December 24, 2008

A Gay and Joyous Xmas to all....



A Christmas present from the Pope to all the beautiful Gay people out there; clergy and lay-men/women alike- (No pun intended)
Pope Benedict now declares; "That homosexuality is as dangerous to humankind, as the ongoing destruction of the environment... They will ultimately destroy themselves!"
This outrageous statement has been transmitted and blown up in every news media in the world, at least the western part of it... 

But it has been a long, long while since any good catholic has payed any attention to the teachings of the Pope, when it comes to what to do and especially what not to do; when in bed and with whom! -Italy has one of the lowest birthrates in the world, and it cannot be due to Coitus Interuptus only, one or two must be on the pill, banned by the church. 
A more tragic effect of turning the deaf ear to what the old man preaches is the many kids with a destroyed childhood, because of Paters with a liking for the young and innocent...

So my dear Gay friends, please don't let this silliness, as this one comment calls it, get to you... There's nothing new  .... But this doesn't mean that I agree with, at all, what the old man says... He's anachronism... But that's a whole other story and a whole other post.


December 22, 2008

Tragically Hip & Cool - Last minute Christmas edition


                                                                                       

Just real quick... This is a most unusual German site for shopping the most unusual things, like picture frames fitted into corners, candles that looks like chandeliers, Wellies vases etc etc.. - Go and take a look for yourself.. Maybe you'll find a late present, worth waiting for?



December 18, 2008

December 2, 2008

Shared humanity - Chris Abani.

                                            





Maybe there is hope for us all still. Maybe the light at the end of the tunnel, is not the glare from the oncoming train. Maybe humanity when shared in this manner, does stands a chance. Maybe we can change....


A shout out and sincere thanks goes to Néné -again


December 1, 2008

"It's getting on Christmas...They're cutting down trees..."




December is quick descending on us and the hubbub of it all!  I'll try and make it to the finish line of food ODs and whole forests of gift-wrapping paper accumulating on my living room floor... This will be the month of kind deeds and pious hopes of peace in the world, everyone stressed out about "The Great Gift-exchange day".  The day, when we might get things, we don't really need, bought with money, we don't really have. And in the true spirit of Xmas; We'll cross our fingers, while we file for bankruptcy in January..... But all this will depend totally on the price-ticket, you won in the greatest lottery of world; Where were you born and to whom? 

Try and imagine, just for a moment; You're sitting on the Spaceship ISS veranda, nursing a well earned Sun-downer;
(After having let a 100.000$ toolbox go into eternal orbit, along with all the other crap, left behind by the many astronauts before you, human as well as canine or even our cousin: The grinning chimp.)
 - When you look down on this beautiful blue planet this is what you'll see
Where there's no water, there most likely will be fires aka Violent conflicts aka Wars

 You'll see that most of Africa is now in flames, that Gaza and Israel have been at war since 1948, India have some reddish spots up north in Kashmir linked to the ones further down south in Mumbai, where they've just had a 3day siege, Afghanistan and her alliances is at war with the Taliban, Russia is forcibly invading most of their former provinces, Thailand is on the brink of civil war and then some, the "At war" list is practically endless!
And the Western world is still reeling from the worst finance crisis since the Great Depression in '29....  - The passage through the north pole is now doable for the very first time in our history, and in the Netherlands, they are being foresighted enough to build houses, able to withstand elevated sea-levels of 5 meters - (Some deny that there even is a global warming or say it's a conspiracy by the Norwegians?)

It feels like we all are having a ball on the Titanic and that very likely, an iceberg scenario will unfold before our knowing eyes! It's an given fact, that CO2 gasses are on a rampage and large pools of plastic, (the size of France, in fact) in mid ocean along with the rest of our intelligent polluting relationships will melt our ice, not only in the Whiskey Sour, but in the oceans surrounding us, before we're even remotely ready for the consequences... We will all be  preoccupied with the mad dash for the check-out counter, hoping it will help us to feed; Well,not the hungry, homeless or the needy out there - way out there... No, we're hoping, that we'll be able to feed our own insatiable hunger for the next materialistic fix in order to soothe our dying souls... This is while we're growing out of all proportions.....

 It has all been said before, and I'll be the first to sign on the dotted line, when given an opportunity to mortgage my home 110% ! And gee, do I want a brand new Credit card? You betcha! One that I've designed myself, with photos of a pouting, spoiled brat - but it's my brat, giving me the illusion; that the 10.000$ credit with its 33% interest is a cozy, homely thing! Yep, I'll gladly be the first of the lemmings, if it'll get me out of a fix right now, right this minute... I won't look back or ahead, no one does, not the politicians nor anyone else and certainly not me...! Instant gratification on "Borrowed money and time" is the name of the game, and you can't call me a party pooper, I'm a player too!
 - Give me a mothership of a SUV to navigate this labyrinth, or a plasma TV for watching endless shows of crime busting lawyers and pretty FBI gals with the bad guy in the microscope, doctors with screwed up sex lives or pornorized and anorexic teenager girls in fast edited music videos to make me feel safe, healthy and ready to have children with a bachelor from the cast of "Rose Cavalier"  while under the influence of Prozac.... To hell with tomorrow! And if the end is near; I'll be forever young....! 

In Denmark, we have edited Baby Jesus out of Christmas... Apparently he no longer belongs there! This is not a celebration of a birth in humble surroundings, a couple of thousand years ago... 
This is now, truly the feast of gluttony, no longer a sin, but a virtue. 
This is now, not a celebration of a beginning but the sound of funeral drums for the end.
This is now, the end of us, the enlightened ones, of the "peaceful and compassionate" human race, intent on wiping us selves and each other out and making damn sure that every living thing will go down with us ! We'll do this with every means possible! Be it in domestic homicide, violent gangs, random acts of cruelty and murder, legal/illegal warfare, ethnic cleansing or clandestine terrorist attacks... or just plain old ignorance!

