simple song

(Photo: click here!) 
It's earth hour today. And in about 15 minutes, I'm shutting the lights. Are you? It's a very simple thing to do. And all the dares about doing environment friendly things are very amusing. However, I wish these things weren't a once a year thing. I think I'm going to try biking to school as much as I can this last semester, though the bus is also a much more environment friendly thing than driving a car. I will also try to buy less things. At least less new things. Recycle is the key word. I might even start buying music from the internet rather than buying in shops. Books, however, I don't think I can stop buying. I also know that stopping being a consumer of all these things will make bigger problems, which is a proof of how intertwined the economy is. However, if that's what it takes in order to try saving the planet, then why not? Wouldn't it be nice to wake up and be bombarded with news that global warming isn't as bad as we had thought, and that our grandchildren can live without worries of dying of natural disasters? At least I think so.

we were born and raised in a summer haze

I just walked downstairs like an hour ago, thinking that it was food because my mom had shouted something. And then I walked through the living room, and who sits there at the dining table? My brother. He's the kind of person that just sneaks in, and don't bother to say "hi, I am here". He never calls on beforehand either, so whenever I hear someone trying to open the door, I firstly think "oh, someone's trying to break in" for two seconds before i think "oh, wait, is it brother?". And then it turns out to be mom or someone else. After the vacation, my sister is visiting also, with my baby nephew. So I can't wait. It can be so agonizing living with a bunch of siblings sometimes. But in the end I'd always choose siblings rather than being an only child. Yes, definitely.

let it burn

I can't listen to Adele without thinking of summer. Summer is coming up, but first I've got to pass all the exams. I am not looking forward to that. Especially not oral exams. You always feel so nervous and jittery. Like, if someone were to scare you before a presentation in front of your teacher and the sensor, you'd pee your pants. Right now I'm trying to write about "the good life" in philosophy. When I think about it, it's a really nice task. However, I'm way behind schedule, and I wish I would have one of those a-ha moments where every puzzle in your mind just falls to place. In stead I'm pulling my hair in despair, and trying to plan everything I'm supposed to do in this little vacation. Highlights are spending time with friends, decorating my "russebukse" and probably Sweden. What is it with Norwegians always travelling to Sweden in Easter-break? The downsides are the hours I'm spending on studying for all the mock exams. But it's all a part of finding "the good life".

as long as were together, does it matter where we go?

(Pictures: various Tumblrs as usual. Love Tumblr).
I biked to school today as well, and though I had hoped that it would get easier. It did not become any easier. Yesterday when I was waiting to cross the road, a bus drove past me, and I saw one of my classmates waving to me. Today when I biked to school, I realised it was the exact time I usually take the bus. So as I drove down a little hill, I saw one of my classmates waiting for the bus, and then he saw me. But I don't think he really recognized me, until I came closer. I smiled and said hey. After school today I once again biked home, as if you didn't know. And I biked past another three classmates, and they were like "wait, what, you bike to school?". I'd just like to conclude that biking is nice. You don't have to be biking at the speed of lighting all the time. Sometimes I just bike really slowly and watch the world evolving around me. Bike is a really weird word.

if I was your boyfriend I'd never let you go

By the looks of the title of this post, I'm listening to Justin Bieber. And I certainly am. My friend introduced me to the song, and it's growing on me. Anyways, it's nearly 1:00 pm, and I've managed to attend school, going to the library and borrowing books for my paper, and purchase paint-brushes. I am very eager to start decorating my "russebukse". Oh and did I tell you that I biked to school today? Yes. I was telling my friend on the bus the other day "Oh, it'll be fine. There road it completely flat". Well, it's not completely flat, and I didn't do just fine. I was exhausted at some parts, and it didn't help much to be biking with tight jeans. Oh well, I did enjoy it though. I've always wanted to bike to school before. I'm one of those who sit on the bus and admire every people biking to work, school or wherever they are going. I'm biking tomorrow also, but on Friday, we are having this beep-test in gym, and I don't think I will be able to bike home that day.

