A new year usually starts with good intentions and hope. It is amazing how a single person with a plan and some stamina can move mountains. An Austrian, for example, bicycled around the world in 62 days, raising 220 million USD for the eradication of an infectious desease. Or, Chicago’s Austrian Society collected enough funds for the medical treatment of a young cancer patient - see "Light of Hope."

You may find this issue very "educational," with three articles relating to Austrian culture and language. Read about how Austrian the German School Washington is; about the career opportunities for Austrians and the educational advantages for young Americans provided by the language village Waldsee; and find the updated list of Austrian summer schools.

The Ninth Viennese Congress on Culture discussed one of the most complex topics: Where does "Old Europe" stand in relationship to the "New World?"

Yours sincerely,
Christoph Meran

Austria, a small country in the heart of Europe with eight million inhabitants, has long been known for its humanitarian contributions. They include the promotion of peace projects, the support of refugees, and the help of children in need (SOS Kinderhilfsaktion). Austria's charity has now reached across the ocean to America under the motto of Licht ins Dunkel (Light of Hope), a non-profit organization founded twenty-five years ago by Austrian Radio and Television (ORF). It is dedicated to raising funds to help needy children.

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Opportunity or Risk for Europe?

Are Europe and America drifting further apart? What remains for Europe in view of America as the "only remaining world power" (Zbigniew Brzezinski), or in light of America as the "new Rome" (Peter Bender). Last November the Ninth Viennese Congress on Culture devoted itself to a discussion of these, among other related questions.

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Dr. Daniel S. Hamilton has played a crucial role among those involved in strengthening transatlantic relations. As a former government official, scholar, media consultant and think-tank executive, he has been strongly committed to forging understanding between America and Europe, with a particularly strong emphasis on German-speaking countries. He has coped with the ever-changing developments of our transatlantic ties with sympathy and erudition. One of his initiatives is the Concordia Language Village of Waldsee, in which he has been involved for the last 35 years.

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AUSTRIA - a country of art and music, but no less a country of science, research and technology - has brought forth as many as fifteen Nobel Prize winners. The reputation of her schools and educational institutions has been acknowledged internationally for many centuries.

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He has mastered the art of going without sleep for days and staying fresh. Perhaps that is why he feels he had the power to do the impossible. In a back-breaking effort to raise awareness about polio, a highly infectious and crippling disease caused by a virus mainly in children under five years of age, the three-time Austrian triathlon champion, Sepp Resnik, completed a mission to realize an unbelievable feat - to bicycle around the world. In a total of 62 days, Resnik pedalled 24,343 kilometers (14,913 miles), raising 174 million Euros (220 million US Dollars) - for the Polio Plus immunization program. Donations, collected from 38 various countries by the Rotary Club, will go for their project, "World without Polio."

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Nora Carson Sands, distinguished for her inspiration and many years of service to musical education and for the strong bond she built between Austria and America, died on September 24, 2003 at the age of 75. She was the guiding force behind the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS), located in Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Sands became an honorary figure in Graz, Austria, home of AIMS during the summer months for the past 35 years, where her students underwent training. She was awarded the Prestigious Great Gold Medal from the State of Styria and Gold Medals of Honor from the State of Steiermark and the City of Graz. Her gift to the world was her ability to guide others on their musical paths.

Robert Albert Bauer, retired Foreign Service Officer, anti-Nazi radio broadcaster, author and lecturer died in Washington, D.C., on September 27, 2003 at the age of 93.

Mr. Bauer was born in Austria. He earned an M.A. in economics and an LL.D. from Austrian universities in the early 1930s, as well as an MA in Arab studies from the American University in Cairo in 1967. He practiced law in Austria in the mid 1930s. After the 1938 Anschluß he fled his Nazi-occupied homeland and joined the Free Austria movement in Prague. After Czechoslovakia came under Nazi rule, he became editor-in-chief of the Austrian Freedom radio station, broadcasting from Normandy in 1940. He immigrated to the U.S. after France fell in 1940 and worked as a broadcaster for a German-language radio station in Cincinnati.

Mr. Bauer joined Voice of America (VOA) in 1942. Two years later, he was named chief of the German radio section of the American Broadcasting Station in Europe. He continued broadcasting after the war, eventually becoming acting chief of VOA’s European division. In 1953 he joined the United States Information Agency (USIA) as a radio program manager. His diplomatic career took him to U.S. missions in Tehran, Paris, New Delhi and Cairo. During his tours of duty, he served as first secretary for cultural affairs and as counsellor for public affairs.

Retiring from the service in 1972, he lectured on international affairs at Kenyon College in Ohio as well as at American University in Washington, D.C., and consulted at the Brookings Institute. He edited and wrote several books including The U.S. and World Affairs, The Austrian Solution, and The Threat of International Terrorism.

Nora Carson Sands, distinguished for her inspiration and many years of service to musical education and for the strong bond she built between Austria and America, died on September 24, 2003 at the age of 75. She was the guiding force behind the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS), located in Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Sands became an honorary figure in Graz, Austria, home of AIMS during the summer months for the past 35 years, where her students underwent training. She was awarded the Prestigious Great Gold Medal from the State of Styria and Gold Medals of Honor from the State of Steiermark and the City of Graz. Her gift to the world was her ability to guide others on their musical paths.