Geneva -- Dubai may be crumbling under excess spending and debt, unsustainable infrastructure and disastrous use of its sparse natural resources, such as its fast-diminishing aquifer, but it has understood service needs. Dubai International Airport may not be the best organized airport – it has yet to understand how to make plane transfers easy - but it does now offer free internet for anyone in the terminal. No more fumbling around with credit cards or service providers. You can sit in the waiting areas or cafes, pull out your computer and go right on the net. No registration required.
Geneva, Basle and Zurich airports, of course, still charge. You have to find an internet café or go to one of the business lounges. Or you get online and have to wade through a host of service providers and then register. It could be so much easier. And a real service for airport users. And, quite frankly, this might be a good public relations exercise for visitors by having an airport or City of Geneva (or Basle, or Zurich, or Switzerland) homepage. If properly designed, that is…and not with a whole new plethora or logins or registrations.And while we're at it. Put back the free luggage carts at Geneva airport. Many passengers simply do not have a two CHF coin handy, or wish to use their credit card.
GENEVA--Mu Sochua,one of the more impressive speakers at "Courage to Lead," a gathering of more than 40 women involved in human rights last week, is not a woman to be taken lightly. After spending the last twenty years fighting against both human trafficking and general corruption in Cambodia, the deputy inCambodia's leadingopposition party has embroiled herself in a head-on clash with the country'sperennial prime minister, Hun Sen. The spat now seems likely to land her in jail.At a superficial glance, the furor seems slightly silly.It began last spring when Mu Sochua protested against a Cambodian army officer using official government vehicles at public expense to campaign for Hun Sen's political party. A scuffle ensued and Mu Sochua's blouse accidentally ripped open. Hun Senwho likes to go by the rather ungainly honorific, "Samdach Akkak Moha Sena Padey Dekjo," referred tothe incident in a speech, vulgarly dismissing Mu Sochua as a hustler, who liked to expose herself and had a propensity for grabbing at men.If the Samdach expected Mu Sochua to roll over, he was wrong. Mu Sochua promptly sued him for defamation in a Phnom Penh municipal court, demanding 500 Cambodian rials, or roughly 12 cents in damages along with an apology.Instead of apologizing,Hun Sen, promptly countersued and taunted Mu Sochua to appeal to the World Court if she thought it would do any good.
The astounding passage of a 57.5 pecent majority referendum to ban new minarets on mosques by Switzerland’s right-wing Volkspartei (People’s Party) embarrassingly underlines (for Genevans and other moderate Swiss) the increasing narrow-mindedness of Switzeland’s mainly German-speaking mountain –but also lowland – hicks. Even more critical, the vote places at risk much of what Switzerland supposedly stands for, notably international finance, quality tourism and global humanitarianism.
Geneva – So, said one of my colleagues, “will you now be traveling on your Swiss or your American passport?”
Written by American expatriate columnist Art Buchwald in 1952 for the then Paris Herald Tribune, Le Jour du Merci Donnant is the world’s best known piece on explaining Thanksgiving to the French. And probably to the Swiss as well. It seems to pop up on virtually every website or newspaper dealing with the concept of Thanksgiving and why Americans kill turkeys. And what Thanksgiving means – or at least is supposed to mean – for them, both people and turkeys. For those who have never read this exalted piece, or for those who give up trying to explain what Thanksgiving is to Europeans, The Essential Edge is providing it here together with a direct article link to the Intenational Herald Tribune, which is today fully owned by the New York Times.
The average American
living in Geneva treats Thanksgiving as a patriotic affair, a way to emphasize
that you are still American by foisting the largest turkey you can find on a
group slightly confusedContinental friends, stuffing it with... well, stuffing, and spending an
inordinate amount of time trying to track down a source of cranberries. Most of
the Europeans I know are mildly amused at the concept of gorging oneself as an
expression of thanks, especially when the anxiety-producingquestion of the hour is the price and
size of the turkey. The average Swiss or French turkey weighs anywhere from 7 lbs
to12 lbs.But most expats feel that to be truly
American, a turkey should weigh more than 20 lbs.The idea is to serve everyone around the table from the same
cooked bird.Prestige is an
important part of giving thanks. The cost isn't cheap either.Turkeys in this area run at up to $8 or
more per pound.A friend recently
drove over night to the US Air Force Base at Ramstein in Germany in order to
buy a genuine American bird at $1 per pound.At the going price, the truly thankful ones around here are
the Swiss turkeys, who narrowly escape execution during this curious
celebration by watching their weight and pricing themselves out of the
market.All they have to worry
about is Christmas, when even Europeans zero in on turkeys as the bird of
choice.
