Momo

Hey there once again!

I actually have been having a hard time to find topics to write about. Since today is the due day for my blog and I have been writing a lot more recently, I want to write one last blog post. Mainly because I just realized that the writing is actually fun even though I still have huge issues with finding a topic:/ I hope though, you have enjoyed it so far and keep being my probably imaginary reader also throughout the second semester.

This post is going to be about Momo, a book by Michael Ende.

The story takes place in a phantasy world where the society of the grey men are working. They try to make all people save their time. The truth though is that the people are being deceived of their time. While they are trying to save it for later, they forget to live in the present. Because you can’t save time the way you save money. As more you try to save time, the shorter the days or weeks become.

When the world is already almost owned by the grey men, Hora, the administrator of the time, decides to do something about it. He stops the time and the whole world standstill. Cassiopeia, the turtle and the little black-haired and helpful girl Momo now go to fight the grey men. At the end, every men is perished by Momo and she is able to release all the stolen time.

Even though the book was already published in 1973, it is very compatible to today’s society. I think the story leaves a lot of freedom for interpretations but I want to share the one part that is written on Wikipedia because I really liked it.:

The main theme of Momo can be seen as a criticism of consumerism and stress. It describes the personal and social losses produced by unnecessary consumption, and the danger to be driven by a hidden interest group with enough power to induce people into this life style. Michael Ende has also stated to have had the concept of aging money in mind when writing Momo.

I hope I got you interested in reading it. It is a sweet book!

And one more thing... for a few months now, I am proudly calling myself a cat owner. Her name is Momo:)

 (sorry, I wasn't trying to be annyoing)

Hey there!

I actually have 8 of his books and I am very proud of that. He has been my favorite author for years and I get excited every time he publishes a new book. I am talking about the American author David Sedaris!

He is a humorist writer and essayist. Most of his jokes are autobiographical and often refer to his big family, his Greek heritage, and his different jobs; about his drug abuse, his homosexuality and his emigration to France.

He was born on the 26th of December 1956 in Binghamton (NY), grew up in Raleigh and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He is suffering from a light form of the Tourette-Syndrome which is also mentioned in his short stories.
After a lot of appalling jobs, he first gained attention for his radio essay The Santa Land Diaries in which he is talking about his experiences as an elf in the department store Macy’s.His first book Barrel Fever is a collection of essays and short stories. Other books are: Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Holidays on Ice, Santa Land Diaries, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, When You are Engulfed in Flames, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owl.A lot of his books were on top of the New York Times Bestseller-List. 2001, he was awarded “Humorist of the Year” by the Time Magazine. He is currently living in England with his boyfriend Hugh Hamrick. Among other things, he is writing for the New York Times, The New Yorker and Esquire.

I guess I could say that Sedaris was the one who got me into reading books in English. After getting through the first one which was still a challenge for me, I started to get used to it and ignore words I didn’t understand. As more books I read, as more I understood. It was weird. I actually read a few of his books in German as well because I started to get really interested in how those jokes are translated and stuff. In my opinion, some jokes didn’t work that well in German.
 I certainly like first person narrators. Besides Sedaris, I also like Stephen Clarke and Bill Bryson. What I like about David Sedaris is how he describes people, as well as different cultures and customs. And well, it might not be for everyone, but I think he is hilarious.

Hello again!

There is actually one more thing I want to add to the topic I last posted about. I stumbled across the name Maysoon Zayid. She is an American standup comedian with Palestinian descent. I watched a video of her on Ted and really liked her.
Because of recent incidents, I am afraid a lot of people developed a generalized opinion about Muslims. And that’s why I want to share with you the two following videos. Not only is Maysoon Zayid a Muslim, she also doesn’t suit the current imagine of a Muslim. The first video I got 99 problems… palsy is just one is her doing standup comedy. The second one The world is broken really makes you think. I guess I’ll leave it by that. See for yourself or rather listen carefully!

Censored!

Hey again!

I guess everyone heard about the attack on Charlie Nebdo offices in Paris. It was the result of drawing or rather insulting Mohammed, the Islamic prophet. As far as I am concerned though, the Quran doesn’t even say that you shouldn’t picture Mohammed, it is only mentioned in the Hadith literature. Ok, Christians shouldn’t picture God either, but is it a reason to kill??? I just tried to find quotes from the Quran, that proof that a lot of their behavior doesn’t really make sense, but they nearly always talk about the unbelievers. Why do they care so much about the people that don’t believe in their religion? Why doesn’t just everyone mind their own business? Why do people in general judge other people on their religion?

Anyway… so these days, the news report a lot about Muslims, in fact mostly negative matters. I know there are dangerous ones, but I don’t see why it always leads to a generalization. Anyhow, I am actually going to write about the radical ones. It was not the first time someone insulted the Islamic beliefs and as a result received death threats or was killed. 

