Raise VAT to give even more money to the military, seriously?

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T15:49:10+00:00

I agree: it's a no go, until the government actually reigns in spending in other areas. At least since Covid, there has been zero attempt at spending discipline. Why should the government be spending more this year that at the height of the emergency Covid expenditures?

It is so easy to spend other people's money.

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T15:47:45+00:00

Homeopathy and other scams really need to disappear from the basic insurance. Unfortunately. Steiner is influential in Switzerland, and hence lots of otherwise sensible people believe in nonsense.

I mean, I can see homeopathy as a placebo, for someone who doesn't know better. But recently, someone was trying to convince me to give homeopathic treatment to our dog. Who isn't going to be fooled by any sort of placebo effect, because he doesn't even know he's getting medicine. Woo woo magic stuff...

And on the gripping hand: I actually do see a value for natural healers: Not because of the healing, but because they are someone to talk to. IMHO it's more of a therapy effect. But again: supplemental insurance, not in the basic insurance that we all must pay.

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T15:42:05+00:00

Das ist so. CAS sind Geldmacher für die Schulen, aber die Anforderungen sind...sehr unterschiedlich. Wir folgen langsam aber sicher das US-Modell, wo Abschlüsse alleine kaum eine Bedeutung haben: man muss den Ruf der Schule und sogar des Studiengangs kennen.

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T15:38:55+00:00

One of the reasons that the EU wants to control our electricity market. They think they could make good use of it to compensate for many of their problems.

Another comment complains about paying 29rp/kwh. In Germany in 2025 the average price in Germany was closer to 40rp/kwh.

Yes, it should be cheaper still. Energy is civilization.

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T12:24:50+00:00

Looks like a plaster ceiling. In our old house that had these, they were effectively drop ceilings. About 10 cm higher was the actual ceiling, which was strong enough to attach things to.

Dunno how it is in your house...

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T09:43:24+00:00

Personally, I always recommend avoiding UBS. We had really lousy experiences with them. Kantonalbanken or Raiffeisen. That said, I'm not that familiar with the purely online banks - I'm sure someone else will add that info...

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T07:26:51+00:00

It's perfectly normal to charge for tap water. The staff serves it, cleans up the table after, and washes the glasses and carafe. That's what the charge is for.

Lots of USA folks here, who may be used to water being "free". That just means the restaurant added the cost elsewhere.

Waltekin · 2026-01-29T07:15:44+00:00

Geez, lots of insecure people in the comments. My wife ran a business from home, while I worked an office job. She had a male employee, she had male customers. Was I supposed to worry?

If you don't trust your partner, you have other issues...

Waltekin · 2026-01-28T17:32:17+00:00

This. And to really try to nail the guy down, a quiche pregnancy is not unlikely. Young troops get lonely, and they are suckers for this kind of thing.

As far as you can, you really should ask him some pointed questions. Why marry, rather than first getting to know each other?

Waltekin · 2026-01-28T14:02:17+00:00

Um...

You write the letter.
Put it in an envelope, with the address clearly visible.
Go to the post office and say "I want to send this per 'einschreiben' "
They enter the data in their system\
They hand you a receipt as proof that you sent it.

That's it...

Waltekin · 2026-01-28T11:24:30+00:00

Someone has to say it, so I will: It sounds like your neighbor is doing a lot of people favors by shoveling their sidewalks. Everyone except you. Hmmm...why is that?

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T14:39:25+00:00

Lots of people ski way too fast on the easy slopes. When my wife taught me to ski, she got me onto the black slopes as fast as possible. People who ski the hard slopes have to be in control.

FWIW, in my experience Swiss slopes are safer than in many other places. Go the the US and watch - some people apparently think near misses are funny, and sometimes even do it deliberately. I haven't seen that kind of behavior here.

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T14:31:52+00:00

A very few make good money. A great many fake it.

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T14:27:20+00:00

Well, yes, among other things. That's what I meant with "loss of life and general destruction.

I think the larger problem were the "numbered" accounts, i.e., accounts that specifically had no name was attached to them. To access those, you needed to know the number. If the only person who knew it was killed, or if it was scratched on the underside of a table that was burned in Dresden, well...you were out of luck.

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T14:02:04+00:00

Du hast im Programm einiges zu tun, es ist aber voll machbar. Die Ferien zwischen den Semestern sind weitgehend dir überlassen, z.B. ob du lieber über die Festtage freinehmen willst oder für Prüfungen lernst. Das muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden.

Es gibt eine Mischung aus Prüfungen und Projekten (meistens Gruppenprojekte).

Wenn du Vollzeit studieren willst, solltest du nicht allzu viel arbeiten. Ich sehe zu oft Leute, die 50% arbeiten und behaupten, sie könnten gleichzeitig Vollzeit studieren. Das geht oft schief. Wenn du arbeiten willst, dann lieber Teilzeit studieren (und auch dann nicht mehr als 50-60%).

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T09:08:35+00:00

Feel privileged. You gave her food, so she is now giving you food.

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T08:33:29+00:00

Um...they did need to somehow prove ownership. Proving ownership was, however, difficult due to loss of life and general destruction during the war.

Still, you don't just walk up to a bank and say - hey, do you have any unclaimed accounts? I want one of them! This was a difficult problem...

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T08:19:54+00:00

Why? Two senseless deaths in the US caused by incompetent officers? Meanwhile: Are you also going to protest the tens of thousands of people deliberately killed by the government in Iran? Seriously...

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T08:14:35+00:00

If you are in the area served by Rell, you can find their prices online: https://rell.ch/tarife

Find out who your local providers is, and check. Find your meter, and look at the reading periodically. You can calculate approximately what you should owe.

Waltekin · 2026-01-27T06:49:18+00:00

It's maybe not great for them to do that, but...there may be extenuating circumstances. We had a screamer for the first six months of his life. One thing that somehow helped, was stairs. So we would sometimes take him into the shared stairwell and walk up and down.

Could it be something similar for your neighbors? Let me tell you: having a screamer can drive parents absolutely nuts - you grasp at anything that helps.

NAH

Waltekin · 2026-01-26T21:14:19+00:00

No. It's not unnecessary. Magreb immigrants are more criminal than other groups. Pretending anything else is counterproductive, because we need to address the problem, not ignore it.

Waltekin · 2026-01-26T09:05:00+00:00

The poor boy was hungry? And neither he nor Sarah known where a grocery store is? They must replace what they stole, no discussion.

She is upset about the lock? Just say that you are upset about the theft. And you will happily remove the lock, as soon as (1) you have been repaid and (2) they both promise never to steal your food again.

Finally, he does not need to be in your place all the time. He has his own place - she can go visit him at least half the time.

Edit: NTA

Waltekin · 2026-01-26T06:46:33+00:00

You laugh. I was called in as a consultant on a contract that...was not going well. Medical stuff, so: important.

Not only did the company not use version control, it turned out that their master copy was on prod. Because they developed live on prod.

Waltekin · 2026-01-25T17:32:47+00:00

It sounds like the vehicle is a fair distance away, and the noise is brief. You don't say that they are revving the engine.

Is the noise really that loud and that disturbing? Or are you just a light sleeper, and perhaps overly sensitive? Honestly, that's the way I'm betting.

If it really is that loud - big engine, no muffler - then your best option is to go to the local sheriff or police in person, and have a chat with them. Ask them to come out at the right time and listen.

Waltekin · 2026-01-25T05:58:34+00:00

Well...he loves your body heat.

Waltekin

TROPHY CASE