Now; Why so gloomy? ;   "It's getting on Christmas, they're cutting down trees...!" 



November 29, 2008

Conversations with History: Philip Gourevitch

This is an old conversation (2000) with Philip Gourevitch, the writer of a book about the genocide in Rwanda and who just published a book/article about Abu Ghraib in Iraq... A very interesting man.... Enjoy!

November 27, 2008

Shine a light!

 To enter this beautiful site and light a candle of your own - click here

November 24, 2008

Search and you'll find.....Faster than ever!

                                             
                                                                 keyboardr.com from Julius Eckert on Vimeo.

If you just about had enough, of complicated search-engines with a thousand different gadgets, themes and adverts plastered all over the place. 
And if you only need a; Super, mega fast search within Google, Wikipedia and Youtube all at once? 

       Then let me introduce; "Keyboadr.Com" A nice cool, sleek and simple white page with only time clicking away and some space for your search... It'll find what you're looking for while you're typing and this much faster than anything you'd ever seen before... And let's you use real easy keyboard shortcuts!

November 23, 2008

Europeana

                                                     


This is just a teaser, while we wait for the site Europeana.eu to come back on... Strange, that they haven't learned it by now and that 10 million hits on the first days, might be expected.....

"Life" is how you see it.....!

                                             
Google has made a pact, not with the devil, but with Life magazine and their millions of photos  buried in their archives! It's a vault of rare treasures; Life - Historic photos from the 1750s to today.. Some have never been published before....  

                                                              

Hurray for Google - again, but mostly; Hurray for the thousands of great photographers!
                                                                                

                                                                  


Er det et løfte eller en trussel? - Post in Danish/Dansk







Elsker det danske
sprog og det's muligheder for manipulation; Se nedenstående overskrift og fortæl mig, hvad du synes;
( "At true; vise el. sige til nogen at man vil skade el. straffe dem , hvis de ikke retter sig efter ens ønske" Nu dansk ordbog)

Er det  en lov, som vi har brug for? Det startede, da man fandt ud af, at den mistænkte Tuneser bor i Århus i nærheden af Kurt Westergård, som han formodes, at ville dræbe! At Tuneseren iflg den danske retsplejelov er uskyldig, indtil det modsatte er bevist ved en domstol, vælger alle at se bort fra, her i kampens hede. Man vælger også at overse, at den tredje anholdte, en dansker, også bor i Århus. (Han blev løsladt samme aften) 
Hvorfor skal han ikke til Sandholm ?
 Regeringen er jo ikke tabt bag en vogn (!?) og er hurtigt ude med en populistisk lov, som skal mases igennem i huj og hast... og det kan kun gå for langsomt! 
   Dette er lige indtil evt Jyllands Posten regner ud, hvor meget det koster at ha' de "Tålte" (Husk at der bliver flere og flere af dem, med stramning af lovene) - på kost og logi resten af deres levetid. Så finder de nok på en anden lov; De skal melde sig hver dag på Saltholm, selv finde derud og de må iøvrigt ikke; arbejde, gifte sig eller ha' noget der bare minder om et liv.....

Og så ikke et ord om, at denne lov, i al sin magt og vælde, er forhastet og imod menneske-rettighederne.... At den danske regering med samt deres støtteparti er fløjtende ligeglade med internationale domstole, FN, regeringens egne rækker og hvad der ellers er i opposition til øjeblikkets mening og ståsted.  - Tænk, hvis jeg som menigmand, kunne gøre det samme?
Jeg vælger også at afstå fra, at begynde et længere indlæg for dialog, istedet for dén politik, som også Bush & Høgene i USA har ført, med ulykkelige følger.

 Sidst men absolut ikke mindst, er der regeringens vilde ridt over ødelandet: "Nu ska' der saftsusme strammes op" og dette gælder også fængsels straffe; 
 Vi haft fængsel, som straf for handlinger begået mod de vedtagene normer og regler, siden ruder konge var knægt og vi kan med sikkerhed sige, at det virker ikke!!
  Er det ikke på tide, at vi "finder på " en ny måde at afstraffe på? Jeg skal ikke gøre mig klog på, hvad det kunne være, men en international samling af antropologer, sociologer, kriminologer, jurister, politifolk  og hvem som ellers har en forstand på dén slags, burde blive betalt for, at gå i tænkeboks sammen og udtænke nye veje. Himlen skal vide, at der bliver brugt så mange penge på fængselsvæsnet i forvejen. USA's vicepræsident Dick Cheney er medejer af flere privatejet fængsler i USA (hvor privatisering af fængsler begyndte for årtier siden) Så når Hr. Cheney er partner i foretagendet, så véd vi at der penge i skidtet! Og det er vel ingen hemmelighed længere; Det er cool cash det handler om!

November 22, 2008

The Beatles - I'm only sleeping

While we're at it, down on Memory Lane;
This one has nothing to do with the White Album... It's from "Revolver", my first LongPlaying mono record, given to me by my mother....I  just added it as a treat - Cause it's so nice even with a bit annoying but very innovative (back then, that is!) backwards guitars!

