One of our German phrases this week was the uplifting «Leben heisst nicht, zu warten, bis der Sturm vorbeizieht, sondern lernen, im Regen zu tanzen.» It means «Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain.»
Basel SVP Parliamentarian Lends Support For Migrant Athletics; Tram Upgrade Rollout Begins for BVB; New Paint For Pedestrian Crossings; History Museum Unveils New Computer Exhibit
News For 15 December 2015
Heinrich Ueberwasser, a member of Basel's Grand Council and the SVP or Swiss People's Party is out on a political limb. His party is generally associated with sponsoring and advocating referendums to curb immigration and the rights of non-Swiss in Switzerland. However, Mr. Ueberwasser is also a proponent of a youth football tournament to be held this upcoming Sunday sponsored by the advocacy group "Migrants Helping Migrants". The tournament organizer, Alima Diouf, is optimistic that the Basel tournament to be held at the Margarethen Schoolhouse will be just the beginning of providing athletic services to the families of migrants in Switzerland. For his part, Mr. Ueberwasser doesn't see or care about conflicts with his party over his support saying, "Historically, Switzerland has always opened its doors. Whether for Tibetans, Hungarians or Kosovaars". ************************** The BVB intends to upgrade its entire fleet of 28 "Combino" trams by 2018. Though not the latest generation of green trams operated by BVB, the Combinos will be upgraded to the cutting edge of safety and comfort for passengers at a cost of approximately 1 million francs per tram. BVB has spent the last year prototyping the upgrades and is now ready to begin passenger operations. As part of the upgrade, the older trams will also receive a darker shade of green painted on them to match the newer Flexity trams and the rest of the operating fleet. In addition, as with the Flexity trams, all trams operated by the BVB will now feature informational video screens. The upgrade represents a major savings to the BVB as replacing them new would have greatly exceeded their cost to upgrade, and they still have 15-20 years remaining in their useful lives according to their manufacturer.
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A new plan to upgrade and improve Basel's pedestrian cross-walks is underway. Two measures, passed by Basel's traffic authorities and backed by Basel's Governing Council, will furnish approximately 1.5 million francs to revamp the over 1400 cross-walks in the city. As an added measure to improve their visibility, the crossings will not only be given a fresh coat of paint, they'll also have tiny, highly reflective glass beads impregnated into the paint. It has been three years since the effort to renovate pedestrian crossing began, and it is expected that with funding in place, and work having begun, the project will be completed by July of 2016.
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In an effort to modernize its exhibition, The Historical Museum of Basel in collaboration with The Art History Department of the University of Basel has developed an interactive computer game. The game, called Basel 1610, can be found at a kiosk in the museum, or online and is meant to familiarize visitors and students with the history of the city at a particularly challenging point in its history. Users will find themselves in the role of a young doctor arriving in Basel at the height of one of Europe's plague epidemics. By solving puzzles, participants help the city overcome the effects of the plague, all the while learning historical details of life, culture and commerce in Basel. The current version is meant to be a prototype. Ultimately, it is hoped that the software will be enhanced to provide users with a 3-D interactive interface and content that spans the entire 17th century history of the city.