CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
I got some good Christmas presents this year. Top of the list, from my children, was a new espresso coffee machine to replace the old one that got broken. It has gone straight into use, and I am in fact drinking a very nice cup of coffee from it as I write this.
My wife gave me a Kansas work overall and some new clogs; apparently my work clothes make me look like a tramp. Clogs are in many ways completely naff. But they are also very useful for working when you have to go in and out of the house all of the time, and put shoes on and take them off. No fiddly laces or any such. Adding to the "building work in the barn" theme, I got a brick hammer from my mother-in-law. I think that's what it is called in English, it is one of those curved contraptions that you use to chop bricks in half, or clean off the mortar from old ones. My existing brick hammer is so worn down that I have to work twice as hard as necessary.
My wife also gave me a gardening book. Having cut down large parts of our property, old hedges, fallen trees, and masses of weeds, I am now anxious to build things up again. This will tell me how to do it.
I am now off to my mother-in-law's for the great Boxing Day family lunch. Then tomorrow we travel to Blair Atholl in Scotland for a week to celebrate New Year with friends. I can't believe that there will be an internet connection in the Scottish highlands, so this is the last blog for 2010. Back on 3 January with goals for the year.
Happy New Year to all!
Walter Blotscher
Sunday 26 December 2010
Saturday 25 December 2010
2010
Since the main event is on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day in Denmark is a day for sleeping in late, sitting around in your pyjamas and generally not doing very much. We go for a walk en famille in the afternoon, but otherwise don't manage very much. Leftover turkey and ris à l'amande is available for sustenance, prior to the big family get-together tomorrow at my mother-in-law's. My wife is one of five sisters, and they all have two or more children; so there will be 20 or so of us around the table.
It is still very cold here, and there are big snowdrifts around the house. We had a bit of a panic, taking my mother-in-law home last night, since the road out of our cul-de-sac was impassible. Fortunately, I have two big lads who think they are pretty strong, so some sustained pushing and digging got us out. A snowplough came round this morning, so it shouldn't be a problem from now on.
Looking back on the year that has nearly gone, it seems to have been dominated by various themes. Top of the list - well, in my view - is this blog, a new development for me. Thanks to all who have read it, whatever they may have thought of it. A particular thanks to my regular commentators, Michael and Joachim, I hope they haven't frightened others away. My goal for 2011 is to put more bells and whistles on the blog, if I can work out the IT- issues involved.
The second theme has been that of financial crisis. My personal view is that this is a misnomer; the financial crisis was long ago, and we in the rich, Western world are in the middle of a real economic crisis. The hubris of the noughties, with all the twaddle of the end of boom and bust, never-ending growth and prosperity, and (in particular) the unbelievable cleverness of financial institutions, has been exposed as just that, namely hubris. Instead we have the realisation that societies' commitments (on pensions and healthcare) to their citizens are unsustainable, that paper profits are paper rather than profit, that it is likely that millions of people will be unemployed - and perhaps unemployable - for many years to come. Getting out of this trough will be a long, hard slog. Whatever politicians may say - and the only certainty is that they will say a lot, much of it guff - it will not be easy.
The third theme is the continuing presence of war. That presence may be muted, but it is still very much a reality, as this morning's suicide bomb in Pakistan makes very clear. Foreign forces may be out of Iraq, but a country that needs more than 8 months after an election just to form a Government on paper does not inspire confidence. Meanwhile, the drip drip of casualties from Afghanistan continues. I think that all political leaders know, in their heart of hearts, that this is not a conflict that they can win, not least because it is not winnable. They are positioning themselves for withdrawal, at minimum embarassment, under the cover of "handing over to local security forces". Shades of Vietnam towards the end.
The fourth theme is the emergence of Wikileaks and the threat to governments that it represents. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Wikileaks' specific actions, I believe that the organisation fills a gap caused by the absence of normal checks and balances. While the world's powers were going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, legislators were quietly acquiescing in "discovering" weapons of mass destruction, building duck houses at taxpayers' expense and other egregious things; anything, it seems, but doing what they are supposed to do, namely hold the executive to account.
The fifth theme is the resilience of Nature, and its power to wreak destruction. Floods in Pakistan, volcanos in Iceland, earthquakes and hurricanes in Haiti, freezing weather in Europe. Despite our undoubted technology, we are powerless in the face of such forces.
Since many of these themes will continue into the future, I am not particularly optimistic about 2011. However, we should also remember a year of great sport. The Winter Olympics, the World Cup, the world ice hockey championships, a resurgent Roger Federer, the Ashes in Australia. Just when I was beginning to get a bit down, sport- as always - cheers me up again.
Walter Blotscher
Since the main event is on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day in Denmark is a day for sleeping in late, sitting around in your pyjamas and generally not doing very much. We go for a walk en famille in the afternoon, but otherwise don't manage very much. Leftover turkey and ris à l'amande is available for sustenance, prior to the big family get-together tomorrow at my mother-in-law's. My wife is one of five sisters, and they all have two or more children; so there will be 20 or so of us around the table.
It is still very cold here, and there are big snowdrifts around the house. We had a bit of a panic, taking my mother-in-law home last night, since the road out of our cul-de-sac was impassible. Fortunately, I have two big lads who think they are pretty strong, so some sustained pushing and digging got us out. A snowplough came round this morning, so it shouldn't be a problem from now on.
Looking back on the year that has nearly gone, it seems to have been dominated by various themes. Top of the list - well, in my view - is this blog, a new development for me. Thanks to all who have read it, whatever they may have thought of it. A particular thanks to my regular commentators, Michael and Joachim, I hope they haven't frightened others away. My goal for 2011 is to put more bells and whistles on the blog, if I can work out the IT- issues involved.
The second theme has been that of financial crisis. My personal view is that this is a misnomer; the financial crisis was long ago, and we in the rich, Western world are in the middle of a real economic crisis. The hubris of the noughties, with all the twaddle of the end of boom and bust, never-ending growth and prosperity, and (in particular) the unbelievable cleverness of financial institutions, has been exposed as just that, namely hubris. Instead we have the realisation that societies' commitments (on pensions and healthcare) to their citizens are unsustainable, that paper profits are paper rather than profit, that it is likely that millions of people will be unemployed - and perhaps unemployable - for many years to come. Getting out of this trough will be a long, hard slog. Whatever politicians may say - and the only certainty is that they will say a lot, much of it guff - it will not be easy.
The third theme is the continuing presence of war. That presence may be muted, but it is still very much a reality, as this morning's suicide bomb in Pakistan makes very clear. Foreign forces may be out of Iraq, but a country that needs more than 8 months after an election just to form a Government on paper does not inspire confidence. Meanwhile, the drip drip of casualties from Afghanistan continues. I think that all political leaders know, in their heart of hearts, that this is not a conflict that they can win, not least because it is not winnable. They are positioning themselves for withdrawal, at minimum embarassment, under the cover of "handing over to local security forces". Shades of Vietnam towards the end.
The fourth theme is the emergence of Wikileaks and the threat to governments that it represents. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Wikileaks' specific actions, I believe that the organisation fills a gap caused by the absence of normal checks and balances. While the world's powers were going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, legislators were quietly acquiescing in "discovering" weapons of mass destruction, building duck houses at taxpayers' expense and other egregious things; anything, it seems, but doing what they are supposed to do, namely hold the executive to account.
The fifth theme is the resilience of Nature, and its power to wreak destruction. Floods in Pakistan, volcanos in Iceland, earthquakes and hurricanes in Haiti, freezing weather in Europe. Despite our undoubted technology, we are powerless in the face of such forces.
Since many of these themes will continue into the future, I am not particularly optimistic about 2011. However, we should also remember a year of great sport. The Winter Olympics, the World Cup, the world ice hockey championships, a resurgent Roger Federer, the Ashes in Australia. Just when I was beginning to get a bit down, sport- as always - cheers me up again.
Walter Blotscher
Friday 24 December 2010
CHRISTMAS
The evening of Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day itself, is the big event in Scandinavia. I am sitting here, writing this while the rest of the family are in church at 4.00pm. It is me, who has to get dinner ready for the start of things at 6.00pm.
