard), Tom Boerlin (freeski) and Martin Robin (freeski) from DSPORT team will rock the place while several other team members will help on preparing the set up.

We all can't wait for riding downtown this WE and really hope that all our readers will come to share this very special moment.
Check it out:
http://jibtwon.com

Last DSNOW's baby carried by Davy

dtone — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:48:26 +0000

And it's already stomping snow downtown!

First week of use is dedicated to JIbtown (11-12 October 08 / GVA / CH). Then it's moving right away for some new fantastic venues!

Le canard intelligent, Carouge, Geneva

therealpickygourmet — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:11:42 +0000

[caption id="attachment_296" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Boeuf Sichuan / Poulet avec Gingembre et Ciboulette"][/caption]

Carouge offers a large variety of places and we were in the mood for chinese. What had caught my eye, was a place called le canard intelligent. It sounded like a great name for a chinese place, but I ended up a bit disappointed. It was your plain old boring chinese place to go for dinner. I greatly enjoy the pancakes filled with crispy duck, leek, cucumber and plum sauce, but the place here served a half chewy duck which tasted like tuna fish and the plum sauce was too thin. Too top it off, a guy walks in with his guitar and wails some french or portugese songs. Come on waiter - chase him out the door before the sauce sheds on my plate. But no, it's even worse, the german tourists behind us smile and pay him a couple of francs and now he's smiling at me. I used the same principle as with the guy in the tram asking for money and a smile (he'd seems to prefer the money though) and turned him down, otherwise this I'll soon be enyjoing musical company everytime I eat my dinner. Back to the subject at hand. The main course was Beef Sichuan, Chicken with scallion and ginger and fried rice. The sauces were too thick, the sichuan boring and not spicy. I don't even want to write about it, I might as well have stayed in Zurich at Suan Long, a truly horrible place in my opinion. The name raised my expectations greatly and I was expecting avant-garde chinese-french fusion cuisine, instead I get less then average chinese grub. Bill

[caption id="attachment_297" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="L'addition"][/caption]

Fararano | Automne | Automn | Genève

tomavana — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:30:38 +0000

Nilatsaka teny amin'ny tapom-tendrombohitra Jura ny oram-panala [>1'300 m] ... mangatsiaka kokoa ireo maraina ... mitafy loko marevaka ireo ravinkazo ... tonga ny Fararano.

Il a neigé sur les sommets de la chaine de montagne Jura [>1'300 m] ... les matins sont plus frais ... les feuilles se parent de couleurs vives ... l'automne est parmis nous.

It snowed on the peaks of the Jura [>1'300 m] ... the mornings are cooler ... the leaves are adorned with bright colors ... Autumn is among us.

Cafe Martel, Carouge, Geneva

therealpickygourmet — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:20:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Breakfast"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_309" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Breakfast"][/caption]

Just off the market place in Carouge, there's a cafe / bakery Martel which is opened on Sundays. I really like being able to choose among all kind of nice tasty pastries (sweet and salty) and then eat them right next door in the tea room. I am in danger of commiting the sin of gluttony on a regular basis, so this is my personal heaven. I chose a small crusty croissant with butter, two canapes with crab meat, a meat pastetry, a mocca eclair, a chocolate eclair, a cheese pastry (I asked for a chäschüechli, but actually it's called ramequin) and a millefeuille. Nothing to complain about a breakfast of this magnitude and I was feeling very good about myself. The only thing which really got me stinking mad, was the dog which was in the cafe. This is something which pisses me incredbily off about my countrymen in Geneva, their blind, ridiculous love for dogs. I like animals, cooked in a tasty sauce on my table - otherwise animals do not belong in restaurants, market places, grocery stores, butchers, etc. Price was 40 CHF, for Ovomaltine, espressso, coffee, 5 sweet and 5 salty pastries

Etihad Airways Introduces Chauffeur Service For Geneva

travelwerke — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:59:45 +0000

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has introduced its complimentary limosine service for premium passengers flying to and from Geneva. All First and Business class passengers are entitled to the Etihad Chauffeur service for up to a radius of 60km from Geneva airport, travelling in luxury Mercedes S-Class and E-Class vehicles respectively.

