Ohhhhh noooooo! Five months after my first, well, sort of newspaper appearance I made it into TV. On Tuesday. And I missed it and learned about it only today!

The background is a quite tragic and frightening one. Actually I always felt very safe here, but especially since autumn I've heard about a number of homicides (Toetungsdelikte). First it was some gang relating shootings in the bad areas downtown. Then at Halloween three young men (19, 21, 27) were shot in a downtown club. This weekend saw 3 stabbings within 30 minutes which caused two deaths (article). One victim was a 17 year old boy killed at his own birthday party (and of course those were the most moving reports, seeing the whole school grief-stricken). The other one was a 23 year old father to be who died in Whyte Avenue just in front of the bar Eric works in. By now the number of homicides this year has reached 34 which is about the same as the number as last year (which I was told had set an all time record). Edmonton is the leader in this sad statistic in all of Canada and if I'm right more people were killed in homicides in this city than in traffic accidents. Most of the involved are men in their twenties.

What I find so shocking is the way these things happen. Now it's not about gangs, about bad areas, or about robbery. The five most recent victims were all going out, having a good time, when they by bad luck bump into somebody who it seems was drunk, in a bad mood, looking for trouble. You know, it looks like it's not that there are so many criminals around but that normal people randomly turn into killers at random places. And that I find very, very frightening.

So these days it's the question what could be done. Tuesday noontime (when I was on Whyte Avenue to go to Elephant and Castle for the Barcelona match) a TV team approached me. At first I didn't understand what she was talking about but after she repeated her question I replied, yes, I do go out a lot on Whyte Avenue. She continued whether I feel safe and I answered: "Well I felt pretty safe here but after the last weekend I'm not so sure anymore and I don't know what's going on with all those random stabbings." Finally she asked what the city of Edmonton should do and I was a bit puzzled and spontaneously just said: "I have no clue. I don't think anything can really be done against random stabbings." That was it - and I was quite convinced they wouldn't show it because I mean it was not really a productive statement. (Nevertheless I did watch the news that evening. And now I'm puzzled because I did not see me but someone told me today that my statements were broadcast.)

If I had thought a moment longer I might have added that I don't believe in quick and easy solutions (more police, harsher sentences, ban alcohol). Something like this. But that's what's happening now. First there will be more police on Whyte Avenue (which as a start my be quite good), secondly they think of fixing cameras at key points - and thirdly, and in my opinion, pointlessly, they think about forcing liquor stores to close at 11pm. What is that going to change? Well, then people will buy more before that time or get drunk in bars and pubs instead. In general I think all of this remains a bit on the surface and doesn't touch the root causes - whatever they may be. A professor of criminology suggested this week that the homicides are the dark side of the region's economic boom which brings "young, unattached males with money to spend" into the town (source).

However, despite all of this I think in general Edmonton is still a rather safe city. I won't lock myself at home. But I will be observing extra carefully who is on the street and will try to avoid coming too close to anyone who looks like drunk and trouble, and if unavoidable I will stay as calm and friendly as possible. (After the Halloween shooting I read quite a good article in the university newspaper Gateway which pursued a similar line. article) And now I'm going on and later on out for having a good time. My two choices: A) having fun, senseless small talk and cheap beer with the internationals at a house birthday party or B) having fun, serious conversations and expensive beer at a meeting of the UofA history graduates in O'Byrnes. Hmm.. I'll see.

Wisst ihr was ich aufs Blut nicht ausstehen kann? Selbstgerechte Heuchelei.

"Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht in Leipzig hat heute entschieden, dass die Aufnahme des Tierschutzes als Staatsziel in das Grundgesetz es nicht ausschließt, einem muslimischen Metzger eine Ausnahmegenehmigung zum betäubungslosen Schlachten (Schächten) von Rindern und Schafen zu erteilen, um seine Kunden entsprechend ihrer Glaubensüberzeugung mit Fleisch zu versorgen."
(Pressemitteilung des Verwaltungsgerichtshofs, 23. November 2006)

Es ist schon klar, dass Religionsfreiheit irgendwo an ihre Grenzen stoesst und es mitunter unterschiedliche Meinungen gibt, wo und wie diese Grenzen zu ziehen sind.

