If you are going down, go down in flames!

At the end of the worst presidency in recent memory, we are beginning to see that what Clinton did on the way out is going to be nothing in comparison. That Bush would weaken a rule designed to protect natural resources (wildlife and their habitats) like this is just shameful. That it would in any way be justified in the name of money is even more sickening. Mr. Bush cares about the special interests of a few companies who will make a lot of money at the expense of the vast majority of people. Thank you for wearing your true money comes first face for once. May your ugliness never be forgotten.

The Death of Surfing and Freedom

Today I was reading about how a city in England is trying to increase its tourism industry by constructing an artificial shore reef that will, if succesful, create waves that can then be surfed by surf tourists. The first thing that came to my mind after this was how crowded it would be. Crowded and fake. Like it or not that is the direction that surfing is going anyway. First off Surfing has become a business. Corporations make millions of dollars every year off this hobby (call it lifestyle if you will but that died a long time ago). It has been accepted and popularized by the media. Its even perceived as a good, clean, fun, sporty thing to do.

All this brings us back to crowded surf spots. As the number of surfers increases, there will be an increase in the number of crowds at spots leading to increased anger, fighting, and with all probability deaths. At some point in time law enforcement will be forced to intervene and we may have an organizational system imposed upon us like skateparks do with helmets and waiting in turn etc. This will likely be coupled together with the concept of private waves, that is someone will own the spot where the waves break and be able to control who surfs there and how much it will cost. Welcome to the death of the spirit of surfing and freedom.

Motivation

I am struggling for motivation with both my current class project as well as with my thesis. I am going to go ahead and blame the weather as well as this course that I am taking. Anyway that is about all that is going on. In a few minutes someone will hopefully text me and let me know that I am supposed to go to a meeting where we will discuss some papers we had to read that were really stuff we read already first semester. Sometimes thats the way it is; you review and until it sticks. Blah!

Mess with airport security...if they are this weird

So I think it was last year someone got mad that a certain celebrity made a Dunkin' Donuts add wearing a keffiyah (and if you don't know what that is you might want to use wikipedia). Not only were people irritated with her for wearing one, they were also mad that Urban Outfitters were selling them (luckily I bought one before this became an issue) and so as retail giants often do they made like a reed and blew whichever way the wind carried them.

So here is my idea, if this fashion item has this kind of power and association then what impact will it have one ultra-patriotic airport security guards. So next time you want to mess with them, wear one of these to the airport. Of course the chance is that they ignore it completely but on the other hand there is always the chance that they go off the deep end about. Either way it makes for smugness (until the cavity check of course).

Communal Shower debate

Today I went to the swimming pool as I do about twice a week. I took a shower in a communal area before and after and when I got home I started thinking about how this doesn't happen in the US that much. My question today is why not? What is the reason that people are afraid to take showers in a public area where only members of the same sex are present?

My first thought when trying to understand this phobia from a male perspective would be to assume that many men are rather uncomfortable about their sexuality, and/or they have the assumption that were they to shower in the presence of other men they would become targets of a pick-up attempt. This seems over simplistic however and childish. First off I doubt many gay men go to communal showers and attempt to pick up men they think are straight anyway. Secondly this falls into the mental trap that many straight men have in their perception of homosexuals: that everyone who is gay wants them. Wake up and smell the coffee, they probably aren't interested.

My second big thought about all this is that there is some phobia about exposing one's body to someone else. The underlying idea here is that a person is extremely self conscious about their body and therefore unwilling to put it up for scrutiny. The odd thing about this however is how little people actually wear at a beach on the other hand. My thought on this, as someone who has used communal showers all his life and never found it odd, is that people don't use communal showers for sizing each other up. A shower serves a purpose: to get clean and I doubt anyone stands around looking at each other. I am going to guess that the recent generations obsession with penis size might also be a part of this. If this is part of the problem then I am going to go ahead and say that it is the most irrational reason for not using a shower.

In the end I think that having been raised in a culture that didn't have a problem with communal nudity is probably a part of the puzzle. I also think that since I like my body that might be another reason I don't take issue with these communal showers. Please add your thoughts.

Disturbing storms in Latvia

Today I found out that the Latvian security police has arrested two individuals who have expressed doubt in the countries ability to handle the economy. The one is a musician and the other is a university lecturer. Congratulations Latvia, you are now repressing anyone practicing free speech and that is equivalent with the tactics of the country that you once broke free from. That it was able to happen in the first place is a disgrace, that these two are now being prosecuted is a scandal. I hope that the individuals at the EU take serious notice of this.

Evil Santa

I was thinking for some reason about Santa Claus and his appearance and portrayal in the media. Generally I find him to be a very kitchy figure who doesn't really bring anything new to the myth and instead limits himself to giving us a cheap holiday smile. Enter Robot Santa from Futurama who was designed to give presents to those who are nice, but due to a computer error judges everyone to be bad and therefore goes on massive killing sprees during Christmas, thus leading to everyone locking their doors and hiding on Christmas eve. He is probably one of the best characters on Futurama.

Arrgh!

So this pirate phenomenon is on my mind the last few weeks (I guess it helps that up until the recent terror thing in India this was the main topic in the press). Its funny to think that while we have these vast warships that can launch airplanes and WMDs, we are pretty much helpless in trying to stop piracy. A couple of days ago a cruise ship outran two pirate boats. The reports are saying that shipping companies are turning to private protection firms. Essentially what we are going to have then is some sort of privateer industry that is designed around protecting sea bound vessels. The scary thing to me then is do they really have the legal ability to fire on pirate vessels. I am sure that there is some protection code in the law of the sea (UNCLOS) which the US has yet to ratify (losers).

Yes it is interesting that these massive naval forces are able to do so little, but then on the other hand, they were designed to fight each other instead of small bands of economically disadvantaged Africans who don't really have many other options for entrepreneurship. Of course as a German newspaper has noted, by protecting the ships and not trying to offer the pirates other means of providing income, the wealthy nations are only proving that their capitalist system is exclusionary and that if you are on the outside that is where you belong.

Tuesdays with the rain...

