Scandinavian observations and perspectives

At the moment I am a witness of destruction, or so it feels. How is this possible? Because an old educational institution with enough room for books is being moved to a new location with hardly any space, or more precisely; 12 shelf meters of space for each subject. 12 mesters is very little for English litterature, English films and instructional books. 12 shelf meters is one shelf 12 meters long, or two wall book cases each 1,5 meters long and each having 4 shelves. Today, I went to have a look and collect a bit of what was left in one class room, and as I looked at the collection which by itself would take up 12 meters, and that is not counting all the books already thrown out, I wondered about how to prioritize, as my bag is small and my living space too. I decided to take the songbooks, for example "Famous British and American Songs" by Mario Papa and Giuliano Lantano, since songs can be a source of hope and inspiration. I also picked up a book that related to the struggle for freedom, "Women resistance and revolution" by Sheila Rowbothan. Perhaps the revolution in political terms is different today, perhaps the ideals of the past is no longer interesting, from that perspective the book may be obsolete, but what about the experiences these people went through?!? Finally I picked up several books by George Orwell, two by Dickens ("Hard Times" and "Oliver Twist") and books by Ray Bradbury, Dorris Lessing, Jane Eyre and more.

I asked a worker at the location, if the rest would just be thrown in containers. The answer was yes, and that soon, nobody has time to save anything.

And the books, I collected? Are they any better off in my hands than at the bottom of a container? Will I be able to find people who are interested in them, if I have no time to read them myself? We don't know yet, but for now they get a second chance.
 
Before it disappears from the FB timeline or SOTT front page, it is worthwhile posting this link https://www.sott.net/article/325610-Is-Sweden-about-to-be-invaded-by-Russia reposted from http://russia-insider.com/en/sweden-approaches-failed-state-status-anti-russian-hysteria-used-scapegoat-ruling-elites-video which has a youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8mnaPK6Bno "Why would Putin want Sweden?" This article is in the lighten up section, however there is also this "Majority of Swedes unfazed at news their king frequented orgies with prostitutes": https://www.sott.net/article/325982-Majority-of-Swedes-unfazed-at-news-their-king-frequented-orgies-with-prostitutes#comment164091

One wonders how it could develope this far. Perhaps there is a cheeky explanation:

Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in 1603, including the line: "Something is rotten in the State of Denmark" http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quickquotes/quickquotehamletdenmark.html In 1603, the southern part of what is now Sweden was part of Denmark. This continued until 1645 when the province Halland got occuopied and finally in 1658, Halland, Skåne and Blekinge became part of Sweden. And it does not stop there, Norway was part of Denmark until 1815 and Finland was a part of Sweden until 1809: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland%E2%80%93Sweden_relations

In other words, if Shakespeare had a real point, there is something to think about for all the Nordic countries ;)

Any idea what could be done? For that one needs some context:

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet_1_4.html said:
[...]
MARCELLUS Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
HORATIO Heaven will direct it.
MARCELLUS Nay, let's follow him.

[...]

Explanatory Notes for Act 1, Scene 4

From Hamlet, prince of Denmark. Ed. K. Deighton. London: Macmillan
90. rotten, utterly unsound; in a morbid state.

91. it, "that is, the issue" (Cl. Pr. Edd.): Nay, let us not leave it to heaven to set things right, but act ourselves.
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The commentary says:
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quickquotes/quickquotehamletdenmark.html said:
Marcellus, shaken by the many recent disturbing events and no doubt angered (as is Hamlet) by Claudius's mismanagement of the body politic, astutely notes that Denmark is festering with moral and political corruption. Horatio replies "Heaven will direct it" (91), meaning heaven will guide the state of Denmark to health and stability.
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To conclude, all is not lost, but there is a need to act.
 
Thank you Thorbjørn for the update to the situation in Denmark and the humorous albeit pointed quote from Shakespeare. I find it hard to read the Danish news these days. So enamored with all things from the US, capitalism and globalisation. It could well be an exaggeration on my part, but I see only little hope for Denmark. Knowledge as you mention is not something that is valued, so perhaps 2km of ice is as good a solution as any. In other words, natural recycle by nature and start afresh.
 
thorbiorn said:
At the moment I am a witness of destruction, or so it feels. How is this possible? Because an old educational institution with enough room for books is being moved to a new location with hardly any space,
[...]

I asked a worker at the location, if the rest would just be thrown in containers. The answer was yes, and that soon, nobody has time to save anything.

