Meet the Swiss Federal Council 2017

The release of the Swiss Federal Council's official photo for 2017 on New Year’s Eve caused quite a stir in the media, even becoming a trending topic on twitter. Creative minds were quick to publish inventive versions of the original portraits taken by photographer Beat Mumenthaler.

The original version

An adapted "nice" version

The Swiss government comprises seven members to form the Federal Council. The president is elected for a one-year term of office and is regarded during that time as ‘Primus inter pares’, or first among equals.

The Swiss Government has revamped its official website where you can find information about the Swiss Government and a restricted amount of news in English. Personally, I do think this year's photo is a great deal more stylish than in past years. So let's look at the bright side, the Swiss Federal Council are definitely making an effort.

Someone decided to adapt the official photo into a video showing the Federal Council singing ‘Bernhemian Rhapsody’. See the result for yourself:

The World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment

On Saturday the 29th of October, 2016 hundreds of thousands of people from around the world – from Tel Aviv to Melbourne – will stand united in eye contact. It is the official date for the World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment, a global event inspiring the world to share authentic eye contact and connection in public. Last year over 100,000 people from over 156 different cities were involved.

The Liberators International are the global organisers of this event. They are a peaceful international social movement founded in Perth, Australia and are passionate about creating participatory public demonstrations for peace and videos that allow us to see that beyond our differences there is love and humanity.

Why?
“Our global society has become thirsty for true connection and this experience allows you to be the change you wish to see in the world by creating an authentic, loving and respectful platform for human connection to flourish in public.”

Your participation in this global event demonstrates that beyond our differences there is love and humanity. You will be representing your country on this incredible day and what happens will forever change the social fabric of the present and future. Sign up here.

The only Ticino event is awaiting clearance for Locarno. Stay tuned with this list of participating cities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dycjvpldFI8jhsgpkYO2CWBXCseKqRwnKLgQ_UQABRE/mobilebasic

For more info click here: http://www.eyecontactexperiment.com

International Day of the Girl

In 2011, as the result of youth advocacy around the world, the United Nations declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl. Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”

It is a day when activist groups come together under the same goal to highlight, discuss, and take action to advance rights and opportunities for girls everywhere.

The challenges girls face differ across the world, but by ensuring data on girls is gathered and recorded, it is hoped that this year’s International Day of the Girl will support future progress by recording present facts.

Girls in numbers:
-  70% of the world’s poor are girls and women
-  62m Number of girls who should be in school but are not.
-  830 girls and young women die during pregnancy and childbirth every day
-  55% of the 20.9m victims of forced labour are girls and women
-  39,000 girls are married before they turn 18

Source: plan-international.org/because-i-am-a-girl

October 11 is not just a day; it’s a movement!

Who is the OSA

This year, the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) is celebrating its centenary. Yes, that would be 100 years of working on behalf of the Swiss Abroad. Taking the title of "Switzerland – part of the world" the anniversary year is looking back at the OSA's history with the aim of focusing on the current and future needs of our fellow citizens worldwide.

The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) devised and created SwissCommunity.org in 2010. Its aim is to strengthen the link between the Swiss abroad and Switzerland.

SwissCommunity is a free, high-quality platform serving the Swiss all over the world. It is a “club” for international Switzerland, designed and tailored to meet the needs of Swiss people worldwide. You can find and exchange current information, news and events, discuss, ask questions and get answers as well as explore Switzerland online.

One of the tasks of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) is defending the "Fifth Swizerland" and is, in effect, one of the raisons d'être of the OSA since its creation in 1916.

The theme of this issue of the Swiss Community magazine is to look back at the centenary celebrations that took place in Berne on 5-7 August 2016.

Swiss Community online magazine 3/16

I wish you happy reading and sign up if you live abroad and wish to stay in touch about what is happening in Switzerland.


The Swiss Abroad were asked to shoot a video greetings message to celebrate 100 years of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The resulting video with all the messages that were sent in was shown during the jubilee festivities on Bundesplatz.

It's Neighbours' Day on May 20th

On May 20th, 2016 Switzerland joins the Neighbors' Day celebration. It is a very simple initiative that aims to promote a culture of solidarity within the neighbourhood to fight the typical isolation of today's contemporary lifestyle.

