http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/musings from a Brit in Switzerland.en-UKMokoFeed10http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/37/d2ed1df30f81e1a9f00acba95e4b60_160x200.jpghttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/a-worthy-christmas-gift-7411936/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-19:/2009/11/19/a-worthy-christmas-gift-7411936/Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:24:48 +0100 <p>found a very interesting website today <a href="http://www.tree-nation.com">www.tree-nation.com</a> which aims to plant 100000 trees this year. They have projects in various parts of the world where people can plant trees, and follow the progress on blogs and facebook. You can give trees as gifts, or companies can sponsor several trees. </p> <p>I think it is a great idea, maybe some of my relatives will be getting a tree this year <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p>actually, it is my daughters 18th coming up. A tree would be a nice gift for her as well I think.</p> <p>closer to home there is also <a href="http://www.treeforall.org.uk/">http://www.treeforall.org.uk/</a> which plants trees in the Uk, and <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/">http://www.treesforcities.org/</a> which is also UK based but with international projects and been going since 1994. Seems there are a lot of charities at it out there, so maybe it will be hard to choose. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/a-worthy-christmas-gift-7411936/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>giftscharitiestree-plantinghttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/a-worthy-christmas-gift-7411936/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/u17-victory-7399995/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-17:/2009/11/17/u17-victory-7399995/Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:55:24 +0100 <p>for the football fans among you, the big news here is that the Swiss U17 team won the world championships at the weekend, beating the reigning champions Nigeria in the process.<br> This is major news here, we are not renowned for our football skills <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>While researching this post I had to smile when I came across this aricle:<br> <a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/11/17/u-17-world-cuppainful-fall-of-the-eaglets/comment-page-1/#comment-94507">http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/11/17/u-17-world-cuppainful-fall-of-the-eaglets/comment-page-1/#comment-94507</a></p> <p>4th paragraph down the writer refers to Switzerland as "this tiny Scandinavian country" <img src="/img/smilies/graybigeek.gif" alt="88|" class="middle" border="0"><br> The writer is from Washington, and unfortunately not the first American to confuse Switzerland with Sweden. After all it starts with the same two letters <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/u17-victory-7399995/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>u17-championsswiss-newshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/u17-victory-7399995/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/word-of-the-year-7399835/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-17:/2009/11/17/word-of-the-year-7399835/Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:26:57 +0100 <p>Apparently Unfriend is the word of the year 2009. I had never heard of it, but it means to take someone of your friends list on a social networking site.</p> <p>Novelty words making the shortlist were "deleb," meaning a dead celebrity, and "tramp stamp," referring to a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman</p> <p>so now we know. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5AG09H20091117?sp=true">http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5AG09H20091117?sp=true</a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/word-of-the-year-7399835/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>unfriendnewshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/17/word-of-the-year-7399835/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/08/ladyboys-on-tour-7334075/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-08:/2009/11/08/ladyboys-on-tour-7334075/Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:48:09 +0100 <p>not something we see much of here</p> <p> </p> <p>What is there for a group of Thai ladyboys to do in Degersheim, a Swiss village with a population of 4,000? For weeks the dancers rehearsed a choreographed show and mingled with the locals. Their Swiss manager hopes to tour with them across Europe. (SF/swissinfo)</p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/08/ladyboys-on-tour-7334075/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>ladyboysswiss-newshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/08/ladyboys-on-tour-7334075/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/bit-of-a-bagger-7328047/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-07:/2009/11/07/bit-of-a-bagger-7328047/Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:28:04 +0100 <p>on TV at present is Wetten Dass, a cult German language program, where members of the public come on with crazy things they bet they can do in a set time live on the program, and celebraties have to say if it possible</p> <p>the current one is John Cushak as celebrity, and the bet is that a guy driving a big digger thing can use the machine, in the studio, to get 5 baseball balls in the net. 5 balls out of 8 in 5 minutes.</p> <p>Anyway, the German for a digger is bagger, but they pronounce it like bugger with a posh accent in english, so all I can hear is bugger this and bugger that. Not sure what Cushak makes of it <img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>The bagger driver won the bet though, amazing sight watching a big digger swinging a ball into a little baseball net. