Winetasting with IWCL (Int'l. Women's Club Lugano) Evening group

"Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read."
Francis Bacon

The IWCL (International Women’s Club of Lugano) Evening Group is pleased to invite you to taste the wines of southern France.

The sommelier and winemaker Christophe Rieder will guide us through 7 wines from his wine estate, the “ Domaine Les Planes”, matched with the appropriate exclusive French cheeses. Wines have been produced on the Domaine for over a hundred years. The professional competence and enthusiasm of winemakers Christophe and his wife Ilse ensure a consistently high quality for their "Appellation d'Origine Controllée" Côtes de Provence wines. The wines of the Domaine have been awarded the “bio” label and have obtained several awards.

You will have the opportunity to order wines if you wish. To find out more, do check out their website: http://www.dom-planes.com/

The event promises to be entertaining as well as interesting! Partners and friends are welcome. But please book soon (latest June 9th, 2011) as the number of participants is limited.
E-mail: Iwcleveninggroup@gmail.com or phone: Sandrine at 078/75 143 75.

Date: Thursday June 16th, 2011
Time:  7.30 pm
Cost: CHF 30.- for IWCL members, CHF 45.- for Non-members and partners
Venue:  Irma Mühlhofer is graciously hosting the winetasting at her beautiful home in Castagnola.  Please contact us for details.

Migros Quiz Mania online

Expanding on my Quiz Mania/WWF post you'll be happy to know that, as with the NanoMania, Migros offers the opportunity to play online: www.quizmania.ch.

For children, the questions kept simple - adults can test their knowledge in real time against other players in large online quiz and may reach the championship. Should you prefer to play with people you know, there is the possibility to set up a virtual playground for friends and relatives.

The website further provides information about all the activities planned around the Quiz Mania such as the “road shows” in larger Migros stores, barter exchanges dates and Joker days.

A Smartphone application ensures that you can answer trivia questions and learn interesting facts about the environment on the go.

The big WWF Quizbook “Pandalympia” promotes a sustainable lifestyle. This book contains tricky tasks for the whole family. It is sold in Migros stores for CHF 4.90. "Quiz Mania and Pandalympia prove that environmental education is not only important but can also be fun, " says Hans-Peter Fricker, CEO of WWF Switzerland. Whoever can find the correct answers to Pandalympia’s intriguing questions gets achance to one of over 300 prizes worth a total of CHF 100 000.-.

Good luck to you!

Mother and daughter ART CLASSES in Agno

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart."
Author Unknown

In line with yesterday's post about Girl Power, following is a further opportunity all you Mums and Daughters (as of age 5) living in Ticino should not miss.

If art is your passion, you make regular trips to art galleries and research your favorite artists. If you can spend hours looking at art and talking about it with each other. Or if you're just searching for an activity durning which you can both have lots of fun together;  this Art class is open to Mother and Daughters who would like to spend time together making art and learning the basics of creativity.

Pick out one or more of these afternoons for 2 hour sessions of Sketching and painting techniques:

Monday June 6th “Drawing human figures”
Tuesday June 7th “Drawing animals”
Wednesday June 8th “Painting small canvas using acrylic paints”
Thursday June 9th “Painting a pet rock with acrylic paints”
Friday June 10th “Creation of a collage on canvas”

Courses are taught in English and Italian.
(Courses will be repeated the two weeks following, also with different themes such as mosaic and jewelry……ask for information)

Where: Atelier Le Dodici Lune (The Twelve Moons)

Piazza Vicari 19

6982 Agno

Cost: CHF 35.- per day per person, including supplies
Reserve your afternoons at: mosaicandsculpture@gmail.com or call Teddy Praxmarer at Tel. 079/605'47'73

Girl Power Day in Lugano - YOU can make it happen!

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl."
Shirley Chisholm, American politician, educator, and author.
First black woman elected to Congress in 1968.

