Switzerland's Political System
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CTA at 150 Panellist Profiles A5
Ignazio Cassis, Vice-President of the Federal Council and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Switzerland For the two years prior to his election to the Federal Council, Mr Cassis, a doctor of medicine, was president of the parliamentary group of the FDP. The Liberals, of which he was a member since his election to the National Council in 2007. His political career began in 2004 with his election to the legislative authority of the Ticino municipality of Collina d'Oro. Between 2008 and 2012, Mr Cassis held the office of Vice-President of the Swiss Medical Association (FMH). Prior to that, from 1996 he was cantonal physician for the Canton of Ticino. Between 1988 and 1996 he worked as a doctor. Ignazio Cassis graduated in 1998, specialising in internal medicine and also in prevention and public health. Prior to that, he had obtained a master's degree in public health (MPH) from the University of Geneva in 1996. He graduated from the University of Zurich in 1988 with a degree in human medicine. Peter Maurer, President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer is the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (appointed in 2012). Under his leadership, the ICRC carries out humanitarian work in over 80 countries. As President, Mr Maurer has a unique exposure to today's main armed conflicts and the challenges of assisting and protecting people in need. He travels regularly to the major conflict theatres of the world including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, South Sudan and Myanmar. As the ICRC’s chief diplomat, and through the ICRC’s principled, neutral approach, Mr Maurer regularly meets with heads of states and other high-level officials as well as parties to conflict, to find solutions to pressing humanitarian concerns. -
Keys to Understanding Swiss Reformed Christianity” – a Short Presentation by the Reverend Catherine Mcmillan, Ambassador for the Reformation, Zürich
Keys to Understanding Swiss Reformed Christianity” – A Short Presentation by the Reverend Catherine McMillan, Ambassador for the Reformation, Zürich Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance on July 2, 2018 in Zürich Sisters and Brothers in Christ, welcome to Zürich! I bring you greetings on behalf of the Reformed Church of Switzerland. I hope that all of you have had safe journeys and that God will bless your time together. My job now is to help you to understand the church setting here. The majority Protestant church in Switzerland is the Reformed Church. 25% Reformed 37% Roman Catholic 24% with no religious affiliation 6% other Christian denominations 5% Muslim 1,5% other religions 2.4 million people belong to Reformed churches in Switzerland. The majority churches are steadily losing members and the sector with no religious affiliation is growing. But the Reformed and Catholic churches are widely respected and seen as playing a crucial role in society. With the territorial parish system they cover the whole country geographically. Each canton or state has its own Reformed Church with its own synod and board of executives. Since 1920 they have been loosely connected in the Federation of the Evangelical Reformed Churches of Switzerland. “Evangelical” means “Protestant” – Evangelisch. “Evangelikal” means “evangelical” the way the word is used in English. The Federation has 26 members. One of them is the Methodist Church of Switzerland. The others are cantonal Reformed churches. (Switzerland has 26 cantons) Many but not all of the cantonal churches receive tax money to keep their programs going, for example health and charity institutions, religious education, funerals, weddings and cultural events. -
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Swiss American Historical Society Review Volume 56 Number 1 Article 12 2020 Full Issue Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review Part of the European History Commons, and the European Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation (2020) "Full Issue," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 56 : No. 1 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol56/iss1/12 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swiss American Historical Society Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. et al.: Full Issue Swiss A1nerican Historical Society REVIEW Volu1ne 56, No. 1 February 2020 Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2020 1 Swiss American Historical Society Review, Vol. 56 [2020], No. 1, Art. 12 SAHS REVIEW Volume 56, Number 1 February 2020 C O N T E N T S I. Articles Ernest Brog: Bringing Swiss Cheese to Star Valley, Wyoming . 1 Alexandra Carlile, Adam Callister, and Quinn Galbraith The History of a Cemetery: An Italian Swiss Cultural Essay . 13 Plinio Martini and translated by Richard Hacken Raiders of the Lost Ark . 21 Dwight Page Militant Switzerland vs. Switzerland, Island of Peace . 41 Alex Winiger Niklaus Leuenberger: Predating Gandhi in 1653? Concerning the Vindication of the Insurgents in the Swiss Peasant War . 64 Hans Leuenberger Canton Ticino and the Italian Swiss Immigration to California . 94 Tony Quinn A History of the Swiss in California . 115 Richard Hacken II. Reports Fifty-Sixth SAHS Annual Meeting Reports . -
