:: Thursday, November 25, 2004 ::

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

It seems that that age-old American tradition is once more upon us: Turkey Day! Of course, here in Sweden, there is no Thanksgiving. However, Sweden does have its own native people, the Sami (aka Lapps), though I don't think early Swedish settlers needed Sami help, nor do I think they repaid that help by slaughtering the Sami. In fact, the Sami are still alive and well up in Lappland, which actually incorporates the northern reaches of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. And I doubt there would be turkey, as the Sami herd reindeer. But that's another story.

So no celebrations here. In fact, I haven't even seen any turkey in any of the three nearby grocery stores I patronize. So I envy those of you with a day off of work, eating and having fun. Fortunately, I don't have any classes today. Instead, I'm doing laundry, working on schoolwork, and I finally bought a space heater this morning to heat up my chilly room! Yay!

So things are good - we got more snow yesterday - good, wet snow that makes perfect snowballs, enough that I'm sore today from the snow battles I took part in last night.

Enjoy the day and be thankful. I am. Happy Thanksgiving!

Swedish word of the day: kalkon, which means "turkey"

:: posted by Rob 1:10 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Rite of Passage

On Friday I finally took part in that oh-so-Swedish weekend activity known as going to Systembolaget. Yes, after almost 3 months here, I finally made it to the state-run liquor store. To those of you in places like Virginia, that might not seem so strange, what with Virginia state ABC stores. But here in Sweden, Systembolaget is run by the national government, and unlike in Virginia, you can't even get beer or wine in grocery or convenience stores. (Actually, you can get beer at grocery stores, but it's called "light beer," as in so light on alcohol [2-3%] as to barely be beer at all.) So if one wants "real" beer, or wine, or liquor, one goes to Systembolaget. In this way, the Swedish government can impose high taxes on alcohol as well as try to control the amount of alcohol imbibed by Swedish citizens. Does it work? Well, they do "stigmatize" patrons of Systembolaget by putting your alcohol in a horrendously ugly green bag that brands you to all who see it as a drunkard and a lush. But judging by the numbers of people one sees with the aforementioned green bags (particularly among the university students in Britsen), I would have to say most people dont seem that affected.

For my part, I ended up buying some wine with some friends so we could have hot spiced wine that night before going out, some "real" beer for myself, as well as that delicious Swedish yule-time drink, glögg. Like beer, glögg is available at grocery stores, though at 2.2% (barely alcoholic). Systembolaget carries both 10% and 15% glögg. I decided to take the middle road, and went with 10%. Of course, as I was drinking with my friends, I got to taste very little of it, so I suppose I'll be returning to Systembolaget in the not-too-distant future. Mmmmmmmm, glöööögg...

Swedish word of the day: öl, which means "beer"

:: posted by Rob 3:42 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Snö!

Today we got our first snow in Falun! It's only like 5 or 6 cm (about an inch), but we've all been waiting for the first snow - we are in Sweden after all, the supposed "land of eternal winter" or something. So while it's not quite enough to completely cover the grass, it is nevertheless quite beautiful. And it's probably going to stay below zero, so any further snow will just add to this. Looks like winter has finally come to Sweden! I'm sure it'll be even nicer whenever the sun comes out.

I took some pics of the snow, but I can't get the pics to show up here. Nevertheless, you can see them here on my photoblog.

Swedish word of the day: snökaos, which means "snow chaos," which of course, is what happens when it snows!

:: posted by Rob 5:25 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Talar du engelska? Javisst!*

One thing that continually amazes me is the pervasiveness of English-language culture here in Sweden. First, virtually everyone, and I mean everyone, speaks English here. And while most Swedes are somewhat shy in speaking English, thinking perhaps that their English isn't very good, nothing could be farther from the truth. They don't know just a few words here and there, but conversational, fluent English. Now this could have something to do with Swedish TV. Unlike many other countries, Sweden does not dub foreign programming, they just subtitle it in Swedish. What this means is that Swedes have daily access to English-language TV all their lives, which can only help their fluency in English. This is the other part of Swedish English-language culture. I can't miss American TV or pop culture, because I see it every day on TV. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Oprah, Scrubs, ER, you name it, they've got it (except the O.C. and Alias, but hey, no country's perfect). And almost every night on TV is an American movie, usually a couple to choose from on separate channels. I don't think Blockbuster would do very well here. Same goes for movies (in the theater) as well - unless it's a kids' movie, it's subtitled not dubbed, so it's really not that different from going to a movie in the States.

