According to the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs, a foreign nurse who was working for an international organisation in Ebola affected Sierra Leone, arrived in Geneva yesterday suffering from a bite inflicted by a child suffering from the Ebola virus. The communiqué stated that this is the first person to land in Switzerland from a region affected by the virus. Initial examinations show no signs of the virus, however the nurse will be kept under close surveillance for three weeks - the incubation time of the virus, at Geneva University Hospital (HUG).
Solving Switzerland’s bike theft problem
According to Le Matin Dimanche in 2013 over 40,000 bicycles were stolen in Switzerland of which fewer than 500 were recovered.  The costs are enormous.  Insurers pay out around CHF 60 million in claims a year, a cost that is ultimately borne by policy holders via premiums.  In Geneva, Bern and Zurich, Le Matin Dimanche put GPS trackable chips on bicycles to see how quickly they would be stolen and to see if they could track the thieves.  In Geneva the fitted bike was stolen in 20 minutes and sold to Cash Converters. In Bern the bike was stolen and used for repeated trips between the thief’s home and the train station and in Zurich, the stolen bike was found carefully parked on the balcony of a brothel.
Swiss law enforcement agencies may be interested to learn of the efforts being made by Dutch police. Bike theft is an even bigger problem in the Netherlands with nearly half a million bikes being stolen last year according to Dutch daily, De Telegraf. Astonishingly, this figure represents a drop of 39% due to new measures being taken by the Dutch police – one small experiment in Noord Brabant led to 96 arrests in six months. Validating the claim, according to the force’s website, decoy bikes fitted with a track and trace system have been used successfully for some time in the Netherlands. English-language Netherlands News.nl, last year reported that bicycle theft in the country is increasingly dominated by organised crime and stolen bikes are being exported to countries including France and Spain.
Nobody messes with the Easter Bunny
When my children were small, I decided that I would never lie to them. No matter how painful the truth, I would always be the one to tell it to them. (This was before they caught me scoffing the last of the cooking chocolate, and asked me what I was eating. And I said, “Broccoli, of course. What else would I be snacking on?â€)
Anyway. From the very beginning, I told them the truth about Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. And they were mostly fine with that. Father Christmas is actually Daddy, leaving floury footprints around the lounge to trick us? Fine. The Tooth Fairy is Mommy? Whatever. As long as the cash is where it’s supposed to be.
But when it came to the Easter Bunny … well. There was no way that my children were not believing in that.
“Can I come outside with you and hide the eggs?†the smaller child asked me, one inclement Easter morning. “I might see the Easter Bunny.â€
“But … you know the Bunny doesn’t exist, right?â€
“Yes.â€
“So why do you want to come with me?â€
“Because I might see the Easter Bunny.â€
I was reminded of this conversation recently, when I was reading psychologist Drew Westen’s book, The Political Brain. In it, he describes a study in which people with strong political beliefs were presented with two contradictory statements, both made by their party. They didn’t even seem to notice the inconsistencies, let alone be bothered by them (although they definitely saw the contradictions made by the party they didn’t support).
How is this even possible? How could you hear someone say, “I would never do X. I think X is a terrible thing to do,†then actually see them do X, and … I don’t know, somehow … by some mental voodoo … just be fine with it?
I suppose that if you really, really like that person, you’ll find a way to rationalise it. Westen’s study suggests that the subjects didn’t actually spend much time on this part. Instead, their brains “seemed to recruit beliefs†that quickly soothed them back into their happy state of certainty.
But it also seems that, for a brief moment, the clash between what someone in this position wants to believe and what they actually see, makes them uncomfortable. So their brain works really hard to make them feel good again.
As Westen explains, “Once partisans had found a way to reason to false conclusions, not only did neural circuits involved in negative emotions turn off, but circuits involved in positive emotions turned on.â€
So, people believe what they want to. And the more wrong they are, the better they feel, because their brains reward them for it. For some people, that may mean a nice big dose of dopamine. And for others – some small, animal-loving, sweet-toothed others – the reward for their wholehearted belief in something that they know isn’t true, is the possibility of a giant cuddly bunny heading their way, carrying a basketful of chocolate.
