This posting has been unpublished due to lack of internetaccess since more than a week. But on July 24th, I wrote:
Packing my home to relocate has taken most of the last few days and blogging has not been a priority. Now vacation on a beach awaits us, but before that I would like to share some reading from the last few days, not least on the Turkish elections. You all know by now that the result was a resounding message from the Turkish electorate to continue the course of the last few years.
But first, a Dagens Nyheter op-ed on antiterrorism expertise and it's place in the open debate. It is actually very notable for many reasons and I can not recommend it highly enough!
And then as promised a few background pieces on the elections in Turkey:
from Svenska Dagbladet: an op-ed on islamists as the political future and again on a similar theme
And here some articles on women, on nationalism and losing sons, on conspiracy theory, on election proceedings...
from Expressen on forward-looking politics and the now again-ruling AKP (even if the article precedes their re-election)
A Swedish-Kurdish journalist was killed in a Kirkuk-bombing in July.
A very interesting article whose theme belies the assumption that Palestinian politics are wholly clan-dominated and family-steered, on 2 brothers who make opposite political decisions on the future of Gaza.
Even if water has run under the bridge, this expose of Israeli reflections after last years war in Lebanon may be of longer-term interest.
And finally some BBC picture features, this one on Palestine and this on the re-vitalization of society in Algeria.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Fish soup recipe
I can't resist sharing my favourite fish recipe with you - depending on the amount of liquid, it makes beautiful fish stew or soup. The recipe is very flexible as to what fish, vegetables and spices you like, as long as you stick to the rough proportions.
This made us (2 adults) 2 dinners earlier this week and I think there was still some left for a light lunch:
+1 kilo of fish (choose your favourite kind, we had salmon, but mixing 2-3 kinds is also possible)
1 onion
other vegetables of your choice (I used zucchini and sweet corn)
1 tin of crushed tomatoes in their own juice
1 stock cube vegetable
1 - 1,5 litres of liquid (generally water is fine, but adding 1-2 dl of white wine is great too)
salt & peppar
herbs
olive oil
I added a touch of saffron and some fresh shrimps too, but those are an optional luxury.
Stirfry the onion and other vegetables in oil, add salt and peppar. When slightly softened, add the tin of tomatoes, water (and wine if you choose to), the stock cube and herbs (and saffron, if you have). Let it boil while you cut the fish in 2x2 cm pieces. Add the fish and continue to boil until ready (which shouldn't take many minutes). Add other seafood at the very end and let it get hot, but don't boil it so long that the shrimps go tough or anything.
If you choose the lower amount of liquid you can serve it with rice or bulgur as a stew. Otherwise it makes a fine soup, add salad and bread to make it a full meal. Both ways, some parmesan on top is highly recommended!
This made us (2 adults) 2 dinners earlier this week and I think there was still some left for a light lunch:
+1 kilo of fish (choose your favourite kind, we had salmon, but mixing 2-3 kinds is also possible)
1 onion
other vegetables of your choice (I used zucchini and sweet corn)
1 tin of crushed tomatoes in their own juice
1 stock cube vegetable
1 - 1,5 litres of liquid (generally water is fine, but adding 1-2 dl of white wine is great too)
salt & peppar
herbs
olive oil
I added a touch of saffron and some fresh shrimps too, but those are an optional luxury.
Stirfry the onion and other vegetables in oil, add salt and peppar. When slightly softened, add the tin of tomatoes, water (and wine if you choose to), the stock cube and herbs (and saffron, if you have). Let it boil while you cut the fish in 2x2 cm pieces. Add the fish and continue to boil until ready (which shouldn't take many minutes). Add other seafood at the very end and let it get hot, but don't boil it so long that the shrimps go tough or anything.
If you choose the lower amount of liquid you can serve it with rice or bulgur as a stew. Otherwise it makes a fine soup, add salad and bread to make it a full meal. Both ways, some parmesan on top is highly recommended!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Balconies and more
Call me crazy! And I AM Mad about balconies and architectural details - I already told you so!
Anyway, here is my entire stash of Vilnius balconies for you to see. Enjoy!
Anyway, here is my entire stash of Vilnius balconies for you to see. Enjoy!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Vilnius balconies
You probably already know this, but I really enjoy different types of balconies (I guess I just wish I had one!). All these photos of balconies are taken during walks in old Vilnius.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Summer reading
But as usual the state of affairs is hardly very positive...
