At last, christmas holidays are here, two weeks without work and fh :-) so I take the chance and update my blog.
To improve my english out of class I started a new computer game in english yesterday. The game is called The Witcher, and is based on the stories of the witcher Geralt of Rivia. It's a game where black and white is not really clear, and your decisions have great impact on the game world. The first chapter was really fantastic (and good to improve listening skills ;-) - and, thanks to the subtitles, easy to understand).
But now, I have to dive into the pre-christmas shopping mania and get some last minute christmas presents.
so long, I wish you all a merry christmas,
Werner
Monday, 24 December 2007
Friday, 19 October 2007
what is a "heuriger"?
well, it's sort of
1) a pub
2) a mixture of a pub and restaurant
which only serves
1) home-made wine and food
2) traditional Austrian food
and sometimes there is live music.
Maybe you are asking yourself: what the heck is he trying to tell us? Well, the sentence above is an attempt to explain what a "heuriger" is. Especially when asked by a foreigner who is not familiar with the Austrian culture.
That leads us to the question: what exactly is "home-made food"?
Home-made food served at a "heuriger" (2 examples):
- black (or blood) pudding
- different sort of ham, bacon and meat served with horseradish (Krenn), black bread and some sort of spicy cream cheese spread. This type of meal is called "Brettljausn"
And, can you explain to me what a black pudding is?
Well, it's sort of a sausage. It consists of meat, little roll-pieces, salt and other spices, mixed with coagulated blood and filled in a pork gut. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? And indeed, it IS delicous, really. Here are some recipes using black pudding Blunznkaiser-Rezepte [german]
One last word: If you drink to much sparkling wine (usually not at a "heuriger" - but, who knows), wine or cider, you will get a hangover the next day. But don't panic, eat some pickled herrings, drink a lot of water (alcohol causes you to dehydrate), take an aspirin/a headache pill and you will soon be fit to eat a new serving of our fabulous black pudding (or should I say coagulated blood sausage? ;-) )
So long,
Werner
1) a pub
2) a mixture of a pub and restaurant
which only serves
1) home-made wine and food
2) traditional Austrian food
and sometimes there is live music.
Maybe you are asking yourself: what the heck is he trying to tell us? Well, the sentence above is an attempt to explain what a "heuriger" is. Especially when asked by a foreigner who is not familiar with the Austrian culture.
That leads us to the question: what exactly is "home-made food"?
Home-made food served at a "heuriger" (2 examples):
- black (or blood) pudding
- different sort of ham, bacon and meat served with horseradish (Krenn), black bread and some sort of spicy cream cheese spread. This type of meal is called "Brettljausn"
And, can you explain to me what a black pudding is?
Well, it's sort of a sausage. It consists of meat, little roll-pieces, salt and other spices, mixed with coagulated blood and filled in a pork gut. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? And indeed, it IS delicous, really. Here are some recipes using black pudding Blunznkaiser-Rezepte [german]
One last word: If you drink to much sparkling wine (usually not at a "heuriger" - but, who knows), wine or cider, you will get a hangover the next day. But don't panic, eat some pickled herrings, drink a lot of water (alcohol causes you to dehydrate), take an aspirin/a headache pill and you will soon be fit to eat a new serving of our fabulous black pudding (or should I say coagulated blood sausage? ;-) )
So long,
Werner
Monday, 24 September 2007
Lesson #2 (10/09/2007)
Listening to songs (and reading the lyric) is a good way to improve your English. Therefore we had to post some lyrics as part of our homework from lesson 2. Now, with 1 week delay ;-) , I post my chosen song. The song is called Mad world, performed by Gary Jules (cover of Tears for Fears).
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.
For those of you who don't know this song:
Gary Jules Lyrics
enjoy it, so long,
werner
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.
