Valley eCHo - Arizona Swiss Society

Valley eCHo
Newsletter of the
Arizona Swiss Society
Spring/Summer 2011
www.arizonaswisssociety.com
www.azch.org
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: ARIZONASWISSSOCIETY.COM
Board for 2011
President
Message from the President
Christian Bucher
Vice President
John Thornton
Treasurer
Fred Kohler
Secretary
Gabriel Zinsli
Activity Chairs
Dear Friends,
The New Year is in full swing! We already held our first
event, the Annual Meeting, at the Le Chalet Restaurant in
Glendale. I would like to give a big Thank You to the Le Chalet owner, Alain Keller, and his crew for all their support and
the delicious food.
Glen Floe
Susan Oaks
Kurt Schittli
Membership Chair
Max Kuenzle
Past President
Doris Torres
Committee Members:
Newsletter Editor
Ruth Brandy
Suzanne Steadman
Wood Rudolph
Sunshine Committee
Elizabeth Haechler
Yvonne Zaugg
Historian
Sigrid Kuster
Web site
Carolina Baertsch
Investment Committee
John Thornton
Christian Bucher
Fred Kohler
Social Media Committee
Carolina Baertsch
Hon. Consul of Switzerland
Alisa C. Jost
Consul Emeritus of Switzerland
Max Haechler
A new Board was elected during the event and there are
some changes. John Thornton is our new Vice President and
will lend a magic touch to our society; he’s already proven those capabilities at the Christmas Party. Glen Floe and Kurt Schittli have joined Susan Oake as Activity Chairs. They all
work hard to make each event a success and are always grateful for a helping hand! Carolina Baertsch has joined as a Committee Member and taken ownership of our social media,
our website will be in her good and capable hands.
Doris Torres is our new Past President. Doris was our President for five years, and our Society greatly prospered under her guidance. Doris has very much succeeded in turning our
Society into a cozy little piece of Switzerland, a piece of home away from home. Thank You,
Doris!
Last but not least, I am thrilled and honored to be your new President. I have gained valuable insight of the inner workings of our Society during my two years as Activity Chair. I am
going to roll up my sleeves and work hand in hand with everyone on the Board to further
the success of our Swiss club.
Our last event was the Spring Picnic, at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. The
desert was in bloom, and we had Brats and Cervelats from the grill in our shady picnic area.
It was a wonderful afternoon with great attendance.
Sincerely,
Christian Bucher, President
480-621-6195
Christian_Bucher@yahoo.com
Dinner at Voltaire
Susi Lucas, Elsbeth und Max Haechler with Andre Cuenoud and Don Dugan
Marc Julian Haechler was born on March 22, 2011
(Grandsohn of Max und Elsbeth Haechler)
Frank L. Chevallier
Earlier this year, Frank Chevallier applied for a scholarship as he
was studying Indian culture at Phoenix College.
A scholarship was approved and we received the following thank
you letter a few weeks before his death:
Dear Arizona Swiss Foundation, I wish to thank you for the great
honor you have sent to me. I am trying to keep my mind occupied in
study and I know that I have greatly profited from the time I spent at
Phoenix College. May the Lord bless you and grant you all a Happy
New Year. Respectfully,
Frank Chevallier
Chevallier, Frank L.
84, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on March 2, 2011. Predeceased by his wife, Anita, and stepson Ronald, he is
lovingly remembered by his stepchildren, Kathryn Joseph, David Joseph, Hugh Joseph and Tony Joseph and
seven grandchildren. His compassion and loyalty will be missed by so many beloved friends in the US and
Canada. Frank and Anita moved to Phoenix from Montreal in 1976. He was a veteran, a member of the Huron
Nation, active in the Arizona Gourd Society and the Arizona Swiss Society and was attending Phoenix College
until October.
Notice:
The new Member Directory will be distributed shortly and all changes for this past year will
be reflected in the new issue.
Vice President
of the Arizona Swiss Society
Grüezi,
I’m John Thornton and I’d like to share my story-to-date with you. I was born and
raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, a fantastic part of the world in which to grow up.
I started university at Georgetown in Washington D.C. at the School of Languages and
Linguistics. I finished university on the West Coast and went to graduate school in
economics at The London School of Economics and Political Science. I thoroughly enjoyed England and I miss London to this day. I had studied theoretical finance at the
LSE which I then applied professionally to the esoteric field of public utility rate making for 13 years in Oregon. One December weekend in 2000 I visited my father who
was working seasonally at St. Barnabas Episcopal parish in Scottsdale, and I had the
epiphany that I did not have to wait until retirement to flee the constant rain of the
Northwest. I moved down to the sun in February 2001 and have enjoyed it ever since.