...except perhaps the final release of Alan Johnston. here are his own reactions after the ordeal.
Another constructive initiative was launched in 2006 in where Israelis and Palestinians depict their lives "Side by Side" in photos. Photo Voice is one of the organizers.
Also on the nice side is the proclamation of seven "new" Wonders of the World. Next on my "to see"-list is Petra in Jordan, after having actually been to the Great Wall of China, Colosseum in Rome and Taj Mahal (the last one repeatedly). Not that I'd ever tire of it!
And a section on Iraq - with BBC highlighting the number and fate of Iraqi new arrivals to Sweden. International Herald Tribune wrote on the same topic here.
On a similar note is an article (BBC again) and a report released by Minority Rights Group waaay back in February on the situation for minorities, especially some Christian and other religious groups in the turmoil that is Iraq.
Neighbouring Iran is here described (sadly but lovingly, I think) by departing BBC correspondent Frances Harrison.
Anna Dahlberg from Swedish Expressen writes intelligently on Muslims also as the foremost victims of terrorism.
And it is one year since the war in Lebanon of last summer. I'll probably point you to more photos and analyses later, but here is one set of pictures at least (from the BBC).
...except perhaps the final release of Alan Johnston. here are his own reactions after the ordeal.
Another constructive initiative was launched in 2006 in where Israelis and Palestinians depict their lives "Side by Side" in photos. Photo Voice is one of the organizers.
Also on the nice side is the proclamation of seven "new" Wonders of the World. Next on my "to see"-list is Petra in Jordan, after having actually been to the Great Wall of China, Colosseum in Rome and Taj Mahal (the last one repeatedly). Not that I'd ever tire of it!
And a section on Iraq - with BBC highlighting the number and fate of Iraqi new arrivals to Sweden. International Herald Tribune wrote on the same topic here.
On a similar note is an article (BBC again) and a report released by Minority Rights Group waaay back in February on the situation for minorities, especially some Christian and other religious groups in the turmoil that is Iraq.
Neighbouring Iran is here described (sadly but lovingly, I think) by departing BBC correspondent Frances Harrison.
Anna Dahlberg from Swedish Expressen writes intelligently on Muslims also as the foremost victims of terrorism.
And it is one year since the war in Lebanon of last summer. I'll probably point you to more photos and analyses later, but here is one set of pictures at least (from the BBC).
The Hungry Tide
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, is another book I can really recommend, after reading it on a trip about six months ago and the book almost engulfing me in it's river environment from the Bay of Bengal, despite the amazing historical landscape surrounding me in my own travel destination. The stories told, the people, the river - all had a magnetic effect on my imagination.
I have previously also enjoyed Ghosh's books, like The Glass Palace.
I have previously also enjoyed Ghosh's books, like The Glass Palace.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The flower pillar...
... and various other floral arrangements. The top one is a temporary arrangement (in everyday life a hatstand!), the next one the real thing! Below are 2 different mini-gardens.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Inside the museum
These pictures from the inside are of mixed quality, due to the lighting conditions. But some of the feeling of the memorial aworks of art and the mementoes are maybe conveyed below.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
In the fort
Some shots from inside the fort, showing both the defensive use and the prison use. Gloomy damp place for soldiers and prisoners aside, I say.
Jewish memorial
Visiting sites of such dark and violent history is always an eerie experience, I find. Not least because the calm and beauty of them contrasts so sharply with the events you know took place there and trying to imagine them becomes so unreal but still present.
There are several monuments erected to the victims, in different times and by different groups seeking to honour them.
There are several monuments erected to the victims, in different times and by different groups seeking to honour them.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Kaunas Fort IX
Passing Kaunas we stopped to see Fort IX. Kaunas was the capital of Lithuania between the two World Wars, when Vilnius was still under Polish rule.
The fort is one in a series of ten built for the defence of the town, but later used as a prison, both by inter-war Lithuania and Soviet occupants in 1940-41. Later during German occupation it was the site of large-scale executions of the Jewish population of Kaunas (read Virtual Jewish History on this dark piece of history).
The two top pictures are of the actual fort, the lower one of the museum- The site now houses museums with material and information mainly relating to Soviet and to some extent Nazi atrocities in Lithuania.
