Jürgen

... as the church bells rang for a last time for our friend Ali on the day after Ascention +++ In the chruch, family and friends had sung a song that had been part of Ali's repertoire in the 70ies and 80ies +++ And while we were following the funeral procession near Bonn, the lyrics of the old Hollies song resonated in many of us: "It's a long road from which there is no return. While we're on the way to there,... why not share. And the load doesn't weigh me down at all: he ain't heavy, he's my brother .... he ain't heavy, he's my brother +++

... was the theme of many sms that reached me from French colleagues and friends after yesterday's election +++ Ideas from immigration to the beginning of an anti- financial specualtion revolution were suggested +++ Merci for all the shared thoughts... +++ From (neutral) Geneva I cannot comment but observe:  Europe is "raison d'état" for all European presidents, chancellors and prime ministers ... and a regular recalibration of political beliefs ... helps ... in times of fast changeing global realities +++ P.S: for immigrants and revolutionaries: planetraths offers asylum ...

... guitarplayer, fiddler, singer, storyteller and stage magician Ali, who died this week ... too young...

... small not either ... but the perception that there are "safer" pharma jobs in Geneva at big multinational companies like Merck Serono or others underwent a sobering "reality check" in the last week +++ Merck Serono announced the closing down of the Geneva 1500+ employees headquarter by year end, leading to many hundred pharma jobs lost in Geneva +++ Other multinationals are also restructuring and Iroko Cardio ... remains ... a small aMACEing enterprise, working on the reduction or Major Adverse Clinical Effects ... (from cardiac re-intervention to death) every day....  24/365 ...

... that's one way to look at the result of the nerve wracking penalty shoot out of yesterday's semifinal opposing Real Madrid to Bayern Munich in the famous Bernabeu stadium +++ After a total of 210 minutes of playing, there was no winner ... until the team with the (relatively) cheaper (because home-grown) players beat the team with the big pockets ... very luckily 3:2 in the penalty shoot out +++ Another inspiring sport story +++ PS: I' m a football NON-expert ... but an amateur of the many inspirational stories sport writes ... again and again...

... on the banks of Geneva Lake from June 6th to 10th +++ Main act is Lou Reed who invites all planetraths visitors to "walk on the wild side" this summer ... envisageing a Romandie visit ... and a planetraths stop over +++

... with the ususal unusual line up of musics of the world for all tastes: for the global community Aanstacia and Amy McDonald, Sinnead O'Connor and Katie Melua, Bob Dylan and Chick Corea +++ For the francophones Jane Birkin and Juliette Gréco; for the Latinos Luiz Melodia and Adriana Calcanhotto ... and for the more Germanic taste: Herbert Grönemeyer +++ Planetraths offers accomodation on the south bank of the festival lake ... for all tastes +++ Timely reservation is required +++  

... and Franz Ferdinand, The Cure and Lenny Kravitz: all of them performing in the Romandie-Woodstock on the fields near Nyon +++ Another reason to plan a visit to the Romandie this summer +++  

... in the list of Western Switzerland Music Festivals: from Caribana over Paléo to Montreux Jazz +++ This year's top acts were Chris de Burgh and Amy McDonald performing in the 2000 people festival tent in the center of Switzerlands mountaineering capital +++ Between the end of the main ski season and the Patrouille des Glacier (the extreme mountain race between Zermatt and Verbier) the village on the Visp river offered this year powder snow skiing during the day and top music acts at night ... and all of this with (occasionally) free view on the majestic Matterhorn ...

... on the big Christian theme of love being bigger than death", the priest in St Pierre Cathedral invited the crowd on Easter Sunday +++ While the St Pierre mighty cathedral bells broke the silence they had fallen into since good Friday at the end of the well attended service, Geneva Police fined the beggars on the steps of the anti-Rome St Peter cathedral for unauthorized beging +++ "Happy Easter" the two men of (very far) Eastern European descent shouted cynically +++ "May the Lord's spirit come over you", the two policemen replied calmly filling out the tickets +++