As a multinational family, we have always followed our own, slightly different, Christmas traditions. For a start, we have turkey; whereas most Danes eat duck, goose, or roast pork. That decision goes all the way back to our first Christmasses in Tanzania when the boys were very small, and when we managed to get hold of a turkey. I can still remember being surprised, after the plucked and dressed bird turned up at our house in Dar es Salaam in a rather battered cardboard box, having survived the 1,300km journey in broiling heat by rail from Mwanza on Lake Victoria. An elderly but rather eccentric German lady, who had built a wonderful house on the lake, kept a flock of turkeys; and a man I knew up there arranged for us to have one sent down each December. It always arrived.
It is me who cooks the turkey. We have sage and onion stuffing, bacon on the top, roast potatoes and brussels sprouts (another anglo-oddity; Danes have red cabbage). Plus caramelised boiled potatoes, prepared by my mother-in-law, and mashed celeriac in cream with pine kernels. I don't know where the latter came from, since I am not a great fan of root vegetables, but was something introduced some years ago by my wife; it has sort of stuck. And bread sauce and gravy. That's why I am not going to church. Bread sauce should be cooked long and slowly, with lots of stirring so that it doesn't burn. I'll start when I finish this.
For dessert we have the traditional Danish fare of ris à l'amande, a chilled rice pudding dish mixed with cream and almonds, that is served with hot cherry sauce. It's delicious. There is always a whole almond in it somewhere, and the person who finds it gets the almond present. My mother used to do the same with sixpences wrapped in silver foil in the Christmas pudding when I was a boy.
After dinner, the Christmas tree is lit with lots of candles, and there is singing round it. Then it's present time, washed down with coffee, Christmas sweets and biscuits, and special Christmas beer (the sitting room gets very hot, what with the wood-burning stove and the candles). Then off to bed in the early hours.
There will be seven of us for dinner, my family, plus my mother-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law, who is divorced and doesn't have the children this year. It will be "hyggeligt", as it always is.
Have a great Christmas, today or tomorrow. Now for that bread sauce ....
Walter Blotscher
The evening of Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day itself, is the big event in Scandinavia. I am sitting here, writing this while the rest of the family are in church at 4.00pm. It is me, who has to get dinner ready for the start of things at 6.00pm.
As a multinational family, we have always followed our own, slightly different, Christmas traditions. For a start, we have turkey; whereas most Danes eat duck, goose, or roast pork. That decision goes all the way back to our first Christmasses in Tanzania when the boys were very small, and when we managed to get hold of a turkey. I can still remember being surprised, after the plucked and dressed bird turned up at our house in Dar es Salaam in a rather battered cardboard box, having survived the 1,300km journey in broiling heat by rail from Mwanza on Lake Victoria. An elderly but rather eccentric German lady, who had built a wonderful house on the lake, kept a flock of turkeys; and a man I knew up there arranged for us to have one sent down each December. It always arrived.
It is me who cooks the turkey. We have sage and onion stuffing, bacon on the top, roast potatoes and brussels sprouts (another anglo-oddity; Danes have red cabbage). Plus caramelised boiled potatoes, prepared by my mother-in-law, and mashed celeriac in cream with pine kernels. I don't know where the latter came from, since I am not a great fan of root vegetables, but was something introduced some years ago by my wife; it has sort of stuck. And bread sauce and gravy. That's why I am not going to church. Bread sauce should be cooked long and slowly, with lots of stirring so that it doesn't burn. I'll start when I finish this.
For dessert we have the traditional Danish fare of ris à l'amande, a chilled rice pudding dish mixed with cream and almonds, that is served with hot cherry sauce. It's delicious. There is always a whole almond in it somewhere, and the person who finds it gets the almond present. My mother used to do the same with sixpences wrapped in silver foil in the Christmas pudding when I was a boy.
After dinner, the Christmas tree is lit with lots of candles, and there is singing round it. Then it's present time, washed down with coffee, Christmas sweets and biscuits, and special Christmas beer (the sitting room gets very hot, what with the wood-burning stove and the candles). Then off to bed in the early hours.
There will be seven of us for dinner, my family, plus my mother-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law, who is divorced and doesn't have the children this year. It will be "hyggeligt", as it always is.
Have a great Christmas, today or tomorrow. Now for that bread sauce ....
Walter Blotscher
Thursday 23 December 2010
DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL
Congress is to be admired for ending the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy, whereby openly gay people were not allowed to serve in the U.S. military. Since it was introduced in 1993, more than 13,000 people have been discharged because of their sexuality.
I have personally never understood why a person's sexuality makes a difference, when it comes to having to kill an enemy. However, plenty of people obviously disagreed. The original law was a compromise, which Bill Clinton had to accept, after it became clear that he could not fulfil his campaign promise of allowing openly gay people to serve in the armed forces.
Some Republicans voted against the repeal, though not enough to block it. There are aways some diehards; but it is good to see that they are fewer and fewer.
Walter Blotscher
Congress is to be admired for ending the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy, whereby openly gay people were not allowed to serve in the U.S. military. Since it was introduced in 1993, more than 13,000 people have been discharged because of their sexuality.
I have personally never understood why a person's sexuality makes a difference, when it comes to having to kill an enemy. However, plenty of people obviously disagreed. The original law was a compromise, which Bill Clinton had to accept, after it became clear that he could not fulfil his campaign promise of allowing openly gay people to serve in the armed forces.
Some Republicans voted against the repeal, though not enough to block it. There are aways some diehards; but it is good to see that they are fewer and fewer.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday 22 December 2010
FROZEN PIPES
Our water pipes froze last night. Not everywhere, thank goodness. The main line lies deep underground, and comes into our boiler room. From there the pipes go down and into the various parts of the house. For the kitchen sink, that means through the cellar, and it was there (underneath the windows to the right of the front door) that they froze. Which was a real pain, since it also took the dishwasher out of action.
Getting professional people out to l
ook at such things is hideously expensive, particularly around Christmas time. Fortunately, however, my mother-in-law's neighbour has a useful electric hand tool, which acts as a sort of mini blowtorch. You point it at the frozen part of the pipe, and try to ensure that the water thaws before the plastic pipe melts. After half an hour or so of unsophisticated hair-drying, we were back to flowing water.
But with temperatures plummeting to minus 20 degrees these days, something else had to be done. So I went up to the local builder's merchant and bought a whole load of spongey pipes. You wrap these ingenious things around the water pipes and they keep them insulated. That should keep us going until the end of winter, whenever that is.
Walter Blotscher
Our water pipes froze last night. Not everywhere, thank goodness. The main line lies deep underground, and comes into our boiler room. From there the pipes go down and into the various parts of the house. For the kitchen sink, that means through the cellar, and it was there (underneath the windows to the right of the front door) that they froze. Which was a real pain, since it also took the dishwasher out of action.
Getting professional people out to l
ook at such things is hideously expensive, particularly around Christmas time. Fortunately, however, my mother-in-law's neighbour has a useful electric hand tool, which acts as a sort of mini blowtorch. You point it at the frozen part of the pipe, and try to ensure that the water thaws before the plastic pipe melts. After half an hour or so of unsophisticated hair-drying, we were back to flowing water.But with temperatures plummeting to minus 20 degrees these days, something else had to be done. So I went up to the local builder's merchant and bought a whole load of spongey pipes. You wrap these ingenious things around the water pipes and they keep them insulated. That should keep us going until the end of winter, whenever that is.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday 21 December 2010
AIRPORT CHAOS
Everybody knows that there is bad weather in Europe at the moment. But why are some airports harder hit than others? Why, in particular, is Britain's Heathrow Airport hit worst of all? Hit, it certainly is. Thousands of stranded passengers are camping out in the terminals, desperate to get home for Christmas. But with a reduced timetable up to, and including, Christmas Eve, it is quite possible that many won't make it.
But I ask again, why is Heathrow hit worst? After all, it is not as if the U.K. is the coldest place in Europe, or has the most snow. Why don't we ever hear about Helsinki Airport closing or Stockholm? The last time Helsinki Airport had to close because of the weather was in 2003; and that was for just half an hour. Stockholm Airport has never closed because of snow.
