Books I've read in 2012 - December

Matens pris by Olofsson/Öhman

The Eve of St Agnes by John Keats (Phoenix 60p)

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs
by Alexander McCall Smith – AUDIO

Pengemannen by Anne Holt – AUDIO

21 Dog Years by Mike Daisey

Female Terror by Ann Magma

At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances by Alexander McCall Smith

Med kaldt blod by Truman Capote – AUDIO

Morgen i Jenin by Susan Abulhawa – AUDIO

E=mc² by David Bodanis

Hauk og due by Henrik H Langeland

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway – AUDIO

Brilliance of the Moon: Battle for Maruyama by Lian Hearn

Madonna-gåten by Nærum/Botterli/Udnæs – AUDIO

Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith

Jesus sista ord på korset var INTE “Härifrån ser man hela Mariannelund” by Jonas Gardell

Novelletter by Alexander Kielland – AUDIO

10 printed books, 2,200 pages

7 audiobooks, 64h 4m

Books I've read in 2012 - November

Heimskringla, volume one by Snorre Sturluson – AUDIO

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer by Brian Masters

Det blåser fra Dauingfjell by Trygve Gulbranssen – AUDIO

Are You Loathsome Tonight? by Poppy Z Brite

Barna i dødens hus by West/Hill

Vinterstengt by Jørn Lier Horst – AUDIO

Döden i grytan by Ennart/Nilsson

Snake Agent by Liz Williams

The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson

Siste akt by Nordberg/Hagerup – AUDIO

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

Mørketall by Arne Dahl – AUDIO

Malins kung Gurra by Peter Pohl

Kometen kommer by Tove Jansson – AUDIO

Mordet på maskinbygger Roolfsen
by Mauritz Christopher Hansen

Tjuvlyssnad 2 by Damon Rasti, et al.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

11 printed books, 2,380 pages

6 audiobooks, 50h

Books I've read in 2012 - October

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Under the Garden by Graham Greene (Penguin 60)

Hjemstavn by Arnaldur Indridason – AUDIO

Bak stengte dører by Hansen/Cras/Cras

World War Z by Max Brooks

Trollmannens hatt by Tove Jansson – AUDIO

Og bakom synger skogene by Trygve Gulbranssen – AUDIO

Akimbo and the Baboons by Alexander McCall Smith

Kaptein Nemos bibliotek by Per Olov Enquist

Escape from the Antarctic by Ernest Shackleton

Ø by Knut Nærum – AUDIO

Kjødets lyst by Nils Johan Stoa

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf – GRAPHIC NOVEL

Spion i Hitlers rike by Bergh/Sæter – AUDIO

Reisen hjem by Lori Lansens – AUDIO

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

Jeg vet hvem du er by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

10 printed books, 2,112 pages
6 audiobooks, 48h 19m
1 graphic novel, 224 pages

Books I've read in 2012 - September

Frels oss fra det onde by Kjetil Try – AUDIO

Looking for Jake and Other Stories by China Miéville

Wonderboy by Henrik H Langeland – AUDIO

Gutten i kofferten by Kaaberbøl & Friis – AUDIO

Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Låt de gamla drömmarna dö by John Ajivide Lindqvist

Med pisk og champagne by Fabrice d’Almeida

Katt på heitt blekktak by Tennessee Williams

En himmel full av stjerner by Knut Nærum – AUDIO

White Tiger by Aravind Adiga – AUDIO

Five Letters From An Eastern Empire
by Alasdair Gray (Penguin 60)

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith

Norsk litteraturhistorie fritt etter hukommelsen
by Knut Nærum – AUDIO

The Inheritance by Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm

Ildvitnet by Lars Kepler – AUDIO

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

Sitt ned og hold kjeft by Knut Nærum – AUDIO

9 printed books, 2,691 pages

8 audiobooks, 69h 59m

Books I've read in 2012 - August

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen – AUDIO

Borkmanns punkt by Håkan Nesser – AUDIO

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman – AUDIO

The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

Gudfaren by Mario Puzo – AUDIO

Divided Kingdom by Rupert Thomson

Mesterdetektiven Blomkvist lever farlig
by Astrid Lindgren – AUDIO

The Owl Service by Alan Garner

Fvonk by Erlend Loe – AUDIO

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

La de små barn komme til meg by Kjetil Try – AUDIO

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

Mengele Zoo by Gert Nygårdshaug – AUDIO

The Time Machine by HG Wells (Penguin 60)

Silke by Alessandro Baricco – AUDIO

8 printed books – 3,077 pages

9 audiobooks – 82h 29m

Books I've read in 2012 - July

Emma by Jane Austen – AUDIO

Nattmennesket by Bernhard Borge

The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson – AUDIO

De dødes tjern by Bernhard Borge – AUDIO

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Kråkejenta by Eriksson & Sundquist – AUDIO

En sannsynlig historie by Karin Alvtegen – AUDIO

The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally

Ildmannen by Torkil Damhaug – AUDIO

Ghosts and How to See Them by Peter Underwood

Tolstoy and History by Isaiah Berlin

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

Cloud Atlas by Dave Mitchell – AUDIO

Paganinikontrakten by Lars Kepler – AUDIO

Fisken by Erlend Loe - AUDIO

8 printed books – 2,018 pages
9 audiobooks – 108h 3m

Books I've read in 2012 - June

Annabel by Kathleen Winter

Verdensmestrene by Henrik H Langeland – AUDIO

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Nilens dronning by H Rider Haggard

Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Med kongen ute og hjemme by N. Normann, ed.

Gymnaslærer Pedersens beretning om den store politiske vekkelsen som har hjemsøkt vårt land

by Dag Solstad – AUDIO

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

Akimbo: The Elephants, The Lions and The Crocodile Man

by Alexander McCall Smith – AUDIO

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

Gåten by Marianne Fredriksson – AUDIO

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith – AUDIO

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra – AUDIO

Tyrkisk gambit by B. Akunin

The Key by Rosamunde Pilcher

11 printed books - 2,856 pages

6 audiobooks - 86h 41m

Xocai, en sunn sjokolade? Er det helse i hver bit?

Denne artikkelen er skrevet av Espen Løkkevig og opprinnelig publisert i en annen blogg. Jeg republiserer den her som en reaksjon på at Sjokoservice Norge truet bloggens eier til å fjerne teksten fra sin blogg. Les bakgrunnshistorien her.

Det har kommet nye typer sjokolade (Xocai) på markedet som sies å være sunnere enn de sjokoladene du får kjøpt i butikken. Denne typen sjokolade skal inneholde mye mer av antioksidanter enn ”vanlig” sjokolade, samt mange andre sunne stoffer. Er dette riktig og er det verd å bruke en formue på sunn sjokolade? Les de harde fakta her.

Produksjon av sjokolade
Sjokolade lages av kakaobønner, en av de fruktene som inneholder mest antioksidanter. Så derfor er det kanskje sunt å spise mye sjokolade. Men det må være mørk sjokolade med høyt innhold av kakao og lite innhold av sukker og andre stoffer for at det skal være litt sunnhet i dette. For å se hvordan sjokolade fremstilles kan du ta en titt på nettsiden til Nidar.

Xocai
En av de nye sjokoladene som er kommet på markedet heter Xocai (mxicorp.com) og det hevdes at den er mye sunnere enn vanlig sjokolade. Men det er vanskelig å finne ut hvorfor den skal være sunnere.

En av påstandene er at den er fremstilt på en ny patentert måte. Men de nettstedene som reklamerer for denne typen sjokolade (f.eks sjokosjokk.no) forteller ingenting om hvordan den fremstilles. Jeg har spurt flere av de som selger denne sjokoladen og fått noen svar. Men de forvirrer meg mer enn de oppklarer. De henviser til at sjokolade har blitt brukt som næring i mer enn 2 000 år, og at det er en grunn til at de fremstiller ny sunn sjokolade. Men de sier selv at de ikke bruker den fremgangsmåten som er blitt brukt i de 2 000 årene.

Kakaobønnen
Kakaobønnen er en bitter frukt som må behandles før den kan brukes i sjokolade. Derfor utviklet aztekerne en metode for å gjære kakaobønnen for å få bort noe av den bitre smaken, og tørke de slik at de kan brukes i næringsøyemed.