The fort is one in a series of ten built for the defence of the town, but later used as a prison, both by inter-war Lithuania and Soviet occupants in 1940-41. Later during German occupation it was the site of large-scale executions of the Jewish population of Kaunas (read Virtual Jewish History on this dark piece of history).
The two top pictures are of the actual fort, the lower one of the museum- The site now houses museums with material and information mainly relating to Soviet and to some extent Nazi atrocities in Lithuania.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
William Dalrymple
Ever since first reading "City of Djinns" by a swimming-pool in New Delhi, I've always enjoyed William Dalrymple's books immensely. Recently, I read his latest, on the mutiny against British rule in India and the final downfall of the once-glorious Mughal dynasty:
(The picture shows the hard-back cover and links to the paperback version at amazon.co.uk .)
I really recommend this book. A Swedish-language review (Svenska Dagbladet) can be found here. It's on confrontation and victory more empty than meaningful and on the death of an era.
(The picture shows the hard-back cover and links to the paperback version at amazon.co.uk .)
I really recommend this book. A Swedish-language review (Svenska Dagbladet) can be found here. It's on confrontation and victory more empty than meaningful and on the death of an era.
This week's reading
I have a feeling this may be quite extensive - my preliminary collection is quite full!
Let me start with some very unusual topics for this blogg, the voice of new African literature and the identity of the modern Indian man!
From the Swedish debate I would like to highlight a few points. This is from Expressen, on a documentary from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by a young man of probably quite ambitious cultural and political ideas, seeking to get away from being a "slave under occupation".
Another interesting feature is this, from Dagens Nyheter, on the danger of self-proclaimed experts crying "wolf" and "al-Qaida" at the first chance... and this Expressen op-ed on the education-level of terrorists.
On Turkey-EU relations and Turkey's grappling with their identity and future, this report was recently published. Carnegie Endowment released this on the need for economic reform in Arab world, always a very important and under-reported topic. Human Rights Watch called attention to the security forces behaviour in the Iraqi Kurdish region.
An essay from Svenska Dagbladet on Gertrude Bell and the fight for Iraq that she took part in.
Also on Iraq, the statistics for June speak of a death-figure not rising for the first time in months. It's still monstrously high, but let us hope we can later loook back at some point at think "there the tide turned".
After having linked the latest ICG report on Basra in a previous post, I'd like to show you this site especially focussed on southern Iraq. Norwegian historian Reidar Visser with a longstanding interest in Iraq and the Gulf there collects analyses, resources and even photo galleries. Visser also wrote this article in Middle East Report earlier this year.
Happy reading and hope you can surf to something you will enjoy!
Let me start with some very unusual topics for this blogg, the voice of new African literature and the identity of the modern Indian man!
From the Swedish debate I would like to highlight a few points. This is from Expressen, on a documentary from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by a young man of probably quite ambitious cultural and political ideas, seeking to get away from being a "slave under occupation".
Another interesting feature is this, from Dagens Nyheter, on the danger of self-proclaimed experts crying "wolf" and "al-Qaida" at the first chance... and this Expressen op-ed on the education-level of terrorists.
On Turkey-EU relations and Turkey's grappling with their identity and future, this report was recently published. Carnegie Endowment released this on the need for economic reform in Arab world, always a very important and under-reported topic. Human Rights Watch called attention to the security forces behaviour in the Iraqi Kurdish region.
An essay from Svenska Dagbladet on Gertrude Bell and the fight for Iraq that she took part in.
Also on Iraq, the statistics for June speak of a death-figure not rising for the first time in months. It's still monstrously high, but let us hope we can later loook back at some point at think "there the tide turned".
After having linked the latest ICG report on Basra in a previous post, I'd like to show you this site especially focussed on southern Iraq. Norwegian historian Reidar Visser with a longstanding interest in Iraq and the Gulf there collects analyses, resources and even photo galleries. Visser also wrote this article in Middle East Report earlier this year.
Happy reading and hope you can surf to something you will enjoy!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Klaipeda
Some more shots of the Theatre square, including a parasol advertising my husband's favourite beer (Svyturys).
And, next door, the slightly anonymous Karlskrona square, named after Klaipedas Swedish twin-town across the Baltic, Karlskrona.
And, next door, the slightly anonymous Karlskrona square, named after Klaipedas Swedish twin-town across the Baltic, Karlskrona.