I think that in the end, it all comes down to organisation and management. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe, yet it has always been badly situated and badly run. Up until a couple of years ago, it was one of the few major airports in Europe with no direct overground rail access. Even now, with 66 million passengers in 2009, it still only has two runways; Helsinki, by contrast, has three, which means that two can remain open while the third is being cleared of snow, if necessary.
I am not at all underestimating how difficult it is to manage an airport which lies pretty much within one of the largest conurbations in the world. But it is not as if it is a new problem; and Governments of all political complexions have tried to address it. They just haven't done a very good job.
Walter Blotscher
Everybody knows that there is bad weather in Europe at the moment. But why are some airports harder hit than others? Why, in particular, is Britain's Heathrow Airport hit worst of all? Hit, it certainly is. Thousands of stranded passengers are camping out in the terminals, desperate to get home for Christmas. But with a reduced timetable up to, and including, Christmas Eve, it is quite possible that many won't make it.
But I ask again, why is Heathrow hit worst? After all, it is not as if the U.K. is the coldest place in Europe, or has the most snow. Why don't we ever hear about Helsinki Airport closing or Stockholm? The last time Helsinki Airport had to close because of the weather was in 2003; and that was for just half an hour. Stockholm Airport has never closed because of snow.
I think that in the end, it all comes down to organisation and management. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe, yet it has always been badly situated and badly run. Up until a couple of years ago, it was one of the few major airports in Europe with no direct overground rail access. Even now, with 66 million passengers in 2009, it still only has two runways; Helsinki, by contrast, has three, which means that two can remain open while the third is being cleared of snow, if necessary.
I am not at all underestimating how difficult it is to manage an airport which lies pretty much within one of the largest conurbations in the world. But it is not as if it is a new problem; and Governments of all political complexions have tried to address it. They just haven't done a very good job.
Walter Blotscher
Monday 20 December 2010
AGEING IN JAPAN (AND ELSEWHERE)
I have just got around to reading the Economist's 20 November survey on ageing in Japan. It is sobering.
Japan's working age population, that between 15 and 64, was 50 million in 1950, and rose steadily to a peak of 87 million in 1996. Since then it has been in decline, and is expected to fall to 50 million again around 2050. However, whereas workers in 1950 were supporting a relatively small number of dependants (old and young), this will no longer be true in 2050. When public pensions were first introduced in the 1960's, there were 11 workers for every pensioner; now there are only 2.6. The ratio is likely to worsen further in the future because of the country's extremely low birth rate, at 1.4 the second lowest in the rich world after South Korea. Put this all together and Japan represents the fastest-ageing society on Earth. In the next 40 years, its current population of 127 million will fall to under 90 million; in 2050, a staggering 40% of all Japanese will be over 65.
Increased productivity can help offset this demographic monster; after all, virtually everybody in the world is more productive in 2010 than they were in 1950. However, this can only go so far, and is unlikely to make up for the shortfall as workers hit retirement age. Besides, if Japanese women are not having babies - and they are not - then no amount of productivity gains can help; there are simply not enough workers around that can be productive.
Japan's demographic bell-curve is an extreme example of rich-world ageing. Britain's and France's population, for example, are both expected to continue to grow during the next 40 years; though Germany has a similar, if milder, problem to that of Japan, and its population has already started to shrink (the U.K. is forecast to overtake it as the most populous country in Europe by 2050). And the U.S. is protected by the steady number of people who manage, either legally or illegally, to enter and participate in its economy.
Nevertheless, Japan acts as a warning to the problems, which will inevitably occur in rich societies. Pension and healthcare promises are, quite simply, unsustainable at current levels. Basically, there are four options for dealing with this; increased productivity, working longer, saving more (through either saving directly or higher taxes) or importing labour (i.e. immigration). Since the last of these is, for a variety of reasons, not possible, at least in the amounts needed to solve the problem, and since productivity increases are, in general, outside Governments' control, policy changes will have to come from a combination of the second and third. In particular, the pension age will rise, forcing people to work longer, and pension contributions as a proportion of salary will also rise.
This will create tensions within societies, as people who have to pay for solving the problem clash with people who believe that they have earned rights in the past. Those clashes may be figurative; but they may also be literal (as recent footage in Greece and France has shown). The groups on one side or the other may also be fluid. One of the interesting facets of the French demonstrations against the raising of the pension age from 60 to 62 was the large number of young people involved. As potential payers of 60-year old retirees, you would have thought that they would support a higher retirement age, which reduced their obligations. However, what seems to have been more at the forefront of their minds was that they felt that they were unlikely to get a job unless and until those 60-year olds shuffled off into retirement and opened the way for them.
These problems will not be easy to solve. But they are crucial for the future of the rich world. Those countries that manage things best will be the world's leaders in 2050.
Walter Blotscher
I have just got around to reading the Economist's 20 November survey on ageing in Japan. It is sobering.
Japan's working age population, that between 15 and 64, was 50 million in 1950, and rose steadily to a peak of 87 million in 1996. Since then it has been in decline, and is expected to fall to 50 million again around 2050. However, whereas workers in 1950 were supporting a relatively small number of dependants (old and young), this will no longer be true in 2050. When public pensions were first introduced in the 1960's, there were 11 workers for every pensioner; now there are only 2.6. The ratio is likely to worsen further in the future because of the country's extremely low birth rate, at 1.4 the second lowest in the rich world after South Korea. Put this all together and Japan represents the fastest-ageing society on Earth. In the next 40 years, its current population of 127 million will fall to under 90 million; in 2050, a staggering 40% of all Japanese will be over 65.
Increased productivity can help offset this demographic monster; after all, virtually everybody in the world is more productive in 2010 than they were in 1950. However, this can only go so far, and is unlikely to make up for the shortfall as workers hit retirement age. Besides, if Japanese women are not having babies - and they are not - then no amount of productivity gains can help; there are simply not enough workers around that can be productive.
Japan's demographic bell-curve is an extreme example of rich-world ageing. Britain's and France's population, for example, are both expected to continue to grow during the next 40 years; though Germany has a similar, if milder, problem to that of Japan, and its population has already started to shrink (the U.K. is forecast to overtake it as the most populous country in Europe by 2050). And the U.S. is protected by the steady number of people who manage, either legally or illegally, to enter and participate in its economy.
Nevertheless, Japan acts as a warning to the problems, which will inevitably occur in rich societies. Pension and healthcare promises are, quite simply, unsustainable at current levels. Basically, there are four options for dealing with this; increased productivity, working longer, saving more (through either saving directly or higher taxes) or importing labour (i.e. immigration). Since the last of these is, for a variety of reasons, not possible, at least in the amounts needed to solve the problem, and since productivity increases are, in general, outside Governments' control, policy changes will have to come from a combination of the second and third. In particular, the pension age will rise, forcing people to work longer, and pension contributions as a proportion of salary will also rise.
This will create tensions within societies, as people who have to pay for solving the problem clash with people who believe that they have earned rights in the past. Those clashes may be figurative; but they may also be literal (as recent footage in Greece and France has shown). The groups on one side or the other may also be fluid. One of the interesting facets of the French demonstrations against the raising of the pension age from 60 to 62 was the large number of young people involved. As potential payers of 60-year old retirees, you would have thought that they would support a higher retirement age, which reduced their obligations. However, what seems to have been more at the forefront of their minds was that they felt that they were unlikely to get a job unless and until those 60-year olds shuffled off into retirement and opened the way for them.
These problems will not be easy to solve. But they are crucial for the future of the rich world. Those countries that manage things best will be the world's leaders in 2050.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday 19 December 2010
NEIGHBOURS (3)
Today we invited our neighbours round for glögg (mulled wine) and æbleskiver (literally "apple slices"), something which is becoming a bit of a Christmas tradition. I don't know why æbleskiver have the name that they do, since they don't look like slices and have nothing to do with apples. They are in fact small, round, doughy buns, a bit like a doughnut without the jam. You eat them - three at a time - with jam, sugar and icing sugar, if you are a bit piggy. Normally, with sweet things, I am; but with æbleskiver I limit myself to the jam. Blackberry is best.
