US Consulate: Voting 2014

U.S Consulate General Marseille 

Place Varian Fry
13006 Marseille
+33 (4) 91 54 88 64

VOTING IN 2014

Your vote counts!  Did you know that many recent U.S. elections have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by military and overseas voters.  All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline. 

Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in the 2014 U.S. elections:

Registering to Vote:  Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).   Even if you have voted by absentee ballot in the past, you must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to vote in the 2014 elections.  The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories.  It allows you to register to vote and to request absentee ballots for all regular, primary, run-off, and special elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) during the course of the year it is submitted in.

You can complete the FPCA online at FVAP.gov.  The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state.   It will tell you if your state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if you must submit a paper copy with original signature. 

Receiving Your Ballot:  Request Electronic Delivery!  States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office (President, U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives) and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections.  No matter which state you vote in, we encourage you to ask your local election officials to deliver your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state).  Be sure to include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option.  You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery online for most states. 

Researching the Candidates and Issues:  Online Resources.  Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues.  Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain via numerous websites such as Project Smart Voter.  You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.  For information about election dates and deadline

subscribe to FVAP's Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov).  FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebookand Twitter.

Returning Your Completed Ballot:  Other Options.  If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can do so free of charge at the nearest embassy or consulate.  They must be in either postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage, and must also be addressed to the relevant local election officials. 

You may drop your signed, dated, sealed FPCA registration or ballot in the Consular Section drop box:

a. Go to the main entrance of the Marseille Consulate General with your registration or ballot;

b. Announce that you would like to drop off voting materials;

c. Present suitable ID (preferably a passport);

d. Present the registration or ballot;

e. After the security check, place the ballot in the ballot box.

If it’s more convenient for you, you can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense. 

Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website FVAP.gov.  If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact Marseille’s Voting Assistance Officer at 04-91-54-9084, or at VoteMarseille@state.gov).  

Jessica: AARO workshop for US citizens

AWGLR-AARO Workshop
Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 from 5:30-9:15pm

What an amazing honor it was to have welcomed Lucy Laederich, President of AARO (Association of American Resident Abroad), Kathleen de Carbuccia, Timothy Ramier and John Fredenberger to Montpellier, France to give a special workshop on ‘vital issues’ to the members of the AWG-LR. The AARO workshop covered citizenship, immigration, tax and inheritance issues for American citizens living in France.
28 members attended this event.

Speakers (l to r):  John Fredenberger, Lucy Laederich, Kathleen de Carbuccia, Timothy Ramier

The evening began with registration and arrivals between 5:30-5:45pm, followed by a quick cocktail before the workshop beginning promptly at 6:00pm. The workshop began with Jessica Wynne-Samarani, president of AWG-LR, kindly introducing each of the speakers and thanking all members present for attending the workshop.

"The choice to live abroad is not only an attractive choice, but a choice that comes with many hardships if ONE is not fully aware of the implications that are expected of from American expatriates. Educating ourselves about the reporting guidelines that are specific to US citizens abroad is the key to making our life here in France a more secure one.”

Lucy Laederich, was the first to speak about the valuable information that the AARO offers, the role AARO plays in implementing changes in laws and policies to ensure that Americans abroad receive the same benefits and protection as US citizens in the US (voting, citizenship rights, equitable tax laws, local hiring rights in US embassies, Medicare coverage, mutual recognition of US State driver’s licenses by foreign countries …), as well as the advantages of becoming/being a AARO member.



 
Kathleen de Carbuccia was the next in line to speak about citizenship: the rights and obligations of Americans living abroad, the transmission of American citizenship to children and grandchildren, renunciation of American citizenship due to tax issues…



Timothy Ramier then spoke about FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report), FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act) and estate planning.

John Fredenberger was the last to speak and he went into more detail about the FBAR, FATCA and other tax issues.

After the talks, there was one hour of Q&A followed by a cocktail aperitif where members present had the chance to speak with the guests one-on-one with any last minute burning questions that they did not get answered during the workshop.

Dinner reservations were made at Chez Boris on the Esplanade where 12 members joined the four AARO representatives and toasted to an evening full of very important information indeed.

The AWG-LR sends a BIG thank you for all of these four very special guests for coming all the way out to Montpellier to give us this truly necessary workshop and to all our American members who made this workshop possible. Nearly half of our American members were present at this workshop.

