Forget Arnold!

Maybe some of you have noticed the discussion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the city officials of Graz. I even read a blog which stated: “Let's be honest: would the nothing-berg of Graz even be on Austrian maps if Ah-nuld hadn't put them there?” Well, not only has Graz been around for more than 850 years, but it is simply way bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. People from 160 nations live in this beautiful city, which has also been the cultural capital of Europe in 2003. The university of Graz has about 50 000 students from all over the world. I have lived in Graz since 1991, and I’ve had contact with many international students, none of which were even ever concerned about this being Schwarzengger’s hometown (except for a couple of Americans, maybe). When in the past my students in the US would ask me what places they should visit in Austria, I tell them to come to Graz and I give them tips about interesting places. I have never gotten anything else but positive feedback about how beautiful this city is – and Graz does not owe that to Schwarzenegger. Two very close friends of mine from Oregon even got married in this area partly because of its beauty.
Why the politicians are now tripping over Arnold's decision to have his name removed from the “Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium” and to return his (worthless) "honor ring", I really don't understand (maybe they are just stupid?). They should be happy because it puts an end to the discussion that was taking place after Stanley Williams’ execution, in which three major parties of the city demanded that his name would be removed and his Austrian citizenship be taken away.
Fact is, Arnold is not even from Graz. He is from a neighbouring village called Thal. In all over Graz, there is not one visible picture of the Governor of California, who has obviously turned his back to his own country many years ago. I know of nobody who would visit Graz because of some baaaaaad (and I mean really bad) actor named Schwarzenegger. He is not about shit because he is a greedy, power-hungry capitalist, which is why he has gone from Hollywood movie actor to Governor of California. I suppose he fits right in…
I am just upset about the city politicians who obviously have neither pride nor backbone to stand up to somebody like Schwarzenegger, who should simply be ignored at a time where we have much more serious issues to solve. Who cares if he gives back his honor ring??? Why is that even important??? I really don’t understand this superficiality. Arnold is not Austrian anymore. He supports the death penalty – people in the US should be rebelling on the streets just because of that.

Krampus

Krampus is a frightening devil-like figure found with St. Nicholas in Austria and some other Eastern European areas. He is dressed in fur with horns and a long red tongue. He is usually in chains to show he is under the saint's control and would not be able to harm people.
Krampus Day is on Dec. 5, and it's usually pretty wild in the country and in small towns. There one can meet many Krampus everywhere on the street at night, where they run around, make a lot of noise with the huge cow bells around their waist. It's especially scary for the children when the Krampus chases them. As a child I was always terrified, but this year I decided to be brave and take Todrick to town to see some Krampus. However, here in Graz the tradition is not as alive as in my small hometown. We went downtown but didn't see any Krampus. So, the pic above is from the internet, but I can assure you that they do look like this. I've seen them many times.