And the books, I collected? Are they any better off in my hands than at the bottom of a container? Will I be able to find people who are interested in them, if I have no time to read them myself? We don't know yet, but for now they get a second chance.
Click to expand...

Downsizing of libraries and throwing books in large round containers to be taken away as trash has been going on for some time in the U.S. I'm glad to hear, Thorbiorn that you were able to collect a few nice books from being destroyed.

Since you describe it as "an educational institution" it's difficult to understand "the type" of books available?

Many of the libraries that were down sizing in my area, first offered a reduced book sale to the public but many other smaller libraries, just packed them in boxes and had them taken to the city dumps.

Some suggestions - depending on what might be available in books:

* Any kind of handicrafts like woodworking or "do-it-yourself" help books.

* Any kind of gardening or survival theme books including medicinal or health related books.

* Folklore and older history.

* Cookbooks and old receipts.

These are the types of books that I see - go first. I have a small collection of old cookbooks that are priceless in information. Everything from cooking wild game, to making your own wine and beer.

Even if you can't get any more books, you did save some really nice one's.
 
angelburst29 said:
[...]
Some suggestions - depending on what might be available in books:

* Any kind of handicrafts like woodworking or "do-it-yourself" help books.

* Any kind of gardening or survival theme books including medicinal or health related books.

* Folklore and older history.

* Cookbooks and old receipts.

These are the types of books that I see - go first. I have a small collection of old cookbooks that are priceless in information. Everything from cooking wild game, to making your own wine and beer.

Even if you can't get any more books, you did save some really nice one's.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the encouragement. It is nice you gave your input regarding the type of books one could be looking for. From a dump not too far away, where there is a shelf for books people want to get rid of, I collected a book some 50-60 years old on flowerbinding and decorations. I have been wondering if that was a good idea to keep it, but now I am convinced.
 
thorbiorn said:
Thank you for the encouragement. It is nice you gave your input regarding the type of books one could be looking for. From a dump not too far away, where there is a shelf for books people want to get rid of, I collected a book some 50-60 years old on flowerbinding and decorations. I have been wondering if that was a good idea to keep it, but now I am convinced.
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Yes, flowerbinding and decorations are a hand craft, mostly a craft learned by florist for Weddings and special occasions. Plus, it's a nice arts and craft for children to learn. So, yes, you collected a good book.

But most important, select or choose books on subjects that you are most interested in. Good luck!
 
Aeneas said:
Thank you Thorbjørn for the update to the situation in Denmark and the humorous albeit pointed quote from Shakespeare. I find it hard to read the Danish news these days. So enamored with all things from the US, capitalism and globalisation. It could well be an exaggeration on my part, but I see only little hope for Denmark. Knowledge as you mention is not something that is valued, so perhaps 2km of ice is as good a solution as any. In other words, natural recycle by nature and start afresh.
Click to expand...

From where I look it seems as there is little hope too. It is not as it was wonderful before, but the decline of reason, and everything that was on the right track in Denmark, has since 9/11 been so massive and has happened so fast...

(warning, rant coming)
Everytime I open my facebook, new horrors of stupidity and evil emerge. From making tent camps for refugees in the snow, when there is plenty of empty buildings that could be used. To the ridiculous "knowledge of Danish culture" tests that refugees have to pass to get asylum with questions most Danish people don't know (it was published at some point, and I failed it by far, and not even being disturbed by the nerves I would imagine refugees have when their future depend on getting it right) To the ridiculous harassment of the sick and the poor, like wellfare will be cut if people move to the outskirts where it is possible to pay rent, and still have a bit left to eat when on wellfare. Or wellfare will be cut if people have dinner once a week with other people, as it will be looked at as living together, thus having less expenses. And of cause the immense waste of money on Jobcenters where the people on wellfare have to spend 8 hours a day being humiliated, under the guise of being in "jobtraining" and some are send to work on projects for the state, to get their wellfare which is below minimum wage. And of cause that the security that people with work pay so that they will be covered if they get sick, don't actually cover longterm sickness, so if you are seriously ill for longer than a month or two, you will be passed on to the wellfare system where you'll have to spend 8 hours a day being harassed..
And the racist propaganda that people seem to swallow, and the tax cuts on very expensive cars that the rich get, and the spending billions on new war planes etc. etc. etc.

AAAAAAAAGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!!

Apart from a few loved ones, the only thing I miss by now, are the bright summernights..

(edit spelling)
 
angelburst29 said:
But most important, select or choose books on subjects that you are most interested in. Good luck!
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I agree, there ought to be good reason. I’d add to be mindful that it doesn’t tip over into an obsession / hoarding kind of a thing, which may create unhealthy feng shui in your apartment too if there is a lot of unattended needless clutter.
 