Alan Johnston FREE!!!!
BBC reporter Alan Johnston is free!
Let us however not forget those still in captivity, including Israeli soldier Shalit, who was also recently heard of, and others, less high-of-profile.
Evening update:
It seems the outcome tells us a lot about which control Hamas has over security developments in Gaza. I find this a very interesting and telling feature of this particular happy ending! Nathan Schachar of Dagens Nyheter comments this angle too in an informed way. Here Johnston in pictures after the release.
I only hope now that he can be reunited with his family in peace and relax from some of the outstanding knee-jerk professionalism he displayed in media contacts shortly after his release.
And some coverage from today below:
reactions from the BBC, Johnston's own reactions, discussion on the safety of journalists
Web-tv from Dagens Nyheter here, Swedish radio reports here and Svenska Dagbladet here.
And finally some comments on the freedom of expression-aspects of journalist field work - CPJ and RSF.
Let us however not forget those still in captivity, including Israeli soldier Shalit, who was also recently heard of, and others, less high-of-profile.
Evening update:
It seems the outcome tells us a lot about which control Hamas has over security developments in Gaza. I find this a very interesting and telling feature of this particular happy ending! Nathan Schachar of Dagens Nyheter comments this angle too in an informed way. Here Johnston in pictures after the release.
I only hope now that he can be reunited with his family in peace and relax from some of the outstanding knee-jerk professionalism he displayed in media contacts shortly after his release.
And some coverage from today below:
reactions from the BBC, Johnston's own reactions, discussion on the safety of journalists
Web-tv from Dagens Nyheter here, Swedish radio reports here and Svenska Dagbladet here.
And finally some comments on the freedom of expression-aspects of journalist field work - CPJ and RSF.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Theatre square in Klaipeda
Once we came to Klaipeda (historically Memel), the centre of town is still dominated by the Dramatic Theatre. Klaipeda has a history sort of separate from much of the rest of Lithuania, with probably a must closer relation with Kaliningrad (historically Köningsberg), including also the Curonian spit, not very far to the south. Klaipeda was conquered by Lithuania in 1923 (after it's independence) but later taken back by Germany in 1939 (?) and was German during much of the Second World War.
From the centre balcony in this building however, Adolf Hitler once spoke to the local masses (filling the square, out of a town of approx 50 000) against a background of a photo of himself during a 1939 visit - you see the location best in the top photo. (We found this documentary partly depicting the event on youtube.) Out of this German-speaking population, only a handful (6 or 7, reputedly) at all survived the war, and the current population are native Lithuanians from other parts of the country.
This is a sort of modernist (Soviet-era?) wing of the theatre to the left of the main building.
The main theatre building, from 2 different angles.
From the centre balcony in this building however, Adolf Hitler once spoke to the local masses (filling the square, out of a town of approx 50 000) against a background of a photo of himself during a 1939 visit - you see the location best in the top photo. (We found this documentary partly depicting the event on youtube.) Out of this German-speaking population, only a handful (6 or 7, reputedly) at all survived the war, and the current population are native Lithuanians from other parts of the country.
This is a sort of modernist (Soviet-era?) wing of the theatre to the left of the main building.
The main theatre building, from 2 different angles.
More lagoon life in Nida
As I previously mentioned, the lagoon side offered more in the way of shore-life - boats and fishing, for example.
A trip to Kars
This whole blog is intended as a travel chronicle, but I guess the style is more "stream of consciousness" than anything remotely structured. Here is a more essaistic and verbal attempt to describe what has already been documented in picture. You may recognize the photos!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Alan Johnston developments
Some arrests have been made in Gaza from the group claiming to have the missing Alan Johnston. It is now 16 weeks since he was last seen.
Tuesday update: the petition has reached 200 000 on this 113th day of Alan Johnstons captivity.
Tuesday update: the petition has reached 200 000 on this 113th day of Alan Johnstons captivity.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
And more woods again
I hope I'm not giving you doubles of photos I've already shown now - I wanted to point to the variety of the landscape. All of these, heath, dunes and woods, were found within a few hundred meters (maximum!) of each other on the southern outskirts of Nida.
In the woods again
More images from the woods around Nida. We walked through these to and from the beach on the sea-side of the spit - a very peaceful and beautiful 1 1/2 km walk.
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