February 17: Took the S Bahn to Klosterneuburg. It is a lovely town about 10 minutes north of Vienna by train. There is a famous church and abbey there. It was a dreary day, but not cold. Got off at the train station and walked up the hill to the church and abbey. The church is a beautiful church with Baroque decorations on the interior. The museum was closed and there were no tours so wandered around. Went into the museum store which shared an entrance with a café on the edge of the downtown. Since Christmas items were 50% off, Mary did some shopping. For late lunch we stopped at a restaurant across from the station. I was a little cheaper than Vienna. Ordered menu 2 which consisted of liver dumpling soup, fried cod (non-greasy), 3 slices of potato, and a side plate of potato salad (erdäpfel salat). The owner and waitresses were friendly—it was not real crowded. On the way out Mary spied a cookie like my mother used to make so we bought 2 Linzeraugen to take with us (these are like large sugar cookies with a raspberry spread between the two cookies; there are holes in the top cookie so you can see the raspberry). Took the train back to Vienna. Got off at the Franz Josef Bahnhof—saw the hotel we stayed at almost 35 years ago before taking the train to Prague. The Franz Josef Bahnhof has been remodeled with a horrible modern glass 6 or 7 story building. After unloading our purchases in our apartment headed down to the Staatsoper to see if we could get standing room tickets for Tosca; however, the line was so long, I knew they would be sold out so just walked a bit before heading home.
February 18: A beautiful day with a blue sky! Since everything tends to be closed on Sunday we did our last minute grocery shopping in the morning and then just went for a two hour walk through streets we had not gone down before and into churches we had not seen. Saw the church where Beethoven’s funeral service was held. Ended up walking around the Votivkirche and back to our apartment.
February 19: Went to church not knowing who would be speaking. The pastor was in Burkino Faso for 2 weeks. The speaker turned out to be David Guzik. I was somewhat shocked, because I have used his commentaries which are posted online for a number of years (because they are free). He is now teaching at a Bible school in Germany. He is an excellent speaker with a lot of life application. Walked to a kebap shop with our Turkish friend and sat and talked and ate lamb kebab. Instead of ordering ayran to drink, we purchased two Egyptian-style soft drinks. They were very good and one tasted a lot like ginger beer or Vernor’s. Walked home through the middle of the city which was crowded with everyone out enjoying the good weather. The only troubling thing I saw was an Austrian holding her little dog up on a sink in a toiletten (men and women had separate stalls, but the sink was shared). She was cleaning the dog’s “behind” on the sink I would be using to wash my hands! And it smelled like wet dog! I think there are some things that should just be done in the privacy of one’s own home. Austrians and their dogs.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Monday, February 13, 2006
Vienna, Week of February 6
February 6:
February 7: Woke up to blizzard. I think about 4 inches fell, but by 11AM it was beginning to melt a bit. The snow seemed to be covered rather quickly with a thin black film of dirt. We were planning to go to the Staatsoper in the evening so decided to eat out. However, the performance started at 6:30 instead of the 7:30 I had planned on so we had to eat quick. Stopped in at our local vegetarian restaurant (Mary’s favorite) and had carrot soup, palenta, and pizza. I’ll admit carrot soup did not set my taste buds tingling, but if you make soup out of lentils or beets, why not carrots? It tasted pretty good—I can’t say how it was flavored, but it had some small slices of onion and parsley. Palenta is an Italian corn meal patty which I have had before. I think it tastes very good, although some might see it as bland. The pizza was like a pan pizza on a spelt dough. It consisted of chopped carrots, corn, broccoli, artichoke, tomato, and a little cheese on top. A couple of slices of pepperoni would have made it perfect, but obviously that would not be appropriate in these “green” circles. After dinner went to the opera “Der Rosenkavalier.” We wanted to see at least one opera in the Staatsoper—the tickets are “pricy,” but I managed to get some on the 6th tier near the middle for $65 each. I actually wanted to go to a performance of “Fledermaus” (my father’s favorite), but it wasn’t being performed. I picked “Der Rosenkavalier” because Strauss composed the music, but I can’t say I will see it again. It was great singing, but it is a schmaltzy Vienna story about a sex-crazed baron who was trying to marry a rich middle class girl for her money. From here on out, I will try to get the cheap “stehplatze” (standing places). I was surprised to see only one woman in the orchestra (a cellist)—it looks like a male bastion. We didn’t get out until close to 11PM. Coming back by the unterbahn saw a lot of drunks in shop area of the underground station at Karlsplatz.
February 8: Tonight we were invited to an apartment (actually it was as large as a home with at least 3 or 4 bedrooms, a maid’s quarters, and a huge dining and living room area—I estimate 5,000 square feet) to listen to two people give a private recital (oboe and bass cello) as a warm-up for an audition to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a world-premiere orchestra. There were about 20 people there to listen in the huge living room. This couple wanted to practice performing before us to give them a sense of what it would feel like when they auditioned before a small group of orchestra officials for seats in the orchestra. They had already done this several other times—those that have heard them do this in past weeks said they were much better this time. They will probably compete with around 15 other musicians who are obviously top-flight musicians. I am not an expert in either instrument, but they were very good. I just can’t imagine the level of competition they are facing. In about 2 weeks they are supposed to let us know what happened. Also met a number of people, including a Roumanian Ph.D. geneticist working with plants, a computer scientist, a businessman working with voice over the internet protocol, and some others. The hostess also served cranberry juice!—something my wife has missed. We will need to find out where to purchase it. We did find cranberry jelly.
February 9:
February 10: We have been fighting sore throats, but thought today would be a good day to take the bus to Bratislava, Slovakia. It is the capital of the Slovak Republic. There is a nice bus line that goes from Vienna to Bratislava for only about $12 roundtrip. It is much cheaper than the train and takes about the same time. We took the unterbahn to the Erdgasse station and bought tickets. As we left Vienna we could see more snow and it was beautiful riding through some of the villages and seeing more rural life. Just before entering Slovakia we saw a lot of wind generators. Slovak customs just looked at our passports and quickly passed on to the other 6 or so passengers. By 1PM we got off at Nový Most in the city center and headed down the street to take a look at Bratislava. I had bought Rick Steve’s Eastern Europe travel guide as a resource. Sometimes you can see him on PBS videos trekking through Europe. Travel guides are good to help get you oriented and can give some good advice on restaurants and pensions as well as describing the sites, dealing with money, etc. However, Rick Steve’s guide is practically useless for Bratislava (and some other Eastern Europe cities as I found out—I should have checked it out more thoroughly before buying it at Books-a-Million). Basically, he said Bratislava is not worth visiting and if you go, just spend an afternoon. So we didn’t have a lot of direction except for some of the sites. We got some money exchanged, although one bank wouldn’t take one of our $20 bills because the edge was a bit curled—a currency exchange store just down the street did and the exchange rate was about the same. Bratislava did take me back to the iron curtain era—in spite of a slew of McDonald’s and some other American businesses, the buses and atmosphere still has that communist feel. One store we went into still insisted on showing you everything from behind a counter—you could not look at anything without a clerk handing it to you. We went into a department store which was a bit more open, but still a far cry from a Dillard’s. We decided to go to the Tourist Office and asked about restaurants. We were recommended a couple and decided on one which was a bit on the expensive side (for Bratislava). We tried two different appetizers: a piece of ham with a small slice of cantaloupe in the middle and a good-sized piece of salmon with an olive on it. Mary ordered garlic soup—it was quite strong and also had some meat and bits of bread in it. She said it would be healthy, but I only had two sips. It really wasn’t bad, although I don’t think it would be the highlight of a School of Arts & Sciences “Garlic Soup Cook-Off Gala” (but it might help lower our cholesterol). For the main course we ordered a Slovak farm plate—it was huge with two small, boneless pork chops, 2 pieces of Slovak ham (a bit fatty) and small pieces of dumpling cooked in sauerkraut. There was also a slice of tomato with horseradish on it. Bratislava is much cheaper on some things than Vienna so we may go back. Walked around and saw the Presidential Palace and then discovered a small Jewish museum. We went in and may have been the only people to stop in all week, but it was very interesting even though it was small. I was allowed to take pictures, which is very unusual in museums so I have some good pictures (I hope) for class. I tried talking to the old fellow at the desk—I assume he was Jewish. He seemed delighted to see us, but he couldn’t speak English or German. I had forgotten my Czech dictionary and it has been 35 years or so since I last spoke it—Czech is similar to Slovak so it is possible to communicate. He was born in 1932 and somehow survived the Holocaust. My vocabulary was not good enough to get into all the details, but he had a brother who was a pilot and lived in New York City. The museum opened in 1993 after the fall of communism. Slovaks do not have a good track record in the treatment of its Jews. We then walked up to the Hrad (castle) which is not one of the most attractive in Europe, but is in a great spot overlooking the Danube. Since we had some time before our bus left, stopped in for coffee and tea and some kind of zakousek (torte!). It was getting colder so when the bus came and Austrian customs let us pass on through, it felt good to get back to our apartment. It started to snow just as we left the unterbahn for the 4 block walk to our apartment—it was so beautiful to see the flakes coming down on the narrow streets.
February 11: Grocery shopping and class preparation. At 2PM we met a Turkish student (working on a graduate degree in industrial engineering) for dinner at a Turkish restaurant on Schweglergasse. He knows some German and is trying to improve his English. He also wanted us to have the best Turkish food Vienna has to offer. So we met at the unterbahn station and went in to a clean, brightly-colored little restaurant. The menu was in German, but Mustafa explained the entrees. We ordered Donarkebab because he felt it was the most Turkish (it was only 7.5 euros which is quite cheap in Vienna). Mary toyed with a soup or salad, but he said the main course would be plenty. For drinks we ordered Turkish “Ayran”—had no idea what to expect. He was speaking to the waiter in Turkish so we weren’t sure of all that was happening. The waiter brought out some pita-like flat bread along with a salad plate filled with lettuce, sliced carrot, sliced tomatoes, and two kinds of cabbage to put on our kebabs. Then our kebab plate was brought out—it was huge. There was a tortilla-like flat bread covered with shredded roasted lamb. Also on the plate was a mound of rice and a paprika pepper. He showed us how to assemble it so we dug in—it was not much of a problem because I like lamb. Everything was very tasty. The Aryan drink came in a small glass and was white in color. When we tasted it I asked if it was sour sheep’s milk!—actually it tasted somewhat like buttermilk, except it was a bit sourer and had a bite to it. I can’t say I will regularly order this drink, but Mustafa says it is very healthy for you! When we finished we ordered some Turkish tea, which came in very small clear glasses and was quite hot and strong. We sat and talked for two hours. Before we were going to leave, the waiter said he would give us some Turkish coffee on the house—Mustafa had introduced us as his American friends who wanted to try everything Turkish. Turkish coffee comes in small demitasse cups and is very strong and sweet. They also give you a small glass of water to sip as you are nursing it. The taste is different from other coffees I have tasted—also there are some highly refined dregs at the bottom of the cup which you are not supposed to drink. Anyway we spent about 2 ½ hours at the restaurant. While in our discussions we did not dwell on international policy, I had the distinct impression that these Turks liked America. Certainly Mustafa kept referring to the US as Turkey’s friend and that Turkey did not like Iran and even some other Middle Eastern countries which I won’t mention who are giving the US some diplomatic problems. He and his brothers are trying to get ahead through education. His sisters are married. We will be doing this again.
February 12: Went to church. Following the service the chairs are moved and tables brought out and people can buy coffee, tea, etc. People stay and talk. It is not like the US where as soon as the service is finished everybody heads home or to the restaurant. We had an interesting time visiting with a Nigerian computer scientist. Decided to walk back to our apartment for the exercise. The temperature is a bit warmer. Saw a part of the Inner City we had not explored. On the way through the Hofburg we heard the most beautiful male voice singing opera selections. Usually there are people singing and playing instruments in the tourist areas hoping people will throw some coins in the hat. Normally we go on by, but his voice was so clear and pure that we stopped to listen and even threw some money in his case. We could have listened to him for hours. Mary found out that he was from Slovakia—I assume he was a vocalist trying to make it and was trying to earn a bit of money. We have also caught some of the Olympic coverage on Eurosport. I think this channel is better the ESPN (very few commercials) and also, from what I have seen, I like their Olympic coverage. You see almost all of the competition so even the losers get some media time. Also it is not just one country that gets focused on as in the US.
February 7: Woke up to blizzard. I think about 4 inches fell, but by 11AM it was beginning to melt a bit. The snow seemed to be covered rather quickly with a thin black film of dirt. We were planning to go to the Staatsoper in the evening so decided to eat out. However, the performance started at 6:30 instead of the 7:30 I had planned on so we had to eat quick. Stopped in at our local vegetarian restaurant (Mary’s favorite) and had carrot soup, palenta, and pizza. I’ll admit carrot soup did not set my taste buds tingling, but if you make soup out of lentils or beets, why not carrots? It tasted pretty good—I can’t say how it was flavored, but it had some small slices of onion and parsley. Palenta is an Italian corn meal patty which I have had before. I think it tastes very good, although some might see it as bland. The pizza was like a pan pizza on a spelt dough. It consisted of chopped carrots, corn, broccoli, artichoke, tomato, and a little cheese on top. A couple of slices of pepperoni would have made it perfect, but obviously that would not be appropriate in these “green” circles. After dinner went to the opera “Der Rosenkavalier.” We wanted to see at least one opera in the Staatsoper—the tickets are “pricy,” but I managed to get some on the 6th tier near the middle for $65 each. I actually wanted to go to a performance of “Fledermaus” (my father’s favorite), but it wasn’t being performed. I picked “Der Rosenkavalier” because Strauss composed the music, but I can’t say I will see it again. It was great singing, but it is a schmaltzy Vienna story about a sex-crazed baron who was trying to marry a rich middle class girl for her money. From here on out, I will try to get the cheap “stehplatze” (standing places). I was surprised to see only one woman in the orchestra (a cellist)—it looks like a male bastion. We didn’t get out until close to 11PM. Coming back by the unterbahn saw a lot of drunks in shop area of the underground station at Karlsplatz.
February 8: Tonight we were invited to an apartment (actually it was as large as a home with at least 3 or 4 bedrooms, a maid’s quarters, and a huge dining and living room area—I estimate 5,000 square feet) to listen to two people give a private recital (oboe and bass cello) as a warm-up for an audition to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a world-premiere orchestra. There were about 20 people there to listen in the huge living room. This couple wanted to practice performing before us to give them a sense of what it would feel like when they auditioned before a small group of orchestra officials for seats in the orchestra. They had already done this several other times—those that have heard them do this in past weeks said they were much better this time. They will probably compete with around 15 other musicians who are obviously top-flight musicians. I am not an expert in either instrument, but they were very good. I just can’t imagine the level of competition they are facing. In about 2 weeks they are supposed to let us know what happened. Also met a number of people, including a Roumanian Ph.D. geneticist working with plants, a computer scientist, a businessman working with voice over the internet protocol, and some others. The hostess also served cranberry juice!—something my wife has missed. We will need to find out where to purchase it. We did find cranberry jelly.