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/bit-of-a-bagger-7328047/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>germantvhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/bit-of-a-bagger-7328047/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/all-sizes-fits-one-7327501/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-07:/2009/11/07/all-sizes-fits-one-7327501/Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:26:04 +0100 <p>today I went shopping. I bought a nice cashmere cardigan, size S, cos that is all they had. I bought a cashmere jumper size M from the same store, and then in another store I bought a Top in a S, which was plenty big enough, could have done with an XS, and then 2 tops each an L.<br> Everything fits perfectly!!</p> <p>so just goes to show, you can't always believe what it says on the label. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/all-sizes-fits-one-7327501/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>clothing-sizeshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/07/all-sizes-fits-one-7327501/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/and-spookier-still-7315482/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-05:/2009/11/05/and-spookier-still-7315482/Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:33:56 +0100 <p>this evening I attended a church service in nearby Thun. I say Church service, but it is more a housegroup with a service. Tonight there were 7 of us. I have not been in months to this group, and a special call had gone out to get more of us there.<br> Anyway, the vicar came, and started the service. He stood in front of us, we 7 were sitting in a circle on chairs. And then the strangest thing, that I have never noticed before, as generally I see him in front of 100 people at our main Church. The vicar never looked directly at any of us. His eyes were roaming the room, looking into corners, looking over us, looking at the floor, looking at the ceiling. Anywhere but us. This was totally weird, I was so amazed watching this performance that I could not really concentrate on what he was saying. He did spend a lot of the time addressing the floor, which was less weird than when he was looking all round the room, but only slightly.<br> When I got home my husband suggested that maybe he has a glass eye, but I don't think so, and actually at the table afterwards, he could look at whoever he was addressing, on a one to one basis.<br> is this some sort of disorder? Or has he high anxiety or something? he never seems particularly nervous, always in control, regardless of what happens.<br> It was totally weird, like he could see lots of people or spirits there that we could not. Not something I want to experience again in a while. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/and-spookier-still-7315482/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>churchspookyhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/and-spookier-still-7315482/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/spooky-7315437/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-05:/2009/11/05/spooky-7315437/Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:25:28 +0100 <p>Just read EllieGants post about poltergeist activity switching on the radio in her house. It reminded me about what happened to my youngest yesterday. She has been home sick this week, with dizzyness and a bit of a fever. No real cold though, no cough, so I think nothing to do with pigs.<br> Anyway yesterday my husband, who was otherwise home with her, had to go out for a few hours, and she was alone. She was lieing in her bed and started having hullucinations. She saw her 3 best friends in her room, and felt the hand of one of them on hers. This freaked her a bit. She heard voices nearby but could see no one, and then she reckons her bedroom door opened, but of course there was no one there. This happened twice, with no one and no cat around. So she was then really spooked and called a friend, who very sweetly caught a train to come and see her. Her friend managed to scare any ghosts away, which is lucky.<br> Poor kid, but I reckon we are not haunted, although the day before a blackbird flew into one of our windows at the back, and although she tried to save it, it died in her room. So now she reckons its death caused something weird to happen. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/spooky-7315437/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>lauraspooky-goings-onhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/spooky-7315437/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/democracy-rocks-7315362/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-05:/2009/11/05/democracy-rocks-7315362/Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:11:32 +0100 <p>now we are Swiss we finally get to vote. This I find a huge boost after living here 19 years. Today the papers arrived for the vote at the end of the month. We have 3 national motions that require decisions, 2 of which are really contentious. The most contentious, and probably the one most widely pubicised is the initiative to ban the building of Minarettes, which are the towers attached to mosques. This is a right wing initiative by the SVP, the so called Peoples party, who are so energetic in trying to kick foreigners out of the country. They are so insular, it is incredible. The posters, which have been banned in a lot of cities, showed lots of black Minarettes on Swiss land like rockets, with a black clocked person in front of them. Totally crazy and rascist, but it got them lots of free publicity.<br> I will definately be voting against that motion. We are a country with religious freedom, and no way can such discrimination and fear mongering be allowed to win. They will lose this one, the majority of Swiss are against it.<br> The second one, nearly as contentious, is to ban all export of swiss made military weapons and ammunition. The pros are touting that as a neutral country we cannot profit from wars in other countries. The cons are talking about loss of jobs. It is a difficult one, as it will make little difference in the world, but a world of difference in Switzerland. Those against the initiative happen to be mainly the ones in favour of the first one, but with some other parties supporting them.<br> And the third is whether to use the tax on aviation fuel to finance air traffic rather than what it is currently used for which is road traffic measures and general stuff. Not sure what the advantages are in a special fund, will have to read the papers, but I do wonder how they will replace the funds, it must lead to higher tax somewhere.