Acronym

No Brexit please, we are Swiss!

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Picture from: svp.ch / Yes to direct democracy. Yes to self-determination.


Picture from: sbi-nein.ch / No to the self-circumcision/determination initiative.

On the 25th of November, in Switzerland, a referendum is planned on the so-called “self-determination”.
If the “yes” wins, the Swiss Constitution should prevail again on the international treatises (Especially with the European Union), which sometimes relegate the former in the background.
In short: Switzerland über Alles!

Some newspapers, like the Italian “Corriere della Sera”, start speaking of a possible Swiss Brexit.
I think that there should not be any alarm or fear for a possible, frightened “Swissexit”!

– First of all: Switzerland is not in Europe, and is very keen to stay out of it.
– Second: Swiss people, always careful with their wallets, would experience negative consequences if a lot of international treatises with Europe (main area for the export of the so-called “Swiss Quality”) are suspended.
– Third: why should Switzerland lose the acquired economical advantages (regarding trades with Europe) and even from its privileged position of not having to satisfy the duties as the EU member countries?

“No Swissexit: We are already out, we are Swiss”!

All kinds of relationships in Switzerland!

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Many thanks to my wife for the interesting photo.

At first some figures and facts (from Wikipedia) about the liberal and open Switzerland when it comes to LGBT rights.
Same-sex relationships have been recognised since 2007 in the Confederation. In 2007, one in ten of all marriages in Zurich were registered partnerships between members of the same sex! However same-sex marriage is not legal yet (A proposal in this direction should become law at the beginning of 2019).

In one shop near Baden, you can already find the possible future, or the present, as you prefer, or the wishes of some people, or what other people are opposing.
Some “Barbie” style puppets representing different married couples: the traditional man and woman, then man and man and finally woman and woman.

Switzerland is also this: the materialisation and open exhibition of today’s actual world with its main trends!

0800 24 7 365: Brexit in CH

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Brexit_CH

In these days all the world is astonishingly speaking of the referendum result which defined the (regretted) decision for UK to leave the European Union.

Of course the efficient and practical Switzerland could not just stay still and watch.
Just few hours after the referendum results were clear, the Confederation Foreign Ministry instituted a phone hotline 24/7, 7 days a week, to give information to worried citizens and businessmen. This is the meaningful phone number: 0800 24 7 365.

However the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs stated:
Although the electorate of the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union, current regulations regarding Swiss citizens and companies remain applicable for the time being and nothing will change immediately.

No chance for surprises in Switzerland! Everything is explained! Everything is rational! Everything is citizen friendly! And this time is good like this!

Source: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/hello-_numerous-callers-dial-swiss-brexit-hotline/42252190
Photo from: investorsfreshnews.com

Acronym at the train station

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SBB_CFF_FFS
An alternative title for this post could have been “Guinness world record for Swiss railways?”.

Simply said. This morning I was boringly waiting for the train connection to reach my office and, weirdly, I started thinking (normally I do not think so early in the morning, and even on Mondays!).
For sure! That list of mysterious letters painted on all the Swiss trains, which I know so well, is an acronym(*). One of the million existing acronyms, for sure.
But then, once I reached my computer, I started researching.
If I am not wrong, that is the longest acronym in the world for a railway name!

The Swiss national railways have the longest acronym among all the railways of the world: SBB CFF FFS, i.e. “Swiss Federal Railways” in the three official (written) languages of Switzerland:
– Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (German);
– Chemins de fer fédéraux (French);
– Ferrovie federali svizzere (Italian).
Considering also the spaces it’s 11 characters!

I immediately informed them, the SBB_CFF_FFS, of this sudden (at least at my eyes!) achievement…I’m still waiting to be scolded for annoying them on this gewgaw matter or to be challenged on the truthfulness of this possible world record.

I think everything makes sense!
Visiting the SBB (I stay short for reciprocal convenience) website (www.sbb.ch), their headline defines themselves as the “biggest railway station of Switzerland”.
At least now they can even claim something more…majestic!

 

(*) Acronym (I know that everyone knows this word, but I just wanted to be sure that it’s the right one to be used in this context):
From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym): An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters (as in “laser”) or parts of words or names (as in “Benelux”).