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Switzerland weak reaction to COVID-19 is criticised all over the world

/ Geoch / 1 Comment
Photo from “Tages Anzeiger”

Switzerland is often seen as a paradise, where everything is supposed to be working well. However, in this period, the situation is dramatic or even desperate in some cases, even if here they are quite good in “hiding the dust or uncomfortable matters under the carpet…”.

In particular, the government and the cantons made and are still guiltily making a lot of mistakes, getting a lot of critics from all over the world. Just to try to save economics (Even if a lot of people have been already “silently” and quickly fired from many Companies), health is considered as a second priority, with preventive measures against COVID-19 which are too weak and, considering the infection numbers, clearly ineffective.

The “Tages Anzeiger”, the daily newspaper from Zurich and one of the most important in Switzerland, analysed what foreign press thinks of the Swiss way to fight the COVID-19 emergency. Here the most significant quotes.

“Switzerland is still thinking of being a particular case…” (Foreign Policy, USA)

“It has been returned too quickly to the politics of the small cantons…” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, DE, regarding the continuous passing the buck regarding the responsibilities to define what to do between the central federal State and the 26 cantons)

“Switzerland is the second Sweden…” (Welt, DE)

“Why the government continues to be reluctant to take severe decisions?…” (Süddeutsche Zeitung, DE)

“A risky strategy…” (Financial Time, UK).

“A perfect example of what Germany should not do…” (Karl Lauterbach, German socialist politician and professor of health economics and epidemiology at the University of Cologne)

“…more testimonials tell about a Swiss weak approach, for a long time, with superficial preventive measures in the Companies, protocols which were not complied with, basically about a situation which created COVID carriers” (Corriere della Sera IT, regarding the dramatic increase of infections and quarantines in a small city, Arcisate, near the border with Switzerland).

It is crazy to see the passivity and lack of vision of the Swiss government which, in front of a continuous increase of infections, hospitalisations and deaths, almost every day holds monotonous and boring press conferences, only to acknowledge the situation with no gut and no flexibility to change the route inside this terribly disruptive storm!

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”!

The duck is too fast!

/ Geoch / 1 Comment


Photo from blick.ch

Last week something happened which deserved the pages of many newspapers in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and even on the British Daily Mail!

In Switzerland the speed limit is a serious matter! And the maximum speed shall be always complied with.
In a lot of places, to be sure that no one can drive too fast, there is a generous installation of fixed or moving speed traps and cameras.
In this case, the location is a small city not so far from Bern, Köniz. In particular a street, with related speed trap, where the maximum speed is 30 km/h.

One of the fastest at the speed trap, with 52 km/h, was not a sporty car but just… a duck!!
A flying duck which was not “captured” on the lake or shot by a hunter, but by a very diligent speed trap!

Please take a shower before you go swimming

/ Geoch / 2 Comments


Photo from huffingtonpost.it (source: Instagram).

What a shame, little Switzerland!

The embarrassing sign, written by the manager of an apartment hotel in Arosa, inviting the “Jewish” guests to take shower before and after the swimming pool, is travelling with the news all over the world! And it even provoked official complaints from Israel.
The word “Jewish”, the specification of which Jewish persons are meant (really all, no distinction: women, men, children!) and the threatening order really sound discriminating, offensive, scary and racist.

It is too easy and late now, Ms Hotel Manager, to say that you carelessly didn’t choose the right words for your scary sign.
It would have been probably better just to say “sorry” to all the guests: Women, men, children… Jewish and not!

Scary!

/ Geoch / 2 Comments

2016-09-22-16-19-30Introduction:
A flyer was spread in front of the school of a neighbouring village by the school director.
Two men driving a white van tried to “invite” a boy on their van and bring him home…
For sure accepting that invitation would have been very dangerous!
Fortunately the boy shouted and run away.

Development:
All the parents of the surrounding villages (including us) received somehow the flyer…it started circulating in a very fast way.
Everyone was worried.

Calling the law:
The police was informed by the school of their initiative of distributing such flyer.

Reaction of the police:
As reported by the Aargauer Zeitung (http://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/zurzach/wollten-zwei-maenner-einen-buben-entfuehren-kantonspolizei-aargau-warnt-vor-hysterie-130589868), the main newspaper of Canton Argovia), the official speaker of the Kantonspolizei Aargau stated that it is important to report such cases to the parents, school and finally to the police, BUT there is no need to become too fearful!
In fact:
– every year 60-80 similar events occur…
– in the last 20 years no kid was kidnapped in the Canton…
– once a girl simulated a similar event not to go to school…
– often people with mental problems (not necessarily dangerous) are approaching the kids in that way…

Moral:
“BUT it is not necessary to become too fearful”.
What?
As you see… there is something Swiss… something skeptical in all of this, isn’t it?
How would have the police reacted in your country? What would have the police done in your country?

In this case there should be no BUT!
That sense of confidence that let Swiss think that, just because we are in the Confederation, nothing bad can happen…
This is quite SCARY!

Donkey…kong

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donkey
Photo source: AP, taken from “Corriere della Sera”

 

Do you remember the video game series of the 80’s named “Donkey Kong”? That was great but this is not what I mean in this post!

I will speak of…animals.

In Switzerland you can find some typical animals, which are not always so easy to meet in a traditional industrial environment. Apart from the zoo, of course.

In the Swiss Confederation, you can very often see cows and sheep next to the roads, quietly having their grassy meal, you can even have your street crossed by a fox, especially in the night. You can be very close to any sort of duck, swan, seagull even with their small children. You can admire the powerful flying of falcons and hawks over the fields. You can be lucky to see some squirrels quickly and busily running to the next tree.

But in Switzerland we have also this: donkey inspecting an open sewer cover! This is what happened last Sunday near Basel, when a donkey apparently (!?) fell into an open sewer cover. According to the commuter newspaper “20 Minutes”, he was found by a person strolling around and 12 action forces actually needed to be mobilized to save the donkey!

Poor donkey!
I wish he could have found an easier hobby…

20 Minuten

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In every train station a lot of boxes offer you in the morning the “commuter” free newspaper “20 Minuten” (www.20min.ch). All the commuters are greedily reading this papers (when not busy with the iphone, ipod, galaxy, or other “astronautical” electronic devices). If I arrive late at the station or, for some still unknown reasons, I cannot find any 20 Minuten in the usual box, I prepare myself to a boring train trip. But suddenly I see an abandoned 20 Minuten on an empty seat of the train or folded somewhere. I appreciate a lot the person who left that newspaper copy for an unknown commuting companion. It’s like getting the room service in a hotel!