Aber mich packt der Zorn, wenn ich Kommentare wie jene auf Side Effects (wo ich auf die Entscheidung aufmerksam wurde) lese: Islamisten. Barbaren. Mitteralterliche Kultur (maartjes). Tierquaeler. Werdet Veganer! Es ist ja so einfach, wegen einer Ausnahmegenehmigung fuer einen Muslimen auf die Barrikaden zu steigen, die Fahne des Tierschutzes hochzuhalten und gegen die boesen Muslime zu wettern. Wir sind ja der humane, tierliebende Westen. Der humane, tierliebende Westen mit alltaeglichem tagtaeglichem millionen- und milliardenfachen Leid in Tiertransporten, Tierfabriken und Tierlabors! Dazu kann ich nur eines sagen:

"Warum siehst du den Splitter im Auge deines Bruders, aber den Balken in deinem eigenen Auge bemerkst du nicht? Wie kannst du zu deinem Bruder sagen: Bruder, lass mich den Splitter aus deinem Auge herausziehen!, während du den Balken in deinem eigenen Auge nicht siehst? Du Heuchler! Zieh zuerst den Balken aus deinem Auge; dann kannst du versuchen, den Splitter aus dem Auge deines Bruders herauszuziehen." (Lukas 6, 41-42)

When you as a foreigner meet Canadians here it's inevitable that the Canadian winter is one of the most likely topics to talk about. And you know what's so funny? 10 people, 10 different pictures. For everyone snowfall starts at a different time and ends at a different time of the year. I was a bit puzzled in the beginning but I've come to think that it really depends on the memory of the respective person or what they want to stress - because the winter experience can vary vastly from year to year. When I arrived here everybody was telling me about the exceptionally mild winter they had. Now I fully understand. Yesterday in the news they mentioned that the same day last year they had 18 degrees PLUS; this year we have 17 degrees MINUS! A difference of 35 degrees, that's quite something.

About one and a half weeks ago we received a letter from the member of parliament who is representing our area - which I found quite amusing. He stressed that he is constantly flying back and forth between Ottawa and Edmonton and repeatedly used "we in Edmonton" to convey the idea that he is Edmontonian and working for us and not some aloof guy sitting somewhere in the capital. Yet, his letter started with a sentence like "Now, as the autumn leaves fall, and the cold season is slowly arriving in Edmonton.." - Well - we're having snow already since end of October, so I wonder, when you really had been here for the last time..

[Edit 27.11.2006, 10:26] The exact quote is: "As autumn leaves begin to fall and the change in season is upon us here in Edmonton"... (Rahim Jaffer, M.P. Your Voice in government. Fall Update)

The Battle of Alberta is won! Brief summary: In the initial phase of the game we offered the Flames an early Christmas present which they happily accepted. Fortunately we equalised 30 seconds before the end of the first period. The second one was quite boring and actually the whole game - as far as I can judge it - was more a fight than a technically good game. The happy end followed about 8 minutes before the end of the third period: Sykora (from the Czech Republic) scored his second goal of the night, like the first one after assist from Hemsky (who's Czech too so it's a pity that Premek missed that triumph) to set the 2:1 final score.

Remember I was even more looking forward to the Flames game and its atmosphere after I watched that pre-season game? I made a good choice picking Calgary and it was definitely worth the money. Yet, it was still a bit different than expected. So here are some of my observations and thoughts about fan culture. Actually I think it would be quite a good topic for a sport interested ethnologist to compare European and North American fan culture and behaviour - but the differences are so obvious that I guess a lot has been done on it already. Going to Rexall Place is a bit like going to the Innsbrucker Tivoli without a Nordtribüne. Meaning the whole stadium is seated, no standing area and usually it's the latter where the hard core supporters are gathering, where the real action is going on. The clapping, the shouting, the singing, the chanting. I mean, at the beginning of the hockey game they even announced that people should remain seated all the time and not stand up in order not to block the view for others. In a soccer match: if the people in front of you stand up, well than you have to stand up as well, so what?

Matthias remarked that going to a hockey game is a bit like going to the opera. Eric agreed and argued that tickets are so expensive that it's the opera kind of people who go to games. But I disagree. Sure it's 50 bucks, but as far as I know the English Premier League is ridiculously expensive as well - yet, that experience (which I unfortunately haven't got yet) would be quite a different one.

It's just something missing here. People are generally quiet. They are sitting, watching. (Florian, you would love it! :-) Cheering only at goals or remarkable situations. Chants? Nothing creative. The best they come up with is "Leeets gooo Oooilers" and "Go Flames go" on the other side. And even for that they have support: I guess it's too small to see it properly on that picture but the red board at the top of the scoring board (which already shows 2:1 for the Oilers) reads "I can't hear you" while the big screen and the blue boards left to it demand "Louder!". Well, then people do clap and chant and whistle for some seconds, and then it's done. Nothing permanent. Mission accomplished and back to the usual. Mocking and insulting the opponent is virtually missing. Even in such an intense rivalry as Edmonton and Calgary, which I found quite surprising. Once or twice there were "Calgary sucks" chants but that was it. Compare that to any Austrian (and I guess any European) soccer stadium where the opposing team, city and individual players are constantly subject to mockery and insult. "Salzburger - Arschloecher" and the like, just to mention a harmless example - which, I think, still wouldn't be considered appropriate here.