</p> <p>And then there are the local councillors to elect, and local, means our village. So lots to read.<br> Last vote, our papers never got to us, even though they had set off, which was strange. This time only I have received them, and not my husband. His must still be on the way.<br> Maybe they send them via the UK <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>more info on <a href="http://www.swissinfo.ch/">http://www.swissinfo.ch/</a> in English even, plus you can see that terrible poster. It is reminisent of the black crows one they did stealing swiss passports, and the white sheep kicking out the black one when they were trying to get rid of criminal foreigners easier. All those inititives they lost. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/democracy-rocks-7315362/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>politicshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/democracy-rocks-7315362/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/reckon-i-got-away-lightly-7315278/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-11-05:/2009/11/05/reckon-i-got-away-lightly-7315278/Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:56:23 +0100 <p>well I have noticed today major upset in blogland through the deletion of the tags. I know poor Marion was very badly hit, and her whole system is destroyed. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" class="middle" border="0"><br> I think I got away lightly with just 2 tags being deleted. Not sure anymore where one of them was anyway so guess it is not important.</p> <p>I read the explanation (and apology) from blog team. It makes sense, even if they should have given us a pre warning message of which tags would be deleted. I have never really got to grips with tags, so maybe I need to be more organised in the future.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/reckon-i-got-away-lightly-7315278/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tagshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/11/05/reckon-i-got-away-lightly-7315278/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/swiss-money-laundering-7274270/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-30:/2009/10/30/swiss-money-laundering-7274270/Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:14:46 +0100 <p>the Fr 20 note that I found in the pocket of my newly washed and ironed jeans.</p> <p>well and truly laundered <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> and as good as new - thank goodness </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/swiss-money-laundering-7274270/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>moneyhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/swiss-money-laundering-7274270/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/teenage-fantasies-7274258/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-30:/2009/10/30/teenage-fantasies-7274258/Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:13:43 +0100 <p>On the train this morning I happened to sit in a 6-seat part with 2 teenage boys, who needed 4 seats just for them and all their stuff! They were en route to the International School, and so talking together, quite loudly, in English.<br> As I joined them, their conversation was about whom they would kill in their school given the chance. Apparently the main criteria seemed to be if they were enemies or "stupid". One boy in particular was agreed to be "stupid" and so deserved to die.</p> <p>In some countries those boys would probably have been reported and arrested, but it seems to be just fantasy. I think if they were really planning something they would not plan it on a packed commuter train.</p> <p>however, they did change the subject quite quickly after I asked them to pass me a paper and they realised that I was English <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/teenage-fantasies-7274258/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>teenagersboys-fantasieshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/teenage-fantasies-7274258/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/29/a-case-of-neglect-7270921/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-29:/2009/10/29/a-case-of-neglect-7270921/Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:15:17 +0100 <p>i read this morning in the paper about a 4 year old in Berlin, whose arm was ripped off by a faulty washing machine. His 11 year old brother put the severed arm in the freezer, and his brother to bed!!!! The next morning his mother discovered what had happened, and rushed the child to the hospital. Unfortunatly the arm could not be reattached as it was unusable after being frozen.</p> <p>Now a lot about this does not make sense, like where was the mother when the accident happened, and how can a child go to bed with no arm? He must have been in agony<br> Now as I know some will be incredulousw, I did try to find the story, but only found someone else commenting on it here<br> <a href="http://intoxgaming.com/forum/printthread.php?tid=12194">http://intoxgaming.com/forum/printthread.php?tid=12194</a></p> <p>but it is in the papers so it must be true.<img src="/img/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":-/" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/29/a-case-of-neglect-7270921/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>newsboy-loses-armhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/29/a-case-of-neglect-7270921/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/on-the-hunt-for-7264172/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-28:/2009/10/28/on-the-hunt-for-7264172/Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:05:29 +0100 <p>in our household we have way too many gadgets. MP3's, digital cameras, mobile phones etc etc. And they all come with various power leads, and usb leads etc. We have a drawer full of them, and I am too lazy to wind them up when I put one back, so it is a bit of a rats nest in there.