fett grymt

Languages are mysterious things. Words find new meaning. A highly negative word becomes a term of adoration.

We just got ourselves a new word for being cool, outstanding, brilliant.

We found "grym" which used to mean "cruel". That's right, cruel like in cruelty to little creeps.

du är så grym - you're simply outstanding

Not necessarily cruel, though. Or does that matter anymore? A language and how it evolves probably says something about us and our time. Finding out exactly what it says is left as an exercise for the reader.

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others on svenska

andra om svenska

Silvio is back

I attended a big rally in Rome some years back and I can still hear the ladies standing next to me (alright, not the youngest ones) shouting "Silvio, Silvio" at the mere thought of Him appearing. Which he didn't. But you've got to hand it to him, this is not a politician without magnetism. Not surprisingly he has once again won an undisputed victory for his coalition in the national elections so it'll be Prime Minister Berlusconi again although he'll remain "Silvio" to his devoted fans.

Most foreign comments are rather negative. He's not serious, he's incompetent, we're told. Let's take the "competence" matter. As far as I know his recent government remained in power for five straight years between ordinary elections and this had never happened in post-war Italy. That's sufficiently serious and competent in my book.

Berlusconi is an eccentric person. I certainly wouldn't endorse everything he says and does but then again but I wouldn't do that for any politician. Facts remain, the Italians put their hopes once again in this media mogul, he will have a strong power base in the parliament and the economy will need some tough measures. Let's see what happens. It won't always be predictable, it will never be boring.

Silvio is back.

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others on berlusconi

andra om berlusconi

living daylights

My old pager handles Daylight Savings Time by itself, automatically adjusting on the minute. Then I got my previous cell phone which handled this automatically but only after first asking me for confirmation. Then I got a new cell phone. It hasn't got a clue and I'm back to manually setting the time twice a year. I wonder what kind of progress we'll have next time.

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others on daylight savings time

andra om sommartid

if you don't like the song...

I wonder what it is about the yearly Eurosong qualification race that generates such a lot of negative vibes with many citizens. There are plenty of examples but this was particularly evident with the entry "I Love Europe" with Christer Sjögren in the first round. The song immediately qualified for our national finals so obviously I'm not the only one appreciating it. It did get a lot of votes.

But that was not the only thing it got. Lots of negative remarks about not just the song but the singer as well, not to mention the senile segment of the population who allegedly constitute his fan base. The commentator in our national public radio seemed to enjoy this and did nothing to provide a bit of balance. This artist happened to be the most senior one in the contest. In another country that might have generated a bit of respect. He also happens to be the most qualified vocalist and has more experience than his competitors have between them.

If you don't like the song, just say so and cut the crap. After all it's about songs and not about bad-mouthing the artists or their fans. Let's use this occasion to stay positive, enjoy the contest and appreciate the diversity in musical styles.

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others on christer sjögren

andra om christer sjögren

the free lunch revisited

Admittance to some national museums is free for youngsters but grown-ups have to pay a small fee. This is a more generous policy than has been in place over the years but it's still a reversal of the populist policy of the former government which introduced free entrance seven days a week for everyone. Swedes generally prefer the idea that someone else pays for everything (in case anyone wonders why we have the highest taxes) and this area is no exception. Complaints emerge from all corners of the political spectrum.

Why can't we have free entrance? I'll tell you why. Because resources are limited. Our national defense, our police force, schools and hospitals are sectors crying out for reinvestments. Whenever I enter a museum I can rely on the taxpayers subsidizing most of the cost for me anyhow. Why would it be unreasonable to pay a symbolic entrance fee? What does it cost to take the family to a hockey game? A movie? Do your own math and compare.

Recent statistics shows that fewer people visit museums these days. Possibly. Is that a problem? It probably means that some people passing by, looking for a toilet or visiting the café of the museum now go elsewhere. It probably means that those who do visit on average stay longer and see more. Is that a problem? It probably means that littering and vandalism will go down so the museums can concentrate on their mission. More curators and fewer guards. Is that a problem?

It's an old expression, valid none the less. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

others on stockholm

andra om museum

"stockholm by me"

Photo blogs are a dime a dozen these days. I was old enough to understand I wouldn't become rich or famous and yet I started a bunch of new ones. What drives me?