February 9:
February 10: We have been fighting sore throats, but thought today would be a good day to take the bus to Bratislava, Slovakia. It is the capital of the Slovak Republic. There is a nice bus line that goes from Vienna to Bratislava for only about $12 roundtrip. It is much cheaper than the train and takes about the same time. We took the unterbahn to the Erdgasse station and bought tickets. As we left Vienna we could see more snow and it was beautiful riding through some of the villages and seeing more rural life. Just before entering Slovakia we saw a lot of wind generators. Slovak customs just looked at our passports and quickly passed on to the other 6 or so passengers. By 1PM we got off at Nový Most in the city center and headed down the street to take a look at Bratislava. I had bought Rick Steve’s Eastern Europe travel guide as a resource. Sometimes you can see him on PBS videos trekking through Europe. Travel guides are good to help get you oriented and can give some good advice on restaurants and pensions as well as describing the sites, dealing with money, etc. However, Rick Steve’s guide is practically useless for Bratislava (and some other Eastern Europe cities as I found out—I should have checked it out more thoroughly before buying it at Books-a-Million). Basically, he said Bratislava is not worth visiting and if you go, just spend an afternoon. So we didn’t have a lot of direction except for some of the sites. We got some money exchanged, although one bank wouldn’t take one of our $20 bills because the edge was a bit curled—a currency exchange store just down the street did and the exchange rate was about the same. Bratislava did take me back to the iron curtain era—in spite of a slew of McDonald’s and some other American businesses, the buses and atmosphere still has that communist feel. One store we went into still insisted on showing you everything from behind a counter—you could not look at anything without a clerk handing it to you. We went into a department store which was a bit more open, but still a far cry from a Dillard’s. We decided to go to the Tourist Office and asked about restaurants. We were recommended a couple and decided on one which was a bit on the expensive side (for Bratislava). We tried two different appetizers: a piece of ham with a small slice of cantaloupe in the middle and a good-sized piece of salmon with an olive on it. Mary ordered garlic soup—it was quite strong and also had some meat and bits of bread in it. She said it would be healthy, but I only had two sips. It really wasn’t bad, although I don’t think it would be the highlight of a School of Arts & Sciences “Garlic Soup Cook-Off Gala” (but it might help lower our cholesterol). For the main course we ordered a Slovak farm plate—it was huge with two small, boneless pork chops, 2 pieces of Slovak ham (a bit fatty) and small pieces of dumpling cooked in sauerkraut. There was also a slice of tomato with horseradish on it. Bratislava is much cheaper on some things than Vienna so we may go back. Walked around and saw the Presidential Palace and then discovered a small Jewish museum. We went in and may have been the only people to stop in all week, but it was very interesting even though it was small. I was allowed to take pictures, which is very unusual in museums so I have some good pictures (I hope) for class. I tried talking to the old fellow at the desk—I assume he was Jewish. He seemed delighted to see us, but he couldn’t speak English or German. I had forgotten my Czech dictionary and it has been 35 years or so since I last spoke it—Czech is similar to Slovak so it is possible to communicate. He was born in 1932 and somehow survived the Holocaust. My vocabulary was not good enough to get into all the details, but he had a brother who was a pilot and lived in New York City. The museum opened in 1993 after the fall of communism. Slovaks do not have a good track record in the treatment of its Jews. We then walked up to the Hrad (castle) which is not one of the most attractive in Europe, but is in a great spot overlooking the Danube. Since we had some time before our bus left, stopped in for coffee and tea and some kind of zakousek (torte!). It was getting colder so when the bus came and Austrian customs let us pass on through, it felt good to get back to our apartment. It started to snow just as we left the unterbahn for the 4 block walk to our apartment—it was so beautiful to see the flakes coming down on the narrow streets.
February 11: Grocery shopping and class preparation. At 2PM we met a Turkish student (working on a graduate degree in industrial engineering) for dinner at a Turkish restaurant on Schweglergasse. He knows some German and is trying to improve his English. He also wanted us to have the best Turkish food Vienna has to offer. So we met at the unterbahn station and went in to a clean, brightly-colored little restaurant. The menu was in German, but Mustafa explained the entrees. We ordered Donarkebab because he felt it was the most Turkish (it was only 7.5 euros which is quite cheap in Vienna). Mary toyed with a soup or salad, but he said the main course would be plenty. For drinks we ordered Turkish “Ayran”—had no idea what to expect. He was speaking to the waiter in Turkish so we weren’t sure of all that was happening. The waiter brought out some pita-like flat bread along with a salad plate filled with lettuce, sliced carrot, sliced tomatoes, and two kinds of cabbage to put on our kebabs. Then our kebab plate was brought out—it was huge. There was a tortilla-like flat bread covered with shredded roasted lamb. Also on the plate was a mound of rice and a paprika pepper. He showed us how to assemble it so we dug in—it was not much of a problem because I like lamb. Everything was very tasty. The Aryan drink came in a small glass and was white in color. When we tasted it I asked if it was sour sheep’s milk!—actually it tasted somewhat like buttermilk, except it was a bit sourer and had a bite to it. I can’t say I will regularly order this drink, but Mustafa says it is very healthy for you! When we finished we ordered some Turkish tea, which came in very small clear glasses and was quite hot and strong. We sat and talked for two hours. Before we were going to leave, the waiter said he would give us some Turkish coffee on the house—Mustafa had introduced us as his American friends who wanted to try everything Turkish. Turkish coffee comes in small demitasse cups and is very strong and sweet. They also give you a small glass of water to sip as you are nursing it. The taste is different from other coffees I have tasted—also there are some highly refined dregs at the bottom of the cup which you are not supposed to drink. Anyway we spent about 2 ½ hours at the restaurant. While in our discussions we did not dwell on international policy, I had the distinct impression that these Turks liked America. Certainly Mustafa kept referring to the US as Turkey’s friend and that Turkey did not like Iran and even some other Middle Eastern countries which I won’t mention who are giving the US some diplomatic problems. He and his brothers are trying to get ahead through education. His sisters are married. We will be doing this again.
February 12: Went to church. Following the service the chairs are moved and tables brought out and people can buy coffee, tea, etc. People stay and talk. It is not like the US where as soon as the service is finished everybody heads home or to the restaurant. We had an interesting time visiting with a Nigerian computer scientist. Decided to walk back to our apartment for the exercise. The temperature is a bit warmer. Saw a part of the Inner City we had not explored. On the way through the Hofburg we heard the most beautiful male voice singing opera selections. Usually there are people singing and playing instruments in the tourist areas hoping people will throw some coins in the hat. Normally we go on by, but his voice was so clear and pure that we stopped to listen and even threw some money in his case. We could have listened to him for hours. Mary found out that he was from Slovakia—I assume he was a vocalist trying to make it and was trying to earn a bit of money. We have also caught some of the Olympic coverage on Eurosport. I think this channel is better the ESPN (very few commercials) and also, from what I have seen, I like their Olympic coverage. You see almost all of the competition so even the losers get some media time. Also it is not just one country that gets focused on as in the US.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
VIENNA, Week of January 30
January 30: Visited with a 50 year old computer engineer whose contract had run out and he was looking at another job. He told me age discrimination is a fact-of-life in Austria and he was not optimistic about getting picked up by a company. He spoke of the fact that in America such discrimination would not be allowed and he would have the chance of some recourse. Also in visiting with some of Third World students it has become clear that in many cases they cannot get a good job in Austria, but they really don’t want to go back to their homeland for a variety of reasons. The big hope is getting hired by the United Nations bureaucracy. Jobs in the UN are the only way some of these “stateless” people will get ahead or be able to provide for themselves and their families at a higher level of income. Like any big city you see people begging on the streets. Somehow the socialist Viennese welfare network is not working.
January 31: Went to the Inner City to see about purchasing some opera and concert tickets. Visited the Augustiner Kirche and Michaeler Kirche. Walked through the Hofburg. On the way to eat lunch walked into a super CD store on the Graben filled only with classical music selections. I think you could by almost any piece by any classical composer here. Bought Mozart’s Requiem. We wanted to try Figlmüller’s for lunch at least once in our stay here. It was recommended by Professor Yoni A. as the place with the best Wienerschnitzel in town. I am no expert on Wienerschnitzel, but if this was the best, I had to try it. When our order arrived the Wienerschnitzel was about 10 inches in circumference! We also ordered the “gemischter Salat”—a mixed salad. The salad was superb, the best and biggest I can remember ever having in Austria or Germany. It actually was a variety of salads with an assortment of chopped lettuces, sliced carrots, potato salad (Austrian style), a kind of slaw, and cucumber marinated in some kind of garlic vinegar seasoning. If you need a “schnitzel-fix,” this is the place to go. On the walk back we stopped in a number of stores selling “Geschenke”—gifts, souvenirs, etc. Also we stopped in at Gerstner’s to take some torte home for dinner. I can’t say we have tried every torte, but the Gerstnertorte is really good—it is about 2 inches high and has 11 thin, alternating layers of chocolate and cake with its distinctive flavoring. Each slice is topped with a little chocolate “coin” with Gerstner engraved in gold. If it weren’t for the fact that a slice costs about $4, we would be back everyday. The web site on the package is www.gerstner.at – I need to check to see if they ship to the US! We also sampled the house torte which was superb as well. However, we have several dozen konditorei to visit yet. I had to be back by 5:30 to give a short address at the “chapel.” Also ordered a book from amazon.com.uk—evidently using Amazon in Great Britain is the cheapest way to get a book here. Will see how long it takes.
February 1:
February 2: Walked over to Graf Starhemberggasse to find the location of a concert we will be going to – I don’t like to try to find places when it is dark out. Walking back we stopped in at an organic bakery to buy some desserts for dinner tonight. Since we couldn’t buy everything we saw, we decided to get one slice of Kardinalschnitte because it looked good and a Dinkelgugelhupf because it was on sale—of course we had never tried either. Kardinalschnitte may become my all-time favorite. If you can imagine a slice about 3 ½-4 inches tall and 4 ½-5 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick. The middle is about 1 ½ inches of “schlag” (pure cream whipped a bit denser than our whipped cream and obviously flavored) surrounded by a thin layer of raspberry gelatin. Around this mouth-watering concoction is about a ½ inch strudel-like crust. It cannot even compare to a stuffed éclair or Bismarck. Naturally, it is made entirely of organic ingredients! For the Dinkelgugelhupf imagine a very small bunt cake made of spelt, sesame seeds, honey, almonds, and some other ingredients. The bottom is dipped in chocolate. I am told that spelt is healthy for you–better than processed flour—the roughage is good for your colon and it certainly tastes better than Metamucil. It was a bit on the dry-side but very tasty with coffee. We have decided that if you are a diabetic, do not come to Vienna. We will be hitting this bakery again to try some of the other items we saw.
February 3: Because of the computer situation I have been going in more on the weekend to use the internet when no one is around (I have a key). Being able to get into the LU library databases has been very helpful. The library is very small and I can’t always find what I need with a google search. Took the underground down to the Albertina to see a special exhibition of Egon Shiele’s works. He died young in the flu epidemic of 1918 and was one of the new avant artists—his work tends to be very depressing. Also looked in a galerie with some Dürer prints and saw some of the old palace rooms with gilded woodwork and wood inlaid floors. Stopped in the museum and thought I had seen everything in museum kitsch, but for about $10 I could have bought a car air freshener fashioned to look like van Gogh’s severed ear. I know JW would have bought one for his car, maybe two or three even. Tonight we will be going to the Bösendorfer-Saal to hear the Manhattan String Quartet perform music by Schubert, Webern, and Beethoven compliments of the Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy. Bösendorfer-Saal is a neo-Romanesque hall with curved arches and a ceiling about 15 high. Bösendorfer is a famous piano manufacturer—supposedly the best in the world. At the end of February the hall will host an international piano competition which we may attend. It seats about 200-250. I would say there was about 200 people to hear the music and we managed to sit in the center about 6 rows back. Again, I have never experienced this kind of proximity to a noted group. There was a reception following and I was able to congratulate one of the violinists on an excellent performance in person. We like the embassy events because we don’t have to pay for the tickets! The news for the last several days has been dominated by the muslim protests against Denmark and the publication of the cartoon of Muhammad with atomic bombs in his turban. Tonight there were muslim protesters in London yelling “bomb Denmark.” I also heard an imam on TV saying that “friends of Christians” need to be punished. I don’t see secular Western Europe as particularly sympathetic to Christianity. I was visiting with an Austrian who was saying I shouldn’t expect Austrians to be friendly, but I told her I thought most of them were very nice to me. There have been one or two clerks that were not, but I felt I would have experienced this any place I was. The Austrian told me that Americans were generally well-liked but there were some other nationalities that were treated less kindly. Obviously as soon as I speak my American accented German they pick up where I am from and most react positively. There is hidden racism here—I am sure Africans and Middle Easterners don’t feel the same friendliness.
February 4:
February 5: Met a friend of my brother and went to International Chapel. It was much larger than other churches we had been to and everything was in English. The congregation was very international. The praise leader was an Englishman who cheers for Chelsea football (soccer). A gentleman who prayed was from Lebanon, I believe, and prayed in Arabic. It meets in the building which houses the international Christian school. Met a number of interesting people. A foreign national who is a Christian from a largely Muslim country who works for the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) gave a testimony. There has been a lot of coverage in Europe about the IAEA and what has been happening with the Iranians and their desire to develop advanced nuclear technologies which may lead to atomic weapons development. Anyway this fellow was in Iran as an IAEA inspector when all this was happening and faced problems with Iranian non-cooperation. It was very tense for him between calls back to Vienna and non-cooperation in Iran who wanted him to remove the seals. He mentioned praying Jeremiah 33:3 and Matthew 11:28 when he asked God what to do. I would never have imagined there was a Christian in the middle of all of this and a non-Western Christian at that. He also testified about being asked if he was a Christian in the Teheran airport and while he said he was one, he felt that he should have been bolder in his witness and asked that he would give a stronger testimony for Jesus next time. He also described the religious split in his own family.