When I wake up early in the morning, 
Lift my head, I'm still yawning 
When I'm in the middle of a dream 
Stay in bed, float up stream 

Please don't wake me, no 
don't shake me 
Leave me where I am 
I'm only sleeping 

Everybody seems to think I'm lazy 
I don't mind, I think they're crazy 
Running everywhere at such a speed 
Till they find, there's no need 

Please don't spoil my day 
I'm miles away 
And after all 
I'm only sleeping 

Keeping an eye on the world going by my window 
Taking my time 

Lying there and staring at the ceiling 
Waiting for a sleepy feeling 

Please don't spoil my day 
I'm miles away 
And after all 
I'm only sleeping 

Keeping an eye on the world going by my window 
Taking my time 

When I wake up early in the morning, 
Lift my head, I'm still yawning 
When I'm in the middle of a dream 
Stay in bed, float up stream 

Please don't wake me, no 
don't shake me 
Leave me where I am 
I'm only sleeping

Somehow, this is exactly how, almost everyone in my family, feels about the sacred act of sleeping!

It's 40 years ago today.... Sgt. Pepper told the band to play;

-"While my guitar gently weeps" - The Beatles ; "The White Album"
Released in the UK on Nov 22. '68 and Nov 25. in America.

One of the best albums ever... If not the best double album ever released!

This song and George Harrison's  guitar sound especially, always remind me of; A scratchy jukebox, in a dusty youth club, in a small village in Spain.... I made friends with this young boy (about 14 - and me, being about 12)   And after having played Eight-ball Pool on a old lopsided, moth eaten table for an entire evening;  He very gentleman-like insisted on walking me home, every night!  - Being very cavalierly about the fact, that me and my family stayed at the monastery..... a 45 min. walk up a small mountain...- It was properly more than the guitars, that gently wept.... when the poor lad finally made it back home...


Web-Life is sweeter than ever!

Monty Python's new channel on Youtube has been on the Radio and TV News, at least here in Denmark, for the last few days.. Apparently this is "Breaking"!?! But not only the crazy Brits are into quality videos of their work! So is my beloved cartoon "SouthPark"! This is the site where you can download entire episodes for free and in great quality;......


Nov.18.2009
Well, while revisiting old posts, I see that the clip of Sara Palin visiting South Park had gone haywire.... So I must apologize for lackin' of content and not keeping my promises.... But I guess you'll have to research this one yourself - Hey, and let me know if you do find something interesting out there!

November 21, 2008

Oh, Barack, I do, I do, I do.... -And darn'it -yes I can!



Hillary has (maybe) just accepted Barack's offer to be the Secretary of State in the Obama administration...
Wonder how she can afford it, seeing that her campaign left her reeling, with a heavy personal debt, which she has vowed to repay pronto... And when she accepts this job, hubby Bill, won't be able to help her, by bringing home; not only the bacon, but the whole pig sty, in his usual; "Jive for mucho Moolah "style of sightseeing the world, in its entirety !
 - His speeches normally rakes in a couple of millions $ for an hour or two of Charm School politics and insider tips: On how to be one of the most popular president - in retrospect.


 No, Sorry - kidding aside.. It probably took this long, before the president elect went public with the nomination because; Firstly he had to lay down the law of who's in charge! -After all it is Hillary Clinton... she's no Babe in the woods.. And then he had to hire a army of lawyers to go through Bill Clintons foreign affairs (No pun intended) to be totally sure that, there's no conflict of interests, nothing that will come back to haunt the Adm. later on and reflect badly on the President...

                                                                                           

But of course she'll accept!  The honour - power- is to great... And after all, it would be a bit of a anti-climax to return to her work in the US Senate, quite far from the limelights and the hubbub of the wild and lively campaign trails,  - Returning as the looser with her tail between her legs would be quite sad.
 Yes, this is a tip of the hat to the many Democrats who voted for Mrs Clinton + the goodwill the Americans thinks she can pull in the world.
But also a bow to a strongly ambitious and  political animal of a woman! (But is she any good at taking orders?)

Oh, and lest we forget; Hillary Clinton has fought back sniper fire in empty airports and being the presidential spouse on some 80 trips abroad, does groom you for the job of Secretary of State..


Smart move; Barack Obama! - This said with no sarcasm or irony on my part! - But it also shows , some balls... Cause he'll have to keep Hillary in check and Bill will have to be "managed" as well... And after all the bitter remarks (She said he was naive and he questioned her foreign policies judgments!) during the pre-election, there may have to be an issue or two, they'll have to discuss through.

¡OBS!
PS. Just read this from Washington Post, apparently it's not that easy for Hillary Rodham Clinton to assume the responsibilities as Secretary of the State - But if I have understood Obama right; "not" isn't part of the phrase; "Yes, we can !!"

                                       

"Where's all the white women at?" - Blazing Saddles




You can now find the video right Here.........!

Dave Chappelle, "the White Supremacist", is one of those Chappelle’s Show sketches that truly warrants being called a “classic.” If you’ve seen it before, enjoy this fun trip down memory lane courtesy of Comedy Central. And if you’ve never seen it before? Well, you need to re-evaluate some of the decisions you’ve been making in your life.

If you follow the link to Comedy Central, you'll see the best of "Black Presidents" sketches... Funny, how times changes..... and how fast they do it! But still.... The amount of violent "race crimes" ( and these are whites against black) and murder threats that have been issued since 4.Nov.... is truly staggering!


November 17, 2008

Lights will guide you home... And love will live forever


                                                           Hilmer Hassig  1960 -2008
 

I have this notion of a "Divine All Stars" band in the sky.... 
 Where all the great, late musicians of the world, sit in and have a big ol' time together...
      This heavenly band has just been joined, with one of Denmark's best, certainly the most innovative, guitar player and producer; Hilmer Hassig.... 

The loss is ours, who's left behind.

But the biggest loss will be for his two daughters, who now has to grow up without a loving and dedicated dad.

My dear friend Néné has written a most eloquent and very personal obituary.

