There are a million questions that come up during an international move, and one of the most pressing for families is: Where do I send my kids to school? This is no simple question. Finding and vetting schools and arranging enrollment can be a challenge, and the choice of a school can shape a family’s social life and cultural adjustment.
VeggieBurger StartUp Sinks Teeth into Basel Market; Prowler Assaults Young Children; RoboSurgeon Comes to Basel Uni Hospital; Dreilander Region seeks thaw after SVP "YES" vote
Jens Hermes, a University of Basel graduate student in chemistry has established a vegan fast food caterer called Captain Plant in Basel. His inspiration came from his success with convincing the University of Basel cafeteria to go meatless. Though Mr. Hermes is not anti-meat, enjoying the occasional beefy burger, he recognized a large gap in the menu of the university market, and hopes it is also an unmet need in the non-students eating habits. Offering such healthy-burger alternatives like the Healthy Hook and the Purple Pan, most of the patties are made from locally sources vegetables and grains. As he searches for a suitable retail site to plant his first Captain Plant, he has already garnered many fans beyond satisfied customers that praise his concept of environmentally friendly and sustainable eating habits for the general population.
February marked the first time in Basel's history where a heart operation was performed using the assistance of robots on a live human patient. Surgeons expressed enthusiasm after reviewing the results and the prognosis for the patient. The three hour heart bypass surgery was performed using a Davinci robot manufactured by the American Firm Intuitive Surgical. The robot is guided by surgeons using screens and interactive hand controls that cause the robot to mimic the doctor's movements. Because the robotic machine allows for smaller incisions and greater operating accuracy, it is likely that patients will experience faster healing and recovery times. So far the University Hospital of Basel is the only Swiss hospital with the system in use
On Sunday evening at 7 a 10 year old basel girl was assaulted on her way home. As the girl approached a garage near the St. AlbanRing she was grabbed from behind and the assailant attempted to cover the girl's mouth with his hand. The girl, struggled violently and shouted loudly enough that she was able to break free and attract the attention of a neighbor who called the police. The man was seen fleeing on foot in the direction of EngelGasse but was not apprehended by authorities. The police continue to seek the help of witnesses and neighbors to catch the attacker who is described as a blond man 35-45, 1.7-1.8 meters tall, wearing dark clothing speaking BaselDeutsch
Despite the turmoil caused between Switzerland and the EU resulting from last week's "yes" vote to the SVP's masseneinwanderungsinitiative, most notably the suspension of scientific and educational research agreements, student exchange programs between universities and the question of the status of 60000 cross national commuting workers, local private and public institutions are working together to prevent a cultural and economic ice age from settling in. Guy Morin, the head of the Swiss Federal Government encouraged regional cooperation despite the hardening ties at the national level - saying "the right incentives exist and will continue to be provided to keep the Basel region pulling together across the national frontiers". An example of previous successful cooperation in the region is the building of transport infrastructure between Germany, France and Switzerland - the various public and private bus services as well as the extended 6, 8, 10 and 3 Tram Lines would not have been possible without the free movement of people across national borders. Despite the new challenges, Minister Morin continues to be optimistic citing ongoing work on existing and future projects.