As usual, Essential Edge correspondent John Sidwell explores some of the latest equipment and services available to those in Switzerland and France receiving English-language satellite television, notably free-to-air programmes, but also satellite internet access. In this column, he focuses on two top-of-the-range Freesat receivers plus various services and developments. For those who happen to be in Southwestern France Saturday November 28, 2009, John’s company Bigdishsat.com will be exhibiting various features at the latest AngelTraders Trade Fair at the Chateau des Vigiers.
The Copenhagen
Conference on Climate Change will be the most important meeting on global
warming since Kyoto and it could turn out to be the last chance for saving the planet.China, and
the United States, the two largest energy producers and consumers in
the world, will both play key roles in reaching an ultimate solution. The Essential Edge co-editor William Dowell sat down for an hour-long interview with China’s
ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Dong Jinyi, to discuss China’s expectations from
the conference. The bottom line: while China may differ from the US on some aspects on how to approach the problem, but there is no question that Beijing is taking climate change seriously (Portions of the following interview were published on the Global Post--http://www.globalpost.com)
Cessy, France -- One of the best reasons to live in the Pays de Gex is that it is within striking distance of Burgundy. Historically, Burgundy covered much of eastern France and included Lake Geneva and other parts of Switzerland. Modern-day Burgundy (Bourgogne) is a French administrative region. We can therefore claim some ownership to what I consider to be the land of the best food and wine in France. If we manage to slip out of the office by 1700 on a Friday evening, it's possible to be happily ensconced two hours later in a cozy bistro in Beaune, or Cluny or in one of the other picturesque villages in Burgundy, sipping our Kir, debating on whether to order snails à la bourgignon or poulet de Bresse, while smugly acknowledging that all is pretty well in the world.
Geneva -- Dubai may be crumbling under excess spending and debt, unsustainable infrastructure and disastrous use of its sparse natural resources, such as its fast-diminishing aquifer, but it has understood service needs. Dubai International Airport may not be the best organized airport – it has yet to understand how to make plane transfers easy - but it does now offer free internet for anyone in the terminal. No more fumbling around with credit cards or service providers. You can sit in the waiting areas or cafes, pull out your computer and go right on the net. No registration required.
The astounding passage of a 57.5 pecent majority referendum to ban new minarets on mosques by Switzerland’s right-wing Volkspartei (People’s Party) embarrassingly underlines (for Genevans and other moderate Swiss) the increasing narrow-mindedness of Switzeland’s mainly German-speaking mountain –but also lowland – hicks. Even more critical, the vote places at risk much of what Switzerland supposedly stands for, notably international finance, quality tourism and global humanitarianism.
Written by American expatriate columnist Art Buchwald in 1952 for the then Paris Herald Tribune, Le Jour du Merci Donnant is the world’s best known piece on explaining Thanksgiving to the French. And probably to the Swiss as well. It seems to pop up on virtually every website or newspaper dealing with the concept of Thanksgiving and why Americans kill turkeys. And what Thanksgiving means – or at least is supposed to mean – for them, both people and turkeys. For those who have never read this exalted piece, or for those who give up trying to explain what Thanksgiving is to Europeans, The Essential Edge is providing it here together with a direct article link to the 
As usual, Essential Edge correspondent John Sidwell explores some of the latest equipment and services available to those in Switzerland and France receiving English-language satellite television, notably free-to-air programmes, but also satellite internet access. In this column, he focuses on two top-of-the-range Freesat receivers plus various services and developments. For those who happen to be in Southwestern France Saturday November 28, 2009, John’s company 