For those of you who don't know this song:
Gary Jules Lyrics
enjoy it, so long,
werner
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Lesson #3 (17/09/2007)
Today we went through the various tenses used when narrating a story. A good way to learn when and how to use these tenses is reading stories. Listening to a song which tells a story is also very useful. Martin asked us to go through the following song lyric, locate the verbs and their different tenses:
"She Hates Me" (PUDDLE OF MUDD LYRICS)
Met a girl, thought she was grand [past simple, past simple, past simple]
fell in love, found out first hand [past simple, past simple]
went well for a week or two [past simple]
then it all came unglued [past simple]
in a trapped trip I can't grip [present simple]
never thought I'd be the one who'd slip [past simple, past simple, past simple]
then I started to realize [past simple]
I was living one big lie [past continuous]
She fucking hates me [present simple]
trust
she fucking hates me [present simple]
la la la love
I tried too hard [past simple]
and she tore my feelings like I had none [past simple, past simple]
and ripped them away [past simple]
She was queen for about an hour [past simple]
after that shit got sour [past simple]
she took all I ever had [past simple, past simple]
no sign of guilt
no feeling of bad, no
In a trapped trip I can't grip [present simple]
never thought i'd be the one who'd slip [past simple, past simple, past simple]
then I started to realize [past simple]
I was living one big lie [past continuous]
[Chorus]
that's my story, as you see
learned my lesson and so did she [past simple, past simple]
now it's over and i'm glad [present simple, present simple]
'cause i'm a fool for all i've said [present simple, present perfect]
[Chorus]
la la la la la la la la la love
Trust
la la la la la la la la la love
Trust
and she tore my feelings like I had none [past simple, past simple]
she fucking hates me [present simple]
"She Hates Me" (PUDDLE OF MUDD LYRICS)
Met a girl, thought she was grand [past simple, past simple, past simple]
fell in love, found out first hand [past simple, past simple]
went well for a week or two [past simple]
then it all came unglued [past simple]
in a trapped trip I can't grip [present simple]
never thought I'd be the one who'd slip [past simple, past simple, past simple]
then I started to realize [past simple]
I was living one big lie [past continuous]
She fucking hates me [present simple]
trust
she fucking hates me [present simple]
la la la love
I tried too hard [past simple]
and she tore my feelings like I had none [past simple, past simple]
and ripped them away [past simple]
She was queen for about an hour [past simple]
after that shit got sour [past simple]
she took all I ever had [past simple, past simple]
no sign of guilt
no feeling of bad, no
In a trapped trip I can't grip [present simple]
never thought i'd be the one who'd slip [past simple, past simple, past simple]
then I started to realize [past simple]
I was living one big lie [past continuous]
[Chorus]
that's my story, as you see
learned my lesson and so did she [past simple, past simple]
now it's over and i'm glad [present simple, present simple]
'cause i'm a fool for all i've said [present simple, present perfect]
[Chorus]
la la la la la la la la la love
Trust
la la la la la la la la la love
Trust
and she tore my feelings like I had none [past simple, past simple]
she fucking hates me [present simple]
Friday, 14 September 2007
8. September 2007 - first lesson after summer break - part #3
The last part of our homework is to answer the following question:
Is it ethical for president Verzetnitsch to claim termination gratuity?
To be honest, a very difficult question. In principle, every employee has the right to claim termination gratuity (if not resigned by themself). In Mr. Verzetnitsch case the situation is a little bit more complicated. To fully understand the dimension of this question I am going to explain who Mr. Verzetnitsch was in the past, namely the president of the labour union in Austria and therefore the representative of thousands of ordinary Austrian labour force. Due to some troubles in the past Mr. Verzetnitsch was dismissed from his job.
Today the litigation between Mr. Verzetnitsch and the Austrian labour union regarding the claim of termination gratuity of about 850.000 euros dominates the headlines. In that special case the question about ethics is not the question about the right to claim but the question about the amount of the claim. Anyhow, 850.000 euros is mostly more than the lifetime-earning of an ordinary labour force (which was represented by Mr. Verzetnitsch in the past!).
The paragraph above is my private opinion.
so long,
werner
Is it ethical for president Verzetnitsch to claim termination gratuity?
To be honest, a very difficult question. In principle, every employee has the right to claim termination gratuity (if not resigned by themself). In Mr. Verzetnitsch case the situation is a little bit more complicated. To fully understand the dimension of this question I am going to explain who Mr. Verzetnitsch was in the past, namely the president of the labour union in Austria and therefore the representative of thousands of ordinary Austrian labour force. Due to some troubles in the past Mr. Verzetnitsch was dismissed from his job.
Today the litigation between Mr. Verzetnitsch and the Austrian labour union regarding the claim of termination gratuity of about 850.000 euros dominates the headlines. In that special case the question about ethics is not the question about the right to claim but the question about the amount of the claim. Anyhow, 850.000 euros is mostly more than the lifetime-earning of an ordinary labour force (which was represented by Mr. Verzetnitsch in the past!).
The paragraph above is my private opinion.
so long,
werner
8. September 2007 - first lesson after summer break - part #2
Martin asked us to do the "Ethical Orientation Questionnaire" [http://www.ethicsandbusiness.org/stylequiz.htm]. Here is my result including comments on my decisions:
1. Which is worse?
hurting someone's feelings by telling the truth
telling a lie and protecting their feelings
Comment: Telling the truth is not always the easiest way, but I prefer the truth. Even if it hurts, I would see it as a chance to possibly change my attitudes.
2. Which is the worse mistake?
to make exceptions too freely
to apply rules too rigidly
Comment: Rules are the death of any innovation.
3. Which is it worse to be?
unmerciful
unfair
Comment: One can treat you unmerciful, but mustn't be unfair.
4. Which is worse?
stealing something valuable from someone for no good reason
breaking a promise to a friend for no good reason
Comment: Impossible to answer. I would do neither of them. But, to follow my gut feeling, I took the 2nd.
