Arnold Schwarzenegger museum opens in Austria

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s childhood home has opened as a museum in Thal, Austria.

Arnie grew up in modest circumstances–his home didn’t have running water or electricity. Despite these limitations, he started pumping up at an early age and his bedroom displays some of his exercise equipment. This dedication eventually led him to becoming Mr. Universe. There are also mementos from his movie career like Conan’s sword and a couple of statues from the Terminator movies. Another section documents his time as governor of California.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum has already received a visit from the man himself, who gave it his approval. The BBC website has a short video walk-through of some of the displays.

If you’re passing through Austria, Thal is just outside the city of Graz. Please visit the museum and send us some photos!

[Photo courtesy U.S. Navy]

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Virgin America’s first international flight – Toronto!

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 29 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Join us on Virgin America’s first ever international flight! We hop on a plane with Sir Richard Branson, Drake and a gaggle of entrepreneurs and fly on the airline’s inaugural flight to Toronto, Ontario to explore the (arguably) most diverse city in the world.

In this episode’s couch talk, we’ll discuss just why Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world & what other cities contend for the title of most diverse, based on foreign-born population.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links
Ready to book your own trip to Canada eh? Browse Virgin America’s great fares to Toronto.
Sleep in style overlooking Toronto’s iconic skyline. Check out the brand-new Thompson Hotel Toronto.

All images used under a Creative Commons license. All music used courtesy of Nonstop Music.

Arnold Loves Butts

Given the coming election in California and the likely re-election of Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, I have to revisit a hilarious story from the LA Times (via Worldhum) about how the Governator got help from a tabloid publisher to suppress the release of a 1983 Playboy video starring the then-future governor in which he visits Brazil’s Carnival and engages in some on camera grab-ass (among other lewd and lascivious gestures).

The tabloid publisher, American Media, paid Thomas Wells $2,000 for a copy of the video and crafted an agreement whereby Wells would not discuss the existence of the tape. The tabloid’s interest in Schwarzenegger’s success was due to their ownership of two muscle magazines, Flex and Muscle & Fitness, for which they wanted Arnold to be their public face (and for which they made him executive editor of the two magazines and paid him a percentage of advertising revenue (which, if I remember correctly, was an extraordinary sum).

The best quote by far in the video: “You know something,” Schwarzenegger says “after watching the [dancers] shake it, I can absolutely understand why Brazil is totally devoted to my favorite body part: the ass.” Who said Arnold doesn’t have class?