How nice to be associated with cultural benefits of the Arizona Swiss Society and enjoy the sunshine at the same time.
I had been fascinated by languages since a young age having travelled to the Middle
East at age 13, England at 14, and then spending a high-school semester in the West
Bank at the age of 15, attending La Petite Ecole Française de Jérusalem. My appreciation for travel has not waned and I have visited Paris 24 times over the years. My next
big trip is to Switzerland! I will visit Zurich (I have seen her once before), Interlaken
and perhaps a couple of other cities. One of my hobbies is custom embroidery designs
that I create on Bernina software and finish on a Bernina sewing machine. A Bernina
is such an investment that it should come with Swiss citizenship. I will have to settle
for a trip to the headquarters in Steckborn this June.
Thanks for including me as a part of the Arizona Swiss Society. My German ist
schlecht aber my French n’est pas du tout mauvais. À bientôt.
Submitted by John Thornton
I
…
I was asked to write my biography. Usually, a biography is written after the death of a person
and I am still among the living … but oh well!
I
u
t
I do not remember when I was born but I was told that it was on a spring day in 1929, in
Zuerich. With my parents and sister I spoke French at home but German at
school … bilingualism without stress …
I
I do not want to speak of the war.
I
o
and v
e
in 1945, after the nine official school years, I attended Business College, an all girls’ school,
located in the old monastery of the Grossmuenster, the cathedral of Zurich. It was awesome
very proper! After three years I graduated and worked for two years at the office of an ETH
department.
Then, I had a dream come true: I volunteered for one year in a children’s hospital in Biel (Wildermeth). It was a wonderful experience. I
learned truly useful skills and gained maturity. In 1951 I travelled - by train and boat - to England, to look after a little boy … and to improve
my English.
But after one year I was called back to Switzerland. Within one year, I lost my mother and sister to cancer.
I was working at Escher Wyss Ltd., back then a world renowned machine factory. There I met my husband, Erich Zurcher, a mechanical engineer, a specialist for steam turbines. We married in January 1958. My husband had to travel a lot. I quit my job and accompanied him across
Europe and abroad. While he was at work, I typed his reports, etc. … and inquired about landmarks and special events of the region. We explored them together when he was off duty. It was fabulous.
But the family grew. With one and then two sons, trips were no longer pure pleasure. I opted to stay home with the children. But my husband
had to attend the clients all over the world. The family was often separated for weeks or even months.
To solve the problem, my husband started to look for another job, with regular office hours. And, just at that time, he was officially asked to
help industrialize Mexico, in those days a country with tremendous potential. He accepted eagerly.
In July 1963 we emigrated to Mexico and lived there over thirty years. We travelled extensively: from fertile valleys to unpredictable volcanoes,
from the northern deserts to the jungle of Yucatan, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific shores, to capture the diversity of cultures and sites
… Mexico is a fascinating puzzle …
Our first stop was Monclova, Coahuila, a town far out in the northern desert. There were some facilities: a hotel, were we lodged, a swimming
pool … and National Healthcare had just inaugurated a hospital, were our daughter was born. The men worked almost round the clock to
build a fertilizer factory. I met the ladies … learned Spanish … and horseback riding.
After two years, we left for the high country of the State of Mexico. An industrial leader had acquired the Hacienda de Pasteje and wanted to
build a factory, to give jobs to the Mazahua Indians of the region. We settled in Atlacomulco, a town surrounded by pine forests. On Sundays,
the Indians would gather on the market square to sell their products. It was extremely interesting to learn the Indian way of life.
Our children attended the Swiss School in Mexico City. They lived in a boarding house during the week. As soon as my husband finished his
assignment, we bought a house in Mexico City. After living in rural places for so long, it was nice to enjoy the amenities of a big city.
Unfortunately, with the years, the demographic explosion and the resulting smog ruined the quality of life in the Capital.
In 1980 we moved to Guadalajara, Jalisco. During the next years our children left home to study in the USA and start their own lives.
When my husband retired, we made a trip to the USA. In Arizona, we stopped in Payson to make a big hike. It was glorious. We decided to
acquire a cabin and live part of the year there. We made friends, volunteered, hiked and studied the wild animals and plants of the region for
several years.
