Cassie - Flyleaf

The song "Cassie" was written by the Christian band "Flyleaf" in response to a shooting that occurred in the Columbine High School, Colorado, on April 20, 1999. Amon many other people a 17-year old girl called Cassie Bernall was killed in the Columbine High School massacre that day. The lead singer Lacey Moseley dedicated this song to Cassie Bernall's honor.   

So here's what happend and what eventually inspired Lacey Moseley to write this song:
The massacre was executed by two senior students, Erica Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered a total of twelve students and one teacher and injured 24 students. In addition to shootings, a fire bomb placed in the cafeteria, explosive devices and car bombs were involved. After the attack that had carefully been planned ahead according to the media, the pair committed suicide. "The Columbine High School massacre is the deadliest mass murder committed on an American high school campus, and is noted as one of the first and most serious of a series of high profile spree shootings which have since occurred. " (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#cite_note-4) 

Right after the shooting it was revealed that one of the gunmen asked Bernall if she believed in God only a few seconds before he shot her. She was reported to have answered "Yes" which was consequently seen as the reason for her being shot. The story spread very fast and led to many Christians seeing Cassie Bernall as some kind of a martyr. Flyleaf's lead singer, Lacey Moseley, obviously felt the same way and thus wrote her song "Cassie" in honor of the 17-year old victim of the same name. However, according to some statements Cassie was never questioned about her beliefs, while others stated that another girl, Rachel Scott (who actually survived the shooting) was asked whether she believed in God, or that the shooters said "peek-a-boo" before shooting Cassie while she continued to pray silently.

Lacey Moseley as the lead singer of the Christian band Flyleaf put her focus on Cassie because she supposedely answered the question "Do you believe in God?" with "Yes" although she knew what would happen. For Lacey Moseley this is a perfect example of standing up for your beliefs even though it might put your life in danger. She criticizes that nowadays society turns its back to its beliefs in order to stay alive and not cause any problems. 

I have to admit that I don't agree with Lacey Moseleys statement. I think it's rather the other way round - today people stand up for their beliefs and fight for their rights instead of accepting everything as it is. The grand majority of people seems very courageous to me and expresses their feelings freely and publicly. 

The question asked in order
To save her life or take it
The answer "No" to avoid death
The answer "Yes" would make it
Make it
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
Say "Yes" to pull the trigger
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger
All heads are bowed in silence
To remember her last sentence
She answered him knowing what would happen
Her last words still hanging in the air
In the air
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
Say "Yes" to pull the trigger
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger
How many will die
I will die
I, I will say "Yes"
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
Say "Yes" to pull the trigger
"Do you believe in God?"
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger
(Do you believe?)
"Do you believe in God?"
(Do you believe?)
"Do you believe in God?"
(Do you believe?)
"Do you believe in God?"
And I will pull the trigger

Hey guys! :)

So, am I the only one thinking the culture presentations this week were really great? I have been watching ten of the American ones and three Irish presentations and I have to say - time flew by so quickly! This is just another proof that time just whizzes past when you're enjoying yourself.  

The three Irish presentations I have watched are:

1. Gerry Conlon reflects on the case of the Guildford Four
2. The children of Lir (Dajana Savic)
3. Kilmainham Gaol

 (Unfortunately I don't remember all the speakers' names as they aren't indicated on their handouts.)

The ten American culture presentations I have watched are:

1. Harlem, New York City: Between legacy and change (Louis Nguyen)
2. Comics in America (Lucie Bois)
3. Two Heroines of American Aviation: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman (Orsolya Csizmar)
4. Religion made in America: Scientology (Harald Pasch)
5. Racial segregation as depicted in two movies (Tiana Jerkovic)
6. How the Columbian Exchange changed the world (Alexandra Haunold)
7. Why on earth would anyone live in Tornado alley? (Anna Agabani)
8. Painted America - Famous American paintings refleccting American culture in the 20th century (Natascha Ramic)
9. Recent Gun Discussions in the States (Stefanie Almer)
10. The Amish country (Anita Muzek)

For the KGP I have chosen the following five presentations to be tested on:

First of all, "The Amish country" by Anita Muzek. The Amish have always fascinated me. Ever since I first heard about them I wanted to learn more about their habits, their way of thinking and their reasons for living the way they do. I find their way of living truly inspiring but I am also having a hard time trying to imagine living this way, without electricity or any kind of luxury item. That's why I would be very happy to be questioned about this topic for the KGP.

