i.want.world

Austria's Economic Freedom

No major surprise: government spending and high taxes has Austria ranked 22nd in this year's Index of Economic Freedom - right above Germany. In part due to recent unprecedented large stimulus plans, the world experienced for the second time in the history of the Index's publishing an overall decreased of economic freedom.

Terry Miller's presentation of the Index at the Hayek Institute pointed out that despite large government spending to promote growth, early evidence has shown that increase in spending has undoubtedly the negative effect -

yet another attestation of delusionary Keynesian economics propaganda.

Click here to download:

Index2010_ExecutiveHighlights.pdf (926 KB)

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Location: Orlando di Castello

Situated within Vienna’s historical center, Karl Wlaschek Junior’s stylish café delivers a new approach to gastronomy within the city, accentuating his flair for hospitality and promoting a culinary concept built upon quirky design, quality ingredients and stellar service.

Universal dishes thread throughout the menu such as a Caesar salad, steaks, handmade ravioli and burgers, each one spruced up courtesy of quality ingredients and expert preparation. Pastry chef Pierre Reboul’s artful creations are a beacon, outshining many a competitor in this the Habsburg city of sweets, shunning traditional Viennese treats for thoughtful designs such as the dazzling Tarte Tropezienne.

The drinks menu offers an exotic selection of foreign wines, excellent Belgian beers and a coffee from Galapagos islands that will have you here on a daily basis.

That microscopic attention detail doesn’t just end in the kitchen. Everything about this place has been thought out to the nth degree, from the surreal interior design (inspired by the trinity of a Tyrolean girl, Queen Elizabeth and 50 Cent), to the attire of the enthusiastic, well-informed staff and time-appropriate music: soft and relxing in the morning to more revved up at night, when it all crescendoes into a dinner and dance scene.

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Freyung 1, 1010 Vienna, Austria

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ZARA Needs Help

ZARA

Sad but true.  The NGO ZARA (Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus Arbeit), which is famous for its fight against racism in Austria, is also fighting for its survival.

The org just celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. Unfortunately, the 1000 or more people who attended the party couldn’t save the org as 200 people supporting members are missing. There’s also lack of donations coming in. Due to lack of funds several projects have been turned down or simply cancelled.

Can we blame it on the recent financial crisis where many workers either lost their jobs or businesspeople losing faith in the economy. For many of us who earn the minimum wage it is pretty hard to part our hard-earned money. But somehow it is strange and dreadful to think that the Austrian government tried to save banks and reluctant to punish large firms that made a fool out of the people. Non-government organisations like ZARA and co. don’t receive any penny nor other means of support from the establishment except from the Greens and the socialists and other groups and individuals that promote the same ideals like ZARA. Because of the org’s mission to eradicate racism and help the victims of racist attacks in the country, the conservative politicians don’t see it as useful to their aims.

A huge bulk of ZARA staff is made up of volunteers. If we want ZARA to continue its work we must help the org to survive. If not now, then when? Or else it would be all too late.

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Event: World Press Photos

From the 30th of October till the 29th of November WestLicht. Schauplatz für Fotografie will be showing the World Press Photo 09 exhibition. This will comprise around 200 of the best press photographs of 200 which have been awarded prizes in the most prestigious photo-journalist competition in the world.

Since 1955 the board of the World Press Photo Foundation, an independent platform for photo-journalism which has its headquarters in Amsterdam, has invited press photographers and photo-journalists from all over the world to take part in the World Press Photo competition. An international jury, which is changed each year and consists of 13 members, judges the submitted entries that come from photographers, agencies, newspapers and magazines all over the world.

Galerie WestLicht
Westbahnstraße 40, 1070 Vienna, Austria
http://www.worldpressphoto.org/

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Event: Martin Scorsese. The complete works

28 Aug 19:00 - 05 Oct 00:00

You probably already have seen a good portion of Martin Scorsese’s films (let’s not call them movies, could we?). From the dorm room poster classic Taxi Driver to the generation defining Mean Streets or his academy award winning The Departed, the majority of his films are basically part of film history.

But even in the time of home-cinema and blue-ray, you shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to see his complete works during the next weeks at Filmmuseum.

This could be your chance of a lifetime to scream-along “Lawyer” with Robert de Niro in Cape Fear.

Filmmuseum
Augustinerstraße 1, 1010 Vienna, Austria
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000217/

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Brüno kommt in Wien - Vienna

Follow his funkyzeit tour nach wien! Find the best tools for your pleasure and relaxation thereafter.

via Vienna - unlike on 7/24/09

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event: Mark Jenkins - purple splendor

Mark Jenkins’ work is one of the best examples of art in the streets that goes beyond the flat surface of a wall, but his installations accomplish much more than that. What they are is truly a fine example of how art out there should make people react somehow to what they see and not just entertain a few colleagues in the internet or amuse another “street artists” or Street art fans.

Jenkins sees public space as a battleground on which advertisers and artists are all competing for visual space. His illegal street art installations, human casts made from packing tape placed in public spaces around Washington, are designed to awaken passers-by from the comfort of their daily activities.

Ve.Sch
Schikanedergasse 11/3 , 1040 Vienna, Austria
http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/

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via Vienna - unlike on 5/20/09
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schwarzenbergplatz vienna

 One of the most well recognized squares in vienna, it includes the monument of the Red Army and the fountain Hochstrahlbrunnen. 

                 

Click here to download:

schwarzenbergplatz.zip (3340 KB)

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location: pratergolf

Only in Vienna is something like the Pratergolf possible. Located in the middle of the old horse racing stadium Krieau Pratergolf provides you with a driving range, chipping-, putting- and pitching-green and a training bunker. The contrast between a distinct Gründerzeit feeling and the huge new office buldings is almost overwhelming.

Have a melange and a piece of the famous Topfenstrudel, while sitting on the patio of the historic race organizer tower. The tower built in 1880 is the core of the course. For only 8€ you can play 50 golf balls with the horse paddock right in your back. There’s no strict dress-code, but don’t expect to see too much people wearing denim.

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via (Obsolete Feed) on 4/10/09

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vienna's heurigen

Vienna is the only metropolis in the world that cultivates wine within its city limits. Where best to enjoy the local harvest than at heurige, local wine taverns? What used to be a shack in a vineyard or a few tables by a wine press have now evolved into bobo wine estates with organic barbecues and fussy designer wine cellars serving nouvelle cuisine viennoise.

These days, Viennese heurige are shaking off their rustic image as tourist traps in disguise and venues for day-tripping retirees…

Good traditional heurige still exist though they are increasingly rare, while many deliberately court younger cosmopolitan Viennese who are no longer content with sour Grüne Veltliner wine and stale dark bread. Two driving forces behind the new popularity of the heurige culture are the next generation of ambitious young vintners and the renaissance of the beisl (Viennese restaurant) cuisine. Witness, for example, the revival of the Grinzing area, for years the ending point of tourist bus fleets, now boasting several gourmet restaurants as well as organic wine cultivation.

One of the greatest charms of heurige is the al fresco setting, be it on a green meadow overlooking the city or in a grapevine-trellised courtyard shaded by ancient chestnut trees. As such, summer is the perfect time to visit heurige, when balmy evenings under the stars could only be complemented by bottomless carafes of good wine.

The ultimate Viennese chill-out, if you will.

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