When it's freezing and dark outside by 4pm, it's nice to be inside in front of a log fire. After the glögg, we had a fair amount of our neighbour's homemade beer. Very nice, with a hint of liquorice. It was a good way to start the festive season.
Walter Blostcher
Today we invited our neighbours round for glögg (mulled wine) and æbleskiver (literally "apple slices"), something which is becoming a bit of a Christmas tradition. I don't know why æbleskiver have the name that they do, since they don't look like slices and have nothing to do with apples. They are in fact small, round, doughy buns, a bit like a doughnut without the jam. You eat them - three at a time - with jam, sugar and icing sugar, if you are a bit piggy. Normally, with sweet things, I am; but with æbleskiver I limit myself to the jam. Blackberry is best.
When it's freezing and dark outside by 4pm, it's nice to be inside in front of a log fire. After the glögg, we had a fair amount of our neighbour's homemade beer. Very nice, with a hint of liquorice. It was a good way to start the festive season.
Walter Blostcher
Saturday 18 December 2010
SPEECHES ON THE RADIO
It is different listening to speeches on the radio. Gone are the setting, the visuals, the body language, the crowd, there is the voice and just the voice. And because of that, more is left to the imagination.
This morning I listened to the speech which King George VI gave to the nation, after Britain had declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939. You can picture people, my mother included, sitting or standing around the radio, listening to the momentous announcement. Technology was less developed then, so there is a slight crackle on the airwaves. And the voice itself is hesitant; the king suffered from a terrible stammer, which took years of therapy to make better, though he never lost it completely and couldn't say his r's properly (the hour was "gwave", for instance). Even though I wasn't born at the time, it still moved me to tears.
They have just made a film about the king and his problems, called The King's Speech, starring the ever-watchable Colin Firth in the title role and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth. Nominated this week for seven Golden Globes, it has a good chance of picking up an Oscar or two. I look forward to watching it on a Thursday with my daughter when it comes to our local cinema.
Walter Blotscher
It is different listening to speeches on the radio. Gone are the setting, the visuals, the body language, the crowd, there is the voice and just the voice. And because of that, more is left to the imagination.
This morning I listened to the speech which King George VI gave to the nation, after Britain had declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939. You can picture people, my mother included, sitting or standing around the radio, listening to the momentous announcement. Technology was less developed then, so there is a slight crackle on the airwaves. And the voice itself is hesitant; the king suffered from a terrible stammer, which took years of therapy to make better, though he never lost it completely and couldn't say his r's properly (the hour was "gwave", for instance). Even though I wasn't born at the time, it still moved me to tears.
They have just made a film about the king and his problems, called The King's Speech, starring the ever-watchable Colin Firth in the title role and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth. Nominated this week for seven Golden Globes, it has a good chance of picking up an Oscar or two. I look forward to watching it on a Thursday with my daughter when it comes to our local cinema.
Walter Blotscher
Friday 17 December 2010
SVEN NYS
You have to admire Sven Nys. Sven who? The 34-year old Belgian is one of the greatest ever cyclo-cross riders, the winter sport that sees madmen cycling and running through rain, mud, slush, snow and sand, usually in freezing temperatures. Just watching it is enough to make you want to crawl back under the duvet. Imagine having to clean your bike afterwards.
Nys has been champion of Belgium, the sport's heartland, no less than seven times, including five of the last six years. He also has countless victories at the World Cup, Superprestige Series and GvA Trophy, the other main events. All in all, he has won over 300 races, which is more than impressive. The main blot on his C.V. is the world championship, which he has won only once (though he has been close on a number of other occasions).
This season has seen a battle royal between Nys and the Czech Zdenek Stybar, who won the world championship this year on home turf, with Nys finishing third. Stybar was first out of the blocks, winning most of the early races, before tendonitis in his left knee demanded an enforced rest. Since then, Nys has taken over, and he has now won 10 times. It's an impressive record for someone who is getting on in years.
Anyway, in the midst of this miserably cold weather, hats off to him.
Walter Blotscher
You have to admire Sven Nys. Sven who? The 34-year old Belgian is one of the greatest ever cyclo-cross riders, the winter sport that sees madmen cycling and running through rain, mud, slush, snow and sand, usually in freezing temperatures. Just watching it is enough to make you want to crawl back under the duvet. Imagine having to clean your bike afterwards.
Nys has been champion of Belgium, the sport's heartland, no less than seven times, including five of the last six years. He also has countless victories at the World Cup, Superprestige Series and GvA Trophy, the other main events. All in all, he has won over 300 races, which is more than impressive. The main blot on his C.V. is the world championship, which he has won only once (though he has been close on a number of other occasions).
This season has seen a battle royal between Nys and the Czech Zdenek Stybar, who won the world championship this year on home turf, with Nys finishing third. Stybar was first out of the blocks, winning most of the early races, before tendonitis in his left knee demanded an enforced rest. Since then, Nys has taken over, and he has now won 10 times. It's an impressive record for someone who is getting on in years.
Anyway, in the midst of this miserably cold weather, hats off to him.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday 16 December 2010
INDIAN TAKEAWAYS
Yesterday my wife, daughter and I went to Odense, the main town some 30km away. We did the last of our Christmas shopping, had coffee in a cafe, gawped at the streetlights, and then bought an Indian takeaway on the way back home. All standard stuff for the week before the main event.
Well, except for the last bit. Indian restaurants are two a penny in the U.K., but rare here in Denmark. There are immigrant eateries, but they tend to be pizzerias, or kebab houses. Which is a pity, since one of the best building blocks for achieving greater tolerance of immigration in general, in my view, is an acceptance of - and hopefully a liking for - what immigrants eat.
The food we had was great. Tasty, cheap, and plentiful (I had the leftovers this evening, still delicious). Definitely somewhere I will go back to.
One of the best things about the place was the fact that although the cooking was all done by Indians, we were served by a young Danish girl. A nice bit of reverse integration.
Walter Blotscher
Yesterday my wife, daughter and I went to Odense, the main town some 30km away. We did the last of our Christmas shopping, had coffee in a cafe, gawped at the streetlights, and then bought an Indian takeaway on the way back home. All standard stuff for the week before the main event.
Well, except for the last bit. Indian restaurants are two a penny in the U.K., but rare here in Denmark. There are immigrant eateries, but they tend to be pizzerias, or kebab houses. Which is a pity, since one of the best building blocks for achieving greater tolerance of immigration in general, in my view, is an acceptance of - and hopefully a liking for - what immigrants eat.
The food we had was great. Tasty, cheap, and plentiful (I had the leftovers this evening, still delicious). Definitely somewhere I will go back to.
One of the best things about the place was the fact that although the cooking was all done by Indians, we were served by a young Danish girl. A nice bit of reverse integration.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday 15 December 2010
MY MUM'S BIRTHDAY
It is my mum's birthday today. She is 85, so many congratulations to her. Not that she will be reading this entry, she has never had a computer and never will. Silly things, in her view. And dangerous; what about identity theft?
Although she gave me a long list of reasons over the weekend why I shouldn't send her a present (they included the difficulties caused by the snow, and the fact that the local postman in Derby has left to get a better job), she was of course delighted when I spoke to her that I had sent her flowers from us all through Interflora. She has always been a big lover of flowers; if they are particularly nice, she takes pictures of them to remind her of them later.
The list of reasons above reflects the fact that although she is 85 and I am 51, she still treats me in some ways as if she were 45 and I were 11. Her big thing at the moment, because of the weather, is thermal underwear. She obviously has this Dickensian vision of rural Danes shivering around a brazier provided by some kind of Poor Law legislation. I didn't tell her that I was building a wall in the barn yesterday - without thermal underwear - when it was minus 2 degrees outside, it is, after all, her birthday. In fact, I suspect I never will.
Walter Blotscher
It is my mum's birthday today. She is 85, so many congratulations to her. Not that she will be reading this entry, she has never had a computer and never will. Silly things, in her view. And dangerous; what about identity theft?
