Mid June. The days are long and the sun hasn't even set yet, but the moon is up and it looks wonderful against the clear blue sky.

We've had a lovely day today, which can be summarized like this: a small outing in the surroundings, picking up bricks at the local hardware store, then coffee at our neighbours', a huge thunder storm, a nice but uncomplicated dinner, a bit of photo editing as the weather improved tremendously, and now a bit of blogging. Wonderful.

Two debate articles published in DN discuss feminism from two very different angles. The first one, "Kære svenskere" (Dear Swedes) written by Danish extreme liberal and anthropologist Dennis Nørmark, who argues that Swedish feminism has gone too far and that Sweden is the feministic equivalent of muslim Saudi Arabia. This article was published yesterday and today Swedish feminist Nina Björk responded with the article "Vi tolererar inte dansk sexism" (We do not tolerate Danish sexism) asserting her view on the issue. The two articles were a collaboration between the Swedish newspaper DN and its Danish equivalent Politiken and the two authors had been invited to write them. The articles have attracted a lot of attention and initiated a heated debate. Almost racist remarks are common and the cultural divide between Sweden and Denmark is accentuated.

I think this is very, very sad and I decided to write the following:
"Quite naturally there are cultural differences between Denmark and Sweden, but the fact that DN and Politiken invite two writers who are positioned extremely far apart with regard to feminism (seemingly for the sake of debate itself) accentuates the wide gap between their political views more than their cultural origin. This gap would, most likely, also be visible between Nina Björk (and those who sympathise with her) and Swedes who sympathise with Dennis Nørmark's opinions, subsequently making it a completely Swedish issue. In general this discussion has very little to do with Sweden and Denmark as countries.

To make my own viewpoint clear: Dennis Nørmark's ideas are very far from my own, but I also think that Nina Björk is not entirely correct in everything (although I sympathise with her arguments to a far greater extent).

Ultimately, it all began with a heavily criticised Danish TV show in which two men were supposed to prove that they could discuss various topics while a naked woman was present in the studio, thus refuting any argument that men would be unable to do so. Personally I think it's a stupid idea, but I can easily avoid watching it (as many Danes have done as the number of viewers have dropped significantly over the weeks). The show was debated in Denmark, and the reactions were even stronger in Sweden (although the show wasn't aired there) when feminists heard about the concept.

In the article, Nørmark seems to take the TV show, and the Swedish reactions to it, as an excuse to trash Swedish feminism and Swedish debate, which might seem natural when considering his political affiliation. Nevertheless, I wouldn't view his article as any more than one man's annoyance with regard to feminism. A chauvinistic attitude can be found among individuals in Denmark and Sweden alike, but I have also met many men, in Sweden as well as in Denmark, who are highly sensitive to gender-based injustice and are willing to work for increased equality. In my opinion, the fault line on this issue doesn't necessarily run between women and men — or between Denmark and Sweden.

The public debate in each country rests on different foundations to some extent (since it evolves in different ways in different cultures), but in this case it seems as if DN and Politiken try to accentuate the differences (not the similarities) between Sweden and Denmark by setting up the two extremes against each other — as if to see what happens — and encourage the readers' anger and resentment towards that which seems alien. Media has a tendency to highlight that which they know will initiate a debate, and the debate itself is usually not a bad thing, but to make it seem as if every citizen of an entire country is in agreement with someone (or a few) who in fact is/are fairly extreme in a political sense, is not correct either. A parallel would be that a foreigner might believe that all Swedes have become racist just because Sverigedemokraterna (the 'Swedish democrats' — an extreme right-wing racist party) are visible in the public debate. Let the responsibility lie on those who express these idiotic views."

Right-wing prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has stressed that he does not intend to go to Husby (or any of the places where violence has erupted). He seems to view the youths involved in these riots as troublemakers and urges the police to come down on them heavily.

The opposition leader, social democrat Stefan Löfven, on the other hand, visited Husby without media knowing it very early on because he wanted to "find out directly from the people involved what was behind it all."

