High School Notes! Drama at a school musical evening!

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High School Notes

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School musical events are – kindly put - famous for their unusual “interpretations” of famous works, and, last week, my son’s school didn’t only come up with all of the normal surprises, it also provided a moment that will stay for a very long time!

The evening went according to plan with the usual mix of all types of music, and, as the evening progressed, so, too, did the standard of singing and playing. But, as always, it’s the very small things that provide for the memories that people go home with, and, this year’s surprise came just after the music had finished.

Instead of applause there was silence! Something had happened. And it was holding us all in its grip!

Whilst standing up to bow, one of the violinists, a girl of 15, discovered that her violin wouldn’t let her go. It had become entangled in her left earring – and - it wasn’t about to release her!

Concentrating on what they had to do, the other members of this small group of musicians, a girl on the piano, another girl on the second violin, and two maths teachers began seriously trying to liberate this young girl from her now vicious and biting 4 stringed toothless normally beautiful instrument.

Of course, it only took them about 90 seconds to free this poor girl, and then, all being well again, the audience erupted into a body of unified thanks and grateful applause! The musicians were thankful, too, and, in order to show it, they sat down again and treated us all to a perfect conclusion in the form of an unforgetable wonderful encore.

And, that’s what this evening was. A night of fulfilled expectations, an evening of beauty, and the experiencing of something so rare, that it connected - so fully - the hearts and souls of everyone present!

Selected Vocabulary

biting – bissig

entangled – (entangle/entangled/entangled) verfangen

encore - Zugabe

erupted – erupt/erupted/erupted - ausbrechen

earring – Ohrring

expectations - Erwartungen

grateful - dankbar

Kindly put – Schön ausgedrückt

toothless – zahnlos

release – befreien

unified – vereinigt

vicious – gewalttätig

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Diariklub - Bernhard Guszmann - A Model Life - Life and Fun in One!

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Bernhard Guszmann by Nigel A JAMES

A Model Life!

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We are what we are because of our roots, and, it was those of the vines and their long trailing stems that moulded the ways and thinking of a young Viennese boy. And, they did so in a magical way. And now, when Bernhard Guszmann looks back to his childhood, it's his father's vineyard which he thinks about most. For it was there that he learned about power in motion.

And, he was young. With six, he was already helping out in the family's vineyard in the the Austrian province of Burgenland and driving the tractor was just one of his jobs. And, the power and the smell of the tractors fascinated him so much that these machines of the land took over his playing and model making became his number one hobby.

And, it was LEGO to begin with. And he had fun. But then, just as soon as he could he moved on to kits. But, kits, too, had their limits. They were restricted by the plans, thinking and fantasies of others. And, that was no good. And, so it was, that just working from photos and sketches, he started building his own special models from scratch. And, making models of tractors and agricultural machinery was not simple, in fact, it was extremely precise.

Each model, however large or small was made up of very many hand made components. And, this all took very much time and deep concentration. And, patience was Bernard's speciality. And, it was this that led to his job!

After becoming an engineer, Bernard started working in industrial design and his speciality was tractors. It was full circle. But, of course, his hobby is still making models. And, he can recommend it. It's the best thing there is against stress. Make models, relax and be happy!

And now?

Even though he has won many prizes for his models, and much has been written about him, he hasn't forgotten his roots. Bernard still drives his tractor through the vineyards of Burgenland. And, hardly surprisingly, his little girl loves tractors, too!

And, his wine? It's brilliant! It's one of the best that there is. For it, after all, modelled his life!

Selected Vocabulary

after all – nach dem

kits - Kits (Bausatz)

mould – gestalten

roots – Wurzel

recommend – empfehlen

patience - Geduld

from scratch -von nichts

vineyard – Weingarten

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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway - A Journey of power and steam through wonderful country!

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The train that Comes in from the Coast

Whitby to Pickering with the NYMR

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In the north of England is a train that comes in from the coast. It's the NYMR and it runs from Whitby to Pickering. And, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is now is a museum of steam driven power in motion. And, it's special. It's the past and present in one, and, its first whistle blew a long time ago!