Although she gave me a long list of reasons over the weekend why I shouldn't send her a present (they included the difficulties caused by the snow, and the fact that the local postman in Derby has left to get a better job), she was of course delighted when I spoke to her that I had sent her flowers from us all through Interflora. She has always been a big lover of flowers; if they are particularly nice, she takes pictures of them to remind her of them later.
The list of reasons above reflects the fact that although she is 85 and I am 51, she still treats me in some ways as if she were 45 and I were 11. Her big thing at the moment, because of the weather, is thermal underwear. She obviously has this Dickensian vision of rural Danes shivering around a brazier provided by some kind of Poor Law legislation. I didn't tell her that I was building a wall in the barn yesterday - without thermal underwear - when it was minus 2 degrees outside, it is, after all, her birthday. In fact, I suspect I never will.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday 14 December 2010
RURAL HAZARDS
There are some people in our village, whom I am unlikely to get to know. They have bought a run-down farm, and done it up in a kind of Ponderosa ranch style. However, bad taste is not the reason for our estrangement, it is because they protect their ranch with a pack of extremely fierce and aggressive dogs. I am not a dog expert, but they look a lot like Dobermanns. And act a lot like them as well. It is, for instance, the only house in the village I daren't enter, when I am doing my annual collecting round for the Red Cross; I am afraid of getting eaten. In the early days, before the Ponderosa was completed, the dogs had a nasty habit of escaping, and occasionally turned up in our barn. They only budged when I threw an iron crowbar at them.
The Ponderosa-ites also have cattle. Not cows, but bulls, big heavy beasts that must weigh a tonne or more. They also have a habit of escaping, and also occasionally turn up at our place. Not in the barn but on the front lawn, where they can eat the grass, or munch the flower beds.
One of these incidents took place this morning. I went out to pick up the post, and was confronted by two bulls staring at me from the front drive. Luckily it snowed again yesterday so the lawn is all white again, and there is nothing for a bovine traveller to get its tongue around. So, after snorting at me, they slowly moved on in the search for something else. Which is good, since I don't think a crowbar would have had much effect on two tonnes of cowflesh.
I later discovered that they had wandered though the wood and all over the orchard. This is becoming an intolerable trespass, up with which I shall not put. I must go round and have a word with the Ponderosa-ites. Now, if only I could get past the dogs .......
Walter Blotscher
There are some people in our village, whom I am unlikely to get to know. They have bought a run-down farm, and done it up in a kind of Ponderosa ranch style. However, bad taste is not the reason for our estrangement, it is because they protect their ranch with a pack of extremely fierce and aggressive dogs. I am not a dog expert, but they look a lot like Dobermanns. And act a lot like them as well. It is, for instance, the only house in the village I daren't enter, when I am doing my annual collecting round for the Red Cross; I am afraid of getting eaten. In the early days, before the Ponderosa was completed, the dogs had a nasty habit of escaping, and occasionally turned up in our barn. They only budged when I threw an iron crowbar at them.
The Ponderosa-ites also have cattle. Not cows, but bulls, big heavy beasts that must weigh a tonne or more. They also have a habit of escaping, and also occasionally turn up at our place. Not in the barn but on the front lawn, where they can eat the grass, or munch the flower beds.
One of these incidents took place this morning. I went out to pick up the post, and was confronted by two bulls staring at me from the front drive. Luckily it snowed again yesterday so the lawn is all white again, and there is nothing for a bovine traveller to get its tongue around. So, after snorting at me, they slowly moved on in the search for something else. Which is good, since I don't think a crowbar would have had much effect on two tonnes of cowflesh.
I later discovered that they had wandered though the wood and all over the orchard. This is becoming an intolerable trespass, up with which I shall not put. I must go round and have a word with the Ponderosa-ites. Now, if only I could get past the dogs .......
Walter Blotscher
Monday 13 December 2010
SRI LANKA
Reports say that the Sir Lankan Government is mulling over the idea of abolishing the Tamil language version of the national anthem. Some even say that it has decided to abolish it. If true, that would be a stupid mistake.
The official argument is that all countries, even multilingual ones such as South Africa, have one version of their national anthem. Under normal circumstances, I would agree. But Sri Lanka is not normal circumstances. In 2009 it emerged from a brutal 26-year civil war, in which the Sinhalese majority had battled with the nihilistic and suicidal Tamil Tigers, who were seeking a separate homeland in the north and east of the country. The final stages of the conflict were particularly bloody, and a number of outside countries would have liked to put the Sri Lankan Government in the dock for war crimes during this period. Against that background, what is needed is reconciliation, not further restrictions, however minimal they may seem, against the Tamil minority. After all, the two versions of the national anthem - which, other than the language, are exactly the same - have been around since independence in 1948.
It may be that the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was merely flying a kite. Nevertheless, it is yet another worrying signal from what is rapidly looking more like a Sinhalese nepotistic monarchy than the democratically elected leadership of a multi-ethnic country. Sometimes symbols matter; this is one of them.
Walter Blotscher
Reports say that the Sir Lankan Government is mulling over the idea of abolishing the Tamil language version of the national anthem. Some even say that it has decided to abolish it. If true, that would be a stupid mistake.
The official argument is that all countries, even multilingual ones such as South Africa, have one version of their national anthem. Under normal circumstances, I would agree. But Sri Lanka is not normal circumstances. In 2009 it emerged from a brutal 26-year civil war, in which the Sinhalese majority had battled with the nihilistic and suicidal Tamil Tigers, who were seeking a separate homeland in the north and east of the country. The final stages of the conflict were particularly bloody, and a number of outside countries would have liked to put the Sri Lankan Government in the dock for war crimes during this period. Against that background, what is needed is reconciliation, not further restrictions, however minimal they may seem, against the Tamil minority. After all, the two versions of the national anthem - which, other than the language, are exactly the same - have been around since independence in 1948.
It may be that the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was merely flying a kite. Nevertheless, it is yet another worrying signal from what is rapidly looking more like a Sinhalese nepotistic monarchy than the democratically elected leadership of a multi-ethnic country. Sometimes symbols matter; this is one of them.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday 12 December 2010
CANCUN
"Cancun can" was the snappy phrase used at the beginning of last week by Lykke Friis, Denmark's Energy and Climate Minister, and one third of the triumvirate of nations steering the climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico. Well, Cancun did; but was it anything of value?
After last year's fiasco in Copenhagen, expectations for Cancun were very low. However, not so low that the talks didn't matter. They were taking place under the auspices of the U.N., as befitting the presence of delegates from 190 countries. Failure this time would probably have scuppered the U.N. route for good. But if the problems of the world's climate can't be solved under the umbrella of the only real world organisation, how can they be solved?
Against that background, an agreed document duly emerged. But it was definitely of the lowest common denominator kind. Delegates agreed that current pledges to reduce CO2 emissions need to rise; but new cuts were not agreed, and - crucially - there was no agreement on how pledges, either current or future, could be made legally binding. That must await, at the earliest, next year's meeting of the circus in South Africa. Developing countries will have to content themselves with getting agreement on the Green Climate Fund, whereby money will be channelled from rich countries to poor.
In the meantime, the climate itself is continuing its merry dance. Amid the snow and ice of Northern Europe, Cyprus had no rain at all in November and a very pleasant 29 degrees; while a forest fire in Northern Israel killed more than 40 people last week. Yesterday, I woke to a green landscape after the temperature rose during the night and melted all the snow. Yet down in the Eastern Mediterranean there are now fierce storms and snow. Whatever they say about Cancun, the climate definitely can.
Walter Blotscher
"Cancun can" was the snappy phrase used at the beginning of last week by Lykke Friis, Denmark's Energy and Climate Minister, and one third of the triumvirate of nations steering the climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico. Well, Cancun did; but was it anything of value?
After last year's fiasco in Copenhagen, expectations for Cancun were very low. However, not so low that the talks didn't matter. They were taking place under the auspices of the U.N., as befitting the presence of delegates from 190 countries. Failure this time would probably have scuppered the U.N. route for good. But if the problems of the world's climate can't be solved under the umbrella of the only real world organisation, how can they be solved?