Selected Information
Selected information SNB 120 Selected information 2002 1 Supervisory and executive bodies (as of 1 January 2003) Hansueli Raggenbass, Kesswil, National Councillor, Attorney-at-law, President Bank Council Philippe Pidoux, Lausanne, Attorney-at-law, Vice President (Term of office 1999–2003) Kurt Amsler, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, President of the Verband Schweizerischer Kantonalbanken (association of Swiss cantonal banks) The members elected by Käthi Bangerter, Aarberg, National Councillor, Chairwoman of the Board of Bangerter- the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders are marked Microtechnik AG with an asterisk (*). * Fritz Blaser, Reinach, Chairman of Schweizerischer Arbeitgeberverband (Swiss employers’ association) Pierre Darier, Cologny, partner of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie, Banquiers Privés * Hugo Fasel, St Ursen, National Councillor, Chairman of Travail.Suisse Laurent Favarger, Develier, Director of Four électrique Delémont SA Ueli Forster, St Gallen, Chairman of the Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse), Chairman of the Board of Forster Rohner Ltd * Hansjörg Frei, Mönchaltorf, Chairman of the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA), member of the extended Executive Board of Credit Suisse Financial Services * Brigitta M. Gadient, Chur, National Councillor, partner in a consulting firm for legal, organisational and strategy issues Serge Gaillard, Bolligen, Executive Secretary of the Swiss federation of trade unions Peter Galliker, Altishofen, entrepreneur, President of the Luzerner Kantonalbank Marion Gétaz, Cully, Member of the -
Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Strasbourg, 2 September 2008 GVT/COM/II(2008)003 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES COMMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SWITZERLAND ON THE SECOND OPINION OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES BY SWITZERLAND (received on 28 August 2008) GVT/COM/II(2008)003 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities adopted its second opinion on Switzerland at its 31st meeting on 29 February 2008. The opinion was transmitted to the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the Council of Europe on 25 April 2008. Switzerland was then invited to submit its comments up to 25 August 2008. Switzerland is pleased that the Advisory Committee’s delegation, on its official visit to the country from 19 to 21 November 2007, was able to meet numerous representatives of the Federal administration, the cantonal authorities, the minorities themselves and NGOs. It welcomes the fact that during the visit the Advisory Committee was able to obtain, to its satisfaction, all the information needed to assess the situation of the national minorities in the country. In that regard, Switzerland wishes to stress the importance it attaches to the constructive dialogue which has grown up between the Advisory Committee and the Swiss authorities. Switzerland received with great interest the Advisory Committee’s second opinion on Switzerland. The detailed and perceptive findings of the Advisory Committee bear witness to its conscientious scrutiny of the situation of the minorities in Switzerland and its attention to the important issues and difficulties. -
Tickets & Tarife
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Canton of Basel-Stadt
Canton of Basel-Stadt Welcome. VARIED CITY OF THE ARTS Basel’s innumerable historical buildings form a picturesque setting for its vibrant cultural scene, which is surprisingly rich for THRIVING BUSINESS LOCATION CENTRE OF EUROPE, TRINATIONAL such a small canton: around 40 museums, AND COSMOPOLITAN some of them world-renowned, such as the Basel is Switzerland’s most dynamic busi- Fondation Beyeler and the Kunstmuseum ness centre. The city built its success on There is a point in Basel, in the Swiss Rhine Basel, the Theater Basel, where opera, the global achievements of its pharmaceut- Ports, where the borders of Switzerland, drama and ballet are performed, as well as ical and chemical companies. Roche, No- France and Germany meet. Basel works 25 smaller theatres, a musical stage, and