Want to support your 11-14 year old daughter to be the best she can be? Now she can attend Girl Power Day: an action packed one day event for girls 11-14 years old or 6-8th graders.

At Girl Power Day your daughter will experience the main pillars of Girl Power, which include positive self and body image, healthy friendship, relaxation skills, healthy cooking and exercise. She will take part in activities like acting, art, dancing, visualizations and cooking. It is a full day of empowerment and fun: Girl Power Fun!

A mum full of iniative would like to know if other mums in the area are interested in having Leslie Kuster run a Girl Power session in Lugano. It would need about 8 to 12 girls in order to make it worth Leslie's trip to our part of Switzerland. For more information, please email lesliekuster1@yahoo.com or go to the website www.lesliekuster.com and click on Girl Power and then Girl Power special events. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you know who may be interested.

Cost: CHF 175 includes healthy lunch, two snacks and all materials.

Check out an interview by Lesie Kuster with The Stork Times back in January 2008 here.

Banana & White Chocolate chip muffins recipe

Breakfast in bed, brunch party or merendina? These fabulously delicious and healthy muffins make great snacks for all ages. Kids love banana’s so they’ll love this special recipe including the tasty icing to top it all off! Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
200g wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
90g unsalted butter
150g sugar
65 g white Chocolate chips
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
butter, for greasing

Icing: (optional)
200g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g Icing sugar, sifted

Preparation:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180C.
2.) Lightly grease a 12-hold muffin tin or line with paper cases.
3.) Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and chocolate chips in a bowl.
4.) In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined well and there are no lumps.
5.) Add the flour to the mixture and blend well using a whisk. The consistency should be dry and a bit crumbly.

6.) Next, stir in the eggs and then fold in the mashed bananas.

7.) Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, filling each paper case about two-thirds full.
8.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top.
9.) Cool in a tin for 5 minutes, then take out and cool completely on wire rack before icing.
10.) To make the icing, ensure the cream cheese is cold and put in a bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract until just blended. Gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth. It’s best to use well-sifted icing sugar so you don’t get any lumps.

11.) Using a knife, spread on the cooled cupcakes.

A place like no other: "Alpe Vicania" near Vico Morcote

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir - Scottish-born American naturalist (1838 – 1914)

Hidden on the mountaintop it is not easy to find but worth the trip. Locals love spending a Saturday or Sunday lunch at Alpe Vicania after having hiked there to earn their meal.

You can walk from either Carona or Melide (both approx. 1,5 hours) or hike from Pazzallo (3,5hours) and make it a day's outing. If you are not feeling the urge to walk, you can park the car along the cobbled road and just walk the last bit through the forest. There is also a lovely trail leading from Pazzallo to Alpe Vicania for bike riders.

Alpe Vicania's restaurant is located on the side of a hill looking onto a beautiful meadow. Have a seat on the terrace and enjoy the view over the surrounding countryside or sit on the porch of stone and feel like you're in the woods, or enter the dining room with fireplace and feel the warm atmosphere of a rustic and refined ambiance.

Although the surroundings are rustic the menu items are not. The menu is short but full of fresh, local, seasonal items. Just like a lot of good Swiss restaurants the wine list is extensive.

So, next time you are planning your weekend, consider visiting Alpe Vicania.

Ristorante Vicania (http://www.alpe-vicania.ch)
Tel:  091/ 980.24.14
Opening hours: 11.00 - 24.00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesday

A Farewell Spectacular for Oprah Winfrey!

Only one person can unite as many VIP personalities in a single event. When that one person calls ...  everybody ... and I mean everybody... drops what they are doing and runs. No, it is not the President of the Unted States. And no, it is not the coveted Acadamy Awards' Oscar statue.

The diva of American TV, Oprah Winfrey is making televsion history this week by gathering stars and legends of the arts to celebrate her two last episodes (she couldn't mange to fit it all in one) after 25 years of showtime!

Oprah makes you think.

She makes you laugh.

And she’s certainly able to make you cry.