The difference on the political level is striking. On a "lower" and very hands-on level, fireman Mattias Lassén wrote an open letter on Facebook to the kid that had been throwing stones at the fire brigade saying that he simply couldn't grasp this behaviour. He wrote that he'd be more than willing to put his own life on the line to help the stone-thrower's sister if a fire started in her kitchen, if his father had a car accident, or if the stone-thrower himself went through the ice on some warm March day (he wrote several more examples to the same effect), and subsequently he didn't understand why he suddenly was to become the target of the big rock that was hauled through the windshield of the fire truck and hit his helmet.

In a subsequent interview, Mattias Lassén explained his view further and said that we all have to remember that each of the individuals involved in this, on either side, are just individuals with talents and links to each other in other capacities. We should never let othering happen, since this would make it even more difficult to find a functional solution.

The general public in Sweden seems torn. There are some voices calling for a strong police force to "take care of those vandals" and punish the parents of the rioters. Other people feel that it's the police that are the bad guys when using too much force and that society/those in power are to blame. Thirdly, there seems to be a view arguing that the riots are an overreaction and a heavy hand from the police would be as well. People with this view often see the origins of these clashes in the politics of the current right-wing government or in the outsider status of these youngsters (since they have had virtually zero chances of getting a job or becoming integrated in Swedish society), but they also stress that riots, setting fire to cars etc are unacceptable as tools to achieve integration. Professor Ulf Bjereld, for instance, argues that a historical overview, less moralisation, and a less romantic view on violence are needed, and, in addition, he urges the state to step up and take responsibility.

It has been discovered that many of the youngsters that have been arrested in the last few days already have a criminal record. This complicates the image further, but it also underlines the limited chances these kids have had and the need to politically deal with issues of integration in a manner that is inclusive rather than exclusive.

It would be possible to draw parallels between what is happening in Stockholm and in other places in Sweden today and what happened in France in 2005 and in Belfast earlier this year. It doesn't necessarily have anything at all to do with immigration, just about being vulnerable and feeling that nobody listens. It might become a huge problem when this vulnerability and despair is used by groups with other agendas, be it political or criminal. In my opinion, this is the major danger in situations such as these.

Image borrowed from Channel News Asia.

The blasts at the finish line at the Boston marathon yesterday were horrific and the number of people affected by this is simply too high. As of yet, the public doesn't know who the perpetrator(s) is/are, media are brimming with personal accounts and more or less angry reactions, and the president, and the rest of the United States, is praying for the victims and their families. I'm very sad about the deaths and the injured in Boston, and their families, who are going through a frightful experience that is likely to affect them for the rest of their lives, but I'm also happy for those who were lucky enough to get out of this ordeal unharmed.

On a more political level, let's hope this doesn't lead to something that resembles a vendetta, in which whole nations or large groups of people stand against each other because of actions performed by only a few, and the rhetoric becomes black and white. There is so much at stake at a time like this, as history has taught us.

On a far more mundane level on this foggy and rainy Tuesday morning, we're about to pick up the new bathroom mats from H&M (seen in the photo above), the children are at home due to a pretty bad cold, and I'm preparing tomorrow's work. Our thoughts are in Boston, but the trivial and the fateful go hand in hand on a day such as this one.

Today I tied up several loose ends work-wise after two or three pretty hectic weeks and there is not that much more to be done before the holidays. This feels great of course, but at the same time it seems rather empty at the moment, the way it does when body and mind is used to simply keep going and definitely isn't used to rest. It's as if I don't know what to do with my time.

To be fair, I know I won't feel like this tomorrow, because by then I'm probably focused on something entirely different, something I've forgotten about for a while that will emerge simply because there is no more pressing things to attend to. For me, this is to be in between projects (be it work or private endeavours) and I somehow like these moments of "in-between-ness" in my work and my life.

...new job! And yes, I know this blog is specifically not about work, but I nevertheless want to share the news that I have a new job starting on July 1st. This last year has been difficult on many levels. The accident shook our foundation in a major way (and kept me off the job market for more than four months). We have moved twice(!) in less than a year and the area is still new to us, although we've found quite a few favourite spots. Our oldest was attacked and hit at the beginning of March by two unknown boys at his own age, and five days ago we lost quite a bit of our belongings in a burglary.