in the rich mans world

I am so so glad that this day is over. I had this presentation today, and it's always so good to be done with a presentation, test or a paper. After school me and a friend headed to Oslo in order to switch some "russe"-stuff. And gosh, we spent an unspeakable amount of time just to find the darn place. In the end we finally made it. We had been walking for ages, and it felt so good to sit down on the train back home. However, it was a new part of Oslo for me. Never been there, and it was really nice. Full of business- and rich people though. People walking in suits with briefcases, and women strolling around with shoppingbags, and mothers strolling with their Stokke Xplory or Bugaboo strollers. It nearly shrieked "I'm rich". Well, as far as it can in Norway. Anyways, the weather was lovely! And I ended up walking home, because I didn't reach the bus. I just thought I could walk home rather than waiting on the next bus. Right now I'm rewarding myself for the hard work by catching up on all the videos I've been missing on Youtube.

things will never be the same

Plutselig stod det statuser med "Hvil i fred" på Facebook. Jeg ble nysgjerrig, for dette var mennesker fra hjemstedet mitt. Og jeg skjønte raskt at det var en ung person, en som var like gammel som meg. Du blir litt målløs. Du leser artikler om det, også klarer du ikke å unngå å se for deg hvordan det skjedde. Også blir du trist. For det kunne like godt vært en av dine egne venner. Men du er også trist fordi denne personen etterlot seg foreldre og søsken. Det værste marerittet for foreldre, er jo at barnet skal dø før dem. Også feller du en tåre. Du kjenner jo ikke denne personen, men du lar det gå inn på deg. Du tenker på alle vennene, og hva de sitter igjen med. Det var ikke engang en bilulykke. Det var en ulykke av de mest sjeldne dødsårsaker (for ungdommen i hvertfall). Også blir du trist igjen. For du skjønner ikke hvorfor et liv skal gå tapt så brått. Og du tenker, at når du takler det dårlig, hvordan skal alle pårørende takle det? Du håper inderlig at de kommer seg gjennom det. At de ikke bryter sammen fullstendig. At de ikke blir helt dysfunksjonelle i fremtiden. I blant er det vanskelig å se det positive aspektet ved noe. Og hva som er meningen med hendelser som virker helt ufattelige. Du blir etterlatt litt målløs.

I've had the time of my life and I've never felt this way before

The "russe"-revue was amazing. Nearly swept me off my feet. Luckily I was sitting on a comfortable seat. I am pretty sure I am the best onlooker to any school-revues. I get about everything. I understood the Justin Bieber parody, the Lonely Island parody, etc. I have been fond of revues ever since I watched my friends revue for the first time. It totally won me over, which probably wasn't too weird, as the school was an acting and music school. In comparison to that revue, I had very small expectations for this, for many reasons. First, I had heard that they had very little time practicing. Second, I was very worried that they would make sketches that only few would get. Three, I was worried there would be any technical issues that would ruin it. But they proved me wrong. And I must say, even though I've lost approx four hours (watching, travelling, showering, etc), it was a very good value. But now I have to go back and write. Write like the wind!

Edit: We also had the joy to watch two guys completely naked with only a "russe"-hat run across the stage. I admit that I was quite baffled. I might even include it in my essay, if I can.

Du kan ikke velge hvordan du vil dø. Eller når. Du kan bare velge hvordan du vil leve. Nå.

Fantastisk formulert av den amerikanske musikeren, Joan Baez. I blant kan det føles ut som om du sitter og kun planlegger "livet". Som om livet er ti år unna. Da jeg var yngre, var mitt største ønske å bli "stor". Ja, da skulle jeg bestemme over meg selv, bo med bestevennene mine, og ha masse penger. Hvordan jeg kom frem til den konklusjonen at alle voksne var rike og bodde med bestevennene sine, aner jeg ikke. Men det var slik scenarioet for mitt fremtidlige liv skulle bli. I dag sitter jeg og krangler med meg selv. Essayet som skal leveres innen søndag, må gjøres ferdig snarest mulig. Helst for en time siden. Jeg gir meg selv pep-talks. "Kom igjen, M, dette klarer du!". Også sitter jeg og drømmer om ufattelig mange reiser. Om jeg bare kunne vært rastløs i et par uker, lest bøker, solt meg, og bare slappet av. Tenk det, det hadde vært fabelaktig. Men så blir man slått i trynet av realiteten som venter på deg når du våkner. Plutselig får du en dårlig karakter, også en etter det igjen, også kommer du ikke inn på det universitetet eller den høyskolen du skulle inn på. Også gikk drømmene i dass. Du går inn på resttorget og får plass på en annen type studie. En studie som du ikke engang ønsker. Også ender du opp miserabel for resten av livet. Heldigvis er jeg smart nok til å slå meg selv før realiteten kommer og slår meg. Men jeg blir spist opp av skolearbeid. Jeg blir sittende fast i en endeløs verden. I blant hører jeg et knips. Et knips som sier at jeg må ta meg tid til å gjøre ting som jeg vil huske i fremtiden. Og at jeg ikke trenger å gjøre det tryggeste valget hele tiden. Det er lov til å dumme seg ut, det er lov til å gjøre feil, det er lov til å være annerledes uten å måtte skamme seg over det. For hva er vitsen å skamme seg over seg selv når du har et såpass kort liv? Nedverdigende blikk vil du få i løpet av livet uansett. Så slapp av, ta sjanser, gjør ting som du vanligvis ikke gjør. Hopp i havet.

