GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – David Cay Johnston, Reuters columnist, says he thinks the chances are only one in 84,000 that the US Congress will simplify the US tax system, but he’s nevertheless taking on the admirable job of pointing out to them the wisdom of doing so. Johnston’s blog post was sparked by a federal government action to shut down “a nationwide chain of income tax preparation shops it accuses of fraud”.

His lengthy post on why and how to do so are worth reading if the subject affects you, which means just about anyone in Switzerland or France (read: living abroad) who has to file US taxes. Since the complexity and exorbitant cost of filing US taxes for people who don’t owe tax is one of the reasons cited by many Americans abroad for their failure to file (and to thus be considered non-compliant), any suggestions to simplify the system are worth discussion.

Johnston points out that:

“Congress could easily eliminate fraud by abusive tax preparers, as is alleged in the Ogbazion case, and save taxpayers billions of dollars annually, by simply ending mandatory filing of tax returns for most taxpayers.

“About 100 million taxpayers — those whose income is entirely from wages and retirement funds, and who do not itemize deductions — should not have to file returns. The government already has the information it needs to calculate the taxes these people owe, once they supply their marital status and number of dependents. It would not take much to automate their income tax payments, as many other modern countries do.”

The remarkably simpler Swiss tax filing system, for example, requires people in this category to file, but the numbers are calculated for them and the process is quick and simple, a question of a few minutes and there is no need to pay an outside company. Bravo to Johnston for suggesting the US would be wise to move in that direction, too.

Ed. note: The next in a series of US Town Hall meetings in Switzerland will be at the University of Lausanne 18 April. There is one more in the series of five, in Zurich 9 May.

US tax filers and anyone interested in the complex issues linked to US citizenship if  you live abroad should consider attending.

Time: 18:00-20:00

Address:

UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE
(WWW.UNIL.CH)
INTERNEF BUILDING – ROOM 126
PARKING LOT: DORIGNY
METRO: M1 – UNIL-DORIGNY STATION

RIGHT OFF THE AUTOROUTE TO LAUSANNE SUD

For details contact one of the following partnering organizations:

US Embassy in Bern: Seth Kolb (KolbSS@state.gov) Tel: +41 31 357 7011
American Citizens Abroad: Marylouise Serrato (info.aca@gmail.com)
Democrats Abroad: Maya Samara (chair@democrats.ch)
Republicans Abroad: Edward Karr (ek@ramp-intl.com)

Royal weddings, such as that of Britain's Prince William and bride Kate, are widely credited with influencing couples to have more lavish, costly weddings

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – How many people get cold feet before they marry? According to an insurance broker interviewed by Bloomberg‘s Carolyn Bandel in Zurich, “the percentage of claims for change of heart is ‘very high.’”

Bandel has written an intriguing article about the relatively new niche insurance business, insurance for couples about to marry, which has grown up because people are spending more on their weddings than they used to. The average cost of a wedding in Switzerland has doubled in 10 years, to about CHF30,000, according to a Zurich Insurance company official interviewed by Bandel. If you think you might get off more cheaply in the US, given the low dollar, that’s one option, given that the average cost rose in 2010 to just over $24,000.

So what kind of coverage do brides- and grooms-to-be get? Power outages, caterers being shut down by health inspectors, illness and flooding are specifically mentioned in the general conditions at Zurich, which has been offering wedding insurance since January 2011.

A quick look at Zurich’s offer (you can buy the insurance online for CHF69) shows that it even includes the possibility of fire. I recall a niece’s lively wedding where the barbecue set the rest of the wedding area on fire; maybe there is something to this. You’re covered in case of rock slides and avalanches, but not for earthquakes and volcanoes.

Zurich’s policy covers only post-ceremony events and the limit is CH20,000, so there’s no coverage for bachelor parties the night before – and no coverage for cold feet, which is sometimes on offer by US insurers according to Bloomberg.

So how many brides or grooms don’t show up? A US writer says she believes the figure commonly mentioned of half of one percent is low, possibly 10,000 a year. Could they have saved money by getting “change of mind” insurance? No, but their parents might have: you can only take out the insurance if you are not one of the people getting married, so with parents of the bride footing bills that run into thousands of dollars, Dad might be able to get a little peace of mind ahead of the big day.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Sometimes you step out of the office for a couple hours and come back to interesting surprises. I found an e-mail for me, addressed to “Grüezi Mrs. Lunch!” I love the multilingualness of Switzerland, but when a Swiss German decides my first name is Geneva and my family name is Lunch I wonder how well we’re all communicating.

