This crazy guy is Paul the Chef. Last Saturday was his last night in the kitchen at Zucchero. Look how insanely happy and stressed out he is! Were's the f*ckin' strawberries man!!?
I wish him loads of zen like peace in his new life in Tuscany.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
paul
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
narko
Can you trust tangerines with this label on them? Narko? Tasted okay, but I felt a bit dizzy...
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
sakine bahceci, sanningen & saddam hussein
I en krönika i tisdagens City skrev Sakine Bahceci: "De flesta är överens om att USA inte ska smita i dagsläget! Det riktigt ruggiga är att färre dör i dagens kaotiska Irak, än vad det gjorde i genomsnitt under Saddams mer än 30 år vid makten. Stryk under nu. Tre miljoner människor, 100 000 om året, 2000 i veckan. Och fler massgravar lär hittas."
3 miljoner döda. Hemska siffror. Men det finns några små problem med Sakines krönika. Först, Saddam var president i 24 år (1979 - 2003), inte i mer än 30 år. Sakine räknar antagligen med Saddams period som vice president under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr också. Sedan över till de tre miljonerna. Hon talar aldrig om vad hon bygger den siffran på. I en liknande krönika skriven av Stephen Cass från april 2003 nämns helt andra siffror. Han refererar till Human Rights Watch och The Documental Centre for Human Rights in Iraq. Siffran som nämns är 600 000 varav ca 500 000 dog i kriget mot Iran. Ett fruktansvärt krig som varade mellan 1980 och 1988 med ca 1,5 miljoner döda. Från 1982 stödde USA öppet Saddam's Irak och levererade mängder av vapen. USA var även direkt inblandat i strider med Iran. Även Tyskland, Frankrike och Soviet stödde Irak med vapen. Saudi Arabien och Kuwait lånade ut pengar. Efter kriget var Irak skyldigt Kuwait enorma 14 miljarder dollar, något som kan ha bidragit till Saddams beslut att invadera Kuwait 1990.
Tillbaka till de 600 000 döda som Human Rights Watch nämner. Det är fruktansvärda siffror även om ca 500 000 av dem var offer för kriget mot Iran. Men det är långt kvar till de 3 miljoner dödsoffer som Sakine nämner. Är hennes siffror säkrare än Human Rights Watch? Eller lät 3 miljoner "bättre" än 600 000? Detta trots att Saddams facit när det kommer till mänskliga rättigheter är katastrofala. Jag kan inte riktigt sluta fundera över varför det är så stor skillnad mellan Sakines siffror och Human Rights Watch. Vem har rätt? Jag har inte en aning!
Monday, November 22, 2004
staden vs. sovkuben
Senaste Agenda på statliga TV 2 hade ett inslag om bostadsbyggande och segregation som var väldigt intressant. De var inne på att nya bostadsområden bör byggas som gamla stadskärnor, inte som miljonprogrammets sovstäder. Sovstäderna, långt i från varandra och från centralorterna, blir som små öar omslutna av osynliga murar; motorvägar, järnvägar och stora avstånd som tillsammans förstärker segregationen. Att de dessutom saknar arbetsplatser och naturliga mötesplatser förvärrar problemen ytterligare. Nya områden som byggs bör innehålla olika typer av lägenheter, allt från ettor till fyr- och femrummare. Kanske ännu större lägenheter. Dessutom ska det finnas arbetsplatser, kultur, kaféer, restauranger och affärer i områdena. Detta för att locka olika typer av människor till området. De bör heller inte isoleras av stora avstånd och dåliga kommunikationer. Man tycker att allt detta borde vara självklart. Till och med jag har nämnt det tidigare. Så frågan vi måste ställa oss är - varför görs inget för att ändra på detta? Marknadshyror eller statliga bidrag har inte lyckats lösa problemet. De fungerar bara som undanflykter. Vi vet vad som behövs! Det är bara att låsa in Stockholms klåfingriga politiker och "Skönhetsrådet". Sen anlitar vi några bra arkitekter och byggföretag. Jalla!
Sunday, November 21, 2004
paul & ayman - are they on to something?
