Every time I read an article about someone who swears they saw the face of Elvis in a piece of toast, I’m reminded of how good we humans are at putting random shapes into patterns, and trying to make sense of them. It’s what makes cloud-watching so much fun; it’s also what gave us the […]
Archives for August 2014
Payot’s best setters of the week
At number four in the top 10 is “The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden”. Whole gangs of critics and reviewers are claiming that this book is as delightfully wry and witty as his bestselling debut, “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared”. It is a tale of how one woman’s […]
Learning to live in the region
The International Women’s Club of Lausanne’s annual “Living in Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud Seminar (LIL)” will take place the 29th and 30th September 2014 at the IWC Clubhouse, Avenue Eglantine 6, in Lausanne. The IWC has organized this excellent seminar every year since 1983. Open to all, it provides newcomers with valuable information […]
Property buyers rush to dip into pension
BERN More and more people are rushing to use the second pillar of their pension plan to purchase a primary residence in the face of high prices and limited housing stock. While this may give a boost to the economy, especially the property market, not everyone is happy with the trend. There are three pillars […]
Back to school: Are your children excited or dreading it?
Summer is almost over and heading back to school is – for some – an exciting period to catch up with friends or get back into a familiar routine. For others, it will be a time of anxiety because they know that the bullying will start again. Shocking as it may sound, between 10% and […]
Air 14 Payerne
The Payerne air show between Yverdon and Bern is a definite must-see. Both noisy and awesome, it literally makes the ground tremble as fast-manoeuvring jets show off the world’s latest technology. Operated by exceptionally courageous and spatially aware pilots, these planes are doing the real thing. Nothing like those imitation video games where you can […]
Americans abroad – Pushed to vote
Democrats and Republications Abroad, two non-profit organizations representing US citizens, are pushing hard over the next few weeks for expat Americans to register for the next presidential election. While some states retain permanent overseas registration, most require their citizens to re-register every time. Democrats Abroad Switzerland is holding informal events in Geneva and Zurich to […]
Basel: Public transport with vision
Among European cities such as Helsinki, Copenhagen and Freiburg, Switzerland’s north-eastern city of Basel ranks as having one of the continent’s most visionary approaches to public transport. It is one that the Lake Geneva region would do well to heed if it is to deal with rising car traffic in a more imaginative and environmentally […]
A more communal stance for humanity
While much of the Swiss summer has proved miserable, for those of us who managed to get abroad, there were constant reminders of just how globally relevant the Lake Geneva region is. Somehow Switzerland is mentioned one way or another in any media coverage of the Middle East, banking, football, climate change or Ebola. It […]
Suicide tourism rises
ZURICH More than 600 non-Swiss residents died of assisted suicide in Switzerland between 2008 and 2012, helped by organizations such as Dignitas. In 2012 alone, the majority came from Germany (77), followed by the UK (29), Italy (22), France (19) and the US (7). A study by the Journal of Medical Ethics, which looked at […]