August 1 is Switzerland’s equivalent of the Fourth of July. Americans commemorate freeing themselves from British rule. The Swiss celebrate Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, the three original Swiss cantons, fighting off conquest by the Habsburgs. This year, August 1 marked the day Trump informed Switzerland that he would impose a 39% tariff on Swiss exportsContinue reading “A New Swiss Battleground”
Category Archives: Politics
Thank You, Edward Jenner
In early February, I went to my doctor’s office for the first of two vaccinations against shingles—I’ll get the second one on April 16. I didn’t have to see the doctor for this; I made an appointment with her lab technician. Two weeks ago, I had a COVID-19 vaccination at the drugstore a few blocksContinue reading “Thank You, Edward Jenner”
An 834-Year Wait
On the first day of January, Bern’s newly elected mayor stepped into her job. Her name is Marieke Kruit, and she is the first woman to be in charge of the city since the last Duke of Zähringer founded it in 1191, one hundred years before the Swiss Confederation came into being. Our new mayorContinue reading “An 834-Year Wait”
Out of This World
You may not know that The Wizard of Oz is only the first of thirty-nine books set in the world of Oz, the first fourteen written by L. Frank Baum, a subsequent eighteen by Ruth Plumly Thomson, and seven more by miscellaneous other authors. My mother and her younger brothers read them all when theyContinue reading “Out of This World”
“Please, Sir, We Want Some More”
On March 3, almost 60% of Swiss voters said yes to an initiative proposing that people aged sixty-five and over should receive an extra month’s social security payment every year for the rest of their lives. As a result, starting in 2026, Switzerland’s 2,500,000 retirees will get between $1400 and $2800 more a year, whetherContinue reading ““Please, Sir, We Want Some More””
Kim Hays 