Who can argue with that?
Robyn Goss is a South African writer, recently moved to Switzerland. You can read her blogs at www.robyngoss.com
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More than just highways
The “bétonisation” or concreting over of Switzerland is a fast growing problem for transport policy-makers.
Switzerland’s worsening commuter nightmare may find some relief with the Federal Council’s decision to grant CHF 2.7 billion this year to improve highways, part of it to be channelled toward the Lake Geneva region’s own heavily populated zones, notably Lausanne and Geneva. While some Swiss are not particularly happy about this emphasis on the “Arc Lemaniqueâ€, a further CHF 1 billion will be made available annually to the region over the next 20 years.
Some of these funds will be used toward broadening the highway between Perly and Geneva airport, massively congested during rush hour, while additional monies will be directed toward Vaud, particularly the blocked Crissier and Morges areas. But is simply expanding Switzerland’s road system the way to resolve traffic?
The Canton of Geneva has included a vote on whether to build a tunnel across the lake as a means of alleviating city traffic as part of 28 September referendum. Its construction would enable motorists to avoid driving through town or to take the much longer autoroute bypass in order to reach the other side. To build – or not to build – a tunnel or bridge (there have been various proposals over the years) has been up for discussion for well over a century, so, according to some Genevois, to get this far is quite astounding.
Quite a few Genevans oppose the tunnel project, but the main opposition seems to be coming from the wealthy NIMBY (not in my back yard) communes of Collonges, Cologny and Corsier. With the tunnel exiting in their part of the canton, they fear aggravated traffic. The World Economic Forum is based in Cologny, while many of Switzerland’s discreet rich – some of them famous – have villas or estates on the south side.
Touring Club Suisse had another proposal, namely to expand various road portions within Geneva to make traffic more fluid, but it will not be voted on because somehow it got left out of the initiative mix. But this proposal, once again, seems only to focus on making it easier for cars to operate in town. Despite the enormous cost, the tunnel probably makes sense given that it will alleviate city jams plus cut down on fuel costs and carbon pollution.
To really make a difference, particularly in the long term, the traffic issue should be about developing a broader and more imaginative transport vision for the region. Several Swiss urban and rural development specialists have recently spoken out for the need to encourage greater collaboration between town and country. As one pointed out, the cities want development to happen outside their boundaries, while the villages don’t want to have their rural landscapes turned into built-up suburbs. But this means thinking about joint solutions on all levels, and not just for cars.
The Lake Geneva cantons, but also “la France voisine,†need to work more closely together on improving public transport, bike lanes and even footpaths. Or to build more accessible Park & Ride areas, but with efficient shuttles into the towns, whether by tram, bus or getting on one’s bike. The main objective is to make it easier for commuters – and shoppers – to leave their cars at home, or at least to consider other options with regard to time wasted in jammed traffic.
There also needs to be more innovative thinking when it comes to shopping malls and commercial strips. The last thing Switzerland wants is make the same mistakes as the United States, which has managed to turn so many of its towns into ghost venues. Anyone who wants to go shopping needs to drive into the suburbs or get onto a highway. Etoy and Villeneuve already boast such strips.
The same thing is happening across the border. The French town of Ferney-Voltaire is turning into an empty shell with shops closing because the rents are too high. The town council should have bought up city property and offer incentives for businesses to set up locally.
Other towns, such as Cessy, St Genis, Annecy and Annemasse, now have their main entry roads lined with unsightly pre-fab furniture, automobile, DIY and clothing outlets rather than seeking to integrate such commercial enterprises as part of the town fabric. Once again, if you want to go shopping, you have to get into a car.
So rather than seeking to turn the outskirts of our towns into a Los Angeles-style matrix of highways, let’s consider some other, more environmentally friendly – and aesthetic – options. And there’s an economically compelling argument to do so – tourism. If the region’s suburbs follow the downward aesthetic spiral exemplified by Etoy and Villeneuve, will tourists really want to continue to visit in large numbers?