Celebrated on Friday May 20th 2016 by several million people in Europe, Neighbours' Day has enjoyed cross-continental success. This year, Neighbours Day is supported by more than 1 200 partners (city councils, housing organizations and local associations) in over 30 countries! The participants have reached 10 million!

Lugano joined this initiative in 2004 for the first time and over the years, citizens' actions have increased exponentially. To date, several hundred people participate with enthusiasm at this annual event. Founded 1999 in Paris by Mr.Atanase Périfan, the Neighbours' Day encountered an immediate success and has been growing ever since.

So why not organize an informal party and invite your neighbours! A simple gesture that can help strengthen the network of solidarity to overcome the distrust and the impoverishment of social relations.

The principle is straight forward: people of the same building or within the same neighbourhood gather on the evening of May 20th, to eat something together, have a drink, exchange a few words and get to know eachother better. An easy way to create solidarity or simply find opportunities to be together.

Three good reasons to join the party:
1. Get to know and appreciate your neighbour!
2. Unity is strength ... and makes life easier
3. A name, a face, a story...

Check your mailbox for the pre-printed invitation pack, click here or e-mail: vicini@lugano.ch or phone: Tel. 058 866 74 57.

You can also check out my Swiss neighbourhood rules before you embark on your adventure! Most importantly: don't forget to have fun! Remember the Swiss can be fun, just give them a chance. ;)

Switzerland's biggest brunch ever

Get ready for the May 1st brunch... because it's gonna be B I G!!!

The organizers of City Brunch have planned an event that will blow your mind away: to orchestrate the longest brunch table of Switzerland.

Their goal is to involve a large number of restaurant owners and producers to offer the widest variety of products, allowing everyone enjoy the good company, locals as well as tourists.

The event will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2016 along the lakeside promenade of Lugano. Ticket holders are invited to beautifully laid tables, which will be prepared near the buffet rich with typical products of the region.

However, the tickets are already sold out but you can win two tickets worth CHF 70.- by participating in the Citybrunch Instagram challenge. Publish your best brunch photo and get the most "like"s to win. Don't forget to hashtag #citybrunchlugano.

Venue: Switzerland's longest CITY BRUNCH in Lugano
Where: Riva Vincenzo Vela, 6900 Lugano
Date: Sunday, May 1st, 2016
Time: 10:30 - 15:30

The Lugano City Brunch will also be held in case of bad weather, keep posted for details. For more info write to: info@citybrunch.ch or click on http://www.citybrunch.ch

Get involved with GoEco App

Current mobility patterns are dominated by car use, even though a number of alternative and energy-efficient mobility options are already available. So why don’t you go to work by bike more often? Why don’t you use public transport, find yourself some car pooling partners or apply for a car sharing program? You don’t know how to best do it? The GoEco! app created by SUPSI & ETH can help you make this transformation happen. Become more sustainable: GoEco!

GoEco! seeks to overcome traditional awareness-raising approaches and, by taking advantage of the wide acceptance of smartphones and tablets, proposes an innovative, community-based approach, directly addressing citizens and their everyday mobility choices.

GoEco! will conduct a study with 800 users from Canton Ticino and the City of Zurich. By taking part in their study, you will have the opportunity to test the GoEco! smartphone app which helps you to make your mobility lifestyle more sustainable. The GoEco! app tracks your trips and uses game elements to challenge you to modify your mobility behavior. You will learn how to become more sustainable and you can even compete with your friends to find out who is the best.

If you wish to get the GoEco! app click here: http://goeco-project.ch/index.php/en/get-the-app/

The GoEco! app experience nudges you to:
- understand how you travel,
- define your personal goals for change and get personalized suggestions;
- see your progress week after week;
- share your experience with friends and other users and compare your performances with them.

If you are interested in joining the GoEco! experience, please fill in the "Get involved" form.
Click here for more info: http://goeco-project.ch/index.php/en/ and become a GoEco! citizen!

Climat change lecture in Lugano

Is the Earth’s atmosphere is changing? Are we are responsible for these changes? What are the consequences of these changes, and what should we do about them? Drawing on materials developed for a course Dr. Reimer teaches at Berkeley, he will be in Lugano at the Franklin University to share  his answers to these questions. This special lecture is entitled "Benvolio Knew It, and Now We Live It: Our Changing Climate".