Xocai sier at de hopper over denne metoden for å ta vare på alle næringsstoffene. Samt at de bruker en patentert kaldpressemetode som er så hemmelig at ingenting kan fortelles om den. Ikke engang hvem som har patentet, eller hvem som lager den. Det finnes ingen informasjon om hvem det er som lager denne sjokoladen, patent nr. eller noe mer om selve fremstillingen av sjokoladen. Det eneste jeg har fått vite er at den produseres i Belgia, eller Canada? De er visst ikke helt sikre de som selger denne sjokoladen, for jeg har fått opplyst begge land som produksjonsland. Ikke alle er så hemmelighetsfulle se nettsidene til Nidar eller Kraft Foods for eksempler på hva produsentene av vanlig sjokolade forteller om sine metoder.

Varme
Selgerne av Xocai sier at kakaobønnen ikke blir varmebehandlet i deres sjokolade og at dette gjøres for å bevare mest mulig næringsstoffer. Men kakaobønnen er som sagt veldig bitter. For å gjøre den mer spiselig og for å fjerne eventuelle farlige mikroorganismer blir kakaobønnen varmebehandlet i prosessen frem til ferdig sjokolade. Når selgerne sier at de ikke gjør det er det to ting jeg stiller spørsmål ved:

1. Hvordan fjernes farlige mikroorganismer i Xocai?
2. Hvordan kan man lage sjokolade uten at massen blir varmet opp?

Ser man på sjokoladeprosessen ser man at det er mange steg fra kakaobønne til ferdig sjokolade. Og noe av det siste er jo å forme selve sjokoladen, dette gjøres ved at sjokoladen er flytende og helles over i former. Og for å få den flytende må man varme sjokolademassen opp. Så om de utfører såkalt kaldpressing eller ikke spiller egentlig ingen rolle, for de som lager sjokolade må varme den opp før eller siden likevel.

Sukker

En annen påstått helsefremmende ingrediens i denne sjokoladen er sukker! – Men sukker er jo ikke spesielt sunt. Det hevdes at i denne sjokoladen er det brukt et mye sunnere sukker. På helsekakao.no står det opplyst at man bruker krystaller fra rå sukkerrør juice, naturlig stevia (denne påstanden er i ettertid fjernet fra nettsiden. Se utklipp til høyre hvordan nettsiden så ut opprinnelig) og krystallinsk fruktose.

Krystaller fra rå sukkerrør juice er helt vanlig rå sukker, sagt på en fancy måte. Ikke noe sunnere enn vanlig uraffinert sukker. Faktisk så er det helt vanlig sukker.

Naturlig stevia er en plante som inneholder 300 ganger mer søtstoff enn vanlig sukker. I følge Mattilsynet er detikke lov til å bruke dette sukkeret i Norge, grunnet helsefare!!

Krystallinsk fruktose, det er det ingenting som heter, men fruktose i fast form kalles druesukker, og er heller ingen form for helsebringende sukker. I følge hjemmesiden til MXi i USA, har de ikke lov til å kalle sukkeret for noe annet enn sukker. Dette fordi det ikke er noe annet enn helt vanlig sukker. Ikke noe vidundermiddel der altså.

Antioksidanter

At antioksidanter er viktig er det ingen tvil om. Men det er ingen forskning som sier at du blir friskere jo mer antioksidanter du får i deg. (Se her hva Helsedirektoratet sier om antioksidanter). De forskjellige hjemmesidene som selger Xocai viser til en mengde forskning ang. antioksidanter. Eksempelvis fra forskning.no. Studiene man viser til er forskning på antioksidanter og sjokolade generelt, ikke denne ene typen sjokolade spesielt. Studiene konkluderer heller ikke med at det er sunnere å spise sjokolade enn for eksempel frukt og grønnsaker [1], [2].

Faktisk sies det i nevnte studier at det er riktig at det finnes sunne stoffer i kakaobønnen, men man blir feit av å spise sjokolade, så å markedsføre dette som slankesjokolade er skikkelig skivebom.

Det hevdes også at for å få like mye antioksidanter som det er i denne sjokoladen, må du spise enorme mengder med frukt eller grønnsaker. Ser man imidlertid på en Bocca sjokolade kan man lese at den inneholder 3 millimol pr 100 gram antioksidanter. Og overfører man det til en 6 grams sjokolade fra Xocai, inneholder den 0,18 millimol antioksidanter. Så kan man se på antioksidantlistenutarbeidet av professor Rune Blomhoff ved avdeling for ernæringsvitenskap ved Universitetet i Oslo. Listen viser at denne ene sjokoladebiten inneholder like mye antioksidanter som 10 druer!

Selgerne av Xocai har også funnet ut hva dagsbehovet ditt er av antioksidanter, og det er tilfeldigvis det samme som innholdet i 3 sjokoladebiter fra Xocai. Jeg har ikke funnet noe annet sted som sier noe om hvor mye antioksidanter du trenger hver dag. Bortsett fra hos de som selger denne sjokoladen da, men de vil jo ikke si noe om hvordan de har funnet ut det. Til sammenligning så sierOlympiatoppen at det ikke finnes entydig forskning som viser at det gir en helsegevinst å ta ekstra antioksidanter.

Helseeffekter
Så langt er det påvist at denne sjokoladen ikke inneholder noe som er mer sunt enn det som finnes i andre sjokolader, kjøpt i hvilken som helst butikk. Xocai prøver ved hjelp av massiv markedsføring, flotte bilder, fancy forskning og udokumenterte påstander å påvirke mennesker til å tro at dette er et vidundermiddel. Noe det ikke er. Er du fremdeles ikke overbevist om at dette er sjokolade akkurat som alle andre, så har jeg sett på næringsinnholdet og ingrediensene i denne sjokoladen, og på ”vanlig” sjokolade. Innhold av energi, protein, karbohydrat, fett, fiber og fyllstoffer er tilnærmet likt for samtlige sjokolader jeg har funnet som har minst 70 % innhold av kakao. Den er til og med merket med advarsel til allergikere på akkurat samme måte som ”vanlige” sjokolader. Altså at den kan inneholde melk, spor av nøtter og hvete.

Fremdeles ikke noe vidundermiddel å spore. De har riktignok brukt både acaibær og blåbær for å øke (?) mengden av antioksidanter i sjokoladen. Som det tidligere er skrevet om på 10min.no så er det svært tvilsomt om dette gir noen helseeffekt. Innholdet av acaibær i pulverform uansett mindre enn 3 %, og innholdet av blåbær er mindre enn 1 %.

Markedsføring
Markedsføringen av denne sjokoladen går gjennom en pyramideformet organisasjon som kalles nettverksmarkedsføring. Kort fortalt går det ut på at en person verver venner og kjente inn i pyramiden, og han på toppen tjener grovt på det alle nedover i pyramiden legger igjen av penger på dyre abonnentsløsninger som er veien å gå for å få kjøpe denne påståtte helsesjokoladen. De som driver med dette har også fine og flotte hjemmesider, de holder kurs, foredrag og møter om produktet og hvordan du skal overbevise venner og kjente om at dette er det vidunderproduktet de hevder det er. De kan vise til masse artikler i forskningsforum, mange brukeruttalelser, og generelt bare positiv omtale av produktet. Men de kan ikke dokumentere en eneste påstand, i alle fall ikke slik loven krever. Som er gjennom vitenskaplige studier og tester.

Det er flere ting de ”glemmer” å nevne. For eksempel at denne sjokoladen ikke er lov å selge i Norge. I følge Mattilsynet er det ikke lov å selge produkter som inneholder stevia. Påstandene fremsatt i markedsføringen bryter også Legemiddellovens § 20 som sier: “Det er forbudt i reklame (…) direkte eller indirekte, å gi uttrykk for at stoff (…) som ikke er legemiddel anbefales som middel til å forebygge, lege eller lindre sykdom, sykdomssymptomer eller smerter eller påvirke fysiologiske funksjoner hos mennesker eller dyr.” I en e-post fra en rådgiver i Legemiddelverket bekreftes det at påstandene på nettsiden er i strid med Legemiddelloven.

Markedsføringsloven brytes også. §13 sier; “Påstander i markedsføring om faktiske forhold, herunder om ytelsers egenskaper eller virkning, skal kunne dokumenteres. Dokumentasjonen skal foreligge på annonsørens hånd når markedsføringen skjer.”

