Did you know that Switzerland has around 65'000 kilometres of hiking trails? That's about 1.5 times the circumference of the earth! A huge number of municipalities and volunteer organisations maintain the hiking trails and offer hikes in all the cantons.
Dumpster Diving for Delicacies - Ideal Org not so Ideal - Sommercasino Getting the Cold Shoulder - Midflight Lighting Strike
News on 7 April 2015
A Basel-based group calling themselves “The Dumpsters” have taken it upon themselves to rebel against a society which discards a third of its edible food per year. Without hesitation, members of this group dive head first into the Basler bins to search for some dumped delicacies. Many Baslers are beginning to see the need for a group such as this in a small city which throws away nearly 2 million tons of food annually, which is used as either animal feed, or is simply incinerated. Despite the good intentions of the group, many are questioning the legality of its actions. The Dumpsters are current working in a legal grey area, however: “If the premises are fenced, they are considered to be trespassing”, says Christopher Geth, criminal law professor at the University of Bern. Whether theft is taking place, it is legally complex to judge, as “when the food is disposed of as trash, the shop owner is giving away his/her property on principle, however, this is only the case if the food is disposed of as waste”, explains Geth. Despite the debate, many view it as the supermarkets’ duty to waive any criminal complaints. Although The Dumpsters are making a good effort to reduce food disposal, supermarkets are only accountable for 5% of waste, say WFF Communications Officer, Corina Gyssler, who continued by saying the real problem is the consumer.
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The opening of the so called “Ideal Org”, the Basel Church of Scientology, is now official, and the date has been set for the 25th of April. At the opening, many guests who are high-ranking figures in the Scientology community, as well as other special guests, will be present. Preparations for the opening have been taking place for weeks now at the converted former office building, to meet the exact requirements of the founder of scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Although there is great excitement in the Scientology community, many Baslers are unhappy about the erection of the centre. Thomas Erlemann, spokesman of the "non-violent action against Scientology headquarters in Basel”, is one of those people. Erlemann announced that on the opening day, the 25th of April at 1:30pm, a protest rally will be taking place, with the motto “anything that makes a noise”. Although a rally will be taking place, Erlemann has made it abundantely clear that there will be no direct confrontation, adopting a peaceful yet auditory approach.
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Sommercasino, found in close proximity to Aeschenplatz and one of the oldest youth centres in Switzerland, is facing dire straits. Due to cuts in subsidies, it may not survive to see 2016. This comes as a result of a proposal by the Basel Department of Education to the local council to cut subsidies by more than a third. This comes as quite saddening news to the generations of Baslers who have been a part of the Sommercasino community. The “BZ Basel” reported that the subsidies will be cut from 650,000 CHF to 400,000 CHF due to the culture house “R105” receiving more long-term support from the ED. Despite trying to promote itself as a platform for local bands rather than booking expensive international acts, the BZ claims that more action must be taken to save the Sommercasino.
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Passengers on an Easyjet flight bound for Budapest received quite the scare last week when a bolt of lightning struck the aircraft mid-journey. Shortly after the lighting bolt struck the plane on the 1st of April, the plane doubled back and landed in Basel at 12:30pm. Easyjet stated that the passengers and crew on board were never at risk, due to the planes' ability to withstand these types of events. However, as a safety precaution, the plane was re-directed to Basel airport. The aircraft is currently being subject to a full inspection in order to assess any damage. The airline apologized for the incident and the inconvenience it may have caused, swiftly arranging a replacement flight, which departed for Budapest at 3:00pm the same day.