Culture Presentations

On Wednesday and Thursday our culture presentations took place. Every student had to present a topic related to the American or Irish culture. I went to see 12 presentations and I have to say I was surprised. They were awesome!

Although it was a lot of work, I want to say thank you to Frank and Fiona for organizing these two days. It really was worth it! It’s such a great idea to let every student decide on their own which topic they would like to talk about. I love my topic and I got so into it, I even don’t want to stop doing some research and I won’t. It’s just too thrilling for me!

So my personal opinion: It was an amazing project!!

Let me give you now a short review of the presentations I went to see.

USA

1.) Things you might not know about San Francisco and the Bay Area by Marina Margeta

First of all I have to say the design of her presentation was amazing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the pretty pictures and it really caught my attention. I think she did a great job to shorten such a huge topic. I got a good idea of how this area looks like and of how many counties it consists, what you can find there and why it is so interesting to visit. I liked the way she tried to combine geography with history. If I get the chance to visit this area, I will definitely know what to do!

2.) Two more for Mount Rushmore by Katharina Pelich

I think she did a pretty good job deciding to talk about F.D. Roosevelt and J.B. Johnson. Although I believe it must have been difficult because the history of the U.S. has so many great presidents to offer. I liked that she explained clearly why these two presidents were so important.

3.) Southern Hospitality – The Southern Way of Life by Julia Rauch

Her topic got my attention from the very beginning because it’s kind of a personal report as she has spent a year there herself. But she didn’t get too personal and I think that’s probably the biggest difficulty. But she really did great. After the presentation I truly had the feeling to understand the mentality of these people. Their strong believe in God determines their behavior. 

4.) Monty Roberts: an extraordinary communication by Melanie Wimmer

Well, that was amazing! I have never heard of this man before but now I’m impressed. Even though I’m not into horses, I’m totally in favor of what this man is doing. Her presentation broadened my horizon!!! Awesome! I loved the quotes and his way of thinking. This presentation was clearly my biggest surprise! 

5.) America as a nation of narcissism by Maria Dorner

That’s probably the topic that interests me the most and I think Maria did a really great job. This topic is a huge problem in every society not only in America and I liked the fact that she pointed that out. When she first told me about her topic I decided right away that I would take it for my KGP. I just love it and after her presentation I even loved it more.

6.) Does race still matter in the US by Lisa Ziermann

… oh yes it does! Unfortunately!! I am really interested in this topic and I think it is so important. She prepared it very well and explained the major problems in a great way. It’s something we should never forget about and we have to be aware that race still matters. With presentations like this the topic will stay in the heads of people and that’s something worth striving for! It’s a problem and everyone should deal with it and help to eliminate it.

7.) Ellen DeGeneres by Johanna Schreilechner

Gosh I love Ellen!! She is the best!! I was so happy when I found out that Joey would be talking about her! She is a living legend for me! The presentation was really interesting and also showed an important subject: homosexuality. I love the fact that Ellen is so self-confident and powerful! I would consider her to be the role model of all emancipated strong women in the 21^st century!

8.) Sacagawea by Bianca Stadler

We already heard a lot about this woman in one of our CLIs but I think she is so important that I can hear a lot more about her. Bianca did a great job explaining her life and why she is so important for America. 

9.) The Navajo Code Talkers using Language as a Weapon by Laura Rossberg

WOW! Her start was outstanding! It was incredible. She got my attention from the very beginning when she read the short paragraph. I think her presentation was a clear success! I loved the fact that she watched YouTube videos so that she can pronounce the Navajo words. That’s great research and preparation! 

Ireland

10.) Psychiatry in Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s with the case of Hanna Greally by Diana Skof

Actually it’s really sad that I’m not allowed to take an Ireland topic for the KGP. I would choose this one. I’m totally interested in psychiatry more precise about the dark side and how people can take advantage of mentally ill people. It’s cruel but needs to be addressed. Diana was amazing! One of the best presentations I listened to.

