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.»
New Swiss Rail Timetables; New Swiss Federal Government Set To Be Elected; Pollution on the rise in the Rhein; Holiday Lights Dimmed by Authorities
News For 8 December 2015
Lots of changes are coming to Switzerland in 2016, not the least of which is a major change in the Swiss Railway time-table. Marking the most sweeping changes to their schedules in over a decade, railway users are being told to prepare for changes in departures times and platforms starting later this week. Anticipating some confusion and need for education, the SBB has provisioned 350 full-time staff to help travelers defamiliarize themselves with their travel itineraries. In addition, railway booths will be set up in all the main city stations to offer further assistance and relieve queue times at the ticket booths. The changes are driven by the anticipated growth in traffic which has led to the construction of new rail station facilities underneath the existing Zurich Main Station, as well as an expansion of rail capacity between Geneva and Lausanne. The net effect will be more rush-hour trains and reduced travel times throughout the Swiss Rail system. ******************************** A new Swiss Federal Government is set to be elected by a joint assembly of the lower and upper houses of the Swiss Parliament tomorrow. The political body also known as the Swiss Federal Council is made up of seven members and acts as the collective head of government for the state. The council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland, and each councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. While 6 of this year's seats are expected to go to incumbents, one of the seats vacated by Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, a member of the Conservative Democratic Party, will likely be filled by a member of the SVP, Switzerland's right-wing nationalist party. This would mean a second representative for the SVP on the Swiss Federal Council, and would be the outcome of recent popular elections where the SVP and other right leaning parties won more representatives in the upper and lower houses of Parliament. ******************************
Unfortunately, some bad news regarding the state of pollution in the Rhein was announced today by the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel. In a study comparing the level of microscopic plastic waste to global oceans, lakes and rivers the Rhein has one of the world's heaviest concentrations of the waste. The particles described in the study typically range .3 to 5 millimeters in size and usually require a magnifying glass to be seen. That however does not diminish their impact. Though the scientists were careful not to suggest that the river is unsafe for bathers, they did recommend further studies on the impact to the river's ecosystems and to humans. The study also concludes that the origin of the material is difficult to determine, and that existing sanitation systems cannot effectively filter particles of the size now polluting the river.
*******************************
The Verein Basler Weinachts - or Basel Christmas Club - which sponsors the holiday lighting decoration throughout the old part of the city has found itself the subject of a feud. At issue is the desire by the club to turn on its lights at 2 o'clock in the afternoon extending the time the lights are on. President of the club Gabriel Barell thought the suggestion would be received without opposition as a means to light up the dreary winter days that settle on the city every year. However, Gross Councillor Brigitta Gerber of the Basel Green Alliance finds the idea objectionable. From the perspective of her constituents, such activities are wasteful of energy, especially in the context of a consumption reduction mandate. Furthermore, according to Gerber the Christmas Bulbs promote light pollution. The Christmas Club hopes that a compromise can be reached by retrofitting the old incandescent bulbs currently in use with LED lights that are more energy efficient. The estimated 230,000 Franc cost would be raised from business associations in the districts where the lights are displayed as well as the Basel Lottery.