Had lunch at the Hundertswasserhaus, designed by a hippie artist. The front of the building looks like something out of San Francisico. Can’t say the meal was worth the cost, although a member of the Manhattan String Quartet was eating at the table next to ours (neighborhood restaurants are still the best in my opinion). The conversation was very interesting. The arrival of missionaries into Bulgaria after the collapse of communism came up. The person was saying the Nazarenes (she didn’t know much about them) had a bigger impact than the Navigators. The Navigators came to focus on “friendship” evangelism as full-time missionaries, but people were suspicious of people who didn’t seem to work. The Nazarenes worked in agricultural development alongside Bulgarians and gained a lot of respect and a hearing. Also learned a lot more about the use of “bribery” in Austria to get things done.
January 31: Went to the Inner City to see about purchasing some opera and concert tickets. Visited the Augustiner Kirche and Michaeler Kirche. Walked through the Hofburg. On the way to eat lunch walked into a super CD store on the Graben filled only with classical music selections. I think you could by almost any piece by any classical composer here. Bought Mozart’s Requiem. We wanted to try Figlmüller’s for lunch at least once in our stay here. It was recommended by Professor Yoni A. as the place with the best Wienerschnitzel in town. I am no expert on Wienerschnitzel, but if this was the best, I had to try it. When our order arrived the Wienerschnitzel was about 10 inches in circumference! We also ordered the “gemischter Salat”—a mixed salad. The salad was superb, the best and biggest I can remember ever having in Austria or Germany. It actually was a variety of salads with an assortment of chopped lettuces, sliced carrots, potato salad (Austrian style), a kind of slaw, and cucumber marinated in some kind of garlic vinegar seasoning. If you need a “schnitzel-fix,” this is the place to go. On the walk back we stopped in a number of stores selling “Geschenke”—gifts, souvenirs, etc. Also we stopped in at Gerstner’s to take some torte home for dinner. I can’t say we have tried every torte, but the Gerstnertorte is really good—it is about 2 inches high and has 11 thin, alternating layers of chocolate and cake with its distinctive flavoring. Each slice is topped with a little chocolate “coin” with Gerstner engraved in gold. If it weren’t for the fact that a slice costs about $4, we would be back everyday. The web site on the package is www.gerstner.at – I need to check to see if they ship to the US! We also sampled the house torte which was superb as well. However, we have several dozen konditorei to visit yet. I had to be back by 5:30 to give a short address at the “chapel.” Also ordered a book from amazon.com.uk—evidently using Amazon in Great Britain is the cheapest way to get a book here. Will see how long it takes.
February 1:
February 2: Walked over to Graf Starhemberggasse to find the location of a concert we will be going to – I don’t like to try to find places when it is dark out. Walking back we stopped in at an organic bakery to buy some desserts for dinner tonight. Since we couldn’t buy everything we saw, we decided to get one slice of Kardinalschnitte because it looked good and a Dinkelgugelhupf because it was on sale—of course we had never tried either. Kardinalschnitte may become my all-time favorite. If you can imagine a slice about 3 ½-4 inches tall and 4 ½-5 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick. The middle is about 1 ½ inches of “schlag” (pure cream whipped a bit denser than our whipped cream and obviously flavored) surrounded by a thin layer of raspberry gelatin. Around this mouth-watering concoction is about a ½ inch strudel-like crust. It cannot even compare to a stuffed éclair or Bismarck. Naturally, it is made entirely of organic ingredients! For the Dinkelgugelhupf imagine a very small bunt cake made of spelt, sesame seeds, honey, almonds, and some other ingredients. The bottom is dipped in chocolate. I am told that spelt is healthy for you–better than processed flour—the roughage is good for your colon and it certainly tastes better than Metamucil. It was a bit on the dry-side but very tasty with coffee. We have decided that if you are a diabetic, do not come to Vienna. We will be hitting this bakery again to try some of the other items we saw.
February 3: Because of the computer situation I have been going in more on the weekend to use the internet when no one is around (I have a key). Being able to get into the LU library databases has been very helpful. The library is very small and I can’t always find what I need with a google search. Took the underground down to the Albertina to see a special exhibition of Egon Shiele’s works. He died young in the flu epidemic of 1918 and was one of the new avant artists—his work tends to be very depressing. Also looked in a galerie with some Dürer prints and saw some of the old palace rooms with gilded woodwork and wood inlaid floors. Stopped in the museum and thought I had seen everything in museum kitsch, but for about $10 I could have bought a car air freshener fashioned to look like van Gogh’s severed ear. I know JW would have bought one for his car, maybe two or three even. Tonight we will be going to the Bösendorfer-Saal to hear the Manhattan String Quartet perform music by Schubert, Webern, and Beethoven compliments of the Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy. Bösendorfer-Saal is a neo-Romanesque hall with curved arches and a ceiling about 15 high. Bösendorfer is a famous piano manufacturer—supposedly the best in the world. At the end of February the hall will host an international piano competition which we may attend. It seats about 200-250. I would say there was about 200 people to hear the music and we managed to sit in the center about 6 rows back. Again, I have never experienced this kind of proximity to a noted group. There was a reception following and I was able to congratulate one of the violinists on an excellent performance in person. We like the embassy events because we don’t have to pay for the tickets! The news for the last several days has been dominated by the muslim protests against Denmark and the publication of the cartoon of Muhammad with atomic bombs in his turban. Tonight there were muslim protesters in London yelling “bomb Denmark.” I also heard an imam on TV saying that “friends of Christians” need to be punished. I don’t see secular Western Europe as particularly sympathetic to Christianity. I was visiting with an Austrian who was saying I shouldn’t expect Austrians to be friendly, but I told her I thought most of them were very nice to me. There have been one or two clerks that were not, but I felt I would have experienced this any place I was. The Austrian told me that Americans were generally well-liked but there were some other nationalities that were treated less kindly. Obviously as soon as I speak my American accented German they pick up where I am from and most react positively. There is hidden racism here—I am sure Africans and Middle Easterners don’t feel the same friendliness.
February 4:
February 5: Met a friend of my brother and went to International Chapel. It was much larger than other churches we had been to and everything was in English. The congregation was very international. The praise leader was an Englishman who cheers for Chelsea football (soccer). A gentleman who prayed was from Lebanon, I believe, and prayed in Arabic. It meets in the building which houses the international Christian school. Met a number of interesting people. A foreign national who is a Christian from a largely Muslim country who works for the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) gave a testimony. There has been a lot of coverage in Europe about the IAEA and what has been happening with the Iranians and their desire to develop advanced nuclear technologies which may lead to atomic weapons development. Anyway this fellow was in Iran as an IAEA inspector when all this was happening and faced problems with Iranian non-cooperation. It was very tense for him between calls back to Vienna and non-cooperation in Iran who wanted him to remove the seals. He mentioned praying Jeremiah 33:3 and Matthew 11:28 when he asked God what to do. I would never have imagined there was a Christian in the middle of all of this and a non-Western Christian at that. He also testified about being asked if he was a Christian in the Teheran airport and while he said he was one, he felt that he should have been bolder in his witness and asked that he would give a stronger testimony for Jesus next time. He also described the religious split in his own family.
Had lunch at the Hundertswasserhaus, designed by a hippie artist. The front of the building looks like something out of San Francisico. Can’t say the meal was worth the cost, although a member of the Manhattan String Quartet was eating at the table next to ours (neighborhood restaurants are still the best in my opinion). The conversation was very interesting. The arrival of missionaries into Bulgaria after the collapse of communism came up. The person was saying the Nazarenes (she didn’t know much about them) had a bigger impact than the Navigators. The Navigators came to focus on “friendship” evangelism as full-time missionaries, but people were suspicious of people who didn’t seem to work. The Nazarenes worked in agricultural development alongside Bulgarians and gained a lot of respect and a hearing. Also learned a lot more about the use of “bribery” in Austria to get things done.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
VIENNA, Week of January 23
January 23: Very cold today. At noon it was around 10 (F) so in the evening and night it was colder. The wind chill was somewhere around minus 10 (F). Except for a trip to the grocery store, and the department store to get a stocking cap, just taught classes and worked in the apartment. Our usually snug apartment is beginning to feel a bit cool. Comment on news: I can watch CNN (English) and Euronews (German) for information. CNN has been rather disappointing. Clips of people suffering in Kashmir shown last week were reshown this week—I am sure the situation there has changed because the weather has cleared and relief flights have restarted. CNN also has longer spots than its US counterpart has. I actually think sports coverage on Euronews might be better—you get regular updates on the Dallas Mavericks (because of Dirk Nowtizki). It is interesting to see the ads showing places like Uganda, Nigeria, and Egypt as places to get away—I know most Americans wouldn’t see Uganda as a place for a relaxing vacation. I can’t say what is happening in the current US news coverage, but there appears to be more coverage of Hamas than I recall US news outlets showing. I do see a lot on Iraq and Iran. However, there is next to nothing about what is happening politically in the US aside from an occasional clip of comments by Bush or Rice. There has been better coverage of the US economy and stock market, however.
January 24: Supposed to get up to 25 today. Worked at the university. Since we were going out for the evening, stopped to eat at a vegetarian restaurant that is just down the street from our apartment. It always seems busy even though it is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall. They do not have a big menu. Had cream of broccoli soup (very good) and the main plate which was: kebab with bacon-flavored tofu and small tomatoes on a plate with a cup of rice covered with peanut sauce and topped with a fried banana. On the side was a chunk of avocado and a very good cabbage salad. It was remarkably tasty considering there was no meat. Also had a poppy seed torte, I think you have to like poppy seed to like this (I do so it was very good). We will probably go back regularly. Next to it is a health-food store so browsed there for a while. There appears to be a large selection of organic foods in the stores. Went to the equivalent of chapel—very poor attendance because students are not required to come (the university cannot force students to come because Austria would not allow that). We were invited to a New Year’s concert at the Österreichisch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft (Austro-American Society) supported in part by the U.S. Embassy so headed for the underground to go to the Inner City. Wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was a good-sized room and maybe 75-100 people who were there to listen to diva Laurel James (US) accompanied by Andre Roth (Roumanian) on the piano. I have never experienced this kind of proximity to any professional singer. Ms. James came out in a long red Kaftan with gold embroidery. She was ample, had blond hair and sort of reminded me of Kate Smith. We were sitting about 15 feet from her as she performed a variety of selections heavy on Wagner. It was like a personal performance—I could see her lower lip quiver and look into her mouth and watch her tongue trill. I even heard her go “ahem” before she started. I have to admit when she was singing it reminded me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs flipped a nut into the diva’s mouth as she was singing with obvious disastrous results. No nuts were around so the performance continued. She is a fantastic singer.
January 25:
January 26: A faculty/staff/student fellowship meeting from lunch to 2PM. No students came, but the faculty got to know each other better. Discovered we are in Vienna in one of the coldest winters in recent years. Subway tracks were cracked this morning, creating delays. It has been down to at least -5 F, but the wind chill was even worse. There were 50 kilometer winds. I saw that in Croatia winds were 100 mph and blowing trucks over. I did by a stocking cap to cover my ears. Even our apartment is getting colder. I have mostly been doing course preparation and staying in. At 5:30PM there was what I would call a mini-chapel.
January 27: Told Mary we would take time to walk the shopping districts to look at the after-Christmas sales. Just walked as long as we could—went down Mariahilfer strasse to the Ring and then over to Karl Lueger Platz into the Graben (downtown). There were a number of stores that specialize in African and Asian objects. We went into an upscale covered “mall” next to the Staatsoper and browsed in a very interesting toy shop. Also found a discount house where we got some Scotch tape. Found some fish (salmon) oil capsules for our Vitamin A. Some very interesting Christmas decorations in the stores for half-price, but many would be difficult to carry and when we inquired about shipping, I found it would be extremely expensive, especially for the insurance. Stores on the Graben cater more to tourists so there weren’t as many good sales, but they obviously had nice merchandise. Came back and tried to do our weekend grocery shopping to beat the Saturday rush—our apartment is a garret-type apartment on what would be the 4th floor (there is no elevator) so carrying the groceries up in 3 bags was, I am sure, equivalent to 3 racquetball games. The apartment comes with a fluorescent lime green 4 cup coffee maker so I have been enjoying my coffee. I like black coffee, but tried some “kaffee obers”(coffee cream with 10% fat!). I probably won’t taste it again and will stick to black coffee, not that there was anything wrong with “kaffee obers.” Picked up a few groceries before closing, including an “Amadeustaler” (like a kolache with a nut kind of center) and a coconut sweet roll (can’t remember the name) for tonight’s dessert. A number of shops with interesting artifacts/purses/jewelry we have gone into have a “new age” quality. We looked in one store that would take a picture of my soul’s aura for 9 euros and give me biofeedback for another 12 or so euros.
Politics: Europe is definitely more pro-Palestinian. If I were an Israeli, I am not sure I would have confidence in European promises, not that Israel can always trust America. Also it appears that many immigrants come for jobs and really do not want to adopt Austrian, German, or French culture. I think more “Americanization” takes place in the US, than “Europeanization” takes place in Europe with immigrants. I haven’t heard any anti-immigrant comments from Europeans. However, with young people there is a subtle “westernizing” influence that does take place even while professing great loyalty to their traditional culture. I did see one Arabic BBC news web site (which I couldn’t read), but it looked like they had purposely posted the most unflattering pictures one could of Bush at his press conference.
January 28: Lunched at the vegetarian restaurant and had a beet soup with some sliced zucchini and dollop of sour cream—it was similar to borscht. Also we shared a palenta – which is like a thick slice of corn meal with other whole grains and topped with some cheese and tomato.
January 29: Went to church via the underground and walked back. Introduced myself to Mustafa—a Turk working on a Ph.D. in engineering. His English is poor so we had to communicate in German, a language neither of us are fluent in! He wants to take us to a Turkish restaurant some time. Stopped in to see the Dominikanerkirche and the Jesuitenkirche. In the Dominikanerkirche there was an interesting picture of St. Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval theologian-philosopher, laying his books down at the feet of Christ on the cross. To me it symbolized Aquinas offering up his earthly scholarly work to Christ as a type of intellectual submission and recognition that Christ was everything. Went on to Schillerplatz where there was an “Awareness Day” for the Pakistan earthquake victims at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. Walked on to our apartment on Mariahilfer strasse. It is a main shopping street, but almost everything was closed. It is remarkable that secular Austria basically shuts down on Sunday while in “Christian” America, Sunday is another shopping day. In the tourist area more restaurants are open, but almost all the shops are closed.