<br> Anyway, when I was in Nice I came across a Virgin store, and in there they had this nifty little bag to transport cables with 6 pockets in it. But it was €20!!<br> But it gave me the idea of getting a curtain or hanging storage thing with pockets in it, to store all the cables. I could hang the curtain on the back of the door, and label the pockets with the gadget the cable belongs to.<br> But now I am back, I have searched high and low, to no avail. All I can find is a shower curtain or postcard display with pockets. But cables are a bit fatter than postcards.<br> Looks like I might have to make one for myself.<br> Unless anyone has any better ideas? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/on-the-hunt-for-7264172/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>storing-cableshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/on-the-hunt-for-7264172/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/the-anglican-catholic-debate-7263866/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-28:/2009/10/28/the-anglican-catholic-debate-7263866/Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:24:18 +0100 <p><span>some of you may have heard that the Pope, dear old Benedict, has invited all Anglicans who can't deal with women bishops or priests, or open homosexuality to come en mass to join the catholic church again. A brave try, and one that probably most bloggers could not give 2 hoots about. But today, I did come across an interesting article that shows that Benedict may be ahooting himself in the foot with this one.</span></p> <p> <strong>Catholics and Anglicans: Some Unintended Consequences<br> By Kenny Moore</strong></p> <p> (Moore is a former Catholic priest and co-author of 'The CEO and the Monk:<br> One Company's Journey to Profit and Purpose')</p> <p> For the last twenty years, I've worked in corporate America. Prior to that,<br> I spent fifteen years in a monastic order as a Catholic priest. Oddly<br> enough, the work has proven to be quite similar, though the Incentive Plans<br> varied greatly. I left the monastery because I wanted to get married. Now<br> that I'm married and raising two teenagers, I'd like to go back. And<br> presently it seems all I need do is join the Anglican Church. According to<br> the recent announcement from Rome, I'll even be able to bring my wife along.<br> Unfortunately, there's still the problem of the kids. The monks often said<br> that the Almighty has a wicked sense of humor.</p> <p> With one wave of the Vatican's almighty hand, Anglicans who don't like women<br> bishops or gay priests are now welcome in the Catholic Church. Even their<br> married clergy can come along. But there might be one small difficultly.<br> These disenfranchised Anglicans will now be sharing the pew with a growing<br> number of disenfranchised Catholics: folks who are increasingly pushing for<br> women's ordination and a more Christian response to the gay community. And<br> don't be surprised if the priest celebrating Mass is himself gay. They<br> haven't disappeared, you know. They've only gone underground to survive the<br> Witch Hunt of the present Administration.<br> When the Bishops recently requested that Catholics start returning to the<br> confessional, it didn't seem to improve the numbers. Likewise, their PR<br> program 'Welcome Home' hasn't moved the masses to return to the fold.<br> Perhaps the broader Catholic community knows more than the hierarchy. The<br> Church leadership continues to be hostile to gays, indifferent to women and<br> intolerant of the meddling laity. The recent sex scandals have only<br> confirmed the people's suspicions: the hierarchy is not to be trusted.<br> Bishops believe it's better to have a diocese declare bankruptcy, as<br> Wilmington, Delaware and others have recently done, than release documents<br> revealing their ethical malfeasance. A growing number of the laity is<br> looking to leave, but havn't had a place to go. This may all be changing.</p> <p> What the Vatican may not have realized is that in opening the door to the<br> Anglican Church, that door swings both ways. Why wouldn't our gay Catholic<br> priests switch to a religious group that treats them with dignity and<br> respect? Even the straight priests might be willing to cast their lot with<br> a liturgical tradition that at least allows them to marry and have the<br> support of their wives, since they seem to get so little of it from their<br> Bishops. Women, who continue to make up the vast majority of church-goers,<br> might also stop complaining to an all-male clergy for equal rights, and<br> embrace the Anglican way of celebrating their gifts as a valid ministry?<br> The Pope's recent decision could just prove to be the 'Law of Unintended<br> Consequences' played out in a divinely mischievous way.</p> <p> And wouldn't it be refreshing for Catholic couples to finally find a<br> religion that allows them to be in harmony with their Church's teaching on<br> birth control without having to wait for the onset of menopause?</p> <p> While Rome's at it, how about inviting those disenfranchised Mormon<br> polygamists over to our side as well? The number of their kids alone would<br> boost Catholic school enrollment tremendously.<br> And what about extending another free pass to those bonus-laden Wall Street<br> Execs? The Vatican could always use some help with its cash flow, and<br> buying Indulgences might be just what's needed to reinvigorate our faltering<br> global economy.</p> <p> I'm sure we could get President Obama to endorse it as part of his Stimulus<br> Package. Even Tom Friedman might cast a favorable vote. I'm less sure<br> about the Dalai Lama.</p> <p> While I've never been a big fan of Rome, I'm already liking this Anglican<br> thing a lot. It may be one of the few Papal pronouncements I'm willing to<br> support.</p> <p> Kenny Moore<br> Kenny Moore Consulting, LLC<br> Author of 'The CEO and the Monk'<br> <a href="http://www.kennythemonk.com">www.kennythemonk.