GenevaLunch - Arts and Entertainment

Federer's watch gives Rolex an extra smile as watch fair opens in Basel

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 07:32:03 +0100

Le Matin, Fre - First it was Breitling whose hot air balloon world tour was celebrated on a stamp in 1999 and now it's Rolex's turn to smile at the additional free publicity from having its watch appear on Swiss postage stamps. Roger Federer's new stamp shows the tennis champion holding his Wimbledon trophy - with his Rolex in plain view. Le Matin talked to watchmakers as the [annual watch fair](http://www.baselworld.com/go/id/ss/lan

Paleo 2007 programme leaked online

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:42:03 +0100

24 Heures, Fre - The programme for the Paléo music festival, 24-29 July in Nyon, was leaked a week ahead of the official press conference 17 April and is now available online. Tickets go on sale 18 April. Paléo officials have refused to comment on the leak and the programme, which remains unconfirmed except for Bjork.

Post office breaks Swiss philately taboo with Federer stamp

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 06:26:24 +0100

Roger Federer stamp issued by La Poste in Switzerland 10 April 2007

Tribune de Geneve/sports, Fre and GenevaLunch - The Swiss postal service Tuesday unveiled its new collectors' stamp featuring tennis star Roger Federer, breaking its own taboo against images of living people on stamps. Swiss philately has long been a hobby around the world but the new Federer one-franc stamp is already at the top of the list of most popular La Poste online shop items because it is expected to be very popular with non-collectors, for simply sending mail.

Omegamania upcoming sale has watch-lovers' hearts ticking faster

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:02:25 +0100

swissinfo - The momentum is building for watch-lovers from around the world as Geneva prepares to host Omegamania 14-15 April. The sale of special Omega watches follows a world tour of the timepieces, in lots of 300, that has pulled in large crowds, especially in Asia. The sales collection includes watches that have been in space and many that were owned by the rich and famous. The auction was organized to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Omega Speedmaster model, more often known as the Moon Watch.

Martha Kleiber's magical eggshells 2

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:33:23 +0100

Martha Kleiber's magical eggshells 1

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:31:39 +0100

Interview: Martha Kleiber on everything to do with eggshells except walk on them

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:13:05 +0100

A white chicken roosts on the corner of Marthe Kleiber's workbench, watching the proceedings with a beady eye. Speckled goose eggs hang in chains from the ceiling, crates of hen's eggs, in every shade from dazzling white to creamy fudge to biscuit, are stacked up on shelves, on the floor. Three large ostrich eggs, suspended on wires, diffuse a soft glow.

Yes to the Rolling Stones free tickets for Migros

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:42:32 +0100

24 Heures/47974), Fre - Migros will be able to carry out its plan to give away 30,000 tickets to a Rolling Stone concert in Lausanne in August, the Swiss Intercantonal Lottery Commission has decided, but it is not entirely happy with the Migros system. To win two tickets to the 11 August concert at the Pontaise stadium, you must have a free Cumulus loyalty card from the supermarket and collect 10 Rolling Stones stickers between 10 and 22 April. A sticker is given for each SFR10 purchase. Alternatively - because in Switzerland lotteries have to be free and open to everyone - you can write to Migros in Zurich and request the stickets.

Geneva's opera hit by bad "notes"

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 09:57:56 +0100

Tribune de Geneve, no page link available, Fre - Reports by an auditor on Geneva's Grand Théâtre that were made public Monday point the finger at the group's administration as well as government officials for the problems that have beset the lyric opera house in recent months. The Grand Théâtre has been riddled with infighting and the new reports propose a mediator and a complete restructuring of the opera, which is funded in part by the public.

Criticism was directed particularly at human resources

Who dyed Lake Geneva red?

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:13:38 +0100

There is an old tradition in Switzerland that newspapers, radio and TV play April Fools jokes. Like most jokes, they're pretty funny if you're not in the firing line.

WRG ran a nice lineup this morning of the stories the local media did Sunday, for 1 April. Among them were a story on Swiss milk being turned to laitenol (milking the climate change trend, I'd say) and Swiss wives being invited to "Desperate Housewives," who would probably have to clean up their act (oh, that old Swiss cleanliness routine!).

I wasn't aware of this media trickery my first year in Switzerland and I was convinced by colleagues at Time magazine that a story in one of the top newspapers about the Saleve in Geneva being destroyed, or something similar, was true. I was a little fuzzy on what and where that cliff was anyway - I lived in Etoy, down the lake. They conned me into phoning the staid, humorless Swiss editor to ask for details and a local contact. He's still around and I've never had the nerve to speak to the man since - he clearly thought I was a fool. He's strongly anti-American, so I probably confirmed his prejudices.

"Cabinet ministers should not sing"

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 07:16:34 +0100

swissinfo - "Cabinet ministers should not sing," Urs Altermatt, professor of history at Fribourg University, told the Mittelland Zeitung newspaper. His solemn remark is part of the political flak hitting Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey after the announcement that she will sing an Edith Piaf song on Les Coups de Coeur, a TSR (French-language television) programme. The song has been recorded and will part of the 19 May programme.

Setting aside snide remarks about tunefulness (apparently, the president has a good voice) and ministers singing for their supper, some Swiss politicians are saying that government leaders should not detract from the importance of political content by crossing over to entertainment. Calmy-Rey has snapped back that it's also important to reach out to the public.

Long legs in Geneva: inauguration of the Place des Nations

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:33:31 +0100

Legs were the talk of the day at the inauguration of the Place des Nations in Geneva, 29 March, where the "Broken Chair" sculpture sets the tone. Local police were surprised when these legs crossed the street to the ceremony.

Geneva, Place des Nations, "Broken Chair"

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:31:39 +0100

Inauguration of the Place des Nations, Geneva United Nations, 29 March 2007.

Rolling Stones and Migros push Lausanne into tax battle

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:03:11 +0100

Le Matin, Fre - To tax or not to tax, that is the question being hotly argued by Lausanne's city authorities in relation to the August 2007 Rolling Stones concert offered by Migros. The supermarket chain is giving away 30,000 tickets to the concert via its Cumulus card loyalty system. At issue is whether or not the tickets are really free, since Migros clients who win tickets will have 6,000 points deducted from their Cumulus accounts. Socialist Culture Minister Silvia Zamora argues that it's not the city's role to become "hyperactive" and spend its time doing Cumuls points accounting. She considers the concert a wonderful opportunity for the city while more right-leaning members of the city council argue that the Cumulus points are just another form of payment.

pillow, pre-fight

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:41:37 +0100