Against that background, an agreed document duly emerged. But it was definitely of the lowest common denominator kind. Delegates agreed that current pledges to reduce CO2 emissions need to rise; but new cuts were not agreed, and - crucially - there was no agreement on how pledges, either current or future, could be made legally binding. That must await, at the earliest, next year's meeting of the circus in South Africa. Developing countries will have to content themselves with getting agreement on the Green Climate Fund, whereby money will be channelled from rich countries to poor.
In the meantime, the climate itself is continuing its merry dance. Amid the snow and ice of Northern Europe, Cyprus had no rain at all in November and a very pleasant 29 degrees; while a forest fire in Northern Israel killed more than 40 people last week. Yesterday, I woke to a green landscape after the temperature rose during the night and melted all the snow. Yet down in the Eastern Mediterranean there are now fierce storms and snow. Whatever they say about Cancun, the climate definitely can.
Walter Blotscher
Saturday 11 December 2010
IVORY COAST
Is Ivory Coast about to become another failed African state? The country was often viewed as an island of stability during the long Presidency of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who ruled from independence from France in 1960 until his death in 1993. He had been a French Cabinet Minister during the last colonial years, and his steadfast loyalty to all things French (including, crucially, its armed forces) brought peace and prosperity on the back of - unusually for Africa - exports of cocoa and other agricultural commodities.
However, as in many African countries, nominal unity under a long-standing strongman masked a raft of internal problems, notably between the Christian south and the Muslim north. Houphouet-Boigny's death left a political vacuum, and the country began to fall apart, resulting in a rebellion and finally civil war in 2002. An externally brokered ceasefire and peace plan led to a 2007 power-sharing deal, in which the rebel leader became Prime Minister. That Prime Minister, the northern Muslim Alassane Ouattara, has just won the run-off in the Presidential election against the incumbent, southern Christian Laurent Gbagbo. However, despite the election result's being recognised by just about everybody that matters, including the E.U. and the U.N., Mr. Gbagbo has refused to budge. A pliant constitutional court helpfully anulled half a million of Mr. Ouattara's votes, and swore the President in for another five years.
Ivory Coast desperately needs to resolve this crisis peacefully. Not just for itself, but for the whole of Africa. If a relatively prosperous African country, supported by the world's powers, can't manage a peaceful democratic transition, what hope is there for the likes of Zimbabwe, Somalia or Sudan?
Walter Blotscher
Is Ivory Coast about to become another failed African state? The country was often viewed as an island of stability during the long Presidency of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who ruled from independence from France in 1960 until his death in 1993. He had been a French Cabinet Minister during the last colonial years, and his steadfast loyalty to all things French (including, crucially, its armed forces) brought peace and prosperity on the back of - unusually for Africa - exports of cocoa and other agricultural commodities.
However, as in many African countries, nominal unity under a long-standing strongman masked a raft of internal problems, notably between the Christian south and the Muslim north. Houphouet-Boigny's death left a political vacuum, and the country began to fall apart, resulting in a rebellion and finally civil war in 2002. An externally brokered ceasefire and peace plan led to a 2007 power-sharing deal, in which the rebel leader became Prime Minister. That Prime Minister, the northern Muslim Alassane Ouattara, has just won the run-off in the Presidential election against the incumbent, southern Christian Laurent Gbagbo. However, despite the election result's being recognised by just about everybody that matters, including the E.U. and the U.N., Mr. Gbagbo has refused to budge. A pliant constitutional court helpfully anulled half a million of Mr. Ouattara's votes, and swore the President in for another five years.
Ivory Coast desperately needs to resolve this crisis peacefully. Not just for itself, but for the whole of Africa. If a relatively prosperous African country, supported by the world's powers, can't manage a peaceful democratic transition, what hope is there for the likes of Zimbabwe, Somalia or Sudan?
Walter Blotscher
Friday 10 December 2010
THE BIG SLEEP
I watched The Big Sleep on television last night. With the advent of computers, cinema has developed hugely over the past two decades. Stunts, pyrotechnics, moving figures (eg Toy Story) and fantasy worlds (eg Lord of the Rings) were simply not possible when I first started watching films.
However, more sophisticated or action-packed doesn't necessarily mean better. The Big Sleep is from 1946, and is in black and white (how pathetic is that?). Yet a twisty plot, snappy dialogue, and bravura performances from Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the main roles mean that it is still a great film. A million miles from the likes of Vampires Suck.
Walter Blotscher
I watched The Big Sleep on television last night. With the advent of computers, cinema has developed hugely over the past two decades. Stunts, pyrotechnics, moving figures (eg Toy Story) and fantasy worlds (eg Lord of the Rings) were simply not possible when I first started watching films.
However, more sophisticated or action-packed doesn't necessarily mean better. The Big Sleep is from 1946, and is in black and white (how pathetic is that?). Yet a twisty plot, snappy dialogue, and bravura performances from Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the main roles mean that it is still a great film. A million miles from the likes of Vampires Suck.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday 9 December 2010
CLOUD COMPUTING (2)
Readers of this blog will know that I am not a fan of cloud computing, though I admit that much of that reservation is fired by gut feeling rather than technical knowledge. However, my inarticulate scepticism has been reinforced by recent events concerning Wikileaks. Amazon, the U.S. company that was hosting many of Wikileaks' servers, suddenly "discovered" (under prompting from the U.S. Government?) that Wikileaks had broken its standard terms and conditions of service, and disconnected them without notice. EveryDNS, the domain name company responsible for turning the domain name Wikileaks.org into a unique IP address that the internet could recognise, followed suit.
Wikileaks has quickly become a global organisation, with an army of unofficial supporters, and so was able to be up and running almost immediately from other servers, using a Swiss domain name (Wikileaks.ch). An everyday small business is unlikely to have access to such resources. As cyberspace becomes an ever more important part of a business' activities (whether representing itself, sourcing sales leads, or simply communicating internally, or with others), the knowledge that hosters with detailed small-print terms and conditions can obliterate your electronic footprint at the touch of a button, ought to give one pause for thought. Cloud computing looks decidely less attractive today than it did two weeks ago.
Walter Blotscher
P.S. I have just read that Visa and Mastercard are refusing to process the payments made to Wikileaks (which is financed by donations). Processing has been "suspended" for a week, while they investigate. What are the odds that the suspension turns out to be for a bit longer?
Readers of this blog will know that I am not a fan of cloud computing, though I admit that much of that reservation is fired by gut feeling rather than technical knowledge. However, my inarticulate scepticism has been reinforced by recent events concerning Wikileaks. Amazon, the U.S. company that was hosting many of Wikileaks' servers, suddenly "discovered" (under prompting from the U.S. Government?) that Wikileaks had broken its standard terms and conditions of service, and disconnected them without notice. EveryDNS, the domain name company responsible for turning the domain name Wikileaks.org into a unique IP address that the internet could recognise, followed suit.
Wikileaks has quickly become a global organisation, with an army of unofficial supporters, and so was able to be up and running almost immediately from other servers, using a Swiss domain name (Wikileaks.ch). An everyday small business is unlikely to have access to such resources. As cyberspace becomes an ever more important part of a business' activities (whether representing itself, sourcing sales leads, or simply communicating internally, or with others), the knowledge that hosters with detailed small-print terms and conditions can obliterate your electronic footprint at the touch of a button, ought to give one pause for thought. Cloud computing looks decidely less attractive today than it did two weeks ago.
Walter Blotscher
P.S. I have just read that Visa and Mastercard are refusing to process the payments made to Wikileaks (which is financed by donations). Processing has been "suspended" for a week, while they investigate. What are the odds that the suspension turns out to be for a bit longer?
Wednesday 8 December 2010
TRAFFIC POLICE
We are continually being told by the great and the good that the world is an unsafe place, with threats from terrorists all over the shop. In this age of austerity, we are also continually being told, not least by the police themselves, that they are short of manpower. Why is it, then, that police forces the world over spend so much time on traffic offences, often of a trivial nature?