"A hope beyond the shadow of a dream" - J. Keats




Found this on my friend's great "Wordpress" page.... And she really says it so well, that I have little to add. But she harbours hope for fate of the peoples of Palestine will change with the 44.Th President of America.... I must say, I'm a bit rattled with the announcement of Chief of Staff in the WH...

 So regarding Obama's relationship to Israel and her unjust treatment of Gaza and the Palestinian situation:
 
If the announcement of  Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is any indication of things to come, then consider this; Rahm Emanuel is pro-Israel, very much so! Son of a prominent Zionist Benjamin M. Emanuel, former member of Irgun; Terrorists or freedom fighters - depends from which side you see their militant actions. Or just read Seniors reaction to his son's appointment. 


And for the latest sad development on the ongoing saga of the Palestinian plight:
 UN has these past days called out for help, because of the fast dwindling supply of food, medicine, fuel or other daily necessities. 
Just to harvest their olives and their lands pose a formidable problem... This is no way to treat a whole nation....And I've a hard time, trying to understand, how this can continue day after day against the old, the young and the innocent people of Palestine.

November 15, 2008

Let's read a Book; Altogether Now!



Doris Lessing has, with help from Bob Stein, launched an exciting new web 2.0 project; "The Golden Notebook"  - Part "Read a Classic" online and part book club - with 7 very capable women commenting on the pages you read.
There's plenty of space, though- At the Forums, for comments and lively discussion for reg. readers!

Read about the project here;


Bonus info; It's one of Barack Obama's favorite books!

Who? Substitutes? What?





Wanted to write a post about substitutes and what it involves.... for me, that is! And this is, after having my fill of wannabes, nearly's and almost's, but not quite's...
Replacements have been tried, this past week; in music, food, politics, ice cream, relationships, work, etc etc.... 

....... And the  affect on me? - A state of unremitting blueness... It's not a happy-happy experience to try and replace something or someone with a substitute that looks like, sounds like and in some instances even tasted like the real deal; The aftertaste has  been bittersweet every single time...!  

November 13, 2008

The Broken Maverick


The Broken Maverick, originally uploaded by Lost America.

The Broken Maverick

The original Maverick, old, forgotten and broken – lost in the Pearsonville Junkyard.

Visit the set page for more information.

Night, full moon, 2 minute exposure, natural flashlight, lime gelled strobe flash.

Larger than life. ......

Uploaded by Lost America on 5 Nov 08, 9.12AM PST.


This description of an abandoned car, sorta' reminded me of John McCain and his Maverick battle-cry... Even the date, "Lost America" chose to upload this photo on Flickr'......!

November 8, 2008

The first amendment (Freedom of Religion, Press and Expression) in all its glory!








Being a Dane, it's a
bit difficult for me to understand the burning passions of partisanship in America. I read a short Blog Post on Politico written by Ben Smith, I might showcase my ignorance, by stating that I don't really know, who he is. But his post about Obama's alleged phone call to Nancy Reagan, to apologize for a offhand remark, at his first Press conference as Pres. elect, has generated more than 3.000 (!!!!) comments and some of them are so vile, mean and ignorant, that I'm very surprised, that they haven't been deleted by the editors on the Politico site. The commentators are calling Obama everything from plain stupid to a Marxist (?)
- Maybe it's the two party system in the US, that creates these feelings of "Us and them", I don't know... But the ferociousness, some of the comments are displaying and their hateful nature is truly scaring, as the mounting assassination paranoia is spreading like wildfire. The amount of Die hard Republicans who're already campaigning for an impeachment of Barack Obama is staggering.... And he's not even President yet, but still in the "Lame Duck" period - This is gonna get ugly!



Here's the press conference - Just in case... Incl where Obama calls himself a "Mutt" - Seems like the new president is rather loose about the issues of race...! Which earns points from someone like me... Being kinda a mutt myself!

November 6, 2008

Heard it through the grapevine;


If you think that by electing Obama, America is now in its "a post- racial society" beginnings; Do not be fooled ! This is what I found on the forums of McCainspace.com; "Barack Obama is the secret son of Malcom X " !!!???
Even now, after they lost the elections, they are still spreading lies, smears and untruths..

Last night, while waiting for the result. A CNN reporter asked a little old lady, waiting in line to vote, why she'd vote for McCain and this is what she said not being able to call Obama by name; " That man is bad, he's been planted here, as to destroy us all. And he's a muslim too"
Clearly the McCain robo-calls and the smear campaigns has worked!

All the dirty stuff is masterminded by a former Karl Rove pupil, the very same, who smeared John McCain himself in 2000, by spreading the rumors about his adopted black daughter being, infact his own. That McCain actually hired the same guy, who he'd wanted to send of to hell 8 years ago... still amazes me.

A sweet day after a hard night!




This is the eve of the day after.... History was written before our wide open eyes.. . As I'm 50 years old, I can say I've been "witness" to several historic events; The assassination of JFK, Watergate, Glasnost, the fall of the Berlin wall, 9/11 and now this; The election of the first Afro American into the oval office. This will have such an impact on American society, on the psyche of the black youth and I think this will ultimately bring a profound change to how we perceive each other, not as black, brown or white, but as human beings.

The black community now have a true role model , when climbing the social ladder and education could cease to be a "Whites Only" aspiration "Do your home work, Leroy! And you can become the President of the United States" ! (In some urban areas, there's a 70% high school dropout in the black areas!) But the racial climate is obviously changing and fast! Maybe the creators of "24" would like to receive a handwritten note from Barrack, as thanks for doing the unthinkable; Casting a black actor as US President Palmer in the popular TV-series. Also a thought to the creators of "The Westwing" would maybe in order. This was yet another TV series, which at the time had, what seemed an outlandish casting choice of a Latino as the leader of the free world. - Remember; It's was only in '81, that MTV first aired and they didn't have any black artist on-screen before 1983!!!- This is truly mind boggling!!