Now and again a travel writer does the world a real service, and Rick Steves has done just that, with one of the most sensible, straightforward articles on The Toilet Problem when travelling in Europe. What caught my eye was his puzzlement over blue toilets in Bern, which I haven’t encountered myself, and his comment that the blue lights discourage drug users, who can’t see their veins there. No idea if he has a good source to back this up, or if it’s just his own travel-savvy assessment, but it made me read the rest of the article, which has sound advice for travellers anywhere.

I don’t know about your mother, but mine was a lot like his, always suggesting that we should use “the facilities” while we were in a place because you never knew when you’d find them again.

The only thing I would add is that in my 25 years in Switzerland I have rarely found a cafe or restaurant that objected if I asked if I could use the toilets. And gas stations usually have them outside, and are happy to give you the key if you ask.

Update 28 May: link to “Wonderland” web page and to another review of the show

Two artists are currently showing us flowers and plant life in very different ways, but to the same end: drawing our attention to a part of the world around us that we too easily take for granted.

Click on images to view larger

“Botanicalendar”

"Botanicalendar" by Gusta van Dobbenburgh

One is local botanical artist Gusta van Dobbenburgh, whose luminous and elegantly delicate paintings of garden beauties have now been brought together in a fine “Botanicalendar” with Lausanne designer Sue Niewiarowski as the calendar designer. The artist recently had an exhibit at EPFL in Lausanne, “Where art and science meet”.

The calendar sells for CHF25 directly from the artist and it is also on sale for slightly more at the Vullierens Iris Garden gift shop near Morges, which has a spectacular show of several thousand irises on view until 13 June.

“Wonderland: Rediscovering the Garden”

Queen Anne's lace (©2010 Mary Tiegreen)

Mary Tiegreen with morning glories

The flower images which feature in artist Mary Tiegreen’s New York exhibition, “Wonderland: Rediscovering the Garden”, are simply the most stupendous flower portraits I have ever seen, and I do a good deal of garden photography and follow the work of others.

Mary Tiegreen’s flowers are complemented by an extraordinary lineup of vegetables and small treasure “finds” from her garden on the Hudson, not far north of Manhattan. Her husband is Swiss, his family lives in Europe, and the couple spend time each year in the Lake Geneva region.

If you’re in New York City 1-14 June, put the exhibit on your agenda. It is hosted by the National Arts Club in its garden court.

These are not flowers that Tiegreen is presenting, but glimpses into a secret miniature world, with access provided by her desktop scanner, used in the dark. She has a good eye and a sound knowledge of technology. She uses both to shrink us down to Lilliputian size compared to the garden treasures.

Begonia (image © Mary Tiegreen)

These are portraits by the artist as a marvelling, humble gardener. The sense of joy given by her garden to the artist is clear in the images, as is her sense of perception, reversed from our everyday relations with these objects. We are small: nature is suddenly grand.

The portraits are huge, for a start—larger than life doesn’t quite describe them: 40 x 60 inches ( 1m x 1.27m) for a single bloom. The detail is extraordinary, something you don’t achieve with normal photography, and the lighting casts a magic of its own, especially noticeable with the white flowers. The result is breathtaking.

The portraits on canvas sell in limited editions (and yes, they can be shipped internationally, although not cheaply). If you have a large wall space and want to bring a greener world indoors, this is a spectacular way to do it.

Pink callas (image ©2010 Mary Tiegreen)

Tiegreen is a designer, author and photographer who has worked in New York since 1978.

She has been capturing seasonal visitors to her garden north of the city since 1995.

Her up-close portraits include poppies, peonies, magnolias, calla lilies, a variety of tulips, morning glories, heirloom tomatoes, dragon tongue beans and objects found in the garden which have become part of it, each observed and captured for the marvel of nature that it is—if only we pause to really look.

“After more than 15 years of living in Manhattan, we moved to a small village on the Hudson and I rediscovered nature in a big way. I found a sense of wonder that I had misplaced, coming back again to my childhood summers in Northern Michigan, where I loved communing with pine cones and minnows and maidenhair ferns,” says the artist.

Exhibition: “Wonderland: Rediscovering the Garden”: free and open to the public
1-14 June 2010 (opening reception 3 June, 18:00-20:00)
National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy South, New York City

Sponsored by WINGS WorldQuest, a non-profit organization that recognizes and supports visionary women who are advancing scientific inquiry and environmental conservation

Cranberry beans (image ©2010 Mary Tiegreen)

[correction, 7 March: music played for the encoreI have rarely been so blown away at a classical music concert as I was last night, 2 March, at Geneva's Victoria Hall. Mélodie Zhao turned composer Frédéric Chopin's complete 27 Etudes into something I didn't know the collection had the capacity to be: magnificently passionate. The romantic music, which in some pianists' hands verges on the saccharine, last night would have made the composer proud, I feel certain. It's easy to go into a Zhao concert being impressed by her technical skills and poise on stage as a 15-year-old, but Tuesday night it was impossible to come out even remembering her age, for her stage performance and the music that filled the hall were those of a mature artist. "She's a genius," said the woman next to me, coming out of the hall. "Unbelievable!" another exclaimed to her companion.