Dr. Reimer received his bachelor’s degree (with honors) from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology.  In addition to his 170 research publications, Professor Reimer is co-author (with T.M. Duncan) of the introductory text "Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis" (Cambridge University Press, 1998), and the text "Carbon Capture and Sequestration" (with Berend Smit, Curt Oldenburg, Ian Bourg, World Scientific Press, 2013)

Don't miss it!

Venue: Benvolio Knew It, and Now We Live It: Our Changing Climate
Where: Franklin University, Nielsen Auditorium, Via Ponte Tresa 29, 6924 Sorengo
When: Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
For further info click here: FUS, Lugano

Stay Creative!

For some weekend inspiration I thought I'd share an infographic of "40 ways to stay creative".

Personally, my number 1 source of inspiration would to be go out for a walk or a run. It does not matter where, either in the woods or in the city, depending on my mood at the moment. What is your best way of getting creative?

1. Create an inspiration board
2. Get out more
3. Sketch more
4. Experiment!
5. Socialize
6. Keep up with trends
7. Learn a new skill
8. Read books
9. Use sticky notes
10. Break your routine
11. Be around creative people
12. Spy on the competition
13. Visit exhibitions
14. Collaborate with others
15. Travel
16. Get a new hobby
17. Challenge yourself!
18. Make lists
19. Meditate
20. Get feedback from peers
21. Listen to music
22. Watch films
23. Take risks!
24. Write stuff down
25. Declutter your workspace
26. Love what you do
27. Finish projects!
28. Visit museums and galleries
29. Keep a dream diary
30. Have sex!
31. Take naps
32. Watch motivational speeches
33. Go to the theatre
34. Practice!
35. Eat different cuisine
36. Stop comparing yourself to others
37. Question things
38. Turn off distractions
39. Let go of fear
40. Be curious

Pro Infirmis asks who's perfect?

Who is perfect, anyway? Pro Infirmis, a Swiss organization for people with disabilities, asked that question in a compelling installation and video. Founded in 1920 in Zurich, Pro Infirmis plays an important role in advocating for and supporting people with disabilities through a wide range of programs, including political advocacy and legal assistance.

This project was created last year to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which occurs each year on December 3rd. Although the entire four-minute video created by writer and director Alain Gsponer is captivating, the models' reactions to the project and the responses from passers-by are deeply touching.

Disabled mannequins received eliciting astonished looks from passers-by on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. Between the perfect mannequins, there were figures with scoliosis or brittle bone disease modelling the latest fashions. One had shortened limbs; the other a malformed spine.

See for yourself:

Want to 'share' a picture? PostCard Creator app is free.

If you live in Switzerland, you know and experience the efficiency of the Swiss postal service every day.

Did you know Die Post have an app that allows you to take a photo, upload and send it as a postcard to any recipient in Switzerland. Best of all you get to send one per day for free.

Whatever the time, wherever you are: with the PostCard Creator app, you can take or choose a photo, add text, specify the recipient and send the order, and Swiss Post will take care of printing and mailing the postcard in A6 format. Free of charge and postage paid by A Mail.

To use the app, users must be resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, own a smartphone, download the free app from the App Store or Google Play and register free of charge. If you already have a PostCard Creator account online, you can log in to the app with your existing login data and vice versa.

Now there's a deal you cannot resist. Who will you send your first postcard to?

Calling out for a good cause...

Going through my mail today,I received the following mail from Expats in Ticino Yahoo group:

As we are all aware, 2014 has seen an unprecedented displacement of people around the globe. I know a woman in Ticino who has managed to organise transportation of donated items to the Syrian refugee camps. 

She has a delivery from Lugano next Friday, 29th September. 

If you have any good-quality children' s clothing or baby items (prams, camp cots, linen, etc) that you are willing to donate, please inbox me directly and I will do my best to arrange collection. While she is not able to accept donations of toys, she will take all essentials, including general medical supplies and non-perishable baby food. Thank you for your support.

Regards,
Toni

Toni even went to her local pharmacy and bought small bandages, plasters, antiseptic creams, etc. for the last delivery. When she explained to her pharmacist what they were for, she handed over a box full of samples of similar items. Needless to say, they were gratefully accepted. Simply think of what you'd need, as a parent trying to keep babies and young children healthy in a refugee camp, and, if you have the opportunity, they'll take them all!