11.) Newgrange – a treasure of art by Anita Bhatti

When we had to learn the Irish CLIs, this topic was one of the most fascinating ones for me. So I decided that I want to learn more about it. Her presentation was really informative. She did a great job!

12.) Irish dance by Katharina Luttenberger

I knew absolutely nothing about this presentation and I have to admit I listened to it by chance. But I was surprised. It really was interesting and it turned out that I liked this topic a lot. She really was lucky to get the chance to interview a relative of Fiona who is dancing. That made it really interesting.

So for my KGP I decided on the following 5 topics: 

• Southern Hospitality – The Southern Way of Life by Julia Rauch
• Monty Roberts: an extraordinary communication by Melanie Wimmer
• America as a nation of narcissism by Maria Dorner
• Does race still matter in the US by Lisa Ziermann
• Ellen DeGeneres by Johanna Schreilechner

mystery: thigh gap

Well … I’ve always wanted a thigh gap. I’ve always wanted a thigh gap? What the hell IS a thigh gap? That was the questioned I asked my roommate two days ago when she told me about the latest fitness trend which she discovered on instagram. 

A thigh gap is the space between your thighs when you are standing straight up. (I give you guys the German translation so that I can make sure that it’s absolutely clear about what I’m talking: “Oberschenkellücke”)

To tell you the truth, I’ve never even thought about a thigh gap. It’s completely new to me. I didn’t know that it is desirable and the latest must-have for body-conscious young women. But I started to get curious what’s behind this trend and after checking out some tumblr websites on the internet, the thigh gap got my attention.

So I read that the young Englishwoman Alexa Chung, model and Londoner It-girl, is thought to personify the trend. Of course lots of other celebrities follow her example. 

So what should you know about the thigh gap?

It’s an impossible beauty standard. Not everyone can have one. In fact it depends on the natural shape of your body. Women who have child-bearing hips are clearly at an advantage. They have legs that are farther apart from one another, making the thigh gap easier to achieve. 

 

The fact that not everyone can have it creates dangerous problems. For many women, especially young girls, the gap equals thinness which means that they almost starve themselves to get it. It can become an obsession like all other beauty trends. 

I read the story of a 16year-old girl who nearly killed herself because she wanted the thigh gap so badly. She started to plaster her bedroom walls with photos of skinny thighs of celebrities such as Alexa Chung or Cara Delevingne. She used to spend every minute of the day obsessing over the size of her thighs. After some months she felt so weak because she lost so much weight that she had to be taken to hospital. The doctors told her that if she didn’t change her eating habits, she would die in 2 weeks. Can you believe that? Actually I can.

There are so many other shocking stories like this one but that doesn’t stop people from uploading pictures of their way too thin legs showing the thigh gap. It’s driving me crazy! I don’t want to know how many girls or fully grown women suffer each day because of these terrible photos. Why can’t we just stop to create an unhealthy ideal of beauty? It’s dangerous. There are so many beautiful women out there who are afraid to be proud of them because they don’t fit in a size zero. It’s ridiculous! 

Still I want to give you the chance to decide on your own whether you like the trend or not. Take a look at:

• FuckYeahThighGap
• thigh gap on tumblr

read more about the negative aspects:

• stories
• Do you have a thigh gap?

breast augmentation? no, no, no I mean reduction!!

Plastic surgery: medical operations to improve the appearance of a part of someone's body, either to repair an injury or to make the person more attractive 

Cosmetic surgery: medical operations that improve someone's appearance

These are the two definitions which can be found in the online MacMillan Dictionary. Today I want to point out that there is in fact a huge difference between cosmetic and plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery constitutes a part of plastic surgery and aims at the improvement of someone’s appearance in order to make them more attractive. People undergoing such an operation haven’t suffered of an injury before. It’s the looks that motivate them. In contrary plastic surgery refers to necessary operations because you suffer. 

