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SWITZERLAND: the city of Clocks

Switzerland is a small country located in the heart of Western Europe. It shares great part of culture with Germany, France, Austria and Italy. This interesting country has 7.554.000 inhabitants between Germans, Austrians, Italians, Turks and Africans. Switzerland, with mountains, bridges and dams is a perfect country to living with many distractions and thing to doing every day.

There are many rivers, lakes and wonderful glaciers in a country. Furthermore the vegetation provides good conditions to cultivate variety of plants and flowers. The weather is temperate but it can change, from a cold weather in the high mountains up to a pleasant weather in the south.

In Switzerland are four national languages in the north and the center of country people speak German, in the west the French, in the south the Italian and a minority speak the Romanche. People of Switzerland are quiet, serious, racist, nevertheless also can find tolerable, amusing and interesting people. Another particular aspect about it is that the principal cities have an own badge, for example in Berna that is the capital of Switzerland is possible to find the major sacred work of the country: The cathedral of Berna. This spectacular work is one of the principal points of interest to tourist and people of Switzerland. The office of Tourism offers visits to this important religious monument.

The Swiss food is unique in all the regions; it is influenced by the weather and also by the Italian, German and the French food. The cheeses, the chocolates, the potatoes and the juice of apple are the most popular food in the country. But the Swisses also are recognized by their Banks, medicines and clocks. The national party is celebrated on the first of August every year.

For people who like the adrenaline there are extreme activities. The most common is jumping that consist in jump from a bridge, a platform or a similar structure attached only by a rubber rope. One popular spot for this activity is the Verzasca dam in Canton Ticino; it is famous because there the film “Golden eye” was filmed.

All things considered about this wonderful country are very important if you want to live a new experience, because Switzerland is a magical place with a unique nature, big cities and many activities to doing.

ADVENTURE!!!

Switzerland is a perfect place to practice sports of adventure because it has mountains, bridges and dams. Swiss love to do activities as a walking or bungee jumping, feel new sensations, new challenges everyday and they think that there is nothing better than feel pure adrenaline.

Bungee jumping consist entail jumping from a bridge or suchlike structure attached only by a rubber rope. The Verzasca in Canton Ticino is a popular place to practice the bungee jumping. However this extreme sport is considered as a dangerous and has gained popularity in recent years. Jumping from a cliff or tall building using a parachute proves an interesting activity in Switzerland.

Compare whit Colombia, extreme sports are famous too, but people prefer the traditional sports. They love playing football, Tennis and basketball.

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

ROGER FEDERER

“Is almost ridiculous how good he is”, said Marc Rosset when he was his captain of the Davis Cup. Roger Feeder with only 23 years has got to be the number one tennis player in the world.

He was born August 8 in Brasilea, Switzerland. He took his first racket at three years, but during his childhood he was undecided between soccer and hockey. Finally he decided to play tennis at eight years and he took part of the Swiss Tennis Federation in which he had good results.

In 1998 he begins his carrier and with only 17 years roger to resign to representative: IMG and he decide to be whit his family and friends and prefers to be advised by his coach Peter Lundergreng. Federer is a simple person and very attractive. For next year, he did not win any Championship. But his perseverance is important because he achieves to be in the 100 top of tennis player in the world. Slowly, he continues to learning about this sport and in 2005 he had won six important prizes.

In spite of, the Swiss Federer has become in one of the most important tennis player in the world, he always has supported a simple and calm mien. He likes to travel with his girlfriend and in his free time he loves to play videogames, soccer and golf. The animals that he loves are the lion and the tiger. This young tennis player is a fanatic of the Italian food.

Swiss people feel proud of Roger Federer. In 2003 he was chosen as “the best sportsman of the year” and in the end of the season, the association of professional tennis players chose as “the best Europe tennis player”. He has a brilliant future in his carrier.

CriMe

The small guns produce fear!!!

Guns produce fear and some numbers too. In agreement with a study made by The Institute of International Studies (HEI) of Ginebra, the small guns are very dangerous. This type of guns are very common in the world and it cause conflicts into the families, undermine the Democracy of any country and to increase the violence and the impunity. In few words the small guns are a big threat to the peace, the development, the democracy and the right humans.

The small guns are very easy to buy and to transport. For example in some places you can buy a rifle in US15 dollars. Compare to Colombia the situation is the same. Usually crimes are committed with small guns. People that suffer the consequences are children and women.

SWITZERLAND: Myths and Truths

CLOKS

The foreigners believe that Swiss are extremely punctual because this country is very famous by clocks. Trains, streetcars and buses are very punctual in Switzerland but not all people in Switzerland are punctual. The reputation begins in the century XIX when many engineers had financial problems during the winters and they were contracted to make clock in their free time. The reputation was done more important when Nicolás Hayek created Swatch that is recognized by the accuracy, the skill and the costs. The irony of this history is that Hayek is not Swiss but people in Switzerland consider that he is one of the most rich men in the country.

MONEY

Also the foreigners say that all Swiss are very rich because they live in Switzerland. But the reality is that Switzerland has many Banks and Financial institutions, the level of life is very high and the average high of the wages. Switzerland belongs to the places more expensive in the world but few people are rich there.

CHOCOLATE

Many people relate Switzerland to chocolates and cheeses. But Switzerland did not invent because was France. The reality is that a Swiss man had the idea of mixing the cocoa with the milk and created the chocolate. Nowadays the most famous chocolate in Switzerland is Toblerone because it remembers the most famous place in the country called Matterhorn. Nobody knows who invented the cheese but people believe that the cheese was created in Switzerland. In this country is famous the Emental cheese because is the unique cheese with many big holes and not is necessary say that is delicious.

THE CROSSBOW AND THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL

The Swiss crossbows are famous by two myths. The first is not a myth it is a reality. The accuracy and skill of Swiss workers, such as watches and Swiss Army Knife. The second is a myth, people say that a one Austro-Hungarian men who collected the taxes arranged that Swiss had cross their caps whit an arrow to greet him. Then Gesller said Tell that he had cross their arrow toward an apple over the head of his son. Of course he broke the apple.

SWITZERLAND IS ONE OF THE BLACK SHEEPS IN THE OECD FOR LACK OF FISCAL COOPERATION

The last Monday the Swiss portal of information and services Swisslatin published an important article for the world economy called: “Switzerland is one of the black sheeps in the OECD for lack of fiscal cooperation” in which criticizes that Switzerland continue to have restrictions in the international cooperation to attack the tax evasion. The president of the Committee of Fiscal Matters of the OECD, Paolo Ciocca said that the country must do advances in the application of the international principles.

Paolo Ciocca remembered in a press conference that Switzerland expressed that it was agree with the international principles of the Club of the developed countries but this is not true. He said that others Financial centers also are in the same situation.

Moreover, The European commission criticized the existence of Swiss cantons that compete between them and they offer important reductions in taxes to millionaires who are located in their territories.

The European commission noticed to the Swiss government that the European Union is disagreeing with this situation. Someone said that it is a big political problem because is a taxes evasion. However The Swiss authorities think that Swiss cantons do not violate the Free Trade Agreement but they recognize that it is a problem that should be arranged in the future. I think that should not exist these Swiss cantons because this fact let the tax evasion.