5. Which is it better to be?
just and fair
sympathetic and feeling
Comment: I expect to be treated just and fair, and so I hope my behaviuor is also just and fair :-)
6. Which is worse?
not helping someone in trouble
being unfair to someone by playing favorites
Comment: Same as point 5.
7. In making a decision you rely more on
hard facts
personal feelings and intuition
Comment: I rely on hard facts too, but if they are almost equal my decisions depend on my gut feeling. (see point 4. :-))
8. Your boss orders you to do something that will hurt someone. If you carry out the order, have you actually done anything wrong?
yes
no
Comment: In my opinion yes. I would never go out and hurt someone if someone else told me to do so, even if it was my boss.
9. Which is more important in determining whether an action is right or wrong?
whether anyone actually gets hurt
whether a rule, law, commandment, or moral principle is broken
Comment: There is nothing that legitimates actions which hurt other people. If an action doesn't hurt anyone but possibly breaks some rules or laws, then that action can't be wrong :-).
My score:
C Score: 5
J Score: 4
so long,
Werner
1. Which is worse?
hurting someone's feelings by telling the truth
telling a lie and protecting their feelings
Comment: Telling the truth is not always the easiest way, but I prefer the truth. Even if it hurts, I would see it as a chance to possibly change my attitudes.
2. Which is the worse mistake?
to make exceptions too freely
to apply rules too rigidly
Comment: Rules are the death of any innovation.
3. Which is it worse to be?
unmerciful
unfair
Comment: One can treat you unmerciful, but mustn't be unfair.
4. Which is worse?
stealing something valuable from someone for no good reason
breaking a promise to a friend for no good reason
Comment: Impossible to answer. I would do neither of them. But, to follow my gut feeling, I took the 2nd.
5. Which is it better to be?
just and fair
sympathetic and feeling
Comment: I expect to be treated just and fair, and so I hope my behaviuor is also just and fair :-)
6. Which is worse?
not helping someone in trouble
being unfair to someone by playing favorites
Comment: Same as point 5.
7. In making a decision you rely more on
hard facts
personal feelings and intuition
Comment: I rely on hard facts too, but if they are almost equal my decisions depend on my gut feeling. (see point 4. :-))
8. Your boss orders you to do something that will hurt someone. If you carry out the order, have you actually done anything wrong?
yes
no
Comment: In my opinion yes. I would never go out and hurt someone if someone else told me to do so, even if it was my boss.
9. Which is more important in determining whether an action is right or wrong?
whether anyone actually gets hurt
whether a rule, law, commandment, or moral principle is broken
Comment: There is nothing that legitimates actions which hurt other people. If an action doesn't hurt anyone but possibly breaks some rules or laws, then that action can't be wrong :-).
My score:
C Score: 5
J Score: 4
so long,
Werner
8. September 2007 - first lesson after summer break - part #1
The topic of our first english lesson, after a 3 month pause, was Ethics. First we had to discuss what ethics is. It turned out that it's quite difficult to describe ethics. Here are some ideas that came up during the discussion about the meaning of ethics:
- social rules/responsibilities
- outside of law
- depends on the standard of living, education, religion
During the lesson we read an article about ethical behaviour. Following are some words from the article I didn't know (descriptions taken from dictionary.com [http://dictionary.reference.com/]):
obesity, noun of the verb obese
obese [oh-bees]
- adjective
very fat or overweight; corpulent.
litigation [lit-i-gey-shuhn]
- noun
1. the act or process of litigating: a matter that is still in litigation.
2. a lawsuit.
- german: der Rechtsstreit
sue [soo]
- verb
1. to institute a process in law against; bring a civil action against: to sue someone for damages.
secretive [see-kri-tiv]
- adjective
having or showing a disposition to secrecy; reticent: He seems secretive about his new job.
civil servant
a member of the civil service
- german: der Beamte
There is more to come, so stay tuned, so long,
Werner
- social rules/responsibilities
- outside of law
- depends on the standard of living, education, religion
During the lesson we read an article about ethical behaviour. Following are some words from the article I didn't know (descriptions taken from dictionary.com [http://dictionary.reference.com/]):
obesity, noun of the verb obese
obese [oh-bees]
- adjective
very fat or overweight; corpulent.
litigation [lit-i-gey-shuhn]
- noun
1. the act or process of litigating: a matter that is still in litigation.
2. a lawsuit.
- german: der Rechtsstreit
sue [soo]
- verb
1. to institute a process in law against; bring a civil action against: to sue someone for damages.
secretive [see-kri-tiv]
- adjective
having or showing a disposition to secrecy; reticent: He seems secretive about his new job.
civil servant
a member of the civil service
- german: der Beamte
There is more to come, so stay tuned, so long,
Werner
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