In 2004, the Dutch director Theo van Gogh was murdered. He was first shot and then they cut through his throat. Subsequently, they stabbed a knife with a letter (which explained the assassination) in the dead body. He was killed because of his short movie Submission which criticized oppression and abuse against women in Islam. The movie was only 11 minutes long!

Browsing through the web, I stumbled across the so called Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. It was a protest campaign against Muslims who threaten people, who display a picture of Mohammed, with violence. The campaign took place on the 20th of Mai 2010 on several Internet platforms.
All started with the editorial department of South park (the TV show) who received death threats by radical Muslims because of episode 200 and 201.

„We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them“

This death threat was already published in the Net before the episode was first broadcasted. To draw Mohammed was a protest about the censorship of their episode. The cartoonist Molly Norris created the picture to remind people of the first amendment and declared that day the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. She believed that the Muslims can’t just kill everybody. 

In light of the recent veiled (ha!) threats aimed at the creators of the television show South Park ... by bloggers on Revolution Muslim's website, we hereby deem May 20, 2010 as the first 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' Do your part to both water down the pool of targets and, oh yeah, defend a little something our country is famous for (but maybe not for long? Comedy Central cooperated with terrorists and pulled the episode) the first amendment.
- Molly Norris (April 20, 2010)

Two months later, the indirect demand to kill Molly Norris was published. After that, she was protected by the FBI, changed her name and received a new identity. 

So many wars were fought and are still being fought because of religious beliefs. I really really don’t get it.

Flair

Hey there!

A couple of years ago I was a student at the Bar Stars school because I wanted to learn flair bartending. It actually is some serious sport which always comes with bruises and other injuries. But it is without a doubt a lot of fun. To be really good though, you need to practice a great deal. I used to exercise after work, but when I started university, I completely stopped. I just didn’t have the time anymore. In this blog post, I just want to tell you what flair bartending is. It is really big in the US and the Roadhouse in London also puts on monthly competitions, but in Austria it is usually only known by the people that practice it. (I think) Well at least when I explained people what I was doing, the majority thought I am mixing cocktails.

The expression flair bartending basically means the artistic presentation of the work at the bar. This contains juggling with bottles, throwing bottles and mixing a cocktail in an artful way.
Flair bartending started in the US in the end of the 70s- beginning of the 80s as an additional attraction for guests in bars.

It is partitioned into two fields, exhibition flair and working flair.

Exhibition flair is for entertainment as well as carried out by competitions. The shows are generally longer and are usually rehearsed combinations of movements. It usually needs more equipment and contains often tricks and movement combinations with more bottles and shakers.
For this kind of mixing, the show is more important than the production. Therefore the bottles usually contain a very small amount of liquid to reduce weight and to improve the flight characteristics.

Working flair is a combination of show, and effective production of cocktails. You work with fast but easier movements that can be carried out without allowing the service to suffer. There are also glasses used, but less bottles and shakers. The figures are usually not as daring because the drinks should be ready at a reasonable time and the show also shouldn’t endanger any guests. In working flair bottles are usually full and half full just like it would be with regular working conditions.

And that's what it looks like. It's the promo video of Martin, my trainer.

Enjoy :)

Clear all that goddam jelly!

I found this article and thought I would share it with you guys. I am sure most of you know that rather unexciting game that makes you unable to stop playing. I have always wondered why that is, I mean, it is really not that interesting. But I play it too. For me it is a great way for procrastination, especially if I have to do something else that would be rated 100% more important. And I really do know what a waste of time it is…. Still though, I can’t stop it completely. Though, I should mention that I actually haven’t paid a penny for that game and I most certainly never will. But I do know people that paid for more levels and stuff, or forgot to eat because they were so caught up in the game. I just really don’t see the point for that kind of games... Well, if that’s something that interests you, read the article from the Guardian by Dana Smith. Have fun, and tell me what you think of it!!!

This is what Candy Crush Saga does to your brain

The Candy Crush game app exploits some well-known weaknesses in the human brain to keep us playing.

