In countries like Belgium or Switzerland which have two or three official languages, are the whole population able to understand and speak all those languages?

I live in the southern end of the Netherlands near the borders of both Germany and Belgium. We sometimes cross the borders for sight seeing and shopping and one time we decided to go to Liege, which is the French speaking part of Belgium.

I can speak Dutch so I did there as I had assumed they could too, seeing that it is one of two of the country’s official languages. Nobody could and they couldn’t speak English either so it was a real struggle communicating with them. I would later relate our experience to some Flemish (Belgian Dutch speaking) friends and they said it was common. Apparently, the French part of Belgium doesn’t speak any Dutch, if they can help it but some, not all, of the Dutch speaking Belgians can and do speak French as well. The best English speakers were also from Flanders (the Dutch speakers) and if you go into that part of Belgium, you won’t have problems communicating with the locals. There is something about the Wallonia part which is a lot like France but they, like their other country partner, can’t stand the French. So they are united in their resentment and hatred of the French but at the same time, they aren’t united enough to like each other.

I also have a cousin living in Switzerland in the French speaking part. She migrated there from Asia and learned French as it was what her husband speaks in that particular part of country where they live in. Some of them can speak German there but few are fluent at it and she has also no plans to learn German as well as it is too difficult for her, especially since she had already learned French. Only few of the adults there can speak English, depending on their respective professions but the younger generation are catching up.

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Edit: What I thought was just a simple answer based on my own observations has turned into a bigger discussion and I have enjoyed reading and informing myself further about it. I do hope further discussions can proceed civilly and no further chastising needs to be done. Otherwise, I will have to disable the comments which is a shame as I do sincerely like to read how and what other people have experienced with regards to this particular discussion. Thank you.

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Melia Janssen

SAHM to one. Daughter to one. Wife to one. Friend to few.

Former Administrative Assistant1994–2000

Studied Administration at Community CollegeGraduated 1994

Lives in The Netherlands

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Países como Bélgica o Suiza que tienen dos o tres idiomas oficiales, ¿es toda la población capaz de entender y hablar todos esos idiomas?

Is it better to do slow or fast pushups?

Hi!

That depends on what goal you wish to reach. Both of them have different benefits. Here they are:

Slow Push

This form of exercises puts your body under long periods of tension. Slowly lowering your body and carrying it back up will put your muscles under constant strains as it will force them to contract for longer periods of time. Due to this, your body will gain strength and muscle mass much quicker. On top of that, you will also work your core muscles.

Fast Push-ups

Those types of push-ups do not necessarily work on building your strength but work on other areas of your fitness. By quickly performing push-ups in rapid succession, it is closer to a cardiovascular exercise than a strength training workout. Naturally, this also burns calories and fat faster as well.

I hope you found my answer helpful!

Let me know what your goal is in a comment!

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Andrea Summers

UCLA Graduate

Fitness Coach at Zwift2019–present

Master\"s Degree in Nutrition & Fitness, UCLA (graduate school)Graduated 2019

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¿Es mejor hacer planchas lentas o rápidas? 

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Why do Scandinavian countries need high taxation to support their welfare system, but Switzerland manages without it?

By Hugo Leitao

The answer is that Switzerland doesn’t manage without high taxes.

Switzerland is the only developed country in Europe without affordable universal healthcare. Everyone living in Switzerland is obliged to buy an health insurance in order to get access to healthcare. The cheapest insurance costs something like 250€ per month and gives you access to healthcare at Swiss prices (not a minimal fee) and the deductible is quite high (something like 2500€). Basically you pay 250€ per month to then be able to use healthcare at expensive prices and you’ll only stop paying if you reach your deductible of 2500€ per year. You can opt for a higher premium and get your deductible reduced to something like 300€. 

In this, Switzerland is a bit like the USA and nothing like the rest of Europe except that the insurance is mandatory. 

So while this is not counted as taxes, it is a mandatory fee that everyone has to pay and that is quite high, while this is included in everyone else’s taxes in Scandinavia.

