Hannah Stadlober

City subsidies of the planned renovation of the Sofiensäle (Sophia Halls) into rental apartments and public cultural spaces have sparked controversy, according to a Dec. 6 article in the Austrian daily Der Standard.

An investment of € 2 million was granted by the City of Vienna to the Ifa Finanzgruppe, a subsidiary of Carinthian Soravia, that has bought the 12,000 square metre property, for a “historically-sensitive restoration” – although the bulk of the work concerns the inner courtyard and outer façade of the building.

Having grown up in an Austrian family where traditions are cherished, it is the magical playing out of the ritual of Christmas that still makes up my fondest childhood memories.

Every year on Dec. 23, my younger brother and I would go to my grandparents’ house – so that the Christkind (we do not, I emphasize, we do NOT believe in the Weihnachtsmann here in Austria) could decorate the Christmas tree that my uncle had chopped down in the forest of his farm in the weeks of Advent.

Allegations of child abuse amongst Austria’s Roman Catholic clergy are again in the spotlight with revelations that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn knew of the abuse and did nothing to stop it, as claimed by a former member of one of the diocesan ombudsman offices set up for victims of violence and sexual abuse in the church. The Cardinal has denied all allegations.

“The Cardinal has never remained silent on the subject of abuse,” his spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the Austrian daily Der Standard on Nov. 25.

Spirits were high among Green party members when long-time mayor Michael Häupl announced on Oct.

“Delegates, come to order,” demands a young man in a gray suit and knocks impatiently on the table. When things settle down, he adjusts his tie and, with brows furrowed, begins to examine the group. There are 17 of them, all dressed nicely, clinging on to their placards in eager expectation of the next motion. The U.K. is sitting next to the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., while Argentina, Brazil and China have taken their seats at the other end of the table.

To some, art is to be enjoyed in peace and quiet, preferably alone, where you can take in the atmosphere of the place, the emotions and ideas being triggered. On this standard, the idea of spending long hours in over-crowded galleries, rushing from one museum to the next, impatiently waiting in line may not seem very appealing. During one night in October, however, people abandon their inhibitions and flock in masses to Vienna’s annual “Long Night of Museums,” where museums and galleries in Austrian cities open their doors from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m.

Although Austria is among the top three in education spending, it significantly lags behind the OECD average in successful graduates, according to the OECD study “Education at a Glance 2010” published Sept. 7. In Austria, only 18% of matriculated students complete their degrees, as compared with an OECD member average of 28%. These and other findings have fueled the ongoing domestic debate about the funding of tertiary education in Austria.

Social media are everywhere, but developing effective interfaces with traditional media still remains elusive. The digital divide must be overcome, experts said through crowdsourcing, citizen reporting and other tools that allow ordinary people to complement professional reporting, not replace it. “The media need to interact with the consumers,” Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of Telekom Austria, added.

“Social Media have surpassed pornography,” said Errol Barnett, CNN anchorman and the panel’s moderator, acknowledging the increasing importance of new media outlets. “People are now more interested in playing with each other than with themselves,” he added.

A blatantly anti-Muslim online computer game launched by the far-right Freedom Party FPÖ in the Austrian Federal State of Styria has triggered outrage and led to widespread censure by the country’s leaders.

The game with the provocative title “Moschee Baba” (“Bye bye Mosque”) was uploaded Sept.1 as part of the FPÖ election campaign in Styria, adding to the party’s record of outspoken xenophobia and anti-Islamic propaganda – for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Styria, which will be held at the end of the month.