It's no secret—Oprah does not like being surprised. But, in the final days of The Oprah Winfrey Show, she makes an exception for her producers.

After months of secret meetings and careful planning, Oprah's dedicated team is ready to stage the greatest, grandest surprise ever. All Oprah knows is where to go—Chicago's United Center—and what time to show up.

As Oprah steps onto the stage and makes her 4,559th appearance on her show, she's greeted by an audience filled with her friends, family and more than 10,000 loyal viewers. There was an English playwright who once said, "There's no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved." That's what tonight's show is all about.

Suprise after surpise unravels as Oprah greets star after star: Tom Hanks, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Diane Saywer, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Maria Shriver, Madonna, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Usher, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Michael Jordan, Maya Angelou, Jerry Seinfeld and more.

"It's no secret that millions of people are inspired by Oprah. I am one of those people," Madonna says. "She's a self-made woman who has been at the top of her game for 25 years—and she is still kicking ass! ... She has balls and a wealth of compassion. I have learned so much from her."

Celebrities aren't the only ones who have surprises in store for Oprah. The United Center audience brought along some of their "favorite things" to present to the guest of honor. Every person in attendance bought at least one children's book, which will be used to stock empty library shelves at KIPP Believe College Prep in New Orleans. This school lost all its books during Hurricane Katrina, and when a tornado came through two years later and ripped out an entire wall, the repairs used up the school's library funds, leaving no money for books.

Of course, literacy is an issue close to Oprah's heart. Back in 1986, Tom Hanks says, no one would have guessed that a daytime talk show could inspire people to read, but The Oprah Show did just that. It's been estimated that Oprah's Book Club has helped sell 30 million books.

After an hour filled with farewells and surprises, Oprah tells her friends, the audience and viewers at home that she feels the love. "You have made it possible for us to stand for 25 years," she says. "Your presence in front of your television set and your presence here tonight honors me in the deepest way possible."

The Farewell Oprah Winfrey Show runs today, May 25, 2011. 

Farewell and Thank you Oprah.

I am dedicating this post to my Cuban and my Mexican friend who used to get together at lunchtime in Madrid, Spain to watch "The Oprah Show" on Dutch Cable TV! That just shows you how Oprah crossed boundaries, believes, nations and races in the pursuit of her dream: Changing the world!

Celebrate Neighbours' Day on May 31st, 2011

“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?”
 Mother Teresa of Calcutta

On May 31st, 2011 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 Tuesday May 31st, 2011 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 more than 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 31st, 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 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. ;)

"Step closer" - The latest ad campaign by Pro Infirmis

"We, the one's who are challenged, need to be heard. To be seen not as a disability, but as a person who has, and will continue to bloom. To be seen not only as a handicap, but as a well intact human being."
Robert M. Hensel

What a lovely advertising campain. Full of heart and bear hugs.

The campaigns by "Pro Infirmis" are highly regarded in Switzerland. The last campaign "We also have our life" invited the public to reflect on the integration of disabled persons in our society. The current campaign has received various awards in the advertising world. The approach of the television ads are linked to the tradition of past years, with moving images that challenge the viewer to think about disabilities.

The ad is about a 'bear' located in a pedestrian area. At first he seems a bit lost, but then he seeks contact with his surroundings, spreading his arms and embracing - and being embraced - by children, women and men of all ages. Then he takes off the costume's head and Fabian Bischoff, 28, appears, severely disabled after a craniocerebral trauma suffered in an accident which occurred eight years ago. In the midst of the passers-by with the bear head under his arm and he states, "Do we need to dress up to get closer?" - "Step closer. "

This is the invitation launched by Pro Infirmis' awareness campaign, in which the public is asked to approach and to confront people with disabilities. Remember: a hug goes a VERY long way!!!

A game of Minigolf - cooling off at the Lido di Caslano

A lovely Sunday morning spent playing Mini Golf followed by a dip in the Lake at the Lido of Caslano.
Lunch at the Osteria del Battello to top it all off. Now we are ready for our Sunday siesta!

