European Forum Alpbach 2013 - Alpbach News Magazine

Alpbach News

MAGAZINE 2013

This magazine contains a collection of work from the Alpbach Media Academy 10. - 31.08.2013

PUBLICATION: European Forum Alpbach, Alpbach Media Academy, A-6236 Alpbach in Tirol, Tel. 05336/600-702, mediaacademy@alpbach.org EDITORS: Michael Fleischhacker, Georg Renner EDITORIAL: Habib Msallem, Katrin Nussmayr, Tatiana Tilly, Sarah Schmidt, Peter Techèt, Conor McMahon, Matteo Colombo, Katerina Vaskovka, Miloš Tomic, Christian Jensen, Florian Peschl, Jennifer McDonald, Levin Wotke, Eleanor Ward, Maialen Torres LAYOUT, GRAPHICS AND CONCEPT: Willem van der Vlugt, Lukas Wagner PHOTO: Philipp Naderer, Luiza Puiu PRODUCTION: Christian Steinbrecher

EDITORIAL Whenever media people get together these days, it is agreed upon that journalism has a major problem when it comes to its own future. After three weeks with the Alpbach Media Academy, I dare to disagree.

Michael Fleischhacker Head of the Alpbach Media Academy

Throughout the Forum, 15 young students of journalism from all across Europe, from Macedonia to Ireland, from the Basque Country to Denmark, accompanied the Forum with journalistic core competence which isn’t just natural curiosity - and with critical distance.

The purpose of this first Alpbach Media Academy was threefold: First, to give these young colleagues the chance to train their skills in an environment that is to journalists what a candy store is to children - clever, interesting people from all over the world behind every corner, most of them easily accessible to interviewers. Second, to provide the Forum with a medium of its own: The Media Academy published more than 120 articles on alpbach.org, providing not only real-time-coverage of the events at and around the Forum, but also providing in-depth analysis, background information and interviews with Alpbach’s finest that could easily compete with any site produced by professional news outlets.

Additionally, they produced Alpbach News, an experimental on-site daily newspaper - on the following pages you will find a selection of their work. Lastly, the Media Academy’s journalists got to experience the Alpbach spirit firsthand: evolving from 15 highly trained strangers into an international team of professional reporters who learnt so much from each other’s experiences.

If that is how our future looks, it can’t come fast enough.

STAFF:

Georg Renner Managing Editor

Marianne Peters Strategic Advisor

Lukas David Wagner Art Director, Graphics and Video

Willem van der Vlugt Art Director, Graphics and Layout

Meet the Alpbach

HABIB MSALLEM

Habib (22) graduated in journalism at London City University this July. Earlier this year, he started to work as an sub-editor at the Sunday Times. During his time at Alpbach, Habib wants to gather as much knowledge as possible on policy-making regarding social issues and development. He has travelled a lot and next year plans to live and work in Brazil.

CHRISTIAN JENSEN

Christian (24) is originally from Denmark but has lived in London for the past five years where he just completed an undergraduate degree in journalism at City University. Christian hopes to use his time in Alpbach to immerse himself in European politics. He hopes to interview all five Nobel prize winners who will be attending the Forum.

SARAH SCHMIDT

PETER TECHET

Sarah (29) is a freelance journalist from Munich. She started studying business psychology in Lüneburg and studied for one semester in Ankara. After briefly working in the car industry, she was accepted by Deutsche Journalisten Schule in Munich. She has gained experience in all branches of media and is interested in print and radio journalism.

Peter (25) was born in Budapest. He studied law at the University of Budapest for three years before moving to Munich and Regensburg to study history.

Peter writes for both German and Hungarian media organisations, and his main interest is politics and its paradoxes.

He would like to combine his academic interests with his career as a journalist.

FLORIAN PESCHL

Florian (21) is an Austrian journalism student in his final year at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna. He hopes to deepen his knowledge of various political and social issues by interviewing some of the world’s brightest minds at the Forum. He is looking forward to working alongside people from a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds.

CONOR MCMAHON

The youngest member of the Academy, Conor (20) has just finished his second year of the BA in Journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology. This summer, he was appointed editor of Campus.ie, Ireland’s largest student website. He has come to Alpbach with an open attitude to politics and hopes to learn much more from the wide selection of events.

KATRIN NUSSMAYR

Katrin (22) is originally from Graz, Austria and has been studying journalism and public relations at FH Joanneum University in her hometown since 2011.

Her main motivation as a journalist is to tell stories about people and translate them to a wider audience. In the future, she imagines herself working with either magazine journalism or social media.

MATTEO COLOMB

Matteo (27) comes from Milan, Italy. He has studied in both his home city and in Lond particular intere phy, internation and Middle Eas He has experien sion work and h a number of diff media. In the fu would like to be spondent in an

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don. He has a est in philosonal relations stern politics. nce in televihas worked for fferent Italian uture, Matteo ecome a correArab country.

JENNIFER MCDONALD

Jennifer (21) is from Ireland.

She is studying Journalism at Dublin Institute of Technology. During her second year she was appointed News Editor of a children’s news website. Her interests include public speaking, she has completed all the grades in public speaking under the Royal Irish Academy of music.

Her dream job is to work as a news presenter on TV.

TATIANA TILLY

KATERINA VASKOVSKA

Tatiana Tilly (24) was born in Copenhagen.

Her journalistic career began in 2010, when she started studying at the Danish School of Journalism in Aarhus. She is looking forward to working with people from different backgrounds and with different journalistic approaches.

Tatiana would like to live in a lot of different countries in the future.

Katerina (22) comes from Skopje, Macedonia. As a journalist and debate trainer, she is interested in higher education, youth organisations and student elections.

The most challenging thing in journalism for Katerina is to prove that journalists can be objective and fair. She sees herself as media law representative or a member of media work and regulation groups.

ELEANOR WARD

MAIALEN TORRES

Eleanor (21) is from Norwich, England.

She has just completed her second year of the BA in Journalism at City University London. Eleanor loves to travel, she also spent one semester at Sciences Po, Paris, where she studied modules in Political Science and International Relations. She is particularly interested in working as a broadcast journalist in the future.

Maialen (21) is from the city of Urretxu in the Basque Country. She recently finished her studies in Media and Communication at the University of Mondragon. She worked for a local TV station, where she reported on regional issues and events. She is also part of the Gaztetxea, a house of youth, where they organise concerts, theatre plays and talks.

LEVIN WOTKE

MILOS TOMIC

Levin (21) was born in Styria and grew up in Graz, Austria.

Currently he is just finishing his BA in Journalism and Public Relations at the University in his hometown.

After various internships in Austrian magazines he also worked as a freelancer. He is planning to study law and Russian in Vienna, to get more theoretical background and broaden his knowledge.

Milos Tomic (23) was born in Bijeljina city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He is currently studying at the University of Belgrade’s faculty of political sciences in the department of journalism and public relations. Milos intends to use his knowledge of PR to transform political material into something useful to the general public. He is an actor as well as a journalist.

THE EVOLU

CONSERVATIVE ANARCHISM:

photo: peter mayr

“We are in Tyrol,” an old man from Alpbach told the Serbian students on the first day of the Forum when they asked him about Austria. He said it with a chuckle – but it was being serious. We are really in Tyrol where the people are well-known for their obstinacy, love of liberty and freedom-fights.

Although Tyrol always belonged to another kingdom, the country still enjoys an independent status.

Because of its permanent disobedience, Tyrol even got a bad reputation in Vienna. Whenever it was possible, the Tyroleans resisted the central power. In the period of the Lutheran Reformation, Tyrol shook off the Catholicism and it became Protestant. The ruling Habsburg emperor invited the Jesuits to gather the “lost flock”. The missionary work turned to a success story: Tyrol has remained the most Catholic region – even in today´s Austria.

The Jesuits definitely did a good job – at least for the Catholic Church.

But the Tyrolean didn’t become true subjects of the Habsburg monarchy. “We don’t like the authority,” the mayor of Alpbach, Mr Bischofer, admits. Although having been Catholicised, Tyrol preserved some kind of anarchist mentality. “Freedom, openness, fortitude,” enumerates Mr. Bischofer the Tyrolean values. As for the fortitude, the tribes of Tyrol were fighting the whole history of the state against all attempts of hegemony. In the 16th century, they joined the German Peasant’s War. After Napoleon had defeated the Austrian Empire in 1805, Tyrol was ceded to Kingdom of Bavaria.

The most important rebellion broke out during the Bavarian hegemony in 1809. It was directed against the new rulers. Tyrol counted on the support of the Habsburgs, but “Vienna let

APE

ANDREAS HOFE

ÖTZI

The first Homo tiroliensis, found in South Tirol – a symbol of the Tyrolean unity

Leader of the rebellion agains Napoleon, a hero of the Tyro lean freedom-fi

The very beginning of the Tyrolean history

down the province”, as Mr. Fischler, the President of the EFA says with a smile.

Even today, the Tyroleans can hardly trust any government in the capital.

The uprising of 1809 was crushed, but the heroes, like Andreas Hofer, are still appreciated. “I hope that our children

will learn about them in the future too,” says Mr Bischofer.

Nowadays the people describe themselves as Tyrolean to distinguish their region from Brussels and Vienna. “It is not my intention,” says Mr. Fischler. But he also feels like a Tyrolean. To promote

UTION OF TYROL FRANZ FISCHLER

TONI SAILER

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st

One of the best Austrian alpine ski racer, of course from Tyrol

Austrian conservative politician, former member of the European Commission, President of the European Forum Alpbach

ofights

this identity, he has established a Day of Tyrol (Tiroltag) during the Forum. On the 17th of August, all participants will have the opportunity to briefly belong to the proud and tough nation of Tyrol.

The Forum is an appropriate place to bring together Europeans – as well

as both sides of Tyrol. Since the First World War, Tyrol has been divided into two parts: the southern part came under Italian rule. Despite the years of Italianization mainly enforced in the fascistic time, South Tyrol has preserved its identity. In the seventies, it got an

autonomous status guaranteed by the UNO and the Austrian State.

Some North-Tyroleans look enviously to the South because “they have greater political independency than we do,” as Mr Bischofer says.