January 24: Supposed to get up to 25 today. Worked at the university. Since we were going out for the evening, stopped to eat at a vegetarian restaurant that is just down the street from our apartment. It always seems busy even though it is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall. They do not have a big menu. Had cream of broccoli soup (very good) and the main plate which was: kebab with bacon-flavored tofu and small tomatoes on a plate with a cup of rice covered with peanut sauce and topped with a fried banana. On the side was a chunk of avocado and a very good cabbage salad. It was remarkably tasty considering there was no meat. Also had a poppy seed torte, I think you have to like poppy seed to like this (I do so it was very good). We will probably go back regularly. Next to it is a health-food store so browsed there for a while. There appears to be a large selection of organic foods in the stores. Went to the equivalent of chapel—very poor attendance because students are not required to come (the university cannot force students to come because Austria would not allow that). We were invited to a New Year’s concert at the Österreichisch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft (Austro-American Society) supported in part by the U.S. Embassy so headed for the underground to go to the Inner City. Wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was a good-sized room and maybe 75-100 people who were there to listen to diva Laurel James (US) accompanied by Andre Roth (Roumanian) on the piano. I have never experienced this kind of proximity to any professional singer. Ms. James came out in a long red Kaftan with gold embroidery. She was ample, had blond hair and sort of reminded me of Kate Smith. We were sitting about 15 feet from her as she performed a variety of selections heavy on Wagner. It was like a personal performance—I could see her lower lip quiver and look into her mouth and watch her tongue trill. I even heard her go “ahem” before she started. I have to admit when she was singing it reminded me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs flipped a nut into the diva’s mouth as she was singing with obvious disastrous results. No nuts were around so the performance continued. She is a fantastic singer.
January 25:
January 26: A faculty/staff/student fellowship meeting from lunch to 2PM. No students came, but the faculty got to know each other better. Discovered we are in Vienna in one of the coldest winters in recent years. Subway tracks were cracked this morning, creating delays. It has been down to at least -5 F, but the wind chill was even worse. There were 50 kilometer winds. I saw that in Croatia winds were 100 mph and blowing trucks over. I did by a stocking cap to cover my ears. Even our apartment is getting colder. I have mostly been doing course preparation and staying in. At 5:30PM there was what I would call a mini-chapel.
January 27: Told Mary we would take time to walk the shopping districts to look at the after-Christmas sales. Just walked as long as we could—went down Mariahilfer strasse to the Ring and then over to Karl Lueger Platz into the Graben (downtown). There were a number of stores that specialize in African and Asian objects. We went into an upscale covered “mall” next to the Staatsoper and browsed in a very interesting toy shop. Also found a discount house where we got some Scotch tape. Found some fish (salmon) oil capsules for our Vitamin A. Some very interesting Christmas decorations in the stores for half-price, but many would be difficult to carry and when we inquired about shipping, I found it would be extremely expensive, especially for the insurance. Stores on the Graben cater more to tourists so there weren’t as many good sales, but they obviously had nice merchandise. Came back and tried to do our weekend grocery shopping to beat the Saturday rush—our apartment is a garret-type apartment on what would be the 4th floor (there is no elevator) so carrying the groceries up in 3 bags was, I am sure, equivalent to 3 racquetball games. The apartment comes with a fluorescent lime green 4 cup coffee maker so I have been enjoying my coffee. I like black coffee, but tried some “kaffee obers”(coffee cream with 10% fat!). I probably won’t taste it again and will stick to black coffee, not that there was anything wrong with “kaffee obers.” Picked up a few groceries before closing, including an “Amadeustaler” (like a kolache with a nut kind of center) and a coconut sweet roll (can’t remember the name) for tonight’s dessert. A number of shops with interesting artifacts/purses/jewelry we have gone into have a “new age” quality. We looked in one store that would take a picture of my soul’s aura for 9 euros and give me biofeedback for another 12 or so euros.
Politics: Europe is definitely more pro-Palestinian. If I were an Israeli, I am not sure I would have confidence in European promises, not that Israel can always trust America. Also it appears that many immigrants come for jobs and really do not want to adopt Austrian, German, or French culture. I think more “Americanization” takes place in the US, than “Europeanization” takes place in Europe with immigrants. I haven’t heard any anti-immigrant comments from Europeans. However, with young people there is a subtle “westernizing” influence that does take place even while professing great loyalty to their traditional culture. I did see one Arabic BBC news web site (which I couldn’t read), but it looked like they had purposely posted the most unflattering pictures one could of Bush at his press conference.
January 28: Lunched at the vegetarian restaurant and had a beet soup with some sliced zucchini and dollop of sour cream—it was similar to borscht. Also we shared a palenta – which is like a thick slice of corn meal with other whole grains and topped with some cheese and tomato.
January 29: Went to church via the underground and walked back. Introduced myself to Mustafa—a Turk working on a Ph.D. in engineering. His English is poor so we had to communicate in German, a language neither of us are fluent in! He wants to take us to a Turkish restaurant some time. Stopped in to see the Dominikanerkirche and the Jesuitenkirche. In the Dominikanerkirche there was an interesting picture of St. Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval theologian-philosopher, laying his books down at the feet of Christ on the cross. To me it symbolized Aquinas offering up his earthly scholarly work to Christ as a type of intellectual submission and recognition that Christ was everything. Went on to Schillerplatz where there was an “Awareness Day” for the Pakistan earthquake victims at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. Walked on to our apartment on Mariahilfer strasse. It is a main shopping street, but almost everything was closed. It is remarkable that secular Austria basically shuts down on Sunday while in “Christian” America, Sunday is another shopping day. In the tourist area more restaurants are open, but almost all the shops are closed.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
VIENNA, January 22
Went to church at Calvary Gemeinde. Took the underground and then walked to the church. The Moscow wind has come—it was snowing when we left, but it stopped. After church people pick up the chairs and put down small tables so everybody stays a bit and visits. You can buy drinks—tried some kind of chocolate mousse torte (very good). Visited with a young Bulgarian girl, Krasi, who is working at a dry cleaners. She said there was nothing in Bulgaria so she is trying to make it here. She knows German, but her English is very weak. She was reading a Bulgarian Bible. I know life is tough for her. Also visited with a Nigerian computer networker—he is a dual British-Nigerian citizen. His job here has ended and he is looking for something else. His son wants to do something with aviation so I mentioned LU and that I taught there. His son had visited with Dan B. last fall when he was on an admissions trip to Wien and really wants to come to LU. The big issue is money. He can get a degree in Great Britain much cheaper, but he would still like to come to LU. Walked back to the downtown through some bitter cold wind. Saw a processional coming out of St. Stephen’s with everyone dressed in traditional garb. Stopped in at Gerstner’s Konditorei and for dessert when we get home bought an Obsttorte (Fruit torte) and a Gerstnertorte (the house speciality; Gerstner’s is one of the more famous tourist sites—but there are very few tourists here now).
VIENNA, January 21
Walked to St. Stephen’s to get some organ tickets, but they were sold out. I will have to act more quickly in the future. Walked back and strolled through a department store. We were headed to the Naschmarkt to get some lamb kebabs for a late lunch—we really like them. On the way walked under the Ring where you can catch some of the underground lines, but there are also many small shops. It is adjacent to the Staatoper. I don’t want to dwell on toilet facilities, but I did see (actually I heard it first) a toilet facility where you could hear arias from Don Giovanni or maybe from some other opera while you were using the facilities. I didn’t go in so can’t say exactly how the music is supposed to work in such a facility. Went into a chocolate shop and got some hazelnut and peppermint chocolate—made with typical Austrian care and perfection. Oh, oh. . .the -20 in Moscow is headed this way.
Went to the Schottenkirche this evening. I thought we would hear a Gregorian choral, but I misread the date. We did sit through an evening mass with beautiful organ music and some solo singing. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful in a large cathedral than organ music and Gregorian singing. It is conducive to praying and meditating. Some reflections: First, while it was not frigid out, the church was cold. Everyone had on their coats—quite a contrast from home where people complain if it is too hot or too cold in church. Second, after going to the Jewish museum and the Roman Catholic mass, I believe evangelicals/fundamentalists/pentecostals have lost a sense of the holiness of God. Our services are noisy, folksy, and maybe focused more on the people than God. Certainly quiet reflection is not encouraged. Obviously both Jewish and Roman Catholic services can end up with a mechanical legalism. From skimming through the Roman Catholic liturgy book the phrase that stood out was: “Wir sind nur Gast auf Erden. . .”(We are only guests on this earth). I need to remember that I am here by the grace of God.
Went to the Schottenkirche this evening. I thought we would hear a Gregorian choral, but I misread the date. We did sit through an evening mass with beautiful organ music and some solo singing. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful in a large cathedral than organ music and Gregorian singing. It is conducive to praying and meditating. Some reflections: First, while it was not frigid out, the church was cold. Everyone had on their coats—quite a contrast from home where people complain if it is too hot or too cold in church. Second, after going to the Jewish museum and the Roman Catholic mass, I believe evangelicals/fundamentalists/pentecostals have lost a sense of the holiness of God. Our services are noisy, folksy, and maybe focused more on the people than God. Certainly quiet reflection is not encouraged. Obviously both Jewish and Roman Catholic services can end up with a mechanical legalism. From skimming through the Roman Catholic liturgy book the phrase that stood out was: “Wir sind nur Gast auf Erden. . .”(We are only guests on this earth). I need to remember that I am here by the grace of God.
VIENNA, January 20
Walked to Schönbrunn Palace. The amount of graffiti on buildings continues to amaze me. Also the presence of Middle Easterners is clear. We walked by a number of middle eastern restaurants and saw a number of women and girls with their headcoverings. At Schönbrunn we needed to use the restrooms. Finding clean ones is sometimes a challenge and when you do, you have to pay—but it is worth paying because they are so clean. I have this from an excellent informant, but in the ladies room they have a toilet with a toilet seat that swivels back through a cleaning solution so that it comes out disinfected for the next person. Where have American engineers been? I am sure there is room for a senior-design project somewhere in all of this. Of course, I am not sure what would happen if the occupant somehow moved and the toilet seat started to swivel. I can only imagine what the next step in this technology will be. While I was waiting for this miracle of technology to allow my better-half to come out (maybe I should have her take the camera next time so a similar contrivance could be installed in Heath-Hardwick Hall), I had an interesting talk with the Austrian man responsible for taking the money and keeping it clean about the use of pronouns in the German language. Obviously as soon as I open my mouth, people know I am not a native German-speaker, but I try. In the stores I try to be friendly (people here tend not to be). Some will respond in English and I tell them they speak English very well and try to continue in German. But I am not ready to have a discussion on the metaphysics of Karl Marx. However, while I was purchasing tickets in the underground, I did have a German or Swiss older woman come up to me and ask directions. I had to tell her I was an Auslander and did not know. Did some grocery shopping for the weekend. Bought a piece of Maronischnitte for tonight’s desert. It was a chesnut-flavored desert: on top of a thin slice of delicately flavored chocolate cake there was about an inch of whipped cream (somewhat firm) topped by another thin-layer of whitish cake topped by some more whipped cream which was flavored (Watson-style) and had finely granulated nuts sprinkled on it (this is the best I can do). I did wonder whether I should try to have a different Viennese dessert each day while I am here, but I don’t think 4 months is enough time to sample everything. For dinner stopped at a kiosk and got two Dürüm—paprika seasoned chopped chicken (can’t figure out the other spices) put in a big tortilla with lettuce, onions, tomato, and a kind of yoghurt sauce. It was very tasty (geschmeckt). I will put on Mozart’s Don Giovanni and get to work.
VIENNA, January 19
We are getting into that “watching the exchange rate” mode—the dollar has lost some value which makes an impact on the number of Euros we will get. Everything seems so expensive compared to the US, but we keep reminding ourselves that the quality of food is so much better than the US! We went to the Jewish Museum and spent 3 or 4 hours. It is fascinating to see the various Jewish artifacts and also the stories of some of the Jews. Reliving the Holocaust is always an unsettling experience, but there were also pre-Hitler exhibits which showed the anti-semitism in Vienna and the Church going back to the Middle Ages. Somehow God will hold Christians accountable for the persecution of Jews. Austrians do not have a good record of treatment of Jews. The top floor had a massive collection of shofers, etc. Didn’t have time to go on down to the Jewish square. The rituals of the East European Jewish communities is fascinating.
VIENNA, January 18
The day started with snow, but it warmed up so it turned to a light rain in the AM. I think it got to 36 F or so. It is hard to get weather on either Euronews or CNN Europe. We do have cable in our apartment, but haven’t watched much. I have noticed a lot of coverage of the earthquake victims in Kashmir. We really don’t get much US news. When the internet is working, I try to check that. Classes went well—the students are very willing to discuss. One Slovak girl told me she thinks the Viennese love their dogs more than their children! Did some class preparation. Ate dinner and went for a walk up toward the Westbahnhof—Mary saw a second hand shop she wants to go back to. Picked up a few things at the store—looking forward to poppy seed strudel (haven’t had that in ages, maybe since someone brought me some from the Czech bakery in West, Texas). Right now she is reading the grocery ads that are put on our door handle!—all these good buys on chocolate, jam, etc. “Buy one, get one free.” “Organic!” “All items must go—going out of business.”
Akunin Mystery
For people who like reading mysteries or detective fiction, I highly recommend The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin. The translator obviously contributes to the readability of the book. I haven’t read the other books in the series, but I am interested in seeing what happens to police inspector Erast Fandorin. Akunin is the pen name for Grigory Chkhatishvili. The book’s ability to weave 19th century Russian culture into the mystery is outstanding. Agatha Christie does not capture the mood of the culture and society in the same way or come as close in creating suspense and or weaving a tangled web. One of his reviewers compares him to Ian Fleming, which is an insult to Akunin’s writing and sense of the historical.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
VIENNA, January 17
January 17: Very cold but we walked passed the Rathaus where Hitler gave his famous speech and then on to the Votivkirche (which I think is one of the prettiest Gothic cathedrals in Europe), but it was closed. Walked back to the Ring and it started to snow flurry. Went into the Schotten Kirche and then its cloister store where a variety of goods made by monks and nuns are sold. Walked on to the Minoritaten Kirche. Both of these churches are in pretty good repair, although they were cold and dark inside. As it continued to be cold and blustery we stopped in at a Wienerwald (remembered this from 1973—it is a chain of chicken restaurants, but much more delectable than KFC) and ordered good-sized bowls of a chicken vegetable soup. Before going back to the apartment, Mary wanted to show me a church she had walked to while I was teaching. Went to the Altlerchenfelder Kirche. It had made beautiful religious pictures, but seemed to be a bit run down. Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening getting ready for tomorrow’s classes.