I like words. I like writing. I want to write. I need to write. I keep writing wherever I am. Ask any colleague and they could tell you about endless emails on all sorts of topics. Writing, that's me. So what could be better than publishing? The web log is perfect for that. Simple, cheap technology, available to anyone these days. Yes, a web log. (At least one!)

Words are what makes me tick. Doesn't have to be my own words. I love being an "editor". The person who brings stuff together from several contributors into a seamless flow, tries to put it all together into something appealing to the reader. And then provides feedback. "Hey folks, next week we need something about this." The unsung hero of publishing, the editor. I'd love to become one and I'll keep on training as long as my friends allow me to... ;)

Last but not least I want to learn about photography. Getting those photos every month in very different circumstances is good training. After all, I'm not a very good photographer. But I intend to become one. Stay tuned for that...

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others on stockholm

andra om stockholm

"stockholm by us"

I'm not a very good photographer. That would take some talent and - besides - I got my first camera at age 39 so I consider myself junior in the area of photography. I do like snapping photos and given enough effort I'm able to find some nice shots once in a while. There are zillions of photo blogs in this world so one might wonder what would be the point of starting not just one but several new ones for Stockholm. Well, I wanted to and together with some friends I did.

First you need a topic which isn't already fully covered. Like Stockholm. There were a number of local photo blogs when we started in October 2005, some of them good but sometimes lacking in focus. They are mostly run by single individuals which means that when that person has other stuff to do the blog dies for a while (much like the one you're reading!) and when that person travels somewhere the blog is suddenly about an entirely different place. We wanted to "do" Stockholm, always Stockholm, very much of Stockholm and Stockholm in many different ways - since we're fortunate to be a team.

Then you have to find your niche. We noticed that many who publish their own photos put a lot of effort into the picture and then forget about the rest. Wouldn't it be nice with a caption, a comment, some clues on what went through the mind of the photographer? Yes, we said, and that would become our niche. Shouldn't be a novel but some words to go with the photo.

Spending many hours every week on this kind of a project requires a bit of motivation. I'll return to that topic another day.

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others on stockholm

andra om stockholm

Svågertorp

So I did get myself an autumn week in Scania after all. I deserved that! Beside delicious fish, warmer weather, more daylight and friendly people I got to see a bit of successful city planning. I'm talking about the railway station Svågertorp or Malmö South. Yes, it's a noisy and windy place but it's a commuter's paradise. At the intersection of two highways you have access to all sorts of regional train connections, be it to Kastrup or Lund, Gothenburg or Humlebaek. A thousand cars, maybe more, patiently wait for their respective owners who didn't have to drive into central Malmö for their train connections. Why can't we have decent satellite stations around Stockholm? Learn from Malmö and do it now, please!

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others on malmö city planning

andra om malmö pendling

going the extra mile

Sometimes you find yourself in the swim of things.

Scene 37, take 1:

Me in one lane. I'm doing fairly well. Slower than last year since I had to take a break for several months due to an injury but there's still hope. Back in the weekly routine now, sort of.

In the next lane, this guy. A bit faster. Not much but keeping a steady pace I can't follow. So what, he might give up after 500 meters like so many others, I think to myself. Oh no. He continues and swims the same distance I do. Same pace all the way. Ok, so he's a bit better but I'm improving too. He leaves the pool before me. Then I notice. This guy has only one leg.

Curtains, please.

others on de coubertain

andra om handikapp

from Baghdad to Rotebro

-They’re still out there by Stockholmsvägen. Shall I drive the same way back again?

The bus driver is evidently shaken. Her bus has just been bombarded with stones by a gang of youngsters. One of the windows is merely a memory. The line ends at our commuter train station, she’s supposed to pick up passengers and drive the same route back. It’ll take about two minutes to reach the spot where the attack took place. Finally an answer on the radio:

-Drive the usual route. Call us if it happens again.

It’s a warm summer night, I might as well take a walk but if she has to go through this, so could I. During the two minute drive we talk about previous attacks, about how different windows in the bus are not equally resistant, about a passenger being injured on the same front seat where I'm sitting. When we reach the spot where stones were raining ten minutes ago the kids have fled or maybe they found another pastime.
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Random violence has become routine. From Baghdad to Rotebro, evil is all around is.

others on sollentuna risk

andra om folkhemmet våld