Edward Girardet, Managing editor
editor@staging.lenews.ch
Swiss organ donor shortage
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.
WHO demands e-cigarette bans and marketing restrictions
Tobacco companies are still being accused of targetting the young
Much to the irritation of the tobacco industry, including corporate giants such as Philip Morris in Switzerland, the World Health Organization is demanding that governments ban electronic cigarettes indoors. It also wants curbs on advertising and other tactics that lure young people.
In a report issued at the end of August, the UN organization maintains that not enough is known about e-cigarettes, and hence should be prohibited “until exhaled vapour is proven to be not harmful to bystandersâ€. Given their growing use among minors, many of whom consider “e-cigs†harmless, WHO recommends that nicotine doses be standardized and that fruit or sweet-flavoured versions be banned.
Manufacturers currently maintain that e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco as they do not contain carcinogens. Somewhat inexplicably, Philip Morris also says the WHO position excludes them from the “democratic process.â€
WHO wants crackdowns on practises that attract young people, which the World Medical Association describes as “sickening†and “predatory.†The industry has consistently used questionable approaches, particularly in eastern Europe and Asia, for encouraging traditional use. Observers note that in Switzerland companies hand out free cigarettes at pop concerts and other events.
Some Swiss politicians have expressed concern that tobacco lobbies are pressuring Bern not to ban smoking in public places as in neighbouring France. Interestingly, WHO staff have received significant hate mail and calls, which, one maintained, are encouraged by the tobacco industry.
Roger’s roar and smile and their lessons for diplomats
Federer at the Davis Cup
Roger Federer is best known as a tennis player, perhaps the greatest of all time. His record of 17 Grand Slam titles is unmatched in the sport’s history. But besides his one-hand backhand, elegant dress and phenomenal court movement and presence under pressure, his recent performance at the US Open bears witness to another quality that warrants attention and, hopefully, simulation.
No, we do not mean his reaching a semi-final in a major tournament at the age of 33. Ken Rosewell was a finalist at Wimbledon in 1974 at the age of 39. Nor should we be overwhelmed by the fact that Roger is playing at the same time he is parenting four young children. Roger and his wife travel with enough staff that I’m sure he doesn’t lose sleep changing diapers the night before a big match. Tennis moms have been doing this for years under much more trying circumstances. Kim Clijsters won the US Open one year after giving birth to her daughter as an unseeded wildcard. Holding up her daughter at the victory ceremony, a beaming Clijsters said “We tried to plan her naptime a little bit later so she could be here today. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, being a mother,†an overwhelmed Clijsters told the cheering crowd in what was appropriately labelled “the mother of all comebacksâ€.
No, what caught our attention were the moments after Roger’s magical victory over Gaël Monfils in the quarter-finals and after his loss to Marin Cilic in the semis. Down two sets to love and two match points in the fourth set against the Frenchman, Federer managed to come back from the precipice in a heart-stopping resurrection in front of 23,000 screaming fans and millions around the world. After the return of serve of Monfils sailed long, Federer walked to the net, raised his arms, shouted “Yes†and let out a primal scream.
What kind of scream? Certainly not the foreboding in Eduard Munch’s painting of the same name with its blood red sky and enigmatic figure in the foreground. And not, I believe, a typical tennis scream. Monfils, after his victory over Gregory Dimitrov in the previous round, turned his back to his vanquished opponent, faced the fans behind him thumping his chest and screamed in an Alpha male gesture similar to Novak Djokovic’s ripping off his shirt in triumph to expose his impressive abdominals in an obvious male manifestation of domination. No, I interpreted Federer’s scream to be one of extreme satisfaction at the moment. He was definitely not Alpha male as he graciously walked to the net and congratulated Monfils nor during the post-match press conference at which he expressed his pleasure at playing such a match and the pure joy of being so warmly supported by the New York crowd. As Roger said: “I have rarely felt the public so warmâ€. (Disclaimer: Do I have to say that I am from New York to justify Federer’s tribute to the crowd?)