Passengers arriving in Geneva will be met at the arrivals area by their chauffeurs, then escorted to their limosine. For departing passengers, the limosine pick-up can be arranged at an address of their choice within the 60km radius. Etihad has chosen Elite Rent-a-Car to operate the new service.

The airline's chauffeur service is also available to premium passengers at Abu Dhabi, London Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin, Bangkok, New York, Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. New destinations for it will be progressively introduced.

Coruptia ascunsa in spatele imposturii si incompetentei?

maresalul — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:35:52 +0000

Involuntar, cu cateva zile in urma, am avut “sansa” de a asista de la o oarecare distanta la o discutie purtata pe treptele Primariei sectorului 2 (nu mai departe de “ograda” lu’ ONTANU ;).

O functionara - dupa aspect si port - explica unor tineri care pesemne doreau sa participe la un concurs pentru ocuparea unui post juridic - asa cum reiesea din context, ca “fara recomandare de la fostul loc de munca n-au cum sa se inscrie la concurs”, invocand ca legea dupa care este organizat concursul respectiv prevede in mod imperativ acesta conditie. Asa se face, ca respectivii au plecat profund indignati, invocand - pe buna dreptate - discriminare.
Ma intreb daca, o RECOMANDARE de PARTID nu i-ar fi ajutat? Cu siguranta ca n-ar mai fi fost nevoie sa se prezinte nici la concurs!!

Ajuns acasa, m-am documentat asupra ceea ce invoca functionara primariei, si iata ce am constatat: cunoscuta Lege 188/1999 modif. face o clara distinctie intre RECRUTAREA, DEBUTANTI si PROMOVARE, ultimei categorii fiindu-i necesara “fisa de evaluare profesionala” pentru a putea concura. Pana aici - LOGIC.
Pentru ca suntem in Romania si nu era de ajuns o lege, prin 2003 au mai aparut suplimentar doua Hotarari de Guvern (HG 1209 si HG 1210) care reglementeaza mai amanuntit cum se deruleaza procedurile de ocupare a functiilor publice si cum se organizeaza controlul acestora. Pe finalul HG 1209 si anume in Anexa ca Regulament de organizare concurs, tratand OTOVA cele trei categorii mentionate, la DOSARUL de inscriere la concurs, candidatul trebuie sa depuna “copia fişei de evaluare a performanţelor profesionale individuale sau, după caz, recomandarea de la ultimul loc de muncă”.
Si uite asa am descoperit MINUNEA ce le-o explica functionara cu vehementa(!!!), cu privire la “(…) recomandarea de la ultimul loc de munca”.
Aici este marea problema a functionarei respective, care parea ca detine o raspundere insemnata in Primaria sectorului 2, pentru ca, cu putin timp inainte, tinerii despre care fac vorbire au solicitat destul de suparati si motivati sa discute cu Seful Serviciului Resurse Umane.
Revin: acesta functionara a Primariei, prin puterea cu care a fost investita, explica in fapt ca fara RECOMANDARE DE LA ULTIMUL LOC DE MUNCA nu se poate participa la CONCURS!
Intreb eu logic acum: PROASPETII ABSOLVENTI sau O TANARA CASNICA CARE SI-A CRESCUT IN ULTIMII ANI COPILUL SI A ABSOLVIT O FACULTATE ori UN AVOCAT (caci cam asta pareau sa fie si sa invoce tinerii respectivi), DE LA CE LOC DE MUNCA OBTIN RECOMANDAREA “ABSOLUT NECESARA” precum sustinea functionara???
Vin si arat in continuare cat de INGUSTA sau RAUVOITOARE este mintea acelei functionare: textul cu pricina mai mentioneaza “…SAU, DUPA CAZ, …” ori, in acceptiunea terminologiei “DUPA CAZ”, raportat la faptul ca toate categoriile de participanti (recrutare, debutanti ori promovare) cad sub incidenta reglementarii, atunci trebuie interpretat si ca “UNDE ESTE CAZUL”.
Acum puteti concluziona si dvs. cititorii, PANA UNDE SE POATE AJUNGE CU IMPOSTURA SAU DE CE NU- CORUPTIA sub masca INCOMPETENTA - IN ADMINISTRATIA PUBLICA.
De aici as putea intelege ca in ultimii 5 ani, la Primaria Sectorului 2 NU PREA AU AVUT CE CAUTA CEI FARA “RECOMANDARE DE LA ULTIMUL LOC DE MUNCA” DECI, DIN AFARA SISTEMULUI….!!!!!