  

Lugano's Lido and public baths

"The water is your friend. You don't have to fight with water, just share the same spirits as the water, and it will help you move."
Aleksander Popov

This spring we have been blessed with fantastic weather which leads me straight to the good news that as of May 1st most of Lugano's Lidos and public baths have opened for the season. Following are my two favourite spots to swim in the lake. Lido di Lugano is the largest lido and full of attractions for your kids. Lido di Caslano is a little gem, make sure you get there early to catch one of the 4 sunshades on the sandy beach.;)

Lido di Lugano
Viale Castagnola
6900 Cassarate
Tel. +41 (0)58 866 68 80
Opening:
May & September: 9:00 to 19:00
June to August: 9:00 to 19:30
Prices: CHF 10.-/ 7.- /5.- /3.-

www.lugano.ch/sport



Lido di Caslano
6987 Caslano
Tel. +41 (0)91 606 25 25
Opening
May 1st to September 11th, 2011 from 9.30 to 20.00
Prices: CHF 4.- / 2.-
http://www.lidodicaslano.ch/

For more information and a list of all lidos

please check out the Lugano tourism link here.

Royal Wedding hat selling on ebay for charity

The much-mocked hat worn by Princess Beatrice to Britain's royal wedding last month -- widely described as looking like a "toilet seat" -- is up for sale on eBay where bids have reached £18,400  ($30'000).

The 22-year-old took a risk donning headgear that many thought would be more appropriate for Lady Gaga. The risky hat choice quickly backfired for her on Facebook. Witness the emergence of "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous Royal Wedding hat," a group dedicated to her headgear that had received more than 18,000 "likes" just hours after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Has any topper since Aretha Franklin's unforgettable inauguration hat seen such biting abuse?

The fuss over the hat worn to the royal wedding of her cousin Prince William to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton seems to have taken Princess Beatrice -- who is the daughter of William's uncle Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -- by surprise too. "I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," Beatrice said on the auction site. "I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."

Money raised by the sale of the hat will be equally split between two charities: UNICEF and Children in Crisis. The hat, by milliner Philip Treacy, was given a starting price of £5,000 and 31 bidders have placed 60 bids in the last six days.

The eBay site has linked the auction to Facebook where members of the public have celebrated the hat design. Treacy said he was "delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess' Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity."

The auction continues until May 22. Shipping is Free!!!

Summer school for Ticino kids by ASIG

“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
Tom Bodett

The Associazione per l'infanzia e la gioventù (ASIG) dedicates itself to proposing projects, ogranizing activities and providing learning environments of culture, sociality, learning and creativity for children aged 2 to 20. Their goal is to give children a chance to have fun while discovering new interests and new passions to cultivate.

ASIG has set up summer camps in five Ticino locations (Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona, Mendrisio and Chiasso) offering students a stimulating environment and peaceful place to spend summer mornings followed by study sessions guided by a competent person who ensures a quality service. Children receive an oppotunity to catch up in subjects of Math, Chemistry, French, German and English.

The sessions are in Italian during which the past school year's programme is reviewed and topics for the following school year are introduced. They also provide individual tutorials according to needs and requirements.

The groups are organized with a minimum of 8 participants during the months of June, July and August.

Where: Detailed information click here or contact: Alice Loos or Cornelia Kuhn at Tel. 091/ 752'29'60 or cornelia.kuhn@hotmail.com
When: from June 27th to August 26th,, 2011 (weekly sessions)
Time: 8:30 to 12:00
Price: CHF 230.- per week (incl.material)

"Chicche di scienza" (6–10 anni)
Protagonisti di una divertente ed
esplosiva esperienza che darà vita al
magico laboratorio ludico-didattico.

Matematica Base Ludico (6-9 anni)

Un viaggio divertente alla scoperta del mondo dei numeri e delle forme.