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/the-anglican-catholic-debate-7263866/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>religionhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/the-anglican-catholic-debate-7263866/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/tis-37-days-since-my-last-post-7261127/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-28:/2009/10/28/tis-37-days-since-my-last-post-7261127/Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:28:11 +0100 <p>feels like confession time! </p> <p>so I will be posting some piccies at the weekend from my holiday I had in Nice recently <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> plus from the visit to the new bear park that opened in Bern at the weekend. Bears are to Bern, what chocolate is to Bournville. Bern was founded on the spot where a bear was killed apparently, and they have always kept bears in the city. Up to now it was in a concrete pit, not at all nice, with some of them enjoying more space at the local animal park. But now, at great expense, we have a new park for the bears, by the river, with even somewhere to swim.<br> On Sunday 40000 people turned out to view their new home and have a Fest. The bears however, stayed hidden in their sleeping quarters, hardly daring to venture out. I guess they have to get used to it.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/tis-37-days-since-my-last-post-7261127/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>bearpark-bernhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/tis-37-days-since-my-last-post-7261127/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/telling-swine-flu-from-a-regular-cold-7261086/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-10-28:/2009/10/28/telling-swine-flu-from-a-regular-cold-7261086/Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:21:49 +0100 <p>I am trying not to get too bothered about swine flu, and won't be having the vaccine, but this arrived from HQ today, so I thought I would share it on here:</p> <p>Fever is rare with a cold.<br> Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.</p> <p>A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.<br> A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).</p> <p>Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.<br> Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.</p> <p>Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.<br> Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.</p> <p>Chills are uncommon with a cold.<br> 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.</p> <p>Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.<br> Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.</p> <p>Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.<br> Sneezing is not common with the flu.</p> <p>Sudden Symptoms: Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.<br> The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.</p> <p>A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.<br> A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.</p> <p>Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.<br> Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.</p> <p>Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.<br> Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.</p> <p><a href="javascript:window.open(" title="sneezing"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/574/4050574_c0a81b6951_s.jpg" alt="sneezing"></a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/telling-swine-flu-from-a-regular-cold-7261086/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>swine-fluhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/10/28/telling-swine-flu-from-a-regular-cold-7261086/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/19/illuminous-toilets-6995076/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-09-19:/2009/09/19/illuminous-toilets-6995076/Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:33:16 +0200 <p>I missed out today it seems. Our local internet auction site ricardo.ch is brilliant normally, and far more popular and successful here than ebay. Today I opended my emails to be informed that the Saturday bargain, to be available from 10am was the following "must have" <img src="/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif" alt=":DD" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p><a href="javascript:window.open(" title="lavnav2"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/737/3911737_a5f294fa89_s.jpeg" alt="lavnav2"></a></p> <p>The description is as follows:</p> <blockquote><p><strong>Lav Nav - Lavatory Navigator</strong></p> <p>Da ist sie endlich, die Lösung für eines der alltäglichen Probleme: Lav Nav<br> (kurz für „Lavatory Navigator“ oder auch zu Deutsch „Wegweiser für die Toilette“).<br> Das Lav Nav schaltet sich von selbst ein, wenn man im Dunkeln die Toilette aufsucht und schaltet sich ebenso von selbst wieder aus, sobald man sie verlässt.</p> <p> CHF 19.90 (inkl. Lieferung) UVP CHF 39.90</p></blockquote> <p>Which translates for those of you who are not so hot on German, as:<br> Finally here for you, the solution to one of those daily problems. Lav Nav (short for lavatory navigator). The Lav Nav turns on by itself when you are looking for toilet in the dark, and turns itself off when you leave it:</p> <p>Okay, a question, how does the Lav know you are looking for it, if it is dark? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wth.gif" alt="|-|" class="middle" border="0"><br> Do we whistle? or is it noise activated?</p> <p>Unfortunately I will never find out, for this bargain of a lifetime, only Fr 19.90 incl delivery, was in limited numbers, and as I opened the mail at 11:20, they were already all sold out.<br> Maybe I will find one later on ricardo itself - only slightly used <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/19/illuminous-toilets-6995076/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>lav-navhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/19/illuminous-toilets-6995076/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/12/bit-of-a-huggermugger-6950449/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-09-12:/2009/09/12/bit-of-a-huggermugger-6950449/Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:22:53 +0200 <p>great word isn't it? Huggermugger. It is English apparently.<img src="/img/smilies/grayyes.gif" alt=":yes:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>and who knows what it means without going off and checking?