Its raining. That is what happens in Lund. Its dark outside. I don't feel like biking home and getting wet. Plus after that I have to bike to the store and buy some food because I am all out. Then I need to check my bank account to see that I have enough to pay rent and for my medication for the next three months. Doh! Anyway I still don't want to own a car so that is positive.

More Wisdom

The hand that stocks the drug stores rules the world.
-Bokonon

A quote

What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
-Bertolt Brecht

Withdrawal symptoms and snow

This is the first real day without football and already I feel that it is losing the hold it had over me. Tonight is the champions league round something but I didn't watch a single minute of any of the games. I am happy but am not patting myself on the back just yet. I will give it two more weeks before I claim success.

Its freezing cold outside and I can't say that that thrills me in the least. Ok I will give in to the notion that it is more aesthetically pleasing than grey skies, dead grass, and leafless trees. Right now I am trying something else new: I am reading two books at the same time. I think that this will be the only way that I will be able to read fiction and school books at the same time. Currently reading a book by Kobo Abe (fiction) and a book by David Harvey (non-fiction but I wish it was).

Resolution

Today I realized that I waste a lot of time watching football lately. Sure I've blamed it on the weather or not feeling good, but that just isn't good enough anymore. I could have been reading books instead. Basically I am admitting to being lame. So the new resolution is to immediately give up all watching of football for...well forever would be nice but I imagine that I will watch the next world cup so how about the qualifiers and the world cup. Not bad and knowing that I can actually do this is the best part. After all it took me five minutes to give up meat for the last three years. With all the time left over I am going to read, skate, and hopefully take a yoga class after new years.

Words of wisdom

"You don't have to be satisfied with America as you find it. You can change it. I didn't like the way I found America some sixty years ago, and I've been trying to change it ever since."
- Upton Sinclair

Springboks to go extinct...

Today the BBC reported that in the near future, the official name of the South African National Rugby team, the Springboks, will be changed. The name is a leftover of the old apartheid era in South Africa and the idea is that by changing the logo there will more of a feeling of inclusion of all the ethnicities of the country. I have to say that while this isn't really something that concerns me on a day to day basis at the same time I still find it a bit sad.

There are opinions on both sides of the racial divide (whatever that really means) who have called for it to be kept, and those who want it to disappear for good. What I think would be interesting would be if the people who were excluded from the team due to Apartheid would instead make it a part of their culture. That is to say that they would adopt the symbol and by so doing make it their own. To me that would be a stronger statement than changing a picture on a jersey and an official name.

I'm behind...

I know this is probably a bit late to be coming with this right now but after reading about it, I just couldn't help commenting. Paul Broun is a member of the House of Representatives and on top of that, he has proved that he is in fact an idiot. In an interview he managed to compare Obama to Hitler and the Soviet Union. To begin with the notion that Hitler and the Soviet Union are somehow similar in their politics is probably the best part of what he said. Apparently, Mr. Broun has no idea what the difference between communism and fascism are, which is strange when one thinks about the fact that Mr. Broun is supposedly well educated. Then there was this statement that Obama would somehow be capable of setting up a dictatorship. This is so amusing. This is why there are checks and balances in the US system. It seems very strange that the Republicans keep bringing up these fears. I bet Mr. Broun's top advisor is Mr. Hannity. The two of them would do best to bury their heads in a small town somewhere where they wouldn't be able to hurt others with their ignorance.

Pirates of Somalia

So right now they have all these patrol ships cruisin' the region and keeping an eye on all these cargo ships. It sounds great but I don't see how just defending the area is doing any good. This then is my suggestion: Get the world navies to buy some older cargo ships and turn them into incognito warships. Then sail them in 'international waters' where the pirates are known to hang out. Wait for the pirates to try to board the ships and then blow them out of the water. If they were to take no prisoners, then the specific ships in use couldn't be identified. Of course I am sure that this breaks some treaty on warships having to fly a certain flag and so on but I don't really see how else these attacks are going to be stopped. Its not like the Somali government has a lot of power these days.

A brave girl

Hannah Jones is only twelve and she's decided that she would rather die. If you want to look up sources for this article then search BBC or CNN. She is refusing a heart transplant and almost had to fight the hospital to say no. The reasons? Quality of life is what it seems to be about. I find this an interesting case for several reasons a.) its possible she would live on after a heart transplant b.) her quality of life would never really improve. Then I as someone who suffers from a condition that also affects life quality (not so much today, but in the long run), I find her stance very brave and if I had any way of giving her support I would.

Guns and Churches

Today there was an article on CNN about how churches are now beginning to have armed guards at their services. I find this very sad and in many ways hypocritical. The religious right and many other parts of American Christianity are actively involved in politics(as was seen in the election of George Bush) so my question is why isn't this religion that is supposed to be about peace, not also preaching this to its government? Why aren't they protesting that you can buy handguns in a sport store? Of course, they will say that it is a constitutional right. Times change, and its time to move on from the notion that we are somehow safer if everyone is carrying a gun. Does it really seem nice to live in a reality that seems very much a Sergio Leone picture?

Amusing no doubt

I find it very interesting that the die hard McCain fans are being so grumpy about Obama now. They still want to label him a terrorist, muslim, etc. That was pretty much what the McCain ticket was all about then; lies. Of course they are going to keep going with the idea of the Socialism which is itself hilarious. I hope all of the Republicans know that when you spread these kinds of lies you are the one who looks like an ignorant idiot. Today, in our internet and media times, there are no longer excuses for ignorance.

For Clara

Autumn Evening #3

When the winter wind
No, still the fall wind
I dare not call it winter;
For then it will grow
Stronger and colder,

So then;

When
Fall Wind
Is blowing outside my
Window,
Naked branches
Obscure the window lights
Across the way
And suddenly,
They are a thousand candles
Flickering only to remind me
You are far away.

I helped turn Florida blue...

Now the real work begins. All the articles I have read so far have been alluding to the idea that he isn't going to have an easy first term by any means. Of course talk like this isn't really so positive in nature so I thought that I would try to remedy it by thinking like this; I think that there are solutions to the current problems and I believe that they can be implemented even if there is resistance and complaining. After all what kind of president would he be if he didn't fight for what he thought was going to be for the good of the country. He's going to go through the fire and hopefully he'll still be smiling on the other side.

It comes down to this...