He hopes for a deeper cultural integration of both sides. If he hears the word “home”, he thinks of “the whole of Tyrol”.

The young generation has already accepted the situation and it doesn’t wish for a political reunification of Tyrol. The Federal State Tyrol (the Austrian part of Tyrol) for Petra Malfertheiner means “a neighboring country, a very friendly neighbor of course”. For the Vice-President of the “Forum Alpbach South Tyrol”, the southern part of Tyrol is “the real homeland”. She is proud of the Italian heritage of her region too.

Although Tyrol was regarded for years as too sheltered, the region has newly become a model how to manage cultural and political cooperation across borders. “Europe is a chance for the Tyrolean identity”, says Mr. Fischler.

He believes that the boundaries wouldn’t define our identity. That is the message of Europe - and the aim of Tyrol too: to be reunified in a Europe without boundaries.

In the past decades, Tyrol had a negative reputation as a closed, hillbilly county: strange people in the mountains.

But as the major of Alpbach, Mr. Bischofer emphasizes, “Tyrol has always preferred the freedom.”

It remains sealed only against the authorities. “Free people has been always welcomed here,” says Mr Bischofer.

Geographically, Tyrol not only has two sides (North and South Tyrol) but its soul is also divided: conservative and libertarian attitudes make up the Tyrolean character.

How a student and sticky tape started a revolution Graphene, the thinnest and maybe the strongest material known to man, might soon change our daily lives. Nobel prize winner Konstantin Novoselov talks about its discovery.

“It is impossible to learn the spirit of science from a textbook or article,” says Russian-British physicist and Nobel Prize-laureate Konstantin Novoselov. He would know: Born in the Soviet Union in 1974, Novoselov has always experienced science ‘hands-on’.

In 1997, Novoselov was started to work with physicist Andre Geim in the Netherlands and, later, in England - which is where he made his most famous discovery to date. “One of our projects, initiated by Andre, was an attempt to make a metallic field effect transistor,” Novoselov says.

The team used graphite for the experiment, and when Geim’s PhD student Da Jiang polished a piece of expensive graphite into dust, it was thought the project would have to be abandoned. Instead, they

made an unexpected discovery.

“Using [sticky] tape, taken literally from the dustbin, it took me less than an hour to produce a device which immediately demonstrated some miserable field effect.

But however small the effect, it was clear we had stumbled upon something very big,” he explains.

After lengthy sessions, the team discovered that when they repeatedly used the tape to break down graphite crystals into thinner pieces, these crystal flakes created graphene – the thinnest known material. Despite its size, graphene may be the strongest material known to man and one of the best conductors of electricity. It is hoped graphene will be used to make satellites, airplanes and cars in the future.

IS A LO The prediction based on the United Nations’ statistic results shows that by 2045, life expectancy rate will go up by seven per cent. This means that the average person will live until the age of 82, which is six years more than today’s average of 76 years. Nevertheless, the statistics show that the number of people who suffer from mental illnesses coincides with the amount of money that is pledged for health projects.

This means that the number of elderly people who will need

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special increase the deve a relative disease o a proble Europe, econom the pub health in countries in recen

Giulio Su Director Centre fo

TIMELINE

INFLUENZA CAUSED MORE DEATHS THAN ANY OTHER DISEASE IN THE HISTORY OF THE HUMANITY. THIS BECAM LESS OF A LETHAL DISEASE IN THE 1945, WHEN A GROUP SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED THE VACCINE FOR IT.

1945

IN 1967 TH BARNARD HUMAN-TO-HU PATIENT SURV MILESTONE IN

According to the Global Age Watch’s country report cards, within only 10 years there will be one billion more old people worldwide. The life expectancy rate has increased significantly over the past 10 years.

ONGER LIFE A BETTER LIFE?

assistance is likely to e dramatically in most of eloped countries. To have e affected by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s is already em for many families in and in such a difficult mic time in our continent, blic expenditure on the n most of the European s did not greatly increase nt years.

uperti Furga, the Scientific of CeMM – the Research or Molecular Medicine of

the Austrian Academy of Sciences – thinks that it is essential to concentrate expenditure on research into these diseases.“The challenge of the next few years is not only to increase the life expectancy,” he explains, “but also to improve the quality of life, investing in research on the mental diseases.”

will be possible to rejuvenate the brain cells.

Studies on Alzheimer’s show that in the future, it may be possible FRANCE to obtain improvements in the memory of people affected by this Healthcare expenditure in disease. Some scientists predict Europe at a glance in % of GDP that in the years 2030—2040, it

Hopefully, the answers to our questions regarding health expenditure, life expectancy and medical research will be given during the Health Symposium, which opens today.

SWEDEN

ESTONIA

According to statistics by the European Journal of Neurology, neurological diseases are the most expensive in Europe today - dementia alone costs 105.2 billion euros a year.

E OF MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS ON JUNE 22, 2000 THE HUMAN GENOME DRAFT WAS COMPLETED. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE SEQUENCE OF CHEMICAL PAIRS WHICH MAKE UP HUMAN DNA ISNOT A MYSTERY TO SCIENTISTS ANYMORE.

ME P OF

2000

1967

HE SOUTH-AFRICAN DOCTOR CHRISTIAAN SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED THE FIRST UMAN HEART TRANSPLANT. ALTHOUGH THE VIVED ONLY 18 DAYS, THIS IS CONSIDERED A N THE FIELD OF LIFE-EXTENDING SURGERY.

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IN 2030, SCIENTISTS PREDICT THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY FOR REVERSE-ENGINEERING THE HUMAN BRAIN. THIS COULD PROVIDE SOLUTIONSFOR DISEASES LIKE ALZHEIMER’S.

2030

2024 SCIENTISTS THINK IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE FUNCTIONAL REJUVENATION OF MIDDLE-AGED MICE. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO DO THE SAME TO HUMANS.

THE

N

DEEP DARK

ot many people can say they have ever required the services of an assassin. However, there is a dark, relatively unknown corner of the Internet that is ready to cater to the needs of such people for just a few thousand Euros. The term Darknet first appeared in the early 2000s after it emerged as a potentially multimillion dollar marketplace for the sale of anything from illegal drugs to automatic weapons.

The Darknet was established by governmental organisations to help people living under oppressive regimes communicate online without fear of political reprisal.

“Unfortunately, the majority of today’s Darknet users operate in a criminal way,

including dealing with illegal weapons, drugs or pornography. The hurdles for investigators are enormous,” says Peter Gridling, Director of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Austrian Constitution.

According to a recent study by the Guardian newspaper, just 0.03% of the web can be accessed through traditional search engines like Google. The other 99.97% is referred to as the Deep Web,

“Sinister services, sparking a cyber war” while the even more anonymous section is called the Darknet.

Any web page that has no incoming links and can only be accessed directly

FACEBOOK, EMAILS AND NEWS WEBSITES: Typically used by 2.4 billion people who have access to the Internet. 78% of North Americans have Internet access. Europe is the third biggest net user with a penetration of 63%.

Facebook is the most known social media platform: postings are liked 2.7 billion times per day.

is part of the Deep Web. The Deep Web represents the layer beneath the classical surface web and is not accessible through search engines.

The Darknet, also known as Dark Web, is unsearchable and can only be reached through browsers that encrypt web traffic by bouncing it around thousands of computers across the world.

“On the one hand, those networks receive more support because they help people under threat to express their opinion. On the other hand, this leads to more agency ambition to survey networks,” says Alexander Klimburg, cyber expert and Fellow of the Austrian Institute for International Affairs.

Since its inception the controversy surrounding the Darknet and its capac-

TWITTER: Twitter accounts worldwide number 500 milion. Since it was founded, 163 billion tweets have been sent.

THE OCEAN OF THE INTERNET It is calculated that 99.97% of the web cannot be accessed through Google.

This is the Dark Web, a term that includes many and different sides of the Internet, from cyber dissidence to the drug market.

We plunged into the depths of the web to find out what lies twenty thousand leagues under the Internet sea.

BITCOINS: A Bitcoin is a crytocurrency where the creation and transfer of Bitcoins is based on an open-source cryptograpic protocol that is independent of any central authority. They can be used in both legal and illegal online market.

DOWNLOADING PIRATE MUSIC OR MOVIE: More than 75% of computers have at least one downloaded illegal applications or file.

It is calculated that pirate websites had around 53 billion visits a year and that 95% of music was downloaded illegally in 2011.

STEALING DATA FOR MONEY: Much of the data stolen through computer hacking - including stolen credit card numbers and Social Security numbers - will end up on a network of illegal trading sites where hackers and criminals from around the world will openly buy and sell large amounts of personal data for profit. The Shadowcrew network was believed to have more than 4,000 active members who made more than $5 million in less than two years trading 1 .5 million stolen credit cards before it was shut down.

CYBER DISSIDENTS/TOR ACCOUNTS: According to Reporters without Borders, there are 13 countries in which information and news is filtered. It is estimated that Tor, a software which changes the I.P. of the user, is used by about 600,000 people a day for communicating anonymously.

There spec amo u plie ind acc

Everyone can buy e Internet with noth bit of online armory.co revealing the i investigative jour get weapon

SIDE OF THE WEB ity to be used for illegal activities – in particular illicit trade – has grown. An underground economy has been created through the use of digital currencies like Bitcoins, a digital currency with no hard currency to back it up. “Bitcoins are a scientific experiment, totally legal,” says Mr Klimburg.

As the Darknet becomes increasingly mainstream, with step-by-step guides showing you how to access encrypted websites through anonymous servers, it’s the marketplaces that have received media attention. Most famous of these is the Silk Road, a haven for anyone wishing to peddle drugs or to conduct various kinds of illegal business. Trading with Bitcoins, anonymous users can buy, for example, marijuana from other anonymous users

who then send the drugs by mail. With no guaranteed way of detecting these illegal substances, postal seizures are rare.

Copycat markets are cropping up

“Traders send the illegal drugs in the post” in other areas of the Darknet, offering even more sinister services and sparking somewhat of a turf war.

While trading arms and offering to assassinate people may seem like a dangerous facet to the worldwide web, Mr Klimburg believes that a few seedy traders do not pose any real danger.