Kostnader
Denne sjokoladen er utrolig dyr. I butikken koster en Premium sjokolade fra Freia ca 20 kr. Det er for en plate på 100 gram. Xocai koster ca kr 10,- for en plate på 6 gram. Det er en forskjell på 830 % !! ( 20kr /100=0,2 kr pr gram, 10kr/6=1,67 kr pr gram, 1,67/0,2=8,35). Ettersom en bit koster kr 10,- vil det koste deg kr 30,- pr dag eller kr 900,- pr måned. De som pusher denne sjokoladen mener altså at det er en god ide å bruke 900 kroner pr. måned på sjokolade. Hver eneste måned hele året.

Konklusjon
Min konklusjon er at dette ikke er noe annet enn en helt vanlig ordinær sjokolade. Dog produsert på en hemmelig mystisk måte, og inneholder forbudte og potensielt farlige stoffer. Den er grovt overpriset, har ingen positiv dokumentert effekt på helsen, er laget kun for å tjene penger på godtroende kunder og har absolutt overhodet ingen legende, slankende, forbedrende eller ytelsesøkende effekt. Markedsføringen bryter flere Norske lover, i tillegg til flere europeiske.

Dette er en utspekulert og slem måte å selge et produkt på. Ved å love helbredende virkninger kan mennesker med alvorlig sykdommer tro at å kjøpe, og spise, denne sjokoladen vil de bli friske. Og dermed kan noen kanskje slutte med livsviktige medisiner til fordel for denne sjokoladen. Vil noen virkelig ha et liv på samvittigheten for noen få kroners skyld?!

Men, er du glad i sjokolade. Og spiser det av den grunn sjokolade er laget for; nytelsens skyld. Ja da synes jeg du skal gå i butikken og kjøpe akkurat den sjokoladen du liker aller best. Ikke abonner på noe lureri en tante kommer og skal prakke på deg. Kjøp noe du vet hva er, som er nøye kontrollert, og som du kan spise når du vil. Ikke fordi du må, men fordi du har lyst. Sjokolade gjør deg ikke friskere, raskere eller til ett bedre menneske, men fy så godt det er……

Det er også verdt å ta en titt på denne nettsiden. Her kan man lese om hvordan bakmennene bak MXI vert innvolvert i flere konkurser og rettssaker fra tidligere MLM selskap, flere av dem med svært lignende produkter som MXi.

Her kan man lese historien til en tidligere distributør: Why I quit Xocai. Kan du gjøre det bedre enn ham? Les også The great chocolate rip-off. På denne nettsiden kan man lese om hvordan selskapet selv forklarer for sine deltakere at det nærmest er et pyramidespill.

Forbrukerombudet advarer mot produktet og sier at opplegget ligner pyramidesalg. Jeg minner med det samme om at den dokumenterte sjansen for å tape penger i et MLM konsept er 99,95 % for dem som deltar.

Oppdatert 26.11.2010: Ang. innholdet av stevia så gjelder dette et produkt fra MXi som ikke markedsføres i Norge.

Oppdatert 26.06.2012: Stevia ser nå ut til å bli godkjent av Mattilsynet likevel og kan nok snart selges lovlig også i Norge

Etter at denne teksten ble skrevet har også antioksidanter og måleverdien ORAC blitt ytterligere svekket som indikator på en matvares helseeffekt. Les gjerne denne nye bloggposten. Når den nye EU-forordningen trer i kraft 14. desember 2012 vil det være ulovlig å markedsføre Xocai-sjokoladen med de påstander som brukes i dag.

30 punkter du bør undersøke før du starter som Xocai distributør

Denne artikkelen er ikke skrevet av meg, men republisert som en reaksjon på at Sjokoservice Norge truet artikkelforfatteren til å fjerne teksten fra sin blogg. Les bakgrunnshistorien her.


Xocai er en sjokolade som blir omsatt i Norge gjennom direktesalg / MLM. Sjokoladen skal ha fantastiske helsemessige egenskaper og fremstilles på en ytterst hemmelig, enestående og spesiell måte. [Vi] har sett litt nærmere på om disse påstandene holder vann og kontaktet 15 norske distributører for å prøve å få oppklart punktene under. Dessverre så har ingen av dem ønsket å bidra til å belyse påstandene.

Her finner du 30 punkter som du bør tenke igjennom om du ønsker å starte med Xocai. Om du har opplysninger som evt. skulle kunne bidra til å oppklare noen av disse punktene er det fint om du legger igjen en kommentar.

Antioksidanter

1. At kakao evt. inneholder mye antioksidanter betyr ikke at kroppen kan nyttegjøre seg av disse.”the amount that is actually absorbed into the body is low”- i følge Wikipedia. Bruswick Lab som ofte nevnes i markedsføringsmateriell sier selv at: ”The ORAC assays are performed in vitro, in the test tube, and therefore do not determine the bioavailability within the body”.
2. På nettsidene til MXi står det at “We were told that it would take two weeks to complete the testing and the cost would be $5,000”. For et selskap som MXi (som omsetter for 1 milliard $ i følge sjokosjokk.no) så synes dette som en marginal kostnad. Denne testen utgjør en vesentlig del av markedsføringen av produktene. Ville det ikke vært naturlig å la andre uavhengige laboratorier også teste produktet?
3. ORAC er en måleenhet som måler antioksidant kapasiteten i en matvare gjennom en laboratorie test (in vitro). ORAC forteller oss ingenting om hvilken effekt matvaren gir når den blir konsumert (in vivo): ”Correlation between the high antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, and the positive impact of diets high in fruits and vegetables, is believed to play a role in thefree-radical theory of aging. However, there exists no physiological proof in vivo that this theory is valid. Consequently, the ORAC method, derived only in test tube experiments, cannot currently be applied to human biology.” – Wikipedia
4. Selv om sjokoladen skulle være rik på antioksidanter betyr ikke at det den er en fullverdig erstatning for frukt og grønnsaker slik det hevdes på mange nettsider. F.eks så leder grafikken på sjokoladenmin.no, helsekakao.no og helsesjokolade.net en til å tro at 20 gram xocai fullverdig erstatter en hel mengde frukt.
5. Mennesker som spiser frukt og grønnsaker har lavere risiko for å få hjerte og kar sykdommer, sykdommer tilknyttet nervesystemet og noen typer kreft. Ettersom frukt og grønnsaker inneholder mye antioksidanter har man tidligere antatt at antioksidanter kan forebygge noen sykdommer. Dette har man etter hvert testet i kliniske forsøk. Disse undersøkelsene viser derimot at det ikke er en slik sammenheng (1) (2). Man antar nå at helsefordelene kommer fra andre egenskaper ved frukt og grønnsaker (1) (2).
6. Det er ikke påvist at inntak av ekstra antioksidanter har noen positiv effekt på kroppen. Se for eksempel Cochrane Reviews rapport: No evidence to support antioxidant supplements to prevent mortality in healthy people or patients with various diseases. Videre har flere studier vist at man ikke øker forventet levealder ved inntak av ekstra antioksidanter: ”Antioxidant supplements do not reduce all-cause mortality” – bmj.com
7. Særlig flavonoider blir trukket frem som svært gunstige i sjokoladen. Wikipedia oppsummerer derimot: ”physiological evidence is not yet established (…), research(…) indicates that, following dietary intake, flavonoids themselves are of little or no direct antioxidant value. As body conditions are unlike controlled test tube conditions, flavonoids and other polyphenols are poorly absorbed (less than 5%), with most of what is absorbed being quickly metabolized and excreted.”
8. European Food Safety Authority evaluerer på vegne av EU ulike påstander fremsatt i markedsføringen av ulike matvarer. I en rapport fra 2010 vedrørende påstander om antioksidanter heter det: ”The Panel considers that no evidence has been provided to establish that having antioxidant activity/content and/or antioxidant properties is a beneficial physiological effect.”
9. Selv om det neppe kan sies at helseeffekten av antioksidanter er avklart eller etablert ennå, så er det mange studier som heller i den retningen. Men mer forskning er nødvendig for å fastslå hvilke, om noen, helsegevinster som kommer direkte av høyt antioksidantinnhold. Slik markedsføringen av Xocai fremstår i dag tar man tilsynelatende alt for lett på at forskningsmiljøet langt i fra har konkludert når det gjelder betydningen av antioksidanter. I stedet trekker man frem lovende enkeltstudier, og legger disse frem som ”bevis” for at produktet virker overfor kundene.