So it serves two purposes: it helps the Swedes speak better English (and I mean amazingly so, for what I was expecting in a foreign country), and it makes it incredibly easy for a non-foreign-language-speaking expatriate like me to live here.

In fact, about the only negative thing about it is the fact that it makes it hard to learn Swedish, since you always have English to use as a crutch. (That and the fact that they also have the worst American reality shows here - Fear Factor, For Love or Money, and now I hear, Paradise Hotel is coming too - that's a negative too...)

*Swedish words of the day, meaning "Do you speak English? Yes, of course!"

:: posted by Rob 1:22 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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Whispers in the Dark

One thing that I've really noticed while going to school here in Sweden is the absolute rudeness of the European students in class. Don't get me wrong, they're fine people, good Europeans, but during virtually every lecture I've had, other people in the class are constantly talking among themselves, usually just whispering, but sometimes actually out loud as well! There's this constant background susurration that is really annoying, and sometimes it reaches the level that it's actually hard to hear what the professor is saying. And of course, the typically non-confrontational Swedish pedagogical method means the professors say nothing about it and continue with their lectures as if half the class wasn't completely ignoring them and talking amongst themselves. I now tend to sit closer to the front just so I have a better chance of hearing the teacher, but it gets to the point sometimes where I want to turn around and scream SHUT UP!!! at the top of my lungs.

And the really strange thing about it is that these other students constantly talk about how strict and formal the universities are in their home countries, so you know they aren't used to talking in class like that (the Swedish educational system is very informal; it's a cooperative experience, and you call professors by their first names). It's like once formal discipline and restrictions are lifted, they feel free to act however they please, kind of like a dog who spends all his time behind a fence and then one day finds the gate open and bolts for his freedom.

I just thought that university students were slightly more developed than dogs.

/end rant

Swedish word of the day: håll käften! which means "shut up!"

:: posted by Rob 3:48 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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"Let the eagle SOOOOAAAARRR..."

Who woulda thunk it, but could something positive have actually come out of the last American "election"? It seems our good friend Attorney General John Ashcroft has resigned. Maybe there actually is justice in the world, though probably not at the Justice Department.

Ashcroft, in a five-page, handwritten letter to Bush, said, "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."

Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever.

"Yet I believe that the Department of Justice would be well served by new leadership and fresh inspiration," said Ashcroft.

Word up, J.J. You got that one right, at least.

"I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons," Ashcroft said.

Like a career in music, perhaps?

The entire article can be seen here.

Let's hope Bush tries to redeem himself a little bit and replaces him with someone a bit less, oh, I don't know, fascist? Heck, at this point, a doorknob would make a better Attorney General, especially if it repealed some of the worst abuses of the Patriot Act.

And now, let us remember dear, departed John with a remix of his classic tune "Let the Eagle Soar":

Let the eagle soar,
Like she's never soared before.
From rocky coast to golden shore,
Let the mighty eagle soar.
Soar with healing in her wings,
As the land beneath her sings:
"Only god, no other kings."
This country's far too young to die.
We've still got a lot of climbing to do,
And we can make it if we try.
Built by toils and struggles
God has led us through.

Let the eagle soar,
Soar with freedom in her breast
So long as she's appropriately dressed
And not exposing her chest.
As the lands beneath her say
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away."
But we shall overcome.
We won't let the First Amendment
stand in our way.
O, let the eagle soar,
but the Bill of Rights ignore
'cause we're in a state of war
Yes, let the mighty eagle soar.

Rock on, John. Rock on.

