http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/switzerland/ en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:12:08 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411569/posts Markus Haering, who designed the geothermal project, rejected allegations that he deliberately damaged properties and said local people knew the risks. The deep drilling underground caused a series of earthquakes in 2006, including one of 3.4 magnitude, rattling residents of the north-western city of Basel. Geopower Basel, the project leader, has already paid around 9 million Swiss francs (£5.3 million) in compensation for cracked walls and other damage on properties near the experiment. The project was suspended at the time and shut down last week after a risk analysis concluded that more quakes could follow if the drilling continued. The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411569/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:12:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409946/posts On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 2 minutes and 44 seconds. Pretitle Sequence “This Never Happened to the other Fellar” Maurice Binder’s Title Sequence The Real James Bond, George Lazenby (Born 09-05-1939) Diana Rigg (born 07-30-1938) as the Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo Telly Savalas (01-21-1922 – 01-22-1994) as Ernst Starvo Blofeld Rest of the Cast Gabriele Ferzetti as Marc-Ange Draco - Head of the Union Corse, a major crime syndicate and Tracy's father Ilse Steppat as Irma Bunt - Blofeld's henchwoman who takes part in his quest to try and eliminate Bond. Bernard Lee as M - Head of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409946/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:08:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409592/posts December 17, 2009 Head of Geopower Basel faces jail for causing earthquakes David Charter A geologist searching for cheap, clean energy is facing up to five years in jail for causing a series of earthquakes after drilling 3 miles (5km) down in an effort to generate electricity from hot rocks. Markus Häring, the head of Geopower Basel, a thermal energy company, was testing pioneering technology to blast cold water deep underground and create steam to drive electric turbines. Mr Häring’s company had to stop when it recorded an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale and a series of smaller... The Times(UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409592/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:51:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409276/posts U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Credit Suisse Group helped clients in Iran and elsewhere conduct financial transactions in secret, saying Wednesday the Swiss bank "established a business model to allow these rogue players access to U.S. dollars." Mr. Holder and Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau detailed a decade-long effort by the bank to carry out transactions from Iran, Libya, Sudan, Burma and Cuba. The men announced a $536 million settlement by Credit Suisse, one of several banks accused in a long-running case that has netted roughly $1 billion in fines. The bank, which paid the biggest of the fines,... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409276/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:05:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2408901/posts When thinking about the mass extermination camps of a holocaust think.. The key to freedom is to be able to have the ability to defend yourself &, if you dont have the tools to do that, then youre... Youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2408901/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:47:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407377/posts When thinking about the mass extermination camps of a holocaust think.. The key to freedom is to be able to have the ability to defend yourself &, if you dont have the tools to do that, then youre going to be at the mercy of whomever wants to put you away. Guns are deeply rooted within Swiss culture - but the gun crime rate is so low that statistics are not even kept. The country has a population of six million, but there are estimated to be at least two million publicly-owned firearms, including about 600,000 automatic rifles and 500,000... YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407377/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:18:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2406206/posts Last month the Swiss voted in a referendum to ban minarets, the prayer towers attached to some mosques. To the astonishment of the media, the churches and the politicians, it was approved by a clear overall majority of 57.5 percent of the vote, with 22 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons backing it. If it survives a legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights, a paragraph will be added to Article 72 of the Federal Constitution: "The building of minarets is forbidden." The news was swiftly condemned around the world, not only by Muslims, but even by Swiss Catholic bishops,... speroforum.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2406206/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:23:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406267/posts A $60 million project to extract renewable energy from the hot bedrock deep beneath Basel, Switzerland, was shut down permanently on Thursday after a government study determined that earthquakes generated by the project were likely to do millions of dollars in damage each year. The project, led by Markus O. Häring, a former oilman, was suspended in late 2006 after it generated earthquakes that did no bodily harm but caused about $9 million in mostly minor damage to homes and other structures. Mr. Häring is to go to trial next week on criminal charges stemming from the project. [...] The... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406267/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:18:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404048/posts The architect of the controversial Swiss referendum that resulted in a ban on the construction of minarets has a Turkish heritage, daily Milliyet reported on Wednesday. Born in the Aegean province of Ä°zmir to a Turkish father and a Swiss mother, Soli PardoÂ’s family moved to Switzerland when he was 5 years old, the daily said. Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets on Nov. 29, barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population. The referendum by the nationalist Swiss... Hurriyet Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404048/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 22:15:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402382/posts What importance has the recent Swiss referendum to ban the building of minarets (spires next to mosques from which the call to prayer is issued)? Some may see the 57.5 to 42.5 percent decision endorsing a constitutional amendment as nearly meaningless. The political establishment being overwhelmingly opposed to the amendment, the ban will probably never go into effect. Only 53.4 percent of the electorate voted, so a mere 31 percent of the whole population endorses the ban. The ban does not address Islamist aspirations, much less Muslim terrorism. It has no impact on the practice of Islam. It prevents neither... Daniel Pipes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402382/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 22:54:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402221/posts The Swiss voted to ban minarets. Liberals worldwide are screaming about the Muslim "victims." One woman explains why this was a vote for tolerance Hirsi Ali is a victim of that potent combination:  Islamic misogyny and European cowardice Dutch authorities were helpless to protect her when she dared criticize the religion of her abusers, and other European countries piddled down their legs and declared her persona non grata rather than defend classical Western liberalism.  This "Feminist Freedom Fighter" overcame it all and now lives in America.  Europe's loss is our gain. Love the Religion, Hate the Political System  She has... Western Hero http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402221/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 19:15:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401679/posts One of the pet peeves of anthropogenic global warming skeptics is how the media and climate change alarmists like soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore only address events supporting that which they conflate and abuse data to prove. A perfect example is the discussion concerning receding glaciers, as these folks will either ignore when such recession began, .. Maybe even worse, the media alarmists will always ignore information that might throw a monkey wrench into the position they’re trying to advance. With that in mind, it seems a metaphysical certitude American press outlets will ignore reports of glacial expansion around the globe, most... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401679/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 22:13:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401254/posts Iran criticized a Swiss ban on the construction of minarets on mosques, and warned of rising Islamophobia in Europe, Iranian English-language news agency Press TV reported Saturday. According to the report, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held a phone conversation with Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey to criticize the ban, which was approved in a referendum on Sunday. "This move did not befit a country claiming to be a number one advocate of democracy and religious freedom under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," Mottaki was quoted as saying in the conversation. "The ban will undoubtedly change Switzerland's image as a... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401254/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 00:36:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400838/posts Israel is using the Swiss trading company Glencore to pressure Iran on its nuclear program, according to the Paris-based Intelligence Online. The newsletter reported Nov. 25 that the goal of the Israeli pressure is to deprive of Iran of gasoline and force Tehran to the negotiating table. Until 2008, Glencore was one of three leading suppliers of gasoline to Iran, which while an exporter of crude oil lacks refining capacity and must import gasoline. However, after the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinizhad in June, Glencore, located in Zug and run by South African Ivan Glasenberg and German Willy Strothotte, has gradually... GeoStrategy Direct http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400838/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 11:01:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398960/posts Mona Eltahawy doesn’t just blast the Swiss for their human-rights hypocrisy after voting to ban new construction of minarets over the weekend. The Muslim essayist also takes the occasion to blast Muslim critics of the referendum for their sudden hue and cry over human rights themselves. In today’s Washington Post, Eltahawy makes the most important point of all, which is the pointlessness of it all: My question for Switzerland and other European countries enthralled by the right wing: When did Saudi Arabia become your role model? Even before 57.5 percent of Swiss voters cast ballots on Sunday to ban the... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398960/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 02:31:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398873/posts ...Bosnia's head of the Islamic Community, Dr. Mustafa Ceric said he hoped Europe would restore its values, citing the recent Swiss ban on the construction minarets and the European Union's exclusion of three overwhelmingly-Muslim Balkan countries from a visa-free regime, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.... Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398873/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 00:52:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398214/posts EDITORIAL Swiss Ban On Minarets Is Pure Discrimination Sunday's referendum is a reminder that cultural anxieties can be inflamed even in the most tolerant country. December 2, 2009 Integrating Islamic immigrants has proved to be a multifaceted challenge for European nations unaccustomed to religious and cultural diversity. But there's nothing complicated about the decision of voters in Switzerland to prohibit further construction of minarets. It's religious discrimination pure and simple. Sunday's referendum, in which 57.5% of voters approved the ban on minarets -- a traditional feature of mosques -- is a reminder that cultural anxieties can be inflamed even in... LATimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398214/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 05:08:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398117/posts European papers are dismayed by Switzerland's popular vote to ban the building of minarets. Some fear it will backfire, sending the wrong signal to the Muslim world and setting a precedent for other parts of Europe. Several papers criticise the type of democracy practised in Switzerland, which allows ordinary people rather than elected representatives to decide on such matters. However, one popular Swiss tabloid defends the ban as a starting point for a debate on tolerance. BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398117/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 02:32:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397691/posts Muslim leaders from around the world condemned a vote in Switzerland to ban the construction of minarets in the Alpine country, raising fresh fears of a backlash against Swiss interests around the world. Voters in Switzerland approved a referendum Sunday to ban the building of new minarets on mosques. Nearly 58% of voters, and all but four of the country's 26 cantons, supported the initiative, with support for the ban reaching 70% in some regions. WSJ.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397691/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2397780/posts Three cheers for the Swiss! As everyone knows, or should know, Islam is at war with the West. Yesterday, via a nationwide referendum banning Muslim minarets in Switzerland, the West finally somewhat fought back. Although this building prohibition is technically an attack on freedom, and only really constitutes a symbolic counter-attack on the evil ideology of Islam, it's still a beautiful thing to see! The ultimate tactic -- in this "clash of civilizations" and cultures -- is to intellectually refute the philosophy of Islam. The secondary tactic is to successfully morally condemn it. The tertiary tactic is to openly hate... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2397780/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 18:57:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397375/posts The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged US President Barack Obama to use his upcoming address at the U. Military Academy at West Point to speak out against the decision, calling it a move that is "a violation of religious freedom and a breach of international law." CAIR via PRN Newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397375/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:01:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397089/posts ISLAMABAD: Pakistani religious groups on Monday condemned a referendum in Switzerland that saw voters approve a ban on the construction of mosque minarets, calling it 'extreme Islamophobia.' Switzerland on Sunday voted in favour of a ban on new mosque minarets - the towers or turrets attached to mosques from which Muslims are traditionally called to prayer - prompting dismay and anger in the Muslim world. 'This development reflects extreme Islamophobia among people in the West,' said Khurshid Ahmad, vice president of Jamaat-e-Islami, a Islamic political party that is represented in Pakistan's parliament. 'This also represents very serious discrimination against Muslims.'... dawn.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397089/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:28:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397063/posts Maybe we could learn something from this? Did thinking like this make your enemies think twice? Youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397063/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:43:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397003/posts Vatican Criticises Swiss Minaret Ban 30 November VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Monday endorsed criticism by Swiss bishops that a vote in Switzerland to ban the construction of mosque minarets was a blow to religious freedom. Antonio Maria Sveglio, president of the pontifical council on migration, told the ANSA news agency that "we are on the same page" as the Conference of Swiss Bishops. In a statement after Sunday's vote, the conference said it "heightens the problems of cohabitation between religions" while secretary-general Felix Gmur told Vatican Radio it was "heavy blow to religious freedom and integration". The decision by... Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397003/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:28:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396950/posts The Swiss decision to ban the building of new minarets in Switzerland is sending shockwaves throughout the Muslim world. Muslims and human rights groups have expressed outrage at the decision, depicting it as an attack on Islam and a setback for religious freedom. More than 57% of Swiss voters approved the proposal Sunday in a nationwide referendum backed by Switzerland's right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), widely associated with anti-immigration campaigns. Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396950/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:20:05 GMT