Page 1 of 2

This morning, the police...

Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 8:30 pm
by felixkk
... rang the doorbell at our neighbour’s house at 7:30 in the morning. They expected to be confronted with some difficult news- the two policemen asked them if the old Porsche in the shared garage was theirs, because ... drumroll ... the car was losing oil :shock: Security had seen it and reported it. How much oil? A stain maybe 10cm in diameter.

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 8:46 pm
by Chris_R
Only in Switzerland!

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 8:52 pm
by AH1951
Is it still a crime to walk on the cracks in the pavement over there?
I do know that the plants in your window boxes can only be of the approved type!

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 9:01 pm
by felixkk
well, it surprised us also. Surprised is maybe not the correct word, my neighbour was slightly aggitated.

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 9:03 pm
by felixkk
AH1951 wrote:Is it still a crime to walk on the cracks in the pavement over there?
I do know that the plants in your window boxes can only be of the approved type!
you mean Geraniums? But that law makes sense :D

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 3:22 pm
by RockyUSA
I thought they had to be German-iums!

(Oh, maybe not in Switzerland!)

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 6:37 pm
by felixkk
:D
Geraniums are encountered either in a very traditional context or are a symbol of Spiessertum. I had to google the translation: philistinism...? („In the fields of philosophy and æsthetics, the derogatory term philistinism describes the 'manners, habits, and character' of a person whose anti-intellectual social attitude undervalues and despises art and beauty, spirituality and intellect.“
Actually, they’re just flowers which bloom (?) all summer and need little care (I‘m quoting, what do I know about all of this)...
B446BD23-AB4E-46A0-849D-7FFAEBE139FB.jpeg
B446BD23-AB4E-46A0-849D-7FFAEBE139FB.jpeg (28.05 KiB) Viewed 3811 times

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:02 am
by Jens
RockyUSA wrote:I thought they had to be German-iums!

(Oh, maybe not in Switzerland!)
Germanium: a lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbours silicon and tin.
800px-Polycrystalline-germanium.jpg
800px-Polycrystalline-germanium.jpg (129.64 KiB) Viewed 3749 times
We normally don't show it on our balconies here, although ... it could be trendy.

Germanium is element #32, as far as I know there also is Gallium, Polonium, Europium, Americium, Californium and even Lutetium but no Helveticum.
1280px-Simple_Periodic_Table_Chart-en.svg.png
1280px-Simple_Periodic_Table_Chart-en.svg.png (196.95 KiB) Viewed 3749 times

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:03 am
by Jens
My above comment has nothing to do with oil under a Porsche in a Swiss garage but I find it interesting anyway.

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:24 am
by VFK44
A friend of ours is hoping to apply for Swiss citizenship soon, and is terrified of transgressing the "rules".

Apparently reasons for refusing citizenship have included wearing sports gear at inappropriate times (i.e. when not actually playing sports), not knowing how to thicken a fondue, and flushing the toilet at the wrong time. As for speaking German in a French-speaking canton...

It's a lot easier if you are already Swiss.

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 12:01 pm
by Frankoid
felixkk wrote:
Geraniums are encountered either in a very traditional context or are a symbol of Spiessertum?
So if you grow Geraniums you may be a philistine, unless your a traditionalist then your a paradigm. Does this rule apply for pelargoniums, which are often misidentified as geraniums :D ! Also, does Germanium work on Germans like Kryptonite works on Superman :shock:

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 12:22 pm
by felixkk
VFK44 wrote:Apparently reasons for refusing citizenship have included wearing sports gear at inappropriate times (i.e. when not actually playing sports)
I wish that law would actually be enforced :D Unless of course you are a (Swiss) rapper.
VFK44 wrote:It's a lot easier if you are already Swiss
Yes and no. I spent my whole life not questioning Geraniums until this post, for example.

Frankoid wrote:So if you grow Geraniums you may be a philistine, unless your a traditionalist then your a paradigm. Does this rule apply for pelargoniums, which are often misidentified as geraniums :D !
Good and valid points, Jens and Francis. What astounded me also was that you can lovingly decorate your balcony with flowers, yet still be a philistine and therefore "despise art and beauty", depending on which neighborhood and house you live in.
Frankoid wrote:Also, does Germanium work on Germans like Kryptonite works on Superman :shock:
I am sure as hell eating the next Geraniums I see, maybe it works on Swiss also. I'm assuming Superman ate the Kryptonite? I'm assuming they are not poisonous (if this is my last past you will know why)...

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:02 pm
by RockyUSA
You know what is interesting - and I am not making any judgements, here, but...

The Turkish word for Palestine is "Filistin", which I suspect is the root for philistine.

I am not sure that the Turks invented it, or made the original connection, but it made me think.

The other interesting thing is that the olden Israelis were always fighting these guys (like Goliath) who were "Philistines".

Hmmm

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:55 pm
by Steve Payne
I was told a couple of years ago of some odd Swiss rules, no cutting grass on a Sunday and not aloud to make noise with rubish also on a Sunday. Are the Swiss very religious or don't like being disturbed?

Good job we don't have the cutting grass one here or we would all have lawns 6 foot tall. :shock:

Steve

Re: This morning, the police...

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:59 pm
by Frankoid
RockyUSA wrote:
The other interesting thing is that the olden Israelis were always fighting these guys (like Goliath) who were "Philistines".

Hmmm
Even more interesting is that Phil E Steins brother Frank N created a monster :lol: ....