</p> <p>I discovered it today on the Leo German/English dictionary site. I went to look up the word vertuschen, as it had come up on the news. </p> <p>Vertuschen means:<br> to camouflage<br> to cover something up<br> to gloss over<br> to huggermugger<br> to hush up<br> to suppress</p> <p>so now you know. Huggermugger apparently means to cover something up, but can also mean a mess, which according to the forum there, is the most common use of the word, especially in cooking. </p> <p>So my word of the week is huggermugger, and I will try and use it everyday this week <img src="/img/smilies/icon_twisted.gif" alt=":>" class="middle" border="0"><br> Mind you, no one will understand what I mean, whatever their nationality <img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/12/bit-of-a-huggermugger-6950449/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>huggermuggerhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/12/bit-of-a-huggermugger-6950449/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/03/don-t-cross-gadaffi-6885953/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-09-03:/2009/09/03/don-t-cross-gadaffi-6885953/Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:38:36 +0200 <p>Today we took our photos to the Gemeinde as the last stage in getting our Swoiss citizenships. Wihin a week, we will have our Swiss ID, and on 1 October we are invited to receive our papers officially at their office <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"><br> I am very happy about this, and have already changed my CV to say dual nationality. </p> <p>But maybe we will not be Swiss for long if Colonel Gadaffi gets his wish. He has seriously fallen out with Switzerland, and has now put a motion to the UN in New York for thier meeting this month that Switzerland should be divided up and given to neighbour countries. Apparently we are a rogue state, and sponsoring terrorism. Well he should know.<br> Libya is opening the conference apparently, so he can actually bring the motion forward.</p> <p>Totally incredible. What is even more incredible to me is that while a 2 year old child is not allowed to fly to the US with Visa carrying parents ( my joy of flying post), a despot like Gadaffi is allowed in.</p> <p>The row with Gadaffi started when one of his sons was arrested in Geneva for abusing a maid servant. Probably totally normal back home. The Geneva police did go over the top apparently, and sent in 21 armed police, which was rather overdoing it. In retaliation Gadaffi took 2 Swiss men hostage who were working for ABB in Libya. They have been held months now, and it is coming to a head. President Merz went over recently trying to get them out. The son of course has all charges dropped, there has been an official apology, and who knows what else going on behind the scenes. Unfortunately the Colonel has not stuck to his word, and although he promised to release the hostages, only their luggage has come home so far. They are still there, and now Gadaffi wants money to let them leave. President Merz is coming in for a lot of critiscm for believing Gadaffi would stick to his word, although at least he tried, and I am not sure what else he could have done.</p> <p>Gadaffi must be laughing at us all. First he gets his Lockerbie bomber back, and now he can make the Swiss wait, and even threaten the country with being broken up.</p> <p>Apparently Tamoil is owned 40% by Libya, so I won't be filling up there anymore, and I think not many Swiss will now either.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/03/don-t-cross-gadaffi-6885953/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>swisspoliticsgadaffihttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/09/03/don-t-cross-gadaffi-6885953/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/29/news-from-the-book-sale-6849591/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-29:/2009/08/29/news-from-the-book-sale-6849591/Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:14:48 +0200 <p>We had another Church booksale today, something we do 4 or 5 times a year. We raise money for Church, plus it is a great service to the English speaking community, or those who like to read English.<br> I am supposedly in charge of these sales, which seems to mean advertising for books, and then sorting through them. Every advert I ask for books in good condition, paperbacks only. Every sale we fill my car to the brim with unsellable books, and take them to the dump, and we always have hardbacks being donated. It amazes me what rubbish some people will send our way, thinking they are doing us a favour.<br> We did the sorting yesterday, complete with trip to the dump. Today we did the selling, and it went really well. I was a bit amazed though when one lady came in, a regular attendee at our sales, and told me she has 1 book to give. Ok I said. Then she asked me what I would give her for it!!!!<br> She reckoned we used to, but I have been doing this several years now, and it hasn't been on my shift <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"><br> then she gave me the book, after I had explained the system. It was paperback, but the cover and the spine were parting company, and it was brown on the edges. Straight to recycling with that one.</p> <p>and at the end when we cleared up, we still had a pile of stuff to go to the dump.<br> ah well. Tis all for a good cause. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/29/news-from-the-book-sale-6849591/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>churchbookshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/29/news-from-the-book-sale-6849591/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/mini-break-6796170/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-22:/2009/08/22/mini-break-6796170/Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:41:37 +0200 <p>whilst browsing blogs, the TV is on, and my husband is watching the tennis. Federer versus Murray. The commentary is in german, and he keeps talking of mini breaks, and even double mini breaks.<br> Made me smile anyway <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"><br> No idea what a mini break in tennis is, and at what point it becomes a proper break.