Produksjonsmåte / patent

1. Det nevnes på mange nettsider at MXi har en egen patent på måten sjokoladen fremstilles. Bl.a på sjokolade4you.no står det at det er MXi som har oppfunnet og patentert metoden. Ingen nettsider opplyser om patentnummeret derimot. Et patentnummer er ikke en forrettingshemmelighet. Mangelen på denne informasjonen leder meg til å tro at det ikke finnes noen patent eller at MXi ikke har patentet selv. Det vil da være rimelig å anta at det finnes tilsvarende produkter tilgjengelig laget med samme teknologi (antagelig til en langt lavere pris) og at MXi prøver å skjule dette.
2. Hvem (hvilket selskap) er det som holder patentet på teknologien / prosessen som benyttes?
3. Hva er patent nummeret?
4. Produktet Ombar ligner mistenkelig på Xocai. Bruker en annen produsent MXi sin patenterte teknikk?
5. En av deltakerne i debatten på bloggen, Facit, påstår at patentet blir holdt av Côte d’Or, som eies av Kraftfoods. Om dette er riktig så skulle det vel bety at MXi sin sjokolade ikke er unik, men bare blir kjøpt av en av de store produsentene. Det betyr da at påstandene på mange nettsider (f. eks sjokolade4you.no) om at MXi har patentet er uriktig.

Pris / distribusjon / MLM

1. Det finnes alternative kakao produkter som er vesentlig billigere. På nettsiden til okosjokolade.no kan man kjøpe 400 gram kakaomasse til 149 kr. Det er 37 øre pr. gram. Til sammenligning koster Xocai 1,67 kr pr. gram. Xocai sjokoladen er 448 % dyrere en produktet fra okosjokolade. Da får man 100 % ren vare uten at den er tynnet ut med acai bær og blåbær. På nettsiden til sanabona.no kan man få kjøpt 464 gram kaldpresset rå kakao til kr 189. Prisen her er 40 øre pr. gram. Altså er Xocai sjokoladen 410 % dyrere. Produktet til Sanabona og Økosjokolade er også økologisk for dem som er opptatt av det.
2. Ombar sjokolade selges til ca. 20 kr for 38 gram. Den er også tilsatt Acai og Blåbær. Den er også laget av kakao behandlet på lav temperatur (kaldpresset?)
3. 100 gram med eple har en ORAC verdi på 4 000 og koster ca. kr. 1,50. Xocai Power Squares har en ORAC verdi på 3 582 og koster ca. 10 kr. Er Xocai virkelig den billigste antioksidantkilden i Norge slik det hevdes på flere nettsider?
4. Produktet distribueres gjennom MLM salg. I følge festtalene så skal MLM distribusjon føre til et billigere produkt fordi du får levert produktet direkte og ikke gjennom distribusjonssystemet til en butikk. Xoxai sjokoladen blir produsert i Belgia, videreforedles i Canada og blir så sendt til Gout International sitt lager i Skien. Her i fra blir varene sendt de Norske kunden. I tillegg skal 7 ledd i din upline ha prosenter av salget. Totalt 50 % av prisen på varen blir fordelt på aktører som ikke er involvert i distribusjonen i det hele tatt. Dette gjøre produktet vesentlig dyrere, til forskjell fra ordinær butikk distribusjon.
5. Flere nettsider, bl.a. sjokosjokk.no og sjokoladenmin.no, lokker med muligheten til å tjene store penger. – For i det hele tatt å gå i null (altså at man får dekket sitt eget tvungne sjokoladekjøp. Kostnader til f.eks markedsføring, nettsider og egen timelønn er ikke medtatt) må man verve 20 personer som kan stå under deg i pyramiden. For å oppnå en brutto (!) mnd. lønn på 20 000 kr. trenger man å selge 364 esker med sjokolade i mnd. til pyramiden under deg, i følgesjokoladenmin.no
6. Sjansen for å gå med underskudd ved deltakelse i et MLM konsept er 99,95 %. Er en slik odds noe du vil anbefale til familie, venner og andre?
7. For å tjene penger på å selge Xocai må man verve 2 personer som igjen verver 2 personer som igjen verver 2 personer etc. Etter 33 ledd i denne prosessen er hele verden vervet. Det er utelukkende dem som er på toppen av pyramiden som tjener penger på dette konseptet. MXi har eksistert i 5 år. Hvor i pyramiden er du om du går inn nå?
8. I dag er det 4 000 som deltar i Norge (jfr. sjokoladenmin.no) Om man starter i dag med å selge sjokolade så har man altså 4 000 konkurrenter, og man har 11 ledd igjen til hele Norge er vervet. Høres det ut som en god forretningsidé?
9. Nettsiden businessopportunitywatch.com gir MXi konseptet en rating på 2 av 10.

Påstander om helseeffekt

1. På sjokosjokk.no kan vi lese at produktet bl.a. bedrer din mentale tilstand, demper sult følelsen, tillater mer intens trening, diabetiker vennlig, gir vekt kontroll, styrker immunforsvaret (en medisinsk umulighet) og bedre tannhelse. På mereliv.no leser vi bl.a. at hjelper blodårene, reduserer høyt blodtrykk, styrker immunforsvaret, reduserer appetitten, regulerer vektkontrollgener, bedrer hukommelsen, bedrer konsentrasjonsevnen, beskytter mot hjerneslag, er bra for diabetes 2, kan forebygge kreft, hjelper mot eksem og hudsykdommer, renser kroppen for giftsoffer, bedrer fordøyelsen, hjelper mot depresjon, forlenger livet og gir friskere og mer intelligente barn ved amming.
2. I en e-post fra legemiddelverket forteller en seniorrådgiver følgende: ”Det er i henhold til legemiddelloven § 20 ikke tillatt å markedsføre et produkt som ikke er legemiddel med påstander om medisinsk effekt (forebygge, lege eller lindre sykdom, sykdomssymptomer eller smerter m.v.). Linkene du viser til (sjokosjokk.no, mereliv.com, sjokoladenmin.no, helsesjokolade.net, energisjokolade.com, baakvaag.net) inneholder påstander som er direkte relatert til sykdom, for eksempel at produktet forebygger kreft, hjelper mot depresjon, eksem og hudsykdommer og reduserer høyt blodtrykk. Dette er eksempler på medisinske påstander og utsagn (A-påstander) som det ikke er tillatt å bruke om produkter som ikke er legemidler med markedsføringstillatelse.”
3. Hvordan kan det være et salgsargument at produktet inneholder lite sukker samtidig som at”sjokolade er mer effektivt enn populære sportsdrikker fordi den forsyner musklene med karbohydrater.” (sjokosjokk.no)
4. Domenenavn som f.eks helsesjokolade.net og helsekakao.no er vel en påstand om helseeffekt i seg selv?
5. På en rekke nettsider (bl.a. på sjokoladenmin.no) oppgir man anbefalt dose antioksidanter pr. dag. – Myndighetene i Norge har aldri gitt en slik anbefaling.
6. Fra 1. mars 2010 gjelder EUs regler om matvarers påståtte helseeffekt også i Norge. Reglene krever at produsenten kan dokumentere helseeffekten. Dokumentasjonen må godkjennes av EUs vitenskapskomité (EFSA). Hvor er Xocai sin godkjenning? Hvorfor markedsføres sjokoladen med påstått helseeffekt uten godkjenning?

Dokumentasjon.

På nettsidene til norske distributører kan man finne en mengde lenker som mer eller mindre uttalt skal dokumentere hvor bra sjokoladen er, eller hvor mye bedre sjokoladen er i forhold til andre sjokolader. Problemene med denne ”dokumentasjonen” er bl.a:

1. Det vises til generell forskning på sjokolade. Bl.a. fra forskning.no. Det vises ikke til noen uavhengig forskning på helseeffekten av Xocai, og hvor mye bedre en evt. måtte være annen sjokolade.
2. På forespørsel og i kommentarfeltet i denne saken er det fremlagt mye ”dokumentasjon”. Problemet med denne er at det utelukkende er hentet fra MXi eget markedsføringsmateriell eller fra Steve Warren som på ingen måte kan sies å være en uavhengig kilde da han er Medical Advisor for MXI Corp.
3. Mange nettsider (bl.a sjokolade4you.no) benytter brukerhistorier i sin markedsføring. Slik markedsføring er bevist svært effektiv. Problemet er at historiene leder kunden til å tro at produktet har påvist helseeffekt. Om man skulle tro på alle brukerhistorier som fantes så ville alle religioner være sanne, vi ville vert omgitt av UFO’er etc. Det er opplagt ikke riktig, nettopp fordi brukerhistorier er en subjektiv opplevelse som i de fleste tilfeller ikke kan kontrolleres. For å kunne dokumentere årsak – virkning må vitenskaplige studier gjøres der alle variabler tas høyde for. Bruk av brukerhistorier er typisk for produkter / konsepter der det ikke finnes vitenskaplige bevis.

