Every year 100 people in Switzerland die due to lack of an organ transplant, but the country’s nationwide organ shortage could now be reduced. A new smartphone app developed by Jocelyn Corniche, an anaesthetist at Lausanne University Hospital, and Swisstransplant, informs emergency-room staff that the phone’s owner is a registered organ donor – even if the phone is locked.
Toxic Loom bands alert
Check the brand.
Loom bands, those colourful American fripperies much beloved by young people around the world have been identified as a serious potential health risk. Birmingham Assay Office, an independent laboratory in the UK, has tested Loom bands and found them to contain over 500 times the recommended safe level of phthalates, a known hormone inhibitor. The laboratory was at pains to point out that the shipment tested with these extreme levels would not have been delivered to market, but its spokesperson expressed concern about the dangers posed by untested shipments being delivered to shops.
The chemical, which is easily absorbed through the skin, can cause detrimental health effects if a person is exposed to significant levels over a period of time. Concerns for young people wearing these bands (and especially the charms attached to them) include adverse effects on their fertility levels and breast, prostate and ovarian cancer.
Tests carried out in Switzerland under the auspices of Swiss consumer group, Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FEC) found that 20% of the elastic bracelets and their charms being marketed in this country contain at least 50% more of the organic chemicals than permitted.
The Irish Times quotes Dr Craig Slattery and Dr Tara McMorrow, lecturers in pharmacology and toxicology from University College Dublin saying “phthalates are so widely used in consumer products that exposure to these chemicals is practically unavoidableâ€.
The original licensed product, the Rainbow Loom Band, has been extensively tested and is certified as being phthalate-free,†they said, however copies may not be. There are different viewpoints on whether or not the “CE†mark is a reliable mark of safety. The Irish experts recommend that consumers only purchase items which bear the appropriate “CE†logo, while the FEC states in contrast that many bands that have failed its tests have “CE†marks.
But of concern is that despite identifying products that fail tests, the FEC does not inform the general public of delinquent brand names or producers. They do inform retailers, but is this really enough of a safe-guard when the widespread health of children is at risk?
Uber ignores edict and comes to Geneva
Valued at $18 billion in June, Uber can pick off local taxi firms at will.
Uber, a licensed taxi substitute operating in more than 200 cities worldwide launched in Geneva this week.
The controversial service connects people with a “private driver†at the tap of a button, boasting “Anytime! Anywhere! Without cash!†But all is not as it seems: the company ignores local licensing rules. Recently, licensed cabbies in London and Berlin demonstrated against the new entrant, claiming with some justification that the licensing system needs to be protected because it in turn protects passengers. Uber is now banned across Germany. What does not need to be protected, however, is the inflated fares charged by Geneva taxi companies. A virtual cartel, they must recognize that their steep fares are indefensible given the mediocre service they offer. .
Uber has ignored Geneva’s edict that it should not launch unless it adheres to current regulations. Steve Salom, the company’s general manager, claims that Uber is “200% legalâ€. Its marketing, though, is not as vacuous as the maths of its general manager. This is a company that plays to the market’s desire for low prices as it pockets virtually unearned revenues. And what about the safety of passengers in unlicensed taxis driven by “private driversâ€?
Let’s hope Swiss start-up, Tooxme, ups its game. At CHF 0.99 per kilometre, it’s half the cost of Uber, and drivers and passengers have to rate each other for security purposes.
Michael Schumacher moves home to continue recovery
Michael Schumacher has returned to his home near Gland from the cantonal hospital in Lausanne to continue his rehabilitation after suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident last year.
No further details have been issued regarding his condition, although a statement issued by his manager Sabine Kehm did say that he has been making progress and that “Henceforth, Michael’s rehabilitation will take place at his home.” His family praised the medical team at the CHUV and has asked that Schumacher’s privacy be respected.
Courage and company – dealing with cancer
On a rather cold and windy lakeside, a dozen or so corporate teams prepared to take each other on in the English Speaking Cancer Association’s (esca) annual dragon boat race at the Lac de Joux. All great fun and for a good cause – the event is esca’s major fund-raising event of the year.
Hundreds of spectators and contestants milled around the team enclosures, giving voluble support to whoever was getting soaked as they paddled with varying levels of (dis)coordination towards the finishing point. And there was plenty else to do – a silent auction, food stalls, a second-hand book stand and, what at first seemed rather strange, a book launch.