Swedish words of the day: rättvisa, which means "justice," and örn, which means "eagle"

:: posted by Rob 3:34 PM [+] :: 1 comments
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God Help America

Well the election is over, and the people of the United States of America have once again confirmed my decision to leave it for the fair shores of the Kingdom of Sweden. The election was followed quite closely over here, by Swedes and other Europeans studying here. Both the BBC and Swedish state TV carried election coverage. Everyone was pretty disappointed when the results came in that Bush had won. And then of course came the questions. As one of the few Americans studying here, people wanted to know how and why "we" elected him again. And I had nothing to tell them, other than the fact that I considered myself in exile in Sweden, and was boycotting the whole country. It's really sad, and a bit scary too. A lot of people over here are concerned what the next four years might bring. I know for me, it's going to bring a renewed effort to do my best to stay here in Sweden for at least the next four years.

That said, I'll now leave you with the UK Daily Mirror's front-page election article, "God Help America." I think it sums up perfectly the almost universal European feeling about this lastest electoral travesty in the U.S.

GOD HELP AMERICA

Nov 5 2004

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN..


THEY say that in life you get what you deserve. Well, today America has deservedly got a lawless cowboy to lead them further into carnage and isolation and the unreserved contempt of most of the rest of the world.

This once-great country has pulled up its drawbridge for another four years and stuck a finger up to the billions of us forced to share the same air. And in doing so, it has shown itself to be a fearful, backward-looking and very small nation.

This should have been the day when Americans finally answered their critics by raising their eyes from their own sidewalks and looking outward towards the rest of humanity.

And for a few hours early yesterday, when the exit polls predicted a John Kerry victory, it seemed they had.

But then the horrible, inevitable truth hit home. They had somehow managed to re-elect the most devious, blinkered and reckless leader ever put before them. The Yellow Rogue of Texas.

A self-serving, dim-witted, draft-dodging, gung-ho little rich boy, whose idea of courage is to yell: "I feel good," as he unleashes an awesome fury which slaughters 100,000 innocents for no other reason than greed and vanity.

A dangerous chameleon, his charming exterior provides cover for a power-crazed clique of Doctor Strangeloves whose goal is to increase America's grip on the world's economies and natural resources.

And in foolishly backing him, Americans have given the go-ahead for more unilateral pre-emptive strikes, more world instability and most probably another 9/11.

Why else do you think bin Laden was so happy to scare them to the polls, then made no attempt to scupper the outcome?

There's only one headline in town today, folks: "It Was Osama Wot Won It."

And soon he'll expect pay-back. Well, he can't allow Bush to have his folks whoopin' and a-hollerin' without his own getting a share of the fun, can he?

Heck, guys, I hope you're feeling proud today.

To the tens of millions who voted for John Kerry, my commiserations.

To the overwhelming majority of you who didn't, I simply ask: Have you learnt nothing? Do you despise your own image that much?

Do you care so little about the world beyond your shores? How could you do this to yourselves?

How appalling must one man's record at home and abroad be for you to reject him?

Kerry wasn't the best presidential candidate the Democrats have ever fielded (and he did deserve a kicking for that "reporting for doo-dee" moment), but at least he understood the complexity of the world outside America, and domestic disgraces like the 45 million of his fellow citizens without health cover.

He would have done something to make that country fairer and re-connected it with the wider world.

Instead America chose a man without morals or vision. An economic incompetent who inherited a $2billion surplus from Clinton, gave it in tax cuts to the rich and turned the US into the world's largest debtor nation.

A man who sneers at the rights of other nations. Who has withdrawn from international treaties on the environment and chemical weapons.

A man who flattens sovereign states then hands the rebuilding contracts to his own billionaire party backers.

A man who promotes trade protectionism and backs an Israeli government which continually flouts UN resolutions.

America has chosen a menacingly immature buffoon who likened the pursuit of the 9/11 terrorists to a Wild West, Wanted Dead or Alive man-hunt and, during the Afghanistan war, kept a baseball scorecard in his drawer, notching up hits when news came through of enemy deaths.

