Books I've read in 2010 - February

Death of a Nobody by Georges Simenon (a Penguin 60)
American Eve by Paula Uruburu
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - AUDIO
Dette blendende fravær av lys by Tahar ben Jelloun
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Talking with Serial Killers by Christopher Berry-Dee
De profundis by Oscar Wilde
Seierherrene by Roy Jacobsen - AUDIO
Natt til fjerde november by Karin Fossum
De dødes tjern by Bernhard Borge - AUDIO
What Should I Do If Reverend Billy Is In My Store? by Bill Talen
The Way Through the Snow by Lian Hearn

9 printed books, 2,314 pages.

3 audiobooks, 37h 10m.

Favorite fiction:

I guess I have to say the Moroccan book - the English title is This Blinding Absence of Light. A heart-wrenching story, but also deeply moving and inspiring.

Favorite nonfiction:

American Eve. A fascinating portrait of New York ca 1900.

Favorite audio:

I'm tempted to say De dødes tjern, but I'm not sure if that can really count, since it was 'just' a reread. But there's no one title that really stands out this month.

Quote of the Week

90% of all supernatural phenomena are due to rats. The remaining 10% can be explained via mice.
André Bjerke aka Bernhard Borge, De dødes tjern

Danish cowardice

Freedom of speech was struck a severe blow in Denmark today. One of the country's biggest newspapers, Politiken, has, as the result of a Faustian deal they have entered into with eight Muslim organizations, issued an apology for reprinting Kurt Westergaard's Mohammed cartoon (the one with the bomb in the turban). They ran the cartoon in 2008, as a protest against a planned terror attack against Denmark. Now they're apologizing ... not for printing the cartoon, and they're not saying they'll never print it again (yeah, right), but in true spineless idiot style they are apologizing for the fact that Muslims are feeling offended.

These people in those eight organizations must be really stupid. I didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sorry that you're such an idiot that you're letting it get to you. Who buys that shit?? o_O

But that's of course merely a minor point. I was very very sad to hear this news. (Although, I'm sure, nowhere near as sad as Westergaard must be. For once I agree with Vebjørn Selbekk ... they are stabbing the guy in the back. >:-(

I've heard some people say 'what's so wrong with apologizing' - well, how about because there's nothing to apologize for?? This brings up a question that I've never gotten a satisfactory answer to, namely, the following.

What can possibly be an acceptable reason that the rules and restrictions of a religion or any other set of beliefs should be binding upon those who do not adhere to said religion or belief? Riddle me that, Mr Wayne ... o_O

I've also heard people talking about 'respect' and how freedom of speech is all well and good, but at what price? and why is it wrong to 'show some respect'? The answer to the first is very simple - at any price. I wish people would get this through their heads. Our freedom of speech is the bedrock of Western society. Without it, we'd have nothing. No price can be too high. As for the other question, the answer should be obvious there too. It's wrong to 'show respect' towards these people - and by 'these people' I mean those Muslims, both here in Europe and back in the middle ages Middle East, who feel that religious beliefs (or at least their own) should be exempt from criticism, ie, freedom of speech - because to their deluded minds, showing respect means submission. They rant and rave about how offended they are -> we say we're sorry for making them feel offended -> they've won. Easy peasy. We must not submit!!

What we need to do instead is to make these people and all their supporters understand that having offended feelings is just a state of mind. You choose to feel offended. Muslims need to take control of their lives, take control of their own minds!! Unfortunately, far too many of them are mentally crippled by a lifetime of religious thralldom, and they're incapable of exercising that control. It's actually really sad. But as Ford Prefect said, Fuck 'em. You can't feel sorry for every little thing.

You're offended, I'm offended, bla bla, who cares. It doesn't matter whether it's offensive, it only matters whether it's true. I'm glad to see that other Danish newspapers are not on Politiken's side.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark ... but what else is new. >:-( Here's hoping it isn't too late. We'll all just have to keep watching to see who the next gang of thugs will be who will get their irrational way using threats of violence.