Federer’s obvious joy and scream were not just about winning. He was overwhelmed by the moment. He doesn’t have to play for money or more titles. As he said after his next match, “I don’t need an 18th Grand Slam title to be happyâ€. He thoroughly enjoys playing and the bigger the stage, the bigger the stakes, the bigger the thrill of the match. And that joy permeates his relationship with his opponents. He does not have to dominate them; he just wants to play his best tennis. (A former Danish tennis player Torben Ulrich, now writer, musician and filmmaker, was well-known for a similar attitude.) While winning is obviously important, it is the very act of trying to play his best that allows him to be gracious in victory as well as defeat. Federer walked to the net facing Monfils while screaming since his joy was a shared moment; Monfils turned away from his opponent in a solitary moment when he screamed.
Federer’s graciousness was also evident after he lost to Marin Cilic in the next round. After the defeat of Novac Djokovic and default of Rafael Nadal, Federer had a glorious path to the Open title. He played a dismal match against the Croat, losing in three sets with none of the mastery he had shown over the summer. He had never lost to Cilic in five previous matches and must have been hugely disappointed at his performance. Yet, at the post-match press conference, he expressed some disappointment while smiling and congratulating his opponent. “He realized a great performance,†Federer recognized. In both his victory and defeat, Federer paid tribute to his opponents, basked in the pleasure of victory while placing the defeat in a larger perspective. After all, he has said, I earn an enormous amount of money playing a game I thoroughly enjoy.
Can diplomats learn anything from this? There is competition in the political world. Countries win and lose wars. Negotiations do have winners and losers. At the WTO, for example, delegates are invited or not into exclusive Green Room discussions. You are either in or out as a rotating member of the UN Security Council. But diplomacy is not only about W (wins) and L (losses). Most “victories†in diplomacy happen when one side “gets†51% of what it wants. And, certainly not to be forgotten, if the “victors†are not gracious in the diplomatic competition, they are sowing the seeds for future conflicts – see the harsh demands at the end of WWI leading to WWII. Federer knows he will have to face the same players in other contexts. Does he really want to give them further ammunition to beat him?
Roger Federer is best known as a tennis player, perhaps the greatest of all time. I recommend that his graciousness after victory and defeat be required study at all diplomatic academies.
Daniel Warner is an American-Swiss political scientist. This article appeared on his blog for la Tribune de Genève at tdg.ch/blogs.
The referendum: How representative?
On 28 September, Switzerland will hold yet another referendum on crucial federal and cantonal decisions. The Swiss do this every three months, often on technical issues, such as solar energy or parking garages, about which they are not particularly knowledgeable. Or they pass judgement on passionate themes, such as last February’s initiative on curbing mass migration, which can make or break the country economically.
This month’s federal vote will decide whether to introduce a public health insurance, as Pamela Taylor writes, and whether restaurants should continue paying VAT. Local initiatives vary. Geneva will be voting on a proposal to build a tunnel across the Rhone, while Vaud has no changes on the table.
Another key referendum is next week’s Scottish independence vote, notably, the right to break away from the United Kingdom with which they have been associated for more than 300 years. The most recent polls suggest a very close “yes†win for the nationalists.
French-dominant Quebec has tried twice to vote on independence from Canada. The first was in 1980, when it lost significantly, and the second in 1995 where the initiative was defeated. Barely. Now, nearly 20 years later, the Quebec nationalists are on the out. Many Québécois, particularly young people, are coming to realize that independence would only be shooting themselves in the foot economically and that union is preferable.
How democratic are these referenda? Do they really represent the public will? In Switzerland, participation is usually high, but a referendum can be decided by a 50.3% majority as happened with the migration vote. This means that nearly half the voting population does not agree. But at least every Swiss citizen is allowed to vote, regardless whether in Lausanne, Los Angeles or Lagos.