vartis, Syngenta, Lonza Group, Clariant and closely together with its neighbours Ger- countless galleries and cinemas. The city others have raised Basel’s profile around many and France in the fields of educa- ranks with the European elite in the field of the world. Thanks to the extensive logis- tion, culture, transport and the environment. fine arts, and hosts the world’s leading con- tics know-how that has been established Residents of Basel enjoy the superb recre- temporary art fair, Art Basel. In addition to over the centuries, a number of leading in- ational opportunities in French Alsace as its prominent classical orchestras and over ternational logistics service providers are well as in Germany’s Black Forest. And the 1000 concerts per year, numerous high- also based here. Basel is a successful ex- trinational EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse- profile events make Basel a veritable city hibition and congress city, profiting from an Freiburg is a key transport hub, linking the of the arts. -
Human Nature in the Valais 1 35
• • HUMAN NATURE IN THE VALAIS 1 35 HUMAN NATURE IN THE VALAIS BY ARNOLD LUNN (The following article is the substance of an address given by the author to the Alpine Club on May 3, I955·) NTELLECTUAL fashions are as unpredictable as fashions in dress. Morgarten was as romantic in the eyes of the eighteenth-century intellectual as Marathon. If Gibbon had been a better German scholar he would have completed his study of the rise of Switzerland rather than written of the Decline of the Roman Empire. ' There is one theme,' he wrote in 1762, ' which I should prefer to all others, the history of the liberty of the Swiss, of that independence which a brave people rescued from the House of Austria, defended against the Dauphin of France, and finally sealed ~rith the blood of Charles of Burgundy.' For Wordsworth and Shelley it was not only Switzerland but the Swiss who were romantic, but when the common people began to invade the country, the intelligentsia transferred their worship to other shrines. ' Mont Blanc at sunset,' wrote Oscar Wilde, ' flushes like a rose with shame perhaps at the prevalence of the tourists.' There are, of course, tourists who would make any self-respecting mountain blush, but it is amusing to note that people who talk like this always regard themselves as exceptions to the general rule that Switzerland has been ruined by the influx of foreigners. The verdict of the intelligentsia on Switzerland is crystallised in a remark which Graham Greene attributes to one of his characters in The Third Man. -
12 Swiss Books Recommended for Translation 3
2012 | no. 01 12 swiss Books Recommended foR tRanslation www.12swissbooks.ch 3 12 SWISS BOOKS 5 les ceRcles mémoRiaux / MeMOrIal CIrCleS david collin 7 Wald aus Glas / FOreSt OF GlaSS Hansjörg schertenleib 9 das kalB voR deR GottHaRdpost / The CalF In the path OF the GOtthard MaIl COaCh peter von matt 11 OgroRoG / OGrOrOG alexandre friederich 13 deR Goalie Bin iG / DeR keepeR Bin icH / the GOalIe IS Me pedro lenz 15 a ußeR sicH / BeSIde OurSelveS ursula fricker 17 Rosie GOldSMIth IntervIeWS BOyd tOnKIn 18 COluMnS: urS WIdMer and teSS leWIS 21 die undankBaRe fRemde / the unGrateFul StranGer irena Brežná 23 GoldfiscHGedäcHtnis / GOldFISh MeMOry monique schwitter 25 Sessualità / SexualIty pierre lepori 27 deR mann mit den zwei auGen / the Man WIth tWO eyeS matthias zschokke impRessum 29 la lenteuR de l’auBe / The SlOWneSS OF daWn puBlisHeR pro Helvetia, swiss arts council editoRial TEAM pro Helvetia, literature anne Brécart and society division with Rosie Goldsmith and martin zingg 31 Les couleuRs de l‘HiRondelle / GRapHic desiGn velvet.ch pHotos velvet.ch, p.1 416cyclestyle, p.2 DTP the SWallOW‘S COlOurS PrintinG druckerei odermatt aG marius daniel popescu Print Run 3000 © pro Helvetia, swiss arts council. all rights reserved. Reproduction only by permission 33 8 MOre unMISSaBle SWISS BOOKS of the publisher. all rights to the original texts © the publishers. 34 InFO & neWS 3 edItOrIal 12 Swiss Books: our selection of twelve noteworthy works of contempo rary literature from Switzerland. With this magazine, the Swiss arts Council pro helvetia is launching an annual showcase of literary works which we believe are particularly suited for translation. -
Clarity on Swiss Taxes 2019