Prin urmare, iata alta mostra de ABUZ, INCOMPETENTA si CORUPTIE in ADMINISTRATIA PUBLICA, care, probabil, nu prea intereseaza pe nimeni, ori - poate se va autosesiza vreo autoritate care “papa” din banii nostri, cum ar fi: CONSILIUL NATIONAL PENTRU COMBATEREA DISCRIMINARII. pentru ca tinerii respectivi aveau MARE DREPTATE privind DISCRIMINAREA… Eu as adauga: ABUZ, INCOMPETENTA si CORUPTIE.

Si... pentru ca totul nu se opreste doar aici, de remarcat este ca acel personal “ascutit la minte” din Primarie formeaza insasi COMISIA DE EXAMINARE! Adica acele “capete luminate” vin si apreciaza cat de competent poti fi tu - candidatul - pentru ocuparea postului!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prin urmare CETATENE, aici ai inca un motiv pentru indemnul: NU VOTA

Maresalul

Geneva IL Real Estate Market Trends

The Kombrink Team — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:33:05 +0000

There are currently 403 single family and townhomes listed for sale in Geneva. The average home is currently priced at $359,900. Closings are down 24% with 258 YTD. The median sale price of $332,000 is down 4% over last year. This information was pulled from the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008.

For more information, call The Kombrink Team at RE/MAX Excels 630-262-4321 or visit us online at http://www.kombrink.com

Canadian Government Should Not Turn Its Back on Human Rights

5-Pillar Scribe — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:31:35 +0000

"Over the past few years, our Government has seriously rolled back the rights for many Canadians, as evidenced in the rise of racial profiling and Islamophobia. Our eroding human rights record is also reflected on the international stage when it comes to our Government's willingness to uphold international human rights treaties and agreements," said Mohamed Boudjenane, Executive Director of the Canadian Arab Federation. >>>>>

Restaurant Equinoxe, Carouge, Geneva

therealpickygourmet — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:48:17 +0000

[caption id="attachment_279" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Salade et Fois Gras"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_280" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Agneau a la tapanade"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_281" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Tarte tatin"][/caption]
Carouge, a village right next to Geneva, is reachable by tram from the main station in about 10 minutes. It has a very italian, rustic feeling to it, completely opposed from the rest of the Geneva. Just off the tram station "Armes" is a place called Equinoxe. Now Geneva is much more dirty and run down than the swiss cities towards the east of the country. It's more shabby chic, than sleek chic, but the Genevois are rather a left-winged lot and like a good bit of patina. So standing in front of Equinoxe, I'm not quite sure what I was to expect. It's a small cafe-like interior with the menu written on the walls. No idea why smoking indoors was banned in Geneva, I'm guessing the owner is no fan either, since he's running out of the door every 30 minutes to restack some tables and grab a cigarette. I had foie gras on a salad mesclun and lamb a la tapanade, followed up with a tarte tatin. The salad was served with strawberries, green apples, sprouts, grapes almonds and of course foie gras. It was a delicious experience combining different pieces of food with each other and tasting the different flavors and textures coming together in my mouth. The lamb was served in a light batter, vegetables, a potato-pumpkin mash and some sauce in a separate glass came along as well. The lamb was overcooked - but the vegetables and the mash were a great combination. Especally the sweetness of the pumpkin gave it a lovely twist. The apple on top of the tarte tatin were nice and together with the cold and sweet vanilla ice cream, this combination is always a winner. I'm used to prices in Zurich and I almost had a shock when I got the bill. It was cheap, where do you get an espresso for three swiss francs or a salad mesclun as an appetizer for six ?

[caption id="attachment_282" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="L'addition"][/caption]