When I lived in Tanzania, the answer was obvious. Nobody, and certainly not a proud policeman wishing to demonstrate the pot belly of officialdom, could live on a policeman's official pay. Traffic offences, real or - more likely - imagined, were the means of bridging this gap. They had to be imagined, since there was rarely any money (or electricity) for things like speed cameras. Though that was not much of a hurdle. If the policeman thought that you were going too fast, then he simply waved you into the side of the road, climbed into the car, and tried to negotiate some sort of deal. If you hung tough and refused to pay, then he might well accept the second best of a lift to the nearest town (there was no money for police cars either).
But in rich, well-paid Denmark, the answer is less obvious. Since the reforms of a couple of years ago, which merged many local forces into a smaller number of bigger ones, there has been a stream of complaints about the lack of policemen available to investigate (eg) burglaries, and about the time it takes for a policeman to arrive in response to a call. Income from traffic fines, on the other hand, continues to rise.
Some people might say that my grumpiness is somehow related to the fact that I have just been done for driving at 64km/hr in a nearby village with a 50km/hr speed limit, a transgression that will cost me kr.1.000 in due course. They would be right. It's not really the fact that it was in exactly the same place as I was done last time. Or that I would rather spend kr.1.000 on Christmas presents. What really sticks in my craw is the idea of having a policeman sit in an unmarked van all day, doing nothing except take automatic pictures of petty sinners like me while swigging coffee, when he could be doing so many other, more useful, things.
Walter Blotscher
We are continually being told by the great and the good that the world is an unsafe place, with threats from terrorists all over the shop. In this age of austerity, we are also continually being told, not least by the police themselves, that they are short of manpower. Why is it, then, that police forces the world over spend so much time on traffic offences, often of a trivial nature?
When I lived in Tanzania, the answer was obvious. Nobody, and certainly not a proud policeman wishing to demonstrate the pot belly of officialdom, could live on a policeman's official pay. Traffic offences, real or - more likely - imagined, were the means of bridging this gap. They had to be imagined, since there was rarely any money (or electricity) for things like speed cameras. Though that was not much of a hurdle. If the policeman thought that you were going too fast, then he simply waved you into the side of the road, climbed into the car, and tried to negotiate some sort of deal. If you hung tough and refused to pay, then he might well accept the second best of a lift to the nearest town (there was no money for police cars either).
But in rich, well-paid Denmark, the answer is less obvious. Since the reforms of a couple of years ago, which merged many local forces into a smaller number of bigger ones, there has been a stream of complaints about the lack of policemen available to investigate (eg) burglaries, and about the time it takes for a policeman to arrive in response to a call. Income from traffic fines, on the other hand, continues to rise.
Some people might say that my grumpiness is somehow related to the fact that I have just been done for driving at 64km/hr in a nearby village with a 50km/hr speed limit, a transgression that will cost me kr.1.000 in due course. They would be right. It's not really the fact that it was in exactly the same place as I was done last time. Or that I would rather spend kr.1.000 on Christmas presents. What really sticks in my craw is the idea of having a policeman sit in an unmarked van all day, doing nothing except take automatic pictures of petty sinners like me while swigging coffee, when he could be doing so many other, more useful, things.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday 7 December 2010
CONTEMPORARY DANCE
My 16-year old daughter is completely hooked on contemporary dance. When I say hooked, I mean it, since the commitment involved is quite high. Since the start of the autumn term, she has been travelling on the bus three times a week - and sometimes at weekends - to Odense, the main town 30km away. Given the weather of the past few weeks, that implies dedication. Plus she has to go to school, do all of her homework, fit in two part-time jobs, one at the bakery, one at Shell, and party with other teenagers from time to time. All in all, she is a busy bee.
The company she is in is supported by the kommune. In return for that support, they give free performances at various places. This being contemporary dance, these are often in the street, in front of slightly bemused Saturday shoppers or tourists. I have been to one or two of those.
However, last night was the end-of-season finale, where they put all of the small bits together in one show. Contemporary dance is pretty athletic, so 75 minutes is a long time to be full on. I have to admit that, as with the modern art over the weekend, I didn't have a clue what the dancing was about. But perhaps I wasn't supposed to? Anyway, I let the movements and music wash over me, and I absorbed what I could. Besides, my daughter was excellent, so it didn't really matter if I got the meaning or not, watching her was meaning in itself.
Walter Blotscher
My 16-year old daughter is completely hooked on contemporary dance. When I say hooked, I mean it, since the commitment involved is quite high. Since the start of the autumn term, she has been travelling on the bus three times a week - and sometimes at weekends - to Odense, the main town 30km away. Given the weather of the past few weeks, that implies dedication. Plus she has to go to school, do all of her homework, fit in two part-time jobs, one at the bakery, one at Shell, and party with other teenagers from time to time. All in all, she is a busy bee.
The company she is in is supported by the kommune. In return for that support, they give free performances at various places. This being contemporary dance, these are often in the street, in front of slightly bemused Saturday shoppers or tourists. I have been to one or two of those.
However, last night was the end-of-season finale, where they put all of the small bits together in one show. Contemporary dance is pretty athletic, so 75 minutes is a long time to be full on. I have to admit that, as with the modern art over the weekend, I didn't have a clue what the dancing was about. But perhaps I wasn't supposed to? Anyway, I let the movements and music wash over me, and I absorbed what I could. Besides, my daughter was excellent, so it didn't really matter if I got the meaning or not, watching her was meaning in itself.
Walter Blotscher
Monday 6 December 2010
BLOGGER'S BLOCK
You often hear about writer's block, when a writer simply can't write anything at all. Well, today I had blogger's block. It might have been due to the overdose of culture during the previous 48 hours; or simply the relentlessly cold weather. Anyway, I was stuck for an idea.
But then I remembered that the whole point about a blog is that it doesn't need an idea. Well, not every day, at any rate. So I can just witter on for two short paragraphs and call this an entry. And then get ready to tune into the Ashes on the internet.
Walter Blotscher
You often hear about writer's block, when a writer simply can't write anything at all. Well, today I had blogger's block. It might have been due to the overdose of culture during the previous 48 hours; or simply the relentlessly cold weather. Anyway, I was stuck for an idea.
But then I remembered that the whole point about a blog is that it doesn't need an idea. Well, not every day, at any rate. So I can just witter on for two short paragraphs and call this an entry. And then get ready to tune into the Ashes on the internet.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday 5 December 2010
CULTURE IN COPENHAGEN (2)
This weekend was the second time this year my wife and I have gone for a culture tour to Copenhagen. The visit in April involved a capella Bulgarian choral music and Argentinian tango lessons. This time I was to enjoy my birthday treat of seeing Madame Butterfly at the new opera house.
The Copenhagen Opera House is one of the most modern in the world, having opened only in January 2005. It is a magnificent structure, as it should be, having supposedly cost more than U.S.$500m to build. The acoustics are superb, not least because the auditorium is relatively small, seating about 1,500 people. We had dinner before the performance (very nice) up on the fourth floor balcony, and our table was next to that of Mærsk McKinney Møller. Who he, ask you non-Danes? Well, not only is Mr. Møller Denmark's richest man (his family controls the shipping company A.P.Møller Mærsk), but it was he, who built the opera house, before donating it to the nation. Technically, the money came from his parents' family trust; but he is Chairman of the trust, and he got involved in most of the decisions, both big and small, about how the building should look. At the time, the donation was rather controversial, since many, both inside and outside Denmark, felt that the building of a national opera house should be organised by the state with (eg) an international architectural competition (that feeling was reinforced by the realisation that the fund's gift would be fully tax deductible, so the state was, in effect, paying anyway). However, Mr. Møller is nothing if not influential; and he not only managed to get the Government to accept the gift, complete with his choice of architect, but also to stump up the money for its running costs.
Madame Butterfly, which I have seen before, was terrific. It's hard not to like the music, and with some sumptious singing and orchestral playing, time flew by. I loved my treat.
