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Rudolf Hundstorfer, President of Austrian Federation of Trade Unions (OeGB)

In October 2003 Rudolf Hundstorfer became vice president of the OeGB (Austrian Federation of Trade Unions). After resignation of Fritz Verzetnisch as president of this organization in March 2006 because of the BAWAG scandal, Hundstorfer took the presidency provisionally.
On September, 8th 2005 as a representative of all BAWAG stockholders he signed an agreement, that the OeGB will adopt the BAWAGs debts of 1.53 billion Euros. Hundstorfer kept this fact in secret until June 2006. When he was asked by journalists for reason doing so, he told he did not know, what he had signed.
Translated by G.T

Managers found guilty in Austrian BAWAG trialVienna - All nine defendants in the BAWAG bank were found guilty on Friday in the trial on Austria’s biggest banking scandal on Friday, as the bank managers were held responsible for high losses arising from speculative investments.

Former BAWAG CEO Helmut Elsner, 73, and other bank managers were deemed guilty of having hidden losses around 1.7 billion euros (2.7 billion dollars) from off-shore investments between 1995 and 2000.

US-based investor Wolfgang Floettl, 52, had carried out the unsuccessful financial deals in the Caribbean on behalf of Austria’s fourth largest bank. (more…)

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Governor Franz Voves drinking Styrian wine

In politics one holds no promises
“The head of Styrian government Voves can not be surpassed in incredibility”, told OeVP family speaker Ridi Steibl commenting SPOe-forcingup of prices in Steiermark. On the 1st of July the electricity prices will be raised by 15 percent.
OeVP-family speaker reminded to audience the fact of numerous election campaign pledges given by Voves. Before the elections Voves had promised , in particular, that electricity price would not be raised.
Steibl told: “You failed, Mr.Governor! With all your broken promises.”
“Voves is fully responsible for the antisocial SPOe politics and it is incomprehensible why he demands SPOe at the national level to be the other, when his own
local policy does not correspond to this fundamental principle.”
29.06.08 http://www.ots.at

Electricity price increases, the trust to politicians decreases
From the 1st of July the Energy Styria raises the electricity price. It means a rise by 4 percent for average household. As the KPOe has already stated before, every rise digs deep in population pockets. This is the third rise since 2006.
Ernest Kaltenegger, club chef of the KPOe issued critical comments on this fact in the Styrian Landtag:� “Other local enterprises who manage to go on without nuclear power are definitely cheaper than the Energy Stieremark. The last one seems to obtain tactics to put stress on population at regular intervals. At the same time, the politicians of OeVP and SPOe at the local level intend to increase their own salaries up to 1000 euros monthly. In this way the trust to politicians is systematically destroyed.”
01.07.08 http://www.kpoe-steiermark.at/

Large increase of rents in Austria
By By Colin Graham

Renters will be hit with a six per cent price hike in September, according to the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK).
The increase will impact the finances of around 1 million homes.
From September category rents on an 80 square metre flat will rise by up to an additional 180 Euros per year. (more…)

Young female beggar in one of Vienna streets listening to arguments of older woman who suddenly stopped to express her opinion on beggary.

For the first time in my life, I was brought at the place against my will and kept there shut. I felt shaken and thought it must be mistake and soon they would let me go.

At the same time, I knew in my heart that the world where I lived before would never be the same again. On incomprehensible reasons, I became outcast, object of persecution; I broke certain rules and revealed my alien nature to others. I failed to act in reality that all others people except of me shared. So albino crow in flock of black birds is hit by beaks of others till it is dead. I had feeling that all others shared knowledge I had no access to.

Many years would pass until I realize that everybody creates his own truth, and common reality for all does not exist. I would realize that unanimity and group thinking point out to higher levels of compromise only and also ability to float at surface of interactions without digging deep inside (more…)

Feeling distantly curious about the car, I had no any thought it could concern me. However, my eyes were fixed at the fire escape staircase leading on the roof of the building.

I regretted being disobedient to Red Mistress. Moreover, my instincts told me I was in danger after talk with her.
Struggling with imperative to escape, I asked myself:
- What I am afraid of? Did I damage school property, steel money from the common safe or did I murder, harm or gave public insult to somebody? Why I must run and crawl like beast, seized with panic, if I know I am pure and innocent?

Three men in white gowns who appeared at the doors to interrupt my inner dispute (more…)

Photo was made during one of manifestations in center of Vienna. The man with the dog has inscription at his shirt: “Nothing moves forward without Haider”
According to my private statistics J�rg Haider is the most frequent Google search term after words sex and nudity that direct visitors to my website.

When you live in the western country and bring reminiscences about totalitarian society in broad audience you easily gain understanding and support.

Act of critical evaluation suggests unspoken comparison of what was before and what is now. It can sound like compliment in address of western democracy.

Everybody would easily imagine that Galina�s soviet life was only abuse and suppression, that she was persecuted as minor progressive thinker, failed to find justice in her righteous struggle and moved to the West, where she found eventually her happy land.
However, not all is that simple (more…)

During last two days I was out of breath making meticulous review of major Russian newspapers and agencies, who could be potentially interested to gain their own Vienna correspondent,

including �Izvestia� and ITAR-TASS �main Russian news agency with millions of readers auditorium.

Russian press has rather distant and occasional interest to Austrian life that could be completely satisfied by stories about Natascha Kampusch and pricelists of Tyrol Ski resorts. Kyrgyzstan, where I was born - is out of question at all, because budget of largest agencies and newspapers can not afford to support own correspondent abroad.

(more…)