Ocean Road · matt.hintsa (found via flickr.com)

I miss this. I miss the ocean. This is the Austrian speaking.

“Family top, politics flop” is the headline of diepresse.com’s article I took this chart from. This survey reveals how we Austrians tick. In a nutshell: We prefer family and friends to our job and politics. We don’t agree with abortion unless chances are it’s going to be handicapped in some way. The more education, the happier. The further west, the more likely that you’re happy with live in general. Vorarlberg or Tyrol, for instance, is revealed to be the happiest places in all of Austria. Just like Disneyland, but a tad smaller in size. Furthermore we believe that being a housewife can be very satisfying as a full time job.

All in one: Even though we believe in those traditional values, we are “dissatisfied on a higher level”. Go figure. Austrians like complaining, nagging and chewing on their Schnitzel for Sunday lunch.

This survey? Not surprising. (I translated this chart as it is seen on diepresse.com)

Die Presse · Print-edition, June 15, 2009

Vienna came in at #18.

Vie We always knew that Vienna (Airport VIE) was quite a great place to live at. And now it’s official with quite a great result for the city in the Askmen 2009’s Top 29 Best Cities to Live ranking. Ranked number 18, Vienna can be proud being compared to several international cities. Check out the ranking at askmen.com/specials/top_29_cities.

1. Chicago
2. Barcelona
3. San Francisco
18. Vienna

So what is it that makes Vienna so special and one of the 29 “most inhabitable cities for the everyday man.” Although Viennese really like to complain (locally known as “sudern”) and moan about the bad weather we get (especially around this time of the year), we need to realize that it’s actually a nice spot situated along the blue Danube where an amazing thing called Schnitzel (Tourists’ pronounciation likely to sound like Snitzzel) and Schweinsbraten (roast pork) is served. Maybe the sudern part had us come in as #18.

Vienna at dusk. -- If you start to take Vienna - take Vienna. -- by Napoleon Bonaparte. He was damn right...

Austrian campaigning American style. They seem to get more things wrong than coming up with an original logo… That homepage, also very creative.

See that little Carithian flag in the O?

Christina over at amiexpat.com recently awarded for the third Best European Blog (Non-UK) posted quite an interesting post on WW2 guilt as seen from the American perspective and also tried to bring it into relation with her (German) husband whose family like so many have been involved in the darkest chapter in European history. Reading it I really couldn’t help but give some comments on it. And I’m doing this with this post. Let me start with a little episode of what happened back in December 2008. I planned to post this immediately after it happened, but life was too busy.

Going to the dentist I have to commute three hours in total by train for my tooth regulation treatment. I always need to hurry to catch the train taking me home again, so usually I am not paying a lot of attention of what’s going on in the lovely (?) town of Traismauer. This time, however, I couldn’t help but stumble upon this imaginary rock on the road. Of course, this wasn’t a solid rock, it’s more of a rock that my mind couldn’t help but collide with.

“I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against — is hugely against — 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler” by Williamson.

With all due respect: One more reason that will soothe my conscience and won’t make me feel bad that I immediately trashed that Catholic church letter asking for a fee that dates back to Hitler himself. 

Is this club, it’s nothing more for me, in trouble? Heck yes. Holocaust denial is a crime, people.

I feel sort of feel bad for not believing, but it kinda makes it pointless when you doubt the whole story. ‘Nuff talking for a “A Picture A Quote” post.

One more thing. The picture matches the topic, because that represents the future vision if church keeps insisting on this outdated policy that really needs some sort of update.

no session today · photo by kymioflario on flickr.com

In case of emergency. Push here. No abuse will be tolerated and brought to court immediately.

Do not abuse. by emergencyyodel.com

Just so you know when this thing goes off, we’re dealing with a yodel emergency here. Every Alpenrepublik homepage should have one of these implemented in their sites. Wonder where I’ll put it. But for now, a yodel-specific blog entry seems appropriate.

[via email, supposedly via swissmiss, because she's also from Switzerland, so it makes perfect sense]

Saw it. Loved it. And I guess I can file it in the Austrian Ad Landschaft series…

Superfly, based in Vienna only, caused a lot of fuzz with their campaigns  lately. “This shit is fly” and “Don’t stay at home, baby!” were quite nifty. With the latter they tried to get back at FM4 whose slogan among others is “You’re at home, baby!” FM4 must have been was ranting about that… A little birdie told me.

Also they had nice ways of establishing their brands. For instance, street branding, which I think is pretty genious.

Ad campaign by Superfly. A new radio station based in Vienna only. Received on a radio near you: 98.3 FM.