VIENNA, January 16
January 16: Had class today. Some new students registered and others are “cutting.” I talked to a young Russian lady who is teaching world literature. She has an undergraduate degree from the American University in Paris and is writing her dissertation from UC Berkeley. She says cheating and poor English is the biggest problem. Writing papers is a different issue, however. During today’s classes I had a lot of discussion from the students and most seemed to be able to discuss very well, although I am not sure of one or two of them. Students seem to have a love/hate relationship regarding the US, but obviously they know I am from Texas. The computers are down today. After class we did some grocery shopping at the Merkur which is a bit larger than the neighborhood Billa. Mary found some bath salts imported from Israel which have genuine Dead Sea salts. So all we have to do is fill up the bath tub, pour the stuff in, and it will be just like the Dead Sea. We shall see. Temperature dropping. Will wear long underwear for the first time in 30 or 40 years when I get up tomorrow.
VIENNA, January 15
January 15: Went to Calvary Chapel, an international church sponsored by a church in Maryland. There were probably about 50 people there and a lot more young people. Everything was in English and then German. Went back to eat at a restaurant—had the typical pork, dumpling, and sauerkraut. Neighborhood restaurants are cheaper with bigger helpings than those in the central part of the city. Sunday Wien really closes down—it is hard to find an open restaurant except in the tourist areas. However, I am surprised by its filthiness. Dog droppings on the edge of the sidewalk; frozen urine on the sidewalks; paper garbage blowing in the streets. It is not my memory of 30+ years ago. Temperature still dropping—must be in the upper teens.
VIENNA, January 14
January 14: Arose and got ready for the day. I am thankful for wool socks—I had a pair in the back of my sock drawer for over 30 years—I think my mother gave them to me in Chicago. They are like new—who needs them in Texas. Went down to the Naschmarkt which may be like trade days in Canton (since I have never been to trade days, I can’t say for sure). We saw all kinds of stuff from jewelry to clothes—some of it was from Russia and some from the Middle East. Also there were a large number of food stalls. Many were Asian and Middle Eastern. Had a lamb kebab and bought a number of deserts such as baklava, sesamekeks (seasame kind of sugar cookie with honey), and several pistachio kinds of squares made from some kind of Middle Eastern cookie/pie flour. The weather is getting colder. Since it was Saturday we decided to go to the grocery store, but the lines were 20 or 30 deep so we gave up on that.
VIENNA, January 13
January 13: I think we finally got caught up on sleep and our bodies have adjusted because we slept to 11AM, which is unheard of from me. Went to the Westbahnhof to try to find concert schedules and then to the underground. Got an 8 day travel card (allows a person unlimited travel for each day punched so it is great to use when you do a lot of sightseeing). Also bought a one ride ticket, because we wanted to find a church for Sunday over near Radetzky Platz. Rode the underground to our stop and got out to walk. It was cold—I think it is around 24 F. Stopped in to look at St. Othmar, a church which had been bombed in WWII. It appears that this neighborhood has had a light snow. Found the international Protestant church and decided to walk back to the city center and home. On the way home stopped in a neighborhood Gasthof. We ordered the daily soup (a chicken stock with noodles served very hot); I had surschnitzel (I can’t figure out what the sur means) with erdapfel salat (like a potato salad only runnier); Mary had beef in gravy with a dumpling and a small mixed salad with some erdapfel. The servings were huge and much cheapier than in the downtown area. Walked back to our apartment through the central city—it is getting colder. Saw two very small protests near Stephansplatz: One was opposing the Turkish government and the other was by Palestinians with signs calling the Israelis “robbers.” Checked email and then bought some groceries and went back to our warm apartment.
VIENNA, January 12
January 12: For lunch, the new faculty were invited out by the President and Dean to an Austrian Chinese restaurant. It was good, although Austrian- Chinese seems to have a distinctive flavor from American-Chinese. I think I like American fried rice better, but I did enjoy the fried banana. The ginger tea really felt good in this cold weather. In the early evening we were invited to a reception for a retiring faculty member. To our surprise we saw corn chips and salsa along with little pieces of bread topped various kinds of spreads such as ham, cantaloupe, and tomato or cucumber and cheese. Upon commenting about the chips and salsa we were introduced to a gentleman who spoke English with a French accent who was at the reception. Upon meeting my wife, he immediately kissed her hand. We discovered that he is an Albanian who is studying at the university to learn English and diplomatic studies so that he can return to Albania and become its president. I will be going to his inauguration whenever that occurs. In the meantime, he has started a Texas restaurant in Wien serving ribs and barbecue. We told him we would visit. I have also met a fellow who works at the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission). Evidently rogue nuclear threats reach beyond Iran, North Korea, and the Russian mafia. I hope to visit with him again when there is more privacy.
VIENNA, January 11
January 11: This is the first day of classes. Almost all of my students are of Slavic background. More may register late. My non-Slavic students are German and Lybian. Presumably another young man from the Middle East will enroll. In many ways the students seem a lot like American students—some gossip about another professor, some seem more motivated, and some seem to have a better sense of direction regarding what they want to do. Mary even heard some cursing in English. Most seem to be at the university because they like the American style of education. One young Russian fellow spoke English with the typical slang words common today. I thought he was American at first. Mary went to the store and for support we had a fresh salad, ravioli with tomato sauce, green beans, and great bread baked with pumpkin sees; for dessert dark chocolate. . . . .in moderation. After supper we went for a long, very brisk walk, in freezing temperatures.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
VIENNA, JANUARY 10
January 10: Got a calling card to call back to the States if we needed. I went to school and got syllabi ready and checked emails on the eternally slow computers. Since our luggage still had not arrived we went down Maria Hilfer strasse to check out some of the clothing stores. We found some American brands like Docker’s and the New Yorker. It is hard for both of us to find tall sizes and also the prices are a bit steeper than the US. We came back to the university after eating some pizza for lunch. I walked into the McDonald’s and a “Big ‘n Tasty” is going for around $6.00. It was pretty crowded. We have also seen Starbucks and Subway. After leaving the university we took our bags and went back to the grocery store. Unless you take your own bags, you have to pay for each bag you use. Obviously most people tuck some kind of bag into their coat pocket or purse. The food at the market is of superb quality and obviously the prices are reflected in this. Also to get a grocery cart you deposit 1 euro (about $1.25) in a slot on the handle of the grocery cart which releases a chain attached to the next grocery cart (it is hard to describe this gizmo). You take your cart and do your shopping. At checkout you unload you items and then move your cart to the end of the conveyor belt where you load it all back into the cart. You then move to a part of the store where you put everything in the bags you brought. Then you take your cart back to the entrance where the carts are kept, reattach the gizmo, and your coin is released. If this were done in America, Walmart would not have to employ people to go out and get carts—everyone would be bringing their carts back for the deposit! (I think).
VIENNA, JANUARY 9
January 9: Monday was a good day to start in on the bureaucratic stuff. All visitors have to complete a Meldeszettel and register with the police. They keep track of visitors a bit more than in the US. When we leave we will have to “sign out.” Got that done and visited with some of the university people. The faculty have terrible computer resources—students have it better, although I know LU students would shudder at what IU students are using. Faculty computers still use Windows 98. And the internet connection is slow. . .. Got almost everything done except shopping for a cheap international calling card. People seem to put up with my Texas German. Finally I got a call from Austrian Air and they still can’t find our luggage. So we have to remember and then itemize what was in the bags. There goes some TexMex stuff for a student party. I have one pair of levis and the sport coat I wore, but I do have 4 shirts and plenty of other stuff. My wife has some corduroy pants and a dress, but not her dress shoes. I guess we will be buying some high priced Austrian clothing to see us through—we hope they have our tall sizes. However, we have a lovely warm apartment and the food from the market is great. I did try to use my shortwave radio last night, but the only English language news casts I could get were from the People’s Republic of China and Israel. We do have a TV and so I can listen to Euronews in German, but I can’t catch all the words. It is a lot less flashy than CNN and seems to cover the Middle East better, but it is hard to say
I am teaching the History of Political Thought and have assigned the Princeton readings edited by Cohen and Ferman. I am concerned and curious how non-western students will react to the readings. It clearly has a very predominant western emphasis. I think there should be some selections from Muslim or Eastern thinkers (although it does include Gandhi).
I am teaching the History of Political Thought and have assigned the Princeton readings edited by Cohen and Ferman. I am concerned and curious how non-western students will react to the readings. It clearly has a very predominant western emphasis. I think there should be some selections from Muslim or Eastern thinkers (although it does include Gandhi).
VIENNA, JANUARY 8
January 8: Since this is Sunday we went to a very small interdenominational church (although it has a Church of Christ orientation). We sang traditional hymns and the speaker (American) had a folksy manner and commented on each person in the congregation. After church we walked down to the Graben and decided to eat in a restaurant (Ferdinand’s)—both of us had Leberknodel soup (it may have been 20 years since I savored this delightful soup) and Wiener goulash—a bit spicy with the paprika. That night we walked back down to the Graben and saw the Christmas lights. The temperature was around 30 degrees. A number of singers/violinists/mimes were out looking for tips. There seem to be a large number of Ukrainians or Russians—I am not good at picking up the difference in the languages. Still no call about our luggage.
VIENNA, JANUARY 7
January 7: Arrive in Wien the next morning surprisingly alert and behold two pieces of luggage were missing and I had paid overweight charges for one of them. One of our other two bags had been inspected and covered in plastic by US security—when I saw it coming, I thought it had been ripped. I don’t know why they didn’t rezip it (when we unpacked it all seemed there). We joined a line with others in the same predicament and filed a claim with Austrian Air and they assured us it would arrive the next day. Again, I had the feeling this happened to them a lot.
The university staff member who greeted us drove us into the city and we went to the university and got a tour and keys for the apartment and school. Lugged everything over to our apartment (which is on the 3rd floor overlooking a courtyard)—it is only about a block from school. We bought a few grocery items (finally we will be eating real bread!). We decided to walk down to the Ring and fight off our weariness and try to get a normal sleep pattern established. After the great meals on Austrian Air, I can’t say we were very hungry. It was hovering around freezing.
The university staff member who greeted us drove us into the city and we went to the university and got a tour and keys for the apartment and school. Lugged everything over to our apartment (which is on the 3rd floor overlooking a courtyard)—it is only about a block from school. We bought a few grocery items (finally we will be eating real bread!). We decided to walk down to the Ring and fight off our weariness and try to get a normal sleep pattern established. After the great meals on Austrian Air, I can’t say we were very hungry. It was hovering around freezing.
ARRIVAL IN VIENNA
January 6: Well, Mary and I finally made it to DFW loaded down with more luggage than I thought we could handle, but I wanted to take a number of books for the International University’s library. As a result of the books I wanted to fly as directly as we could to Vienna. Some tickets called for a departure from DFW and then go through Frankfurt or London (or both) before arriving in Wien. I figured we would be tired enough without having all these transfers. As a result I chose a United flight to Dulles with a connection to Austrian Air straight into Wien. I have a lot of misgivings about United for assorted experiences other friends have had, but this seemed ideal. For the first time in my life I paid overweight charges and we took off.
Since it was a small jet, and very crowded, I had to check one carry-on at the gate. When we landed I actually got my carry-on back! However, United could in DFW not get us seats on Austrian Air, presumably because we didn’t have a visa, but we really didn’t need a visa since we weren’t going to be in Austria the full 3 months—presumably this would be worked out at Austrian Air. However, at Dulles there was a very long line at Austrian Air as many others evidently had not been given seats. It was also overbooked and there were a number of irate people. I expected to be delayed, but they took our tickets and said they would call our names when they were finished seating many of those ahead of us. Then they offered a $600 travel voucher, some cash, and a hotel and 3 meals to those who would give up their seats and travel the next day. (I had the sense Austrian Air does this a lot). I was tempted, but someone was waiting to pick us up in Wien. It sure beats the wimpy $200 voucher on American Eagle.
Almost everyone was on board and our names had not been called so I went up to the desk. Somehow our tickets had been put to the side in the hectic seating situation. So they put us in Business Class. As a poor university professor, I had never traveled this way, especially across the Atlantic. I now realize the reasons for the French Revolution. Food was not served in trays, but on China. The steward dished the food individually. It was like a 5 star restaurant—well, maybe 4 star. The legroom was fantastic and I could lie back like I was in a recliner. You also got this little bag with booties to wear so you could take your shoes off, a sleeping mask, and a variety of cosmetic goodies.
Since it was a small jet, and very crowded, I had to check one carry-on at the gate. When we landed I actually got my carry-on back! However, United could in DFW not get us seats on Austrian Air, presumably because we didn’t have a visa, but we really didn’t need a visa since we weren’t going to be in Austria the full 3 months—presumably this would be worked out at Austrian Air. However, at Dulles there was a very long line at Austrian Air as many others evidently had not been given seats. It was also overbooked and there were a number of irate people. I expected to be delayed, but they took our tickets and said they would call our names when they were finished seating many of those ahead of us. Then they offered a $600 travel voucher, some cash, and a hotel and 3 meals to those who would give up their seats and travel the next day. (I had the sense Austrian Air does this a lot). I was tempted, but someone was waiting to pick us up in Wien. It sure beats the wimpy $200 voucher on American Eagle.
Almost everyone was on board and our names had not been called so I went up to the desk. Somehow our tickets had been put to the side in the hectic seating situation. So they put us in Business Class. As a poor university professor, I had never traveled this way, especially across the Atlantic. I now realize the reasons for the French Revolution. Food was not served in trays, but on China. The steward dished the food individually. It was like a 5 star restaurant—well, maybe 4 star. The legroom was fantastic and I could lie back like I was in a recliner. You also got this little bag with booties to wear so you could take your shoes off, a sleeping mask, and a variety of cosmetic goodies.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Christmas
Christmas 2005
A woman goes to the Post Office to buy stamps for her Christmas Cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?" The clerk says, "What denominations?" The woman says, "God help us, has it really come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Baptist, 10 Lutheran and 22 Assembly of God."
A woman goes to the Post Office to buy stamps for her Christmas Cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?" The clerk says, "What denominations?" The woman says, "God help us, has it really come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Baptist, 10 Lutheran and 22 Assembly of God."
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
STALIN'S HALF-MAN, HALF APE
This is really hard to believe, but I don't discount it for a minute. The Scotsman.
The Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the creation of Planet of the Apes-style warriors by crossing humans with apes, according to recently uncovered secret documents.
Moscow archives show that in the mid-1920s Russia's top animal breeding scientist, Ilya Ivanov, was ordered to turn his skills from horse and animal work to the quest for a super-warrior.
The Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the creation of Planet of the Apes-style warriors by crossing humans with apes, according to recently uncovered secret documents.