Côté nuit côté soleil, publishedby Slatkine, is an anthology of accounts by young people of their fight against cancer. An interview with four of the contributors in between their races was both sobering and impressive. These courageous young adults in their late teens and early twenties had all fought off the disease as young teenagers. They spoke of the dramatic effect of cancer on their relationships with friends and family, rather than about the disease itself. They spoke with an ease, maturity and insight well beyond their years – hardly surprising since their childhoods had come to an abrupt halt, causing rupture with some friends and strengthening their bonds with others. One young woman, Alice, described her ordeal in terms of a positive transformation rather than an experience. Jeremy, Margaux and Emma, quick to agree, also stood together in their firm belief that the only way to beat cancer is to work to beat it. “Becoming a victim is not an option,†they said. Holding the book launch at the race was a poignant way to highlight the event’s purpose, giving hope as well as a heightened sense of appreciation for the fun we were having and the realization that cancer does not discriminate on the basis of wealth or nationality.
Esca’s main aim is to support cancer patients and their loved ones. The way the volunteers organized the event left nobody in any doubt that esca provides a welcoming and supportive environment in which people can share and express their worries and experiences of cancer in English. No surprise, perhaps, since all of esca’s volunteers have been personally touched by the disease in different ways.
For further information about esca call +41 (0)22 791 6305. It also has an out of hours helpline +41 (0)79 531 5511. Its drop-in centre at 150 rte de Ferney in Geneva is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10h to 14h. www.cancersupport.ch
Ronald McDonald House overnight stays up by 10%
The Ronald McDonald House Charity provides families of seriously ill children with heavily subsidised accommodation close to the major hospitals in seven Swiss cities including Geneva, Bern and Basel. The service greatly assists families that have other young children and those that live far away. It allows parents and siblings to be together close to the sick child which is widely recognised as having a significant positive psychological and social impact on the patient and family members alike.
The charity announced this week that in the past year it had provided 10,550 bed nights to 1,409 families across the country (an increase of 10% in bed nights over 2012). This is an impressive record for an organisation that employs only 14 full-time staff. Moreover, it is a credit to its many volunteers.
The Ronald McDonald House Charity was first established in Switzerland in 1992 and is supported by the restaurant chain McDonalds, its customers and many local and international company sponsors. It has 330 houses in 35 countries around the world and is supported by over 30,000 volunteers.
For further information about the services provided by Ronald McDonald House Charity or about volunteering contact: rmh.geneve@ch.mcd.com or call: 022 382 8601.
Spotlight – Caveman
Le News is the media partner for Caveman’s performances throughout its current tour of Switzerland. Two of our team had already seen it and so we jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
It is a brilliant play that explores with humour, wit and glorious perception the differences between men and women. With a primal subject such inter-gender relations one could be excused for thinking that it will be a very long play – several days long in fact. It is so well written and Kevin Buckmaster performs it at such pace that it is over all too soon. It’s showing in Geneva now, and in Lausanne and Zurich at the beginning of October.
To enter the competition for tickets for Friday night 5 September click here. (we’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets)
Tickets are available online or at the door for Thursday and Friday’s performance.
For full details see www.caveman.ch
Geneva University submarine exploration
Geneva University and its partners have completed a two-week expedition – Terra Submersa – to explore Greece’s underwater past and the prehistoric landscapes in the Gulf of Nauplio. Operating from the MS Tûranor Planet Solar, the world’s largest solar catamaran, archeologists mapped the sea floor and uncovered Paleolithic and Neolithic remains dating back 36,000 years.
Pictet unveiled
Geneva-based private bank Pictet has for the first time in its 290-year history published its financial results. The move to transparency is a result of the Swiss group’s re-structuring and transformation into a Société Anonyme – the equivalent of a UK public limited company or US public traded company.
The bank reports that it has CHF 404 billion under management (up CHF 13 billion since the start of the year) and that it generated revenues of CHF 975 million earning a net profit of CHF 203 million for the first half of the year. To put this into context, Credit Suisse has CHF 1,320 billion under management.
Lausanne launches integration fund
Submit your project ideas by 15 October
With 42% of its population coming from 160 countries and carrying a passport other than Swiss, promoting integration is a key objective for Lausanne. The city announced that it is launching an integration fund of CHF 100,000 to give associations and not-for-profit groups the means to run projects that prevent racism and promote social cohesion. At a briefing session at the Hotel de Ville on 1 September, the organisers announced that training and advice will be provided to organisations that wish to apply for funding on 13, 20 and 27 September. For further information: www.lausanne.ch/fli.