</p> <p>heh, Federer has just won. He is so brilliant.<br> Even with sleepless nights <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/mini-break-6796170/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tennishttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/mini-break-6796170/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/the-joy-of-train-travel-6795249/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-22:/2009/08/22/the-joy-of-train-travel-6795249/Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:32:32 +0200 <p>Yesterday I was sitting on a train in Germany, heading south, and I wrote this while sitting in the restaurant car. The sun was shining, I had been working a little. This is not a bad way to travel.</p> <p>The trains in Germany, intercity at any rate, tend to be busy, and so sitting in the restaurant car is a good way to secure a seat for the journey <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> Or I could reserve one, but I like to remain flexible</p> <p>Anyway, generally I enjoy the train journey. But yesterday, there was one thing that soured it for me. German Train conductors, especially female ones, do not have a good reputation. I have read of children being kicked off trains if they forgot their travel pass, and having to walk miles home alone. I read of one mother who was turned off a train whilst the children could stay on, not sure why she left them behind, maybe she had no choice.<br> Well today I met one of these fearsome female conductors. On the train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, I managed to find a seat, and along she came. I proffered my ticket, which was a print out from the computer, with which I already travelled from Basel to Frankfurt without problem. She looked at it:<br> “Was ist das?” she asked, what is that? So I told her that it was a printout of my ticket from the Swiss system. She was not happy, apparently there are regulations. I had printed the ticket in landscape format instead of portrait. All the info was there, including where she must scan, but it was the wrong way round!!! It was in her view invalid.<br> I did try telling her that it came out of my printer that way, but she thought I was bullshitting her, leastwise, I think that is what the expression she used meant, it was something to do with taking trousers down!!!<br> Anyway, I decided the best approach was to apologise immediately otherwise she would make me buy a new ticket, or kick me off at the next stop, which actually was where I needed to change anyway.<br> After she had gone on, muttering under her breath, I did think of some brilliant rhetoric, in perfect German, about why would I deliberately print out the ticket in the wrong format, whether I would do that just to annoy train staff?</p> <p>Ah well. I think next time I will print it twice, once the right way, and once in landscape, and carry both with me <img src="/img/smilies/icon_twisted.gif" alt=":>" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/the-joy-of-train-travel-6795249/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>trainstravelgermanyhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/22/the-joy-of-train-travel-6795249/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-6747008/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-17:/2009/08/17/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-6747008/Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:40:20 +0200 <p>tonight whilst watching TV, I heard a scratching behind me, and when I turned round this is what I saw through the window behind me:</p> <p> click on it to enlarge<a href="javascript:window.open(" title="Spider_Small"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/572/3797572_194b4ad1d6_s.jpg" alt="Spider_Small"></a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-6747008/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>spiderhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-6747008/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/16/summer-is-here-to-stay-6737588/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-16:/2009/08/16/summer-is-here-to-stay-6737588/Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:03:12 +0200 <p>at least for the next week. Don't want to make you guys in the Uk jealous, but 32 degrees today, and tomorrow, and the next day........... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="B)" class="middle" border="0"><br> It has not been a bad summer this year really, other than if it was going to rain, it would be on the weekend. But this weekend is nice and hot again, and the week is going to be a scorcher.</p> <p>of course the kids all went back to school a week ago, so don't get to enjoy it. Typical it seems. Our holidays are way too early.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/16/summer-is-here-to-stay-6737588/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>summerhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/16/summer-is-here-to-stay-6737588/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/how-the-mighty-fall-6732204/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-15:/2009/08/15/how-the-mighty-fall-6732204/Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:39:42 +0200 <p>Apparently the once mighty Marcel Ospel, former CEO of UBS, is going to have criminal charges brought against him. This is on the charges of tax fraud and helping other to commit it. It relates to the UBS assisting US citizens in illegal offshoring of funds.<br> The UBS has been forced to hand over confidential banking information to the US authorities, which caused a major political row here.</p> <p>The once great UBS has fallen a long way with all the financial scandles, and has had to have serious amounts of taxpayers money to bail it out. Millions of francs in deposits have been withdrawn and moved to other banks, and confidence in the UBS is at a historic low. Mind you, I am not sure they care, as they want to give bonuses again. In fact I read that last year they made a 1.4 billion loss, and yet managed to put aside 1.7 billion for bonuses! something somewhere does not compute. And for 2007 they made a loss of 4.4 billion, and paid bonuses of 10 billion.