Moscow archives show that in the mid-1920s Russia's top animal breeding scientist, Ilya Ivanov, was ordered to turn his skills from horse and animal work to the quest for a super-warrior.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
MORE ON THE BIG OIL CRASH
Now Fortune magazine is covering the issue of the demise of big oil. It discusses billionaire Richard Rainwater: Rainwater is something of a behind-the-scenes type—at least as far as alpha-male billionaires go. He counts President Bush as a personal friend but dislikes politics, and frankly, when he gets worked up, he says some pretty far-out things that could easily be taken out of context. Such as: An economic tsunami is about to hit the global economy as the world runs out of oil.
Monday, December 19, 2005
MARY MAPES
I really have trouble understanding Mary Mapes after watching her discuss her recent book on several talk shows. She keeps defending the CBS news report regarding Dubya's military service when all the evidence points to the fact she had no support for her accusations. Evidence does not seem to matter to her.
Reporter Brian Ross: "Mary Mapes was the woman behind the scenes, the producer who researched, wrote and put together Dan Rather’s 60 Minutes report on President Bush’s National Guard service, a report which Rather and CBS would later apologize for airing...."
Ross to Mapes: "Do you still think that story was true?"
Ex-CBS producer Mary Mapes: "The story? Absolutely.
"Ross: "This seems remarkable to me that you would sit here now and say you still find that story to be up to your standards."
Mapes: "I’m perfectly willing to believe those documents are forgeries if there’s proof that I haven’t seen."
Ross: "But isn’t it the other way around? Don’t you have to prove they’re authentic?"
Mapes: "Well, I think that’s what critics of the story would say. I know more now than I did then and I think, I think they have not been proved to be false, yet."
Ross: "Have they proved to be authentic though? Isn’t that really what journalists do?"
Mapes: "No, I don’t think that’s the standard."
— ABC’s Good Morning America, November 9.
Reporter Brian Ross: "Mary Mapes was the woman behind the scenes, the producer who researched, wrote and put together Dan Rather’s 60 Minutes report on President Bush’s National Guard service, a report which Rather and CBS would later apologize for airing...."
Ross to Mapes: "Do you still think that story was true?"
Ex-CBS producer Mary Mapes: "The story? Absolutely.
"Ross: "This seems remarkable to me that you would sit here now and say you still find that story to be up to your standards."
Mapes: "I’m perfectly willing to believe those documents are forgeries if there’s proof that I haven’t seen."
Ross: "But isn’t it the other way around? Don’t you have to prove they’re authentic?"
Mapes: "Well, I think that’s what critics of the story would say. I know more now than I did then and I think, I think they have not been proved to be false, yet."
Ross: "Have they proved to be authentic though? Isn’t that really what journalists do?"
Mapes: "No, I don’t think that’s the standard."
— ABC’s Good Morning America, November 9.
MEDIA BIAS
An interesting study on media bias has appeared. It seems to indicate that the media does tilt to the left, but I assume there will be critics of the research methodology employed. Nevertheless, it does seem to be built on a more solid research framework than some previous studies.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
THE OIL CRASH
It would appear the author of Life After the Oil Crash is in the book-selling business, but he does raise a number of issues and problems. All resources are finite so I expect to see some major changes in our fuel options within the next 10 years.
Monday, December 12, 2005
SECULARIZATION OF CHRISTMAS?
Obviously there is a lot of debate about Holiday Tree vs. Christmas Tree; Season's Greetings vs. Merry Christmas; which store should I boycott because it is dropping any reference to Christmas in its advertising; etc. There seems to be a lot of confusion about Christmas, but I was not expecting it to be a problem in a "conservative" Southern Baptist Church. I was surprised to hear, as I was entering the sanctuary for the morning service this past Sunday. . . "Jingle Bells," played by the string ensemble. After the benediction we were sent out to face the world with "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Between the start and finish of the service, the congregation was able to sing a number of the great carols of the faith.
MOST TRYING TIMES
Last summer I posted a survey I received from the folks at Siena College asking history professors to rank the most trying times to be alive in American history. The results have come in. My votes were pretty much right in with the consensus. It is really hard not to see the civil war era as a very difficult time to be alive.
How America’s Trying Times Add Up for 354 U.S. History Professors*:
Most Trying:
#1: The Civil War Era (55%)
#2: The Revolutionary War Era (24%)
#3: The Great Depression Era (14%)
Least Trying:
#1: The War on Terror (46%)
#2: World War I Era (33%)
#3: The Cold War Era (9%)
*Also included in the poll were the World War II and Vietnam/Cultural Revolution eras.
How America’s Trying Times Add Up for 354 U.S. History Professors*:
Most Trying:
#1: The Civil War Era (55%)
#2: The Revolutionary War Era (24%)
#3: The Great Depression Era (14%)
Least Trying:
#1: The War on Terror (46%)
#2: World War I Era (33%)
#3: The Cold War Era (9%)
*Also included in the poll were the World War II and Vietnam/Cultural Revolution eras.
Friday, December 09, 2005
FEDERAL SPENDING
From the Angry Bear.
What strikes me about this chart is that while spending on Defense and Homeland Security (the red line) has indeed risen quite sharply under the Bush administration, other types of discretionary spending (the green line) have risen only quite modestly, and are still slightly below where they were in 1995.
While Bush 43's budgets have clearly benefited from low interest payments (thanks in part to the low deficits and surpluses of the late 1990s, and in part to the very low interest rates of the past few years), the one other category of spending that has grown rapidly during his presidency is government-provided health insurance.
So perhaps Bush is indeed no Reagan when it comes to non-defense-related discretionary spending. But neither has such federal spending grown dramatically in the past few years. No, the only category where it seems clear that Bush has deliberately let the money flow freely is in defense. So if you think that the federal government's spending has grown too fast in recent years, turn your attention to defense spending and health care. That's where the money has been going.
I think the trends are interesting. While defense spending has surged, social security and health care costs have been on a steady climb.
What strikes me about this chart is that while spending on Defense and Homeland Security (the red line) has indeed risen quite sharply under the Bush administration, other types of discretionary spending (the green line) have risen only quite modestly, and are still slightly below where they were in 1995.
While Bush 43's budgets have clearly benefited from low interest payments (thanks in part to the low deficits and surpluses of the late 1990s, and in part to the very low interest rates of the past few years), the one other category of spending that has grown rapidly during his presidency is government-provided health insurance.
So perhaps Bush is indeed no Reagan when it comes to non-defense-related discretionary spending. But neither has such federal spending grown dramatically in the past few years. No, the only category where it seems clear that Bush has deliberately let the money flow freely is in defense. So if you think that the federal government's spending has grown too fast in recent years, turn your attention to defense spending and health care. That's where the money has been going.
I think the trends are interesting. While defense spending has surged, social security and health care costs have been on a steady climb.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
DEMOCRATS QUESTION PARTY LEADERSHIP ON WAR
Democrats are questioning the anti-war positions of Pelosi and Dean. Washington Post.
MORE ON THE PLAME AFFAIR
Another blogger raises more suspicions about what was exactly going on with Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson, and the CIA.
The bit about her being crippled by her public status is essentially BS - she had not been operating as a clandestine agent for years, and was moving towards an interagency liaison function (hence her appearance at the meeting with the INR chaps who duly outed her internally).
However, she may well have become radioactive. One of the many enduring mysteries of this case - why did Ms. Plame take a leave of absence (an "enforced" leave of absence, per the Daily Telegraph) around the time the SSCI report came out? This Times story dates her leave from June 1, 2004. The SSCI came out in early July, but the cognoscenti would have been aware of its contents by June.
And a quick stroll through the SSCI suggests that the Senate (and yes, I am looking at the bipartisan section voted out by the full committee) was critical of the Wilson trip in ways that may have reflected badly in Ms. Plame. Excerpts to follow.
The bit about her being crippled by her public status is essentially BS - she had not been operating as a clandestine agent for years, and was moving towards an interagency liaison function (hence her appearance at the meeting with the INR chaps who duly outed her internally).
However, she may well have become radioactive. One of the many enduring mysteries of this case - why did Ms. Plame take a leave of absence (an "enforced" leave of absence, per the Daily Telegraph) around the time the SSCI report came out? This Times story dates her leave from June 1, 2004. The SSCI came out in early July, but the cognoscenti would have been aware of its contents by June.
And a quick stroll through the SSCI suggests that the Senate (and yes, I am looking at the bipartisan section voted out by the full committee) was critical of the Wilson trip in ways that may have reflected badly in Ms. Plame. Excerpts to follow.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
SHIITE RIOTS IN BAHRAIN
I have not seen the Shiite rioting in Bahrain covered in the mainstream media. Not only is Bahrain the home of the Fifth Fleet, but Bahrain is considered a moderate Arab country. It also points up the increasing militancy of the Shiites and will potentially make it difficult for Bush to deliver a democratic Iraq. In addition where is Iran at work in this increasing Shiite militancy.
Friday, December 02, 2005
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S RELIGION
Positive Liberty has an excellent discussion on whether Washington was an orthodox Christian. Washington was certainly not open about his Christian faith. Most evangelicals would expect of a follower of Jesus Christ to at least witness in some way publicly about one's faith.
Muslims in Germany
Muslim leader, Dyab Abou Jahjah, the leader of the Brussels-based Arab
European League, says: "We reject integration when it leads to assimilation.
I don't believe in a host country. We are at home here and whatever we consider
our culture to be also belongs to our chosen country. I'm in my country, not the
country of the Westerners." [someone sent me this quote--haven't verified it}
Or consider the statement (given at a rally) of a German radical Islamist based on a National Public Radio broadcast: "Germany is an Islamic country. Islam is in the home, in schools. Germans will be outnumbered. We [Muslims] will say what we want. We'll live how we want. It's outrageous that Germans demand! We speak their language. Our children will have our language, our laws, our culture."
European League, says: "We reject integration when it leads to assimilation.
I don't believe in a host country. We are at home here and whatever we consider
our culture to be also belongs to our chosen country. I'm in my country, not the
country of the Westerners." [someone sent me this quote--haven't verified it}
Or consider the statement (given at a rally) of a German radical Islamist based on a National Public Radio broadcast: "Germany is an Islamic country. Islam is in the home, in schools. Germans will be outnumbered. We [Muslims] will say what we want. We'll live how we want. It's outrageous that Germans demand! We speak their language. Our children will have our language, our laws, our culture."
Thursday, December 01, 2005
CIA UNDERMINES BUSH ADMINISTRATION
For some time I have been wondering if the CIA or some group in the CIA has been out to get Bush. I am still dissatisfied with the explanations of the Plamegate affair. Now the Weekly Standard is raising the issue.
THE CIA'S WAR against the Bush administration is one of the great untold stories of the past three years. It is, perhaps, the agency's most successful covert action of recent times. The CIA has used its budget to fund criticism of the administration by former Democratic officeholders. The agency allowed an employee, Michael Scheuer, to publish and promote a book containing classified information, as long as, in Scheuer's words, "the book was being used to bash the president." However, the agency's preferred weapon has been the leak. In one leak after another, generally to the New York Times or the Washington Post, CIA officials have sought to undermine America's foreign policy. Usually this is done by leaking reports or memos critical of administration policies or skeptical of their prospects. Through it all, our principal news outlets, which share the agency's agenda and profit from its torrent of leaks, have maintained a discreet silence about what should be a major scandal.
THE CIA'S WAR against the Bush administration is one of the great untold stories of the past three years. It is, perhaps, the agency's most successful covert action of recent times. The CIA has used its budget to fund criticism of the administration by former Democratic officeholders. The agency allowed an employee, Michael Scheuer, to publish and promote a book containing classified information, as long as, in Scheuer's words, "the book was being used to bash the president." However, the agency's preferred weapon has been the leak. In one leak after another, generally to the New York Times or the Washington Post, CIA officials have sought to undermine America's foreign policy. Usually this is done by leaking reports or memos critical of administration policies or skeptical of their prospects. Through it all, our principal news outlets, which share the agency's agenda and profit from its torrent of leaks, have maintained a discreet silence about what should be a major scandal.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
ATTA IN PRAGUE
I have had an interest in this debate, but it has not been covered to my satisfaction. The following is from The Corner at the National Review. But I guess I will have to get an account with the Wall Street Journal to read Epstein's article.
ATTA IN PRAGUE [Andy McCarthy]Ed Epstein has stayed on the case and has done the 9/11 Commission one better: he has actually conducted something resembling an investigation into whether the top hijacker met with in Prague with an Iraqi intelligence agent five months before 9/11. Ed’s report on what he found out, after traveling to the Czech Republic and meeting with the BIS (i.e., Czech Intelligence) officials who were personally involved in the matter is featured in the Wall Street Journal this morning (registration required).
His article will not be good news for the Richard Clarkes of Clinton revision-world, who maintain that the previous administration so intimidated Saddam after the attempted murder of the first President Bush in 1993 that the Iraqi dictator foreswore collaboration with terrorists against the U.S. – a claim that has never made any sense given that top Clinton officials (including the former president himself) continue to defend their Augugst 1998 bombing of the al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan on the ground that it was a joint Iraq/Qaeda/Sudan effort to develop weapons of mass destruction.
The bottom line, as Ed puts it, is that the Atta/Prague connection remains “consigned to a murky limbo” – largely thanks to American officials leaking the possibility while the Czechs were still trying to investigate it.
But this much is known – notwithstanding the energetic effort to suppress it by some former Clinton officials, Democrat partisans, and members of the intelligence community invested in the delusion that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and terrorism. In 1998, Saddam began trying to blow up an American target, Radio Free Europe in Prague, by having Jabir Salim, his consul to the Czech Republic (but in reality, his top intelligence agent there), attempt to recruit terrorists to carry out the mission. This intelligence became known when Salim defected, and Clinton administration was so concerned about it that it took several steps to protect the facility.
Salim was replaced by Ahmad al-Ani, whom the BIS was obviously interested in – interest that only intensified when the BIS learned he was trying to access explosives and make contacts with “foreign Arabs.” It came to a head on or about April 9, 2001, when al-Ani was observed getting into a car with an unknown Arab male who was later identified as Atta – an identification that has never been disproved, despite Herculean efforts to knock it down. The Atta identification did not happen until after 9/11 (when Atta’s photo was splashed across the international press), but the Czechs were so worried about whomever al-Ani had met with back in April that they decided to take no chances: al-Ani was expelled due to suspicion of terrorism – four months before 9/11.