I've heard her practice and I have the excellent CDs with 24 Etudes, made when she was only 13, but seeing her perform live, and with two years more musical maturity, transformed the music. Happy 200th birthday, Mr Chopin!

Two strong ovations from the crowd brought her back to play Chopin's Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante op.22., where she displayed yet more of her dazzling talent.

Melodie Zhao signing autographs after Chopin concert, 2 March 2010, Victoria Hall, Geneva

We all looked drained as we flocked into the lobby, for watching Zhao in person is like being a privileged spectator as shifting winds and sunlight dance over an open sea. To my great surprise, the young pianist was already seated at a table and signing autographs for a large crowd, with an enthusiasm and energy that didn’t show any strain from what has to have been a physically daunting performance!

Background: GenevaLunch feature on Mélodie Zhao

Review in Le Temps (Fre)

Two notable writers with strong Swiss connections will be leading a four-day writing workshop in Geneva offered by UK publishers Faber & Faber 25-28 March. “Writing Other Lives” is a course “about writing across languages, cultures, countries and borders, writing while living other lives,” notes Gappah on her web site. The cost is £500/CHF830 and will take place at the Société de Lecture in Geneva.

Gappah, who lives in Geneva, was recently awarded the Guardian First Book Award 2009. Christopher Hope, who lives in France, is the author of Kruger’s Alp, among other works.

The course has room for 15 writers. Details

The popcorn, the wine, the Alpine view and ...

One of the real joys of having a family is seeing them all leave, now and again, so you have time alone to do EXACTLY what you feel like. In my case, a recent home alone evening, with balmy weather in the Alps, drove me to one of life’s great pleasures (you might not all agree on the details): a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn, a glass of very good Valais Cornalin red wine, and an excellent novel, for dinner. Forget the vegetables and all the rest. Feet up, the view there during brief pauses as the page is turned.

It was so delightful that I rushed off to get my camera and capture the moment. Here it is!

But when I came out with the camera I noticed a few kernels of popcorn on the ground. That seemed odd. I’d been gone just seconds.

And then I spotted the culprit, a charming cat who’s taken a fancy to my veranda, who had dashed down to the pond and was busily drinking away.

I salt my popcorn. I suspect he was just playing with it and his paws got a little too salty. I do hope he didn’t eat it.

Fortunately, I had left most of it in the pan, so I could start again.

The thief

This seems to be a week for farm animals to put in surprise appearances. Friday we were driving up the hill to Etoy when traffic was suddenly halted to let several cows cross the road. A couple hours later I was in Valais where we have a chalet and as we arrived the gate of the farm next door suddenly opened and out poured Farmer Bernard’s cows.

“Are they headed up to the high alps right now?” I shouted, for human voices don’t carry well over the noise of excited bellowing cows, especially ones wearing hefty Swiss cowbells.

The men running with the cows shouted back yes. Running is the word, for when the cows see that gate open they kick up their heels, some of them literally, and rush off. They are capable of running at a good trot right up from our 1,100 metres altitude to fields at about 1,800. If you’re driving a car on that road, too bad – best to just pull over, rather than get between a happy but large cow and that glorious field of wildflowers and long grasses she knows is waiting for her.

I’ll miss those cows, who are now gone until October.

Meanwhile, two pigs came to Saint Prex and charmed many of us as they wandered around the beach, part of the Cirque Helvetia, visiting the village for two days.

Two gentlemen in suits were a bit taken aback to see an unattached pig walk up and sniff them, not an everyday occurance in Saint Prex!

More photos of Etoy cows, Saint Prex pigs and Valais Farmer Bernard’s cows, including his Swiss fighting cows, racing up the road to the high Alps: GenevaLunch photo album, “Farm animals run the show”

A wintry day where you tuck your head down into your collar and keep your eyes down because the wind is whipping you and you’re trying to get the fresh air and exercise you need you know, but the mind has drifted to a nice warm cup of something, somewhere indoors.

And then you come around a bend and you see the fabled city of Sion! View full size on flickr.

The fabled city of Sion, Switzerland