Juan Ruis - Compassion - Joy - Hope

Juan Ruis

Compassion, Joy and Hope

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The world in which we live is not only visible, it is audio, too. Every sound, no matter how soft or how loud is loaded with meaning and depth. And, as Juan Ruis will tell you, the understanding of that which is heard is of vital importance for a fullness of life. And, he knows so because he is blind. And blindness sharpens one's senses.

Juan was born blind, and at a very early age he discovered that living was more than just listening and feeling. There was another dynamic as well. It was something called Sonar Clicking, and he was using it without even knowing!

Basically, Sonar Clicking is the art of producing verbal clicks, in fact, just like bats in order to get echoes from surroundings. This is a wonderful thing for the blind. It not only enables the making out of surroundings, but makes the identification of objects and distances possible, too. And, this is very important.

But, not everyone has the natural talents that Juan has, and for many blind people Sonar Clicking is something that needs to be learned. And, it is in this sense that Juan discovered his greatest talent of all, the art of good teaching. And so, as a teacher he went out into the world to teach and do good.

And, he's come a very long way from his Mexican home. With most of the world in his pocket, he is now in Vienna with the BBS, a school for children with disabilities. And, there he's training trainers to teach Sonar Clicking. And, it isn't only the pupils who benefit. There are others as well.

There are parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, and friends, and-so-on. The list is endless. But, it is the blind who stand to gain most. Sonar Clicking, not only gives a sharpened sense of awareness, but provides a firm base for life in the future as well. And it is this that gives parents and loved ones the strength to let go! And, this is the greatest of all.

And now, thanks to Juan, there are many people enjoying a fullness of life that wasn't thought possible before. He's a boom for the people he touches and he leaves a trail of compassion, joy and hope wherever he goes. Juan Ruis is a man of great vision who went out and gave people a strength that was new. Living is how it is lived, and easier is better than harder! And, clicking, for many, has made a big difference. Juan is a very great man!

Vocabulary

audio – hörbar

bat – Fledermaus

benefit – (to benefit/benefited/benefited) – profitieren

boom – Große Vorteil

compassion - Mitleid

enable – ermöglichen

let go, to – loss lassen

making out (the making out of . . .) erkennen

pupil – Schule

senses – Sinnen

sense of awareness – Wahrnehmungssinn

sharpens – (to sharpen/sharpened/sharpened) – spitzt

stand to gain most – der der am meisten gewinnt -

surroundings – Umfeld

trail – Spur

visible – sichtbar

Diarikom is sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber

Wirtschaftstreuhänder – Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater

www.recht-steuern-immobilien.at

Erich Lessing - Narrow Street Vision

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Erich Lessing

Narrow Street Vision

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Narrow streets are the charm of all major cities. They not only connect times as they pass, but provide a taste of ageless dimension as well. And, one such street is the Weihburggasse in the heart of Vienna. It is not only home to unique Viennese traditions, but something of outstanding historical importance as well. A photo gallery. And it is owned by the Austrian photographer Erich Lessing. And that which he shows in his gallery are his very own works, and they are amongst the best of their kind!

Starting work in 1947 with Associated Press, Erich soon developed his own special style of street photography, and his shooting of life always managed to convey not only times, but the feelings and emotions of his subjects as well. Erich, in every sense of the word was a people's person and it clearly stands out in his pictures. People enjoyed being taken by him and his work could be seen in such magazines as Life and Paris Match. People were his life. And he shot both the great and the small!

And among his most famous subjects were President Charles de Gaulle of France and the German chancellor Konrad Adenauer. But his photographic studies were perhaps his greatest achievements of all. And, there is one in particular. His book 1956. His pictures not only captured the hoped for normality of Hungarian life that accompanied the lead up to the Hungarian uprising, but also the terrible harshness of the ensuing Soviet repression. 1956, a pictorial masterpiece of happiness, hope and tragedy in one! But, Erich's real expertise lay in the way in which he was able to take photos of children.

And, these pictures are sensational. Each and every one has a pulling black and white strength of its own, and some are breathtakingly great in their capturing of childish ways and expression! And, right now, there is an exhibition of these greats in his gallery. And, I can strongly recommend it.

But, the real fascination of Erich Lessing's gallery is himself.

He was 89 years old when he opened it, and that was only last year! And now, thanks to his determination and more than youthful efforts, we can all look back into a brilliantly illustrated history that happened just before ours. The centre of Vienna is full of surprises - and Erich's gallery is probably one of the best. Why not pay it a call it if you can! The narrow streets and their charm are waiting for you!