Matematica (12–15 anni)
Problemi a farti amica quel mostro
della matematica? Noi ti sveliamo
il segreto per conquistarla...

ChimicaMente !  (12-15 anni)      
Laboratorio didattico con esperimenti e fantastiche scoperte.
Ripasso e preparazione in materia scolastica.

E...state con ASIG all'insegna della cultura!

The Karl Lagerfeld chocolate hotel room

"If chocolate is the answer, the question is irrelevant."

I came across this photo last week and just couldn't resist sharing this piece of information with my readers. I am a serious chocoholic and always have been. Growing up in Switzerland only fueled my craving. NOTHING beats Swiss chocolate except Belgian pralines!!!

Karl Lagerfeld latest creative venture is a hotel room entirely made from chocolate. The eccentric designer teamed up with Magnum ice cream and chocolatier Patrick Roger to create a chocolate hotel suite at La Reserve in Paris to celebrate the launch of Magnum Ecuador and Ghana ice creams, which are made with specially selected cocoa beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Ecuador and Ghana.

The whole suite is made from chocolate, including its carpet, headboard, book-filled nightstand and occupant — Lagerfeld’s companion and muse Baptiste Giabiconi, who is depicted eating a Magnum ice cream bar. The Karl Lagerfeld chocolate hotel room was created with 1.5 tons of chocolate, according to WWD. Head to WWD to read the magazine’s full interview with Karl Lagerfeld about his current projects and the chocolate hotel room.

Speaking about the hotel suite, Karl said: "It has been an absolute pleasure to design the Magnum Chocolate Suite. My idea was to flirt with a mix of modern and traditional French influences to create something remarkable."

Had this been my job there wouldn't have been much left to show!!!

Migros launches Quiz Mania together with WWF

You have got to be kidding me?.....

Have you seen the Quiz Mania ads around town this week? A Migros ad even popped up on my facebook page, HELP!

Nope, I’m not kidding!!!

Migros has launched it’s next promotion and I’m thinking “Oh no, not again!” I’m praying that it won’t swoop the kids into its realm like it did with Nanomania. By the way, how many of you remembered after Easter to pick up their missing Joker Nanos with the stamped ticket you received when Mirgos went out of stock back in March? Hmmm?!? How many kids remembered?!? Just keep this in mind, for the next hurricane is about to hit us!

Beware everyone: during the next six week the Mania fever will spread across Switzerland!

Migros has teamed up with WWF (which can only be a good sign) to launch their 3rd campaign called QuizMania from May 10th to June 20th. Together they have developed a special version of the cult game "Trivial Pursuit". The board game questions revolve around the categories "Forest and Meadow, " "Mountains", "Air", "Sea", "Nutrition" and "The Human race". Simultaneously WWF is launching Pandalympia, a mystery book to commemorate WWF’s 50th anniversary.

The implementation is as the previous manias: with every purchase of CHF 20.- you receive a package of five quiz cards that have six questions and answers. Thanks to the knowledge of the WWF, you can look forward to a colorful and exciting range of questions. Overall, the game contains 200 cards: 100 for children (eight years and above) and cards 100 for adults. The compact game with a board, playing pieces, a dice and a starter set of 20 quiz cards is on sale at Migros stores for CHF 9.80. For every game sold one CHF is donated to the WWF projects in climate protection. Now, THAT makes me feel a wee bit better.

I am very happy to announce that 4 Joker days are planned. On 18 May, customers will receive double the number of cards. On 25th May you have to rise real early because with a purchase of CHF 60.- Migros offers a CD with WWF Birthday Song by “Schtärneföifi” and other children's songs by popular Swiss artists. (I will honestly run in Mirgos headquarter doors should they run out of stock on that day!!!!! Yes, I have already given in to the fact that I will not be able to manouver my way around Migros thanks to my persistant daughter). On June 1st and 8th customers receive (in exchange for a CHF 60.- purchase) wild cards, which will complete the game.