Parental leave is another one. Until 2019, fathers in Switzerland were entitled to 1 day of parental leave. Yes, you read correctly. ONE DAY. They are now entitled to 2 weeks but this is nowhere near the time we get in Scandinavia. In Norway for example, fathers get at least 15 weeks. 

Maternity leave in Switzerland lasts 14 weeks. Think of it. Fathers in Norway are entitled to more leave than mothers are in Switzerland. In Norway, parents get 45 weeks in total receiving 100% of their salary up to a cap. Many companies pay the rest of the salary that is over this cap.

EDIT: fathers are still only entitled to one day. There\"s a pending referendum on the issue.

Childcare and daycare. Daycare in Switzerland costs anywhere between 60 and 150CHF per day. The cheapest option is still 4 times more expensive than daycare in Norway which has a maximum price fixed by the government for both public and private daycares.

These are just a couple of examples but I could go on.

The bottom line is that Switzerland doesn’t manage because their welfare is not even comparable to the Scandinavian ones.

You get what you pay for and in Switzerland you get very little

What is the capital of Switzerland?

By Dennis Wege

No. Nononono. NO! Don’t correct textbooks if your answer is Bern(e). Well, you’re not bad, but not really correct either.

Switzerland became a modern nation in 1848 and, due to its many members which were seen as equals, it became a federal state. Being true to the concept, Switzerland chose to have no capital - this is (de jure) still true today. However it had to choose a city for the seat of its government, which became Bern(e), it is hence often called the federal city. Bern is the German name, Berne the French one, it gained this position because it’s in a bilingual canton (county/state), which is also called Bern(e). It is hence often seen and handled as the de facto capital - but again, only de facto.

By the way this federalism can be seen in other examples as well: The federal supreme court is located in Lausanne, Vaud (west, French), its two branches for (social) insurances are located in Luzern/Lucerne (central, German), the federal criminal court is in Bellinzona, Ticino (south, Italian) and the federal administrative court is in St. Gallen (east, German). Also the seven federal councillors should be as well mixed as possible, now there’s four native German speakers (two from bilingual cantons), two native French speakers (one from a bilingual canton) and one native Italian speaker.

Inviting Jesus

October 30, 2020 Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.  Luke 14:1  This line, from the beginning of today’s Gospel, reveals two things worth pondering. First, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.  This was no small thing.  In fact, it was most likely the source of much discussion among the people and the other Pharisees.  It shows us that Jesus does not play favorites.  He did not only come for the poor and weak.  He also came for the conversion of the wealthy and powerful.  Too often we forget that simple fact.  Jesus came for all people, loves all people and responds to invitations from all who want to have Him in their lives.  Of course this passage also reveals that Jesus was not afraid to come to the home of this leading Pharisee and challenge him and his guests so as to move them to a change of heart. Second, this passage states that people were “observing Him carefully.”  Perhaps some were just curious and were looking for something to talk about later with their friends.  But others were most likely observing Him carefully because they truly wanted to understand Him.  They could tell there was something unique about Jesus and they wanted to know more about Him. These two lessons should encourage us to realize that Jesus does love us and will respond to our openness to His presence in our lives.  All we have to do is ask and be open to Him coming to “dine” with us.  We should also learn from the witness of those who were observing Him carefully.  They reveal to us the good desire we should have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  Though some who observed Him carefully turned against Him and mocked Him, there were others who observed Him carefully and embraced Jesus and His message.   Reflect, today, upon your willingness to invite Jesus into the home of your heart and life’s situation.  Know that He will accept any invitation you offer.  And as Jesus comes to you, give Him your full attentiveness.  Observe all that He says and does and let His presence and message become the foundation of your life. Lord, I do invite You into my heart.  I invite You into every situation in my life.  Please come dwell with me in my family.  Come dwell with me at work, among friends, in my hardships, during my despair, and in all things.  Help my attentiveness to You and Your will and lead me to all You have in store for my life.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Overcoming Intimidation