“I think that the Darknet could be a dangerous threat in the future but at

POLICE: The FBI and specialized police groups work tirelessly to infiltrate the `crimes` of the dark web. However, this proves to be a difficult task due to anonymous users and the vast amount of data which circulates.

The FBI has been successful in shutting down some illegal websites in the past after posing as users undercover.

HARVESTING DATA: e are companies which are cialized in collecting large ounts of data from online users. This data is suped spontaneously by the dividuals without being cessible to private users.

WEAPONS: extremely deadly weapons via the hing more than money and a little e skill. Some websites like om offer weapons without identity of the consumers. An rnalist found out how easy it is to ns for a 20-person militia.

the moment there are a lot more serious dangers lurking in cyber space.”

Nevertheless, trading illicit materials is still a matter that governments are trying to address. Leopold Löschl, cyber crime expert from the Criminal Intelligence Service Austria, says, “Nowadays we detect an increasing trend of people trading child pornography. We still have to improve our know-how about computer and network criminality.”

Mr Klimburg says, “What I call the Darknet is the ability to build up a parallel Internet. That is a future danger. People who establish such networks mostly have no criminal intention. They simply want to be anonymous, like activists in Syria or Iran. But it paves the way for criminal activity.”

GOOGLE: In 2012, there were 1,873,910,000,000 searches on Google. On December 2012, there were 634 million websites worldwide.

THE SURFACE WEB: Websites that can be accessed through Google make up only a small part of the web. In this group, there are very popular websites such as Facebook, Yahoo, Youtube, Amazon and Twitter.

PRIVACY: In some dictatorial states this is the only space for accessing hidden news and information and for communicating freely. In free countries, this can be done openly but an increasing number of people still prefer to surf the web anonymously because they don’t want big companies to sell their data for commercial purposes.

DEEP WEB:

This is a part of the Internet below the surface. Activities in this area include illegal downloading of music and films, data hacking and so on.

DRUGS: In a hidden corner of the dark web, drugs are bought from illegal marketplaces via websites such as Silk Road. Silk Road earns $1.9m per month.

Silk Road is estimated to traffic $22 million in drugs annually.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: Approximately 20 percent of all Internet pornography involves children. It is a growing industry with a profit of 3 billion USD per year. A quarter of websites offering child pornography have images of babies and children under 3 years of age and more than 80 percent had images ofchildren between ages 6 to 12. Since 2002, 80 million child pornography images have been identified.

Pedophiles often try to get in touch with minors via chatrooms concealing their real ages.

DARKNET:

This is the underbelly of the Internet. In this area, illegal marketplaces for drug, child pornography, weapons and data from stolen credit cards can be found.

Fill the generational gap with apple strudel!

TOPFENSTRUDE FROM VIENNA

photo: philipp naderer

VOLLPENSION OMAS AND OPAS SHARE CAKES AND STORIES

Miss your grandma back home? In the restaurant and café Vollpension, Alpbach’s elderly serve their best cakes, snacks and life stories.

Who bakes the best cake and cooks the Now, Vollpension has set up tent in most delicious food? The answer will Alpbach next to the secondary school, probably be the same all over the world: within the old restaurant of the closed your grandmother. However, the times swimming pool. The interior is equipped of generations living together under one with velvet wing chairs, cosy couches, roof are over. While young people move record players and 60s decoration. “Our to the bigger cities, study, live their lives, ambition is to design a room that old as party and work far away, their grandmas well as young people find cool,” Lanner and grandpas stay behind. Very often says. He brought some grandmothers the elder people in a village lack a duty from Vienna already used to this concept. and social contacts – and The first elderly women of course even the toughest from Alpbach have already grandchild every now and joined the team as well. then misses a chat with Lanner hopes that his aged staff and the youngsters Opa or a piece of Oma’s coming around for a snack Sunday cake.

This is why Michael or coffee will get in contact Lanner and Moriz Piffl-Percevic and casually leave behind founded “Vollpension”, a generation clichés. social project and coffeeThis is a charming project Michael Lanner house aimed at bringing that fits in perfectly with the generations together this year’s slogan of the again. The “Omas” – yes, the bigger Alpbach Forum: Experience and Values. part are women – put one cake after That is why Philippe Narval, managing the other into the oven and sell it to the director of the Forum, initiated to export curious guests. “The idea behind this Vollpension during the three weeks of is not just to give them a job, but also the event to Alpbach. to bring them into contact with young However, not everybody in the village people not only interested in the best seems to be happy with the new gastrocake you can get in town but, also in nomic offer. Read more about the furore their life stories,” founder Michael Lanner caused by Vollpension in Alpbach on alpbach.org! explains.

‘‘Our ambition is to design a room that old as well as young people find cool”

This delicacy will delight especially those who like it not all too sweet.

Heat 100g of choc olate in a bainmarie (just put a little bowl with the chocolate int o a pot with water, which you have on the cooker – the chocolate should not ge t in contact with the water).

Stir 500 gr butte r with 250g sugar and one sa chet vanilla suga r foamy. Separate four eggs. Mix the yolk (the yellow on e), one teaspoon of cocoa, one teasp oon of cinnamon and 12 5 ml of red wine to the d (Yes, the baker sh ould also have a little gl the beaten egg wh ites. At last add 250g fl sachet of baking powder. Grease a ring ca with flour. Fill in the dough and go: pu t it i heat) and program your smartphone timer Have a first look – and then perha ps give i Serve it with some whipped cream.

photo’s: philipp naderer

EL

Sitta, the retired lady from Vienna, never uses recipes. She takes the ingredients she finds in the kitchen and pours them together as she feels like. “In the Vollpension kitchen, I’m the one responsible for using up all the leftover ingredients,” she says.

Her world-class Topfenstrudel is made of puff pastry and filled with a mass of curd cheese, cream, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, grated lemon zest and eggs – but not more than two.

Sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon and bake at 180°C for about 25 minutes – voila!

can but you lf dish – a n h ia is tr s a Misch ous Au ) is ery fam ng countries. ” v h a c s is la h uri Gu Goulas eighbo ustria “ small pieces d it in n goulash (in A to s n io also fin ir n e o aring 50g of rian. Th am: we ns 7 a t te g u n y u C m H . e ” d lt nio a ö o c A “Pörk ry the Media called ars!). F 1 kg te om the d f fr d o A p t . ti lo brown (a little vent a ld also re o p g d l n il sw sy to Salt it a spoons . y goggle become glas tl n e t it g -half ey nd roas -and-a until th ulash a ions with one ne spoon of o g f e e o of b ith and nd on team w sweet) meat a flavour e (noble his is a dream onions ic p s a k the : “T of papri ha says e worst harm nd let y. Misc water a t is th e g s in fu id carawa In GOULASH o a FAMOUS AS ment.” ns – av it!” – th al. n ’S e io A o lz n H ir h C o v a n IS e W M th “M me ur e , THERE hours. rting a o to yo (SO GOOD LEFT...) could d h cook for 1,5 say before sta it’s G , IN m H le T s O b la N ro ple the gou ian peo left over, no p e Austr h what th some goulas day! is econd If there er the s tt e b n eve

So you tasted an Austrian specialty at the Vollpension and you feel like you won’t be able to live on anymore without it? No problem! Katrin Nussmayr and Sarah Schmidt elicited the secret recipes from the Austrian grandmothers. Take them with you and make glad family and friends at home.

KÄSESTANG

AUSTRIAN RED-WINE-CAKE

f dough. lass). Fold in flour as well as a ake form and du st it in the oven (midd le r to 50 minutes. it 10 more minutes .

ERL (CHEESE

CRACKERS) Take puff pastr y, sprinkle it with grated chee se, a little butter and cara way and bake it at 180° C until the cheese is gold en – that’s it!

Grandma Sitta points out that the cracke rs can be flavoured with any herbs or spices: fresh rosemary, oregano, … “It ’s an easy, quick and salty snack.”

CHARLOTTE’S APRICOT CAKE (by the way, Austrian apricots are For Charlotte’s amazing apricot cake g of butter creamy. Add a half 200 called “Marillen”) you have to stir a half lemon. Bit by bit throw in of peel the and r suga sachet of vanilla . Mix 200g flour with a half eggs four 200 g sugar as well as alternately the mix. sachet of baking powder. Fold into dough.

Grease a cake pan and fill in the in halves and remove the pits.

Wash a pound of apricots, cut them downwards). Bake the cake on skin Plate them to the cake (with the for one hour (but please have a look 180°C (electric stove, middle bar) to burn the cake). pity a every now and then – would be – ready is the fruity pleasure. ing miss is der pow r suga Now just a little

the roman empire

WOLFGANG DANSPECKGRUBER

photo luiza puiu

44 bc 1453

Will Europe play in tomorrow’s power game?

“The crucial thing is the will to lead“

Austro-American political scientist Wolfgang Danspeckgruber looks to Egypt and Syria and sees shadows of the empire of Alexander the Great, he speaks to Michael Fleischhacker.

When he looks to the current issues The question, ‘Which role will Europe play on the world stage tomorrow?’ has been of Egypt and Syria, Danspeckgruber says on the table for 25 years. As Robert Kagan he sees shadows of the empire of Alexstated in his bestselling essay “Of Paradise ander the Great. Almost exactly the area and Power” (published in 2003), Europeans which was conquered by the Macedonian have decided to invest their peace-bonuses genius will now be the place where future into social security programs, instead of balances of power will be negotiated and military programs which have been left to fought over. the US to take the lead. The Europeans Turkey’s ambitions, Persian perspectives, promised to pay whatever necessary to Russia’s interest, the Chinese movement secure and repair what the armed forces towards the west as an “inverse silk road of the United States have phenomenon,” the rising of the achieved on the ground.

BRIC-states in general mean Before 1989, Europe had that for Danspeckgruber it is not been the “global player” hard to say what the future that it became after the end of international framework and cold war, nor a “global player” order of powers and empires at all, but rather a “nuclear Wolfgang Danspeckgruber and their character will be. hostage,” says Wolfgang Only one fact is clear, “It will have a quite multi-polar Danspeckgruber, Director of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self Determination appearance.” at Princeton University. Danspeckgruber If Europe discusses its possibilities and is an expert in crisis diplomacy and so he ambitions to be part of tomorrow’s power is used to basing his future projections on game, the crucial thing for Danspeckgruber current issues – and matching them with isn’t “the will to project power, the will to past experiences. lead” or “the will and the ability to carry Power politics, he says, has always consequences, even if they should be been based on core values, core interests, unintended.” This would not necessarily critical capabilities and certain “red lines.” mean that the EU has to become a nation It will be interesting to see what the US state. He asks, “Why not establish the living President, Barack Obama, means when laboratory of a quasi-state?” However, for he marked the use of chemical weapons the foreseeable future, it would require at against Syrian civilians as a “red line.” least some capacity of military power.

“The will and ability to carry consequences”

1

EUROPE WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, WHERE ALL THE POWER WAS CONCENTRATED (RED LINES)

There was a time when the Roman Empire ruled the world. At least, the world as they knew it back then. Multicultural Europe was the only existent part of the world in the eyes of Europeans. Slavery was the main institution that supported traditional Roman social structures as well as contributing economic utility; slaves constituted at least a fifth of the population and were the basis of the economy. The military established control of a territory with force, but after conquering new lands the military mission turned to policing the Roman citizens and collecting taxes.

colonialism 19 century

The growth of the Ottoman Empire cut off trading possibilities with the east. Western Europe was forced to discover new trading routes, just as Columbus had done when he travelled to the Americas and when Vasco da Gama had discovered new routes to India and Africa. New forms of trade and expanding horizons made new forms of government, law and economics necessary. Europe introduced its dominating role by dividing the rest of the world into its most powerful colonialism players. Settlers acted as the link between the natives and the imperial hegemony, bridging the geographical, ideological and commercial gap between the colonisers and colonised.

3 THE WORLD WAS BEING COLONISED

BY EUROPEAN POWERS

Age of 2 Empires the

Today, the economic and political power balance seems to be constantly shifting, as unions, countries and populations are trying to find their feet after the financial crisis. One of the main questions is whether the dominant players of today will retain their political power and which position Europe will take in the coming years. We have taken a look at Europe´s role in the world, from the Roman Empire in the past to challenges the continent will face in the future.

4

BESIDE THE PRE-ESTABLISHED POWERS (RED LINES) NEW EMERGING COUNTRIES ARE ENTERING THE SCENE (RED DOTS)

the east 15 - 16 century

THE GREY SHADOW INDICATES THE BLACK DEATH, WHICH LED TO A POWER SHIFT TO THE EASTERN WORLD

At the Late Middle Ages European prosperity and growth came to a halt. A series of famines and plagues reduced the population.

Along with it came social unrest, endemic warfare and peasant risings. After striking a blow to the weakened Byzantine Empire in 14th century, the Ottomans started its westward expansion into the continent.

For the first time, traders and missionaries started implementing European’s “cultural ideology.” But a distant force, the Chinese Empire, whom Europeans came in touch with, already had an ingrained cultural identity, so the missionaries failed.

the cold war 1947-1991

the future predictions

Projections on the future power of the BRICS economies suggest they might overtake the G7 economies by 2027. Brazil has the 6th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP. Its average annual GDP growth rate reaches over 5 per cent. Its main export potential is based on agricultural and food production.Russia has had a high economic growth over the past decade in the light of increasing raw material prices and the rise of a consumer sector. But in relation to international trading, the countries corruption and bureaucracy could become a challenge in the future. The Indian economic growth has been driven by the expansion of the service sector which has been growing faster than other sectors. It is argued that the pattern of Indian development has been a

specific one and that the country may be able to skip the intermediate industrialisation-led phase in the transformation of its economic structure.

South Africa is politically stable and has a well capitalised banking system, abundant natural resources and an established manufacturing base.

However, there are still many doubts about the membership of SA in the BRICS, as it hasn’t proved to be as strong as the other emerging economies. This spring, China took over the role as the worlds’ leading export-led nation nation.

According to experts, they exported and imported goods for $3,820 billion in 2012. Predictions say that with the current pace of growth, many European countries will have more individual trading with China by the end of the decade.

Weakened by WWII, Europe was divided between NATO and the Warsaw pact. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post– Cold War world is widely considered unipolar, with the United States as the leading player.

This new structural order left Europe with only a few means to influence the international political and economic agenda. The collapse of Soviet Communism between 1989 and 1991 left the West the winner of the Cold War and enabled the reunification of Germany and accelerated the process of European integration that is continuing, but with German economic dominance.

14 DURING THE COLD WAR THE WORLD WAS CLEARLY DIVIDED IN TWO BLOCKS

While the titles may differ, most all of the events at Alpbach, from the Political Symposium to the art exhibitions, deal with ideology.

Many of them are versions of the question, “Does the system we have work or could it be improved?”

A

s we are currently facing the Eurozone crisis, it becomes clear that these questions must be answered. But which ideology could provide such an answer?

Coined during the French revolution, and originally used by Napoleon derogatorily against his academic critics, ideology is a set of values and ideas, often connected with political thought and movements.

No longer an uncomplimentary term, ideolo-

IDEOLO

gies are driving forces, both conscious and unconscious, for behaviour. Composed of ideals, symbols, cultural traditions, myths and principles, ideologies are used to explain how societies do or should work. An ideology often confronts the ideas of other groups who do not share it.

Throughout history, perhaps most obviously during the 20th century, ideologies have been the basis for wars and conflicts.

“Repression is a historical phenomenon.” As a defendant of Marx and libertarian socialism, Marcuse criticised both capitalism and the Soviet communism, pointing out that social repression and dehumanisation through modern technology take place in both societies. He argued that mass media, advertising and industrial management are attempts to integrate people into the existing system of production and consumption, thereby suppressing any revolutionary potential and creating a “one-dimensional” and conformist society. The only solution to this development is what he termed the “great refusal”: protest against repression, noncompliance with the rules of a rigged game, a form of radical resistance and struggle for freedom – which became evident in the 1960s student movements.

HERBERT MARCUSE

Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), born in Berlin, was a philosopher, sociologist and political thinker. As part of the Frankfurt School, his ideas are associated with Marxism. He taught philosophy and politics at Columbia, Harvard, Brandeis and UC San Diego. Called the “father of the New Left”, he became an influential figure for the 1968 student protests. He attended the European Forum Alpbach in 1966.

Nowadays, in the 21st century, Neo-liberalism seems to have become the standard, at least in the west, according to Fukuyama´s “end of history” argument.

The European Forum Alpbach´s existence itself could be seen as a rejection of the ideologies of the Second World War and an attempt to define a new Europe, which could prevent another split and war.

Alpbach, being the breeding ground for new

Dahrendorf’s main field of research was class conflict in modern society. He criticised both Marxism and structural functionalism, especially arguing that Marx’s theory on class is outdated, since capitalism has changed and is now characterised by a more diverse class structure and a more complex system of power and inequality. He developed a conflict theory where the fundamental differences between classes are not property or possession, but authority. He divides society into a “command class” and an “obey class”. Conflict between those groups would lead to change and development.

“Our knowledge can only b ignorance must necessarily the philosopher. He meant better to remain critical tha an idea. The biggest disaster always been caused by belie in a one and only truth. Utopi thinking destroys the freedom Popper defined as plurality.

Our task is not to change reality, but to explore it.

Skepticism would be the proper way of thinking – as shown by the statue of Rodin (The Thinker). Popper´s books have strongly influenced the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros who even established a foundation promoting the open society.

RALF DAHRENDORF

KARL POPPER

Ralf Dahrendorf (1929-2009) was a German liberal politician. He studied philosophy, philology and sociology and was professor of sociology before beginning his political career. He was a Member of the German Parliament and European Commissioner before moving to Great Britain, where he became a Member of the British House of Lords. The expert on class divisions visited Alpbach in 1976.

Karl Popper (1902-1994) philosopher. He visited th after he published his most Society and its enemies) on European intellectual hist have to preserve freedom by to utopian ideas. He critici advocated for cri

OGIES and challenging thoughts, has been visited by several great thinkers who have either coined their own ideologies or extended existing ones heavily.

On this page, we have listed five of these and the main ideas their work has touched on. They range across the class system and political spectrum, from Marxism to critical conservatism. They touch on timeless concepts, from the worldviews of a new

be finite, while our be infinite,” wrote that it was always an to follow rs have eving ian m

) was an Austrian-British he Forum Alpbach in 1948, t important book (The Open n the irrational tradition of tory. According to him, we y making ourselves immune ised all utopian ideas, and itical rationalism.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY AND ALPBACH

born European Forum in the 1940s all the way to the start of the 21st century.

The theme of this year´s forum is “Experiences and Values”, terms both highly connected with ideology. The Perspectives and Political Symposia in particular, will debate whether the current systems in Europe can be improved and how.

In the panel “European Values: Acquis or Cheap Talk” Phillip Blond, Director of the

“A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers,” Hayek said. Hayek’s Neo-liberalism was a radical response to the social-democratic tendencies of post-war Europe. Since the 1980s, his ideas have become more popular – among bankers or managers of course. Margaret Thatcher mentioned his books when she was asked on the program the conservative government pretended to realise.

Hayek also influenced the dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, who transformed his country into a laboratory of radical Neo-liberalism.

FRIEDRICH AUGUST VON HAYEK

Friedrich August von Hayek (1899-1992) was an AustrianBritish philosopher and economist. He attended the EFA in 1947 as a speaker. In his essays, he elaborated on radical criticism of the West European welfare state.

For his economic theory, he received the Nobel Prize in 1974. In “Road to Serfdom” he described the danger of the welfare state drifting towards a socialism where people would be controlled by the state.

UK think tank ResPublica, dominated the discussion by challenging the values that have become synonymous with the west: human rights, freedom and democracy.

“There is nothing right about rights, with enough ingenuity everything can become a right.” With questions such as this and the examples of this article in mind, we would like to hear your answers. What is your ideology?

“I am living, but something is telling me with unchallengeable authority: you are not living properly. The numinous authority of shape enjoys the prerogative of being viable to tell me ‘you must’. It is the authority of a different life in this life,” Sloterdijk wrote about the emerging biopolitical power of states. He rejects the ongoing tendencies of regulation controlling our private life. He even raised the idea that taxes, which he described as “fiscal kleptocracy”, should be abolished. His critical conservatism is directed against the scientific attempts to product schematic humans who could be abused as playmobil figues of an overwhelming state-power. As he challenges the authority of fellow philosophers, he is not very popular among them.

PETER SLOTERDIJK

Peter Sloterdijk, born 1947, is a German philosopher.

He held a conference in Alpbach in 2001.

His books cover several aspects of postmodern life.

He is considered a non-conventional thinker who often provokes the leftist intellectuals. He has recently turned to biopolitical topics, his newest works dealing with the possibility of industrially produced mankind which science could soon create.

Great minds, great photos JEFFREY SACHS

“We face the burst of an ecological bubble”

RUFU

“Data is like a h a house or hit

LISA KALTENEGGER

“We are the first generation to discover not just new countries, but new planets”

KONSTANTIN NOVOSELOV

“I had a passion for experimenting”

ROYAL ACADEMY OF DRAMATI

“We want Alpbach to to make them think, t

US POLLOCK

hammer: It can build t you on the head”

be provoked, to be moved”

TOMÁŠ SEDLÁČEK

“The idea of “always something better” is our worst enemy”

photos by luiza puiu and philipp naderer

IC ARTS LONDON

BRADL

RENÉ MAYRHOFER ON CYBER SECURITY

photo: luiza puiu

TRIGGERED BY ACCIDENT, IRAQ, 2009

Cyber security remains an issue

Keeping up with smartphone technology While technologies advance and smartphones become the databases of our lives, questions about cyber security remain unsolved.

The threatening aspects of cyberspace are secure enough to store all that data about all around us: Amazon knows which books us in a way that ensures data protection. we like, Facebook knows our personal Rufus Pollock, founder of the Open contacts, and Google basically knows Knowledge Foundation and open data everything about us. A few years ago, it activist, mentioned the potential of smartwould have been unacceptable for the phones for collecting public data and majority of us to share personal data making them available for public use. about our lives with a private company for “With phones and GPS, you can collect free, now there are more than one billion geo-data; with a simple device you can people who are doing it while they access collect air quality, you can collect CO2 Facebook. The data industry is growing counts, you could do all kinds of stuff,” fast and the case of Edward he said. However, in terms Snowden demonstrates that of personal data such as the private sector is not the health records, personal only one interested in knowcontacts and tax statements, ing about the information he advocates for people we spontaneously spread taking control of their own on the Internet. data. “One of the problems René Mayrhofer According to René at the moment is the lack of Mayrhofer, Professor for control about how private Mobile Computing at the University information is being shared.” of Applied Sciences in Upper Austria, “There is no such thing as 100% technology will soon advance and even security for anything,” says Alexander more data about us will be available. Klimburg, Senior Adviser to the Austrian “In a few years it will be possible for Institute for International Affairs. the mobile phone to recognise faces,” So, while future technologies have a lot he explains, “some devices will also be of potential for making our lives easier able to recognise the way we walk”. He and making open knowledge accessible, mentions that these techniques could the question of how to protect ourselves be used to make passwords obsolete from data abuse becomes more vital. and therefore better protect us from Authors: (kn, teo, lev) cyber-attacks; however he also points Watch the interview video with René out that today’s smartphones are not Mayrhofer online on alpbach.org.

Smartphones will be able to recognise faces

Manning signed into military service in 2007. Two years, a dramatic event on Christmas Eve changed Mannings perspective, told his defense attorney, David Coombs at the trial this summer.

Apparently, Manning heard about an attack on an American convoy, where no Americans where hurt but a civil Iraqi family was killed by accident. This incident triggered him into reacting and from that day on he started downloading the secret files, his attorney later explained in court. On the other hand, the military prosecutor, Joe Marrow, described him as being a cold, scheming traitor.

1

LADY GAGA AS COVER, IRAQ, 2009

As an intelligence analyst, he had access to highly sensitive information.

In 2008 the Pentagon prohibited the use of USB and external hard-discs on the approximately 7 million computers belonging to the military. The rule should have prevented confidential information from getting out, but the army hadn’t banned the old technology, the CD-Rom. Therefore, Manning was lip-syncing, pretending to be listening to a CD with Lady Gaga, while he was actually saving files on the CD-Rom. He later told that his motives were to create debate about the war in Iraq and change peoples’ attitude towards it.

2

ASSANGE, IRAQ, 2009-2010

Between 2009 and 2010 he passed on 700,000 confidential documents to the whistleblower network Wikileaks.

Using the chat name “bradass87” he had a chat correspondence with a fellow hacker, Adrian Lamo. Manning tells about how he got in contact with Assange in November 2009 and leaked the confidential information to Wikileaks. At the end of 2009, Manning recorded a video of an American Apache helicopter shooting at a group of civilians outside Bagdad.

In April Assange published the video on WikiLeaks website under the name “Collateral Murder”.

3

CONTACTING THE MEDIA, JUNE 2010

Once Wikileaks had the filtrations, their plan was to publish the information on the internet and to rely on the public to interpret it. However, the massive amount of documents Manning had secretly collected and the military jargon made that goal unattainable. So, after the first revelations of classified documents, Wikileaks decided to rely on the mass media in order to generate greater publicity. A worldwide publishing network was created with some of the most important media, with the aim of ending with state secrecy and creating a public debate.

45

LEY MANNING: This week, Bradley Manning, 25, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for handing secret US Army documents to the whistleblower network Wikileaks. We have looked closer at how the former intelligence analyst used Lady Gaga, chat sites and mass media to spread classified documents to the whole world: 9 steps into prison.

FOR Y E L D A R B RIZE NOBEL P

!

BRADLEY BEHIND BAR

S

!

A HERO OR TRAITOR? MANNINGLEAKS

Large group of his reports showed up in 2010. Some of the documents dating from 2004 to 2009 refer to the Afghan war and events in Iraq.The most explosive files were revealed in November; more than 250,000 classified cables from US embassies with confidential diplomatic assessments of US allies and foes. One of the most dramatic showed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urged the US to attack Iran.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER? WikiLeaks hailed the sentencing as a “significant strategic victory.”

The website founded by Julian Assange tweeted Manning would be “eligible for release in less than nine years”. The Bradley Manning Support Network, which funded his defence, said the sentence was “an outrage that flies in the face of America’s essential ideals of accountability in government”. While anti-war activists in America see him as a hero, other parts of the USA see him as a traitor who violated the oath. American Human Rights Protection Organization”RootsAction” nominated Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize, organising the online petition. They collected around 100,000 signatures so far.

9

PASSPORT MANNING

JUDGEMENT, 21ST OF AUGUST 2013

■ Born in Crescent, Oklahoma in 1987 ■ Joined the army in 2007 to help pay for college ■ After being deployed to Iraq he became “frustrated with people and society at large” and his life changed radically when he decided to share US classified files with the world.

Manning got arrested in Iraq, at the end of May 2010, his webchat friend Lamo had snitched on him. Manning was accused of most of the crimes on the list, but not of the most serious one - aiding the enemy. The judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison. After serving 10 years, he will be eligible for parole. Having served three and a half years, and with 112 days taken off by the judge because the Army broke the law by keeping him in solitary confinement for nine months, Manning could in theory be released in around seven years.

8

PUBLIC REACTION

GOVERNMENTS’ REACTION REACTION

REVEALING, 20TH OF MAY, 2010

Manning’s actions were at the centre of the debate about the extreme state secrecy in the US. Some of the published stories, such as the video called “Collateral Murder”played on the emotions of the public, but the storm that was supposed to be originated never got to a “global diplomatic crisis” as The Guardian had predicted. Most of the “secrets” Manning revealed were already known by the US citizens and Wikileaks just confirmed them. The only difference is that now citizens can no longer pretend they don’t know.

Governments wanted Wikileaks to disappear from the network and silence the voices against them arguing that what Manning had done put US diplomacy and intelligence professionals at risk. China also tried to stop this by blocking the links to Wikileaksas a part of their information censorship strategy. Those attitudes created a cybernetic war between the censorship and the hacktivism, where groups such as the Pirate Party from Sweden and Anonymous fought for the freedom of information and the states tried to maintain national security.

After contacting Adrian Lamo, Manning started a six-day web chat discussion where he revealed his plans of publishing data. Originally, Manning had contacted him via a military email address, but at Lamo’s suggestion they switched to an encrypted AOL instant messaging channel to keep the conversation private.

The soldier told Lamo he was the only one he could trust and that he needed a lot of help, even though they were strangers and had never met before. On Lamo’s question of what will he do if he is uncovered, Manning replied using emoticon “:’(“.

5

67

THE FUTURE: FA

A

lpbach is all about future solutions, but the one most associated with ideas that challenge our view of the world around us and invokes images of science fiction must be the Technology Forum.

On this page we have listed five of the previous visionaries which have presented groundbreaking technology at Alpbach, most of them five—10 years ahead of

TIMELINE: 21st century science, the real and the make-believe

their time.

Modern science shares a symbiotic relationship with science fiction, inspiring and shaping each other. But technology doesn’t always move as fast as writers envision our society will evolve. To illustrate there are five examples of fiction set in the near future, which have a distinctly more futuristic feel than our society.

To compare, we´ve listed some of the innovations science predicts will

hit us within the decade. But science has also overturned science fiction on several accounts, making ideas such as cell phones, the Internet, atom bombs, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, 3D-printing and waterbeds a reality.

Last week´s seminar guests had the chance to learn about synthetic biology and the coming weeks will offer equally mind boggling opportunities.

A new “magic” material, Graphene, a

VIRTUAL REALITY – EARLY 21ST CENTURY The Matrix trilogy envisioned a virtual reality so convincing that the human mind would rebel being dragged out of it. Programmed by machines, it perfectly mimicked human society by directly interfacing with our brains.

CLEAN ENERGY - 2000 In 2000 Nebojsa Nakicenovic from the of Institute of Power Systems and Energy Economics at Vienna University of Technol ogy talked about renewable energy sources, especially water for agriculture, industry and drinking.

NANOTECHNOLOGY - 2005 Nanotechnology deals with the production of structures a few to about one hundred nanometres big Hubert Brückl, Head of the Business Unit “Nano Systems”’ at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH said in 2005.

CLOUD COMPUTING - 2011 Tackling the emerging challenges and opportunities of information technology in 2011, Gerhard Eschelbeck from the Institute for Information Processing and Microprocessor Technology, Johannes Kepler University Linz; was one of the first to explore cloud computing.

2000 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - 2001 In 2001, A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrik cemented the idea of evil Artificial Intelligences, when Hal, the onboard computer system of a spaceship rebelled against the astronauts he was supposed to protect.

Man/machine interface - 2004 In 2004 Manfred TSCHELIGI from the Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society (ICT&S) at University of Salzburg described our current evolution towards the Ambient Intelligence Society of the future.

LEGEND Alpbach: Emerging technologies covered at the European Forum

SECOND LIFE - 2007 After Second Life reached seven million users in 2007, Christopher SCHLÄFFER, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, T-Mobile Austria asked: Is the parallel world of “Second Life” also a preview to the world wide web of the future or will it only be a passing hype?

AGRICULTUR The Robotics an predict that by 20 in agriculture. Th able to pick

Futurology: Predictions of future innovations by the science community Sci-Fi: Technologies Hollywood imagined would be here by now

MEDICAL ROBOTS

SPACE TOURISM AND THE FIRST STEP ON MARS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES AND ANDROIDS

VIRTUA REALITY

ACT OR FICTION wafer-thin layer of pure carbon, will be presented by Nobel Prize winner Konstantin Novoselov. Bleeding edge quantum mechanics, green tech and space flight proposals will also be highlighted in the coming days.

But according to futurology, and particularly Moore´s Law of exponential technological growth, the 21st century will have many more wonders to offer.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk has presented

SPACE TOURISM - 2015 The organisation, Techcast, predict that in 2015, space tourism and private space flight will be introduced, meaning that instead of heading to Spain during the summer months, people could start taking trips into outer space, although perhaps only the very wealthy!

the idea of Hyperloops, a new transport method that can send people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes.

Green, wireless energy for public use is currently being experimented on and transhumanism proposes that the first immortal human being has already been born. Artificially grown meat and technopathic machine control is now a reality, albeit still too expensive for wide-spread use.

MEDICAL ROBOTS - 2017 By 2017, it is predicted that medical robots will be able to perform low invasive surgery. Machines will allow surgeons to perform movements associated with surgery whilst the robotic arms performing actual surgery on the patient. This leads to the possibility of remote controlled surgery.

IMPLANTABLE BRAIN CHIPS - 2009 In 2009, Intel predicted that by 2020, implantable brain chips will let humans control electronic devices through brain waves.

ANDROIDS - 2019 Released in 1982, Bladerunner is a science fiction thriller which is set in Los Angeles in 2019. The film predicts that by 2019, corporations around the world will be manufacturing genetically engineered organic robots, called androids.

2020

RAL ROBOTS - 2014 nd Automation Society 014, robots will be used hey will, for example, be fruit in large fields.

AL Y

Technology is also spreading into hitherto less touched areas such as politics and education with E-democracy and I-learning. But what may be most interesting is human interaction with the new progressive opportunities. Very few science fiction authors imagined every one of us able to contact each other instantaneously, across the globe or having the entirety of human knowledge in our palm.

HOVERBOARD - 2015 Hoverboards were the preferred method of transport used in the film Back to the Future, which was set in 2015. They resemble skateboards without wheels and allow the characters to fly from place to place.

SELF-DRIVING CARS - 2018 The company, General Motors, has conducted research and predicts that self-driving cars, which are also known as robotic cars, will be commercially available by 2018. They will be capable of sensing their environment and navigating themselves without human input.

FIRST STEPS ON MARS - 2020 In the science-fiction blockbuster ‘Mission to Mars’, which was released in 2000 but which is set in 2020, a team of astronauts land on Mars. If the Hollywood film makers are correct, it will be just six and a half years until the real-life Mars landing takes place!

SECOND LIFE

AGRICULTURE ROBOTS

HOVERBOARDS

IMPLANTABLE BRAIN CHIPS

CLEAN ENERGY

#occupy this empty space take post it n think n write down one thought about your seminar week n pin post it to blackboard n

Seminar week ends today. We want to collect your thoughts on it, classic social media style. Pin the post it on the blackboard in your class or to our door at Gottfried von Einem-Hall in the Conference Center - and watch alpbach.org for the collection.

Remove post it to spread the word

s e

Which countries are most represented at EFA and how is that changing?

Western Europe and ethnic minorities are still vastly underrepresented at Alpbach. However, a scholarship coordinator explains how and why this is changing.

The key theme of EFA 2013 is Values and Experiences. It would, therefore, only be right that there are a wide variety of students from which we draw those experiences.

In a pre-seminar discussion yesterday students noted the distinct lack of Western European students and ethnic diversity at EFA. Britain, France and Spain are all economically powerful nations that will arguably shape many aspects of European life in the future. However, all are vastly underrepresented here.

In regards to ethnic diversity, students felt the forum is still somewhat unrepresentative. Stefanie Rieder said: “When we had this first evening reception and we had this wonderful speaker from the UK, Lola Young, there was actually someone in our initiative group saying: ‘Well I guess that was the only black representation at Alpbach.’”

London, the city Lola Young hails from, is now less than 45 per cent white British. A trend that is being repeated in a less dramatic fashion across European capitals.

When asked whether they thought there was enough diversity at EFA, the group was in unanimous TOP TEN COUNTRIES OF SCHOLARSHIPHOLDERS AT agreement with student THE EFA 2013 BY COUNTRY Stefanie Rieder when she said: “Absolutely not.” “When you go to Europe, the average skin colour, the average nationality – it’s very diverse, and you need engagement,” said Stephen Buckley, the only Irish scholarship holder this Total number: year.

796 EFA has traditionally focused on southeast Europe, hence why many scholarship applicants are from that region.

Scholarship programme coordinator, Benedikt Grawe, said: “Years ago when Erhard Busek was the president of the forum his focus was southeast Europe.”

Reasoning for scholarship selection is as much a matter of marketing practicality as it is anything else. Mr Grawe explains that former Alpbach professors are simply the best ambassadors to tell their students why they should be here. He said: “We have done more to include more people.

We have an initiative group in London and we have a cooperative group with the University of Chicago so they sent two people over this year, meaning there are four Americans, and there are four from London.”

Acknowledging that universities lack diversity, Jose Magnaye said a possible reason that ethnic minorities are being left out of these types of conversations and events, that quite often discuss issues involving them, is that they aren’t in the educational or social spheres from which programmes like EFA draw from.

He said: “Maybe they should also ask the question from the migrant side. Is the forum not that diverse because the organisers concentrate more on not engaging in this cultural and ethnic diversity?

Or is it because people with a migrant background are not that aware of things like Forum Alpbach?”

Both students and organisers are optimistic about the future however. Mr Grawe says scholarship coordinators expect to get more diverse year-on-year. While, Mr Magnaye said: “The problem is how to bring people from a migration background to university. To tell them it’s not enough to reach the level education that your parents reached. To tell them to aim higher.” (hab)

The shock therapist wants to avoid shocks

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JEFFREY SACHS HAS TURNED AWAY FROM NEOLIBERALISM TO PROMOTE NEW ECONOMICAL PARADIGMS

E

WHEN THE BALLOON EXPLODES:

photo philipp naderer

400

DOT-C

Acclaimed American economist Jeffrey Sachs has said that the global community needs to be “realistic about the natural environment” when dealing with a rapidly growing economy.

“Mr Sachs is a complicated guy,” writes “We need a different direction,” he said. the leftist review, Left Business Observer. “We need to reorient our technologies.

The wonderkid of economics graduated Our energy system needs to depend on from Harvard and became the young- wind and solar power not on oil, gas and est full-time professor of the prestigious coal. But how can we make that transiuniversity at the age of 28. In the 1990s tion sufficiently fast to keep our living he was known for his “shock therapies” standards and to be realistic about the offered in Latin-American and East-Euro- natural environment?” pean countries. Several leftist economists Mr Sachs said many leading scienstill concern him as too Neo-liberal. He tists are worried about an “ecological was an advisor in Bolivia, bubble” that will drain the Russia, Poland, Slovenia and climate as well as capital.

Estonia. He suceeded to “We are depleting natural “We need decrease inflation and steered capital so hard and so fast,” a different these countries toward more he complained, and these privatisation and increased abrupt changes could be direction” employment, but falling real “tremendously imperilling”.

Jeffrey Sachs wages resulted in aimless “It takes time to reorient cycles of political discontent. our economies,” Mr Sachs Since 2000, he has turned his attention said, “and if we don’t make the effort hard to major crises engulfing the planet, from and significant and rapidly right now, by AIDS in Africa to climate change. He has the time 2040 or 2050 comes along, our given up his orthodox Neo-liberalism – economies are going to look a lot like but he hasn´t become leftist. He wants what they look like today in terms of their economic growth to continue, but he energy mix. That means the shocks that also wants to avert disastrous ecologi- we are feeling now could be amplified cal changes deriving from economical and much more pervasive in the future.” activity. “Today’s emerging economies In the 1990s, he forced shock therapies want to grow fast and deserve to grow upon several countries – now it is Mr fast” but will “use a lot of resources” he Sacks who wants to avoid what will be shocking in the future. (cmm, mai, cj, tcht) told Alpbach News.

300

The Dot-Com bubble was a speculative bubble between 1997 and 2000. The climax was on March 10 2000, when the stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly due to the growth in the internet sector and other related fields. This period was marked by the founding and often the failure of a

The scale is expressed in billion dollars, at current price. The estimations shows different features which characterise the size of financial bubbles. It is impossible to assess the exact amount of money lost during the crisis because of the complexity and differentiation of the phenomena and the side effects that this provoke.

1637 TULIPMANIA

The first financial bubble of the world started when tulips were introduced in Europe from the Middle East. The ownership of this flower became a status symbol in many wealthy Dutch families and thus the prices of tulips started increase. In the following years, a vir affected some of the flowers, caus a further increase of prices so mu so that in 1633 a house in Amsterda was sold for three bulbs. This create

ECONOMIC BUBBLES In economics they call them “bubbles”. They happen when people invest massively on the future value of goods, thinking they will constantly appreciate in price. When the market grows so big that it just suddenly explodes, the crisis happens. Economic bubbles have been a feature of the world economy since the creation of finance, when people understood it would be possible to make money out of money. This is a short history of some of these crises.

2000 COM BUBBLE group of new internet-based companies often referred to as dot-coms.

America’s 371 publicly traded Internet companies have grown to the point that they are collectively valued at $1.3 trillion, which amounts to about 8% of the entire US stock market”.

In just one month they lost 34% of their value, 442 billion dollars.

d to rus sing uch am ed a

1929 BLACK TUESDAY

The financial crisis of 1929 was caused by the unprecedented growth of some key industries in the USA, especially the car sector. This led to an increasing number of investments, caused by a widespread expectation that this growth would continue indifferently. A significant number of Americans started to borrow money for buying more stocks. When the data on the harvest of wheat and crop showed that there was future market, where contracts to buy bulbs at the end of the blooming season were bought and sold. This was taking place in a tavern where sellers and buyers met.

The collapse began in Harleem, where some buyers refused to show up for the meeting for trading this flower. The prices thus decreased dramatically.

Researching the tulip mania is difficult because there is limited data from that time, but the testimonies of this period speaks about a crisis that lasted for many years in the Netherlands.

2007 US HOUSING BUBBLE

In the first part of the 2000s the valuations of real property increased until it hit an unsustainable level in the USA. The low rate of interests and the tax policy (exemption of housing from capital gains) and the optimism on the economic situation were the main reasons which lead many Americans to buy homes that they could pay on purchasing, thinking they could afford the increase later of interests thanks to the improvement of their personal financial situation. Many investors started to speculate

an overproduction and the prices of the good decreased, the panic started. In two days the stock market lost 23%.This event caused the great depression between the 1929 and the 1932. During this period there was an increase in unemployment of 607% in the USA. Over the four days of the stock market crash, the Dow Jones dropped 25%, losing $30 billion in market value. (Today that’s worth $396 billion).

Railway Mania was a period of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. The price of railway shares increased and more and money was invested by speculators, until an inevitable collapse in the mid 1840s. In 1846 272 Acts of Parliament were passed, setting up new railway companies and the proposed routes reached 15,300km of new railway lines. However, approximately one third of these authorised new lines were never built. The company either, collapsed due to poor financial planning, or

on the prices of houses, buying and selling contacts in a short time period. The crisis started when a large number of mortgage owners were not able to pay the interests, determining a liquidity crisis in the banks.

It is estimated that the ultimate losses suffered by financial institutions related the sub-prime mortgage Bonds Crisis could be between $220bn and $450bn in the 2007, as $1 trillion of sub-prime mortgage bonds is revalued.

1840 RAILWAY MANIA the company was bought out by a larger competitor before it could build the new lines or perhaps, it was a fraudulent enterprise to use investor’s money on other businesses.

It is impossible to assess the size of the Railway Mania bubbles, but the investments in the construction of the railway was £44 million in the 1847, which correspond roughly to 180 billion dollars nowadays.

The Bologna Process Debate:

THE STU

How Does the System Benefit Us? DR. KARLHEINZ TÖCHTERLE EXPLAINS THE VALUE OF THE BOLOGNA PROCESS’ AIMS

Mapping out w

photo luiza

puiu

5,41%

In honour of the Forum’s university day, the Media Academy is looking at one of the most debated issues in European higher education, the Bologna Process, taking into account the views of the Austrian Minister, Karlheinz Töchterle.

In 1088 the concept of the university was Minister for Science and Research, discusses born in Bologna, Italy. The first university the Bologna Process. He states: “The aims of was an institution where the great thinkers Bologna are very important for the developin Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic shared their ment of education in Europe, but the means ideas. Although in the following centuries to reach the aims can vary.” He continues: universities were established across the “In Austria and in Germany, the system leads globe, the University of Bologna remains to important changes in the structure of the curriculum. The universities in Austria tried one of the most influential in Europe.

In 1999, 29 European countries signed to put the whole programme of the former the Declaration of Bologna, curriculum, which was longer, creating the Bologna Process. It in the new Bachelor system. ‘‘Bologna aimed to harmonise the systems This has the effect that it is of higher education across more school than university. is key for Europe in order to encourage They are too strict.” education’’ European integration, ensure Shkumbin Asllani, from that the standards of higher Pristina University, speaks Karlheinz Töchterle education in the participating about the standardisation of countries were comparable the system. He says, “You can and to increase international competitive- transfer credits easily and this is the way students can compete with each other.” ness.

Ten new priorities were set out a decade The picture among students is not univerafter the Declaration was signed. The priori- sally positive however. Gabriela Vazler, from ties are reminiscent of the initial aims set out the University of Zagreb, has a different in 1999, including, promoting the mobility view of the process. She states: “There are of students. This begs the following ques- many things not working well, like grading. tions; how well is the system being imple- You need to have 50% to pass an exam mented, has a standardisation of higher but then sometimes 53% is enough for a education among member countries been grade A.” achieved and does the Bologna Process It is clear that the aims of the Bologna Process work in theory, but the implementruly encourage mobility?

Karlheinz Töchterle, the Austrian Federal tation of them is not so easily achieved.

UNITED KINGDOM: The UK is seen as a country with a great educational history. It is the home of three out of the world’s ten best universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

3,13% FRANCE: It is part of the French culture to kiss one another on the cheek as a form of greeting.

The number of kisses varies according to the region, from 1 up to 4.

So that´s got to be a reason why so many students want to study in France. Also, it is the country that has won the most Nobel Prizes for literature and the second highest number of Field Medals (mathematics), after the USA.

NETHERLAND A survey by The T a British newspa that universiti Netherlands o most English la Master’s prog in comparison other Europea tries, excluding

2,54

LEGEND The data shows 7,0 - 17% the percentage of students from within 3,0 - 7,0% Europe who used Bologna’s mobility programme to study 1,3-3,0% at another European instutution. The larg0,2-1,3% er the image of the country is, and the NO DATA darker the country is on the map, the more European students they have studying in their Universities.

DATA PROVIDED BY EUROSTAT

GREAT UDENT EXCHANGE

The European Forum Alpbach welcomes students and professors from different universities, acknowledging the value of mobility in education in order to share knowledge and research.

where European students are heading to study NORWAY : A British newspaper, The Times, did a survey in 2013 which found that exchange students who come to Norway have the second highest satisfaction level in Europe.

3,49%

GERMANY : Germany is one of the most industrialized countries in the world, an attractive prospect for students looking for employment after their studies.

They have approximately 16 000 courses on offer to students and some of them are really unusual.

4,30%

DENMARK : The advancement of Denmark, economically, socially and environmentally is something that is very attractive for young intellectuals.

Copenhagen has been chosen multiple times as one of the best cities in the world to live in.

4,04%

6,38%

DS: Telegraph, aper, found ies in the offer the anguage grammes n to all the an coung the UK.

AUSTRIA: Austria has the largest number of foreign students from Europe studying at their higher education institutions, with most of them coming from Germany. This is largely because of the quality of education and the quality of life.

4%

0,84%

SPAIN: Between 2010 and 2011, Spain received the most exchange students on the Erasmus programme, which is one of the Bologna system’s main exchange programmes. This may have something to do with Madrid and Barcelona’s reputations as the party capitals of Europe!

ITALY: Home to the first university and the Bologna Process itself, Italy has been a pioneer for the encouragement of greater student mobility and its universities strongly encourage students from abroad to study at their institutions. And of course they offer delicious pizza and pasta dishes!

1,84%

CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech Republic is one of the most attractive locations for students from Eastern Europe.

Every year the number of foreign students increases.

This is partly because the working conditions for students are flexible; if you work less than seven consecutive calendar days, you don’t need a job permit.

16,94%

SWITZERLAND: Switzerland is the first and only country to implement a system of government based on the people’s administration. It also has the 4th highest nominal GDP per capita in the world, making Switzerland one of the top destinations for students in Europe.

13,91%

YOUR 4 W

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN BRUSSELS

EU INST 1 Simulation Game on decision making in the EU

Experience the European Union

For the first time in the history of the European Forum Alpbach the simulation game “Changing Europe’s Climate” will take place. Students will experience EU decision making first-hand.

When it comes to the European Union, years, the organisers decided to make the discussion often becomes confusing the issue more accessable. They started rather quickly, even at the Forum Alpbach. searching for an organisation and decided The European Council is getting mixed on the Centre for Applied Policy Reseach up with the Council of Europe, the Union (CAP) in Munich. The CAP has been worksuddenly shrinks to 27 instead of 28 member ing with simulation games for years and states and decision making processes is not only famliar with the method, but also with the content. “It was a perfect are turned upside down.

In order to shed light on the topic, match,” Moser says.

Eva Feldmann-Wojtachnia, who is a the European Forum Alpbach is going to hold a Simulation Game about decision senior research fellow at the CAP and co-organises the event, making in the EU today. The explains her intention: “We 120 participants are going want to convey that you to be split into six groups: can understand the EU The European Commission, and that notwithstanding the European Parliament, the complexity there is an the Council of the EU, an NGO, the economy and of inner logic.” It is not important Katharina Moser course the press. From nine that people understand every am to five pm the participants last paragraph of every law, are going to debate and experience the she explains, but rather understand the process of making decisions in the EU. cooperation of powers and the principles At five pm, the findings will be presented behind. “In a simulation you have to use to the public in a press conference. “The your intelligence and negotiate, the motiidea was: let’s take the European Union vation is very high and a lot of potential is and break it down to the basics and try to set free,” Feldmann-Woytachnia asserts. give people the possibility to learn about Katharina Moser emphasises the opportuthese basics,” says Katharina Moser, who nity to overcome the fear of not knowing is in the organising team of the European certain things about the EU. “It’s okay to Forum Alpbach. “That is the best way to not know everything. Realising that you learn.” After having a seminar on lobbying don’t know something is the first step and networking in the EU for around ten which you can build upon.”

‘‘Let’s break the EU down to the basics’’

The Council of the European Union

■

Launch your idea!

Form a committee with at least seven people from seven different countries. This committee can’t be set up by an organisation, though they can support your issue.

Register your initiative You will be asked to give some information about the proposal. The EC will get back to you within two months to let you know if the initiative is approved.