WWF have been given a great opportunity to publicize their 50th anniversary. Unfortunate that looking at the Quizmania packet closer: it is Made in China (child labor?) of cotton (organic?) with instructions (recycled / FSC). Somehow I get the feeling WWF got the shorter end of the deal?!?

Start by testing your WWF knowledge with this quiz. http://www.wwfblogs.org. I got 8 out of 10 answers correct. How about you?

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 - Anna Rossinelli

After 6 years of internal selections it was announced in June 2010 that SRG (Swiss public broadcasting organisation) were looking at possibilities to hold a national final to select the Swiss entry, the first time since 2004.

On 24 August the Swiss television (SF) announced that a national final would be organised, after increased popularity for Eurovision in Switzerland after victories for Norway and Germany. SRG compiled the list of candidates for the national selection final with the Swiss radio broadcaster DRS 3 as well as the Swiss French and Italian-language television networks TSR and RSI. A national final with 12 finalists saw Anna Rossinelli with her song "In love for a while" take the prize by televoting with a wooping 23,9%. Switzerland was the first country to announce its artist and song for the 2011 contest back in December 2010.

The catchy and tastefully-arranged acoustic song (even if it does break out into a long string of 'na-na-na's' at one point) has been written and produced by the Swiss musician David Klein, who has previously composed songs for stars such as Herbert Grönemeyer, Xavier Naidoo and Sarah Connor.

Anna (born April 20th, 1987 in Basel) went on to qualify for the first time since 2006 for Eurovision's big final. Switzerland's highest position in the final has been sixteenth in the past ten years!

When it comes to stardom and an international career, the likeable and refreshingly modest singer has both feet firmly on the ground: “I’m far from being a star. I just love to make music with the other members of my band, Georg Dillier (bass) and Manuel Meisel (guitar). We’ll wait and see what happens.”

Last night Anna Rossinelli tried to follow in the footsteps of the first ever Eurovision Song Contest winner in 1956, Lys Assia, or worldwide superstar Celine Dion, who took the trophy for Switzerland in 1988. Anna delivered a stunning performance full of emotion and self-confidence.

Watched by an audience of 38,000 in the Düsseldorf Arena and more than 120 million TV viewers in front of their TV sets in over 45 countries, the Final of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest celebrated Ell and Nikki from Azerbaijan as this year's winner. Anna Rossinelli came in at a disappointing last place. Nervertheless, well done, Anna. You made the Swiss very proud just by qualifing for the final!

Music and Lyrics to "In love for a while": click here

Personal note: my favourite (after Anna of course) was the colourful, funky 60's-styled lady quartett from Serbia with their happy groovy song: "Čaroban"

A walk through Lugano's Parco Ciani

I never get tired of looking out onto the Lake of Lugano

The perfect spot to settle and contemplate how good life is

Pink Azeleas all around

A feeling of Tropics

A gate onto the world

Fancy a dip in the lake?

Time for an ice cream

Meet Switzerland's US Ambassador in Montagnola - Lugano

“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
Adlai E. Stevenson (American Politician. Governor of Illinois (1949-53) and Ambassador to the United Nations (1961-65).

This is a rare occasion that my American followers living around Lugano should not miss.  On June 1st,  2011 there will be a Town Hall Meeting in Montagnola featuring the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, Donald S. Beyer, Jr. He will discuss current services available to Americans abroad, and there will be ample time for questions. TASIS invites you to a reception immediately following the Town Hall meeting at Casa Fleming, hosted by Lynn Fleming Aeschliman, Chairman of the Board.

Please spread the word to all Americans living in Ticino. The Town Hall Meeting is free and open to the public.

Who: US Ambassador to Switzerland, Donlad S. Beyer, Jr.
When: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Time: 18:30 to 20:00
Where: The Palmer Cutural Center, The American School in Switzerland, Montagnola
RSVP: erika.bellavista@gmail.com