I have a sore throat and am stuck in rainy Lund today while across the US millions will spend hours voting. I chose to give respect where respect is due. Barack Obama may not be able to achieve everything that he wants to, but that he is trying is what gives me some hope. Tomorrow morning I may wake up and not be able to write a sad statement about the Union.

McCain on the other hand is what makes me sad. To see a country with such potential, allow a man like him to get this far leaves me with a chill. His choice of vice president just adds to the factors that should serve as warning lights to other voters. Oh well you may make up your own minds, however you should remember that what you do today really does affect others on a global scale.

The notion of the liberal media bias...

There is this topic that the Republicans love to swing around; the liberal media this and the liberal media that. There is all this talk about trust and being fair and balanced and the list goes on. I would like to take this debate a step further with my own perception of this. If we are to take a 'western' perspective on the media's bias as a whole (because all media is biased whether you like it or not). What this means is that I am taking the various social theories and ranking them by their number on a scale.

Since this takes into account all newspapers that I am familiar with, then of course it is subjective to bias (because if you ask Mr. Heston he'll tell you that there really is no escape from the planet of the apes). Observe

Left
1.Aftonbladet
2.Der Spiegel
3.Le Monde
4.Dagens Nyheter
5.BBC
6.CNN
7.Time
8.Expressen
9.Fox News
10.Some Southern State Newspaper available in Georgia
Right

By what I see as the 'Western' scale would mean that CNN is more center right by international standards.

McCain's New Clothes

Once upon a time there was a man elected president in a big country far away over the sea. The new president did not like the man he succeeded and therefore decided that if he was going to truly impress his people he would have to be different than his predecessor. He therefore hired a group of advisors and told them what he wanted. They listened to him and told him that they would do as he asked. They also told him that as a part of this he would need a new suit. Ok thought the new president, if thats how simple my people are then I'll give them what they want. So he asked his advisors to sow him a new suit.

A month came and went and then there was a parade. The new president sat in the president's car and rode through his capital. He was full of smiles and he loved to hear the sound of his people cheer his name. Many had also heard about his new wardrobe and policies and many nodded their heads as he passed. Then a child yelled out from the crowd; but look he's just the same as Bush.

A dream plan of sorts...

Today the rain isn't going to stop pouring and I am stuck in my flat trying to come up with a thesis topic for tomorrow. The problem is not goingn to be finding a topic per say, instead it is going to be how to narrow it down. One topic would be to look into the future of Tempelhoff Airport and try to come up with a variety of options and then determine their level of sustainability. Well honestly I think I now have the most sustainable option: Turn the runways and fields into a forest and make the building into an art colony (of course we are talking about a massive structure so there is plenty of room for other things). The idea behind the art colony lies in the Creative class theories of Richard Florida while the forest idea is my way of encouraging biodiversity. Of course knowing how things go in the world we live in, they will no doubt build condos on the fields and turn the airport into a shopping mall; they just can't seem to get enough of that.

I have more experience

I ran Alaska a state with only at max 700,000 people. Somehow this qualifies me to be vice-president of a country with 300 million people. To be really honest we can look at the last president of this nation, W, and note that he was actually in charge of a state with almost 24 million. Plus he had a family that was involved in this 'running' things business for a long time. Her husband works for an oil company so that means they are going to serve special interests (everyone serves special interests). In the end though it doesn't really mean that much with experience anyway because with all that experience that Bush did have he made some really stupid decisions. Now if you want to chose another politician that is even more right wing then go ahead. Next thing you know the US will be stuck in Iran under the mantle of 'helping' people and we'll have oil rigs off all our coasts. As far as international cooperation goes we'll have one ally left after four years which will of course be Israel, the other pariah.

Rainy Saturday #25

Welcome to Lund, it raining here, no lets put it another way; it rains a lot in Lund. I did manage to get out of bed around 11 or so and then make my way to the pool where I put in half an hour swimming. It felt good as it usually does except that its always crowded on the weekends. Its extra understandable when its rainy like this, but doesn't make it any better.

I am reading Mike Davis's Planet of Slums and its some sobering reading. I've seen squatter developments when I was in Costa Rica and Venezuela, but of course its something else to read about the true numbers that are out there. In the west we live in a false reality. We look around us and assume that in our capitalist system all we have to do is work hard and we can move up in the world. Its a joke and always has been. In fact the upper class is actually pulling away from the middle and lower classes worldwide. Funny isn't it. Actually it started happening around Reagan's tenure.

Going to Hitesh's place in Malmö tomorrow to try the first batch of homebrewed cider. From everything I have heard its going to be amazing. Stay tuned for update.

Joe's and socialism

It turns out Joe the plumber is really Sam the liar.

I love that some are now calling Obama's policies as socialism or even going so far as to actually label him as a socialist. My question; do Americans really know what socialism is then.

After having done a paper about water privatization and Neo-liberal thought I am beginning to wonder why government is doing so much for the big businesses. Isn't that keeping the people with dreams from being able to compete with them. It seems this is going against itself. Plus why should government be pro-business? I thought it was for the people by the people, guess I was wrong.

football and rivalry seen postcolonially...

A friend of mine recently went to a 'friendly' between Northern Ireland and Scotland in Glasgow. I admit I was jealous, seeing as how I have never been to either a qualifier or a friendly. He noted that besides a horrible display in football (friendlies usually are, except for the France Tunisia game this week) there were some interesting chants going back and forth between the supporters. It went something like this... "Are you England? Are you England in disguise?"

I have to say that that is one of the funniest football chants that I have ever heard and so I checked youtube and you can find them singing it there. What the chanting of this line makes rather clear is that England is seen as the big 'enemy' of both teams. I guess that is understandable considering the colonial background that both areas have with England. Still it would be amazing to hear them sing it back and forth.

Oh, Racism we know you so well!