In view of all this it feels great to be able to share the news that I have found a new(ish) workplace. It is actually the same place where I worked six years ago although my role has changed slightly since I have a PhD now. In the autumn I will be teaching a few distance courses and supervise essays, and I really look forward to working with that bunch of people at that particular university again. I can't wait to get going!

This winter hasn't really been one, since we've hardly even had any frost. The photo above was taken on New Year's Day and ever since it has been only green lawns to look out on as we wake up in the mornings. It can be chilly, usually because of the wind, but the temperature has rarely dropped below 0°C/32°F. Yesterday it was snowing, but the snow disappeared as soon as the flakes hit the ground. It's such a contrast to last year's almost excessive snowing.

The lack of snow makes me feel as if Spring is already here as the light is returning. I'm almost surprised by the cold as I walk out the door, however, which makes me realize I'm probably a bit too optimistic, but I'm happy to see tulips and daffodils in the stores. Perhaps they will help me through the last part of January and February. By then the temperature hopefully has caught up with my Spring feelings.

Ironically, as the new year begins both T. and I are engulfed in the past. We are researching our ancestors and T. has managed to find evidence of relatives as far back as 900 AD, while I have found relatives born in the 13th century. We have revelled in our discoveries of noblemen and priests, mountain engineers as well as peasants as we have tried to piece their lives together. If they had not lived we would not have been here today. Our minds reel.

As we're moving into the new year we're also hoping for a less tumultuous one than 2011 proved to be. We have made it though. We're all in one piece. All of us feel fine now, although a bit tired from time to time, and we are eager to focus less on the recent past and more on the future. We do not know what it will bring, but at least we're increasingly more free to think of it now. Last night we toasted the end of 2011 as well as the beginning of 2012. Let's hope it will prove to be a wonderful year. Happy New Year, everyone!

Since I will be leaving my current employment at the end of June, I also have to hand in my work computer, a 13" MacBook Pro, and my iPad. I've been pondering whether to buy new versions of each from Apple Store, but a few days ago I found a fairly new — and reasonably priced — MacBook Pro on Blocket, and contacted the seller. Today we went to see it, and, since it looks really good, I also bought it and, after transferring everything I have on my work MacBook, I'm actually typing this on my new one. It's great.

The iPad is a different issue, and I have not yet decided whether I should buy one or not. It might be fun with one in white, though...

We went to look at the houses yesterday and I can't say that we were any closer to making a decision afterwards than we were before. The older one of the houses is really nice and it has all the space we want, but it is clearly not in the location where I would want us to live. The local school has a pretty bad reputation and we could see that the area is not that nice either. The newer house, on the other hand, is in a location that is really good with really good schools in the vicinity, but the house itself is unfinished, which really puts T. off the idea. The children like the older house far better than they like the new one, so that doesn't help much either. I guess it's simply chaos in my head right now. We need to make a decision soon, however, and I'm not sure what options we might otherwise have. Phew.

UPDATE: We decided not to take any of them. Keeping our fingers crossed for other options.

Almost. May 2nd, 1986, to be precise. We were driving through a wonderfully sunny and warm north-eastern Poland. We were all at least dimly aware of what had happened in the not so distant Chernobyl only a few days earlier, but the information had not been extensive. We had brought Iodine pills, which we were to take dutifully, one each day. I remember us having a break by the roadside, goofing around and laughing, but we all felt there was a shadow lurking in the oh so bright blue sky.

Our journey took us over the border to Eastern Germany and we took the WWII concrete transit route just north of Berlin. It felt like driving on a railroad with its constant and rhythmical thud. Towards late afternoon we arrived at the West German border, and suddenly our journey stopped. We were not allowed into the country.

Men in white protective clothing, sinister-looking dogs, and geiger counters soon came towards us and they checked ourselves, our bus, and all our luggage. In a very serious manner they asked questions about the aim of our journey and they were rather upset, frankly annoyed, with our recklessness in choosing this route. We were not contaminated, however, but it was dark before we were let into West Germany. I'm not entirely sure how the group leader managed to find lodging for us all — but he did. This was only the beginning of a very strange journey through a Europe not really clear about what had just taken place.

A lot of people around the world need help at the moment, and the most recent example of this can be found among the earthquake victims in Japan. The subsequent problems at the nuclear plants and the recent news of an awakening volcano, Shinmoedake, might lead to even larger problems for the people in need of help as well as the rescue teams that have been sent out to help them.