So what makes the difference? Well, I don't know precisely about the cultural difference. What in my opinion is definitely an important factor is the ticket and seating policy. In Europe we have clear sides, a clear separation: The home team has the stadium and the guests their own sector within it. In Canada it's one stadium watching two teams. There are no sectors assigned to supporters of one or the other team. You buy a seat and don't know who's sitting next to you. Before and left to me were for example 10, 15 passionate (and drunk) Calgary supporters apart from some Oilers supporters in between. And that makes the difference. It's basically a stadium full of individual people. Would you chant on your on, knowing that the person before you, left to you, are opponents? Would you chant if nobody else is joining? In Europe you are in the mass, you get carried away by the mass, you are the mass. Which I guess is also the reason for more hooliganism. The lines are clearly defined. We are we and we have our territory - and opposite, far away on the other side, there is the enemy, not an individual but an impersonal block. Here you sit next to each other, everything is mixed, you meet the supporters of the opponent team personally, you possibly talk to them.

Yet I'm actually quite surprised that this system here works. I mean in Europe supporters of one team - usually home team - are leaving right after the match and the ones of other - usually guest team - have to wait for 15 minutes or so. So supporters are separated again, they don't meet immediately after the final whistle when emotions are highest. Here in comparison at the end of the game everybody is leaving just as everybody is sitting next to each other during the game. Imagine, people are frustrated because their team has just lost and then people from the other team are celebrating and maybe some stupid guys are mocking them. Actually exactly this happened yesterday. Just when we were leaving people started fighting three rows in front of us. The typical thing. People drink, then they provoke and then they fight. And they really started to fight. Violent boxing, two or three other people joined, one fell on the seats - which looked quite terrible - and had a bloody face. Others were about to join but finally the security arrived, it took them surprisingly long - or maybe it just felt long because it was that close and a bit scary. They got four guys but I'm not sure whether they didn't catch two who actually were not involved at all. So given how easy it is to start a fight I'm really surprised that there were not more situations like this.

In total I'd say that as with all things the coin of fan attitude has two sides. On the one hand you'll have much more atmosphere in Europe, on the other hand you very likely have more violence as well (or at least you have to do more to prevent it).

Just a short comment about Borat: I'd rate the movie to about 7 or 8 out of 10. Quite funny, hilarious szenes, but not 80 minutes of constant laughing as the hype suggested. In my opinion it was a bit too much of sexism and antisemitism, a bit too much aimed at offending people rather than provoking them. And of course the mobvie could have been longer! :-)

This was actually my first time here in one of the big mainstream Multi,- Mega- or whatever-plex-Cinemas. (The previous two times I watched films of film festivals.) So I had my own personal experience of "Cultural Learnings of America"; a little trip into the western consumer society:

We had one ticket too much because one friend didn't show up so we were worried to find someone who would buy it from us otherwise we might have to pay that ticket. At the counter we were told that returning a ticket is no problem at all - until 30 minutes after the film has started! Doesn't that encourage buying? If you go to a movie and you figure out that you hate it, you can leave within the first half hour and get all your money back. Isn't that amazing? Imagine trying that in Austria! :-)

The second strategy: If you want something it's always the cheapest to take the biggest. The price of a popcorn and drink combo was actually quite high (8 bucks) but for only one little extra dollar you could "upgrade" both to large (or extra-large or whatever they call this size). So I ended up with about a litre of coke and a bag of popcorn a size I'd usually share with one or two friends! And then the nice guy at the counter informed us, that we can get free refills! Oh my! Where would I put a free refill? It's not surprising that this policy makes people fatter and fatter.

Buy! Buuuy! Munch! Muuunch!

I had to go to London to have my first big birthday party, I had to go to Canada to have my first Staatsfeiertags celebration. A couple of days I wrote an e-mail to the president of that German club and told her about the 26 of October. So she sent e-mails to the club members suggesting they could wear red and white. I was really surprised when I turned up - some had indeed clothes of that colours, some attached the words Austria and Oesterreich to it or had painted flags on their cheeks. And that was it pretty much - I mean, we didn't go as far as singing the anthem or folk songs or whatever. It was just right the way it was. A good time. Austria day. Actually I think we could celebrate differently in Austria. I mean what's the point of the day? We don't have to work, public buildings are flagged, and most museums offer free entrance. That's it? Well I guess in Vienna you also have the military parade and could visit parliament. But still. I mean, don't get me wrong I don't want some nationalistic falderal and it's not about Austria is the best country in the world blabla. But wouldn't it be a good opportunity to deal with our country, heritage and history, to be happy about positive aspects and reflect about negative aspects? Anyway.