"Obama is an Arab." What does that actually mean? That he is from the middle east?Amazing, and this thing about his middle name, wow they just can't let that go. Now on the other hand I am an American citizen and I have lived in the US for a significant amount of time. Racism did not just 'go away' at the end of segregation. This is not some integrated society. All you have to do is drive around a few neighborhoods in any suburb and realize that its quite divided still (this is of course the case for the south). Now of course this conversation is going to talk about Bill Ayers. How long ago was it that he was voted Chicago's man of the year? Ah thats right and lots of republicans have worked with him as well. The real patriot was Ayers, a man who didn't like the way his country was going (for good reasons Vietnam was a horrible war that had no right to be fought) and decided to do something about it. I am not excusing his actions, but I am putting forward the case that he can still be a patriot. I know the media is showing us snapshots of the real population and that we are seeing many of the radical incidents and not so many of the normal ones. On the other hand I've met these types of people before and I would say that in many cases the 'liberal' media is doing a good job showing the party for what it is; rich white guys voted for by dumb white guys.

Corsi as the nutty cookie

Jerome Corsi was arrested today for visa irregularities in Kenya. Its been a while since I took an in depth look at the man and I wasn't particularly surprised by what I found out, but more so at the actual depth of what he goes about saying. To call him a liar is to be mild. The only problem is that I am not blaming him. We have a 'free' country in the USA which means one is entitled to hold any beliefs that one would like to (including idiocy). Corsi is a classic picture of this. We also have a free press who can publish whatever they like (well not quite but thats not the point here). I am blaming you. Thats right I am blaming everyone who buys the book of a liar and lets it influence them to the point of not voting for a man based on lies. This man obviously has quite an audience. What does that say about America?

Cigarettes and Burgers

I am wondering about this; that soon there will be pictures of black lungs on the cover of cigarette cartons around the world. Who is it that is really pushing for this? I imagine there is a lobbying group around somewhere called the 'uptight citizens association' they are one of the few groups who believes that subliminal messages really do alter your perception or that people apparently have no choice about whether to smoke or not (yes its addictive but one can still say no).

Here is my proposal then; when you buy a hamburger at any fast food chain, can we put a photo of a fat person on it? Could this then also be done with cars? When a person buys an SUV and lives in the suburbs can we put a photo of melting glaciers on it? I just don't see these things happening, but for some reason its cool to be aggressive about smoking. Seems like a long time ago, I don't remember when, people knew how to make up their own minds (and thus are responsible).

How to insult people.

There are actually very few moments in my life that I find myself taking offence to what people say. Most times I try to laugh it off or just ignore it. I can't however ignore someone who may become president of a country whose passport I hold.

"I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world." -Sarah Palin. By making this statement, she is saying that the only point in having a passport is to go backpacking in Europe (something I have still not done). She has in a sense mocked all the people in US who have a passport and have used it for work or studying purposes. I find her to be covering for her own lack of interest in the world around her. You can take a person out of a small town but in this case you can't take the small town out of the person (and small towns are not any better than big cities).

What is even more disturbing is this continual talk about America's role in the world: "We see America as the greatest force for good in this world" and Hitler thought he was doing us all a favor. America as a religion is truly a sick ideology that is being sold today, and to hear these people talk about it you'd think they'd forgotten Mossadegh, Vietnam, Segregation, and a whole host of other things they'd like to forget about. If you are still confused and you can't understand why people might hate the US then go back and read your own history.

The fact that Sarah Palin is a vice-presidential candidate shows that a little bit of ignorance goes a long way.

The Nobel Literature prize

Today I found out that one of the heads of the Nobel Literature Prize selection comittee has accused the United States of being to 'insular' and 'isolated' as well as going on to say that the writers tend to go with the flow of mass culture. I found this interesting and disturbing at the same time. Of course according to the article, found on CNN, the Nobel people have been accused of 'snobbery' and so on. I've gone back and looked at the list. Of those I have read, I can understand why they have been selected. Granted I am not trying to say that the selection process doesn't have its errors and problems. Aside from Phillip Roth however, there aren't too many American novelists who I think are eligible right now. I do think it is a shame that Nabokov never got his due but that is life.

My candidate for this year is not American either. I put my vote in for Milan Kundera the Czech/French author.

Humpty Dumpty and George Bush...

Well this is going to be interesting. After telling us for eight long years about how great the market was and pushing all these free trade ideas around the world, it seems that humpty dumpty(the american economy) has had a fall. Don't get me wrong, I am not claiming to understand this giant mess, but I think one thing is fairly obvious at this point; the corporations aren't going to have the effect of all the kings horses and all the kings men. Even better, from my perspective mind you, is that now that the neoliberalism is sinking the government is trying to jump in and rescue it. Essentially what is happening then is that W is becoming a socialist. While I love the idea, because that is what I am at heart, I know that he is doing it under the pretense of helping a victim. Who is the money going to go to? To the people it always goes to; the ones sitting on top of the pyramid. Don't want to take my word for it? Well its ok, you won't have to.

Kids with Guns and the Last Waltz

So my thoughts on Finland...Well hmmm why do they sell guns this easily. Sorry I take that back why sell guns at all? If you want to hunt I understand you are upset with me, but then again you aren't exactly hunting for survival purposes, so why wouldn't it work if the government were to rent you the gun for the event and then you bring it back under very controlled circumstances. The same should be true for the US. There is no point in selling hand guns in stores. Don't like it? Maybe sometimes its good not to care what some people want.

On a happier note I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary about The Band titled "The Last Waltz." For anyone who was a fan of music of that time, this is a must watch. The quality of the music and the performance as well as the things the members say between the songs are incredible. Its another reason why Scorsese is one of the best out there and yes Dylan's last three songs brings down the house.

Ask for your water front back...

So I made it through Kundera's Ignorance: A novel in two days and I have to say it was right in line with the other two books of his that I have read; sharp and to the point while telling an amazing story. He has a way of turning the everyday situations in relationships into pictures of life that are unforgettable.

Someone sent me this link and I thought I would post it. Tell the government you want your waterfront back...

Shiva, Kundera, and a case of the Mondays...

It was time for the European Social Forum this weekend and I didn't actually make it which was ok, but I did manage to find out that Vandana Shiva was there and that she was asked what she thought about Sweden. It turns out she has been here a few times as Ingegerd(Lumes) told me, but anyway she said that it was sad about Sweden, because we just to be a nation that was a good example of solidarity among the people and now we are run by corporations. Couldn't agree more. Why are we falling for this idea that corporations can run things better than the government? Corporations don't care about people period.

I decided tonight that the goal for the rest of the year is to read all of Milan Kundera's books. I don't know if I will actually make it, but it is an admirable goal. So now its one in the morning and I need to go to bed. Emphasize need.

Nuts for the chop

Today I read that in Poland they are considering castration for all pedophiles. Well that is just great. Isn't this so nice, we'll fix all the problems really quickly and easily and make sure they can't do any of their dirty stuff anymore. No actually this is quite horrible. Don't get me wrong I am not in any way standing up for these sick depraved people, but I am thinking that there are always going to be innocent people getting caught and then something is taken away from them that can never be given back. Way to go Poland, you just proved you are a third world country, now go build a missile shield for your conservatism.

Thursday down time

I should be reading this book by Adorno that I have, but I'm not of course. I should be doing a lot of things but I don't have the motivation right now. I don't have any reason to watch sports now until October so that will probably help. I am what they call a master of procrastination. The only problem is that I only procrastinate when I am at home, otherwise I generally get things done.

I want to get a swimming pool membership and start going two+ times a week. Easier said than done. When I was at FSU the pool was a five minute walk away and every semester it was something like five times I used it. I also want to take yoga classes but don't have the nerve to go by myself and then be with all these people who've been doing it for years and I can't even do the simple stuff.

Anyway its time to pick up Adorno and then some of Sylvia Plath's poems. I love libraries.

Why we don't win football matches

I sat there on Jeff's couch eating a cheap pizza and drinking french cider and almost crying as the Swedish National team spent ninety minutes of disgrace against Albania and ended it with a 0-0 draw. I saw the same attitude that I saw throughout Euro 2008 and what I've seen more and more of lately with Swedish sports: fear. We are a better team than Albania, we have better players, and we have more routine. It didn't show up at all, in fact it looked more like Albania was going to score first for most of the match. I kept clenching my fist over and over as the midfielders lost the ball again and again, as Källström disappeared after five minutes, and as the players looked like amateurs chasing warriors around the field.

In Sweden the answer is very simple: we don't think we can win. Or if we do we deny it and talk down about it and tell ourselves that we shouldn't think that way. How dare a nation with our size sit and think that it can win a world cup. We've almost done it before, so why not again? I know we don't have the Pele's, the Ronaldo's, and the Maradona's of the world, but honestly that isn't what wins a world cup. The attitude wins world cups. I would prefer if the swedish players would talk to in the interviews about how they know they can win, that they believe in themselves, that small nations can do big things. Look at the Olympics, we whined the whole way through when we should have been trying harder and believing. We don't need apologies and I admit I don't like the Hubris that most are capable of, but I would like to see an attitude that says, hey we are small and we can win, and even if we don't we'll fight like hell for it!

Things to think about...

There were many better qualified women in the republican party that should have gotten the VP position.

Every "liberal" sex education that I have ever been through has told me that the only real preventive is abstinence (they don't need a whole course just to explain the ramifications of no or don't)

Getting married at 17 to help your mom seem like a real peach makes me about as sick as having bubonic plague (there is no way we will ever know what those kids really want)

American patriotism has an odd aroma similar to...early stages of Fascism

Someone said McCains "opportunity" wouldn't involve giving more money to medicaid, too bad, I always had this crazy notion that government was by the people for the people-Most times its really the elite playing as if they are for the people

McCain finally found a way to get media coverage...just wasn't quite what he really wanted though

International Housing Offenders

I was reading an article in one of the local Lund newspapers and came across an article that noted that of the 2000 exchange students for this semester, only about half of them were able to get university accomodation. The others apparently had to go look for private rooms. The article also noted that they had talked to the people at the IHO and they had said that they couldn't put students in the St. Lars buildings which were used last year because of a lack of quality. The IHO people seemed almost sad about this.

Let me say something. I visited the St. Lars dormitory only once and that was around this time last year. I have to honestly say that I did not know that it was possible for a Swedish housing office to rent rooms in a building like that. The buildings were used for some sort of hospital care, but that doesn't go half the way in describing what it felt like to be in those rooms. It felt like you were living in a mental institution. To my knowledge there were no Swede's that were forced to live there only international students. The Lund IHO is one of the most foul things I have come across in my travels.

Do your pants hang low?

The time has come to speak of many things...as Lewis Carrol would say and perhaps it isn't pure coincidence that he is quoted in this post.

I was reading CNN the other day, I know its odd but bare with me, and I came across another article about a county banning the wearing of pants in such a way that a person's underwear is showing. I find this extremely disturbing on several fronts.

1. How is it possible in a free country for a government to tell an individual how to dress. I understand a ban on nudity but boxers are still a long way from nudity. This smells of fascism and ignorance.

2. Why is a city going to waste money on controlling how people are dressing? Isn't there better things to do like stop speeding cars and fight against drugs.

3. Depending on where there is a ban on not showing your underpants, if you are caught doing so and taken to court, you may have to register as a sex offender. This is playing with people's lives over a fashion statement.

All of these laws depend on the local council's assesment of what is and what isn't decent. I can imagine a group of old conservative white people sitting in a circle somewhere discussing how they can make life difficult for young people. I wish I was wrong but that is what I suspect is taking place. If I was living in these places I would cut myself a pair of minishorts and run around town. No officer they aren't boxers but please tell me how do you define what is and what isn't underwear. Fascism, fascism, in the form of decency.

Final Thoughts: Sweden vs. Greece Euro 2008

I've always been out of Europe for the major tournaments. In 2006 I was stuck working while Sweden got knocked around by Germany and of course there is no real place for fans to go in the US to watch the games on big screens. Thats why being in Europe for a tournament has been amazing so far. Everyone is watching the games and there are flags out on every street. So that brings me to Sweden vs. Greece.

Folkets Park in Malmo was showing the game, so I decided to go there to watch it. I invited everyone I knew and one person showed up. I find this strange but I've accepted it. I got to the park halfway through the Russia Spain game and found that it was already starting to fill up. Then by kick-off, it was packed and people were standing on all sides. So what were the chances we would win? I felt that it could go either way but that Greece probably had it in the bag. Sixty-six minutes later the guy guarding Ibrahimovic disappeared for a second and without even hesitating Zlatan fired the goal of the tournament so far past the Greeks. Everyone in the park were on their feet chanting his name and screaming. Malmo is incidentally his home town as well. Then came the second goal which though not pretty, took all the air out of the Greeks.