October 29, 2020 Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.’“  Luke 13:31-32 What an interesting exchange this was between Jesus and some of the Pharisees.  It’s interesting to look at both the action of the Pharisees as well as that of Jesus. It could be asked why the Pharisees spoke to Jesus in this way, warning Him of Herod’s intent.  Were they worried about Jesus and, therefore, were they trying to help Him?  Probably not.  Instead, we know that the majority of the Pharisees were jealous and envious of Jesus.  In this case, it appears that they were warning Jesus of Herod’s wrath as a way of trying to intimidate Him to leave their district.  Of course, Jesus wasn’t intimidated. Sometimes we experience the same thing.  At times we may have someone come and tell us some gossip about us under the guise of trying to help us, when in fact it’s a subtle way of intimidating us so as to fill us with fear or anxiety.   The key is to react only in the way that Jesus did when confronted with foolishness and malice.  Jesus did not give in to the intimidation.  He was not at all concerned by Herod’s malice.  Rather, He responded in a way that told the Pharisees, in a sense, “Don’t waste your time trying to fill me with fear or anxiety.  I am doing the works of my Father and that’s all I should be concerned about.” What is it that bothers you in life?  What are you intimidated by?  Do you allow the opinions, malice or gossip of others to get you down?  The only thing we should be concerned about is doing the will of the Father in Heaven.  When we are confidently doing His will, we will also have the wisdom and courage we need to rebuke all deceit and silly intimidation in our lives. Reflect, today, upon your own commitment to the will of the Father in your life.  Are you fulfilling His will?  If so, do you find that some people come and try to deter you?  Strive to have the same confidence of Jesus and keep focused on the mission given to you by God. Lord, I do trust in Your divine will.  I trust in the plan You have laid out for me and refuse to be influenced or intimidated by the foolishness and malice of others.  Give me courage and wisdom to keep my eyes on You in all things.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Praying All Night

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles Readings for Today

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.  Luke 6:12 It’s a fascinating thing to think about Jesus praying all night.  This act on His part teaches us many things just as it would have taught His Apostles.  Here are a few things we can take from His action. First, it may be thought that Jesus did not “need” to pray.  After all, He is God.  So did He need to pray?  Well, this is actually not the right question to ask.  It’s not a matter of Him needing to pray, rather, it’s a matter of Him praying because His prayer goes to the heart of who He is. Prayer is first and foremost an act of deep communion with God.  In Jesus’ case, it’s an act of deep communion with the Father in Heaven and with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was continually in perfect communion (unity) with the Father and the Spirit and, thus, His prayer was nothing more than an earthly expression of this communion.  His prayer is a living out of His love of the Father and the Spirit.  So it’s not so much that He needed to pray so that He could stay close to them.  Instead, it was that He prayed because He was perfectly united to them.  And this perfect communion demanded an earthly expression of prayer.  In this instance, it was prayer all night long. Second, the fact that it was all night long reveals that Jesus’ “rest” was nothing other than being in the presence of the Father.  Just as rest restores us and rejuvenates us, so the all night vigil of Jesus reveals that His human rest was that of resting in the presence of the Father. Third, what we should take from this for our own lives is that prayer should never be underestimated.  Too often we speak a few prayerful thoughts to God and let it go at that.  But if Jesus chose to spend the entire night in prayer, we should not be surprised if God wants much more from our quiet time of prayer than we are now giving Him.  Don’t be surprised if God is calling you to spend much more time every day in prayer.  Do not hesitate to establish a set pattern of prayer.  And if you find that you cannot sleep some night, do not hesitate to get up, get on your knees, and seek the presence of God living within your soul.  Seek Him, listen to Him, be with Him and let Him consume you in prayer.  Jesus gave us the perfect example.  It is now our responsibility to follow that example. As we honor the Apostles Simon and Jude, reflect, today, upon your own calling to follow Christ and act as His apostle to the world.  The only way you can fulfill this mission is through a life of prayer.  Reflect upon your prayer life and do not hesitate to deepen your resolve to imitate the depth and intensity of our Lord’s perfect example of prayer. Lord Jesus, help me to pray.  Help me to follow Your example of prayer and to seek the presence of the Father in a deep and continuous way.  Help me to enter into a deep communion with You and to be consumed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus, I trust in You.