On the Saturday (yesterday) we visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, north of Copenhagen. The museum is set on, and inside, a cliff overlooking the Øresund, the narrow strait between Denmark and Sweden. There are indoor galleries, and a sculpture garden outside. Many famous modern artists - Giacometti, Picasso, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore - are represented.
I have to admit that modern art doesn't do much for me. I liked some animal paintings by an American called Walton Ford, but didn't go for the other special exhibition, by a German called Anselm Kiefer. And with the outdoor sculptures, I was completely lost. We ended up playing a "try-to-guess-the-title-of-the-sculpture" game, but didn't manage to get any right, which was not really surprising. My guess of "an avocado and two coconuts" turned out to be "the concretisation of humanity on an oval structure" or something like that.
Today we took my elder son out to brunch before catching the train home. That wasn't culture as such (though he is a fairly cultured chap). But it certainly required much less mental effort than modern art.
Walter Blotscher
This weekend was the second time this year my wife and I have gone for a culture tour to Copenhagen. The visit in April involved a capella Bulgarian choral music and Argentinian tango lessons. This time I was to enjoy my birthday treat of seeing Madame Butterfly at the new opera house.
The Copenhagen Opera House is one of the most modern in the world, having opened only in January 2005. It is a magnificent structure, as it should be, having supposedly cost more than U.S.$500m to build. The acoustics are superb, not least because the auditorium is relatively small, seating about 1,500 people. We had dinner before the performance (very nice) up on the fourth floor balcony, and our table was next to that of Mærsk McKinney Møller. Who he, ask you non-Danes? Well, not only is Mr. Møller Denmark's richest man (his family controls the shipping company A.P.Møller Mærsk), but it was he, who built the opera house, before donating it to the nation. Technically, the money came from his parents' family trust; but he is Chairman of the trust, and he got involved in most of the decisions, both big and small, about how the building should look. At the time, the donation was rather controversial, since many, both inside and outside Denmark, felt that the building of a national opera house should be organised by the state with (eg) an international architectural competition (that feeling was reinforced by the realisation that the fund's gift would be fully tax deductible, so the state was, in effect, paying anyway). However, Mr. Møller is nothing if not influential; and he not only managed to get the Government to accept the gift, complete with his choice of architect, but also to stump up the money for its running costs.
Madame Butterfly, which I have seen before, was terrific. It's hard not to like the music, and with some sumptious singing and orchestral playing, time flew by. I loved my treat.
On the Saturday (yesterday) we visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, north of Copenhagen. The museum is set on, and inside, a cliff overlooking the Øresund, the narrow strait between Denmark and Sweden. There are indoor galleries, and a sculpture garden outside. Many famous modern artists - Giacometti, Picasso, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore - are represented.
I have to admit that modern art doesn't do much for me. I liked some animal paintings by an American called Walton Ford, but didn't go for the other special exhibition, by a German called Anselm Kiefer. And with the outdoor sculptures, I was completely lost. We ended up playing a "try-to-guess-the-title-of-the-sculpture" game, but didn't manage to get any right, which was not really surprising. My guess of "an avocado and two coconuts" turned out to be "the concretisation of humanity on an oval structure" or something like that.
Today we took my elder son out to brunch before catching the train home. That wasn't culture as such (though he is a fairly cultured chap). But it certainly required much less mental effort than modern art.
Walter Blotscher
Friday 3 December 2010
THE ASHES
The Ashes (for the ignorant, the five test match cricket series between England and Australia) is already living up to expectations.
After England escaped with a draw in Brisbane by making 517-1 in their second innings, smashing a host of batting records in the process, they managed to bowl Australia out for 245 on the first day of the second test in Adelaide. On a flat wicket, on which Australia won the toss and elected to bat, England had them reeling at one point at 2-3, Australia's worst start to a test match in 60 years. Ricky Ponting, their captain and best batsman, was out to a golden duck in his 150th test! A recovery to 245 was pretty good in the circumstances, but Australia would have been looking for at least 400 before the day started.
England now need to spend two days racking up a huge total, before bowling the Aussies out a second time on days 4 and 5. I will try to keep track of events from Copenhagen, where I am spending the weekend. That will include a first ever visit to the new opera house this evening for my birthday treat.
Walter Blotscher
The Ashes (for the ignorant, the five test match cricket series between England and Australia) is already living up to expectations.
After England escaped with a draw in Brisbane by making 517-1 in their second innings, smashing a host of batting records in the process, they managed to bowl Australia out for 245 on the first day of the second test in Adelaide. On a flat wicket, on which Australia won the toss and elected to bat, England had them reeling at one point at 2-3, Australia's worst start to a test match in 60 years. Ricky Ponting, their captain and best batsman, was out to a golden duck in his 150th test! A recovery to 245 was pretty good in the circumstances, but Australia would have been looking for at least 400 before the day started.
England now need to spend two days racking up a huge total, before bowling the Aussies out a second time on days 4 and 5. I will try to keep track of events from Copenhagen, where I am spending the weekend. That will include a first ever visit to the new opera house this evening for my birthday treat.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday 2 December 2010
WORLD CUP (3)
So it will be Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 that host the football World Cup. Congratulations to them both!
Ingerland were disappointed ("gutted"), that their 2018 bid was unsuccessful. They had thought that the combination of Prime Minister David Cameron, heir to the throne but one Prince William and football star David Beckham would carry the day. I can't see why. Football is perhaps the world's only truly global sport, and FIFA have shown in recent years, through their choices of South Africa for 2010 and Brazil for 2014, that they would like to see the World Cup brought to either countries in the developing world and/or places that have not hosted it before. Indeed, Mr. Beckham ought to have known this more than anyone else, since he has been one of the main drivers of football development in countries such as China not otherwise known for footballing prowess.
The 2026 bidding process hasn't even started yet. But my shortlist would be China, Egypt, Australia/New Zealand and Chile/Peru. Not Ingerland.
Walter Blotscher
So it will be Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 that host the football World Cup. Congratulations to them both!
Ingerland were disappointed ("gutted"), that their 2018 bid was unsuccessful. They had thought that the combination of Prime Minister David Cameron, heir to the throne but one Prince William and football star David Beckham would carry the day. I can't see why. Football is perhaps the world's only truly global sport, and FIFA have shown in recent years, through their choices of South Africa for 2010 and Brazil for 2014, that they would like to see the World Cup brought to either countries in the developing world and/or places that have not hosted it before. Indeed, Mr. Beckham ought to have known this more than anyone else, since he has been one of the main drivers of football development in countries such as China not otherwise known for footballing prowess.
The 2026 bidding process hasn't even started yet. But my shortlist would be China, Egypt, Australia/New Zealand and Chile/Peru. Not Ingerland.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday 1 December 2010
WIKILEAKS (2)
I said yesterday that the authorities were likely to launch a ferocious assault on the person who leaked thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables to the website Wikileaks, a number of which are embarrassing to some of the world's leaders. I should also have said that they would try to hand out the same treatment to Julian Assange, the founder of the website.
That assault has already started. The former U.S. ambassador to Denmark has said that Mr. Assange should be tried for treason, a crime which carries the death penalty in America (though how an Australian citizen can be convicted of treason in the U.S. is not explained). A member of the U.S. House of Representatives has called for Wikileaks to be branded a terrorist organisation (which, if enacted, would have serious consequences). Other Republicans have simply called for him to be shot, or otherwise liquidated.
This is just the beginning. Expect more attacks during the next few months.
Walter Blotscher
I said yesterday that the authorities were likely to launch a ferocious assault on the person who leaked thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables to the website Wikileaks, a number of which are embarrassing to some of the world's leaders. I should also have said that they would try to hand out the same treatment to Julian Assange, the founder of the website.
That assault has already started. The former U.S. ambassador to Denmark has said that Mr. Assange should be tried for treason, a crime which carries the death penalty in America (though how an Australian citizen can be convicted of treason in the U.S. is not explained). A member of the U.S. House of Representatives has called for Wikileaks to be branded a terrorist organisation (which, if enacted, would have serious consequences). Other Republicans have simply called for him to be shot, or otherwise liquidated.
This is just the beginning. Expect more attacks during the next few months.
Walter Blotscher
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