It was in 1836 that its first horse drawn train pulled out of Whitby. And, then after leaving the cheering crowds behind, it became very quickly clear that this was to be no normal ride on a train. It was, instead, to be a journey of beauty. For the country through which this train passed was possibly the best in all England. There were the rises and falls of the dales and the pastel shades of the moors that changed with the shadows of the wind driven clouds. And, in complete wild contrast were the rivers that savagely cut their ways to the sea. And, all this from the comfort of a carriage that was going with the speed of its horses. And, there was peace. There were the villages sitting in hollows and there were the farms that dotted the horizon. And, so it was, that the horses provided the power to connect. But, then, just 10 years later came the age of the steam and great change!

The line was modernized and one single track became two. And the NYMR thrived. And for the next 100 years it provided the villages and towns on its route with all that was required for life. But, then came the 1950s and the power of the roads. Lorries and cars were cheaper and more convenient than rail, and the LYMR slid into decline. And then in 1965, and very sadly, the last whistle blew and the last train left Whitby. The line then fell asleep.

But, it didn't stay sleeping for ever! In 1973, after much work and many years of loving restoration, the line was reopened as a fully working museum. And, once again it became possible to travel through beauty once more. But, of course, this wouldn't have been possible without the many dedicated enthusiasts who gave up their time to achieve this. But, the NYMR isn't only a museum. It is now doing that which a railway should do. It has, once again, become an essential part of every day northern English life, and now, just like then, it's still being driven by the magic of steam.

The line that comes in from the coast is still there and under full steam and waiting for you!

For more details, www.nymr.co.uk

Selected Vocabulary

age – Zeitalter

blew – (blow/blew/blown) – blasen

dale – Tal

dotted – punktet

fall - Hang

hollows – die Tiefen

lorries (lorry) – LKW

moor – Heide

motion – Bewegung

rises – Erhebungen

savagely – mit Gewalt

slid – (slide/slid/slid) rutschen

steam - Dampf

thrived – (thrive/thrived/thrived) – blühen

whistle - Pfeife

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Whitby beach by Nigel A JAMES

Diariklub - Riza Algül - The Nature of Believing!

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Bridging with Song - by Nigel A JAMES

The Nature of Believing!

Riza Algül

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There is one thing about the Alevitan religion that says very much! It has, so far, survived for more than 3000 years. And surviving has not always been easy.

Like every other religious group, the Alevitans suffered periods of uncertainty, rejection, and persecution, and, they too, were almost brought to the brink of extinction! But not quite. For despite all of this, there have always been people prepared to carry the torch forward. And, so it is, that, thanks to people like Riza Algül, this nature religion which started on the banks of the Euphrates is now present all over the world. And, it is set to continue.

Being a nature religion, the Alevitan belief, which puts each and everyone of us in the centre, has no dogma, and, therefore, of course, no book. It is celebrated by means of music and singing, and dancing and poetry! And this is Riza Algül.

As he travels the world holding lectures about the Alevitans, he illustrates them with dances and songs that go back to days of long, long ago! But, Riza is not only an excellent musician, singer and dancer, he is an author and historian, too.

From his home in Vienna, he has completed two excellent histories of the Alevitans in his native Turkish. And a third is on its way! And, who knows, in 3000 years time, the Alevitans of then will be taking inspiration from his works as well!

Life is nature, and nature is all of us, too. We were born to be happy!

Selected Vocabulary

belief – Glaube

brink of extinction – Rande des Endes

carry the torch forward – Fackel weiter zu tragen / weiter führen

celebrated – gefeiert

means – Mittle

period – Zeiten/Perioden

persecution – Verfolgung

rejection – Ablehnung

suffered (suffer/suffered/suffered) – leiden

survive (survive/survived/survived) – überleben

uncertainty – Ungewissheit

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Erica Gang-Breuss - Under an African Moon!

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Erica Gang-Breuss

Under an African Moon

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Good ideas often come in the night! And, so it was with Erica's African holiday. She had just bought a new bed from GEA, an Austrian manufacturing company which is not only famous for its generous world-wide support for those who are needy and suffering, but its trips to the hearts of the wanting as well. And, so it was, as a customer of GEA, that she got an invitation to go on a journey to Africa. And, it didn't take long to say yes.

