Chasing-Vienna

I grew up in a world, a time, a country, on a continent, where democracy, solidarity and unity were core values. The European Union was in full swing, even more countries added, the Euro was introduced, the Erasmus program was initiated and we were told that globalisation and intercultural exchange were some of the greatest achievements of recent history. Erasmus was meant to connect people even more, show them how other cultures, opinions, people can enrich your own life, instead of hating everything that’s different from what you know. So many students profited from this. It broadened their horizons, showed them other ways of life, of seeing the world and maybe changed their perspective. (I remember a former right-extremist talking in an interview about how going to the UK for Erasmus opened his eyes and he became more tolerant, let go of his old ideology and now has friends from all over the world.) During all this time, I grew up, went to school, studied and went abroad many times, I always thought that democracy was the one untouchable thing. A core value that no one could abolish or even think about abolishing, given especially Austria’s history. Even when more and more totalitarian leaders were voted into office in Europe, when Brexit happened, Trump was elected, I still believed, that democracy would be sacred and no one with a somewhat sane mind would even think about questioning it.

Especially while the people in many countries fought and still are fighting for democracy and their right to vote and totalitarian leaders were overthrown in many countries during the Arab Spring. The images of people storming the Capitol in Washington yesterday has shaken my foundations and the values, I believe in and grew up with (sadly once again in the past few months). It shattered my trust and faith, that the world will continue to be a better place because humaneness, solidarity, peace and democracy will prevail.

Has the Western world forgotten what it was like before there were solid and stable democracies? Are they seriously looking for a “strong leader” again? Don’t you know what happened last time we had one of those?!

Somehow, I recently got addicted to ballet shows and movies; so I've been watching and can recommend:

First Position

Bunheads

You all know this - you walk into a dark room, your hand on the wall, trying to find the light switch, you switch the light on - BAM and it's dark again: light bulb burnt-out!

This is what happened to me today, not that it would usually be that big of a deal. I took the light bulb out and made my way to the cellar, where we keep our supplies.  And this is what I found:

    So many different light bulbs, some had the room and the lamp they belonged to written on them, some where just lost in the big box of light bulbs. What used to be so plain and easy: go down to the cellar, take a new light bulb, put it in and - TADA - there was light in your room again; just turned into a real challenge. What ever happened to making things easier and having one product that fits all, like they wanted to do it with phone chargers (though they put that off as well) ?

I ended up finding about 12 different kinds of light bulbs, none of them the model I was looking for. Luckily, we did have another lamp not-in-use at the moment, which I could put in my room to get some light while studying. Still, I will have to make a trip to OBI tomorrow WITH the old light bulb and ask a guy there to give me the exact same model which will fit into my lamp.

Basically the best thing that can happen to you, is to be able to follow your dreams and end up doing something you love doing, being able to earn a living with it and ideally being able to make other people happy with it!

  Erster Schritt: Wegfall der Großschreibung. einer sofortigen einführung steht nichts im weg, zumal schon viele grafikerund werbeleute zur kleinschreibung übergegangen sind.

zweiter schritt: wegfall der dehnungen und schärfungen. dise masname eliminiert schon di gröste felerursache in der grundschule, den sin oder unsin unserer konsonantenverdoplung hat onehin nimand kapirt.

driter schrit: v und ph ersezt durch f / z und sch ersezt durch s. das alfabet wird um swei buchstaben redusirt, sreibmasinen und sesmasinen fereinfachen sich, wertfole arbeitskräfte könen der wirtsaft sugefürt werden.

firter srit: q, c und ch ersest durch k / j und y ersest durch i / pf ersest durch f. iest sind son seks bukstaben ausgesaltet, di sulseit kan sofort von ein auf swei iare ferkürst werden, anstat aktsig prosent rektsreibunterikt könen nüslikere fäker wi fisik, kemi, reknen mer geflegt werden.