I want to draw the attention with this post to a topic which is less common in our society: breast reduction (Reduction mammoplasty).

I’m sure many of you have at least once in their life heard of some cases of breast augmentation. But have you ever thought about the opposite?

Let’s imagine a 20 year old student called Anny. She has an E-Cup, so a very large bra size. And she has never wanted to have such big breasts. 

When do you finally decide for a breast reduction?

I guess the most common problem for Anny is a damaged posture. The weight is enormous that she carries along with her. She has to always make sure that she stands straight and the best would be to practice some exercise improving her posture. But there comes a time when it’s simply not possible to fight the burden with normal exercise. Even the easiest sports like running can become too difficult for her. And that isn’t funny at all!
Second you shouldn’t forget the mental damages that can result out of it. Of course, especially the girls might think “Well, it’s not that hard to be admired by all the guys staring at your breasts!”. In fact for her it is! Anny suffers because of stupid comments; she suffers because she hates what lots of girls dream of. This problem should clearly be taken more seriously!

What do you have to do after you decide to undergo this procedure?

Well, Anny can do the first step and decide that she wants to have a reduction mammoplasty. But keep in mind that it is expensive. So she needs the support of her health insurance company. And that’s the point where it gets difficult. Bureaucracy for the world – at least in Austria.
First she consults her family doctor. He will write a referral to an orthopedist. There she has to do some tests to show that she really suffers of a damages posture. The next step is to make an appointment with the head of the health insurance company because he is the one who approves a subvention to her operation. Clearly he won’t do that with much pleasure so he’s playing God because he knows that he has all the power. If all of the certificates you have so far aren’t enough for him, you’re best making an appointment with a plastic surgeon at the LKH. If he proves that you really suffer because of the size of your breasts, even Mr. Wanna-be-God can’t refuse a subvention. 

How long until you are finally able to fulfill your dream?

Usually it’s one year to the operation. For two reasons:

1.  it’s not as important as urgent cases and the hospitals are generally crowded
   
2.  they want to make sure that you really want this and don’t jump off
   

Personally, I’m not too much in favor with cosmetic surgery. I believe that people are beautiful the way they were born. Usually nobody recognizes that your nose is “too big” or that you have too many wrinkles or whatever. Please feel comfortable the way you are. Cause you’re beautiful no matter what. And what’s really important for me: Age with dignity!! 

Nonetheless, I appreciate the state of medicine that makes it possible to help people who are suffering because of physical deformity or injuries. It’s awesome that there is a chance to make life easier for those people.

food art

While browsing the internet I found an amazing health & wellness blog called “the more you know”. Click here to check out the link to the blog. Maybe you want to have a look (:

I had a look at this blog and liked a lot of different topics. One of the labels is called “food art”. The pictures posted were amazing!!

Though I think it’s quite a controversial topic. I remember my grandma saying “You never play with food, you listening?!” Of course she is absolutely right. I’m not in favor with people using food as toys or allowing their children to throw it on the floor or simply waste it. That’s a no-go. I, myself, read a lot about the topic “food waste” for our food magazine and really got into that topic. So I clearly disapprove wastefulness.

But, I think there is a difference between “playing with food” and “food art”. Creating a master piece out of food so that your eyes can “eat” first doesn’t constitute something reprehensible for me.

Just look at these gorgeous pictures!!!

I believe it is a nice way to sharpen someone’s appetite on the condition that the food will be eaten, of course. 

And I came up with a bonus that goes along with art food, especially concerning fruits or vegetables. Children are easily attached to good looking things. It’s a nice idea to decorate healthy dishes in ways that children might appreciate. They find it interesting and will surly take a closer look at spinach or other “terrible” healthy food. So it might be a good way to draw children’s attention to eating healthy food. And everyone can do it! Also not so talented parents will be able to create a beautiful dish. All you need is a little imagination!

And I have to admit, I like it too (: If a dish is nicely decorated I can ignore the fact that there are some ingredients I might not like.