Books I've read in 2012 - May

Den underbara historien om Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl

Faller fritt som i en drøm by Leif GW Persson – AUDIO

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

Harry by Are Kalvø

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

Midtens rike by Torbjørn Færøvik – AUDIO

Människor det varit synd om by Kalle Lind

Englemakersken by Camilla Läckberg – AUDIO

Helbredernes hemmeligheter by Bjarne Røsjø

En hjelpende hånd by Trude Teige – AUDIO

Människor som gått til överdrift by Kalle Lind

Svermen av Frank Schätzing

Fvonk by Erlend Loe – AUDIO

Magnetisørens femte vinter by Per Olov Enquist – AUDIO

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

Død over regenten! by Alexandre Dumas

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

11 printed books - 3,353 pages
6 audiobooks - 63h 43m

Baku 2012 - final

From Russia in the east to Portugal in the west ... from Norway in the north to Israel in the south ... this is THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST!!!!!

Wheee ... !!!

Finally ... ! Live from the Crystal Hall, the 57th ESC final! Squee! How will they open the show??

Some native music. Dancers all in white. That light up! And fly! Shouts in the room here of Backstreet Boys! and Matrix! :-D Native dancers! But where is Eldar and Nikki? There they are. Not a very good performance. Oh well. Done now.

Same hosts as in the semis ... and we have the same commentator, Olav Viksmo Slettan, he's doing a great job. The hosts are all in white. English skills not entirely up to snuff. Let's start the show ... !! :-D

United Kingdom. Opening the show, not the best slot, but could be worse. And at least we're opening the show with something good. :-) Kudos to the UK for sending Humperdinck! I really like this entry. A skilled performer who sings really well, a classy presentation - unlike some, I like the background dancers - and a really good song. We also have our own dancers since trilltrall and N. are dancing a waltz in front of the screen. :-D The lyrics are a little dodgy, but there's always something. A quality entry, which we rarely see from the UK. Good luck to them. I may vote for them actually. :-o

Hungary. Meh. Interesting entry in this context ... it's a little different from a lot of the rest of the lineup. OK presentation but nothing special. OK song but nothing memorable. Not a winner.

Albania. This entry has no fans here. :-) Interesting view from Calyx: the songs sent to the ESC should be ones that have wide appeal and that everyone can like, but then some countries send things like this, where someone has bizarre hair and wears bizarre clothes and stands in the middle of the stage and screams. And that's what we love about the ESC. :-D Umm ... kudos for being alone on stage and for singing in Albanian. But this is quite a strange entry. I both like it and don't like it. Good luck to them, they may need it.

Lithuania. KAS isn't a fan of this. She was surprised when it got through. But she says it's getting to be OK now that we've heard like forty ESC songs ... :-D This does grow on me, I have to say that. And I really like their presentation. It's fun, I like this. May do pretty well. The way it morphs from one song into another is rather memorable. Got a huge laugh here when he did a salto and started shaking his thang ... :-D

Bosnia & Herzegovina. Meh. Kudos for the same things as Albania - slightly more comprehensible than theirs - but overall a pretty generic ballad. Not sure I can tell this apart from all the other similar sounding entries in the lineup. Not sure most of the rest of the audience can either.

Russia! Yay! I dig this. The song is crap, but the entry as a whole is soo much fun and so charming. And this time we even get to see what's in the oven. Oh, Russia ... !! You wacky Russkis, whatever will you think of next. This is too gimmicky to win, but it'll probably do really well. Good for them. :-)

Iceland. One of our collective favorites. A beautiful song, dramatic, a wonderful entry. Singers with good voices too. But why is she smiling so much?? That totally doesn't go with the song at all. Sheesh. She's so excited she just can't help herself ... ! Good presentation, I just wish they'd have gone with the Icelandic lyrics instead. That would have helped them. Oh well. Hoping for the best for Iceland. Not a winner, I don't think, but may do well. But they're not in a good slot, unfortunately.

Cyprus! I really like this entry. Catchy, fun, well presented ... has pretty much everything except that the singer can't sing for shit. She sounded better in their national finals ... not very strange considering that they allow playback. She sounds pretty horrible here, but everything else about this entry is great. And it's somewhat impressive that she can carry a tune at all being hoisted around like that. Not a winner, we think - Anne Ida says that if this entry wins then there's something completely wrong with the world - but it should do well. Good luck, Cyprus!!

France. Beautiful singer with a good voice ... and they've changed their entry since their national selections, made it more interesting, that's good. We like the half naked men. Well, most of us do. ;-) But this is more boring than I remember it. I thought they might do well with this, but now I'm starting to wonder. No, don't think this will get anywhere much.

Italy!!! My favorite! I love Italy! This is the best entry this year, hands down. Nothing wrong with it. Calyx thinks it's too soon to dress like Amy Winehouse in public. But other than the hair she's all Imelda May! Ooh, I love this. I want it to win ... ! It probably won't, but I want it to ... ! :-D

Estonia. One of the room's least favorite songs this year, apparently. It's OK, but not that special. Another generic ballad. OK singer but overall not a very memorable entry.

Norway. Very dramatic opening to this entry. Ie, the presentation. The song itself ... it's growing on me. I like it a little more every time I hear it. And his voice is better than it was in our national selections. But still not good. And the performance is tacky, I really don't see how this can appeal to anyone over the age of 16.  I'm hoping we'll bomb, but the fact that we even got through has made me really confused. Can we actually get anywhere with this? I want to think we can't, but ... oh, my head ... o_O No, this has to bomb!! The world will not make sense to me if this doesn't bomb.

Azerbaijan. Our charming hosts. Who of course have had a difficult task selecting this entry - they need a song that can do well enough to not disgrace themselves, but at the same time isn't good enough to actually win. Ireland famously have no idea how to do this. Azerbaijan may have managed it. One among this year's seemingly endless lineup of big Balkan ballads, but one of the better ones. Good singer, lovely dress, classy presentation. Should do well. I like this song, although I can't for the life of me remember the tune five minutes after I've listened to it. But what else is new. .-)

Romania. A very catchy song, and really different from the previous entry. Beautiful singer. Energetic performance. Moonwalking with a bagpipe isn't really my thing, but I'm sure somebody likes it. Romanians, obviously. Romania is one of my favorite countries in the ESC generally, this isn't among their best IMO, but still a pretty strong entry. Mostly because it's fun. :-) Good luck to Romania - this isn't a winner, I don't think, but could do well.

Denmark. A song that I like a little less every time I hear it. And her outfit is just so distracting. The song starts out catchy, but then gets repetitive ... it's all the same, throughout the three minutes there's no real drama in the melody. It's good, but kind of boring. May do well but won't win ... and doesn't deserve to win either. >:-)

Greece. Now here is someone who actually may really win. This is a serious contender. Very catchy, a pretty singer who does a good job on stage, a fun presentation to watch, ethnic elements that are very clearly Greek ... their winning entry in 2006 also had all these elements. Plus they may get some pity points I suppose. They are so poor that they haven't been able to afford a whole dress for their singer. :-( This entry will do very well and may end up winning the whole thing.

Sweden. Or actually, Greece won't win, because Sweden will!! Go Sweden!! This entry is soo wonderful, it deserves to win. I love it. Extremely dramatic of course, as we've already seen ... but the performance is actually much better than it was in the semi, so now it's even better than it already was. Swoon! A brilliant entry. The one problem it has is that the presentation is so artsy. That may be off-putting to some people. Can't be helped. Good luck to Sweden!! They'll get my vote, and it'll be well deserved. Fingers crossed for Sweden! Stockholm 2013?!!