The Scottish referendum only allows current residents to participate. Scots living elsewhere in the UK or abroad cannot, even if they pay taxes for properties they own in Scotland. Some UK citizens argue that they, too, should be able to vote as the decision will affect them.
Both Scotland and Quebec can have their futures decided by a 50.1% local vote. US citizens, who can vote from abroad, can propose change, but both Houses need a two-thirds majority. So at least, that’s arguably more democratic. But what happens when people realize – only much later – that devolution with union is perhaps better than independence with borders?
Edward Girardet, Editor@staging.lenews.ch
People who need people. And people who don’t.
Sometimes I like to think of my family as a patchwork quilt. Because we’re covered in cat hair and permanently draped over the couch in the TV room. Ha ha. No, but seriously. I think of it as a quilt because, as any quilt-maker can tell you, organizing the various pieces of fabric into a whole can be a challenge. The bits might all be lovely on their own, but they need to achieve some sort of harmony if you want a quilt that doesn’t give you a headache every time you look at it.
As with soft furnishings, so with life. Two or more people, with unique characters, different needs and (sometimes horrible) habits are forced to live together in one house for extended periods of time without going completely mad … it may sound like a description of Big Brother, but I’m actually talking about families.
For example. In my family, we have a few differences of opinion around issues such as sleep (my husband and I enjoy it but the children aren’t big fans) and holidays (I’m into Slow Travel while my husband tears through destinations as if the tour bus were being tailgated by Time’s Winged Chariot). But these are minor incompatibilities. Our real area of mismatch – where we just can’t get our pieces of fabric to fit together – is in our attitudes to other people.
My husband is an extrovert, which means that socialising not only makes him happy, but actually gives him energy. He’ll come back from a weekend of sport, brunches, barbecues and parties all fuelled for the week. The bigger child is cut from the same cloth, only hers is a rather bolder pattern: she absolutely lives to socialise. She can’t walk to the post box and back without making a new friend, and is constantly coming home with someone’s mother’s telephone number scribbled on a piece of paper, which I must then use to cold call and set up play dates. She’s done this at parties, in restaurants and, most recently, on a twenty minute boat ride up the Thames.
I, on the other hand, am an introvert. Socialising makes me tired (most probably because of all the extroverts, sucking out my energy to fuel themselves) and I need a fair bit of time alone to recuperate. The smaller child is like me but more so. Much more so. When we were planning her birthday party, her biggest concern was not the cake, or the decorations, but how we could best keep everyone out of her bedroom. And only last week, on hearing that friends were popping over for a visit, her immediate response was, “Oh no! Lock the doors!â€
“But I thought you liked them,†I said, as she headed off to her Happy Place (a cardboard box under her bed).
“I love them,†she agreed. “But not in the house.â€
I’m not sure yet how we’ll work these disparate needs into a family that is both vaguely socially normal and still respectful of the space that some members need. But I do know what the quilt that represents us should be like: it should be soft and warm, and big enough to wrap around all of us, and whatever friends we want to bring along; a joyfully-coloured, free-motion crazy quilt with plenty of embellishments. And some pins left in.
Robyn Goss is a South African writer, recently moved to Switzerland. You can read her blogs at www.robyngoss.com
The Swiss president’s commute goes viral on twitter
In stark contrast to the president of the United States, the Swiss president was shown in a photo, taken by Le Temps journalist Serge Jubin, standing on a railway platform in Neuchâtel waiting along with the general public for his train to arrive. No armour plated limousine in sight. Jubin’s tweet reads: “Switzerland, a wonderful country where the president happily taps away on his smartphone surrrounded by regular train travellers while waiting for his train at the railway station in his home town of Neuchâtel.” The photo was retweeted hundreds of times around the world.
In Switzerland the seven-members of the Swiss Federal Council, akin to a cabinet, act collectively as the head of state. Every year one of the seven acts as the nation’s president, a largely ceremonial role as executive decisions are taken by all Federal Council members together.
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