We’re in luck in this brand new year of 2015 – fine films coming out in droves, with the three below a taste of some of the best. One gentle, the second electrifying and the third a Zen experience. Get to the movies and enjoy great cinema! Still Life (Une belle fin) **** This is […]
Tips for a bloating-free Christmas!
It’s party season again! Christmas is the most magical and enjoyable time of the year! But the glum downside is gaining a bit of weight. Still, there is no reason why good health and good times have to roll in opposite directions. Get the formula right and let the good times, and good health, come […]
Old wives’ tales
Well, it’s cold and flu’ season again. That time of year when Old Wives’ Tales get hauled out of storage and tossed into almost every conversation: got the sniffles? Well, you need to eat a kilo of raw garlic / soak your feet in a mustard bath / rub a banana skin on your head […]
Beautiful beginnings: ten beauty vows to consider for 2015
The start of a new year always feels a bit like a new beginning. A new chapter. A blank page full of possibilities. An opportunity to start over and to become a better person, not only on the inside but also on the outside. Here are ten beauty vows to help you in your quest […]
Mr. Turner; Coming Home
Mr. Turner *** Character-actor Timothy Spall won the best acting trophy at Cannes and at the European Film awards for his portrayal of the English painter William Turner. It is well known that the esteemed British director Mike Leigh has an unorthodox method of making films – there is no script, just an idea of […]
Christmas in Switzerland
Christmas begins early in Switzerland. Not just the commercial onslaught noticed in shops but the quieter celebration of Advent on the 4th Sunday before Christmas Eve, which this year fell on 30 November. Swiss children traditionally receive Advent calendars with 24 small flaps to open one each day until the 24th to reveal a Christmas […]
Swiss democracy and xenophobia: Need for more open debate
Last week’s Le News editorial questioning whether the over use of Switzerland’s referendum system was actually undermining democracy through too much democracy received considerable reaction, much of it irate. Clearly, we had touched on a sacred cow, even if not of the Swiss Brown or Simmental variety. How dare one criticize Swiss democracy? It has […]
Will Uber bring the same tragedy and drama to Basel?
LAUSANNE Uber, the quasi-taxi company, is back in the news, again for all the wrong reasons. The company has just launched its service in Basel despite condemnation by local taxi firms, but also public authorities and lawmakers elsewhere. For such critics, the city would do well to heed the advice of those who have experience […]
Of Horses and Men; Timbuktu
Of Horses and Men **** (vo Icelandic) We are back in the Northern climes (after the brilliant Norwegian Refroidis/Kraftidioten), this time in Iceland, where at times they come up with superb cinema – mostly of the poker-faced, comedic style at which they excel. How can one describe this one by the talented first-time director Benedikt […]
’Tis the season to be greedy
Is anyone else out there feeling a little … I don’t know … besieged … by the seasonal messages to buy everything in sight? No sooner was Halloween over, than I started being propositioned by my inbox every time I opened my computer. “Holiday deals,” it would purr, sidling up to me like a dodgy […]