After watching Adam Curtis's fantastic BBC documentary The Power of Nightmares I've started to think a lot about what had been said. Could Paul Wolfowitz and the Neoconservatives and Ayman al-Zawahiri and the Islamists be on to something? Is the liberal democracy something chaotic and bad? Well, not necessarily. Trade unions, strikes, feminism, violent demonstrations, gay activism, rock'n'roll, riots and short skirts doesn't have to mean that the freedom of a liberal democracy is something bad. On the contrary. But that's the Neoconservative and the Islamist view apparently. And their favourite "solutions" to these "problems" are patriotism and religious moralism. And if that's not enough they have the Politics of Fear! The evil enemy that threatens to destroy our way of living! Soviet communism, American imperialism or Islamist terrorism - just choose your favourite fear. With these tools they can create a democracy that's mostly harmless and easy to control.
Well, now to my point... or, well, the thing I've been thinking about. What if there's another way to solve these "darker" sides of todays liberal democracy - the riots, the strikes, the violent demonstrations and... well, not the short skirts... Something other than patriotism, religion, fear or media sedatives. How do we keep the democracy vital and meeningful? It seems like freedom without basic equality leads to social unrest and civil disorder. Maybe because people don't like to be poor, hungry, powerless and constantly f*cked by a wealthy elite that protects its power and property violently. So what about basic economic and social equality? A society without huge social and economic inequalities will be a much more stable and happy society. Less riots, less strikes and less violent demonstrations. So it all comes down to three alternatives:
-A fake democracy based on religious fundamentalism, patriotism/nationalism and fear
-A fake democracy plagued by chaos, ruled by monopolies and oligopolies and protected by a violent police force
-A true democracy based on economic, political and social equality
Make your choice! Am I a f*ckin' hippie commie or what!!!????
SL and Connex must Die! Part 2
Why can't commuter trains work in the winter? How hard can it be? This is me and my fellow travellers packed as animals in the small bus that came instead of the train. At least 50 people were left behind. I hope they didn't froze to death in the snow.
SL and Connex must Die! Part 1
The train broke down, as usual during the winter. It totally suck's! This is me and my fellow travellers, standing in line, waiting for the bus and freezing our asses off...
dn & "tjuvsamhället"
Niklas Ekdal på DN:s ledarsida är alltid rolig. I Söndagens DN skriver han: "Om vi vill få ner sjukskrivningstalen krävs högre självrisk och skärpt kontroll. Om vi vill ha bort svartjobben krävs lägre skatt på efterfrågade tjänster, i vissa fall subventioner. Om vi vill ha en vit bostadsmarknad krävs marknadshyror eller laglig handel med kontrakt. Frågan är bara: vill vi detta, eller vill vi bygga vidare på ett tjuvsamhälle?"
Vad kan man säga om det? En hel del tycker jag. Om vi börjar från början.
"Om vi vill få ner sjukskrivningstalen krävs högre självrisk och skärpt kontroll."
Ah, det är det som är problemet! För lite kontroll och för låg självrisk. Det är både möjligt och troligt att en del människor fuskar med sjukskrivningar. Men samhällsmoralen går oftast uppifrån och ner, inte tvärt om. Är moralen i den s.k. samhällseliten låg så genomsyrar det resten av samhället. Alltså, vill vi få ner sjukskrivningstalen och slippa ett tjuvsamhälle så bör vi börja med att städa bort dagens fuskande direktörer, politiker, företag och byråkrater. Där efter kan vi ta tag i fuskande svennar. Har personligen inte märkt av något sjukskrivningsfusk på de ställen där jag har arbetat. Ofta har det varit tvärt om. De anställda har jobbat fast de har varit sjuka och borde vara hemma. När de tillsist kraschar så blir de långtidssjukskrivna och kostar samhället betydligt mycket mer än om de hade tagit sjukledigt en eller två dagar när de behövde det.
"Om vi vill ha bort svartjobben krävs lägre skatt på efterfrågade tjänster, i vissa fall subventioner."
