Zoo Oceanarium Gets Green Light For Construction; Tradition Trumps Swiss Citizenship; Kids Run New Mini Migros; Bug Burgers Coming To A Coop Near You

News For 10 January 2017

Construction planning can resume for the highly anticipated 100 million Swiss Franc Oceanarium project commissioned by the Basel Zoo.  For the last six months, the process has been halted while an official Environmental Impact Assessment was completed.  According to authorities, the report shows that the current development and construction plans will not have a harmful effect on the local flora and fauna and appropriate contingencies have been made in case of an accident or malfunction.  The project is now in an open question phase, where members of the public can evaluate the environmental report and submit questions or concerns.  The completed Oceanarium facility has plans for 40 aquariums featuring ocean life from around the globe.

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If you've been hoping to get your Swiss citizenship you'd be well served to observe the hardship one Dutch woman, Nancy Holten, has endured in the process.  Despite having lived in the country for the last 34 years, being fluent in the local dialect, and having Swiss naturalized children, it seems the local commune has rejected her most recent application.  Adding insult to injury, this is the second time she has been rejected.  Their reasoning: It seems Ms. Holten's active and vocal media campaigning against traditions prized by the local community.  Specifically, she has campaigned against cows wearing cowbells, pig races and hunting.  It seems the commune can not understand why Ms. Holten wishes to be Swiss if she objects to so many of their traditions.  In her defense, Ms. Holten claims her campaigning is about conscience and protecting the welfare of animals, not attacking her neighbors traditions.  Apparently for Ms. Holten, all is not lost, the Canton of Aargau in which the commune of her residence is in, will also review her citizenship application, and possibly approve it. 

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Now that winter is in full effect, parents may be struggling for indoor activity ideas for their 4-12 year old kids.  Luckily, the Stucki shopping mall is hosting a "Mini Migros" supermarket from the 9th through 21st of January.  The store, allows kids to pretend to be shoppers and employees in the real-life looking replica of a Migros store.  Inside the 100 square meters of the store, kids can run around with shopping carts, use the cash registers or be a store manager.  The play area is lightly supervised and designed to encourage kids to play creatively and interactively with other kids.  

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Six months ago, the Swiss Federal Food Safety Office (BLV) began hearings and formulating rules for approving insect-based food products for mass distribution.  Last week, the BLV issued a statement simplifying the rules, which will now allow any food product (including insect based) to be sold commercially as long as they meet the required safety regulations.  Not wasting any time, supermarket Coop issued a statement describing a venture in cooperation with Swiss start-up Essento to distribute insect based dishes such as meatballs and burgers.  Though uncommon in the west, many Asian and African cuisines have long used insect based proteins in their diets.  If you're turned off by the prospect of cricket croquettes, beetle burgers, or larva lasagna, just remember:  insects emit less greenhouse gas and ammonia than conventional livestock and are as rich in protein as meat and fish and contain essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids.