[Culturechat] Agendas

[Vance Roy]

tillhouse wrote:

> I wish I had your way with words, Vance.  Great replies.
>  
> In the back of my journal I jotted questions I never got  to ask while in
> CH.  Husband is sitting here now editing the video which made me grab the
> book and ask????
> 
> 1.  In the outdoor Ballenburg Museum there were bee houses---not like the
> hives in the states.  What are they like inside?   I used to keep hives
> doing a poor job and they swarmed to a neighbor's.


The bees cue in on color. You noticed the different colors of the 
entrances? The hives are inside the house.


> 
> 2.So  much graffiti. Some quite attractive.  What do the Swiss think of
> this?


Mixed views. You are right; some is really good abstract art. Other is 
just a mess. Sometimes a company will invite the "artists" to come and 
participate in a contest on new construction to see who can be the most 
original. Jail is for those who try their art on the train cars.


> 
> 3.Brooms along the rail tracks mounted on poles.


Two theories on this: One, they brush snow off the train in the winter. 
Two, (I think this is the right one) the brooms cause the engineer's 
rear view mirrors to close against the train and avoid being hit by the 
tunnel walls.


> 
> 4.The apprentice program in the schools following the ninth year seems
> restrictive to a very young mind.  Is it?


Not at all! My friend, Herr Britschgi, is the head of what you and I 
would call vocational counseling for the kanton. The variety of programs 
and evaluation of students is truly amazing. If a student or an adult 
feels he has made a mistake in vocational choice, there are ways to 
redirect these people.


> 
> 5. How are all the sunflowers used?  Oil?


Oil and seeds, but also decoration in gardens and yards.


> 
> 6. Lots with tall metal poles with small red flanges on top.  Communication?


Those used to be wooden. The law says that before you begin new 
construction, you must put these stakes up in the configuration of the 
planned building. This allows neighbors to see if the new construction 
will hinder their views, etc. I think it is like 30-60 days before.


> 
> 7.  Are bodies exhumed after seven years to make room for new occupants?
> Where do they go?
> 

20-25 years is the rule. There is no embalming and no vaults are used. 
This is a damp climate, and wooden caskets (exquisite pieces of art) are 
used. After that period, if a thigh bone or some such is left, it is put 
in a common grave. All those beautiful gravestone are the responsibility 
of the family or the community will remove them.


> Many thanks if you can clear these up for me.  Our landlady spoke no English
> so we couldn't get our answers then.
> 
> Your info re sociological issues is an invaluable addition to the Idyll
> lines.
> 
Hope this helps,

Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch.