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

Opportunity or Risk for Europe?

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

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

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

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