A RADICAL Christian fanatic who decided the world was made up of the forces of good and evil, who invented a war on terror, and thus as author of it, believed he had the right to set the rules of engagement.

Which translates to telling his troops to do what the hell they want to the bad guys. As he has at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and countless towns across Iraq.

You have to feel sorry for the millions of Yanks in the big cities like New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco who voted to kick him out.

These are the sophisticated side of the electorate who recognise a gibbon when they see one.

As for the ones who put him in, across the Bible Belt and the South, us outsiders can only feel pity.

Were I a Kerry voter, though, I'd feel deep anger, not only at them returning Bush to power, but for allowing the outside world to lump us all into the same category of moronic muppets.

The self-righteous, gun-totin', military lovin', sister marryin', abortion-hatin', gay-loathin', foreigner-despisin', non-passport ownin' red-necks, who believe God gave America the biggest dick in the world so it could urinate on the rest of us and make their land "free and strong".

You probably won't be surprised to learn of would-be Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn who, on Tuesday, promised to ban abortion and execute any doctors who carried them out.

He also told voters that lesbianism is so rampant in the state's schools that girls were being sent to toilets on their own. Not that any principal could be found to back him up.

These are the people who hijack the word patriot and liken compassion to child-molesting. And they are unknowingly bin Laden's chief recruiting officers.

Al-Qaeda's existence is fuelled by the outpourings of America's Christian right. Bush is its commander-in-chief. And he and bin Laden need each other to survive.

Both need to play Lex Luther to each others' Superman with their own fanatical people. Maybe that's why the mightiest military machine ever assembled has failed to catch the world's most wanted man.

Or is the reason simply that America is incompetent? That behind the bluff they are frightened and clueless, which is why they've stayed with the devil they know.

VISITORS from another planet watching this election would surely not credit the amateurism.

The queues for hours to register a tick; the 17,000 lawyers needed to ensure there was no cheating; the $1.2bn wasted by parties trying to discredit the enemy; the allegations of fraud, intimidation and dirty tricks; the exit polls which were so wildly inaccurate; an Electoral College voting system that makes the Eurovision Song Contest look like a beacon of democracy and efficiency; and the delays and the legal wrangles in announcing the victor.

Yet America would have us believe theirs is the finest democracy in the world. Well, that fine democracy has got the man it deserved. George W Bush.

But is America safer today without Kerry in charge? A man who overnight would have given back to the UN some credibility and authority. Who would have worked out the best way to undo the Iraq mess without fear of losing face.

Instead, the questions facing America today are - how many more thousands of their sons will die as Iraq descends into a new Vietnam? And how many more Vietnams are on the horizon now they have given Bush the mandate to go after Iran, Syria, North Korea or Cuba...?

Today is a sad day for the world, but it's even sadder for the millions of intelligent Americans embarrassed by a gung-ho leader and backed by a banal electorate, half of whom still believe Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11.

Yanks had the chance to show the world a better way this week, instead they made a thuggish cowboy ride off into the sunset bathed in glory.

And in doing so it brought Armageddon that little bit closer and re-christened their beloved nation The Home Of The Knave and the Land Of The Freak.

God Help America.

A link to the article is here.

Swedish word of the day: landsförvisa, which means "expatriate"

:: posted by Rob 7:01 PM [+] :: 1 comments
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"Seems such a long time ago..."

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been forever and a day since I last posted. My only excuse is that I was very busy with my last course, Why Revolt?, and with the paper I had to write, entitled Hasta la Victoria Siempre: A Comparative Study of Revolution in Cuba and Bolivia. (If anyone actually wants to read this scholarly masterpiece, let me know, and you can soon have a copy in your very own email inbox. PLUS, it guest-stars Che Guevara!) So apologies again, and although I'll still be busy with my new course, Comparative Social Policy, I promise to try and update my blog more frequently. First up: election woes.

Swedish word of the day: folkhemmet, which means "people's home," aka the Swedish welfare state

:: posted by Rob 6:09 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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