Alada said:
angelburst29 said:
But most important, select or choose books on subjects that you are most interested in. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I agree, there ought to be good reason. I’d add to be mindful that it doesn’t tip over into an obsession / hoarding kind of a thing, which may create unhealthy feng shui in your apartment too if there is a lot of unattended needless clutter.
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Thank you for the feng shui point of view. I'll need to redistribute some.

On a different note, today there was this headline: Tata, tobacco! Denmark aims for 1st smoke-free generation by 2030 They won't succeed.

Within the same hour they discussed that the Tax office has lost 1,7 bln Euros due to foreign criminals that have used a loop hole to get refund. Today they announced that they will spend almost 1 bln Euros over the next few years to prevent this from happening again. So far the tax payers have not benefited.
 
liffy said:
Article about how facebook turned regarding censoring the iconic image from the napalm bombing in Vietnam.

https://www.rt.com/viral/358858-facebook-reinstates-napalm-girl-photo/
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Hi liffy, I was curious as to why you posted this English article in this thread, so I looked it up and could see that it likely was because it mentioned the Norwegian prime minister taking Facebook to task for censuring free speech.

Perhaps you could tell us if it also reached further than social media and into the papers, television, radio talkshows etc. in Norway?
 
Oh yes, I thought that article would be easier to read for most than the original ones. To explain a bit further; what happened initially was that a Norwegian writer and journalist named Tom Egeland created a list of pictures from war times that had somehow changed the historical timeline. The link to the article was posted on the newspaper's Facebook page, but Facebook initially censored the image, in accordance to their censorship guidelines.

After this the editor-in-chief from the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten wrote an open letter directed to Mark Zuckerberg, pointing out that there's a huge difference between this image, and what ideally should be censored, and that there should be possible to not consider the rules for posting on Facebook as totally black and white. Other points he made in the letter was that since Facebook has become the main global platform for sharing news and views, it is important that Facebook's editors/censors understand that they have editorial responsibility akin to what any other media outlets have, and that they have to live up to this task, and making considerations not only based on generalizations.

After this, the Norwegian PM also made a post on Facebook showing the image, and complaining on the strict rules that Facebook operates with, and saying that this is a hinderance to freedom of speech.

Eventually Facebook turned on this issue, and as far as I understand this image is no longer censored.

The case was covered in different media outlets in Norway, as well as articles on RT (as linked), New York Times, The Guardian, etc.
 
Thanks liffy for clarifying with more background. The background also helps so not all readers of the forum will have to go to the link from RT to get the gist of the Norwegian involvement. It is interesting how images that are 50 years old are allowed and defended by policians and yet modern pictures of the effects of Western wars of regime changes are not allowed. Perhaps in 50 years time they will also be okay to post and share :rolleyes:
 
Yesterday when I listened to Behind the Headlines, it was mentioned that the Australian Airforce participated in the bombing of the Syrian Army in Deir ez-Azor. Wondering if the Danish Royal Airforce, had participated, I looked into the local media, but not a word. Was my suspicion unfounded? Today, Monday afternoon, the situation is different. Several parties require an independent investigation. Meanwhile the minister of defence, is in denial saying that he doubts Danish bombs have hit Syrian troops. A link to the story in English has been carried by Sputnik: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160919/1045455758/denmark-deir-syrian-army.html, but there are stories in Danish too on the websites of Berlingske, Jyllands-Posten and Information.

I was wondering if Anders Fogh Rasmussen had a comment, he is very active on FB, _https://www.facebook.com/andersfoghrasmussen/?fref=ts . No, and he probably does not care. His latest contribution is that he has recommends that the EU should extend sanctions against Russia for 12 months periods at a time, instead of six months.
_https://www.facebook.com/andersfoghrasmussen/videos/10154437397392488/ said:
"Here is a story about a dramatic encounter I had with Vladimir Putin – one of the more highly tensioned meetings in my life in politics. In my experience Putin must be dealt with firmly. Therefore, I’m now recommending the #EU to extend the sanctions against #Russia every 12 months, instead of merely six."
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What Anders Fogh Rasmussen wanted in the meeting was to expand NATO, what Vladimir Putin wanted was to have it dissolved. They did not agree and Putin left the meeting.

His post has 166 shares this far...

So, we have a bombing by "mistake" and a former General Secretary of NATO that actively continues to work along its principles of domination and destruction, convincing a lot of people that this is the right approach to life.
 
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