Address – 1010 Vienna. Weihburggasse 22. Tel. +43 1 347 18 66 (5 mins walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral and very close to the Marriot)

www.lessingimages.com

Diarikom is sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber

Wirtschaftstreuhänder – Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater

www.innovative-beratung.at

Vocabulary

accompanied – begleitet

achievements - Errungenschaften

convey – vermitteln

enchanting – magische

ensuing – folgend

harshness – sehr streng

outstanding – außerordentlich

taken – photographiert

uprising – Aufstand

Oskar Magocsi - Down to Earth and up to the Stars!

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Space Traveller - by Nigel A JAMES

 Down to Earth and up to the stars

Oskar Magocsi

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It seemed that Oskar Magocsi's story would never take-off. It was stuck fast on the ground with no clearance to go! No American or Canadian publisher would touch it, and Oskar had been repeatedly advised not to give up his day job. But, he just kept on going and going. And when his book finally flew, it went higher and faster than ever dreamt possible. It was fantastic, and the fuel it was burning was high grade conviction and the course it was steering was straight for the stars and beyond!

But the course of this Sci-fi best seller had not always been easy!

After almost 2 years of trying and knocking on publisher's doors, Oskar had become used to rejection. But,nothing could make him give up! And he knew that one day success would appear. He was sure that his book would never be sucked into in a printer's black hole. He was convinced in himself!

And it worked! His story took off. But not in the way he expected!

He was at the post office and queuing up to send off a parcel. And there, with nothing better to do, he made waiting more fun with something to read. It was a magazine about history and perfect for waiting in line. But then something caught his eye! In the small-ads section was an advert for gardening books. And then a light came on in his head.

If gardening books were advertised and sold in history magazines, then why not Science-fiction books, too?

And, what happened next was all very spontaneous! After mailing his parcel, he opened a PO box, and the writing and sending off of an add for his book was over and done with in less than 5 minutes flat. He was now writer, publisher and printer in one. His book would soon be available for all.

And Oskar couldn't believe his success! The orders and money kept coming and coming! And, his time at the copy shop grew longer and longer. Photo copies were no problem at all for his ever growing band of gravity defying space minded followers.

And, they didn't only follow him in print. Oskar, because of his science-fiction expertise had become a regular guest on TV and radio, too.

And, all in all, he wrote 4 incredibly successful books and sold more than 80.000 copies before giving up. And, this is the point. Oskar stopped writing at the age of 83; just two very short years before he sadly passed on! And, even more incredibly so, he never wrote a word before he was 60! Old age is a lousy excuse for just doing nothing!

Oskar just followed himself and did that which was always within him, and, not only one, but 4 brilliant best sellers took off!

Vocabulary

advised – (to advise/advised/advised) - beraten

all in all – im Großen und Ganzen

conviction – Überzeugung

defying – (to defy/defied/defied) - herausfordern

copies (copy) – Exemplare

excuse – Ausrede

gravity – Schwerkraft

rejection - Ablehnung

casually – gleichgültig

incredibly – unheimlich/unglaublich/erstaunlich

killing time – Zeitvertreiben

lousy– miserable

no clearance to go – kein Start Erlaubnis

not about to – noch nicht

nothing better to do – nichts besseres zu tun

passed on – (to pass on/passed on/passed on) – starb

publisher – Verlag

sucked into – hineingesaugt

thumbing – durchblättern

Please visit www.lexmatica.blogspot.com for easy audio/visual texts and vocabulary lists.

Diarikom is sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber

Wirtschaftstreuhänder – Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater

www.innovative-beratung.at

Doris Kalus and the Cats of the Forest!

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They who come out of the Trees

Doris Kalus and the Cats of the Forest!

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The winter was in and the cold had gone through to the core. It was almost dark and whilst waiting for friends to go jogging I noticed a woman at the edge of the trees. And, what she was doing made me curious, and so I went over to see.

She was filling lots of small bowls with food. I wondered why. And then, after a very short time, the reason came out of the woods! Not one – but many!

And then Doris Kalus explained. Each year, hundreds of cats run away from their homes in Vienna, and many find a new natural life in the Vienna Woods. And everything is fine until the smoothness of summer passes into the hardness of winter! For it is then that hunger sets in!