For the Swedish national team which was struggling the last few weeks and had many assuming we couldn't win a game, this came at just the right moment. I've finally been in Europe for a tournament, I've tasted the fruits so to speak, and its amazing, beyond words really.

Enchantress of Florence; Not his best

Its hard to really jump on Rushdie for anything that he's written. However with his latest offering I find myself a bit confused and wondering what he was getting at. True the story is not terrible by any means but it has the feeling that he tried to run through it without really exploring certain themes as deeply as he could have. So I have to say it makes a good case for being an airport bookshop bestseller. More Satanic Verses please.

Afghanistan is a bad joke

When he leaves office, a certain someone will probably point to a country in South-Central Asia and claim that this is where he made a difference and that things are getting better all the time and so on and so etc, etc, etc.

What he will ignore is that right now someone is on death row for speaking out against Islam. While Freedom of Opinion is part of the constitution, apparently you just can't say certain things. So the moral of the story is...nothing has really changed except the names of the people running the place. How many millions have been wasted?

Movie Review: Goodbye Lenin!

I guess I sort of already knew what the movie was about through hearsay as well as having heard about it on the radio. Simple story, boy in East Germany has a single mom and a sister. Mom ends up in the hospital with a coma and when she wakes up she wakes up in a united Germany. Of course the shock of her finding out would be too much for her and so he has to convince her that she is still living in the East.

Its funny, its sad, and even say a bit romantic. I think to understand some of the humor, you have to have lived in an eastern European country or have visited one soon after the end of the Soviet Union. Daniel Bruhl is excellent as usual and so are the rest of the characters. I think I was almost crying at some parts. Is that enough? Go watch it.

A neo-liberal solution of sorts...

Since the World Bank and IMF not to mention the WTO have such amazing ideas I thought I would apply them to United States Armed Forces. The US military is a government entity and therefore grossly missmanaged (many generals would agree with this, war is to important to let politicians make decisions). The budget is gigantic and the results meagre at best. Two countries have proved this point; Afghanistan and Iraq. Here the US military has invaded and tried to 'liberate' two people groups. The cost of the operations has been immense and neither one has by any means reached a point where they could be labeled as a success of any sort (after all the primary goal was to defeat Al Qaida, not nation-build).

So here is the neo-liberal solution; allow the army to act as a private security force. It already does this in many ways with Nato and other organizations, but it would be better run if it went where the invisible hand of the market directed it. This means that countries with a strong economy would remain protected and that their armies would be free to seek the best markets. It might even be possible after a time to stop using tax money to finance the military. Technology would only benefit, as the market forces would encourage further innovation as the alternative would be losing the market to other actors. Anyway it might save americans a lot of money that could be spent on other things.

Moving Backwards; an American Tale in two parts

Part I

Bush is comparing the 'terrorists' to Nazis. It is impossible to compare the two groups of people. One was intent on genocide while the other has never expressed such ideals. Honestly the Nazis had quite a bit more power than the terrorists have had up to this time, and there were quite a few sympathizers in the US (Lindbergh to name one). The only way that the two could be compared is that the US has at times contributed to the forming of these two different types of problems (German debt and third world intervention).

Part II

Hillary and John have this idea that removing the gas tax will somehow be good for people. The only the gas tax will really accomplish is to make more profit for the oil companies and lead to an increase in pollution. Plus there goes all the money that is meant to keep roads drivable. This is a move that is nothing more than 'populism' and a way to get voters, not something that is actually feasible. When the dust settles the joke is on the American people.

Norwegian Wood

I finished Murakami's Norwegian Wood last wednesday. The more I read Murakami the more I am impressed with his writing. Of course I am sure that if I were to be reading them in Japaneese I would be getting more out of them and would likely find them twice as amazing. However, I do not have the luxury of reading them in Japaneese for the simple reason that I have never studied that language and probably never will. Not that it wouldn't be good, I simply haven't the time.

The story is sad and romantic all at the same time. Its about loss and growing up and this review is starting to sound like all the other reviews you read in other newspapers around the world. Basically I found that the story was not so much unique in the way it dealt with death, suicide, and love but more just that I found it too hard to put down and couldn't help but relating to the characters. Plus it makes you laugh.

Moving Backwards: a Russian tale...

They had nuclear missiles in Moscow rolling down the streets for a parade a few days back. They were celebrating. Odd that some celebrations feel more like threats but then again that is Russia. While many of us look back on the Cold War as a time of insanity for both sides (for who builds that many nuclear weapons and remains sane), it appears that Russia is going back to embracing that period as a golden age. Must be the same loonies who are in favor of reconstructing the Berlin Wall.

I want to live in a world where parades don't consist of tanks and nuclear weapons please. A world where loonies are required to take counseling sessions. So here is my recommendation. Bush and Putin need to voluntarily step down and do volunteer work in Afghanistan for two years.

Currently Reading Norwegian Wood

Well so I'm hard at work on this paper on Orcas but I managed to pick up a copy of Murakami's Norwegian Wood which I've had on reserve at the library for about a month now. Apparently its so good there were originally fourteen people in front of me in the line. I have to say for being a small town Lund has an amazing library.

I'm heading to Germany by buss again tonight. That means I have eight hours to just sit and read as much as I like. Hopefully I can finish Murakami by the time I get to Berlin and be halfway through the books for the next course. Next stop sunshine and german beer plus a girl I love more everyday.

Haruki Murakami, Bill Bryson, and Champagne

I finished a travel memoir about Australia today by Bill Bryson and I have to say it was hilarious. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who would enjoy such a work of non-fiction and I must say I think I have a better understanding of the land down under now.

Then I went to the library today to drop off a book and decided to look at the shelf with new books. I picked up a book about Champagne and then in the older fiction section I found a copy of Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart. So I am looking forward to sawing my way through them.

The exam went fine and now all I have to do is a paper on how polluted Orcas are (its horrible actually) and get a seven minute presentation whipped up and ready for Monday.

Question of the Day

If three American Mercenaries shoot an old Iraqi man in a city somewhere in Iraq and no one is around to see it, does the old man even exist?