Turkey. Another entry that will do well, and deservedly so. The song isn't that special, but it is catchy, and the presentations is absolutely wonderful. Best of the night. Those capes are so weird, and you wonder what the hell is up with that, and then suddenly you see what they're for and then it's SO COOL ... !! :-D The singer is charming and the whole entry is just so much fun. I love it. 12 points to Turkey for creativity. :-)

Spain. Now this is one of the best ballads of the night. And the singer is absolutely wonderful. Fantastic. She's probably the best singer tonight. Classy performance. This is one of the best entries from Spain for years. I hope they will do really well so they'll keep sending quality stuff like this. But of course if they win it'd be a tragedy, they'd be ruined ... ! :-D They should do pretty well with this though, but I can't see this as the winner. But good for them, this is a really good entry.

Germany. Another song I really like. Basically all of the Big Five have sent good entries this year. But it's not a song that really suits this context. It's very good, but may end up doing badly. It's too good. :-) By which I mean that's it's not immediately accessible, it's a bit more demanding, and of course an ESC winner has to make a major impact the first time you hear it. Especially from one of the Big Five. So kudos to Germany, they've sent a wonderful song, but they may not get much of a return on their investment. Same as last year. The presentation is also very standard and pretty boring in this context.

Malta. I don't really see what they're doing in this final. But of course I'm happy for them. The song is generic and the singer not much more than OK. But the performance is better than it was in the semi. I really don't have much to say about this. It's OK. Meh.

Macedonia. A song I really really like, wonderful melody, but I really can't get on board with her voice. I don't know what it is exactly. Tanumine says she thinks it sounds strained, and that's exactly right, that's how I'm hearing it. This performance is also better than in the semi. Very catchy. If only they'd had a different singer I'd be digging this.

Ireland. LOL! A huge groan went up from the room here when they were announced. Soo annoying ... ! Blech. Anne Ida wants them to win though. She says that if it's true that RTÉ plans to send them every year till they win, then she wants them to win this year and just get it over with. :-D Me, not so much. I want them to bomb. This entry is slightly catchy but mostly annoying. Sheesh, Ireland!

Serbia. Another of my favorite entries. The opening is absolutely beautiful, we all love it. The presentation is a bit overly dramatic - why do the violinists have to bend like that? - but classy. Wonderful performance from maybe the second best singer of the night. Love this. Should do very well. Go Serbia! :-)

Ukraine. Sorry, but this is trash. I thought this was marginally OK at first but I loathe it more and more every time I hear it. Incomprehensible that it's in the final. Gaitana's not even here to compete, she just wants to get her song out there before the championship Sheesh. This is just annoying. There's not even any verse, it's all just an endless chorus, she just repeats two lines over and over for three minutes. Sheesh. Trash. Barf. I hope they'll come 26th.

Moldova. This is a relatively catchy song, and it's kind of fun too, but the presentation is just so weird. What's with the dancers? Their costumes? The choreography? We can't understand it. Bizarre. Good luck to Moldova, they'll need it.

The voting is on ... !!

Let's see. Sweden - three votes, or was it four? Italy - six votes. One each for Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Iceland, Cyprus and the UK. And one more for Italy! :-)

Voting's over. Now for the interval entertainment ... which of course we've heard a lot about. Starting out with something rather authentic-looking ... and -sounding ... local instruments ... pretty ladies playing violins ... Then lots of dancers on stage, they don't look very authentic. Where's the president's son-in-law? Oh, he is of course being dropped down from the ceiling ... while chewing gum. Sure, why not. Umm. OK, this is just a standard pop song, nothing wrong with it, but wouldn't be on stage tonight if it had competed in the semi. >:-)

Overall this is kind of dull but still miles better than what Germany came up with last year.

Watching the voting - of course watching with great excitement! :-) - and also texting with an Irishman in Istanbul, so now we're already up to the Moldovan results. Sweden in the lead! Yay!! It would be soo fantastic if Sweden won. We have zero points. My faith in humanity is restored. But I feel really bad for the UK. And Iceland! :-( Also very sorry to see Italy doing so relatively badly. I mean since I was hoping they'd win. Didn't think they would, deep down, but I was hoping. And I'm not only saying that because it'd mean we'd have Italian food at our Eurovision party next year. ;-)

Iceland just voted, Sweden in the lead! and Serbia second. Russia doing very well. Host country in a respectable 4th place. What is going on with Albania though, who's been voting for them so much?? We are shocked. But as long as they don't win, I'm sure the Albanians are thrilled. :-D

Finland's got Mr Lordi presenting their votes!! Fantastic!!

Sweden is so going to win this. Yay!! Yay yay yay!! Stockholm 2013! Fantastic!!

N. is upset because now we'll be having meatballs for dinner next year. :-D But KAS says no, we'll have herring! LOL! She is the cook so she'll decide. As long as we don't get a sandwich cake I'll be happy.

Sweden is the winner!! :-D Me so happy!! And Russia came second, Serbia third. Except of course for my broken hopes of Italy, I am very pleased with this result. The best entry won.

And her victory performance is fantastic too. We have learned tonight that Azerbaijan is a nation rich in streamers and confetti. Great show and no more propaganda than is generally to be expected. Kudos to Azerbaijan and congratulations to Sweden!!!

Before the big day

Some thoughts on the six entries we will only see in tomorrow's final, the Big Five and our host.

Fullscreen here.

Baku 2012 - semifinal 2

Here we go ... ! Back to the Crystal Hall, and this time even more exciting, because tonight I and my countrymen can vote. But, fortunately, not until after all the entries have been performed.

Did I mention that I love the green room ... ?

Serbia. One of my favorites this year. They have to get through. I'll be shocked if they don't. The song is beautiful, a lovely melody, the singer is good, the presentation relatively classy, and there's an ethnic feel to it that appeals to a lot of the audience. Wonderful entry, one of the best of the entire lineup this year. Love it. I will vote for them and I'm sure lots of others will too.

Macedonia. (Sorry, former Ottoman dominion of Greece, you can take your FYR and shove it.) This is an interesting entry. I like the song, it has a really good melody and a lot of drive, I like the somewhat rock'n'roll aspect and ... just the song generally. :-) But I really don't like the singer. She has a horrible voice. I know she has a boatload of fans, and she may do well because of that, but for me she really spoils the entry. So I really don't know about this.

The Netherlands. Oh, sheesh. This is one of the seriously weirdest entries this year. They got a good reaction from the arena, but ... look at her! WTF is with that thing on her head?? She makes the Danish singer look as normal as can be. It would have been so weird if the Dutch had sent a song that was about Indians Native Americans, but this is even weirder, because this song isn't about them at all, yet the singer is dressed like one. Personally I don't think the problem is whether this is disrespecftul of indigenous peoples, the problem us that she looks ridiculous. It's extremely distracting. o_O And that's a real shame, because this song is both catchy and sweet. She has a funny voice, but it kinda works with this song. That headdress, though, absolutely does not. This may get through on the strength of the song - the arena seems to really love it - but seriously, WTF.

Malta. One of my general favorites to win one day, because the Maltese would just go apeshit if they won ... !! :-D Valletta any year would be absolutely fantastic. But there won't be a Valletta 2013. Alas. I hope they will win one day, but this song just isn't strong enough to accomplish that. No chance. Kind of a fun entry though, nothing wrong with it as such, but just very generic and standard. Not a very good singer either. Alas for Malta! Better luck next year. One day ... !! :-)

Belarus. Who this year are following an interesting tradition by proclaiming themselves winners in their actual entry. Personally, I think that's a little bit tacky. But that may be just me. The song probably comes into it somewhere too. This is pretty catchy, and rather eye-catching what with the defying of the gravity and so on. But again pretty generic and standard also. May get through though - the lineup is so even this year, so many samey songs, it's really hard to tell. o_O Of course the Belarusians must under no circumstances be permitted to win ...

Roses for the crew, that's a great idea. Thank you for eating! LOL!

Portugal. Oh, Portugal! They never get anywhere but they soldier on. I love that they stick to Portuguese, that's just so wonderful. Gives them a special place in my heart. :-) This entry is one of their better ones. Of course it's not up there with Senhora do mar, but still. V. good. A classy performance. I love her dress. She's an OK singer, I've heard her better than tonight. She may be nervous, perhaps. But this is a really good entry and I hope they will get through. They definitely have a pretty good chance on the strength of the entry. Fingers crossed.