I don't wish to forget the people fighting for their freedom in Libya, for instance, or in other parts of the Arab world, but the eyes of the world seem to be fixed on Japan at the moment. Various governments have sent experts to the country, and organisations like the Red Cross, and the Médecins Sans Frontières are already at work in the north-east region of Honshu. They might need some financial support now in order to continue their efforts.

This morning we woke up to the news of the big earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Tokyo a few hours earlier. Scary. We're just hoping that as many people as possible have made it and that things will not get any worse.

Monday evening we came back from our own long weekend by the sea. It was indeed windy and we did see some big waves, but even they were diminutive compared to the waves rolling in on the shores of the Pacific ocean at the moment.

There has been far too many acts of violence lately, of which the most serious is murder. The bleak winter sun highlights the feeling of coldness and unfriendliness. When a young person dies in a seemingly random and completely unnecessary manner it feels even worse. My thoughts go out to the people who have died recently and their families. My heartfelt condolences.

Those of you who would like to pay your respects to 19-year-old Jonathan Bergström who died on Jan 18, a Facebook event has been initiated, Tänd ett ljus för Jonathan. Light a candle for Jonathan at 6 pm tonight if you wish to attend.

...at least in my mind. The sun is shining today and it's not too cold, approximately 0°C, and it almost feels as if Spring is in the air. I would love that. This winter has already been rather long even if it's only late January. Just to see the sun again is an improvement, though, since it has been rather gloomy lately. This time of year also tends to feel rather slow moving, as if everything is just on the verge of happening, and there are indeed so many things on our agenda in the upcoming months and I'm rather eager to get going. Green light, please!

Image from Allting Gratis.

The results in the Swedish general elections are not at all to my liking. I'm extremely sad to see that fear, intolerance and egotism have had the upper hand.

Let's hope that the 94.3% of the Swedish population, who did not vote for the racist party, will continue to stop them and say "no" to all of their attempts to gain power and spread a message which throws the principle I find the most important into stark relief. All people are equal and ought to be treated as equals, regardless of where they were born. Please support Aftonbladet's initiative Vi gillar olika (We like difference).

Autumn colours are beginning to show in the trees around our apartment, and pumpkins for sale can be found on the big square. The big issue today is not the autumn per se, however, it is election day in Sweden and this is in focus everywhere right now.

My youngest son accompanied me to the voting station, a nearby school, and we discussed the different parties and voting procedures on the way there. We talked about ideologies, ideals and values, about issues that tips the scales in favour of one particular party, and the fluctuating moods in society. Four years ago there was a clear aim for many Swedes to make sure that then prime minister, Göran Persson, did not stay in power. His credibility was at an all time low. This year the mood is slightly different. The country seems more polarized. Some are happy with the current government, some would like to see a change. What seems to be the same regardless of (established) party, is the expressed wish to keep xenophobic parties out, a sentiment I symphatize with completely. I certainly hope their influence will be smaller than polls have predicted.

I personally look for credibility on issues I find crucial. It is essential for me hear that people are to be treated decently, that people are not to be let down, and that the politicians in charge value this and are honest in their commitments.

A colleague of mine had a baby girl last Sunday. Big congratulations to the entire family!

Images from H&M and Sagobella.

We seem to jump on every possible opportunity to try out our new car, and, since the weather is as nice as it is, it's really difficult to stay inside. This photo was taken Sunday as we were (again) exploring in the vicinity.

I guess I'm kind of a scatterbrain at the moment. At present, work seems to be pretty far down on the to-do-list. Right now it is cloudy, however, so I'd better get some work done as long as it lasts.

I was supposed to travel for work this afternoon, but late yesterday I received an e-mail cancelling the meeting and the reason was of course the huge ash plume from the erupting Eyjafjallajökull. Personally I wouldn't have had any problems reaching my destination since I was to go by train — a 7-hour journey — but some of the other participants would have had more problems with cancelled flights.

It's a bit strange to see how vulnerable our society is and how much we have learned to take for granted in terms of travelling. Who knows... some of these things we might have to try to find alternatives for.

Images from The Daily Mail.