Morning Stories

The elegant living room has always been an aspiration — ever since civilization, and interior design, were invented.

He wasn’t suddenly there in the room. He’d been present for quite some time. But nobody wanted to notice Dumbo. Or worse: talk about Dumbo. That would be what you might call an absurdity. An absurdity by the name of Dumbo.

Risk? What reads here like the name of a chocolate bar turns out to be far more complex in practice — and rarely comes with any sweetness attached.

A sentence heard often and understood rarely has burned itself into memory. Precisely because it was blown into the air — the hot air — so many times. What could the underlying motivation have been, to push those four words plus exclamation mark into a small boy's ears?

First, there was doubt. The critical looking, the questioning of conditions. The condition of the world. The condition of the soul. Or the condition of the situation.

How America lost its allies — and they started building for themselves.

"Excuse me, what?" When two umlauted vowels land in the same word, things get suspicious — and decidedly Basler. "Wottsch e weeneli im Chläppergässli spaziire, hösch?" (Do you want to go for a walk on Slap Alley?) is a prime example.

Oh no! There he is again – popping up out of seemingly nowhere, without warning. When a word gets dissected into its parts, the original meaning starts to crumble a little. But the variants that emerge are all the more revealing. More often than not, the man – or, well, the man – steps out from the shadow of the word combination and makes himself at home. Again. Or maybe he never left.

Well, another word has nestled itself into the conversation — one that carries this particular, wake-you-up quality: Hopeium. A blend of hope and some metallic-sounding suffix, -ium. Hope is metallic? No. Hope is magnetic.

When the thing is pointed the wrong way, picks up speed, and the obstacle appears out of nowhere – that’s when it gets expensive. Three times the reverse gear in a tin box has handed me the bill.

My dual citizenship is demanding. And binding. I read the Swiss news, watch Swiss broadcasts, and follow the country that shaped me for sixty years.

Two-edged? Isn't that just standard in the production of a sword? Anyway, the comparison doesn't limp — because the sword hasn't been used yet. Or so I think.

What does "cyranomising" mean? Christian Wehrli explores why Cyrano de Bergerac reveals more about language, love, and communication than any textbook. An essay on Rostand, rhetoric, and the power of words.

"So, Eve, how are you doing?" "Oh, thanks for asking. I think I'm doing well." "Eve — were you even asked?"

Every human shares this fate — and yet the whole world congratulates us for it every year. An essay about humanity's most universal black out.

Why is Canada renaming the Americano to Canadiano? CanaChris tells the story behind the viral coffee rebrand — from WWII history to 2025 politics.

"Who is the most interesting man in the world?" a friend asked me ten years ago. Hmm. What does he expect? Should I name someone? I stayed silent.

For a long time, Kurt had slipped from my memory. But here in 2026, he's back: Kurt Tucholsky, the passionate, pen-wielding fighter against war.

On the 115th International Women's Day: why women hold only 64% of legal rights worldwide — and why leadership belongs to the most competent.

A word. An idea. A necessity.

What exactly does this norm look like — the one that every person in a community is supposed to be, look like, and behave according to? The norm, or rather normality, is a chameleon in both meaning and effect. Come again?

Missing — the act of missing someone or something — is anything but pleasant. The emotional rollercoaster only helps so much when it comes to dealing with the experience of missing someone.

When your hair quietly fades into a socially acceptable shade of silver, you've officially joined the club. The silver-haired among us — all around the world — now have the chance to settle into a comfortable, worry-free life. Many do exactly that, provided the finances allow for it.

Around the turn of the 21st century, a few music enthusiasts got the blues. And they weren't about to let it go to waste. A stage had to happen. From a vague but passionately pursued idea, the Aurora Blues Festival was born.

"Stand up! Right now!" How can anyone resist such an enticing and friendly invitation? After all, it's not every day you're graced with such a request. And yet you do it anyway — that whole standing-up thing. Who wants to be known as someone who was "left sitting" or "left lying around"? Exactly.