Ukraine. Oh, hello. Well, no one has ever accused the Ukrainians of being subtle, I suppose. This is a song that sounds like it should be catchy, but it gets repetitive very quickly and then it's mostly annoying. The presentation is also very strange. Shabby-looking men in neon-colored dresses playing fake trumpets and dancing like kindergarteners ... ? Oh well. If that's how they want to present it, then be my guest. (See what I did there?) I like the dancers on video, she should just have skipped the real dancers. And the song is also very ... American, I have to say. I don't think that will appeal to very many. I hope it won't. Don't think they'll get anywhere.

Bulgaria. A relatively new contestant that started out a complete no-hoper, but have been sending some much better songs in recent years. Not that they've gotten much in the way of results for it, but still. This is an upbeat dancey song that has an English title, but Bulgarian lyrics, which I think is a little strange, but what can you do. Kudos to her for being alone on stage throughout the entire entry. People should do that more. Tacky outfit, but a relatively catchy song. Not convinced this will break their unlucky streak though.

Slovenia. Who fortunately have lost the giant weirdass headpieces the backing singers wore in their national final. This song was composed by some real big shots - not only Vladimir Graic, but also Hari Mata Hari ... ! It's a traditional Balkan ballad, big and powerful and emotional ... a really good entry, I like it more every time I hear it. Great that it's in Slovene. Wonderful outfits and a great performance. Very good entry, I'll be surprised if this doesn't get through.

Croatia. Another big Balkan ballad. But not as good. And also with a much stranger presentation and a much less classy outfit on the singer. This is one of those very samey songs that the lineup is full of this year ... I can't find much wrong with it, but there's absolutely nothing special about it either. Can go either way. Won't be missed much on Saturday if they don't make the cut.

Sweden ... !! My second favorite this year. Yay Sweden for picking such a wonderful song ... ! Of course they had a wonderful song to choose in the first place, but what the hell. Great that she's mostly alone on stage. They've lost most of the fringe on her outfit, that's great too. This song has such a great melody, and it's soo catchy ... but the entry as a whole has some weaknesses. The presentation is pretty weird, very arty - this is for the young folks, clearly - and her enunciation leaves a little something to be desired. But the song itself is so strong that this has to be a total shoe-in for Sweden. Good for them. :-)

Georgia. Hm. This is one of those songs I don't really know what to say about. It starts out as one thing and then morphs into something else ... which is often a good thing ... this is pretty catchy, and the performance is eye-catching, to say it diplomatically ... Tacky costumes on the dancers. This isn't up to the standard I've come to expect from Georgia, but it's not that bad either. Meh.

Turkey. This year with a singer who's not much good at actually singing, but has written and composed his own song and is charming on stage. I think they come out ahead. The song is pretty typically Turkish - not that there's anything wrong with that - and catchy in a fun singalong kind of way. And although the bat capes on the dancers look a little strange, they have a plan with them ... watch! :-D A creative presentation, I like it. I'll be surprised if they don't get through.

Estonia. Another big Balkan-style ballad. Nothing wrong with it, but there's just so many of them ... ! Not a good slot for Estonia. A pretty song, well performed, good presentation ... good luck to Estonia, it's a quality entry, but it may drown in the sea of similar sounding songs this year.

Slovakia. Finally something that really stands out. :-) Wow, their singer really looks like a girl. Even more than ours. Again, not that there's anything wrong with that. And of course it's the song that counts. *cough*  This is both noisy and catchy - I really like the chorus - and it'll probably appeal to the teen segment of the audience. Not so much to their parents and above, though. I love having the Slovakians in the contest, although they have done soo badly so far ... unfortunately I'm not sure they'll be doing much better this year. The appeal of this may well be too narrow to get anywhere. But kudos to them for thinking outside the really tiny box this year.

Norway. Sheesh. I'm so not a fan of this entry. It has been growing on me though - I like it fractionally more each time I hear it. But of course for most of the voting audience it's down to this one time, so ... His singing voice is slightly better than it was in our national selections, which is good, because then it really sucked. The presentation is supposed to be cool but IMO is just tacky. Only cool if you're 13 years old. I'm a little embarassed watching this. I don't think we'll get through, and in fact I hope we don't. We don't deserve it. A lot of people think that this will appeal so widely because of its eastern rhythms and what not, but personally I'm sure that this isn't what people want to hear from us. Like it or lump it.

Interesting that our commentator mentioned that - supposedly - there was a huge cheer in the arena. I actually didn't catch that. Certainly there wasn't more cheering for us than there has been for pretty much everyone. Also, and this is the interesting part, remember last year ... ? Stella really did get an enormous cheer in the arena. The arena's response to her was through the roof. But we all remember how that went, don't we.

Bosnia. Singing in Bosnian and alone on stage with her piano, me like. But other than that, well ... see Estonia above. A pretty ballad, well performed, classy presentation. But also rather generic. Nothing wrong with it, but doesn't stand out in any way either.

Lithuania. Two songs for the price of one! This song starts out as an emotional ballad, but then he rips off the blindfold, turns a one handed cartwheel and suddenly it's something else entirely. Let's dance! :-D About the blindfold, you may think it's a kooky idea and sort of dumb and all. I thought so too, but now I love it. Because he had a plain blindfold in their national selections, just plain black silk. But now he's in the international contest, so now he has a new blindfold that is covered with sequins ... ! :-D Gotta love it. I also love the presentation of this song. Original and creative. I like this. Ending the show on a high note. :-)

V. good that we can only vote a limited number of times now ... !! I hope that will be introduced in our national selections too.

Now for the voting ... !!

Ooh, superpostcard ... !

OK, three votes for Sweden. Or was it four? Three votes for Serbia. Three for Portugal. One each for Slovenia and Turkey. The rest will have to manage on their own. :-)

That's it, the voting's closed. Now for a tense wait ... and in the interval, something that may be very cool, a medley of previous winners. Ooh.

Dima Bilan all in white, Marija Serifovic all in black. And Alexander Rybak with his violin. Aw. Also some Azerbaijani musicians that none of the rest of us recognize. Lena! And then the whole bunch, plus the hosts, sing Waterloo together. Really badly, but what the hey. Fun for the whole family.

Not much of a cheer for the Big Five. Well, that's understandable, I guess. There is kind of a feeling that they get something for free in this contest. That's probably a lot to do with the fact that - I suspect - a lot of people, or even most, aren't sure why the Big Five have their guaranteed places in the final. The reason is that they are the countries that contribute the most to the EBU, financially. Part of the cost of hosting is covered by the EBU, so this is a way of giving something back to them for their money. Of course this may not be a good thing. Often it's an advantage to have your song heard more than once. But that's the system we have.

And now, the finalists! Oh, the excitement ... !!

Lithuania! Yay!
Bosnia. Well, why not. Some of these have to get through.
Serbia. Yes, of course. Already looking forward to hearing them again on Saturday. :-)
Ukraine. Looking a little less forward to this.
Sweden! Yay yay yay!!
Macedonia. Yeah, catchy, and popular singer. I guess her voice has character.
Norway. Sheesh. Now for the umpteen million articles about how we're going to do soo super well on Saturday and probably win the whole thing and omg ... ! >:-(
Malta! Wow! Didn't see that coming. And they didn't either. :-) Good for them!

And now, Turkey! Come on, Turkey ... !

Yay, Turkey! :-D

OK, that's it. All the slots are filled. Both we and the Swedes are in ... plus Iceland and Denmark from Tuesday. Now can we all agree to remember this for next time we hear someone talking about how it's all an eastern European conspiracy ... ??

Tomorrow's review

My thoughts on the second semi, ie, tomorrow night. :-)

Fullscreen here.

Baku 2012 - semifinal 1

Wheee ... !!

OMG light your fire ... !!1!

First impression is ... pretty great, actually. Interesting blend of modern and historical. I love the inside of the arena. Hard to believe it's all been put together in just one year. Best not think too much about that right now.

Interesting reaction when the last of the big five was mentioned. But this year the UK have at least made some kind of effort. I'm soo glad the voting has been put off till all the entries have been performed. It's really unfair to start the voting immediately ... we've been doing that here for the last couple of years, I really don't like that. Good for the EBU for changing it back to this system.

The postcards are always ... I was going to say always interesting, but of course sometimes they turn out to be dull, but it's always interesting to see what the host has come up with. I like this first one.