Secondly, "Recent Gun Discussions in the States" by Stefanie Almer. Gun Discussions in the US don't seem to come to an end despite or maybe even because of the many incidents that happen throughout every year. Not a year passes by without at least two or three shootings in public spaces. I was really shocked about the numbers that were revealed by Stefanie. A controversial, moving and serious topic, I can't wait to find out more about it.

Thirdly, "Religion made in America" by Harald Pasch. This presentation about Scientology was very interesting as I had the chance to learn more about the background of this religious organization and the main person behind it. Ever since its creation it has been a subject of world-wide interest. On the one hand, a great deal of critical voices have raised their concerns about it. On the other hand, more than ten million people are supposedly supporting this religion. I am also very critical of organizations like Scientology but at the same time I find it very interesting how one person can make hundreds and thousands of others believe in a newly created religion.

Fourthly, "Racial segregation as depicted in two movies" by Tiana Jerkovic. Racial segregation has always been and still is a very controversial topic. Although I haven't seen the two movies Tiana was talking about yet, I intend to watch them as soon as the examination period is over. Tiana's thoughts about how such movies can be important for American culture were very interesting.    

Fifthly, "How the Columbian Exchange changed the world" by Alexandra Haunold. I hadn't heard a lot about this topic before which is probably why my interest was caught right away. It's amazing how far the exchange of goods goes back. 



(Link to a Google doc containing the 5 presentations I have chosen to be tested on for the KGP:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18J_tDahP2EpsRvcsZGmqmv8rA0hpzV76MONT1Y2vvQg/edit# )

Dodgeball - The latest trend in Austria

Have you heard about “Dodgeball”? It seems like it’s THE new kind of sport in Austria this year. 

It’s a game that’s very similar to “Völkerball” which you probably all still remember from school. However, other than what you might think it’s not a game exclusively aimed at children attending elementary school, middle school or high school. In Austria it’s quite the opposite – students and adults from all over the country are teaming up and playing against each other at various dodgeball tournaments.  

The organization of the game is pretty easy. Players on two teams try to throw large balls at each other while avoiding being hit themselves. It is often played in a gym with the main objective to eliminate all members of the opposing team. Members can be eliminated by hitting them with thrown balls, catching a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing them to move outside the court boundaries when a ball is thrown at them. The number of dodgeballs varies depending from the number of players and the size of the gym but three to ten is common. 

The form that is most common in U.S. schools was popularized by the 2004 film “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. I haven’t seen the movie yet because I am not a big fan of Ben Stiller movies but in case you are, you should maybe watch it.(Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUpzAw5Kw7M)

Here’s a short instructional video showing you how to play dodgeball. 

What’s so special about dodgeball in Austria is that Austrians seem to place more emphasis on their costumes than on the actual sports game. They are very creative, designing their own costumes and thereby making sure everyone knows which team they belong to. Just recently, on May 9^th, a dodgeball tournament called “Dodge and Style” took place in Vienna. So, I guess the fact that the players are dressed up is probably linked to the name of the tournament. What’s more, the various dodgeball tournaments include an after show party with live DJ’s, great entertainment and lots of fun. Sounds like a perfect event to me! I haven’t tried it out yet, but I think I will some time soon :)

Here’s a video about Dodgeball in Austria which I can highly recommend you to watch in order to see what these dodgeball tournaments are really like.

 For further information here’s a website including all the information you need in case you want to participate in a dodgeball game yourself: http://dodgeball.at/

Generation Maybe

Hey guys!

I recently came across a really fascinating article which I think is absolutely worth reading. However, I have to warn you – it’s a German article and it is very provocative. 

The article is about the “Generation Maybe” which refers to people aged between 20 and 30. So, basically it’s an article about us. It says that although we are very-well educated, we have no idea what to do with our lives with regard to our future. Completely overwhelmed by all the possibilities we have, we are said to be indecisive and undetermined rather than welcoming our future with arms wide open. All in all, the fact that we can basically do anything we want with our lives leads to us doing nothing. Interesting thought, right?