<br> Wouldn't work in any other sector.</p> <p>So it will be interesting to see if he is taken to court, and what the outcome is. Mind you, they took the Swissair bosses to court for negligence in letting the company go bust, and they got away with it.</p> <p><a href="javascript:window.open(" title="ospel"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/694/3790694_4969826a0d_s.jpeg" alt="ospel"></a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/how-the-mighty-fall-6732204/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>bankersbankseconomyubshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/how-the-mighty-fall-6732204/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/the-joy-of-flying-6732096/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-15:/2009/08/15/the-joy-of-flying-6732096/Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:26:52 +0200 <p>I met with a friend today who had been back to Bermuda for the summer. She was telling me about the trip there, it took a week! She was flying with her 2 children using standby tickets. 3 days in Zürich with no sign of getting on a flight meant she was advised to go to Nice to catch a plane. 13 hours by train, and she was scheduled to get there by 9am to check in at 9.30am. The train had a 3 hour delay <img src="/img/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":-/" class="middle" border="0"> so that meant a night in Nice before flying to New York the next day. She arrived in time for July 4th, so was not going anywhere fast. Hotels were very expensive, and what made it worse was that her luggage, along with the luggage of 20 other standby passengers who were turned off the first flight, went to New York anyway. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_crazy.gif" alt=":crazy:" class="middle" border="0"><br> The airline staff apparently did not find anything wrong with sending all the luggage alone, apparently it is not common practice there to pull it off if the owner does not board!!!!<br> I don't get it, and neither did my friend. Here in Europe we introduce all these safety measures to please the americans, and they let luggage fly unaccompanied.<br> And then when I got home there was an email from someone telling of a couple with their 2 year old child who had tried to fly from Zürich to New York today. They have biometric passports, but the child does not. So the 2 year old needs a visa.<br> I understand Zürich not letting them on the plane, apparently they get big fines if they let people board if they do not have the right documentation, but sometimes it seems that these rules are crazy. <img src="/img/smilies/graysigh.gif" alt=":**:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/the-joy-of-flying-6732096/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>travelflyingusahttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/the-joy-of-flying-6732096/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/07/blog-shades-day-6668998/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-07:/2009/08/07/blog-shades-day-6668998/Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:17:43 +0200 <p>Today is Blog shades day, and everyone can post a picture of themselves in sunglasses and leave a message on kevinwilsons blog</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.de/media/photo/shades_day/3760361" title="shades day"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/361/3760361_4bc184f47d_s.jpeg" alt="shades day"></a></p> <p>and here I am, taken yesterday evening. And the sun is still shining. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="B)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/07/blog-shades-day-6668998/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>blog-shades-dayhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/07/blog-shades-day-6668998/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/making-a-splash-6666990/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-06:/2009/08/06/making-a-splash-6666990/Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:49:02 +0200 <p>my youngest went swimming today with her friends, and apparently jumped into the river Aare at Thun from a bridge. More than once!!!!</p> <p>This was a first for her, and took some courage to climb over the barrier apparently.</p> <p>She is a lot braver than I am, and I am very glad she told me AFTER she was safely home. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/making-a-splash-6666990/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>swimmingaarehttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/making-a-splash-6666990/#commentshttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/typically-english-6666861/tag:swiskit.blog.co.uk,2009-08-06:/2009/08/06/typically-english-6666861/Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:19:14 +0200 <p>My assistant is getting married soon. On the 9th of the 9th to be precise, which is a very popular date to get married this year <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"><br> She is Swiss, but her husband to be is from the UK. Quite a coincidence really. She has to put up with me at work speaking english to her all day, and him at home <img src="/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif" alt=":DD" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Still, that aside, she is learning to understand British humour, and even getting a northern accent, which I must admit is a bit odd, but I won't be telling her that. It sounds quite sweet really.</p> <p>Anyway today she asked me for suggestions for a typically English item they can include in the wedding photos, and she would have something typically Swiss. We don't know anyone with a Rolls, Mini, or Jag, and for some reason she did not fancy her husband holding a pint of bitter in the photos, or some fish and chips <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"><br> so any suggestions?</p> <p>Personally I think whatever they pick must match in way, as they are marrying the cultures. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/typically-english-6666861/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>weddingsenglishhttp://swiskit.blog.co.uk/2009/08/06/typically-english-6666861/#comments