In 2005 my husband died. - Our daughter and her family had moved to Scottsdale in 2003.
I left Payson and settled with them. They introduced me to the Arizona Swiss Society.
I wish you all the best!
Submitted by Simone Zuercher (a member of the Arizona Swiss Society)
The ThinkSwiss Climate Trail
Global warming is one of the most pressing environmental challenges today. As a consequence of Switzerland's efforts in environmental and climate policy, Switzerland was ranked the
world's most greenhouse-gas efficient economy by Yale and Columbia Universities in 2008 and ranked number two in the latest edition of the Environmental
Performance Index. This study, conducted by researchers at Yale and Columbia
Universities, ranks 149 nations according to environmental performance. The
report’s lead author, Dr. Daniel Esty, called Switzerland, "the most greenhouse
gas-efficient economy in the developed world."
The ThinkSwiss Climate Trail is a roadshow in the U.S. traveling to numerous cities from the East Coast to
the West Coast. The exhibition explains the causes of global warming as well as its impacts on our planet. It
describes how we can reduce CO2 emissions and how Switzerland is addressing climate change. Public
transportation, energy-efficient buildings and the use of renewable energies are effective examples of how
to respond to global warming.
The ThinkSwiss Climate Trail, represented by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Los Angeles, joined
forces with the Santa Monica Library and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment of Santa Monica
to show the exhibition and present a discussion on climate change. Director of the Cooperative Institute for
Research in Environmental Sciences of Colorado University and Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Colorado, Prof. Konrad Steffen, described climate change from a scientific perspective. Daisy Gilardini, the award
-winning Swiss photographer, showed photographs taken during her expeditions to the polar regions. Swiss
documentary filmmaker Corina Gamma screened her film about the wildlife in Antarctica. The evening illustrated the profound relationship between art, commerce, education and environmental protection.
Lausanne
Balerna
Beckenried (Nidwalden)
Rodi-Fiesso (Ticino)
AUSLANDSCHWEIZER ORGANISATION
Vereinfachtes Wählen und Abstimmen
für Auslandschweizer
Der Bundesrat hat einer parlamentarischen Initiative zugestimmt, welche
den Auslandschweizern die Ausübung ihres Stimmrechts erleichtert. Die
Erneuerung ihrer Anmeldung im Stimmregister erfolgt in Zukunft automatisch durch die blosse Teilnahme an einem eidgenössischen Urnengang.
Bisher mussten sich Auslandschweizer, die von ihrem Stimmrecht Gebrauch machen wollten, alle vier Jahre im
Stimmregister ihrer Heimatgemeinde neu eintragen lassen. Die von Nationalrätin Thérèse Meyer-Kaelin (CVP/
FR) in der parlamentarischen Initiative vorgeschlagene Lösung, die den administrativen Aufwand für die
130'000 in einem Stimmregister eingetragenen Auslandschweizer reduziert, wurde auch von der Staatspolitischen Kommission des Nationalrats einstimmig angenommen.
Die neue Lösung muss jedoch noch von den beiden Parlamentskammern abgesegnet werden, weil vor ihrer Inkraftsetzung eine Änderung des Bundesgesetzes über die politischen Rechte der Auslandschweizer vonnöten ist.
Die Zustimmung der Räte dürfte jedoch nur eine Formsache sei
Genf und Zürich: Keine Wahlen via Internet im Jahr 2011
Mit Erstaunen nahm die Auslandschweizer-Organisation (ASO) in der ersten Dezemberwoche 2010 zur
Kenntnis, dass die Kantone Genf und Zürich, mit unterschiedlichen Begründungen, ihren Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizern die Teilnahme an den eidgenössischen Wahlen 2011 via Internet (E-Voting) nicht
ermöglichen werden. Beide Kantone versichern jedoch, dass das E-Voting nach wie vor ein Thema bleibt und
dass es den im Ausland lebenden Mitbürgern anlässlich der Parlamentswahlen 2015 möglich sein sollte, per EVoting zu wählen.
Anpassung der IV-Rente an die Kaufkraft?
Am 2. Dezember 2010 hat der Nationalrat entschieden, einer parlamentarischen Initiative der SVP stattzugeben.