Film Club and Exam time

Tonight is the first official meeting of the LUMES film club. The idea behind the club is that the movies watched will in some ways be relevant to what we are studying and also as a way of learning about the world as a whole i.e. not just watching hollywoodizations.

Its also time for an exam tomorrow and then a paper and presentation are due on Monday which make it an exceptionally fun little weekend. Its not all bad though, travel plans are waiting in the wings plus the sun is shinning.

Oh yeah.... tonight's movie.... The Constant Gardener

based of course on the Le Carre novel of the same name.

Absolut Idiot: Or how Americans portray themselves.

Last week there was a mention in the Swedish news that an ad by Absolut Vodka had offended some Americans. Then in Sweden it wasn't reported about again. Now I've scoured the internet for a bit and found that the add was quite a hot topic. I have to say I find it amusing. The only thing the add is trying to say is that in an absolut world (i.e. a perfect world) from a Mexican perspective, a good portion of what is currently the USA would still be Mexican. Then people get offended and pour their expensive vodka down the drain and threaten boycotts.

That says a lot about some people. If you pour out a bottle of vodka over a piece of ancient history instead of having a laugh then there is something wrong with you. Most Americans are not very familiar with that bit of history. Many know Texas broke away from Mexico, but most fail to understand that it was because slavery and owning weapons were illegal, two things that southerners were quite fond of at the time. After the war the US forced Mexico to 'sell' territory at half the price offered before the war so that it would no look like they were taking it. There was nothing honorable or heroic about that war from the American side. Pure Greed. Absolute Idiot: a person who becomes offended over advertisements.

Ezra Pound and Paul Auster

Well I tore my way through Rushdie and managed to finish it off at around three in the morning on Sunday. I have to say that I think this was his best novel since the Satanic Verses. Tomorrow I am going on a field trip to a toxic waste site in Teckomatorp, Skane. That sounds like loads of fun.

On Sunday I also went to the library and thankfully they are open on that day which is somewhat odd for Sweden, but I am not complaining. I picked up the Cantos of Ezra Pound and Leviathan by Paul Auster. Of course I don't believe its possible to go wrong with Auster but I'll keep it updated and I'll also let everyone know my thoughts about Mr. Pound.

sex-obssesed Republicans and the war in Iraq.

We all know that Bill Clinton dropped his droors in the oval office and let a certain Lewinsky blow Dixie on his magic troll flute. This brought about a shitstorm and led to succession of scandals. But what was it really all about? A blowjob and a lie? Pretty sorry stuff actually. The French especially must find this absolutely ridiculous stuff, of course right now they can't get enough of Mrs. Bruni but there was a time of legends that included Mitterand and Felix Faure (Famous for dying in the middle of a blowjob). Seriously this is too good to be fiction.

So what does all this have to do with everything currently going on now. The Republicans were absolutely sex-obsessed with the Clinton Affair and did all that they could to have him kicked out of the White House for a blow job and a denial. Seems awfully funny that they would be so silent about these massive amounts of weapons of mass destruction that are all over Iraq. I guess it just depends on who is doing the lying, or perhaps WMD's just aren't sexy enough.

Salman Rushdie and the "Ground Beneath Her Feet"

Its been a while since I felt ready to plunge myself into one of Rushdie's bizarre worlds of tragedy and magical realism. Of course everytime I've done so, the end result has been an amazing story that is hard to put down despite all the other things I probably should be doing. Fear not dear reader, for this time I am actually ahead in my readings for LUMES which is the first time in history. Not the last though I guarantee.

In "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" Rushdie takes into a love triangle that consists of two rock and roll stars and a photographer. In his usual excellent and extremely sharp prose style he takes us through their somewhat humble beginnings in Bombay (Pre-Mumbai). If the reader is interested I would recommend starting on Rushdie's masterpiece "The Satanic Verses" which he will never be able to beat no matter what magic tangle of words he is able to produce in the remainder of his life.

Spring Time at Berlin Zoo

Islands in the Stream

Another Hemingway novel that someone found in a used bookstore in London. This is always the best way to find books. When you least expect it something pops up out of nowhere. I'm a third of the way into the book so far and I have to say that unfortunately I do not consider it to be in the same class as "The sun also rises" or "For whom the bell tolls" but its still ok so far.

Before this book I read "The passion of New Eve" by Angela Carter. If you haven't heard of her, she was a writer who was mainly active in the sixties and seventies and wrote a good deal of post-feminist literature. I'm not going to give away the plot by any means except to say that it was surrealist and magical realist at the same time. It also made me really uncomfortable. Worth a read.

A blueberry or not a blueberry?

This debate seems to come up every so often when North Americans hang around in Sweden long enough. Swedes call these small berries that grow in shrubs along the ground blueberries and this drives the North American visitors insane and they can't understand this concept at all. I will hereby clear the whole mater entirely so that there will never be any confusion again.

Blueberries (Vaccinium Cyanococcous) grow only in North America. What we have in Sweden and call Blåbär, which is often translated literally into English as Blueberry, is in fact properly called a Bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus). If the two species were put side by side it would be obvious that they are not the same and once a person has tasted them it will be even clearer.

In Medias Res: I'm not Stiller (Max Frisch)

Frisch comes recommended to me by a beautiful German who tends to recommend really good books from her culture. Of course Herr Frisch was Swiss but that is beside the point. So "Stiller" so far has been quite interesting.

It begins on a train in Switzerland where a man is detained and accused of travelling under a false passport. He is then accused of abandoning his family and having lived on the run for over six years. He denies all this and further denies that he is in fact this hunted man named Stiller. How does one prove identity?

Well I'm not done with the novel yet, nor am I half way through, I do however recommend the book and am enjoying it.

Here is a link to a page on Max Frisch (The author).

Introducing: The Frankfurt School....

No bloggerism today no sir. Read this link and think think think about it.

and... Props to Adorno.

Frankfurt School

Book Review: Tender is the Night

I admit first off that the last time I touched a book by Fitzgerald was junior year of high school and that at that time I could probably not understand a lot of what was going on. However as a whole I did not appreciate his stories or his prose style....then I was twenty three and decided to give this American favorite another try.