PS. The world saw the first black - and youngest Formula 1, World Champion in Lewis Hamilton today! - But the medias need to to mention color, only shows ,that we still have a long way to go!

It all seems a bit empty and hushed today. My glasses are no longer fogged up, (I even saw Colin Powel choke up, let alone Jesse Jackson who was actually bawling his eyes out!) - and I can safely put William Safire's Political Dictionary back on the shelve. To gather dust until the next time, I don't get what they're going on about, when I have a hard time, deciphering the political terminology especially the American variety!


Obama has been called passionless, boring and like an open book. But when I see him looking, touching, holding and kissing his wife. I see a couple who is still in love after 16 years of marriage and everything but, passionless. They look sexy together. When you see other presidential couples ( Think of the body language of John and Cindy McCain - I've never seen him touch her?!) giving each other chaste pecks on the chin and at the most, holding hands. Last night his presentation of Americas first lady, came straight from the heart. We felt it all the way through the television screens. It's so refreshing to finally see a mature, equal and adult relationship who seems like they still enjoy each others company - in bed too.....!
This is something I've been wanting to say , because nobody has mentioned it.
I can't wait to see what Michelle Obama will do, when in the White House. A woman with such a tremendous intelligence and knowledge will be exiting to watch.

We have about 75 days to get used to the fantastic idea of a black family (and their new puppy) in the white house. In February his color will no longer be an issue, then he'll just have to prove his worth as a president, who has some monumental challenges in the inbox; First and foremost the economy but there's also quite a few security issues i.a. Iran, Russia, North Korea, China.... Oh! And then there's a couple of wars initiated by his predecessor and the list goes on. While he's busy assembling his administration, the next few weeks will be a loud and persistent buzz from the flying rumors of the power game now shifting into gear; Who's gonna take what office? This so called "Lame Duck" period will be intense because of the gravity of the financial situation. I bet this will keep us glued to each of our favorite media, just like these last months of intense campaigning has.
After January 20. all eyes will be on Barack Obama, his staff and thee first 100 days of change. Uh, I can hardly wait....

November 5, 2008

"Ch, ch, changes......." Or " Sweet Home, Chicago!"



While gently sipping my coffee & brandy
and truly enjoying the ice cream, I witnessed history in the making;
Barack Hussein Obama, the first, very first Afro-American president of the United States;
His hair has turned grey during this campaign and his figure a bit gaunt but he fully embodies the American Dream in its truest form. And has achieved a victory over bigotry and double standards of which America has formerly been so known!

He did it!! He bloody well did it! And the numbers are so very clear; Over the double electoral votes than McCain, it leaves no room for doubt, what so ever! Even took Virginia ! A Republican state sine L.B. Johnson in 1964....!!
What a remarkable achievement!! Though I'm no huge-crowd lover, I would have liked to be in Chicago tonight.... Or anywheres in the US really....!

The images of the European reporters sounding a bit condescending or holier than thou, while standing in front of The White House, they'd speak about the racial under and over tones in these electoral races, and naming Selma, Alabama and southern segregation not even 50 years ago... Still lingers on. But the fact is; Europe is no further, than USA was yesterday! When you see the "class photos" of the heads of states, in this part of the world, you see nothing but elderly, white men and a single middle aged white woman! And the mere idea of someone from an minority group, holding the top office, is an impossibility even in this day and age. Again America came first in a feat as unthinkable as Mans first steps on the moon.

Now I'm hearing the " I won " speech in front of the 70.000 ticket-holders in Grant Park, Chicago - The windy city, with a couple of hundred of thousands more, outside the heavily guarded park site. We wore told that he'll speak behind a double panel of bullet-proof glass, now starts the paranoia of an early demise, "Strange American Fruit" style. -I didn't see no panel of glass ?!
It was a somber speech, no crowd shouting/ rally chanting about it. It was a "Steady now" speech; There's huge obstacles and challenges up ahead! - A man ready to be the 44. president of America, contrary to what so many has said all these last months.
John McCain was most gracious in his "I lost" speech, but Little Miss Pipe Dream, looked like a sore looser, hardly containing the tears... Must be the exhaustion and battle fatigue!

This must be a bittersweet night for President Obama (Gee, Just being able to write that!!) who lost his grandmother Toot, where he grew up, only two days ago. - She didn't get to see him, in his proudest moment....
But at least the uncles, aunts and cousins get to feast on a cow back in the village in Kenya.
And we? Well, we will now go to bed, knowing that the world is not set in its ways and is forever changing. Change can sometimes be frightening and hope can sometimes be elusive to hold. But I do think, that Barack Obama will be able to change some of the mistakes done by the former administration. And I'm sure that the convicts in Guantanamo and the troops in Iraq will now have hope, that their plight and suffering will soon be over!

November 4, 2008

A night to remember..... Maybe...?!




So this is it! The biggest show on earth is about to go down....On this side of the pond, due to the time difference, it'll be tonight.... So I'll have amble time, to find the comfy spot with the brand new Netbook on my lap, the remote within reach and on the table next to me, there's be good Lao coffee, excellent Spanish brandy and great American Ice cream. The world is getting smaller... As I probably will be zapping between BBC, CNN and Danish TV all night on my Japanese Flat screen.... Not rocket-science why US elections is so important to all of us. But it also makes you wonder, about all these Americans now queuing up to vote, who knows so very little of the outside world. ...... And the power and impact they have, on that world ..... Scary, really...!!