Last week, Candy Crush Saga, the mind-numbingly simple yet addictive game that involves matching coloured sweets, was estimated to be worth $7.1bn. While that amount dropped by 16% after the company’s Wall Street debut, it still left the gaming geniuses behind the free app worth billions.
Candy Crush is played by 93 million people every day, and it accrues an estimated $800,000 daily through players purchasing new lives and boosters that help them to conquer new levels. All told, half a billion people have downloaded the free app, and King Digital Entertainment, the company behind the phenomenon, reportedly netted $568m last year alone.
I am on level 140 (not something I’m proud of), even after deleting the app once because I couldn’t stop playing. So what is it about this game that makes it so addictive?
First off, it’s simple. The premise of Candy Crush is basic enough for a preschooler – just match three candies of the same colour. Initially, the game allows us to win and pass levels with ease, giving a strong sense of satisfaction. These accomplishments are experienced as mini rewards in our brains, releasing the neurochemical dopamine and tapping into the same neuro-circuitry involved in addiction, reinforcing our actions. Despite its reputation as a pleasure chemical, dopamine also plays a crucial role in learning, cementing our behaviours and training us to continue performing them.
If the game remained this easy, however, we’d quickly tire of the jellybeans and gum drops, becoming bored after a couple of binge sessions. But Candy Crush keeps us coming back in several ways. As we play, the game gets harder, the wins (and those bursts of dopamine) becoming more intermittent.
Also, despite what you may think – and what the developers of the game claim – Candy Crush is essentially a game of luck, your success dependent on the array of colours you have randomly been given rather than your swiping skills. This means that the reward schedule becomes unexpected: we lose more often than we win and we never know when the next triumph will come. Rather than discouraging us from playing, this actually makes the game even more enticing than if we won easily.
This strategy is known as a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement and is the same tactic used in slot machines; you can never predict when you’re going to win, but you win just often enough to keep you coming back for more.
Steve Sharman, a PhD student in psychology at the University of Cambridge researching gambling addiction, explains that the impression that we are in control of a game is key to its addictive nature and is vital when playing a slot machine, for example. “The illusion of control is a crucial element in the maintenance of gambling addiction … [as it] instills a feeling of skill or control," he says. "There are a number of in-game features [such as the boosters in Candy Crush] that allow players to believe they are affecting the outcome of the game, and in some cases they are, but those instances are rare.”
I approached the game's maker, King Digital Entertainment, for a comment, but the company declined my request for a formal interview. However, in its recent F-1 filing documents King disputes this assertion, claiming that while gambling is a game of chance, its games are casual games that are "easy to learn but hard to master". It believes that Candy Crush is predicated on players reaching a certain level of skill and ability, and that you have to be strategic in how you move the candies around.
Another feature of the game that strongly affects how we respond is the limit on how much we can play at any given time. Candy Crush effectively puts you into "time out" after five losses. This means you can never be completely satiated when playing and always leaves you wanting more. And by not letting you play, the game actually becomes even more rewarding when you are let back into Candyland. This is also how Candy Crush makes its money, letting you buy back into the game if you’re willing to purchase extra lives.
Researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia have demonstrated this effect, called hedonic adaptation, in a study using real-life candy bars. Participants were divided into two groups: one was told to abstain from eating chocolate for a week, while the other was given pounds of the stuff and told to go wild. After one week, the participants were brought back into the lab and given a piece of chocolate to savour.
The results? Those who had been deprived rated the chocolate as significantly more pleasurable than those who had been able to eat it freely. So it seems the deprivation makes the reward that much sweeter in the end.
Finally, it is no coincidence that the game is played with pieces of candy. As Sharman points out, food is often used in gambling games (think of the infamous fruit machine), tying our happy associations and the pleasure we derive from eating into the game. King acknowledges that candy's positive associations help make the game more fun and relaxing.
While there have been a couple of bizarre stories about mums forgetting to pick up their kids from school because they couldn’t stop playing the game, for the most part Candy Crush is harmless. You don’t ever have to pay if you don't want to, and theoretically you can stop anytime you want. That said, I’ll be deleting the game from my phone … just as soon as I’ve reached level 141.

Hey there!

As I mentioned in my last post, I am going to write a little bit about Russia. I spend this year’s New Year’s Eve in Moscow which was pretty awesome considering the fact that I am not a real fan of that celebration. But it is most definitely something else when celebrated in Moscow. There were so many people at the Red Square and so many parties on the street, it was insane.

Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk about is the decline of the ruble. As you might have guessed, it was pretty awesome for me because I could do some really cheap shopping. According to Austrian newspapers though, Russians started hoarding goods and emptying out stores. Since I actually didn’t see anything like that, I asked my friend about it. He told me that as far as he knows, the only ones hoarding goods are the Finns who come over the border and empty their stores. Additionally, a lot of Europeans in general came those days to Russia because of the bad ruble value.

Since I don’t completely understand how that happened that the ruble lost so much of its value in such a short period of time, I did a little bit of research. First of all, there are the sanctions against Russia. Additionally, global oil prices dropped and the economy slowed down. This basically happened because China’s economy slowed down, as well as Europe’s, and the US and Canada don’t need to import oil from Russia anymore. All this makes prices very volatile. For some countries, the economy actually grows again because of the cheap oil prices, but this again is bad for oil exporters like Russia. The low value of the ruble can in fact also be good though, since foreign people buy their oil in dollars. However, the inflation still grows because imported goods get more expensive.

So basically, everything revolves around supply and demand. And oil seems to define certain actions of certain politics :/