Jag har ett förslag då Niklas. Ett skatteavdrag för alla oss i förorterna som använder svarttaxi! Varför bara pigavdrag när man kan ha ett chaufföravdrag också? Kollektivtrafiken suger ju verkligen på kvällar och nätter. Många av oss som vill kunna gå ut i bland fast vi bor utanför Södermalm och centrala Stockholm tvingas till att använda svarttaxi ifall vi vill slippa stå och frysa i en timme i väntan på en nerspydd, trång nattbuss. DN:s ledarsida får sin städhjälp och vi som bor ute i förorten får en billig och säker hemresa på kvällar och nätter. Kan det bli bättre? Vissa borgerliga skribenter påstår ju att pigavdraget skulle skapa 100 000 nya jobb, tänk då hur många jobb som skulle skapas om vi hade ett chaufförsavdrag också! Det finns inga gränser!!!
"Om vi vill ha en vit bostadsmarknad krävs marknadshyror eller laglig handel med kontrakt."
Jag skulle vilja påstå att vad som behövs är fler bostäder, inte marknadshyror. Sluta bygga trista sovstäder, bygg riktiga städer i stället. Städer som rymmer arbetsplatser, kaféer, restauranger, affärer och inte bara sovkuber. Problemet är att alltför många människor i Stockholms politiska, ekonomiska och kulturella elit förlorar på fler attraktiva bostäder i Stockholm. Det skulle sänka värdet på deras bostads- och hyresrätter. Alldeles för många har använt sitt boende som ett sätt att tjäna pengar istället för vad det borde vara till för... boende. Fler bostäder skulle punktera bostadsekonomin och många skulle förlora investerade pengar. Skulle Stockholmsinnerstads väljare acceptera det? Det är det verkliga problemet och det blir inte löst av några marknadshyror.
"Frågan är bara: vill vi detta, eller vill vi bygga vidare på ett tjuvsamhälle?"
Måste vi verkligen välja mellan Niklas Ekdals vision eller tjuvsamhället? Vad är skillnaden?
Vad kan man säga om det? En hel del tycker jag. Om vi börjar från början.
"Om vi vill få ner sjukskrivningstalen krävs högre självrisk och skärpt kontroll."
Ah, det är det som är problemet! För lite kontroll och för låg självrisk. Det är både möjligt och troligt att en del människor fuskar med sjukskrivningar. Men samhällsmoralen går oftast uppifrån och ner, inte tvärt om. Är moralen i den s.k. samhällseliten låg så genomsyrar det resten av samhället. Alltså, vill vi få ner sjukskrivningstalen och slippa ett tjuvsamhälle så bör vi börja med att städa bort dagens fuskande direktörer, politiker, företag och byråkrater. Där efter kan vi ta tag i fuskande svennar. Har personligen inte märkt av något sjukskrivningsfusk på de ställen där jag har arbetat. Ofta har det varit tvärt om. De anställda har jobbat fast de har varit sjuka och borde vara hemma. När de tillsist kraschar så blir de långtidssjukskrivna och kostar samhället betydligt mycket mer än om de hade tagit sjukledigt en eller två dagar när de behövde det.
"Om vi vill ha bort svartjobben krävs lägre skatt på efterfrågade tjänster, i vissa fall subventioner."
Jag har ett förslag då Niklas. Ett skatteavdrag för alla oss i förorterna som använder svarttaxi! Varför bara pigavdrag när man kan ha ett chaufföravdrag också? Kollektivtrafiken suger ju verkligen på kvällar och nätter. Många av oss som vill kunna gå ut i bland fast vi bor utanför Södermalm och centrala Stockholm tvingas till att använda svarttaxi ifall vi vill slippa stå och frysa i en timme i väntan på en nerspydd, trång nattbuss. DN:s ledarsida får sin städhjälp och vi som bor ute i förorten får en billig och säker hemresa på kvällar och nätter. Kan det bli bättre? Vissa borgerliga skribenter påstår ju att pigavdraget skulle skapa 100 000 nya jobb, tänk då hur många jobb som skulle skapas om vi hade ett chaufförsavdrag också! Det finns inga gränser!!!
"Om vi vill ha en vit bostadsmarknad krävs marknadshyror eller laglig handel med kontrakt."