All I can say is that I was impressed and depressed all at the same time. The amount of pain and heartache in the book is enough to make anyone shudder. Then take into account that the novel may as well be a portrait of Fitzgerald's European experience it makes it even worse. I have to say that I recommend it even though its a painful read.

Book Review: The Invention of Morel

I use wikipedia a lot. Whether searching for books or just exploring various topics such as Foucault's philosophy, its my tool for gaining a background understanding on a topic. Of course it helps that everything has to be read carefully and further investigated before trusting whatever source was used. Still its a nice place for references.

With all that said, I have to admit that when it comes to genres of fiction my favorite has to be magical realism. The most common authors in this genre have to be Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende (House of Spirits, as recently she seems to have sold out for airport pop fiction), and Salman Rushdie (Satanic Verses). A name that many may not have heard about is Adolfo Bioy Casares. His most famous work is a short novella titled The Invention of Morel.

The story deals with a condemned man who has escaped his imprisonment and while on the run from the law has learned of an island that is cursed with a pest. He chooses to go to the island anyway as if he doesn't die, then at least no one else will follow him there out of fear. Once he reaches the island he finds out that there is more at work than just a pest. He discovers that a scientist invented a machine that records people and projects their images. The machine works on tide and wind power and thus the recordings are played over and over. The man also discovers that once you have been recorded, you will die and your essence will have been transferred to the film. So what does he do when he learns of this and falls in love with one of the early victims? He adds himself to the mix.

An excellent novel if you can get your hands on it.

A Film Review: Life is a Miracle

This blog hasn't been responsible for much recently besides introducing the blog from last post. So I thought I'd try something new. I've been a fan of movies now for a long time and also I do a lot of reading. So at least once a week this blog is going to have a book or film review.

For those unfamiliar with European film (as the hollywood hegemony continues in its notoriety) I introduce Emir Kusturica and his masterpiece "Life is a Miracle." The story deals with the ethnic conflicts that ripped the former Yugoslavia apart. It is two things at once, a romance and a sort of comedic tragedy. I believe black comedy is the way they would put it in swedish. One interesting aspect is how he deals with the war itself, never showing any battles but just letting the audience view it through the eyes of the protagonist Luka. Kusturica is somewhat of a genius and I would have to recommend his other movies as well as this one. If you like "Life is a Miracle" then check out "Black Cat, White Cat" and "Underground."

The amount of politics that is on display is also quite interesting to follow in the film as well, but I am not going to give away too much.

A shout out...

I don't usually send links to other blogs very often but I read this one at least once a week so I thought I'd pass it on.

http://www.monbiot.com/

Hope anyone reading gets as much out of it as I do.

Can you hear it... The silence of disappearing Freedom

Its in the news. A certain sly someone is trying to listen to conversations. It leaves me feeling sick. Did anyone ever offer these people a copy of 1984 or do they just believe that what they are doing is really for the 'people's best'? It's for your own protection they say. Yes, every time they take away your freedoms, they are really storing them up for you in a freedom bank on the other side of the mountain where once this 'terrorism nuisance' has been dealt with, we'll all get back to our lives. Keep listening Sir, listen to the sound of time running out on your sad spell in the oval office.

You probably won't read this...

But I'll say it anyway. I love you more every day and my heart aches to be with you.

A hero of our time...or why the Soviets suck.

I present to you Raoul Wallenberg. A man responsible for saving thousands of jews during the Second World War in Nazi occupied Hungary. He set up a system that allowed jews to become Swedish citizens and then be moved to Sweden. To do this he set up buildings all around Budapest that were supposedly "embassy" territory and thus could not be searched. A true hero of our time. So what happened to the good man...
Well the Soviets came rumbling into town and you know they were allies with the good old boys as in the USA and the UK and what did they do? They arrested Mr. Wallenberg and held him in the Soviet Union until he died from a heart attack. Another reason the Soviet Union should be mocked.

An ode to Tricky Dick....

"You better watch out for those crazy enviros..., They're a bunch of commie pinko queers!"
-Richard Nixon, 1972

Well that pretty much sums the man up.

Big Brother

Its a perception that Sweden has more of a Big brother relationship with the government then the USA. I don't buy this. Why else do I have to file a tax report with the USA when I don't live there. Keep your bomb building fingers out of my wallet.

Pre-Election Blues #32

Skeptical is one word to describe my attitude. Change is the word that everyone seems to be talking about. I'm not buying it. The United States is locked in an election battle and it looks like its going to be more of the old trench warfare. In the last two elections the nation has been split down the middle. Its basically a fifty-fifty situation. That gives me the feeling that change isn't going to be very possible. One reason is comfort. The middle class is quite comfortable. As long as they aren't terminally ill, they enjoy a consumer lifestyle with few consequences. Sure they have to have a job to get healthcare and they end up paying a substantial amount for this. Most families have two cars and drive everywhere they go. Obesity is growing like a tumor and there doesn't seem to be any chemo therapy that can cure this phenomenon which is a combination of a stressful lifestyle (imagine rush hour), bad eating habits, as well as a general distaste for sweating (remember everywhere you go you have air conditioning). Comfort is the key word. This is where the voting comes in. Americans are going to vote in the way that keeps the comfort most attainable.

Another way to look at it is the fortress mentality that is growing in the United States suburbs. Everyone builds their castle and when its complete, they don't need to go out and see the world. With internet and cable tv widely available, the world comes to them. The war in Iraq is something that only exists at the touch of a remote, as all American wars have been in the last century (though some were closer to the radio). Gruesome pictures and reality are airbrushed so that it looks like a UN peacekeeping operation in Sweden. No one really knows why the war was started any more. From the beginning it was argued that something had to be done and that consequences would stem from doing nothing. War is the easiest thing for a country with a military the size of the United States's. Hell according to some its even good for the economy. Who's next? There is no denying that 9/11 was a horrible and despicable act. However U.S. military intervention around the world is an equally horrible and despicable act.

So when the candidates are on tv asking for votes they promise more comfort. More prosperity because that leads to happiness and satisfaction. Change is just another step towards comfort. No one really wants or is able to make big changes. Business is good so why move the ship in another heading? Until the ship is leaking it doesn't need to be renovated. Until its sinking there will be no rescue attempt.