It was to be a two week Tanzanian walking adventure with the Massai. And, not knowing what to expect, she got more than she dreamed of. And, what she got was a journey of contact.

And, that's what walking is. It's purely ground level and its speed is the same as all that surrounds you. You are neither quicker nor slower nor higher. You are as one with all that surrounds you. And, that which you see and you touch is the feeling of nature. And, East African nature with its fauna and flora is something that's special, and being part of its speed is a wonderful feeling, and Erica's first big surprise came at the end of her very first day. And, it was delicious!

The Massai, it was explained, have been eating the same meals for at least the last five thousand years and Erica understood this. This was nature. And, Erica's second surprise was her bed for the night. It wasn't a bed! It was nothing more than a cover on the ground, and, her only defence against the cold and the wild prowling animals of the night was a very simple shelter, a camp fire and a blanket. And so with the cold and the wild, she lay down to dream - in that her first night - under an African moon!

And, the Massai are very interesting people. And, even though Erica's visit was short, it was still long enough for her to witness the Massai steps into the modern. In a village was a school, and its simple strength was that which impressed her. Tomorrow, like everywhere else is now, and the Massai have long since added the colour of learning to their already very colourful lives.

But, the real colours of Massai life are to be heard in the songs that the herdsmen sing by the fire at night. These are the sounds of African life. And, for Erica, these and the smells are the strongest memories of all. And, even now, she can still hear the tunes whilst walking in dreams through the Tanzanian nature with some of the nicest people on earth.

This was a trip that went deep, and it all began with a good nights sleep in a brand new bed from GEA. And, Erica is going back again!

Selected Vocabulary

at least – mindestens

herdsmen – Hirten

prowling - durchstreifen

shelter – Obdach

trip – Reise

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Diariklub - The Lockerwiese - A Socialist Triumph

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The Lockerwiese - A Haven of Socialist Values

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The Lockerwiese in Vienna is a haven of socialist values. Built in the 1920s by the Viennese architect Karl Schartelmüller, this housing estate which was named after the loose earth of the meadows it was built on was remarkable for its revolutionary achievements. Every single living unit was not only dry and light, but was provided with the luxury of having its own bathroom, WC and kitchen as well. And, there was more. Every house had its own little garden as well. This was one of the first such estates of its kind in the world. But, the real secret of its success lay in its comfort of living. And, this was in its design.

All the streets were either curved or “S” shaped, meaning that there was not only the quality of good feeling, but the chance of pleasant surprises as well. And, the street life was perfect. Everyone knew everyone else. There were friends on every corner. And the many small greens provided a paradise for children. And, the Lockerwiese had a heart, too!

And, this was its square. Here was all that was needed. There was the Konsum, a co-op which sold every thing imaginable. There was a small health centre, a library, a kindergarten, a cinema and a coffee house and bar. But, the estate's blocks of flats had their reasons for being as well.

And, these were the reasons of triumph! The entrance to the estate on its northern side was built as an arch through the middle of an apartment house. And, this was power. And, this was the Lockerwiese. A socialist triumph with the feeling of Middle Ages safety and peace.

And, it is still the same as it always has been. A quality of life in the green for a reasonable price, which is, when you think about it, how life should be. A victory for man! And, what could be better?

Selected Vocabulary

arch – Bogen

built – gebaut

every single – jeder Einselen

green – Grünfläche

haven - Zufluchtsort/Paradies

housing estate - Wohnsiedlung

imaginable – vorstellbar

living unit – Wohneinheit

loose – locker

meadow – Wiese = Lockerwiese

Middle Ages – Mittelalterliche

peace – Frieden

reason for living – Grund zu sein

square – Platz

success - Erfolg

values – Werte

victory - Sieg

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Dorethea Nahler - The Spirit of Man

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Dorethea Nahler by Nigel A JAMES

Dorethea Nahler

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The Spirit of Man

Good photos are special because of the time that they give us. They allow us the luxury of seeing through the eyes of somebody else, and they give us the pleasure of stepping into feelings and places that we would never normally see. And, Dorothea Nahler's latest exhibition is not only a collection of worlds, but elements, too!

