Scare tactics in different worlds

In Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s henchmen will cut of your arm; kill you, or worse, if you don't vote for him or threaten his success by running against him in “democratic elections”.

In Sweden, if you vote against a controversial law on wire-tapping all digital traffic crossing the nation’s borders, your right wing party colleagues will tell you that soon you might not have any friends left.

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The not so undiscovered tribe

I regret to inform you that I have spread misinformation on my blog. Regarding my recent post about the “undiscovered tribe” in the Amazonas, It has now come to my attention through The Guardian, that the existence of this tribe has been known since the beginning of last century. The official from the Brazilian Indian Protection Agency has admitted this to media sources. He chose to perform the fly-by and publish the pictures in order to put pressure on Peru to stop logging in nearby regions. The argument was that the media attention was a valuable leverage to protect them, and worth the intrusion of the fly-by, which, as I suggested it should be, indeed is against the policy of the Agency.

Once again, I can’t help to think that my post had something to do with it, (as in the case with the Burmese Junta’s aid efforts), because the article to me seems like a direct response to my post. It feels good to be right, doesn’t it?

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The real reason for the war in Iraq?

Inside sources are saying that information was distorted by the Bush administration, that the people were misled about the nuclear situation in Iraq. So why did Bush go into Iraq? Because of the fact that his rhetoric and his whole base of power is about uniting the people against a common enemy or threat? Yes that’s probably one of the reasons, because what other issue could he run on for re-election? The man is only passionate about making life easier for big corporations and destroying the environment while doing so. Well the fact that Saddam Hussein seized control over oil resources and kicked western oil giants out might also have had something to do with it.

Because it seems now that that four western oil companies, among them Exxon Mobil, will be given access to oil fields, without a bidding process, with the proclaimed purpose to help Iraq increase oil production. It is said that the resources will go out for bidding later on, but obviously, the companies that already have a foothold will be enormously advantaged. Iraq’s cabinet claims that the four companies were given the 2 year deals because of their engagement as consultants to the Iraqi government. But other companies from Russia and China had been doing the same sort of consultancy and were offered nothing.

Just before the news of the contracts came out, Bush started lobbying for tearing up natural reserves offshore to search for new oil sources. Sounds to me like a smoke curtain. Of course, Condoleezza Rice denies that the US government had anything to do with the contracts being signed. With Bush on his way out, he doesn’t even have to face allegations, mission accomplished. And as we all have learned from him, history will judge him, not comtemporary society, and history takes a long time to reach.

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Adieu Euro 2008

Soccer can bring forth both the worst and the best in people. On one side, a joy and spirit that is transcending nations and politics, which unites people with different backgrounds and can give a great sense of national accomplishment, and on the other side, the worst possible combination of feelings: frustration, disappointment and sorrow. Right now, and so many times before, that is what I am experiencing. And I wonder if it is worth it, supporting the Swedish national team. The possibility in terms of good player material has been there for a long time now, but nothing special seems to come out of it. I know a certain coach who should have his license to live revoked..

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3 good news this morning

Israel has just confirmed the long awaited cease fire with Hamas that might lead to further compromises as release of hostages and ease of the Gaza strip blockade. This might enable a new climate for diplomatic negotiations in the near future.

Obama has appointed Patti Solis Doyle, who was fired from the Clinton campaign over a dispute with Ms Clinton, to a key position in his campaign, thus sending a clear message that Ms Clinton is not likely to be his Vice President.

The Swedish parliament has decided to reconsider the controversial and disputed law proposition to legalize wire-tapping of all electronic traffic crossing the Swedish border.

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Playing the guitar (again)

The guitar, my preferred and only instrument, can in the right hands sound wonderful and entrancing. So far on this blog I have featured an artist who many consider to be the greatest jazz guitarist in the world, Django Reinhardt. Now I have thanks to some Spanish friends stumbled across the Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco De Lucia, who is the coolest and probably the fastest player I have ever seen. A trivial fact about Paco is that he learned to master the guitar without even being able to read notes very well, which makes me think that perhaps there is still hope for me.

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David vs Goliat

Sometimes the small victories can give the greatest pleasure, Especially when the odds are against you. Or when your adversary represents a classically unjust and usually unbeatable institution like doormen, as was the case this Tuesday night. We were 5 boys, going to the quite tacky Anglo-Saxon pub with Australian origin in which you usually find both guys and girls who has drunken themselves to caveman level, and the doorman takes one glimpse at one of my friends, let’s call him English Dave, and says that he is too drunk to get in. This was of course just an excuse to stop us from entering since they are trying to manage the boy/girl ratio. I asked him though to take another look at Dave, and perhaps re-evaluate his state. But no, he is too drunk. Dave tries to talk to him as well but he is not open for arguments. So we move 20 meters down the road, and I put my glasses and my shirt on Dave, and suggests that he should try to enter alone, and the stupid muscle mountain doesn’t recognize him in this elaborate disguise. Once inside we were cracking up about this smooth outmanoeuvring, and we ended up having a great time. Small victories..

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Amazing Amazonians

The picture above, from a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil, was taken from an airplane during a flyby performed by the National Indian Foundation. Their mission is to locate and protect indigenous tribes. The tribe discovered last week is one of the very few remaining on earth that never have been in contact with the outside world. I find it fascinating that there still exist people who live like this, unaware of and protected from Paris Hilton, ethnic and religious conflicts, poverty, starvation, unemployment, employment, career stress, dating, and all the other problems and obsessions that haunt modern man.

It must also be the wet dream of every anthropologist to go study such a tribe. Who knows what they might have discovered, or what strange things they might be up to. I therefore think that the National Indian Foundation should operate a bit more like the MIB, i.e. keep the undiscovered tribes undiscovered, and thus protected from the madness of contemporary society. Sure, locate them, set up a natural reserve, and do what you can to stop the destruction of the rainforest, but don’t go shouting out to the world, “Hey! Look what we found!” And if possible, they should try to be a bit sneakier when locating these tribes. From now on they will probably live in fear of that giant noisy bird devil that one day swept over their village with a furious roar.

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History in the making

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Adonis the sex object

After a recent visit to a gay club, where pick-up methods can be quite straightforward to use a euphemism, I have for the first time experienced what it must be like for some girls who tend to get a lot of male attention in the clubs. That is to say, trying to defend yourself from being groped/kissed/licked in the face by guys who don’t really care if you approve or not. I am not complaining, you walk into a gay club and you deal with the culture, but it helped me understand why some girls develop a cold or bitchy attitude towards guys in clubs. After being subjected to less sophisticated approaches time after time, I guess you loose faith a bit in the opposite sex and develop a blasé attitude. On the other hand.. if you peel of all the social etiquette, learned morals and inhibitions, perhaps the guys in the gay club were just.. free.

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