Here are two pictures. The girl below is the president of the German club, Bari, and wears a jersey of the Italian city of that name (which I think is very funny). But as you might be able to see - as a special gesture of celebration she yesterday put a sticker over the "B" and added "ust" and "a" to turn her into A-UST-RI-A. The only colourwise matching clothes I had was my England jacket, which similarly was quickly transformed into an Austria jersey (at least the front). On the back someone attached a sheet of paper saying: "Vorsichtig! Ich bin aus Oesterreich" - I guess it was meant as a warning that the big "England" letters are misleading..

26 October! I hope the Austrians among you are celebrating the Staatsfeiertag properly?

I will. As a welcome coincident on Thursdays both the university's Scandinavian and the German club always meet in the campus pub Powerplant (for some reason on separate tables both recognisable by the flags of the various nations). For the first weeks I always mingled with the Scandinavians, because I know a couple of people from the Faculty club and furthermore I didn't really feel the urge to hang out with Germans. But two weeks ago I thought I should just say "Hi" - and it turned out that apart from two students from Munich all are actually Canadians studying German and conversations are predominantly in English.

As I've already pointed out earlier I don't like to be surrounded by too much German language when being abroad, I' generally prefer having always non-German speakers around as well so we're forced to speak English. But of course it is nice to talk to Austrian colleagues from time to time without thinking about how to express things. But the point is - they're Austrians, so I just talk the way I'd talk at home. Naturally. Mother tongue.

But frankly speaking, one thing I really detest is talking German German abroad. German German, or standard german or written german or whatever. Hochdeutsch. I'd say I'm a native writer but not a native speaker. Talking Hochdeutsch for me is something in between talking Austrian and English; it's my language and it isn't my language. Of course the vocabulary and grammar is there. Yet, it also takes some effort. It's nothing that comes natural. I have to think about pronunciation and to some extent about sentence structure and vocabulary. Actually it was very funny when I joined the German club for the first time. They were talking Hochdeutsch with me and I was so not used to talking Hochdeutsch that in the beginning I unconsciously switched back to English a couple of times.

I guess my main objection is the way I feel about it. Speaking Hochdeutsch is predominantly formal, it's a role, but it's not me. It just isn't the right thing. If I meet Germans I'd usually adjust my language a little bit - actually I should analyse one time what exactly I change - I guess I talk a bit slower, omit the expressions which might be too far away from written German and therefore cause misunderstandings - but I don't see the point of talking German as I write it. I mean I'm not talking some incomprehensible weird mountain village dialect, it's mainly about pronunciation. Why should I say "Mir geht es gut. Und dir?" instead of "Mia gehts guad, und dia?" just because it's easier for German Germans? If I meet English speaking people I have to get used to their accent, be it American, English or Canadian. It's not one standard English. Likewise I expect Germans - who want to hang out with me - to get used to my language (but of course that won't work that easily with Canadian German students).

Just two weeks ago in Faculty club I was introduced to a visiting teacher and it was pointed out she's from Germany so we could talk German.
I joked: "Well I'm Austrian, so I can only try to speak German." Someone asked: "But you speak German in Austria?"
That teacher answered: "Well. Sort of."
I replied with a smile: "Yeah, sort of. It's a bit like with Spanish and French."
Her smile was rather chilly.

For a long time I found it quite offending when Germans told me dismissively that we Austrians don't speak proper German. Now I'm fine with that. It's true. I don't speak German German - and I like it. After all I'm not German but Austrian. I like the sound and melody of our language. I like the varieties of our dialects. It's home. In my opinion Austrians should develop a healthy degree of confidence about our language. The Swiss have TV and radio programmes, even political discussions, in Schweizerdeutsch - why don't we have the same? Is it really necessary that all radio and TV programmes have to be in Hochdeutsch? Why is spoken Austrian considered uneducated or informal? We're Austrians. That's the way we talk, that's what we are. Amen.

Now I'm going to have my Staatsfeiertagsbier!