Start collecting signatures There are two ways of collecting signatures: on paper and online. You need signatures from at least a quarter of the European Union’s countries.

You have one million signatures!

Submit the signatures to each of the EU countries concerned. They will verify the validity and you will receive a certificate from each member state.

, The floor is yours!

You will have the chance to present your proposal in the European Parliament during a public hearing. If you impress the EC, a new law can be proposed to the EP.

The Cou creates b of sever per state depend rotates EU mem cies is p success share c

WAYS TO THE

TITUTIONS 2

The European council

3 ■

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN POLICY MAKING OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS AN ORDINARY CITIZEN? HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE OR ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT? WE PRESENT TO YOU FOUR MAIN WAYS ON HOW TO ACCESS THE EU’S MAIN INSTITUTIONS AND HOW YOUR VOICE CAN BE HEARD AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE.

The European Commission

The European Parliament

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14

The European Council and the Council of the European Union represent EU member countries.

Members of those institutions are national policy makers, ministers and heads of states or governments. EU citizens cannot choose them directly, since they have been put in charge as representatives of the countries, not the citizens.

The European Council comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council. While the European Council has no formal legislative power, it is charged with defining “the general political directions and priorities” of the EU. It is the Union’s strategic and crisis-solving body, acting as the collective presidency of the EU. The meetings of the European Council take place at least twice every six months. The institution was established as an informal body in 1975; it became an official EU institution in 2009.

uncil of the European Union together with EP, bicameral EU legislative. The Council is composed ral configurations of 28 national ministers, one e. The exact Council’s configuration membership ds upon the topic. The Presidency of the Council every 6 months among the governments of mber states. The continuity between presidenprovided by an arrangement under which three sive presidencies, known as Presidency trios, common political programmes.

The European Commission (EC) is the executive arm of the EU. It is a body composed of one appointee from each state, but is designed to be independent of national interests. One of the 28 is the Commission President proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament. The body is responsible for drafting all law of the European Union and has a near monopoly on proposing new law. It also deals with the day-to-day running of the Union and has the duty of upholding the law and treaties. It is known as the “Guardian of the Treaties”.

The European Parliament (EP), together with the Council, forms the legislative arm of the EU. It is composed of 766 members who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world after the Parliament of India, which has 375 million eligible voters (in 2009). It has been directly elected every five years since 1979. Although the EP has legislative power that the Council does not possess, it does not formally possess legislative initiative, which is in the hands of the Commission. Parliament elects the President of the Commission, and approves (or rejects) the appointment of the Commission as a whole. It can subsequently force the Commission as a body to resign by adopting a motion of censure. The Parliament has the power to send amendments of the Commission’s proposal text to the Council. The proposal will become law only if both Parliament and the Council agree on it, which they do through successive readings up to a maximum of three. If they do not agree, then a “Conciliation Committee” is formed from equal number of Parliament and Council members. Once the final position is agreed, it has to be approved by Parliament.

European Initiative for Media Pluralism

Human right to water

One of the ongoing campaigns is the protection of media pluralism, which is a necessity towards the correct functioning of the internal market. Such legislation should meet the public interest objective of maintaining a democratic debate through free exchange of information in the EU. 9,617 signatures collected. Deadline: 19th August, 2014.

A Citizens’ Committee started a campaign to propose legislation to the European Commission on implementing the human right to water and sanitation recognised by the UN. This EU legislation should require governments to ensure and to provide all citizens with sufficient and clean drinking water and sanitation.

1,514,282 signatures collected. Deadline: 1st November, 2013.

“Rethinking the economic model in 48 hours” GROUP DISCUSSION ABOUT LEVERAGES FOR A BETTER SOCIETY

photo: philipp naderer

THE

For the last couple of days Alpbach has been the headquarter of 40 emerging leaders tasked with rethinking our current economic model.

On the first day the group started out by comparing four of the big current economic systems; the EU, the US, China and Africa on categories such as state intervention, freedom of markets, personal freedom and social security.

Named Alpbach In Motion for a reason the group went on several hikes through the mountains discussing all the way.

After the first dinner on day one the team was tasked with proposing new economic models for year 2040 based on a balance of high/low state regulation and an individual/societal focus as illustrated below.

Their discussions were overseen and then analysed by Tomas Sedlacek, writer of The Economics of Good and Evil.

After finalising their proposals on the second day they were treated to a talk from Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

With their fictional ideas in mind they finalised seven major questions which must be answered before our society can move forward: 1. How can we foster interaction between startups and corporations? We need to move to a true economic symbiosis.

2. How can Alpbach in Motion organise for impact after the forum? A yearly slot at the forum and turn it into a brand.

3. Economy for common good – companies sign up for investing in wellbeing and not profit.

4. What is the next step in the integration of Europe, what competences will an EU nation have?

5. Selforganising in society for better solu-

tions, we have to use our education and media to make ethical more sexy.

6. Do we need evolution or revolution? There is no room for a physical revolution, but we already have revolutionary ideas. Their implementation must be realistic though.

7. What environment will stimulate entrepreneurship, a comparison of Bulgaria and Sweden?

While answering these questions and enjoying a concert with Miha Pogacnik, the famous Concert Violinist, they summed up 13 factors which determine a “good” society.”

1. Effective decision making 2. Reasonable Tax 3. Accountability 4. Eu-Integration 5. Direct democracy 6. New RPI 7. Cost internal/external 8. Transparency 9. Magna Carta of values 10. Common defense 11. Education 12. Start-ups 13. Good governance After a talk by Larry Leifer, Director of Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program, the program rounded off with the members proposing ideas on continuing the entrepreneurial energy from everything from an online work group to writing a book on their discussions.

If you are interested in their ideas some of the members will present answers and work with the public in the Economic Symposium breakout session “Rethinking Capitalism.”

Cyber-democracy, power of markets, the increasing possibility for state to control our lives. Will we live in a contemporary version of the Plato Republic or will we be experiencing a golden era characterised by spontaneous collaboration between individuals? Will the state disappear because it is not necessary anymore or will the Government provide all the services

THE “NEW-WE

The “nordic” model on a global scale, wher citizens are fulfilled. State solves all the prob

LOW PARTICIPATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOCIETY

THE “ATOMIC

In a world where everyone is free to do wha new high. The State doesn’t interfere and b

E BRAVE NEW WORLD OF POLITICS IN 2040

ELFARE” STATE

re taxes are sky high but all the needs of the blem, without people having to think about it.

make an ironic and paradoxical press review of how a day like today can be reported in different social and political environments.

It is your task to decide if you would prefer to live in the “Atomic community”, where you can be an unscrupulous buisnessmen who is allowed to do whatever he likes for maximizing his profits, or in HIGH STATE INTERVENTION

s

that we need? Political philosophers try to answer these questions, imagining models for organising our future societies.

These visions of the future are very complex but they can be summarised in four models, which can be distinguished according to the scale of the state intervention and the involvement of society in the public discourse. We decided to

the “The neo-welfare state”, where you must pay 99% of the taxes but the states provide you every service. You can also choose for the “Communitarian state”, where rich are blamed if they do not help the poor, or “The new totalitarian state”, where everyone is happy to serve a group of experts and technocrats who design the best for their lives.

THE “NEW-TOTALITARIAN” STATE

The Orwellian nightmare never came true. People welcomed a State made of experts and thinkers. It is commonly accepted and proven that State knows and does best.

HIGH PARTICIPATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOCIETY

THE “COMMUNITARIAN” STATE

C” COMMUNITY:

Society made up of individuals, equal, working together, using each of the skills for helping each others in creating a better society, who needs the state?

LOW STATE INTERVENTION

atever they want, individualism has grown to a business control all and nothing hold you back.

Forum staff Franz Fischler, Philippe Narval, Martina Albrecht, Luise Fischer, Benedikt Grawe, Ruth Heinisch, Veronika Hopfgartner, Franz Mailer, Katharina Mewald, Katharina Moser, Magdalena Rostkowska-Müllner, Margarita Anna Schuster, Oliver Laurent Peter Schuster, Oana Scutea, Christiane Schwaiger, Annamária Tóth, Anja Ederer, Eva-Maria Fasching, Barbara Sophie Huber, Stephan Lahodynsky, Christina Moser, Constanze Prasek, Elisabeth Rabanser, Katharina Rabanser, Anna-Sophie Tschannett, Philipp Berger, Manuel Brandner, Matthias Briefer, Florian Brinda, David Gschösser, Clara Maria Hollomey, Josef Rabanser, Daniel Reiterlehner, Roland Spitzlinger, Christian Steinbrecher, Paul Stolberg, Thomas Zechner, Thomas Zellner, Michael Fleischhacker, Marianne Peters, Matteo Colombo, Christian Jensen, Conor Mcmahon, Habib Msallem, Katrin Nussmayr, Florian Peschl, Georg Renner, Sarah Katharina Schmidt, Peter Techet, Tatiana Tilly, Milos Tomic, Willem van der Vlugt, Katerina Vaskovska, Lukas David Wagner, Ingrid Kurz, Elisabeth Frank-Grossebner, Stefanie Göstl, Elisabeth Hambrusch, Elisabeth Holub, Julia Oslansky, Gerhard Reinagel, Sylvi Rennert, Laura Scheifinger, Marianne Schlögl, Birgit Sienkiewicz, Karlheinz Spitzl, Verena Tomasik, Ulrike Vetter, Susanne Watzek, Alexander Zigo, Georg Fischler, Harald Herka, Alois Moser, Stefan Starzer, Dhammika Channa Hertrich, Anita Goldman, Levin Wotke, Jennifer McDonald, Eleanor Ward, Maialen Torres, Daniel Brandstatter, Istvan Fazekas, Janel Mari Leonor Perez, Louise Mayer-Jaquelin, Paul Schmalz, Barbara Steinkellner, Madeline Feyock, Matija Rutar, Petril Rrahmani

Photographers Luiza Puiu & Philipp Naderer

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Veronika Hopfgartner Philippe Narval Christian Steinbrecher Marianne Peters

THE ALPBACH MEDIA ACADEMY IS SPONSORED BY:

WWW.ALPBACH.ORG/MEDIAACADEMY