And, that's why Doris goes without fail to the woods everyday. For the run-away cats she is Meals on Wheels and an Angel in person. And then she went on. As the winters grow longer and the days become shorter and colder and harder, the number of cats arriving for supper become fewer and fewer. No body knows how many cats there are in the woods, but, considering the dangers and illnesses involved, it's is a miracle that any survive. Life is dangerous and hard for run-away cats in the Woods.

And why, I asked Doris, did she do it. It was simple. She used to have a cat, and he, like many others followed the call of the wild and was never seen again! This was very upsetting, and her little boy was sad for a very long time. But, where did their little cat go?

To the forest? Who knows! And, could it be that he is still there? After-all, some cats can survive for many long years in the wilds of the open.

And maybe, one day, he, too, will come out of the trees! And, there will be Doris with his once favourite meal! And his basket at home will be warm, ready and waiting for him!

Vocabulary

Angel – Engel

considering – in Betracht

curious – neugierig

fewer and fewer – immer weniger

forest – Wald

Meals on Wheels – Essen auf Räder

sad – traurig

sets in – (set in/set in/set in) verhärtest sich

survive – (to survive/survived/survived) überleben

upsetting – bestürzen

woods - Wald

Lexmatica

This is the perfect place for people still at the beginning of their journey through English. There are not only simple texts with full audio, but read vocabulary, too.

www.lexmatica.blogspot.com

Contact and Comments – Nigel A JAMES

naj.diariworld@gmail.com

From My English Country Garden - A letter from Builder Michael

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From My English Country Garden

by Builder Michael

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It was just last week and I was in Paris. I had gone there to brush up my French and take in some culture in what is – in every true sense of the word – a little bit of true paradise on earth. And, I was enjoying every second! And then, after a wonderful Saturday lunch the most amazing thing happened. An incredible coincidence. I had just come out of a very good 5 star restaurant, and there, coming towards me, was an old friend of mine, an onion seller from Normandy. And, he had come into town for a day off from the farm! And so, we went for a wine.

And then, as we sat chatting about days that were gone he told me his news. And, to my very great surprise, it turned out he wasn't a very well man. And then he explained.

It was his wife! His wife? This was a rather too short and so I begged him for more. It was the frogs! He wasn't, he continued, a well man because of the frogs! The frogs! I was curious. The onion seller explained that it was the frogs that had made him unwell, and this was entirely the fault of his wife. Why, I asked him, was it her fault.

In a very sorrowful way, he told me that his wife was no longer a well woman, and this was the root of the problem. Up until a short while ago, his wife would not have thought twice before getting up in the morning to go down the well to catch one or two frogs for a nice Normandy breakfast. But, since becoming an un-well woman this no longer happened, and, in short, the onion seller was missing his frogs!

I realized that my friend was suffering from a rather unusual very French problem. Or, could it be that it was his wife who had the problem and not him at all? In order to find out, I had to ask one or two questions.

And, in truth, it was indeed true that his wife had, in fact, become very unwell because of having to go down the well in all weathers so that my friend the onion seller could feel well whilst eating fresh frogs from the well! But luckily, as in all problems, all was not lost. The solution was there in the problem itself, and, in order to solve it, a step back was all that was needed!

And, what I suggested was amazingly simple! So simple, that my friend was able to solve this terrible problem that very same day. He got on his bike and went into town and purchased a ladder.

And now, his wife can happily go down the well once again. Sliding down the rope, it seems, had become too much of a problem, it was ruining her hands!

And now, thanks to an Englishman, all is well in France once again. As I told my friend, a rope isn't ladder, a bottle of well water isn't a bottle of wine, and an onion ring isn't a ring made of gold. My friend is a well man once again, and his wife is well again because she can go down the well again, which is why he is well again and that's why she's well again!

What could be simpler? See you next month, yours BM

Vocabulary

amazing – erstaunlich

begged – (to beg/begged/begged) – anflehen

brush up (to brush up/brushed up/brushed up) – verbessern

chatting – plaudern

coincidence – Zufall

enjoying – genießen

fault – Schuld

frog – Frosch

incredible – unglaublich

ladder – Leiter

onion seller – Zwiebelverkäufer

purchased – (to purchase/purchased/purchased) – kaufte

realized (to realize/realized/realized) - einsehen

root – Wurzel

rope - Seil

solution – Losung

solve – (to solve/solved/solved) – lösen

sliding down – (to slide down/slid down/slid down) - hinunter rutschen

well (1) – gesund

well (2) – Brunnen

whilst – während