April 1 jokes: from green mail to Rolling Stones to straight banana

Construction projects

In the city of Zurich, a sustainable project made of storm wood is planned. This was to realize several Tiny high-rise buildings at once. But as the Daily Gazette writes, resistance in the neighborhood is probably growing. A total of 200 micro-apartments are to be built in 21 towers, each between 18 and 42 meters high, on a former allotment site. There is also a new name for the neighborhood: it is to be called Berndhölzi, because trees that fell victim to the storm Bernd will be used for the construction.

Election campaign

This had never happened before in Swiss history: The candidate and the five candidates for a seat in the Graubünden government wanted to forgo the political showdown and instead divide the five mandates in the cantonal executive among themselves, writes the Südostschweiz. The government candidates wanted to send a signal against the division of society with their step. The division of the five mandates among six people should take place without additional costs.

NATO umbrella

Worried about its future after the transfer of Moutier to the canton of Jura, the projurassic part of the Bernese commune of Belprahon decided to turn to NATO. This, he said, is intended to secure the area beyond 2026. The step should also help to reassure the population, reports the Westschweizer Courrier. Since Switzerland is not a member of NATO, the municipality had turned to France to make its request official under the pretext of defending the Francophonie.

Fusion

Neuchâtel Xamax football club and La Chaux-de-Fonds field hockey club (HCC) are planning a merger, according to the Archinfo media group in western Switzerland. The two partners wanted to create a multisport club, which will be called H-Max. The merger of the football and field hockey clubs should release synergies, for example in the search for financial partners, communication or needs related to sports studies. A new logo has already been designed. But nothing has been decided yet, the presidents of the two clubs assure.

Green cathedral

Geneva's environment department has found a site to green up the city, he said. How the Tribune de Genève reports, the roofs of Saint-Pierre Cathedral are to be covered with a dense carpet of plants starting in spring 2023. "The old neighborhoods suffer the most from global warming. We have to be creative to make these places bearable for their inhabitants," Antonio Hodgers, the state councilor in charge of the department, justified the move.

Rolling Stones

According to the Confederation and the Bernese Newspaper The Rolling Stones will rely on a "Bernese solution" for their concert on June 17 in Bern: Instead of the new drummer Steve Jordan, Andi Hug from the Bernese band "Patent Ochsner" will accompany Mick Jagger and company on the drums. The choice is justified with the Swiss daughter-in-law of Jagger, who is a huge Patent Ochsner fan. The two newspapers also write that the "Stones" wanted to swim in the Aare on June 17 - which is why the city of Bern will close the banks of the Aare on that day.

Straight banana

The first straight banana is available from Friday in a limited edition in the retail trade, Max Havelaar informs. Over the past 25 years, the label has "straightened out what is crooked. The new, straight Fairtrade banana is immediately noticeable to consumers, making it easier for them to choose a sustainable product. Thanks to the straight banana, sales are expected to increase significantly once again. Already today, more than every second banana sold in Switzerland is a Fairtrade banana, as Max Havelaar points out.

Thermal spring

In Winterthur, people are dreaming of a second indoor swimming pool because 43-degree hot water is bubbling out of a borehole at a construction site. It is the first known thermal spring, writes The Land messenger. Those who want to see the spring for themselves can take part in a guided tour on April 1. Visitors could also bring an egg to cook in the hot thermal water (one egg per person).

April fool joke as April Fool

The Bieler Tagblatt wonders whether April Fool's jokes are still permissible in this day and age and therefore announces that it may refrain from making such jokes in the future. Biel's city president Erich Fehr is quoted in the article as saying that he would not find such a refrain funny at all. Writing an April Fool's joke is similar to brainstorming: the search for ideas allows solutions to emerge that might otherwise not have been found.

Steam protest

The following newspaper knows of a special protest against the possible cancellation of the Brittnau-Wikon train stop in the border region between Aargau and Lucerne on the Olten-Lucerne SBB line. Zofinger Tagblatt to report: A historic steam locomotive (model "Mikado 141R1244") is rolling up. The Aargau and Lucerne governments are to be given a good run for their money so that the railroad stop for regional traffic can be secured. The steam locomotive is coming - and of course the protest committee is buying an aperitif at the station.

Sahara dust

Problems with the Sahara dust are reported by the ski resort Engelberg-Titlis: because the slopes would now be half snow and sand, they would have added an expert to the team. The posted picture shows a man humped skis and leading a dromedary on a leash.

Genetic engineering

The rebirth of the extinct aurochs is reported by the "Urner Zeitung". According to the report, a piece of aurochs hide was found in the mountains of Uri - stored airtight in a rock crystal. The DNA of the heraldic animal from Uri, which has been preserved for centuries, is now to be added to the semen of a bull and used to mate a cow. After a few such crossings, an aurochs-like animal is to be created that eats less grass than a domestic cow but gives more milk.

Mascot

The Central Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (Isaf), which will be held in Ennetbürgen NW this summer, has unveiled its mascot - a genuine Barbary ape, the IsAFF. It will be he who will present the wreaths to the wrestlers, reports the Nidwald newspaper.

Building purchase

The canton of Basel-Stadt has hurriedly purchased the Marche Arch Mound structure from London for six million francs, the presidential department of Beat Jans (SP) announced. This will be placed on the Messeplatz and financed with the liquidation of the urban revitalization fund. The fund had only been approved by the Grand Council in 2020 and endowed with just six million francs for projects in the years 2021 to 2030. Basel had also been able to win Easyjet for the marketing of the new attraction. A flight to Basel - no matter from which Easyjet destination - would have cost just 20 francs thanks to a Mount Basel package. Jans invited residents to the Messeplatz at 11 a.m. for the starting signal for the construction of the structure.

Color change

After a hundred years of postal yellow, it is now to be postal green. The yellow one is mutating into a green giant, as he himself announced. The company has set itself ambitious goals in terms of sustainability and now wants to make this visible at first glance. And because green is in vogue, Swiss Post has decided to trademark the new Post green. Employees' work clothes and all vehicles will be green on an ongoing basis. The yellow mailboxes will also be painted green. Older vehicles, which will be taken out of service within the next two years anyway, will keep their yellow color scheme until they are taken out of service.

Car numbers

The car subscription provider Carvolution also uses the April Fool's joke as a marketing vehicle. It announces that its own cars will be equipped with its own license plates with immediate effect. The expenditure for the redemption of the Abo cars of Carvolution could be no longer stemmed by the road traffic offices, because the administrative expenditure becomes too large. Customers would now even have the option of choosing the number of their plates themselves. (SDA)