Outside the choice of beverage, staying up for the US elections, is a lifelong tradition, which started, when I went to boarding school, where, at the tender age of twelve, we were given the opportunity to stay up late and watch election night. We started out as a group of 15 kids, eating popcorn and having a great time. All being absolutely ecstatic of being allowed up that late... But as the hours wore on and the boredom sat in (Remember; this were the days of black and white television and serious talking heads with ties) the kids slipped off or fell asleep one by one... It ended up as a pretty lonely affair and Rep. Richard Nixon's re-election and win over Dem. George McGovern was a bit of a letdown anyways! Watergate was in it's very beginning and not yet the full blown scandal that later led to the Nixons impeachment. (There's already die hard Republicans working to impeach Obama - if you can believe it!) As an adult it's a much more festive thing, alongside the live broadcasts has been spiffed up considerably since the early 70's...Thankfully!

I hope and by now pretty much expect Obama to win! But as a Palestinian with a valid Greencard muttered; " I think, I'll vote for Obama, not that it'll make a difference to the Palestinian issue. But if you're really anti American and really wants to take down US, You'd vote for McCain... " - Hmmm.. ..

November 2, 2008

All souls day; Nov.2.


I once read a book by Malcom Lowry called "Under the volcano". It made quite a impact and when I later saw the John Houston film with a stellar performance by Albert Finney as the drunken alcoholic consul in Mexico; it made me weep in public places. The whole book takes place in one and as it turns out; the final day of the consuls life Nov. 2.; "The day of the Dead" or "All souls day" as it's called in Europe.

If you'd ever spend this day in a catholic country, you'll see hordes of people, making their way to the local cemetery, laden with flowers and candles in red glasses.... In Mexico it's a full blown party going on for 3 days... And colorful sugary skeletons fills the stalls and people gather at the grave sites of their dearly departed and celebrate life. Here they leave toys for the dead children and Tequila for the adults.... Candles and candy for everyone!

Today, I thought of and toasted to all my absent friends and loved ones. - And filled the house with lit candles and flowers......

I also lit a candle for Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, a 13 (!!) young rape victim, who was stoned to death in front of a thousand spectators, when she tried to report the three men who raped her. She'd been accused of adultery by The Islamic Courts and Al- Shabab armed militia, which control southern Somalia. The militia opened fire and killed a young boy, when relatives tried to help her during the stoning.. And shine a light for all the girls and women, who's being trafficked, sold,bought, raped, killed in the name of honour, violated, beaten and discriminated against still in this day and age......

November 1, 2008

Exodus on the roads of Goma, DR Congo.


My life is no bed of roses... these days...!  Sat with good friends and whined about it, for a couple of hours, this afternoon. Bought some of the favorite ice cream on the way home, made some food and turned on the news...

 - But shame on me; The report from DR Congo, made my heart and soul weep. Thousands of children, women and old men, squashed against the gates of the UN Aid center...  Mothers subjecting their children to the guards, who're beat the people back with sticks until finally the crowd surge thru, using their force of desperation as ramrod. Inside the gates, there will only be High energy-biscuits to be eaten and only for the children. But for some, this will their first "food" since tuesday! Aid-workers estimate; that a least 100.000 people has been displaced during the last week!! - About a million has been displaced since the war broke out! Millions raped and killed. The numbers are staggering and the waves of humanity on the roads are heartbreaking.

What is the world leaders waiting for?  How can we let this happen, in this year of the lord 2008? DR Congo is mineral wise, an extremely wealthy country, but alas no oil.... Is that it? Has the lesson from the Rwanda genocide, not sunk in? And this in fact, seems to be an overspill, from that exact same "incident" - 

The Global-community had a lot of self searching about the catastrophic delays of intervention in the Serbian/Bosnia and the Hutu/ Tutsi ethnic cleansing. Well, now is the possibility of going in before the disaster goes of the rails. There's already some 17.000 UN peacekeepers in the Congo. But they have so far, failed in protecting civilians  

October 30, 2008

The devil at the crossroads...

The Congo is bleeding to death... And the world is slowly but finally taking notice of the atrocities, which has been going on for decades...! A country; Where the only safe act for civilians; would be fleeing to the forrest/bush - In the Congo civilization has come full circle; we came down from the trees and now we're going back there... Leaving all the signs of prosperity and evolution behind, i.e. huts, food, pots and pans and all personal belongings, because that will only attract soldiers -Government forces and rebels alike. Soldiers on a rampage, burning, raping, torturing, stealing and murdering everything in their way!! Sexual assault being a key weapon in this monstrous war!


Human Right Watch has reports of soldiers raping girls only 3 years old! HRW actually asked for the arrest of Laurent Nkunda for war crimes and crimes against humanity in 2006! But we are now nearing the end of 2008 and the international community has still not done anything! The 17.000 UN peacekeepers are stretched to a breaking point ... As peacekeepers, they don't stand a chance against the rebel forces.
Some misc. numbers; Some 3.4 million deaths! Approx. 1 million people displaced. Tens of thousands raped. An unknown number of child soldiers.........

If you, like me, don't know the first thing about the Congo situation; Then Tim Butcher's book "Blood River" is a good place to start... And Barbara Kingsolver " The Poisonwood Bible"
There's a million reports and pieces written on DR Congo, some are good, some are outstanding and most are most informative - They're all pretty easy to find on the internet.

(If you can read Danish, you can Tag; DR Congo on my site, and you'll find a post, with a lot more info on the subject- written in spring)

The next President at the Daily show

And this is "The Daily Show" interview with the contender for Heavy Weight Champion of the world of politics; The US presidency..


October 29, 2008

Tragically unHip but Cool!




Now, I'm a victim too, of the Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs of the world... Or more acurate; I'm a victim of the mighty Viking hubris... ; The flight I bought for Amsterdam in Dec., is now only valid for a round trip to NothingButaSaga-land and it's not refundable, thank you!  