Jag skulle vilja påstå att vad som behövs är fler bostäder, inte marknadshyror. Sluta bygga trista sovstäder, bygg riktiga städer i stället. Städer som rymmer arbetsplatser, kaféer, restauranger, affärer och inte bara sovkuber. Problemet är att alltför många människor i Stockholms politiska, ekonomiska och kulturella elit förlorar på fler attraktiva bostäder i Stockholm. Det skulle sänka värdet på deras bostads- och hyresrätter. Alldeles för många har använt sitt boende som ett sätt att tjäna pengar istället för vad det borde vara till för... boende. Fler bostäder skulle punktera bostadsekonomin och många skulle förlora investerade pengar. Skulle Stockholmsinnerstads väljare acceptera det? Det är det verkliga problemet och det blir inte löst av några marknadshyror.
"Frågan är bara: vill vi detta, eller vill vi bygga vidare på ett tjuvsamhälle?"
Måste vi verkligen välja mellan Niklas Ekdals vision eller tjuvsamhället? Vad är skillnaden?
Saturday, November 20, 2004
malte!
Attention all living beings in the Universe! Behold Malte - 51 cm's and 3200 g's! This means that I'm a friggin' uncle now! And he looks just like my brother - sorry Johanna : )
snow plow
The commuter train is late as always so I have time to check out the snow plow. Could my life actually get any more boring? Luckily my brother called and said that he and Johanna were on their way to the maternity hospital. Their son Malte is on his way out and I hope everything will work out just fine. Exciting!
sledge premiere
I'm on my way to my work at the restaurant. It's 16.58 and I watch the sledge première on the hill in front of my access balcony. Looks fun - but I have to run to catch the train.
winter stkhlm
This is Stockholm as seen from my commuter train. I'm on my way back home after another hard days work. It's 13.45.
car park
It's 8.10 in the morning and I'm on my way to the commuter train. I take a short stop to enjoy the pure beauty of the car park.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
walk!
This traffic sign is decorated with small entrance stickers from the Museum of Natural Science. Watch out for science!
deer
The deer is the creation of Peter Baranowski a.k.a. Klisterpete. The deer is such a surreal and cool piece of art. Klisterpete seems to work a lot together with swedens other urban art genius Akay.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Thursday, November 11, 2004
free vanunu!
Once again Mordechai Vanunu has been arrested by Israeli police. That's Israel, the "only democracy in the Middle East". A great example for the rest of the Middle East, Israel behaves in just the same way you'd expect countries such as Saudi Arabia, Syria or Iran would. Can't imagine what kind of spectacular government secrets he could have found in his prison cell during the last 18 years of which 11 years were served in solitary confinement. Maybe some secret Kabbalist formula of absolute boredom? And shouldn't 18 years be enough for Israel to change rutines and create brand new secrets? In 1986 IBM and Apple were the major players in the PC market. IBM's estimated combined PC sales were around 7 million units, Apple claimed 5 million. An IBM AT with 2 Megs of RAM, a 30 MB hard disk, and a laser printer would set you back about $13000. Or you could choose the 8 MHz Mac Plus with with 1 MB of RAM and a new double-sided 800 KB floppy drive (no hard disk) for $2,600. Hello Israel, some things must have changed since then? Free Vanunu!
the power of nightmares
I've seen the light and it came in the form of a BBC documentary called The Power of Nightmares. Finally a voice of reason in this crazy world and a really good analysis of the Politics of Fear. The Power of Nightmares presents the history of two of today's most influential political groups, the American neo-conservatives and the Islamists. The old guys on the picture above are two of the main characters, Sayyid Qutb and Leo Strauss.
The most controversial conclusion in The Power of Nightmares is that today's official and dominating image of Al-Qaida as the International Terror Superpower simply does not exist in reality. There is no huge international terror network with tens of thousands of well-trained terrorists and sleeper cells all over the world controlled by one supreme and evil mastermind, Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaida "training camps" did not "train thousands of militant Muslims from around the world". There are of course Islamist training camps here and there in the Muslim world, but they are not controlled by Al-Qaida. There is no underground Al-Qaida mountain fortress in the Tora Bora mountains, just a couple of small caves. The Al-Qaida is not a Islamist superpower, it's just a loose group of people that believes that their fight against the US will unite nationalist Islamist militants (like Hamas, Hezbollah, Chechnyan and Kashmir separatists etc) around the world. This idea was originally promoted by the Islamist Ayman al-Zawahiri as a response to two resent events in the Muslim world. First, the total failure of political Islamism, they were outmaneuvered and imprisoned in almost every Muslim country were they tried to participate in the elections. Secondly, the failure of Islamist terrorism in Egypt, Algeria and other Muslim countries, it didn't manage to scare the majority of the citizens into fundamentalist Islam.
