Lilja 4-ever

Maia Leave a comment

Recently I read in the paper that one of our tv channels was showing the movie Lilja4ever. I haven’t seen it myself. It seemed to be so tragic and that type of movie is just too painful for me to watch. I’m guessing most grown women and the majority of teenage girls react that way too. Hopefully, most grown men will feel that way as well.

Unfortunately, it seems teenage guys don’t react like normal humans. A friend of mine watched the movie years ago when it was in the cinema. While he was sitting there, there was also a gang of teenage boys. Each time Lilja was raped or whatever happens in the movie (I didn’t want to find out exactly what happens in the movie), those guys were cheering.

If Lukas Moodyson had wanted to get to most members of the audience, the main character should have been a guy being abused. That might have gotten to the guys too, because it would have hit closer to home. Shook them up more. And that’s probably what it takes. As long as that sort of thing only happens to ‘others’ and not ‘us/normal people/guys, the majority of guys in the audience will feel pretty secure. Cool. Awesome. And so on.

It’s time for those guys to wake up and realize that more or less anyone can be a victim, if you’re unlucky. Abusers, on the other hand, are still, if not all of them, mainly men.

So now I’m looking for a movie like Lilja 4ever, but where the violence and the degradation happens to a guy. Because that happens too. Then maybe at last part of the movie audience will wake up and see what’s going on. Not cool entertainment, but a wakeup call. A plea for them to care or at least not hop on the abuser train, or maybe be a spectator and cheer the others on, those who dare.

Idiotic verdict

Maia Leave a comment

Today I read on Metro that a rapist was acquitted because the woman/victim was sleeping in her underwear.

So it was perfectly ok for him to get into her home and check what she was wearing?

What?

Ok, right.

Then picture, if you please, this scene:

A young, hot guy is asleep in his own home, wearing only his underwear, or nothing at all. A gay rapist gets into his home and sees the guy lying there looking sexy. After that, he’s all set to go. Or…?

Competely insane. I hope that the people responsible for the verdict will get the same treatment. It won’t be more than they deserve.

Hummus Tahin

Maia Leave a comment

4 dl boiled chick peas
1-2 table spoons tahin (sesamy seed paste)
1-2 table spoons lemon juice
2 table spoons tamari (or other organic soy sauce, like shoyu)
1-2 table spoons garlic
3/4 – 1 dl chick pea water (from the pot where you bolied the chick peas)
some parsley
(you can leave out any spice you like and add one of your choice instead)

Mix or grind the chick peas and add all the other ingredients except for the parsley. Keep mixing it until the paste is smooth. Then add the parsley.

If you want to make your own tahin, it’s easy. All you need are the sesamy seeds and a frying pan. Roast or fry the seeds without any fat. If you like your tahin dark and strong in taste wait until the seeds “pop”. Then you mix them in the food processor or mixer until they form a firm paste. Keep on going for far longer than you might think is necessary. There is nothing wrong, it just takes a very long time.

Bad music

Maia Leave a comment

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about the Eurovision Song Contest, and frankly, I don’t feel qualified to comment on the actual contest or the actual music. I don’t watch and I don’t really care which song wins. However, there are a few related issues that bother me.

Here in Sweden there’s been a fierce debate about the song we sent to Belgrade. Was it good? Did it suck? Etc. Early on, some heavy names in the music industry here claimed that it’s the latter. Our song sucked. Ok. Maybe you’re right. What did strike me as wrong, was the solution these people suggested. Send a song people will like better in Europe, or more adequately, in Eastern Europe.

If all you care about is winning and making money, that might be a good idea. But personally, I can’t help thinking that we Swedish people are entitled to liking any kind of music we care to. If the point is merely to win and make money, (see above,) then I guess they can do so. But if you want us, the Swedish people to enjoy the music you’ve created, then maybe it’s time to stop participating in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Like I mentioned above, I don’t care either way, about the type of music here, or the contest itself, but again, in my opinion if it’s for us, then we should like it. If we can do both, then fine. If not, then forget about the contest.

*Our* garden

Maia Leave a comment

Our neighbors have a totally different view than we do of what a garden should look like. We like it green and generous and – according to others – overgrown.

What others term weeds, we like and nurture. Some examples:

Nettles attract butterflies. They’re also nutritious.

