The most recent Economist Big Mac index places Switzerland at the top with the world’s most expensive burgers. This tongue in cheek analysis compares the relative strength of national currencies by comparing the price of a Big Mac around the world and it suggests that the Swiss franc is 42.4% overvalued. The only other currency […]
Archives for July 2015
Growing crowds at Lausanne soup kitchen
Tages Anzeiger. Some might imagine there is little need for soup kitchens to feed the poor in Lausanne. Philippe Reichen, writing for the Tages Anzeiger, describes life at “La Soupe Populaire”, a soup kitchen in Lausanne which feeds around 200 people every day. “La Soupe Populaire” has been enormously popular for years. In 2008, when […]
Wasp nests growing faster than normal
Wasps love summer heat and this summer has been particularly favourable for them, keeping Swiss exterminators very busy. Wasps differ from bees in many ways. Bees eat nectar while wasps have a broader diet that includes meat, which means they are attracted to barbeques. In addition, wasps are more aggressive and can sting multiple times. […]
Air force drones patrol Geneva
Tribune de Genève. During the nights of 15 and 16 July 2015, three Swiss air force ADS 95 Ranger drones, 4.6 metres long and 5.7 metres wide flew over Geneva and its borders. The flights which ran through the night were detected by a Swiss-German flight enthusiast using the website www.flightradar24.com. According to an article in […]
How can you dissolve conflict through active listening?
Competitive listening is often a source of conflict. In this interview,
Janine explores what drives that conflit and how to identify it.
Scientists explain Swiss heatwave
24 Heures. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) have come up with a new explanation for the heatwave that has taken hold in Europe. Two forces appear to be at work. The first is a large body of hot or high pressure air in the troposphere, at 5,000 to 10,000 […]
Swiss army flies in to rescue cows from heatwave
24 Heures. The Jura region of Switzerland has been hard hit by the recent heatwave. So hard that the Swiss army was called in to install and fill water troughs for parched cows. According to one farmer, a cow’s comfort zone is between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius. Outside this range they aren’t happy and […]
World class golf and tennis in Switzerland
The hills around Lake Geneva will come alive this week as two of Switzerland’s most historic and prestigious international sporting events have cause for milestone celebrations. A rejuvenated Omega European Masters golf competition, played on the Seve Ballesteros course at Crans-sur-Sierre from July 20-26, welcomes back some of the world’s top players following a comprehensive […]
Should the UN pay its Geneva interns?
Three interns based in Geneva give their views on unpaid UN internships to the Geneva Interns Association who are raising awareness of the challenges faced by young people at the UN. Their comments address issues such as the difficulties around speaking out and the lack of incentives for employers to change current practices. To support […]
Solar impulse grounded until next year
The long trip from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii, taking 5 days and 5 nights has taken its toll on the 100% solar powered aircraft. The large batteries that are so essential to the functioning of the Swiss plane overheated on this flight and have suffered irreversible damage. Despite the hard work of the Solar Impulse […]