Full notes of meeting to be published shortly, as well as all handouts provided at workshop can be made available to anyone wishing to have a copy of them. Please contact awg.grapevine@gmail.com for more information.

http://www.aaro.org

http://www.aaro.org/about-aaro/meet-the-aaro-board

http://www.aaro.org/banking/424-fatca-update-and-french-inheritance-law

AWG raised a sum of 100 euros. The amount will be used towards the offset of the workshop's expenses (i.e, guests dinner, accommodations, etc). The workshop was not a fundraiser, but an information provider. Thank you to all the AWG members who made the effort to attend and participate. 

Linda: Springtime at La Bergerie

Hunting for herbs and asparagus!

Apolline and dogs

Elysa: AWG egg hunt on Saturday, April 4 2014

A lovely sunny windy day at the park du lac du Cres.

12 kids and 5 AWG families.  The chocolate eggs were melting in the sun and the bags of chips flew away with the wind. We also had some kites which the kids flew and food for the ducks down on the lake.

We said good-bye to Angela, David and Michaela as they flew off to Kuala Lumpur on Monday April 7.

Katharine C: England may have Wordsworth's daffodils ......

..... but in the Languedoc we have iris in the spring.  They don't last all that long, but what joy they give on a Spring day.

 The following iris poem is from an old catalog of "Green Gate Gardens 1931" which used to be in Bennettsville, South Carolina. The owner’s name was Gabrielle Drake McColl.

The garden with its little gate of green,
Invites you to enter, and view mysteries unseen,
Its vine laden bowers and overhanging trees,
The air filled with sweetness, the hum of the bees,
The flagged walks with Iris galore,
Of most beautiful coloring, unknown before,
Pink, white, purple, yellow, azure blue,
Mixed and mingled of every hue,
You come away wondering, can more beauty be seen
Than in the garden with its little gate of green.

Winstead.

Peggy R: Garden Group visits Menton for the weekend

MENTON

It has taken a while to do a write-up about the Garden Group's wonderful weekend in Menton – this writer had to make lemon marmalade first!
But now that it is sealed in its pots (following Denise's instructions in the AWG cookbook!) it is time to reminisce. 
'Twas Friday morn when we set out, and two carloads of us made our separate ways down the autoroute almost to the Italian border. (Indeed, when my car overshot one of the gardens we found ourselves obliged to go into Italy to make a U-turn. So glad the days of passport control are behind us!)

Sue Rich, Carol and Maggie

Surprisingly, both cars pulled up almost simultaneously in front of the Hotel de Londres, just one block back from the water's edge. This small hotel was comfortable and friendly and we made ourselves very much at home there. It was set far enough back from the street that we could sleep with our windows open and not be bothered by street noise --- and yet we were close enough to the sea to hear crashing waves during the night.
The hotel had a nice garden – just made for a cup of tea and a good book. However, our should-be-professional guide, Sue Rich (cannot say “Sue R” here – we had three Sue R's in the group!) kept us far too busy for that!
Friday afternoon we went to our first garden, Maria Serena, across from the sea front, and the last house before the Italian border, (that's why we had to go into Italy to turn around!) this garden was built around 1880 for a relative of Ferdinand de Lesseps.
The villa is surrounded by a hectare and a half of gardens, where tropical and sub-tropical plants thrive. We saw lots of different types of palm and “cica” trees....as well as birds-of-paradise so big we took them for banana trees!! The day was warm, the breezes balmy, and it was a great introduction to Menton.

Pam and Sue Rey

That evening, a quick change, a short “apero” in Robyn and Maggie's room – our official meeting spot -- and off to the Casino (not supermarket!) for dinner ... and more? This site was chosen, lest you misjudge, because it was within easy walking distance of our hotel. Nevertheless, several of us did try our luck on the machines....and everybody won – except your correspondant who lost her shirt. Fortunately it was only a five euro shirt....
Saturday morning, up bright and early for a tour of the Menton market. Wonderful! Carol bore away two pots of basil because “it just smells so much better than the basil in Montpellier!” All of us bought beautiful local fruits, and lemons!
I personally bought my lemons from an older woman, who would not have looked out of place in a crèche. Hers were a few centimes more per kilo, but she was so charming and when I arrived at her stall she was deep in conversation with a local – speaking provençal! (They were probably saying, “Here is a tourist; quick, let's speak provençal”....and if that is the case, it worked.) I bought several kilos of her lemons, and into the bargain she gave me her recipe for jam. So I made her version – easy and wonderful – though I sealed it according to “Season”.