Diese fordert die Anpassung der IV-Renten (Invalidenversicherung) an die Kaufkraft des Ziellandes. Der Text der Initiative muss noch von der Kommission für soziale Sicherheit und Gesundheit des Ständerates und gegebenenfalls
vom Ständerat diskutiert und genehmigt werden. Die Massnahme würde vor allem jene Auslandschweizer treffen,
die in Ländern ausserhalb der Europäischen Union leben. Wenn diese parlamentarische Initiative von beiden Räten
gutgeheissen werden sollte, würde die Rente von Auslandschweizern, die z. B. in Argentinien, Brasilien oder Thailand
leben, gekürzt, da sie dann an die Kaufkraft im Wohnland angepasst würde. Staatsangehörige von Ländern, mit
denen die Schweiz kein Sozialversicherungsabkommen abgeschlossen hat, wären von dieser Regelung allerdings
nicht betroffen, da sie ohnehin keine IV-Rente im Ausland beziehen können.
Building Switzerland
Building Switzerland provides an insight into the country’s most spectacular architectural and engineering feats in recent history. This 13-part video series looks inside architecturally important buildings, discovers hi-tech design, opulent and surprising living spaces and amazing bridges, and talks to the people
who gave them life.
Building Switzerland is a national television series produced by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation,
swissinfo’s parent company.
To access the series: swissinfo.ch/building_switzerland
NEWSLETTER ASO Info
Sind Sie Auslandschweizerin oder Auslandschweizer? Möchten Sie ins Ausland auswandern oder in die
Schweiz zurückkehren? Interessieren Sie sich für Themen rund um die Fünfte Schweiz? Dann abonnieren
Sie ASO Info, den Newsletter der Auslandschweizer-Organisation, und bleiben Sie informiert über Themen,
die die Fünfte Schweiz betreffen.
Die Auslandschweizer-Organisation (ASO) bildet das Kompetenzzentrum für Fragen rund um die Auslandschweizerinnen
und Auslandschweizer. Die ASO ist eine politisch und konfessionell neutrale, unabhängige Nichtregierungsorganisation. Sie
verteidigt und vertritt die Interessen ihrer Landsleute im Ausland und bietet ihnen eine breite Palette von Dienstleistungen
an.
Die ASO ist seit 1916 im Dienste der Auslandschweizer.
Für weitere Informationen: www.aso.ch
Auslandschweizer-Statistik 2010
Mit 695'101 im Ausland lebenden Schweizer Bürgerinnen und Bürgern (Stichtag: 31. Dezember 2010) wurde im letzten Jahr ein
neuer Rekordwert erreicht. Die Zahl der Auslandschweizer nimmt nun schon seit über zehn Jahren konstant zu.
Wie einer Pressemitteilung des Eidgenössischen Departements für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA) vom 17. Februar
2011 zu entnehmen ist, hat sich die Gesamtzahl der Mitglieder der Fünften Schweiz im Jahr 2010 auf 695'101 erhöht, was
gegenüber 2009 einer Zunahme um 10'127 Personen (+1,5%) entspricht. Das EDA hebt im Weiteren hervor, dass im Jahr
2000 noch lediglich 580'393 Schweizerinnen und Schweizer im Ausland wohnten.
Ende 2010 lebten mehr als 10% aller Schweizer Bürger ausserhalb der Landesgrenze. Die Auslandschweizer-Gemeinde
zählt inzwischen ebenso viele Personen wie der Kanton Waadt, der nach der Bevölkerungszahl der drittgrösste Kanton
nach Zürich und Bern ist. Der Auslandschweizer-Zuwachs ist zum Teil auf die Zunahme der Doppelbürgerinnen und Doppelbürger, namentlich aufgrund von Geburten im Ausland und Einbürgerungen von Familienangehörigen, zurückzuführen.
Dies widerspiegelt auch den globalen Trend einer verstärkten Migration auf internationaler Ebene.
Statistik nach Kontinenten und Ländern
Zum dritten Mal in Folge verzeichnete der asiatische Kontinent 2010 den prozentual grössten Auslandschweizer-Zuwachs
(+4,4%) vor Afrika (+1,9%), Europa (+1,4%), Ozeanien (+1,3%) und Amerika (+0,8%).
In absoluten Zahlen dagegen war einmal mehr in Europa die grösste Zunahme zu registrieren (+6215 Personen), gefolgt
von Asien (+1768) und Amerika (+1388).
Fast 60% der Auslandschweizer, nämlich 415'517 Personen, leben in Ländern der Europäischen Union.