But don’t worry; it’s not our fault that we are procrastinators. We are the way we are because we don’t have any role models! 

Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much. Just read the article and then please tell me: What do you think about the article? Do you think it’s true, maybe a little bit true or doesn’t have a grain of truth in it at all? I would really like to know how you feel about it!

As for me, the first time I read the article I was shocked about how true all of it sounded. I could totally relate to not knowing what to do (exactly) with my future, not having everything planned out yet and above all not even wanting to commit to something in particular (yet). However, after having read the article two or three times I realized that some bits and pieces may be true but by far not all of the enumerated statements. What’s more, I have come to realize that I like the fact that my future isn’t all planned out yet and that everything’s possible. I mean, who knows where I will end up in a few years after having finished university. Maybe I’ll be a translator, maybe an interpreter, maybe I’ll live in France, maybe I’ll live in Russia, maybe I’ll even stay in Austria. Making plans right now doesn't make any sense to me, because in the end everything’s always different from what you expected it to be like anyway. I like this little mystery in my life which makes me overly enthusiastic to find out what it’s really going to be like every time I think about it. But I guess this mystery will be solved soon enough :)

Here's the link to the article: http://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article13939962/Generation-Maybe-hat-sich-im-Entweder-oder-verrannt.html

Don't forget to let me know what you think about it! ;)

National Root Beer Float Day – August 6

Did you know that August 6 is the National Root Beer Float Day in the United States of America? And do you even know what a Root Beer Float is? In case you don’t I am going to solve this mystery for you right now.  

The Root Beer Float is a beverage which is really popular in the United States, especially among children. To make one of these delicious beverages all you have to do is add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a tall glass of root beer. (A little hint for everyone who is going to try it: If you reverse the directions and add the root beer to the ice cream you’ll probably end up with a big mess.) For its consumption all you need is a spoon and a straw. It can also be made with other flavors, though. For example you can add a scoop of chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream. Other popular ice cream sodas, also known as floats, include those made with soft drinks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and flavored soda such as orange, grape, cinnamon etc.

The float itself has a couple of potential beginnings, but according to my research Frank J. Wisner seems to be the creator of the Root Beer Float. The origin of the beverage dates back to the end of the 19^th century when Frank J. Wisner was staring out his window one night at Cow Mountain in Colorado. To him the snowy peaks on the dark mountains looked like ice cream in a dark soda. That’s why the next day he came up with the idea to combine root beer and vanilla ice cream. The foamy beverage is also  known as “black cow” or “brown cow”.

How is this holiday celebrated? Americans usually celebrate it by making themselves, their family and their friends a root beer float. Some even throw a root beer float party on this holiday. 

For all of you who didn’t know – root beer is non-alcoholic which makes it the perfect refreshment for children. Although we don’t usually drink this kind of beverage in Europe to me personally it sounds very similar to iced coffee or chocolate milk as we know it in Austria.  

Here are some facts about the history of the Root Beer:

• Root beer was originally brewed in the 1800’s using sassafras and was considered a medicinal drink.
• Originally, root beer actually contained a small amount of alcohol.
• Sassafras was removed from the drink in 1976 after it was banned by the US Food and Drug Administration due to the carcinogenic properties in its oils.
• Today, root beer is made from flavored syrups, carbonated water, and spices such as vanilla, licorice root, nutmeg, molasses, cinnamon, and clove.
• While root beer is fairly popular in North America, with hundreds of brands, the drink is relatively unknown elsewhere in the world.

How did I even come up with the idea to write about the Root Beer Float? Well, over the last couple of years I have seen this deliciously looking beverage several times in American movies and series. Ever since I first saw it I have been wondering about its ingredients and what it might taste like. So, one day I started doing some research about it and after that it was not long before I tried one myself. Unfortunately I have to say that it looks a lot tastier than it actually is. Maybe the Root Beer Float is one of those acquainted tastes you have to get used to before actually liking it. Or maybe you just have to really like beer in order to become a fan of it which I am definitely not. Anyway, if you like beer and ice cream you should definitely try it one sunny hot summer day! :)

Here's a link to some recipes including root beer: http://www.thedailymeal.com/search/apachesolr_search/root%20beer%20float