In the late 1990's, young Icelandic men, descended in hordes, like their forefathers before them. But this time, the vikings had come as businessmen and they vigorously bought everything they could lay their hands on...
The era of the Geyser economy was in full boost-  In Denmark they bought the oldest and most prestigious department store; Magasin du Nord. And then they noticed the old man Mr. Maersk's ailing airline; They changed the name to Sterling, even though the service was far from it, but it did have the advantage of super low airfares... the only low budget airline in DK. -  So naturally I booked my christmas trip there, when I had decided to see my oldest and dearest child in Amsterdam. Last night, Sterling Airways was the second Icelandic company to go belly up.... ! - And Iceland as a nation, is only a negative answer away, from going bankrupt too...!

When I heard of this, I called my favorite Expat. and while she was mumbling soothing sounds into my ear, I could hear her tapping the keyboard in the background. 

And this is what she found to replace me:
    I'll proudly introduce the next best thing to a visit from home; 
You know the kind; A familiar face, who arrives just around the hollidays, loaded with all the necessities for, say; a real christmas,  all the various goodies, you just can't do without, if you live abroad and wants to recreate the perfect christmas of your childhood... Not that such a thing exist, any where else than in your stressed-out mind, but still... If you, as a Dane, can't bear to see a tree without small redandwhite drums or flags, if you need the cherrysauce or the special fat rice for the christmas pudding, ... or if your kid misses  his favorite Danish magazine/book/DVD/CD/Game...? If you want to give someone, a special Danish Design gift ? then - Ta-da; "Homesick"  
  "Hjemve" is the very site for you... They ship worldwide!


Psst; If you know a Dane, who's far from home, you can give them a gift-card to the site, and earn their eternal gratitude.... Me thinks.
                                                                      

October 23, 2008

The windmills of his mind..






I'd tuned to CNN.. And again I saw John McCain bashing his opponent, re- repeating his punchlines... He does that a lot... It's like, why give up a good line, just because you've used a hundred times before? This time it was the one that goes like this; " If Obama wanted to run against George Bush, he should have run for office, 4 years ago!" and then it was the line about earmarks, going on about telescopes... and the one about socialism, spreading the wealth.... And on it goes...;

He makes me think of Don Quixote; The old warrior stuck in a moment in his past, fighting  a lost cause; The windmills! Unfortunately they are only in his head.. You can even say, that the old Knight, was a kind of "Maverick" in his time... But a true one, as opposed to McCains illusory "Lone rider" And that McCain's dark fiery eyes is betraying his anger,  ambition, power greed, and something as human as
"living up to the old man"... (McCain the father; The admiral, went through the same thing with his dad; John McCain's grandfather; who was a admiral too!) When asked; What do you think of Colin Powells endorsement of Obama? His repeated auto answer is listing the 4 secretaries of State and more than 200 generals and admirals on his side... Kinda like the kid telling you; My dad is bigger than yours...
  

Then I read an article in Rolling Stone issue 1063, written by Tim Dickinson, a member of the Republican Party and who voted for McCain in 2000 in the California Primary.
And that background article, rattled me... McCain; A man I thought of as; An old warhorse fighting a lost NeoCon cause, going a bit deaf, from too much drumming.....  But, as it turns out, it's his own drum, he's been banging all along while doing the navy-ditty "For the love of the country"!  

The reasons why his own party mates is turning their backs on him, and especially the Republicans in the US Military, who are not as easily fooled by his pilot bravado, as the rest of the nation. All this becomes much more understandable and crystal clear to me, after having read this well researched piece. It's filled with a vast amount of interviews with firsthand sources. This reckless and raging old man is such a fraud... .  

 A man of such mediocrity (He graduated 894 out of 899!!) his only means to rise to power is by nepotism, sucking up and manipulating the media with half truths and whole lies...  Some of the far out  and dishonest statements in the article, is quotes from his autobiography, as tainted as it is, by his selective memory and fact tweaks! 

 McCains erratic, hotheaded and impulsive character, has these very traits in common with my ancient warrior... and then I didn't mention McCains long career in womanizing and that Quixote loved his damsels as well.... But the old Don is basically harmless and John McCain is anything but! If that man comes into power, real power; we'd better run for the hills and start stocking up on food and what else we might need, in order to survive another great war!

 I wouldn't want either
 John McCain the Maverick with a rusty honor
 or
Don Quixote the Knight in rusty armor
as
 the most powerful warrior in the world -


                                     
                                   

-This is Don Quixote endorsed by Sancho Panza just like John McCain has been endorsed by Al Qaeda on their website.. (",)
 And McClellan (ex White House Press secretary) has now endorsed Obama - Yet another Republican has crossed over from the "Dark Side" - (",)


But what never ceases to amaze me; Is the fact, that The Leading Nation of the Free World,  apparently hasn't invented a voting process and tools, which works in a infallible manner and without hiccups! The whole process is outrageously time consuming and troublesome......
And then I'm not saying a word about the whole voting system of electoral votes and so on!




October 21, 2008

Smooth operator with a human touch


Ahr, well... The colors of fall is blowing in at full blast and the wind is getting noticeably chillier... Just like the atmosphere at the US elections.
And at full blast is, the all attention consuming US election... The campaigns are firering off the heaviest ammo they can muster and the dirtiest truths, half-truths and right out lies, they can possibly dig up. And all this without coming across like an angry, impulsive wildcard as opposed to a determined, informed pro...Cold or presidential? And so on, and on and on....! "An ugly campaign, is getting harder to do, on account of the internet"- says Huffingtonpost

 Now that Barack Obama is going to Hawaii to visit his sick Granny Toot. Michelle Obama, his very capable wife and selfprofessed "Obama Mama" is going to do the talking for a couple of days...(Can you imagine Cindy McCain do that?) The media speculated on the effect on the swing- voters of this trip, and should his Campaign managers now be nervous?
 For me, this would only take away the last hesitation, if any! This proves that; Obama is, what he say he is; A man concerned  about the soft as well as the hard issues. And thus; All cries of Obama being way too slick, cold and smooth for his own or the nations good... must now be silenced...!