Immer mehr machen vom Stimmrecht Gebrauch
Eine weitere bemerkenswerte Statistik betrifft die Anzahl der in Stimmregistern eingetragenen Auslandschweizer. Ende
2010 waren es 135'877 Personen, was gegenüber 2009 einer Steigerung um 4,5% entspricht. Diese Entwicklung bildet ein
weiteres gewichtiges Argument für die schnelle Einführung des E-Voting, damit die Mitglieder unserer Diaspora nicht
länger aufgrund von Verzögerungen oder Fehlern bei der Zustellung der Abstimmungsunterlagen am Ausüben ihrer politischen Rechte gehindert werden. Dies umso mehr, als das politische Gewicht der Fünften Schweiz mit einem Anteil von
2,4% an der gesamten Schweizer Stimmbevölkerung alles andere als vernachlässigbar ist.
Mehr Informationen über die Auslandschweizer-Statistik 2010:
www.eda.admin.ch/etc/medialib/downloads/edazen/recent/media/media.Par.0166.File.tmp/
Auslandschweizerstatistik%202010%20nach%20Wohnland.pdf
www.eda.admin.ch/eda/de/home/recent/media/single.html?id=31667
18.03.11, Ariane Rustichelli, Communications & Marketing
Darum sind wir in Arizona!
CONSULATE OF SWITZERLAND IN ARIZONA
HONORARY SWISS CONSUL FOR ARIZONA
7320 E. Shoeman Lane Suite 201
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Tel 480-329-4705
Fax 480-945-4350
E-Mail: phoenix@honorarvertretung.ch
www.swissemb.org
All correspondence should to be sent to:
Consulate General of Switzerland
11766 Wilshire Blvd #1400
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tel: 310-575-1145 * Fax 310-575-1982 * email: vertretung@los.rep.admin.ch
Honorary Consul of Switzerland: Alisa C. Jost
Hallo liebe Schweizer Gemeinde..
Vor einem Jahr habe ich begonnen, deutschsprachige Bücher von Spendern bei mir zu Hause aufzubewahren, solange kein
germanisches Zentrum besteht. Inzwischen hat sich die Bücherei erweitert.
Deutsche Buecherei enthaelt nun auch Kinderbuecher und Spiele!
Im Mai dieses Jahres sind von Martina Wiesner viele unterhaltsame Spiele für Kinder gestiftet worden, ebenso erhielt ich vor
kurzem von einer Dame in den Foothills Vorlesebücher und Lesebücher für Kinder. Das alles und über 300 Bücher können fast kostenlos ausgeliehen werden. Momentan befinden sich die Bücher und Spiele in unserem Haus(Ahwatukee), da es
noch kein Germanisches Zentrum gibt. Bücher und Spiele stehen Euch, Eurer Familie, Euren Besuchern und Studenten zur
Verfügung.
Bedingungen: Name, Adresse und Telefon sind zu hinterlegen, plus ein einmaliger Spenden-Mitgliedspreis von $1 an AC4GC
(Arizona Center for Germanic Culture). Die Ausleihgebühr pro Buch kostet $1, das zurückerstattet wird bei Rückgabe.
Es lohnt sich mal reinzuschaun.
Herzlicher Gruß Heike Davis, 4509 East Desert Trumpet Road, Phoenix AZ. 85044
Tel. 480 940 5793
Heikedavis@cox.net
Heidi is a little girl who lives with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. In the
summer she enjoys herding goats with her friend Peter, but one day her aunt
takes her to a big city in Germany to be the playmate for Klara. Heidi is unhappy, she misses the mountains and her grandfather and friend Peter. This
story was written more than a hundred years ago by Johanna Spyri.
Many books have been published to tell this story. One of my favorites is by VIKING, Penguin
Books USA (1995), ISBNO-670-86987-2
By Sigrid Kuster
For our monthly Jass Nachmittag please call:
Suzanne Steadman to join the group. (480-966-9483)
Business card size $10.00 per insert
1/4 page $25.00 per insert, pay for four and get 10% off.
1/2 page $50.00 per insert, pray for four and get 10% off.
full page $100.00 per insert, pay for four and get 10% off.
2011 Board of Directors
Please join us
Details to be announced.
shortly
From
Arizona Swiss Society
Ruth Brandy
9009 Palmer Drive
Sun Lakes, AZ 85248