Should you wish to participate you can reach Toni under her e-mail address: acsellickpetra@yahoo.com

Bravo and well down to the volunteers for organising this drive!

Hello neighbour...

When was the last time you ran out of sugar and asked your neighbour for a favour? Personally, I hopped across the landing last year to ask mine for a bottle opener. She looked very confused and surprised but handed me one nevertheless.

Pumpipumpe is a Switzerland-based project that is encouraging residents to place stickers on their mailbox to denote the goods they’re willing to lend to their neighbours.

The idea was initially formed to enable those with bike pumps to indicate to fellow cyclists that they could knock and use theirs in the case of a flat tyre — hence the name Pumpipumpe (lending pumps).

The scheme has since expanded into a system allow neighbours to advertise any object available to borrow.

Those who want to take part can simply order a pack of stickers from the project’s website. Each sticker is a small blue square that features illustrations including a bike pump, lawn mower, kitchen scale, children’s toys, and even internet access and fancy dress costumes.

The idea is that homeowners place the stickers for the items they have on their mailbox so passersby can know if they’re good to knock on the door. The stickers are free to anyone in Switzerland or Germany.

Could this idea work in your part of the world?

IWCL Charity Committee invites you to Make-A-Wish

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. "
Plato

Come and join the IWCL's Spring Party and dance with live music under the stars…
All this while supporting the work of Make-A-Wish ® Switzerland...
Help grant the most heartfelt wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses in Ticino...
It will be an unforgettable night for all...

The Int'l Womens' Club Lugano know how to throw a party, so you have no excuse not to show up.
The action starts at 19:30 at Lugano's Lido which opens its doors in new spleandour for the season 2013.

Entry of CHF 70.- covers cocktail dinner, 2 drinks, water&coffee/tea.
You may also buy lottery tickets at CHF 5.- each or CHF 20.- for 5 tickets.
There are fabulous prizes to win. Here is a sneak peek of some of the lottery prizes:

* A night and breakfast for two in Hotel residence Villa Sassa

* Dinner for two people at Villa Principe Leopoldo

* Voucher for stay for two people at Kurhaus Cademario Hotel&Spa

* Esthetic whole body massage with Aromatherapy at Nouvelle Beauté

For the ones deciding last minute, please don't forget to write to iwcl.charity@gmail.com so the Charity Committee can make sure to have enough food for everybody. Contact IWCL Charity Committee Victoria, Jinny or Esra: iwcl.charity@gmail.com

Let's raise the roof and with it make a wish come true for a child or two or more. It is up to you!

Venue: Support Make-A-Wish Foundation in Switzerland
Where: Al Lido, Viale Castagnola 6, 6900 Lugano
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Time: 7:30 PM
Price: CHF 70.- p.p.
Contact: iwcl.charity@gmail.com
For more info click on: http://www.make-a-wish.ch/

A Swiss Air-Rescue called REGA

Yet another Swiss institution is the REGA. If you grew up in Switzerland, you know the red helicopters that save injured skiers off the slopes are the trusted REGA helpers.

Rega comes to the aid of people in distress, providing swift, professional medical assistance by air. In order to do this, it employs state-of-the-art operating resources, such as helicopters and air-ambulances. Rega’s workforce comprises qualified, experienced staff. Rega acts according to medical necessity and in the service of its patients. In 2011, Swiss Air-Rescue performed a total of 14,240 missions – never before has it been in such great demand by the Swiss population.

What today functions in Switzerland almost as a matter of course has gradually developed over a period of decades. The history of Rega is an eventful one. While in earlier times, the only way to rescue people in distress in the mountains was overland, already in 1946 aircraft started being used for this purpose. Just a few years later, the increasingly popular helicopter took over this task, and as from 1960, Swiss Air Rescue also began to transport seriously ill or injured persons back to Switzerland from countries abroad – by plane. The pioneers of the day shaped this age of development in the sphere of air rescue.

The ever growing magnitude and professionalism in the field of air rescue resulted in new organisational forms: what began as a section of the Schweizerische Lebensrettungsgesellschaft rescue association became an association, and finally assumed its present-day form as a privately-run, non-profit foundation.

It is a privately run, non-profit foundation, which operates independently of the State or of financial interests.