In the end, the FBI cannot account for where Atta was between April 4 and April 11, 2001, or how he spent the $8000 cash he abruptly withdrew on April 4 before he disappeared for a week. (They’ve pointed to use of his cellphone in the U.S. during that timeframe, but that, of course, does not mean Atta was the one using the cellphone.) Nor can the FBI explain why Atta stopped in Prague in June 2000 right before flying to the U.S. to begin the 9/11 preparations. The Czechs, meanwhile, regard as “pure nonsense” al-Ani’s protestations that he was nowhere near Prague the day he was seen meeting the man a witness has identified as Atta.
This is Able Danger all over again. The "Atta in Prague" possibility never fit the 9/11 Commission’s narrative, so it was buried with a shoddy, slap-dash investigation -- the same treatment Able Danger got; the same treatment the Clinton Justice Department's dramatic heightening of "the wall" between criminal investigators and intelligence agents got; the same treatment the internal assessment of the Clinton administration's performance in the run-up to the Millennium bombing plot got, and so on.
Meanwhile, in 1998 alone, we have $300K going from Iraq to Zawahiri (al Qaeda’s number 2); bin Laden’s famous February fatwa calling for the murder of all Americans and prominently featuring, as part of the justification, U.S. actions against Iraq; meetings in Iraq between Qaeda members and Iraqi officials in March; meetings in Afghanistan between Iraqi officials and al Qaeda leaders in July; the embassy bombings in August, after which, of all potential targets, the Clinton administration chose to retaliate against al Shifa, believed to be an Iraq/Qaeda joint weapons venture; an Iraqi member of al Qaeda (now held in Guantanamo Bay) traveling with Iraqi Intelligence to Pakistan to plot chemical mortar attacks on the American and British embassies there; and Iraq seeking to recruit Arab terrorists to blow up Radio Free Europe. Oh, and in February 1999, Richard Clarke objected to a suggestion that U-2 flights be used to try to find bin Laden because, if bin Laden learned the walls were closing in, Clarke wrote to Sandy Berger that “old wiley Usama will likely boogie to Baghdad.”
But the anti-war left is probably right. There was no connection between Iraq and terrorism. None at all. I don’t know why the right-wing nuts keep insisting there was.Posted at 07:42 AM
ATTA IN PRAGUE [Andy McCarthy]Ed Epstein has stayed on the case and has done the 9/11 Commission one better: he has actually conducted something resembling an investigation into whether the top hijacker met with in Prague with an Iraqi intelligence agent five months before 9/11. Ed’s report on what he found out, after traveling to the Czech Republic and meeting with the BIS (i.e., Czech Intelligence) officials who were personally involved in the matter is featured in the Wall Street Journal this morning (registration required).
His article will not be good news for the Richard Clarkes of Clinton revision-world, who maintain that the previous administration so intimidated Saddam after the attempted murder of the first President Bush in 1993 that the Iraqi dictator foreswore collaboration with terrorists against the U.S. – a claim that has never made any sense given that top Clinton officials (including the former president himself) continue to defend their Augugst 1998 bombing of the al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan on the ground that it was a joint Iraq/Qaeda/Sudan effort to develop weapons of mass destruction.
The bottom line, as Ed puts it, is that the Atta/Prague connection remains “consigned to a murky limbo” – largely thanks to American officials leaking the possibility while the Czechs were still trying to investigate it.
But this much is known – notwithstanding the energetic effort to suppress it by some former Clinton officials, Democrat partisans, and members of the intelligence community invested in the delusion that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and terrorism. In 1998, Saddam began trying to blow up an American target, Radio Free Europe in Prague, by having Jabir Salim, his consul to the Czech Republic (but in reality, his top intelligence agent there), attempt to recruit terrorists to carry out the mission. This intelligence became known when Salim defected, and Clinton administration was so concerned about it that it took several steps to protect the facility.
Salim was replaced by Ahmad al-Ani, whom the BIS was obviously interested in – interest that only intensified when the BIS learned he was trying to access explosives and make contacts with “foreign Arabs.” It came to a head on or about April 9, 2001, when al-Ani was observed getting into a car with an unknown Arab male who was later identified as Atta – an identification that has never been disproved, despite Herculean efforts to knock it down. The Atta identification did not happen until after 9/11 (when Atta’s photo was splashed across the international press), but the Czechs were so worried about whomever al-Ani had met with back in April that they decided to take no chances: al-Ani was expelled due to suspicion of terrorism – four months before 9/11.
In the end, the FBI cannot account for where Atta was between April 4 and April 11, 2001, or how he spent the $8000 cash he abruptly withdrew on April 4 before he disappeared for a week. (They’ve pointed to use of his cellphone in the U.S. during that timeframe, but that, of course, does not mean Atta was the one using the cellphone.) Nor can the FBI explain why Atta stopped in Prague in June 2000 right before flying to the U.S. to begin the 9/11 preparations. The Czechs, meanwhile, regard as “pure nonsense” al-Ani’s protestations that he was nowhere near Prague the day he was seen meeting the man a witness has identified as Atta.
This is Able Danger all over again. The "Atta in Prague" possibility never fit the 9/11 Commission’s narrative, so it was buried with a shoddy, slap-dash investigation -- the same treatment Able Danger got; the same treatment the Clinton Justice Department's dramatic heightening of "the wall" between criminal investigators and intelligence agents got; the same treatment the internal assessment of the Clinton administration's performance in the run-up to the Millennium bombing plot got, and so on.
Meanwhile, in 1998 alone, we have $300K going from Iraq to Zawahiri (al Qaeda’s number 2); bin Laden’s famous February fatwa calling for the murder of all Americans and prominently featuring, as part of the justification, U.S. actions against Iraq; meetings in Iraq between Qaeda members and Iraqi officials in March; meetings in Afghanistan between Iraqi officials and al Qaeda leaders in July; the embassy bombings in August, after which, of all potential targets, the Clinton administration chose to retaliate against al Shifa, believed to be an Iraq/Qaeda joint weapons venture; an Iraqi member of al Qaeda (now held in Guantanamo Bay) traveling with Iraqi Intelligence to Pakistan to plot chemical mortar attacks on the American and British embassies there; and Iraq seeking to recruit Arab terrorists to blow up Radio Free Europe. Oh, and in February 1999, Richard Clarke objected to a suggestion that U-2 flights be used to try to find bin Laden because, if bin Laden learned the walls were closing in, Clarke wrote to Sandy Berger that “old wiley Usama will likely boogie to Baghdad.”
But the anti-war left is probably right. There was no connection between Iraq and terrorism. None at all. I don’t know why the right-wing nuts keep insisting there was.Posted at 07:42 AM
Monday, November 21, 2005
IR THEORY
Daniel Drezner comments on the failure of international relations theory to deal with Al Qaeda.
Has IR theory been irrelevant to the debates? To find out, I just spent a few hours looking at the contents of the last four years of the six leading journals for International Relations theory (International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, World Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, European Journal of International Relations, Review of International Studies - see the end of the post for discussion of these choices), along with the American Political Science Review. I used an exceedingly loose definition of "about al-Qaeda" - i.e. I included everything about terrorism and counter-terrorism, even if it barely touched at all on al-Qaeda or Islamism itself; and I included review essays, even if they did not include any original research.
The results were even more striking than I expected. All told, these seven journals published 796 articles between 2002-2005. I found a total of 25 articles dealing even loosely with al-Qaeda, Islamism, or terrorism. That's just over 3% of the articles. Now, there's lots of important stuff out there in the world, and there's no reason for the whole field to be following the headlines, but still... 3%?
Has IR theory been irrelevant to the debates? To find out, I just spent a few hours looking at the contents of the last four years of the six leading journals for International Relations theory (International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, World Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, European Journal of International Relations, Review of International Studies - see the end of the post for discussion of these choices), along with the American Political Science Review. I used an exceedingly loose definition of "about al-Qaeda" - i.e. I included everything about terrorism and counter-terrorism, even if it barely touched at all on al-Qaeda or Islamism itself; and I included review essays, even if they did not include any original research.
The results were even more striking than I expected. All told, these seven journals published 796 articles between 2002-2005. I found a total of 25 articles dealing even loosely with al-Qaeda, Islamism, or terrorism. That's just over 3% of the articles. Now, there's lots of important stuff out there in the world, and there's no reason for the whole field to be following the headlines, but still... 3%?
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
9/11 COMMISSION IGNORES "ABLE DANGER"
Louis Freeh's comments at the Wall Street Journal. The Able Danger intelligence, if confirmed, is undoubtedly the most relevant fact of the entire post-9/11 inquiry. Even the most junior investigator would immediately know that the name and photo ID of Atta in 2000 is precisely the kind of tactical intelligence the FBI has many times employed to prevent attacks and arrest terrorists. Yet the 9/11 Commission inexplicably concluded that it "was not historically significant." This astounding conclusion--in combination with the failure to investigate Able Danger and incorporate it into its findings--raises serious challenges to the commission's credibility and, if the facts prove out, might just render the commission historically insignificant itself.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
BUSH: A LIAR?
Christopher Hitchens has an article at Slate discussing the charges by Democrats that Bush lied about Iraq.
Norman Podhoretz's article, "Who is Lying About Iraq," at Commentary magazine.
The New York Times view?
GOP commercial!
2003 Washington Post Poll: 69% of Americans thought it was "very or somewhat likely" Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11 attack 84% thought it was "very or somewhat likely" that Saddam Hussein was trying to develop WMD.
Norman Podhoretz's article, "Who is Lying About Iraq," at Commentary magazine.
The New York Times view?
GOP commercial!
2003 Washington Post Poll: 69% of Americans thought it was "very or somewhat likely" Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11 attack 84% thought it was "very or somewhat likely" that Saddam Hussein was trying to develop WMD.
Friday, November 11, 2005
MARY MAPES
I watched Bill O'Reilly toss "softball" questions to Mary Mapes last night. She has a new book out telling her version of the Bush national guard documents scandal on CBS and is still convinced the documents are real. One of the experts Mapes used has found factual problems in her book's account. See Memo-Gate. It looks like a "my word against yours" situation, but I am inclined to believe the document experts account.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
KURDISTAN
Evidently the Kurds are starting a series of media ads "The Other Iraq." These ads praise America! The Kurds are the most forthright supporters of the US in the Middle East. However, by linking its existence to the US, Kurds are also taking great risks. The Kurds risk becoming an isolated island in the middle of a anti-American region and also become dependent on continued US involvement in the region.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
RADICAL MUSLIMS & FRENCH RIOTING
I haven't seen much evidence of radical Muslim involvement in the recent rioting in France, although I sense that there was some kind of planning. Also I tend to believe that when these kind of disturbances erupt, there are multiple causes. However, it appears that several weeks ago An Algerian Islamist organisation, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), has issued a call for action against France which it describes as "enemy number one", intelligence officials said Tuesday. Expatica However, this is an Algerian organisation which obviously causes it to focus on France.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
URBAN EDUCATION & MILITARY RECRUITING
Strategy Page has an interesting comment on why urban schools are less fertile military recruiting fields than rural schools.
The U.S. Department of Defense sees urban schools as ones of its biggest recruiting obstacles. Not because leftist teachers in some of those schools try to keep recruiters out, but because so many potential recruits have to be turned down because of the poor education they have received in those schools. While only 21 percent of Americans live in rural areas, 44 percent of the qualified recruits come from these areas. What’s strange about all this is that the rural areas spend much less, per pupil, on education, but get much better results. Part of this can be attributed to differences in cost of living, but a lot of it has to do with simply getting more done with less. Per capita, young people in rural areas are 22 percent more likely to join the army, than those of the same age in urban areas.
The U.S. Department of Defense sees urban schools as ones of its biggest recruiting obstacles. Not because leftist teachers in some of those schools try to keep recruiters out, but because so many potential recruits have to be turned down because of the poor education they have received in those schools. While only 21 percent of Americans live in rural areas, 44 percent of the qualified recruits come from these areas. What’s strange about all this is that the rural areas spend much less, per pupil, on education, but get much better results. Part of this can be attributed to differences in cost of living, but a lot of it has to do with simply getting more done with less. Per capita, young people in rural areas are 22 percent more likely to join the army, than those of the same age in urban areas.
Monday, November 07, 2005
ISLAM IN EUROPE
Stephen Schwartz has an informative article at Tech Central Station on Islam in Europe. http://techcentralstation.com/110705A.html
MUSLIM RIOTING IN FRANCE
A couple of observations about the ongoing Muslim rioting in France: 1. I first picked this up on some blogs as I was surfing through a number I look at each day or so. I don't recall the exact time span, but it was at least 4 or 5 days before I began to see CNN and Foxnews dealing with the incidents. Perhaps some newspapers already had noted the problems, but I don't think it was a headline issue. 2. France and the rest of Europe face a tremendous challenge in coping with a rather large minority of unemployed immigrants who have not been integrated into European culture. Governments may "buy" peace, but I don't know how long this will work. For all the problems America faces, the US has done a better job (but certainly not an excellent job) of Americanizing minorities. This has not been intentional on America's part, but in part is a result of the kinds of immigrants who have arrived.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
ANOTHER CHRISTIAN LEADER LIVING A LAVISH LIFESTYLE
See http://www.law.com/jsp/dc/PubArticleDC.jsp?id=1130332860379&hub=TopStories (Legaltimes.com) for a discussion of Jay Sekulow's lifestyle--3 homes, personal jet, limousines. . . Very disappointing if true, but mammon may have won again.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
JOE WILSON
Gateway Pundit has an excellent summary of the Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame controversy. http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/10/before-novak-joe-wilson-speech-that.html There is an audio of Wilson's speech.
Among the items said (quoting Gateway Pundit):
In this speech, Ambassador Joseph Wilson:
* describes himself as the investigator sent to Niger by the government
* details the African trip as only he is capable of
* says the government sent him there and not the CIA (a lie)
* says there was nothing to the uranium story (a lie)
* describes the US as "occupiers" of Iraq (a shocking statement at the time)
* describes a conspiracy to help Israel dominate the Palestinians
* calls the Administration warmongers and a--holes
* says Bush is in office for sex
Among the items said (quoting Gateway Pundit):
In this speech, Ambassador Joseph Wilson:
* describes himself as the investigator sent to Niger by the government
* details the African trip as only he is capable of
* says the government sent him there and not the CIA (a lie)
* says there was nothing to the uranium story (a lie)
* describes the US as "occupiers" of Iraq (a shocking statement at the time)
* describes a conspiracy to help Israel dominate the Palestinians
* calls the Administration warmongers and a--holes
* says Bush is in office for sex
Thursday, October 27, 2005
HOW CRAZY!
A jury has found the New York Port Authority negligent for building a parking garage under the World Trade Center and then not listening to warnings regarding Islamic terrorism. But in 1993 who was taking terrorism seriously? What about blaming terrorists for the 1993 bombing? http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/27/nyregion/27wtc.html?ex=1288065600&en=5ebdbd2f81b87f00&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Hindsight is always perfect.