Cleverly using the elements of water, energy and air, Dorothea has brilliantly produced a series of pictures. And, they are not only special, but inviting as well. And, the best one can do is to follow the pull of these photos, climb inside and wander around and experience the energy they offer. And, of course, energy is water and water is life. And, whether flowing or snow, there's plenty to see in Dorothea's pictures. And, one has to go with the current!

And, the current of the Donau Kanal which flows through the heart of Vienna is very much a part of my favourite picture. There's a ship, there's water, And a promenade with people and graffiti. In other words, a picture of full pulsating urban Viennese life. And this is our element. We are life. And, this is Dorothea's speciality.

And, her work isn't only people. She's also a master in the art of still life photography as well. But, whatever her subjects, be they the mountains of her childhood in Styria or the streets of Vienna, she has an eye for that which is good, and that's why her pictures are great. They are the spirit of man!

If you are in Vienna, take some time out and visit Dorothea's exhibition. It's on at the VHS in Hietzing. But, please hurry – there's not much time left! Full details,- www.vhs.at/13-vhs-hietzing.html

Selected Vocabulary

air – Luft

current – Strömung

energy – Kraft

experience – erleben

flowing – fließend

inviting – einladend

offer – anbieten

pulsating – pulsierende

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Katalin RATH - The Ice Cold of Fear - A true winter tale of suspence!

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Katalin Rath - The Ice Cold of Fear! - A true story from not so long ago - 

Told by Nigel A JAMES

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It was 1974. It was getting late and summer was passing into winter. But, it was already cold in the hearts of two very young people. Not in the normal sense of winter, but in the naked feeling of ice cold fear! Katalin Rath and her soon to be husband were getting ready to flee. Their native Hungary had become too small for their dreams and they were about to embark on a journey of risks. And, it wasn't going to be light. For legally leaving the east was not easy, and permission was needed. But how?

Having just completed their medical studies, a trip to Leningrad was nothing unusual. And, to this end – and only this end - they had joined the Hungarian communist youth organization KIS. And, being two party members, the ministry of the interior had automatically approved their application for travel to Leningrad and a two-day trip to Helsinki. A ministry stamp on their already KIS approved application forms had been nothing more than a matter of form. If KIS says yes, then everyone else says yes, too!

But there was something that neither KIS nor the ministry of the interior had known. KIS had only approved a journey to Leningrad. Using a very special pen, Katalin had carefully added the trip to Helsinki herself. Now there was nothing to stop them!

But, not quite. They had two essential items of luggage to take with them And, these were their future,and they were big. They were their medical Diplomas. And, how could these be hidden in their luggage? Katalin decided that the best way of doing it was by hiding them in the lining of one of their cases, and that's what she did. And this painstaking work was hard and it took a very long time. The stitching had not only to be real and old, but perfect as well. And, this was the hardest of all. But, worse was to come at the airport.

Everyone else's cases were being thoroughly controlled, and the entire lining had been ripped out of the woman's case who was waiting in front of them! Katalin was praying! Was this the end? But, their luggage was not even checked. Their cases had passed the severest of tests. They were through. And they and the rest of the group took their seats on the afternoon flight to the north. Leningrad was waiting.

And, despite being followed in Leningrad, they enjoyed every moment. They knew that this was to be their last ever communist excursion and the west was only hours away. And, then came the next test. They were about to leave the hotel for the station. But, what to do with their luggage? They were being carefully watched!

Two big cases for just one night in Helsinki? Definitely suspicious. Katalin thought quickly. They arrived to depart with just one plastic bag. And then, just as the group was about to leave for the station their plastic bag broke and their belongings fell on the ground. Quickly, Katalin fetched one of their empty cases and filled it with their belongings. And, thirty minutes later their train was on its way. Nothing more could go wrong. And, Katalin was singing the music of Dr. Zhivago! They were happy.

But then, with the border in sight, the train suddenly stopped! Border guards and dogs were waiting to board. The Russians were leaving nothing to chance. And, once again came the feeling of freezing cold fear! And, as the guards and their dogs made their way through the train it became obviously clear that things were not going to be easy!

But, once again they were lucky. They had a Guardian Angel. And, once again, it was the people before them that got all the attention. And then, having controlled and searched the entire train, the guards and their dogs got off.