there's a possibility

Today I had a kind of alternative school-day. My teacher brought us to this seminar, where we were put in two groups. "The elders" and "the young". Each group was assigned a different prospect about how Lorenskog will look in 2040. It was quite nerve-wrecking at the beginning, as we had to present our ideas about how to manage problems and different views, etc - in front of 50 other politicians and somewhat. The last assignment was to describe a day in the life of a teenager in 2040 (in the prospect we were assigned). My group took a lot of funny pictures and made up a story about how teaching was done over a video-call with the teacher, and how people never interacted socially in real life. On beforehand we felt necessity to ask our leader of the whole project, if 50-year-old-politicians had humor. This he laughed at, and nodded generously, and even felt the need to tell before our presentation, which they did laugh at as well. It was an exciting day, and I think I've met a lot of known politicians today, I just don't quite know who they are.

Right now I'm going into a "writing-mode", and I will try to finish my paper today, so I can start on my presentation tomorrow. Plus I'm going to watch my schools "russerevy" tomorrow. I can't wait. And I might even consider biking there, just because it's so nice and warm these days.

tears stream down your face when you lose something you cannot replace

I am so glad to be over with this day. Another test to be done with. It would feel so nice to just relax, but then I have to keep reminding myself of all the things I have to get done. You become a little bitter when you are forced to do schoolwork in the weekends, the few days you get to relax. But on the positive note, I'm having a presentation about Asperger syndrome, which is very interesting. I could probably read several books about it. So, no worries. Slap a smile on your face, and you'll notice the psychological effect it has on you - you might just end up feeling better. True story. Yes, I am now ending all my blog posts with "true story". Joke.

I love you in the most heterosexual way

They never fail to make you laugh. It also slightly reminds me of the newest How I Met Your Mother episode as well. "Brobe, broath, brible". Hilarious.

I kiss your eyes and thank god were together

I just finished eating lovely food I cooked myself. I know someone thinks there is something therapeutic with baking. I personally feel the same making foods. Well, foods I'm used to make. Tonight I made "Tikka Masala", which I've made quite a few times before. After posting this, I will go back to studying about poverty and development-theories. It is more exciting than it sounds. True story.

you treat me like a stranger

Every second I spend writing this counts as wasted time for me. I really have to study, which means there will be no How I Met Your Mother today. Okay, maybe one episode. But then I will not watch any episodes before next Friday. I can't wait for vacation next week, but then again it's the beginning of the end. The weeks after that are only tests. And then comes the exams. And then we are supposedly "free". It's sad to think that it will all be over in such short time. I was speaking with an old teacher today in her office, and there my other and older teacher also sat (I had them both in the same subject). It was kind of awkward, but at the same time very amusing.

show me all the things you see

Fuck, fuckidy-fuck. I just realised that I'm completely swamped the whole week, and that I need to try fit in as much work as possible. Major crisis. Feck it!

world's greatest couple

I can't stop watching How I Met Your Mother. And I fell in love with episode "world's greatest couple" with Barney and Lily living together. It's like the most epic quest, where you are supposed to un-jerk Barney, and make him a family-man. I know Barney and Lily are more like brother-and-sister, or even like mom-son, but I'd quite like them together. It just feels like Lily is the only one who truly knows him. Gosh, if I don't stop watching this show anytime soon, I'm just going to blurt out quotes from Barney. True story. I might have done it quite a few times now.

