This week's country is Austria.
The capital of Austria is Vienna.
How about everyone picks a famous person from Austria and writes a comment about that person?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/au.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1032215.stm
Pictures of Austria:
6 comments:
Peter Habeler was born in Mayrhofen, Austria on July 22, 1942.
He began climbing with Reinhold Messner in 1969. His most spectacular mountaineering accomplishment was the first ascent without supplemental oxygen of Mount Everest in 1978 together with Messner, which had previously been thought impossible.
He has also climbed Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat, Kangchenjunga, and Hidden Peak, which are all mountains above 8000 meters (26240 feet).
Just to get this accomplishment in perspective, consider that high altitude is 1500 - 3500 m (5000 - 11500 ft), very high altitude is 3500 - 5500 m (11500 - 18000 ft), and extreme altitude is above 5500 m.
Anywhere above 2500 meters (8000 feet) you begin to feel the effects of high altitude on your body. (Hyperventilation (breathing faster, deeper, or both), shortness of breath during exertion, changed breathing pattern at night, awakening frequently at night, increased urination, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or weakness, dizziness or light-headedness)
At the extreme altitudes of the mountains Peter climbed, where the body is basically disintegrating every second from lack of oxygen, Cerebral and Pulmonary Edema are always risks.
In Cerebral Edema, the brain swells and stops functioning properly. This illness can become fatal within a few hours. People with high altitude cerebral edema usually are confused and don’t realize that they are ill. The only cure is decent to a lower altitude.
With Pulmonary Edema the blood vessels in the lungs leak a pink, frothy liquid that fills up the lungs. If the victim does not descend to a lower altitude quickly the liquid will fill both lungs and he will cough it up until he dies.
Sorry, this probably sounds a bit morbid, but I’ve done research on high altitude and the effects it has on the body and all this information was just itching to get out.
This may seem like it has nothing to do with Austria, but I wanted everyone to see how big of an accomplishment Peter’s ascents were, especially the ones he did without oxygen.
Peter also founded the Peter Habeler Ski and Mountaineering School in his hometown of Mayrhofen, Austria.
Johann Strauss I was born in Vienna on March 14, 1804.
He was an Austrian Romantic composer known particularly for his waltzes.
For more information about Johann Strauss, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Strauss_I
Watch this video about Johann Strauss:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWOq2uOTwOQ
About the video:
At the home of Austrian composer Johann Strauss, lives Johann Mouse. Whenever the composer plays his waltzes, the mouse dances to the beautiful music, unable to control himself. One day, when Strauss is away, the housecat learns to play piano. This forces the mouse to dance, providing the cat with a chance to pounce on him. Word soon spreads about a piano playing cat and a dancing mouse.
;)
(the links may not work, so just cut and paste them onto your browser)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.
The newspaper business is very important. Most newspaper companies are privately owned and compete for readers.
The Sound of Music – The Von Trapps were for real
The 1965 musical film was originally shot in the Austrian Alps of Salzburg. It portrays the true story of an Austrian family, the Von Trapp Family, who became famous for their singing.
Baron Georg von Trapp was a highly decorated World War I veteran and a widower with 7 children, living in Salzburg. Maria, a nun who was a governess to his children and later became his wife, organized concerts with the children. Eventually, the family hobby turned into a profession.
When Hitler annexed Austria to Germany in 1938, the Von Trapps decided to flee. With only a few belongings packed in their Rucksacks, they fled to the United States leaving friends and fortune behind. Lack of money did not keep this remarkable family from managing to reach national popularity with their musical hobby turned profession. The Von Trapp family toured the United States all through the 1940s until 1956.
Austrian mayor wages war on mobiles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7364342.stm
Austrian detectives study cellar:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7370285.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7370208.stm
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