Dandelions are lovely, cheerful little suns. They’re staying.

If you don’t agree, consider this: If you don’t like our garden, stay away and look away. We don’t bother you about yours.

Our garden looks this way because we like it. So now you know.

Disappointed

Maia Leave a comment

I am so deeply disappointed in people. That’s nothing new. More or less every day I read news and articles proving that most ‘ordinary’ people, just care about themselves.

This time, it’s about the situation in Tibet. China. The Olympics. People think it’s fun to watch sports on tv, which naturally means that it’s ‘right’ to follow the Olympics from Beijing, China. They want to do business with China, and that means choosing to look away from the oppression, the discrimination of women and others, the torture of innocent animals. Money’s nice. That’s why people make up excuses for themselves and don’t need to have a conscience.

Shame on you, all you people who don’t care about people and animals, as long as they live far enough away from you!

Brave kids and monks

Maia Leave a comment

Throughout the world, people have protested about the way the Chinese authorities have treated the Tibetans involved in the demonstrations against the Chinese occupation forces.

In Kathmandu, Nepal, teenagers, Tibetan refugees, demonstrated too. The images of their protest shows incredible courage. In one photo I saw a girl who was sitting on the ground, while the police were trying to drag her away. There’s another one of a desperate boy, surrounded by police.

In India’s capital New Delhi, there were more demonstrations, this time by university students. They too were taken away by the police, but later released.

There were other displays of courage, for instance when a group of monks dared to speak the truth before a number of Western reporters, who had been invited for a special show of propaganda, during a tour of a monastery. That didn’t turn out quite the way the authorities had imagined. They have made promises about not punishing protesting monks, but it remains to be seen how much faith you can have in such promises. Already, several monks have been hurt during other demos.

Protests in Nepal

India

Monks

Boycott!

Maia Leave a comment

Kodak
Coca-Cola
Samsung
General Motors
Xerox
Heineken
Fuji Film
Telstra
Schlumberger
John Hancock
Panasonic
TimeWarner
Visa

The above companies are sponsors of the Olympics in Beijing. If you care about the Tibetan people, boycott them. I certainly will.

Some of those I’ve never even heard of (Schlumberger, John Hancock). Another – Telstra – is little more than a name to me. All the others are known to me but I don’t use most of them. However, TimeWarner and Visa might hurt a little.

Visa – that probably goes without saying, but for this important cause, I’ll get by
without it.

TimeWarner – if I’m not mistaken – owns ICQ and the AOL Instant Messenger. Tough. I use ICQ all the time, despite reservations about the owners. AIM – well, I have a screen name, but I don’t use it.

You might say ‘that’s just politics’ or ‘why mix politics and sports’? Guess what? People in Tibet are dying. That’s not ‘just politics’. If you ask their loved ones or people who were shot at and survived, they probably won’t appreciate your distinction.

Wake up. Today it’s Tibet, tomorrow – who knows? Maybe your home is up next. There are no guarantees you’ll always stay safe.

For at least a year now, I’ve also been boycotting Yahoo and Google. If you don’t see why, here’s a brief explanation.

Yahoo – they helped Chinese authorites jail at least one journalist who wrote about democracy issues. Yeah. An innocent man is in jail, thanks to Yahoo. So, no Yahoo messenger or mail.

Google – they censor their search engine in China, so obviously I don’t want to use any of Google’s services. If you think it’s no big deal, ask yourself why. Is it ok to censor internet searches as long as it’s far away from where you live? Or is it just something you don’t care about?

In any case, I care and I say no thanks to Yahoo and Google.

Don't forget Tibet!

Maia Leave a comment

As everyone must know, protests against the Chinese occupations forces in Tibet are going on. Several people have been killed.

If you’re not familiar with the plight of the Tibetans, or even know what Tibet is, I suggest you find out.

Students for a Free Tibet
TibetInfoNet
BBC’s profile page

When I was a kid, I didn’t know either, not until the day I read a comic book about Tintin who was visiting mysterious Tibet. That was the reason I first became interested in Tibet.

I also love the Tibetan dog breed, Lhasa Apso.

Fascinating mysteries about Tibet.

Here, you’ll find some Tibetan music.