Montenegro. This year's weirdest entry. I don't have high hopes for this. The song itself is most likely just too weird to appeal to more than a small segment of the audience and the presentation, well ... pardon, what was that about no political songs allowed? Sorry, not familiar with that. Anyway ... they may be hoping to appeal to young viewers with the breakdancing and the whatnot, but I really can't see this in the final. Just too weird all over. But I applaud them for sending something different ... there are depressingly few genres represented this year, so this is kind of refreshing. Even if it'll bomb.

Iceland. I like this entry. Looking forward to seeing how they'll present it. Ooh, mountains! Yay! This is exactly what I was hoping for ... understated (you have to compare it to their giant floating dolphin in Moscow) and evocative of Iceland. I really wish they would have performed in Icelandic. Oh well. It's dramatic and melodious and really all over an enjoyable entry. Good stuff. And of course it seems all the more impressive after Montenegro. I'm sure we'll be seeing this on Saturday. Already looking forward to seeing it again. :-)

Greece. Now this is a shoe in for the final. I'll be shocked if they don't get through. And they deserve to. Even though you can tell they've done it on the cheap. They haven't even been able to afford more than half a dress for their singer. Who is actually better at singing live than I had feared. So, good for them. They'll do well this year. Although it would be dreadful for them to actually win, of course. ;-)

Latvia. Oh, how I wish this had been in Latvian. And about something else. Because it really is a beautiful song - that is in fact the irony of it. The crazy lyrics totally ruin it. And the performance isn't too great tonight either. (Plus she should have considered a slightly tighter dress, right? o_O) I really don't know what to say about this song. It's just ... no. I really don't know. I think they'll be safe if they've made other plans on Saturday though.

Albania. Well, this song is ... really difficult to pay attention to because of that bizarre hairdo. o_O Good for her being alone on stage though. And wow, she's really getting the audience going. She does have a very striking voice. I think the song is quite beautiful, but it's also obviously very very sad, so that may be a little counterproductive. I'm not sure that this will get people voting. Although she's a very passionate singer, and really puts her heart into it. I'd be happy for Albania actually if they got through. But I'm not convinced they will. Kudos for singing in Albanian though.

Can I just say that I LOVE how the arena is lit up in each nation's colors when the postcards end ... !! :-D

Romania. I like this entry. She's not much of a singer, or in fact she's pretty bad at it, but the song is energetic and catchy. The costumes are very strange, apart from her dress, and I personally would have lost the bagpipes, but that's just me. I'm sure the rest of Europe is wacky for bagpipes. This is a very typical ESC entry ... upbeat, fun, catchy, performed by a pretty girl who can't really sing, and doesn't really mean much. I expect this to get through.

Switzerland. Interesting that there are two sets of brothers with very spiky hair performing tonight. Well, interesting is maybe not the word I'm looking for. This song is a little strange ... pretty boring verse and then really catchy chorus. Another singer who's not so great at actually singing. I like it that this is a little bit outside the genre standard, but this is probably too boring to get through. Poor Switzerland. But I'm sure they can do better than this. It's OK while you're listening to it but not much more.

Belgium. Very young girl performing, but one who can actually sing. I like her voice. Classy and understated performance. A lovely song, a melodious ballad, and she puts a lot of emotion into it ... they'd deserve to get through on the strength of the entry, but I'm worried it's a little too understated to really be noticed. To be honest I wouldn't vote for it myself, even though I like it. Good luck to the Belgians, could go either way.

Finland. Now this is the entry I would vote for if only I could ... !! (Note to foreigners: We can only vote in our 'own' semifinal, ie the one where we're competing. Which is too bad for Finland, because they would get a lot of votes from Norway tonight if that was an option.) I love this song. Soo pretty. I love the theme - it's a love song from a grown child to a mother - the singer is wonderful, the melody is so beautiful, the presentation is classy and understated (SO glad they decided to lose the dancer) and of course I love that she's singing in Swedish with her adorable Finnish accent. She sounds just like the Moomin! Problem is that at least parts of what I like about this song has only local appeal. So if could go either way for Finland too. But they soo deserve to get through ... !!

If you can vote in this semi, please vote for Finland on my behalf ... ! ;-)

Israel. Another entry where I really don't know what to think. I like it, it's fun. Again slightly outside the genre standard. But also again probably too weird. Pretty catchy, and at least makes for an interesting show. But probably too weird, yeah. Kudos to Israel though for sending something totally different after last year.

San Marino. Sheesh. The year's kookiest entry. The singer is doing better than I expected, but she can't disguise how stupid this song is ... and to be honest the presentation is pretty stupid too. Who picked these costumes? No, sheesh, let's get rid of this. It's slightly catchy at first but then just gets annoying. We'll all have a more enjoyable Saturday without this. Glad to know that there's no way they'll get through.

Cyprus. One of my favorite entries this year, but I'm afraid the singer may ruin it with her performance. Well, with her singing, actually. And ... yes, she is probably doing that. :-( The performance is certainly ... energetic enough, the presentation is pretty good and the song is really catchy. If only they had had someone who could actually sing! Alas. Fingers crossed for Cyprus, I hope they'll get through, but having seen heard this, I'm not convinced. :-(

Denmark. What is the deal with her outfit?? Seriously? Who picked that? Or possibly, who failed to talk her out of this? In fact there is nothing but bad wardrobe choices on stage right now. It's distracting. The song itself is, well ... I actually liked this quite a lot when I first heard it, but it's like every time I hear it I like it a little less. That's not good, is it. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but there's nothing special about it either. And that outfit really is distracting ... especially the hat. And the sunflowers, what's the deal with those? Oh, and 'insh'allah' ... ! Yes, a Muslim country is hosting for the first time. What a wonderful occasion to pander. >:-( Good luck to the Danes, they're going to need it.

Russia ... !! Yay for Russia!! I totally dig their entry this year. Not the song as such, the song's not that special. But the entry as a whole is just wonderful. Grandmas! :-D When I say that there aren't a lot of genres represented, don't forget that within a genre there can be a lot of creativity too. ;-) I love this whole idea. Respect! to Russia for sending this. They MUST be in the final. I'll be shocked and appalled if they don't get to the final ... ! The entry's too gimmicky to win, most likely, but it's soo wonderful. We have to have it. :-)

Hungary. When I first heard the name of their performers this year, I was expecting something totally different. But hey, confusion gets our attention, I guess. And the song needs a little help ... like the Danish entry it's an OK song, there's nothing wrong with it, as such. But it's also rather bland and too ... standard. We've all heard this before. IMO they should have made this much more of a rock song, that would have stood out, and could have really helped them. But it's too late now. I won't be surprised if this is the last time we hear this.

Austria. Right. Although the songs are mostly pretty samey this year, there are some that stand out. Like this one. Which really stands out. This entry is theoretically fun, but in practice, mostly tacky. I'm really not sure who they think this will appeal to. It seems to be getting a good reception in the arena, but will people at home vote for this? I think not. I can't imagine we'll be seeing this again on Saturday. I certainly hope we won't.

Moldova. This is a pretty catchy song with pretty awful lyrics. Good thing most of the audience won't understand enough English to really get how bad they are. Would have bombed if they'd stuck with the same godawful presentation, but they've changed the outfits, so ... maybe there's a vague chance? The choreography's pretty hopeless. Meh. Probably not.

Ireland. Oh, yay, Jedward's back. They really are. Seriously, Ireland? Now you're not even trying. Same performers as last year, but with a much less catchy song. That doesn't immediately seem like a brilliant move, but who knows. They have slightly less crazy hair now. And look, they have a water ... fountain ... thing! And their song is about water! That changes everything! Or maybe not everything. 8th place last year, less than 8th this year.

My computer crashed like three times in the past half hour so I'm way behind right now ... the results are in as I'm writing this. The interval entertainment was good, really interesting. Now I don't have time to list my predicitions, alas! We'll have to look through the above. ;-) Now the results ... !

Romania. Yup.
Moldova! Well, good for them. Less good for us.
Iceland! Yay!!
Hungary. Really? Huh.
Denmark. Wow. And people say this is all decided for the easterners ... ?
Albania! Oh, good for them!
Cyprus. Whew! She didn't ruin it. :-)
Greece. Yes, of course.
Russia! Whew. I almost got a little nervous. But of course they're in. :-)

Who will be the last ... ?? Finland??

Ireland. So no. Alas!

Well, you win some, you lose some. It's hard to tell this year, because the lineup is so even and mostly so samey. None of the really shitty entries got through though. Tee-hee. Already looking forward to Thursday ... !! :-)