Dear GEAR Friends,

 With great interest I read all the reports about the different lifetimes of the Gear Members. Congratulations that you are so busy and mainly so healthy! Health is the most important factor in our age, that's why fitness trainig is a Must. As all of you have written some important life marks, I think I have to inform you also about mines. The following points were important for me in these last 10 years:

 2001: Selling the majoritiy of my Telecontrol group shares to GfK Nürnberg.

 2008 until 31 December: still CEO of the TC Group.

 2004: Retiring from the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.

 2006: Divorcing from my wife Eva.

 2007: Retiring from my professorship at the University of Berne.

 2009: Getting married with Arom Thiethoua and building up a second domicile in the South of Thailand with her.

 2009: Making some long range walking tours with my wife (Berne - St. Moritz, Basel - Lugano). 

 2009 15 September: The President of the German Republic awarding me with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse".

 2010/2011: Walking on the Way of St. James from Rorschach (lake of Bodensee) through Switzerland, France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela (approx. 2500 km in 5 legs), one part with my wife, the other part with different friends.

 2011 Spring: My biography (Redline Verlag) coming on the market in Germany ("Der Herr der Quoten", Peter Balsiger).

 2011 September: Acquiring the castle of Schloss Wyl from the Government of Berne. It is now a foundation named "Steinmann-Stiftung Schloss Wyl " which opens the castle for different purposes to the public (see winter picture in the attachment). 

 2009 - 2011: Having a tough law strugle with GfK which has just now ended - thank God - with a compromise.

 2011: My daughter studying Fine Art in New York and the other daughter working with high intensity at Credit Suisse in Zurich. My stepchildren also studying, the daughter in Switzerland and the son in Bangkok.

 To summarize my experience in the last years: I stopped with all activities in Research and Media and started a new private life which consists mainly in the family, walking and flying. On the other side in my business life I conduct with passion my new foundation (and naturally my private company Berakom AG).

 I wish you all the best for your retired life and best regards to all of you!

Matthias

 PS If you organise a meeting, I will naturally join it with pleasure if possible.

 Prof. Dr. Matthias F. Steinmann