Arts & crafts

Remember my post last month about new year's resolutions? I said that I was going to do more crafts this year, and that I had already done pretty well with it ... infinitely better than last year, alas ... and in the comments I said that I would be posting some photos of the things I've made, 'soon'. Well, it's been less than a month, I'm sure under many circumstances that can be called soon.

OK, so, some photos ... with explanatory texts. :-) All of this stuff was made to be sent off in swaps I've been doing over at Swap-bot ... it's a site that's just dangerously addictive ;-) if you like to do crafty things and get mail. :-)

A mixed media portrait kind of thing of another swapper's pet cat.

A bookmark and a coaster, intended to kind of sort of match.

Some earrings.

Something fun I've discovered over at Swap-bot is an ... art form, or whatever ... that is perfect for me. I'm pretty impatient and only semi-talented, so inchies are the perfect art form for me. They can be any media, any material - the only rule is that they have to be four inch square. I've had fun making these recently. :-)

These were the first ones I ever made, I was pretty happy with them. The recipient seemed to like them a lot, that was a relief. :-) The theme was 'Under the Sea'.

Free theme, ie no theme ... just decorate them any way you care to. I'm really happy with the BookCrossing one, that was pretty clever. If I do say so myself. :-)

Theme 'Butterflies' ...

Some ideas just don't work in the inchie format, there just isn't room ... so it's a good thing you can also make twinchies, which are the same thing except two inch squares. :-) I've only made one set of these so far - free theme again, but I tried to make some that I thought the recipient would like. They haven't arrived yet, though, so I can't say. :-)

London 2010: Around and about

Here are some glimpses from London last week. I'm making several videos, the others are more specific ... from our visits to the Dickens House Museum and to the National History Museum, for instance. This is just the random glimpses that don't fit anywhere else. :-) Still, might be fun to watch. There's, let me think ... the Hungerford bridge across the Thames, the bust of Nelson Mandela by the Southbank Centre, a bagpipe player on Trafalgar Square, wall decorations at Charing Cross station, some singers in Covent Garden ... This and that. :-) Enjoy. :-)

NORWAY 1995 - Nocturne

So, in 1985, we won the ESC ... our winner was the composer and musician Rolf Løvland. He really got into it, because he competed again in 1987, and then again in 1994. :-) He also was a part of the Norwegian team in -92 and -93, as conductor. This was back when they used real musicians. Oh, those wonderful days of yore. But anyway. He is really into the ESC, and he is also a very versatile guy when it comes to music ... his 1985 entry was one style, and when he competed again ten years later, that entry was in a completely different style. I mean, like you'd hardly think it was the same guy. o_O That year he added a little extra to his entry, though - he was on stage himself, performing the song with his ... band, I guess, Secret Garden. And, rather surprisingly, he won again. By the standard of the time a quite solid victory. Norwegians beside themselves again, ten years later!! :-D

The song stirred up some controversy, though - the Swedes in particular (and what a coincidence) were quite upset with us as they felt we were in violation of ESC rules which clearly state that entries cannot be instrumental, but must have lyrics. Which this song has ... although not a lot. Sweden lodged an official complaint against us, but got nowhere. Alas for our brothers across the keel. 25 words of lyrics are still lyrics, apparently.

This is Secret Garden performing Nocturne by Rolf Løvland and Petter Skavland. They competed at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland on May 13th, 1995 and won. And oh, how happy the Irish were to unload the damn thing onto us ... !! :-D



Lyrics with translation here.

News from Tarrytown

Which is the name of the town where Henry's Crime was shot. Isn't that an adorable name?? It sounds like someplace in the Shire. :-D Anyway, they're struggling financially because of the credit crunch, so it was a really good thing for them to have the movie people come in and spend money on coffee and what not. And Keanu is such an awesome guy cause when he went in the post office 'he actually stood in line'. OMG OMG OMG!!!1 That's what the article says - that he 'actually' stood in line. :-D

Anyway, here's the article. Those movie folks are so fantastic, they paid like parking fees and everything!! OMG!!1

I wish he would stop smoking. I normally defend his intelligence, but you've got to be pretty snowed in to take up smoking at age 3o.