Maggie, Sue Rich, Robyn, Pam, Sue Rou and Carol

The market also had stalls with wonderful local specialities....marinated artichokes, stuffed eggplant, local ham, chickpea bread, another bread made with charcoal(! good for the digestion!) and fennel....lemon cakes....the list could go on.We all shopped individually, then pooled our finds after the museum at a table in a beach café. The proprietor was happy to let us eat our “picnic” if we bought drinks.

Robyn, Sue Rou, Pam, Carol, Sue Rey, Maggie and Peggy

Before lunch, we visited the Cocteau museum, a beautiful building right on the beach, filled with light and clean lines which did justice to works by Cocteau, Picasso and Matisse.
After lunch – no siesta in the sun! We went off to visit other gardens. At this point we divided into groups....my group walked to the Val Rameh garden. Others had gone on ahead by car – but we never found them! The garden was so big that you had no idea where your friends might be. In fact we lost Maggie, who was in our group, because she, the inveterate photographer, kept falling behind us to focus on some new specimen....it was pure luck that we ran into her as we left!
The Botanical Gardens of the Val Rahmeh were created on several levels by Lord Percy Radcliffe,  in 1905, then redesigned by a Miss Campbell in the 1950s.
At the entrance to the garden, you are greeted by enormous daturas, at least four meters high and full of flowers. Inside, there are the usual tropical and sub-tropical species, with a definite bent for all kinds of citrus, including a  curious finger-shaped species of lemon, and lots of kumquats.....

Peggy and Pam

A very rare tree, the Sophora Toromiro grows in the garden. It is the mythic sacred tree of Easter Island, though it has totally disappeared in its original home.
There are over 700 different species of plants and trees in this magnificant garden, and fountains, pools, waterfalls – all man-made to keep the visitor cool while strolling.
After we made our way back from this garden it was time to freshen up and head for Maggie and Robyn's again to take stock. Then off to “L'Ullivo,” the wonderful Sardinian restaurant Sue had chosen for us.
We had a friendly waiter and lots of Sardinian and local specialities – lemon pasta, anyone??

Peggy

Sunday morning, we had intended to visit another well-known garden, la Serre de la Madone, high above the city of Menton, but fortunately, we learned before driving up there that it was closed that day. So we stayed at sea level and visited gardens we had missed the day before. My group went to the “Palais Carnolès” garden, which contains ...yet more citrus trees!

Sue Rey

Before leaving for home, we had one last lunch, in another inspired restaurant choice by Sue....this was a cliff-front restaurant in the “village perché” of Sainte Agnès high above the coast...which we could look down at, though through a film of mist. The food in this restaurant was wonderful, all home-made pasta and breads and desserts....as one of us commented, she could see why it was made on-site – getting a delivery truck up the winding approach roads would not be an easy thing!
We discovered that the village had been a point on the Maginot Line, and the fortifications were still standing, and open for visits! While others opted for dessert, some of our group braved the hurried visit before departure (we had to leave in good time to get home for the election results – Pam, one of our drivers, was elected to the town council in Saussines!!)....

Then, back to the cars, down the winding mountain road, onto the autoroute (finally!) -- and home.

Where shall we go next year?

Maggie: the origins of Petit Beurre biscuits by Lu

 

Do you know why the "petit beurre" biscuits by Lu have 52 little scallops, or "teeth" around the edges?

 

 

 

 

 

In Nantes in 1886, when Louis LEFÈVRE-UTILE, son of the founders of the company LU, first imagined the "petit beurre" biscuit, his intention was to create a little cake that people would want to eat every day.  Thus his original idea was to represent time.

 

The 52 "teeth" around the sides represent the weeks of the year. (I'm sure you had already figured that out.)

The four corners represent the seasons.

The fact that the original biscuit was 7cm long was related to the seven days of the week.  (Now I wonder how many people will get out their measuring tapes.)

There are 24 little pinpricks - one for each hour of the day.

In addition, the height of a stack of 8 petits beurre is equal to the width of one biscuit, and according to the internet, that allowed for packaging 24 petits beurres, once again representing the 24 hours in a day, in a square box, but no matter how I try, I cannot figure out that "square." 

 

The form and the lettering were inspired by one of his grandmother's tablecloths.

The idea was obviously successful, because more than 9,000 tons of "Véritables Petits Beurres LU" (about a billion biscuits) are sold each year.

Of course, I am now imagining that readers of this fascinating information will rush out and buy more packs of petits beurres just to verify the number of teeth.  At any rate, I for one will never bite into one in the same way again.  And I may need to buy a pack just to see if I can make a square with 24 biscuits.