Ayman al-Zawahiri hoped that spectacular attacks against American targets would impress people in the Muslim world and make them support and join his militant version of Islamism.
You'll find a short summary of this excellent documentary here:
Part I, "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Part II, "The Phantom Victory"
Part III, "The Shadows In the Cave"
If we compare the influence of Islamism on today's Muslim world with the influence of radical socialism and communism on Europe during the 70:s we'll find that the R.A.F. was very well known and feared back in the 70:s but the Leftist terrorism in Europe back then didn't have that many active members and supporters. Eventhough different socialist and communist ideologies had a big impact and influence on the western society back then and loads of sympathizers there still were no huge support for western Leftist terrorist organizations. The Baader-Meinhof Gang, The Socialist Patients Collective, The Red Army Fraction, Movement 2 June, Revolutionary Cells and West Berlin Tupamaros didn't even have a hundred active members together. Probably the Al-Qaida has the same amount of active support. But nationalist and separatist terrorist movements like Hamas and Hezbollah most likely have a much bigger popular and active support. Just compare those Leftist terrorist groups with nationalist or separatist terrorist groups like the IRA, UDA, ETA and others and see who have had the biggest support and longest life. In the long run nationalist and separatist terrorism (sometimes camouflaged as Islamist, fascist or communist) will be a much bigger and dangerous problem than the Al-Qaida.
arafat - the man, the myth, the loser
Today, the 11 november, Yasser Arafat was officially declared dead. Most swedish newspapers focused on his bad sides. Like the corruption and his lack of interest in democracy. I agree with both of those. He was not a great leader and he was not a good leader. But I disagree with one of the newspapers most common accusations and that is that it was Arafat's fault that the peace process ceased and then died. That he had had the chance to say yes to peace - but choose to say no.
The background of those accusations are the failed Camp David 2000 Summit which was meant to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ehud Barak and US president Bill Clinton put the blame of the failure on Yasser Arafat. Barak claimed he exposed "Arafat's true intentions". Later, Barak was blamed by Israeli left wing politicians that he killed the Israeli peace movement by presenting Arafat as a "peace refuser". After this both neo-conservatives, neo-liberals and other right wing groups have tried to re-write history. And you really have to re-write history to make that offer the bargain of a lifetime. I quote wickipedia: "Palestinians claim that accepting the offer would have the effect of reducing the Palestinian state to what they characterized as "Bantustans:" scattered pieces of territory separated by highways for Israelis, security checkpoints and Israeli settlements. In addition, under the Israeli proposal, Israel would control the Palestinian state's water resources, borders and customs, and a further 10% of the West Bank under nominal Palestinian sovereignty (chiefly along the Jordanian border). Israelis counter that these terms were necessary to preserve Israeli security. Palestinians said this was not an offer of peace but a demand for complete surrender, that they were not offered a state but a prison camp". You can find more details here. It would have been totally suicidal by Arafat to agree to that "peace offer". Almost no Palestinians would have accepted it and then the whole point with the "peace offer" would have been lost. It would have been absolutely impossible to create a stable Palestinian democracy under those conditions. Extremist groups would have gained tremendous in force and ruined all dreams of a lasting democratic state and a lasting peace with Israel.
I think it's hard to find any reasons for promoting such a deal - it was bound to fail. Maybe Barak and Clinton actually believed in it. But I have a hard time understanding why. The offer was way to lame. Arafat is not to blame for the collapse of the peace process. He just refused to accept a really bad deal and had nothing better to offer himself. He was just one of international politics sad losers. May he rest in peace.
Monday, November 08, 2004
star wars episode 3: the phantom fury
Today the US assault on Falluja begun. The US military is calling the assault on the Iraqi city "Operation Phantom Fury." Yeah, that's it! "Operation Phantom Fury" Sounds like a f**kin' Star Wars movie. And who's the Phantom? Donald, Dick, Darth or George?
Saturday, November 06, 2004
vatos locos
Ey, vatos locos! Too much sugar and halloween? As your former teacher I advice you to slow down...
