From the SBB radio station on trains to the tax on buzzwords
Published: Monday, Apr 1st 2024, 13:01
Updated At: Tuesday, Apr 2nd 2024, 01:59
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In Switzerland, the media and institutions pranked their readers on April 1, sometimes with untrue reports. Here are some topics that could be true, but are probably April Fool's jokes.
ZUG-RADIO: SBB is launching "SBB on air", a radio station on trains. From April 22, the station, which can be streamed via DAB+, will present the best railroad songs, current rail traffic information and interesting facts about public transport and the history and development of the railroad system, as the railroad company announced on the X platform. According to a survey, many passengers wear headphones for music during their train journey and thus sometimes miss important train announcements. The SBB radio station wants to remedy this. If the concept proves successful, SBB is considering adding special route-related content to the program.
SELF-BOARDING: Geneva Airport has announced a new service for passengers boarding airplanes. With an electric go-kart, they can now reach their aircraft independently via a signalized route without having to wait long at the security checkpoint, as the airport announced in a video on X. Passengers can also take a look behind the scenes, for example at baggage handling at the airport. The service can be used by anyone who has a ticket and is wearing a helmet and seat belts. Pedestrians on the tarmac and airplanes have right of way.
EASTER BUNNY BAN: The website "20 minutes" reported that an anti-speciesist association has succeeded in ensuring that people will no longer be allowed to eat chocolate bunnies at Easter. From 2025, these sweets are to take other forms - such as cars. The Federal Council has listened to the demands of a Swiss animal welfare association. It is about to ban the sale of chocolate figures that imitate living creatures nationwide from next year.
HIKING: Hiking, a popular sport in Switzerland, is to become an Olympic discipline. In summer 2024, hiking will be officially presented as a new discipline by the organizing committee of the Summer Olympics, reported the umbrella organization Swiss Hiking Trails. The popular sport will be tested in a demonstration competition for long-term inclusion in the competition catalog. Over four million hikers use Swiss hiking trails every year.
BUZZWORDS: The Party for Rational Politics, Universal Human Rights and Participation Parat has launched the idea of introducing an incentive tax on the use of buzzwords. The levy is intended to create incentives to minimize the "inflationary use" of buzzwords such as "digitalization", "sustainability", "resilience" and "inclusion", according to the party. The measure aims to improve the quality of political debates and at the same time promote the sustainable use of language. The levy is to be collected using AI (artificial intelligence) technologies and will benefit parties that advocate a "buzzword-free" discourse.
VOTING RIGHTS: In Switzerland, people aged 62 and over should lose their right to vote. The Young Greens announced in a press release on April 1 that they would be launching initiatives "at all levels" for a maximum voting age of 62. As long as young people do not have the right to vote in the first 18 years of their lives, they should not be allowed to vote in the last 18 years of their lives either, according to the Young Party. Life expectancy in Switzerland is around 80 years, and if 18 years were deducted from this, the maximum voting age would be 62. Because women are older on average, they should be allowed to vote for longer.
ROBOT CARS: The car subscription provider Carvolution has announced Switzerland's largest pilot phase for autonomous driving on public roads with the Federal Roads Office (Astra). According to a statement from the company, thousands of vehicles with state-of-the-art automation systems will be in use on Swiss roads by the end of 2024 in order to gain important insights into the safety and efficiency of autonomous driving. Three aspects will be investigated: Safety, communication between the vehicles and with the infrastructure to improve traffic flow, and public acceptance. An initial test report should be available in November 2024.
CLOUD NAMES: On April 1, SRF Meteo launched a call to find new names for special clouds. They were looking for names for clouds that resemble an object or an animal. Due to large gaps in the international cloud atlas, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had been looking for a suitable weather service for the project since the beginning of the year, SRF Meteo announced. The task was entrusted to them on Easter Monday. The company had prevailed over well-known applicants such as the German Weather Service (DWD), BBC Weather and Meteo France. Readers were asked to submit photos of clouds in the shape of elephants, dragons, hearts or hats, including suggested names.
POLICE LESS: The Winterthur municipal police have announced that they are replacing their 20-year-old small cars with climate-friendly light motorcycles as part of a pilot project. With these vehicles, which look like children's bicycles, the officers want to be even closer to the people in Winterthur's neighborhoods. They don't have to worry about speeding: The two-wheelers, which run on electricity, have a maximum speed of 20 km/h. The two-wheelers can be folded up and pulled like a suitcase in a matter of seconds. This also allows police officers to carry out spontaneous foot patrols in their neighborhoods. -"We were joking," the police clarified in the evening. However, it is true that the smarts will indeed have to be taken out of service soon and will probably be replaced by electric vehicles, albeit on four wheels.
SOLAR ROOF: "Südostschweiz" sent its online readers into April with an idea for a solar project. In the canton of Graubünden, several large-scale alpine solar projects have met with resistance, most recently the one in the Splügen-Tambo ski area. Now larger buildings are to be targeted. For example, the city of Chur is initially planning to cover the roof of the historic Haldenstein Castle with solar panels. The roof area of the listed building is large enough and the old tiles have been a visual nuisance to the mayor of Chur for some time.
MEMORIAL: As part of the new station design in Bern, the larger-than-life statue of Bernese mayor and general Adrian von Bubenberg (1434-1479) is to be moved to Spiez Castle - the former main residence of the von Bubenbergs. The municipality of Spiez has made a corresponding offer to the city of Bern, reported the Berner Zeitung and Bund online. "The stately monument would fit very well in the inner courtyard of our castle," Spiez mayor Jolanda Brunner was quoted as saying. In return for the large statue, Bern is to receive the much smaller monument to Bubenberg on the castle terrace.
WAPPENVOGEL: The Zurich airport community of Rümlang has given itself a new coat of arms to mark its 1100th anniversary. The previously depicted unicorn is to be removed and replaced by a bald ibis, as reported online by the "Tagesanzeiger" newspaper. The reason for the relaunch is that two bald ibises settled on a windowsill in Rümlang last spring to breed. Two chicks were born. The bird was previously thought to have been extinct in this country for 400 years.
SCHERZWERKSTATT: The news portal Ajour.ch has revealed what many people don't know: a large proportion of April 1st jokes originate from the Seeland. More precisely: from the Witzwil BE correctional facility (JVA). There, inmates can take part in a special three-month program and practice writing April Fools' jokes under expert guidance. These jokes, of which there are over a hundred each year, are then offered for sale throughout Switzerland. "Since this program was launched, we have been able to increase our share of the Swiss April Fool's market to over 50 percent," revealed prison director Balz Bütikofer to the portal.
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