But, nothing happened. They just stood there, The train didn't move. Ten minutes went by. An hour went by. Two hours went by. What was happening? Freedom was just down the road. But, would they ever get there? There was the very cold silence of fear and suspense. Everyone was nervous. And then, with a jolt and then another jolt, the train started moving. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. But, still the silence remained. So strong was the fear of suspense, there was not even hope! And then, all of a sudden they saw Finish plates on the cars. They had passed into freedom! They had arrived. And then the cheering broke out!

And the rest was relatively easy. They waited until the group was about to leave for Leningrad before jumping. And then, after doing so hid in a park just to make sure. And, so it was that that very same day they made their way to Sweden by ship. And, there they stayed for almost a year.

And, they did everything from cleaning toilettes to serving in restaurants. There was nothing below them. And then they moved on. Both became dentists, and Katalin became a celebrated artist as well!

And Hungary?

Now living in Vienna, Hungary has become part of their every day life once again. Family is family and the ice cold of fear is a thing of the past! Now is the future they dreamed of. Escaping was then. Now they are home!

..

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Selected Vocabulary

approved – bewilligt

blessings – Segnen

brake into - einbrechen

close – eng/knapp

escape – Entkommen

essential – unentbehrlich

fear - Angst

flee – Flehen

Guardian Angel – Schutzengel

jolt – Stoß

jumping (jump/jumped/jumped) – springen

leaving nothing to chance – nichts der Schicksal überlassen.

luggage – Gepäck

lining – Futter

matter of form – Selbstverständlichkeit

naked – Nackt

obviously – offensichtlich

painstaking - sorgfältig

permission - Erlaubnis

plates – Kennzeichnen

pretence - Anschein

risks - Risiko

scheming – intrigieren

stamp - Stempel

stitching – Nähte

suspense – Spannung

thoroughly – genau

to this end – zu diesem Zweck

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Diariklub - Wolves will be Wolves!

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More Interesting? by Nigel A JAMES

Wolves will be Wolves!

Some howling observations by Nigel A. JAMES

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Last Saturday I visited a wild life park near the small Austrian town of Ernstbrunn. And, the reason for this was the wolves. This was my first ever time of being so close to these animals! They were just meters away from where I was standing.

And then I got talking to one of the wolf-scientists who works in the park. And, what he told me was of great interest. He told me that there are tremendous similarities between wolves and ourselves! We are, for example, both very social, we both eat meat, we both live in packs, and we both need leaders. And then he told me that the best way of finding out about people was by studying wolves! And, this was where the ways of our thinking parted.

If the differences are really so minimal, then, why doesn't he study people to find out about wolves! It would be much simpler! For a start, he wouldn't need to keep animals shut up, and secondly, he would be able to understand the answers to his questions. People speak and wolves only howl! And, thirdly, people have changed with progression, wolves haven't at all. They are still as they always have been. In other words, we have developed, they haven't!

And, this is the point. Why haven't wolves moved on with the times? And, why is it that we are the ones with a conscious? All very interesting. And, just how true are the frightening stories of big bad wolves and all the wrong that they do? Some are true, I am sure. But, there is one more very big difference.

We understand the differences between right and wrong and wolves don't. So, why do we do more wrong than they do? Simply put, wolves do as they should and we do as we want. Maybe, this is a lesson we could learn from the wolves. Should we start doing as we should and not as we want? And, if so, what should we do? Should we start being like wolves, or stay as we are? A question that's easy to answer. I would say stay as we are!

Wolves will be wolves and we will be us! And that's what we have in common. Wolves are themselves and we are ourselves! Wolves are wild and we are wild! There's nothing more to it than that! And, what could be better? Here's to the call of the wild!

Selected Vocabulary

conscious – Gewissen

in common – Gemeinsames

developed – entwickelt

differences – Unterschiede

howl – Heulen

like – gleich (auch mögen)

moved on – entwickelt

pack – Rudel

progression – Fortschritt

reason – Grund

scientist – Wissenschaftler

shut up – eingesperrt

tremendous – riesig

wolf/wolves - 1 wolf - 2 wolves

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