The Swiss Air Rescue was founded on 27 April 1952. 60 years later, the performance of Rega are more in demand than ever. Rega is on stand-by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to emergency calls – both in Switzerland and abroad.

Download their app onto your mobile phone here or watch them for yourself. Rega invites you to join it in celebrating its 60th anniversary. In this jubilee year, you can look forward to their Open Days, during which you will be able to experience Rega at close quarters. Programme here.

Young business women of Ticino - listen up!

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."
Alice Walker

Are you under 35? Would you like to join a group of professional women and expand your network? Then sign up for an informal aperitivo Thursday, Dec. 1st at 7 PM at the Anacapri restaurant.

The International Federation of Business and Professonal Women (BPW International) was founded by Dr. Lena Madesin Phillips in 1930. BPW International was founded on the vision of achieving workplace equality, right to vote and equal pay.

Since the launch of their triennium theme - Empowered Women Leading Business - BPW women are inspiring businesses, empowering communities and creating opportunities around the world. BPW brings you regular insights into what and how their members are creating lasting change by leading the BPW International initiatives that are firmly in place.

Their purpose is to support professional women up to 35 years old by providing unlimited access to mentors, role models, like minded career women and thousands of friends across the globe!

Should you be interested in joining BPW International and bring the voice of women to business, please click here: www.bpw-international.org.

For more information e-mail: marianduven@gmail.com

Venue: Young Business Professional Women of Ticino
Where: Ristorante Anacapri, Via Clemente Maraini, 6900 Lugano, (www.anacapri.ch)
When: Thursday, Dec 1st, 2011
Time: 19:00

Kids Travel Activity book

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.”
Paul Theroux

All great kid vacation starts with some sort of travel, so if you are an organized parent, you will have plenty activities for kids planned for the travel time. Traveling with kids is always an adventure and keeping them busy on the way is a challenge every mom needs to face. This activity book is perfect for keeping kids busy in the car, on family road trips, when flying with kids, or even at a restaurant.

This Kids' Travel Activity Book is jam-packed with fun word puzzles, logic games, brain benders, and more. It's the perfect distraction for your kids on car trip, plane trips, or anytime provided by Family Education:

Kids Travel Activity book

The key to a good long flight or car ride with children is preparation and involving your child in selecting their entertainment. Supervise their selection and make sure that they are excited about what they bring. Building this excitement is a key to a pleasant trip for them, for you, and most of all the other passengers.

Here's a little bonus. Print off this booklet full of fun games and activities to entertain and educate kids while you run errands or grocery shop: Grocery store games

I'm an Organizing Junkie - organizing Recipes

"Thought is the organizing factor in man, intersected between the casual primary instincts and the resulting actions."
Albert Einstein

My friends call me organized. Admittely my Swiss upbring rubbed off and I like my "stuff" in order. I am a big lover of containers. I have silver metal tins, floral print hat boxes, leather trunks, white cardboard boxes, pink wicker baskets, plastic storage fold-ups, OXO kitchen cubes just to mention a few. These also come very handy when moving around the globe, although the movers aren't always happy since MY boxes don't fit in theirs....but that is their problem, frankly!

Anyway I came across this fantastic site this morning which I just had to share with you. It is full of fun, easy, effective organizational ideas. It's called: I'm an Organizing Junkie.

One post that caught my attention was how to gather online recipes (from different sites) in one place rather than just tagging them on every single host website.

Laura uses Microsoft's OneNote but Springpad and Evernote are two free alternatives. OneNote enables her to keep notebooks for endless topics. She has a personal notebook with a section for recipes. When she finds a recipe she wants to try she can either print the entire page to OneNote, so that it looks just like the website or do a simple copy/paste of just the recipe. With either method the original website link is also included so you know where the recipe came from. OneNote also lets you make notes about changes or record how you actually cooked the recipe and how it turned out.

Now, I think that is a brilliant alternative to printing and binding every recipie that tickles your fancy online. Thank you for sharing Laura. Needless to say, I do also love my recipe binders full of printed, stained recipes sitting on my kitchen shelves looking organized! ;)

For MAC users there is a similar programme called "Notebook" by Circus Ponies. Also take a look at http://www.cookmarkit.com. It’s a new social bookmarking site that focuses on recipes. Really easy to follow your friends and see what they’re cooking. Happy cooking everyone!