Yesterday I had already the first opportunity to comply to my plan. There was a reception and concert in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising of 23 October 1956. What I would have preferred is to wear my final-exam-outfit: Black shoes, dark blue Jeans, grey T-shirt, black jacket. It's sportive but elegant. At least in my opinion. I can't see why nice jeans are considered so much worse than cord trousers. But anyway. As Erzi was not satisfied I thought, what do I lose by going home and taking my suit? It's funny. I brought that suit and so many people in Austria were asking me: "What, you are taking your suit with you? Why." And I'm so glad I did, I had no idea I'd need it so much. It's funny. My colleague Premek has two suits, ten shirts and ten ties here - which is only half of his total suits, shirts and ties! (What a good lawyer and Diplomat.) While I have only this one suit - and at home two or three more shirts and one other tie. I guess my granny will be happy now because finally I found something which I'd like to have as a present for the completed studies. A second suit because I've got the feeling I might need them more often in the future..

Anyway, the preparation for that concert was interesting. Earlier this week, before knowing about the event, I saw Sylwia and Erzi setting up this Hungarian flag with a huge hole in the middle and holding a golden "50" into the middle. So I thought: Obviously some important member of the Hungarian community is celebrating a birthday or marriage anniversary .
I assumed that this flag was made for such events, for putting different numbers or photos into the middle, and as a joke I said: "Oh, is that an old communist flag?"
Erzi didn't hear it and soon afterwards explained: "The hole is where the communist symbols used to be."
So I asked: "Oh, did one of the Hungarian refugees bring it to Canada."
"No it was made here."
I was puzzled: "Why would someone who fled from the Communist regime later on in Canada sew a flag with the communist symbols" - assuming that those symbols had finally been cut out after 1989 - "instead of producing a plain Hungarian flag without them?"
It took a while until the misunderstanding was solved: The flag was already produced this way in Canada: A flag with a hole.



Thinking about it I feel it's a very interesting sort of symbolism. You are not producing a flag without the despised symbols, or with the preferred symbols instead, but still a complete flag. No, you're leaving the flag, the nation, incomplete. A hole instead of a whole. Would an outsider have recognised that the symbols were missing? Probably not. But this way, it's unmistakingly obvious. Everybody realises: It's damaged. It's wrong. At present there's something in the country which should be cut out. It represents dissatisfaction of the present, without making clear what the future should be like. Also it so strongly conveys that idea of future action, of a change, because usually the symbols are only cut out after the regime had fallen. It's a wish - a wish that in this case eventually became reality..

One thing I love about English: People are so creative in playing with their language! The cause is rather unsavoury, yet it's a wonderful example. Maybe you've heard about the Croat supporters who formed a swastika (Hakenkreuz) in a soccer match against Italy. "The Sun" (English tabloids are simply the best source for all suitable and unsuitable puns) entitles it's respective article (which also shows the photo): "Nazty Croats form swastika" - thus combining the words Nazi and nasty (widerlich, gehaessig). It's so simple and so true - I like it!

Today Eric forwarded an E-Mail of some Peter from Hungary (an internet-soccer-buddy I suppose). Just some quotes:

"In 1989, the communist, or so called socialist rule collapsed. Not due to politics, but economically.
The ruling party, MSZMP (hungarian socialist worker's party) changed name, and became MSZP (hungarian socialist party), under the leadership of almost the same political elite. Though they imprisoned and killed many people during the communist regime, and crushed carreers, none of them payed for it.
[...]
In 2002, they promised everything to the people, and got another chance to govern the country. But the economical situation had been getting worse. They lied, lied lied and lied through the media, which they owned. Many ppl still believed in them. They cheated with statistics etc etc, and won again the elections, cause they promised again everything, and with the SZDSZ(free democrat's federation), in fact the jewish party (very big influence in economical life, and in budapest), they got around 38%, and in 2nd round, cause of not homogen right wing, extended their lead to more than 50%.
[...]
Prices have rised recently by 8-10% per year, and from this year, as they plan, salaries won't rise for 3 years! This is disaster for most of the people, and will bring misery, while they support the multi firms, killing the hungarian ones. Unemployment rate is estimated to 12%.
Btw, gyurcsány (with little letters from now), said, he is proud of his honest words!!!!!! That he told the truth about his, and his comrade's lies. Of course doesn't want to resign, and the coalition (the commie-jewish one) supports him.
The time has come, it's now or never to clear them out from political life of hungary."

Of course! If something goes wrong, blame it on the Jews! The Jewish-Bolshevik plot letting down the good, hard-working people. Sounds all too familiar.. :-(

"Clear them out from political life" - by means of violent demonstrations? Well that doesn't sound like a stable, healthy democracy either.

So to me that is a classic example of criticising the rule of pre-1989 elites in present Hungary by means of pre-1945 rhetorics. Not a good combination for the 21st century..