But humans with their emotional likes and dislikes are indeed a fickle affair... 
What it all boils down to is that all of this, is all of it in the eye of the beholder! 
There's no telling what they might do, when the day comes. When Non-Joe the Non-Plumber, stands all by his lonesome in the booth with only his maker as his witness, where he'll put his cross or whatever fantastic system the Americans have dreamed up!  - The first reports of voting machines with a mind of their own, is already coming in - This is promising!

On CNN; I saw a map of the world, decked out like a political map of US. 
In the case of the world having a vote in this election, the map was almost entirely Democratically blue - Georgia and Russia would go to John McCain, though! -( How can your have a running mate; Sarah Palin, who will not give interviews?)

But this brings me back to my old utopian idea of a system for global "voting". A vote that didn't count as a US citizenship vote would or should, but should count never the less, they have super-delegates and electorals in the American elections already. This could be like; An amount of people, picked at random. The number is according to size of the country. Every country in the world is involved. And everyone should have a say/vote.  From Albania to Japan.

America and whoever is running the show is a huge influence on all of our lives - Just throw a sideway glance at the finance rumble!- whether we like or not, and we should therefore have a say in their elections. This would only be fair.... But it will never be.... but still...! 

If you want to play with political maps go to RealClear Politics site, also a great place for any questions, you might have about American Politics... which is a bit mysterious for Europeans as my self. - Oh, and they have authors from both sides - Elephants and Donkeys alike!

The gap is flexible, and it's apparently a uphill battle for McCain, who is loosing Colorado...or rather searching for a trick to win the election without winning Colorado, New Mexico and Iowa.... Good luck on that one! And McCain is currently harping on Obamas inexperience on national security and therefore being a danger to the nation. But I think that Rep. Colin Powells endorsement of Obama, pretty much neutralizes that statement!!  - And Obama is leading with 9 points...
And right now McCain is grabbing on to anything, that comes his way or not, to hook on voters; Like; Obama hanging out with baseball players of different clubs and claiming to be fan of them all, depending of which state he's in, that Obama is a socialist, you name it.. nothing is too small, too petty as not to be thrown in. 
Does being a Vietnam POW, makes you an expert on the matter of all concerning national securities and foreign policies? Or maybe just a expert on being a POW? This is said with the outmost respect to what the man must have endured! 

A Danish taxidriver told me, that he was certain, that Obama will be assasinated, if he makes it to office....; "The Americans will never allow a black man as President" Man, that's a disturbing thought!

 Heard  a Danish reporter (Martin Krasnik ) (danish link) 
say ( yep, yet another danish link -sorry!!); "One of the real problems, is the divided nation. Well, that's not exactly news. Both candidates have shout outs for a united America. But I hadn't thought of the consequences; (but maybe that's just me) And this is, that everyone keeps to their own side of political observation; Only reading/hearing/seeing what their peers has to say, do... etc. And that's how; outrageous, die hard rumors E.g. "Obama is a Muslim" can live a long and undisputed life. 
Each side have their "own" radio/TV personalities, who can pour gasoline on the mythic bonfires to their hearts content... No " Presse etisk råd" (Council of media- ethics) to keep journalists in check here, or keeping the blunt and uninhibited media personalities on the straight and narrow -( Think O'Reilly on Fox) Being objective is not the name of the game ...!! Try and watch something like CNN's "The situation room" Everyone in that studio is biased and openly so...! I have talked to conservative Americans, and they prefer Fox news and thinks of CNN as too biased !! Just to show you, that we tend think that our opponents are the only one who's partial to the facts  
But anyways... I know what Martin Krasnik means, though... As I sometimes have a hard time listening to people of other political observation, than my own... I do tend to either turn them off or turn the page. Because it does have an effect on my blood pressure, when I try to exercise some restraint and sit through an interview with the likes of the danish right-wing politician and extreme patriot; Pia Kjærsgård...( Link in danish) But if I don't pay attention to the people, who is of a different opinion, than my own, then how can I even pretend to be informed...?
 When it comes to; Websites, documentaries, books and news-paper articles etc.etc ; I find, that the Objective author/instigator is a creature in danger of extinction.... 

On that note, I wanted to read a american newspaper and as I still don't have my Mac back from repairs, I thought I'd treat myself to the Sunday edition of "The New York Times" (Talking about keeping to ones own! ) And yes, it is a rare treat, when in Denmark, one has to pay; 80,- Dkr (14,15$) for a copy.... Somehow the slow death of the printed word, doesn't come as a surprise! But at least the Sunday ed. is as abundant in reading matter as the spanish "El Pais" Sunday edition. NYT comes with two glittery magazines, a Book, a Arts& Leisure, a Travel, a Styles, a Week in review, a Sports and a Business supplements.... So there's enough for the rest of the week.... Served up with my latest flame: Ben and Jerry's "Bohemian Raspberry" Now that "Cherry Garcia" is so very hard to find in these parts!  
Ice cream goes really well with Dutch "Stroopwafels", American Politics
 and the oncomming elections, which I find as fascinating as a great J. Le Carré novel....
 (All Stroopwafels is courtesy of Ninon & Simon in Amsterdam)