Some Cultural Input No. 5
Loads of culture tonight! First a great short movie (Rendezvouz), and now it's time for two fantastic albums.
Let's begin with Lucifer Rising. This almost mythical soundtrack, by Kenneth Anger and Charlie Manson protégé Bobby BeauSoleil, is finally released on CD. It was created for Kenneth Angers legendary movie with the same name. It's sold in a nice 2-disc fold-out digipak set with an interesting 32 page colour booklet that contains all the background story you'll need alongside pictures of those involved, original promotional material and shots from the movie. The music is both dark and radiant, weird and beautiful. It's a perfect companion to Kenneth Angers invocation and apologia of the Light God Lucifer, the Morning Star. The sound is rich and impressive, even though it was recorded inside Tracy Prison during 1977 - 79 on home built equipment. This is a total must have for all fans of kosmische musik and progressive rock.
And then - another prog-rock classic. Genesis magnum opus The Lamb Lies down at Broadway from 1974. This surreal concept album is totally impressive. Loads of great themes and details. Why can't anyone make music this beautiful, inventive and complex nowadays? Released on two fantastic CD:s that don't even once try to sell me a pair of jeans, a soda, a boring lifestyle or some other useless crap! It's such a relief from all the lightweight sellouts that dominate todays "alternative" or "independent" music scene. It is a true masterpiece. Songs like Carpet Crawlers, The Waiting Room, In the Cage, The Lamia, Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats, Ravine are just some of all the memorable songs on this album. I never get tired of it. It's the absolute peak of the prog-rock era. So shut up and listen to the old man now - check out these excellent albums!
Some Cultural Input No. 4
Just saw Claude Lelouch's "C'etait Un Rendezvous" a.k.a. Rendezvouz again. Wow, what a movie! It's just a 9 minute long insane drive through Paris in the early morning with Claude Lelouch himself behind the wheel. You don't see him, the camera just shows what's infront of the windscreen. It's a single-take, no special effects, just the sound of the engine and tyre squealing. In the end he make a harsh stop in front of some stairs at Montmartre with this fantastic view over Paris. He runs out of the car at the same time as a beautiful lady comes walking up the stairs to meet him. It's the Rendezvouz! They hug. Sunrise over Paris. End. Simple but perfect! Like a speed racing haiku.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
tower
Jao len, today we built this totally excellent tower. I'm the supreme f**kin' architect! Next time we'll reach the sky! ; ) Hahaha!
joe hill - the man, the myth, the ashes
Joe Hill was executed by firing squad on November 19, 1915. That's 89 years ago. Not that far back in time. His last words were "Don't mourn for me. Organize!" Hill's body was sent to Chicago were it was cremated. His ashes were purportedly sent to every I. W. W. local. In 1988 it was discovered that one envelope had been seized by the U. S. Postal Service in 1917 because of its "subversive potential." The envelope, with a photo affixed captioned: "Joe Hill murdered by the capitalist class, Nov. 19, 1915," as well as its contents, was deposited at the National Archives. After some negotiations, the last of Hill's ashes was turned over to the I. W. W. in 1988.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
one happy little devil
Do you feel sad and depressed about the fact that once again 51 or 52 per cent of those 50 per cent of the americans that actually bothers to vote seems to have choosen George W Bush and made him the Prez for another 4 years? Well, don't waste your time. Rejoice! Be happy! Now George W himself and his Team Godzilla will have to take responsibility for the last four years and clean up the big f**ckin' mess they've created. There are even rumours that the only voice of reason (or the only weak link if you're a bible quoting Randian Bush lover) in the Bush administration, Secretary of State Colin Powell, will resign or be forced to leave. Maybe that's because "the truth is, neither party (Bush nor Kerry) is fully reckoning with the reality of Iraq—which is that the insurgents, by most accounts, are winning. Even Secretary of State Colin Powell, a former general who stays in touch with the Joint Chiefs, has acknowledged this privately to friends in recent weeks, NEWSWEEK has learned".
Maybe that lesson and others will give the Democrats enough courage to become something better and more inspiring than just Republican Light. Now they have four years to think things over. I wish them good luck! And George W - good luck with the cleaning - you'll need it!
Monday, November 01, 2004
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