A contaminated batch of a chemical used to make foam mattresses, and other foam-based products, ended up in part of Europe’s foam production line. Chemicals giant BASF said that contaminated batches of toluene diisocyanate (TDI), made between 25 August and 29 September 2017, were supplied to 50 customers from a plant in East Germany. The […]
Archives for October 2017
If Catalonia were part of Switzerland
According to the BBC, Spain’s government is set to remove autonomy from the region after Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, failed to meet Madrid’s deadline for clarifying whether he had declared independence. Earlier this month, RTS, Switzerland’s state broadcaster said neutral Switzerland was ready to help facilitate discussions between Spain’s government and Catalonia. In addition to […]
Geneva gets burgers, Lausanne gets lentils.
In Geneva, Wednesday brought news of Burger King moving into the city’s main train station. According to 20 Minutes, the food chain will replace the Buffet de la gare, shown in this photograph taken in 1923. Times are changing, and, so it seems, tastes and ways of eating. By chance the announcement coincided with World Obesity […]
Majority of Swiss see a future beyond car ownership
A recent study finds that a majority of Swiss see a future beyond car ownership. This new post-car world, set out by a team of geographers, architects, urbanists, economists, engineers, and political and social scientists, asked the public to imagine living in a society that would choose to live car free, not out of environmental constraints […]
FILM: AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL – a film that should be shown in US Congress
13 October 2017. Too many releases this week – so they are mini-reviews. AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL – Truth to Power **** Ex-vice-president Al Gore is back, this time with an even more convincing argument for solving global warming. He is passionate about saving our planet, and makes one want to follow his lead. This documentary […]
The new 10 Swiss franc note hand mystery
The third in a series of gorgeous new Swiss franc bank notes will be released by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) on October 18th. The 10-franc note keeps its yellow colour, but most everything else in the design and construction is different. What’s most remarkable about the new bank note? Not the 40 centimes or […]
3 million francs of gold and silver found in Swiss sewers
Call it “dirty money” if you wish, because there’s about CHF 3 million in gold and silver found each year in Swiss sewage. But no one is going to get rich, according to a just-published report by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Recovering the estimated CHF 1.5 million in gold, […]
World Obesity Day – how Switzerland measures up
11 October 2017 is World Obesity Day. According to the World Obesity Foundation, 2.7 billion adults worldwide will suffer from being overweight or obese by 2025. Including obese and overweight children pushes the number even higher. A study published in 2016 by Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) found that 43% of Switzerland’s population was […]
Flights cancelled to and from Switzerland due to French strike
Numerous flights from Geneva, Zurich and Basel have been cancelled. A strike in France, which starts on the evening of 9 October and runs until the evening of the 10th, will affect flights in and out of France, along with flights through French air space. Easyjet warns some flights will be delayed while others will […]
Switzerland’s gender pay gap – why educational equality doesn’t lead to the same pay
A recent OECD report on the gender pay difference looks at the situation in Switzerland. Across the OECD, young women are better educated than young men, do more work in total – paid and unpaid – yet earn less. In 2015, the average pay difference across the OECD was around 14%. Over the 5 years […]