Clarity on Swiss Taxes Playing to natural strengths 4 16 Corporate taxation Individual taxation Clarity on Swiss Taxes EDITORIAL Welcome Switzerland remains competitive on the global tax stage according to KPMG’s “Swiss Tax Report 2019”. This annual study analyzes corporate and individual tax rates in Switzerland and internationally, analyzing data to draw comparisons between locations. After a long and drawn-out reform process, the Swiss Federal Act on Tax Reform and AHV Financing (TRAF) is reaching the final stages of maturity. Some cantons have already responded by adjusting their corporate tax rates, and others are sure to follow in 2019 and 2020. These steps towards lower tax rates confirm that the Swiss cantons are committed to competitive taxation. This will be welcomed by companies as they seek stability amid the turbulence of global protectionist trends, like tariffs, Brexit and digital service tax. It’s not just in Switzerland that tax laws are being revised. The national reforms of recent years are part of a global shift towards international harmonization but also increased legislation. For tax departments, these regulatory developments mean increased pressure. Their challenge is to safeguard compliance, while also managing the risk of double or over-taxation. In our fast-paced world, data-driven technology and digital enablers will play an increasingly important role in achieving these aims. Peter Uebelhart Head of Tax & Legal, KPMG Switzerland Going forward, it’s important that Switzerland continues to play to its natural strengths to remain an attractive business location and global trading partner. That means creating certainty by finalizing the corporate tax reform, building further on its network of FTAs, delivering its “open for business” message and pressing ahead with the Digital Switzerland strategy. -
Trilingual Education in Switzerland*
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by RERO DOC Digital Library Trilingual education in Switzerland* CLAUDINE BROHY Abstract The Swiss Confederation is known for its historical multilingualism. The four national languages are, however, unequally distributed among its in- habitants. Individual foreign-language competence, including English, also varies strongly. The educational system reflects cantonal di¤erences. The article distinguishes between strong, intermediate, and weak forms of trilin- gual education. The strong form can be found at university level, the inter- mediate form includes all bilingual models with a course in one additional language, and the weak form is found frequently, in particular, in secondary education. A new model of multilingualism emerges with two national lan- guages, plus English. Research has thus far dealt mainly with the outcomes of bilingual education, but in the near future will focus more on the di¤er- ences between second- and third-language learning and the outcomes of tri- lingual education. 1. Introduction For centuries or even millennia, the territory of what is now called Swit- zerland has lain at a crossroads of di¤erent languages and cultures. The indigenous Celtic population was overwhelmed by the Roman army at the time of Christ’s birth, like the rest of Europe, which led to the Romanization of the region. As the Germanic invasions swept over the territory, from the sixth century AD on, the Alamans contributed to the development of a German-speaking population living alongside the Romance communities, which emerged from the contact of the former population with the Romans. -
Switzerland in the Second World War
To Our American Friends: Switzerland in the Second World War By Dr. Hans J. Halbheer, CBE Honorary Secretary of the American Swiss Foundation Advisory Council in Switzerland and a Visiting Scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California Dr. Halbheer wrote the following essay in 1999 to offer a Swiss perspective on some issues of the recent controversy to American friends of Switzerland. In addressing the arguments raised by U.S. critics of the role of Switzerland during the Second World War, I am motivated both by my feelings of friendship towards America and by my Swiss patriotism. For both of these reasons, I feel deeply hurt by both the charges against my country and the vehemence with which they have been expressed. During a recent period of residency at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, one of the leading U.S. think tanks, I sought to present my personal standpoint regarding the lack of understanding about Switzerland’s role during the Second World War in many discussions with Americans both young and old. On these occasions, I emphasized my awareness of the fact that the criticisms of Switzerland came only from a small number of Americans. Despite the settlement reached in August 1998 between the two major Swiss banks (Credit Suisse Group and UBS) and two Jewish organizations (the World Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Restitution Organization), the matter has still not run its course, although it has widely disappeared from the American media. Unfortunately, I must maintain that as a result of the generally negative portrayal of Switzerland over the past few years, the image of Switzerland has suffered.