David J. Dean, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the verdict "an extraordinary victory." The jury, he said, clearly accepted the plaintiffs' argument that the Port Authority should have foreseen the terrorist attack, based on warnings from its own experts as early as 1985, and shut down the public parking garage.
In order to reach a verdict, at least five of the six jurors had to agree. The jury voted unanimously that the Port Authority was negligent. It found the authority 68 percent at fault for the bombing, while the terrorists who carried it out were 32 percent at fault.
David J. Dean, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the verdict "an extraordinary victory." The jury, he said, clearly accepted the plaintiffs' argument that the Port Authority should have foreseen the terrorist attack, based on warnings from its own experts as early as 1985, and shut down the public parking garage.
In order to reach a verdict, at least five of the six jurors had to agree. The jury voted unanimously that the Port Authority was negligent. It found the authority 68 percent at fault for the bombing, while the terrorists who carried it out were 32 percent at fault.
HARRIET MIERS, R.I.P.
Listening to NPR on the way to school this morning, I heard Harriet Miers had withdrawn her name as a Supreme Court nominee. While initially I was "underwhelmed" by her nomination, she was probably better qualified than 50% of the previous Supreme Court justices. And I really believe there is a place for a judge on the court who is not part of the "establishment" who can maybe look at issues as an outsider.
However, I don't understand how Bush could think he could get her name through. If the eminently qualified candidacy of John Roberts faced so much criticism and Democratic opposition, it doesn't strike me that a less eminently qualified candidate would make it. In this era of partisan politics any weakness will be exploited. I heard Miers' name was on the list of judges the Democratic Senate leadership gave to Bush at the beginning of this process--if that was true, was Bush misled into thinking that the Democrats would let her slide through and that Republican conservatives would go along? If so, he could have avoided a nasty fight and had someone on the bench whom I think he trusts and respects.
Now I am wondering if he will submit someone like Janice Rogers Brown and the fight will begin.
However, I don't understand how Bush could think he could get her name through. If the eminently qualified candidacy of John Roberts faced so much criticism and Democratic opposition, it doesn't strike me that a less eminently qualified candidate would make it. In this era of partisan politics any weakness will be exploited. I heard Miers' name was on the list of judges the Democratic Senate leadership gave to Bush at the beginning of this process--if that was true, was Bush misled into thinking that the Democrats would let her slide through and that Republican conservatives would go along? If so, he could have avoided a nasty fight and had someone on the bench whom I think he trusts and respects.
Now I am wondering if he will submit someone like Janice Rogers Brown and the fight will begin.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
THE BOOK!
Each day brings its share of surprises. I got an email from a colleague yesterday. "The Book," as we have come to call it has a publisher!--Columbia University, East European Mongraphs. Hopefully it will be out in late 2006. It is so good to get that "checked" off the list.
CIA COVERT OP RUN AGAINST BUSH
I have been struggling to make sense of the Plame-Wilson affair. Now I see that some are raising the question of whether the CIA was attempting a covert operation against President Bush. http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453666.3305555554.html I am not sure whether this is a right-wing conspiracy theory in the making or not.
Andrew McCarthy assesses the reasons the indictments might be sealed and gives as one reason: if there are national security implications, indictments may be sealed until steps can be taken to notify the appropriate officials, so they can take steps to deal with whatever the national security fall-out may be. http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Andrew McCarthy assesses the reasons the indictments might be sealed and gives as one reason: if there are national security implications, indictments may be sealed until steps can be taken to notify the appropriate officials, so they can take steps to deal with whatever the national security fall-out may be. http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
PLAME-WILSON AFFAIR
The Plame-Wilson affair continues to bother me. Some of Wilson's charges have been proven to be lies. He appears to be involved in self-promotion. A whistle-blower is better off remaining reasonably neutral in the political wars and he was making charges while working in the Kerry campaign. I can't understand, if Libby and Cheney were involved, why they would use this fellow. I keep waiting for something else to come out. There is something just not adding up.
And the reporter who leaked Plame's name as a CIA employee that started it all, Robert Novak, is never mentioned in all of this!--everybody is chasing these New York Times reporters.
And the reporter who leaked Plame's name as a CIA employee that started it all, Robert Novak, is never mentioned in all of this!--everybody is chasing these New York Times reporters.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
CONDI TO REPLACE CHENEY
I just saw the rumor mill has Vice President Cheney resigning and Condi Rice replacing him! I have been speculating about this since 2003. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/10/19/111925.shtml What a move!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
MARILYN AND JACK
I read the following: http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051018-123541-5000r_page2.htm
A gold Rolex watch thought to have been given by Marilyn Monroe to President Kennedy, inscribed, "Jack with love as always Marilyn May 29th 1962," has been sold for $120,000, the auction house Alexander Autographs said yesterday. The watch was sold with a poem titled "A heartfelt plea on your birthday," typed in black on a paper disk placed at the bottom of the gold case containing the watch. The two are rumored to have had an affair about that time.
The poem reads:
Let lovers breathe their sighs
And roses bloom and music sound
Let passion burn on lips and eyes
And pleasures merry world go round
Let golden sunshine flood the sky
AND LET ME LOVE
OR LET ME DIE!
A gold Rolex watch thought to have been given by Marilyn Monroe to President Kennedy, inscribed, "Jack with love as always Marilyn May 29th 1962," has been sold for $120,000, the auction house Alexander Autographs said yesterday. The watch was sold with a poem titled "A heartfelt plea on your birthday," typed in black on a paper disk placed at the bottom of the gold case containing the watch. The two are rumored to have had an affair about that time.
The poem reads:
Let lovers breathe their sighs
And roses bloom and music sound
Let passion burn on lips and eyes
And pleasures merry world go round
Let golden sunshine flood the sky
AND LET ME LOVE
OR LET ME DIE!
SENATOR TOM COBURN
I watched part of C-Span's coverage of a talk Senator Tom Coburn (R, Oklahoma) gave on 10/17 in Washington on "The Future of the Republican Party." I think it was at GWU--a lot of students were asking questions. I really haven't taken time to read much about him--some of the press coverage I have read leaves the impression that he is an eccentric conservative. Actually, I found him very down-to-earth and he expressed himself quite well. He reminded me of a blunt-talking Harry Truman. He said things that could upset all ideologues whether Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. I am going to start following him a bit more closely. From what I heard, I don't think you can fit him into a box.
WHERE'S CINDY?
Increasingly I have a bone to pick with the media. It gets caught up in fad coverage and ignores substance. This summer was the summer of Cindy Sheehan. Now the Tri-Valley Herald has an article headline: "Peace mom slips from public stage." http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_3124347
Most telling is the quote from UVA political science professor Larry Sabato: Larry Sabato, professor and director of the University of Virginias Center for Politics, said Sheehan was a summer of 05 phenomenon. This is a classic (media) mode of covering controversy — its the August doldrums, and a feeding frenzy develops and they usually last a month or two and are gone.
Most telling is the quote from UVA political science professor Larry Sabato: Larry Sabato, professor and director of the University of Virginias Center for Politics, said Sheehan was a summer of 05 phenomenon. This is a classic (media) mode of covering controversy — its the August doldrums, and a feeding frenzy develops and they usually last a month or two and are gone.
Friday, October 14, 2005
"FATTY, FATTY, TWO BY FOUR. . ."
A woman was criticized by police for using the word "fat" to describe the person who hit her. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051014/od_nm/fat_dc;_ylt=AojlEEjHgPjT60GTIufp3.ftiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA
"I was given a frosty look and told I couldn't say that. I could have said lardy, porky or podgy. But I wouldn't dare use those words,". . .
"I was given a frosty look and told I couldn't say that. I could have said lardy, porky or podgy. But I wouldn't dare use those words,". . .
WARNING FOR THE BIG SHOTS
It troubles me that the elites in New York City get special treatment and earlier warnings about possible terrorist attacks. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/355621p-303011c.html
The Homeland Security Department launched internal probes yesterday into whether its officials tipped off friends and relatives to a possible subway terror plot days before average New Yorkers were alerted, authorities said yesterday.
The Homeland Security Department launched internal probes yesterday into whether its officials tipped off friends and relatives to a possible subway terror plot days before average New Yorkers were alerted, authorities said yesterday.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
ISLAMICISTS & NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Islamic web sites are posting directions for building nuclear weapons. http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD100405
KANAAN SUICIDE
The Syrian interior minister who worked in Lebanon committed suicide today. I doubt it was suicide. It looks like he has been eliminated by the Syrian government because his activities in Lebanon were raising too many questions and problems. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/12/assad.interview/index.html
Monday, October 10, 2005
FREEH BOOK & 60 MINUTES
I can't believe that 60 Minutes chose Sandy Berger to attack Louis Freeh's charge that Clinton was seeking a Saudi bribe. Berger, the guy who lifted documents in his pants when preparing for the 9/11 Commission hearing, is hardly a credible character witness.
Friday, October 07, 2005
EXPERIENCE & SUPREME COURT
The Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1007/p01s03-usju.html has an interesting article. It notes that nearly half of the Supreme Court Justices have not had prior experience on the bench. Many of them turned out to be the more famous justices.
Snobbery is no small part of the debate over Miers, analysts say. The fact that she attended Southern Methodist University rather than a top-tier law school like Harvard or Yale is seen by some as a mark against her. Yalof says that although a high number of justices attended elite law schools, not all justices did.
Lewis Powell went to Washington & Lee. Warren Burger attended the St. Paul College of Law. Thurgood Marshall attended Howard University. Hugo Black went to the University of Alabama, and Chief Justice Fred Vinson was a graduate of Centre College in Kentucky.
Snobbery is no small part of the debate over Miers, analysts say. The fact that she attended Southern Methodist University rather than a top-tier law school like Harvard or Yale is seen by some as a mark against her. Yalof says that although a high number of justices attended elite law schools, not all justices did.
Lewis Powell went to Washington & Lee. Warren Burger attended the St. Paul College of Law. Thurgood Marshall attended Howard University. Hugo Black went to the University of Alabama, and Chief Justice Fred Vinson was a graduate of Centre College in Kentucky.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
HARRIET MIERS
I was "underwhelmed" (as one pundit put it) with the appointment of Harriet Miers as Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court, although I was not totally suprised. Days earlier I heard several people (including Jay Sekulow) raising her name on cable news shows. Sekulow had been involved in "advisory" discussions and I am sure the administration was throwing the name out to test the waters. However, I didn't sense a lot of response to her name.
With further reflection, I continue to have mixed feelings about her appointment. I really thought it should be someone who has serious judicial experience (although this has not always happened in the past). On the other hand, I don't think a Supreme Court appointee should have to come from an Ivy League law school. Maybe there is a place for a person of the people to be on the court who represents the rest of the country.
Slate http://www.slate.com/ had an interesting headline on its web page today: "GOP Showdown: Intellectuals vs. Evangelicals." The article is at http://www.slate.com/?id=2127492&nav=tap2/. I enjoyed reflecting on the author's statement: In this battle, the White House has clearly sided with the churchgoing masses against the Republican Party's own whiny Beltway intellectuals. By the way the person who has a lot to lose in all this is Dr. James Dobson. If Miers does not turn out to be the kind of "evangelical" he wants (and not all evangelicals agree with him politically), Dobson's judgment or political acumen may be called into question by many of his supporters.
With further reflection, I continue to have mixed feelings about her appointment. I really thought it should be someone who has serious judicial experience (although this has not always happened in the past). On the other hand, I don't think a Supreme Court appointee should have to come from an Ivy League law school. Maybe there is a place for a person of the people to be on the court who represents the rest of the country.
Slate http://www.slate.com/ had an interesting headline on its web page today: "GOP Showdown: Intellectuals vs. Evangelicals." The article is at http://www.slate.com/?id=2127492&nav=tap2/. I enjoyed reflecting on the author's statement: In this battle, the White House has clearly sided with the churchgoing masses against the Republican Party's own whiny Beltway intellectuals. By the way the person who has a lot to lose in all this is Dr. James Dobson. If Miers does not turn out to be the kind of "evangelical" he wants (and not all evangelicals agree with him politically), Dobson's judgment or political acumen may be called into question by many of his supporters.
Monday, October 03, 2005
WILL KATRINA CHANGE AMERICA?
Rod Dreher has an interesting column in the October 2, 2005 Dallas Morning News. He is critical of both Republicans and Democrats. Among his comments:
More broadly, Katrina reveals that conservatism and liberalism, as presently constituted, are unable to deal effectively with this country's deepest problems. I sense that our long national prosperity and ease have not only frayed the fabric of civil society but also have lulled us all into a false sense of security and invulnerabilty--that because things have gone so well for so long, we can live like this forever.
What do the parties offer us? Flattering half-truths and lies, especially the idea that if we just elect them and keep those evil Others out of power, we can go on living exactly as we choose and defy gravity indefinitely.
Both parties are captive to a bipartisan ideology of consumerist individualism, which basically says that self-fulfillment and maximized personal choice are the greatest good. And we, the people, enable them because we, too, shrink from the idea that we might be asked to sacrifice for the greater good or even our own good. We don't demand real leadership from our leaders because they all promise, in their respective ways, to lest us spoiled children keep raiding the cookie jar.
He recommends a book by Lee Clarke, Worst Cases: Terrorism and Catastrophe in the Popular Imagination. Clarke argues that the American public is living under the illusion that government can help us control inevitable mass catastrophes because bureaucracies are by their very nature inefficient responders.
More broadly, Katrina reveals that conservatism and liberalism, as presently constituted, are unable to deal effectively with this country's deepest problems. I sense that our long national prosperity and ease have not only frayed the fabric of civil society but also have lulled us all into a false sense of security and invulnerabilty--that because things have gone so well for so long, we can live like this forever.
What do the parties offer us? Flattering half-truths and lies, especially the idea that if we just elect them and keep those evil Others out of power, we can go on living exactly as we choose and defy gravity indefinitely.
Both parties are captive to a bipartisan ideology of consumerist individualism, which basically says that self-fulfillment and maximized personal choice are the greatest good. And we, the people, enable them because we, too, shrink from the idea that we might be asked to sacrifice for the greater good or even our own good. We don't demand real leadership from our leaders because they all promise, in their respective ways, to lest us spoiled children keep raiding the cookie jar.
He recommends a book by Lee Clarke, Worst Cases: Terrorism and Catastrophe in the Popular Imagination. Clarke argues that the American public is living under the illusion that government can help us control inevitable mass catastrophes because bureaucracies are by their very nature inefficient responders.
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