Figures: happy or otherwise 40,000 A round of applause for Switzerland’s latest supercomputer inaugurated in Lugano in September. It is called Alps and is one of the fastest computers in the world. Alps can perform calculations in one day that would take a regular laptop about 40,000 years to process. It will be used for weather and climate forecasts. 71 The number of carefree people in Switzerland has fallen significantly compared to last year. That is the conclusion of an SRG survey. It documents growing fear of loss. Some 71 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement, “Our carefree days are behind us.” And only 26 per cent thought that children growing up in Switzerland today have fewer worries than any generation before them. Source: SRG 18,000 Swiss Animal Protection (SAP) is familiar with the temporary happiness experienced by dog and cat owners, but it has also become aware of a “worrying situation” regarding fish. Fish have become the country’s most discarded pet. About 18,000 were handed in to SAP shelters. Source: SAP animal protection statistics 1,006 The weather was on their side at the end of August when 1,006 alphorn players gathered on the Klewenalp mountainside to play “Uf de Bänklialp” by Jost Aregger. The reason for the serenade was to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest alphorn ensemble. The huge group played for five minutes and entered the record books in style. 31,000 Pets make people happy, but often only temporarily. This has not gone unnoticed by the Swiss Animal Protection (SAP) shelters. In 2023, 31,000 dogs, cats and other domestic pets were delivered to SAP shelters and rehomed whenever possible. Source: SAP animal protection statistics 1 The apron or “Roi du Doubs”, zingel asper, is an exceedingly rare fish that can only be found in the Doubs river. The Confederation and nature conservation organisations had almost despaired of ever finding one despite their best efforts, and then... 1 apron was found. According to the prevailing wisdom, that is not enough to breed the fish and return them to the wild. FIGURES COMPILED BY MARC LETTAU Imprint “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 50th year of publication and is published five times a year, in 13 regional editions, in German, French, English and Spanish. It has a total circulation of 469,000, including 299,000 electronic copies. All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / Abroad: CHF 50). ONLINE EDITION www.revue.ch EDITORS Marc Lettau, Editor-in-Chief (MUL) Stéphane Herzog (SH) Theodora Peter (TP) Susanne Wenger (SWE) Amandine Madziel, FDFA representative (AM) FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS The editorial responsibility for the “Notes from the Federal Palace” section is assumed by the Consular Directorate, Innovation and Partnerships, Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. kdip@eda.admin.ch | www.eda.admin.ch ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Airpage AG, Uster/Zurich furrer@airpage.ch | www.airpage.ch The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nema Bliggenstorfer (NB) TRANSLATION SwissGlobal Language Services AG, Baden LAYOUT Joseph Haas, Zurich PRINT Vogt-Schild Druck AG, Derendingen PUBLISHER The “Swiss Review” is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. The postal address of the publisher and the editorial office is: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne. revue@swisscommunity.org Phone: +41 31 356 61 10 Bank details: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 / KBBECH22 COPY DEADLINE FOR THIS EDITION 1 November 2024 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. Swiss Review / December 2024 / No.6 17 Switzerland in figures
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