Creative Industries Incubator Forced to Cut Back; Tram Shopping Tourism Targeted; Swiss Cities Rated Most Expensive; Stolen Statue Returned Safe; McDo serves Porn with its Big Macs

The "Stellwerk", Basel's only enterprise incubator focused on creative industries has run out of money.  Situated near the St. Johann Train station, the facility provided creative professionals that sought self-employment subsidized studios, workshops, counseling, and business infrastructure during the tenants start up phase.  Starting in 2015 however, owing to a reduced budget services at the incubator will be reduced to basic infrastructure support until a financial partner can be found.  The incubator was supported through this year by the Christoph merian and Ernst Göhner foundation, but a suitable and permanent financing partner was never found.  Unique in Switzerland for its exclusive focus on incubating creative enterprises and talent, it was hoped the Basel office of economics would establish a permanent trust to support Stellwerk's activities, to date however that has not materialized.  Berend Frenzel, one of Stellwerk's successful alumni, and inventor of the Yohann iPad stand lamented the incubators difficulties saying "it is an ideal place for start ups, provides good infrastructure and facilitates the synergies of young entrepreneurs"   *****************************************************************************   This past Sunday, the long anticipated extension to the number 8 tram line was opened, clearing the way for those that wish to use the tram to enter Germany from Basel without the use of personal vehicles.  The line passes directly by many of the favored duty-free shopping destinations for Baselers.  With this in mind, Patrick Gantenbein, spokesman for the Basel region border guard command appeared before the media on the opening day of the tram service to discuss the expected observance of customs protocol.  Border guards in both uniform and plainclothes will randomly spot check those importing goods on the tram line into Switzerland, and will remove those found to lack appropriate documentation from the tram, in order to prevent schedule disruptions on the tram line.  In addition, Gantenbein reiterated that individuals are responsible for declaring all goods with import controls or quotas and that the customs formalities must be arranged before boarding the tram, or face possible criminal prosecution.   ***********************************************************************************

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that St. Moritz has been ranked as the second most expensive holiday and business destination on the planet. A recent survey placed the glitzy Swiss town at number two globally, with only New York city coming in dearer. The study, conducted by GoEuro, lists the average cost of stay at shared Airbnb homes, hotels and hostels. In dollar terms, those considering a stay in St Moritz should expect to pay an average of $US183. New York’s average was a wallet-stretching $246, while Macau, Miami and Nassau all rounded out the top five. If you think escaping to another part of Switzerland might save you a bit of money, think again. Also featuring prominently on the GoEuro most-expensive list were Zurich, Geneva, Bern and Lausanne.

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  In the early days of November, a historic lion figure statue known as the "Leu" was stolen from the pedestal in which it rested for over 240 years at the entrance of the Rebhaus Restaurant. Reported stolen immediately, the whereabouts of the 2 foot tall golden lion was a mystery until yesterday.  Just as mysteriously as the figure disappeared, it reappeared yesterday having been placed at the front door of the restaurant some time during the night. Peter Stalder, Master of the Rebhaus Honor Society which uses the restaurant for its functions, has contacted the Kunstmuseum to determine if there is an interest in studying and restoring the antique before it is put back in its historic perch above the restaurant.    

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Many parents look upon McDonald’s as a reliably fun place to take the kids for a meal. But diners at the golden arches restaurant in Zuchwil, in canton Solothurn got more spice than they bargained on a recent night out. There on the restaurant’s big screens, diners were treated to a series of episodes from a German porn channel. The raunchy programming came courtesy of German sports station, Sport 1, which for the evening had substituted ordinary ski and snow recreation for sport of a very different kind – not that the McDonald’s staff seemed to notice. When an employee was eventually notified of the entertainment on offer, the channel was quickly changed to something more palatable.