Election 2008: Yes We Can

So today I stumbled across this video while reading Ad Age and a poll they were taking on whether professional advertising type people should be volunteering their services to political campaigns. An interesting question given that I know back in the day the founder of my agency, Leo Burnett, himself contributed to the Goldwater campaign back in the early 60s (granted I believe we were paid for that, but nonetheless a professional adman was involved).

What fascinates me more though is how whether you are a believer in Barack Obama or not, the use of media and celebrity endorsement in this campaign cycle has been fascinating to watch as a marketer. What started as a use of new media during the 2004 election has become a full-blown paradigm shift in how information is conveyed to people during the campaign period and perhaps more importantly how individuals are getting involved in the campaign process. This video is simply one more (admittedly quite slick) example of individual involvement, and despite the fact that it is chock full of celebrities (which certainly helps it gain greater attention), at the end of the day it is an individual taking part in the process, trying to drum up support for a candidate that they believe in. And though it's cliche I'll say it anyway, the power of the internet and platforms like YouTube, Facebook, blogging, whatever is incredible.

Most of all I love the fact that in the short time I have been a conscious participant in the American electoral system (and yes, that has only been taking place for a good decade now), the internet has given people a platform for engagement. Truly this is the first campaign season I can remember that has actually sparked debate and involvement beyond the extreme right, the extreme left and the intellectuals. The first campaign that has captivated generations young and old in a way that possibly hasn't been seen since Kennedy was in office.

As we continue to progress through the nomination process and ultimately the election itself I have no doubt we will continue to see history made in America regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican ends up in office.

Lost in Germany and Austria: Kaiserschmarrn and my expanding waistline

After all of the time I've recently spent in Austria, I've developed a slight obsession with a very, very Austrian dessert called Kaiserschmarrn. Basically it's this incredibly doughy, chopped up pancake served with plum sauce and raisins and powdered sugar. It tastes sooo good and is sooo bad for my wasitline. But somehow that doesn't keep me from stuffing myself with it every chance I get. So in an effort to cut down my expenditures on doughy pancake desserts, I've located a recipe that I will now share with you.
Enjoy!

Kaiser Pancakes (Kaiserschmarren)

Imperial Austrian Cuisine by Renate Wagner-Wittula

Ingredients:

6 eggs

200 g (7oz) cake or pastry flour

50 g (1 1/2 oz) sugar

250 ml (8 fluid oz) milk

pinch of salt

40 g (1 oz) raisins

butter

confectioners’ sugar (powdered)

plum purée

Preparation:

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Thouroughly mix the yolks, sugar, milk and flour. Whisk the egg whites, add a pinch of salt and continue whisking until stiff. Now, carefully fold into the egg yolk mixture. Melt butter in a large pan, pour in the mixture and sprinkle in raisins. Let cook on one side for a few minutes, turn over and tear into pieces with a fork. Now let finish cooking (ideally in a buttered pan in a preheated oven(. Be especially careful not to overcook the pancakes, otherwise they will dry out. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with plum purée.

Lost in Germany: Neuschwanstein aka Sleeping Beauty's Castle

So post-Nick's morning ski we headed off again back to Frankfurt, but we made a small detour to see the original inspiration for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle, Neuschwanstein. The castle is nestled in a tiny town in Germany and was actually built in the mid-1800s by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria. He was a little bit nuts but quite beloved by the people in his kingdom.

I have to say, the castle itself does actually look like something out of a storybook, but then again that seems to have been Ludwig's idea. He had a very pure idea of what a King should be surrounded by and he had a love of the Middle Ages and the courtly ideals they supposedly upheld. So the crazy thing about the castle is that even though it looks like it should have been constructed in the middle ages it actually has all of these hidden 'modern' amenities like hot air central heating, running water on every floor and even an telephone system! Ultimately the guy became a complete recluse and was declaired insane by the Bavarian government, deposed and then the day after he was interned at the Bern palace, he died in a mysterious drowning incident along with the psychiatrist who had declared him insane. Very strange. . .

Anyway, Nick and I arrived too late to actually get into the castle, but after napping in the car on the way there I had built up a lovely store of energy, so I dragged Nick on a very brisk walk up around the back way along a hilly path to a bridge overlooking the castle. It was a beautiful view and definitely worth detouring for on the way home.

And here's a moment of small world wonder. As we were hiking up to look at the castle from afar, I was chatting with Nick about winter skiing and riding snowmobiles on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire. Something I always loved doing when I would go up to my friend's lake house during the winter. So low and behold, we round the bend and there in front of me are to boys, probably about 12 and 14 wearing, I kid you not, Mt. Sunapee Ski Team 2008 jackets. Seriously. Is that crazy or what?

The best part was when I asked them if they were from NH and told them I used to ski up there, they said they were in Europe to ski in Austria. In St. Anton of all places, just where I was last week. Strange small world it is, no?

Lost in Germany: Sunbathing Snowbunnies

Now I admit that I've always held a bit of disdain for the type girl who chooses to perch on a sunchair on top of a ski mountain instead of actually doing something fun and physical like oh, say, skiing on said ski mountain. However after a rather disastrous equipment rental yesterday and a few still sore limbs and such from my snowboarding experiment last weekend I'd like to expound for a moment on the merits of sitting in the sun on a ski mountain.

It is wonderful.

I've spent the last few hours, perched in a sun chair looking out on the mountain, soaking up some rays, reading a book and drinking a cup of hot chocolate while paragliders coast overhead. It is peaceful, it is sunny and I can be grateful that I'm not one of the herd of injured skiiers that happen to be sitting next to me with piles of crutches near by.

This quiet time may be just what I needed after all the madness of the last few weeks.

Lost in Germany: Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany (and Austria)

So after our fantastic week of skiing and lounging in St. Anton, I convinced Nick to hop back in the car and take another weekend trip with me, this time to Garmisch-Partenkirchen a small town close to the Austrian border that is also the home of a glacier covered mountain called the Zugspitze.

So the Zugzpitze is Germany's highest mountain. Actually, I think it might also be the highest peak in Austria as well. It's almost 3,000 meters (10,000 ft) high and it actually offers skiing all year round which is pretty cool. We arrived, took the gondola up the mountain and then Nick realized that he could actually step back into his home country! Just by walking through a hallway and out onto the other side he could arrive in Austria.

After snapping the requisite pictures from Germany's (and Austria's) highest point, we headed off to ski. Unfortunately I had managed to rent absolutely crap equipment, mostly the ski boots which had a disturbing habit of having the lining slide around every time I tried to set the edge on my skis. So being uncomfortable with the crappy equipment I decided to call it an early day and called it quits before lunch. But Nick had a blast and I got to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. Probably better for me anyway, I still can't quite sit down properly after my snowboarding experiment in St. Anton. No need to damage myself more this weekend.

So, random facts about the Zugspitze:

• You can get to the top in three ways: Cogwheel train, Climbing or Cable Car
• From the top you can see 4-countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy
  
• You can cross directly into Austria/Tyrol from the top of the mountain
• The highest chapel in Germany is located on the peak