we'll be waving hands singing freely

I have officially two new bruises on my knees. I was undressing yesterday, in order to sleep in this warmness. I spotted one small bruise on my left knee, and a slightly bigger one on the other. I also just read "two new messages" on my phone. One was from my sister saying "Skype now?", and the other was a request about hanging out. And the weird thing is that my phone has been in my room all day, where I've been most of the time. Well, I realise now that I have only been here from 5 till now. The start of the day was spent watching cross country skiing and such. But usually my phone is in the pocket of my jacket, which is why I never really respond to any messages. Plus, I don't have any money.

signs of spring pt. 2

I love having a garden. You can just see the signs of spring when there are flowers, trees and different plants blossoming. This particular tree is also a sign of Easter. It's a little bit early this year though. It's still two weeks left. Right now I'm studying whilst watching High School Musical 3/Cross ski country competition on television. And the sun outside is so bright. I love life right now.

must be a devil between us, or whores in my head

I forgot to bring my camera to the birthday-party, and I was debating whether I should take the bus back home, or just go without. I decided to go without, which lead to me having slightly abstinence. Luckily I had the pleasure to borrow another camera. But still, it means I'm left with no pictures. Anyway, it was a good day. I watched How I Met Your Mother, and hang out with friends, ate cake and cupcakes, and sang Singstar. And I've made it a habit to read my daily horoscope after the day is over, in order to check if something was true. It really is amusing. Even if it's wrong 90% of the time, I still find myself in awe when it's right. But I guess, if you don't believe in magic, you'll never experience it.

This is not general surgery on a miniature scale. These are the tiny humans. These are children. They believe in magic. They play pretend. There is fairy dust in their IV bags. They hope, and they cross their fingers, and they make wishes, and that makes them more resilient than adults. They recover faster, survive worse. They believe. (Greys Anatomy, Season 6, "Invest In Love"). 


When you grow older, you tend to rationalise everything. You do an action based on rational arguments. Well, this is how it is in the western world at least, where everything should be based on facts. If it's not proven by science, it's not worth believing. And I guess that is good sometimes - think about all the actions through the history that has been based on religion. I live in Norway, and it's been ranked as the best country to live in for several years. But there are a lot of depressed people in this country, and you'd think it would be the opposite, as it is a very rich country with a welfare state. But I also get it. Where you find smart people, you will most likely find depression. It's the luxury to sit down and dwell about world problems, and just really think, that makes you depressed. At least, that's what I think. Hm.. I think I need to go to sleep now. Enough philosophy for a day.

could have loved you all my life if you hadn't left me waiting in the cold

I am currently lying in my bed wondering what I should do. Whether to just enjoy the weekend and watch a little How I Met Your Mother. Or to be smart, and study for my test on Thursday. I really should start studying ... oh well, a little How I Met Your Mother it is! I will allow myself a little spare-time, as I just got an 6/A on my recent presentation. I was absolutely shocked when I first found out from one of the group-members. And I didn't believe it, until I read the comments my teacher had written for us. Tomorrow I'm going to a friends birthdayparty. My mum said "What? another birthday?". I guess there were a lot of spring-babies in 1993. I need to make a card, a creative one, as I'm only giving her money. I did think of just saying "hey, come here", and then proceed to sneak the money in her pocket. But I concluded that it might look a bit odd. I'm not like Barney, my own mind is "the gang" that shoots down my ideas sometimes. I don't need Lily, Marshall, Robin and Ted. Because I'm awesome.

signs of spring

Today was slightly as Christmas at school. Our "russe"-stuff arrived. And they were handing out white bags right outside the cafeteria. It became a big crowd waiting in line, in order to get their white bags. My teacher said that it's a sign of spring when the "russe"-clothing and stuff arrives. I am in love with my tee, it's slightly oversized, but I quite enjoy it the way it is. I was a bit surprised that the pants actually fit me. However, I am not quite sure whether I want to change it for another model. Anyways, I tried to wear normal clothes with the pants, and I'm not quite sure how I like it. Oh well, at least I'm going to fit in with the "lots of colors"-trend this spring.

let love grow

I remember one of my classmates asking if I ever got so angry that I had to scream. I answered no, and looked at him weirdly. I will take that back now. I just read my horoscope, and it said: "Although you can be a very nurturing friend, you might have a hard time balancing your tender feelings with deeper ones that are working their way to the surface. It's as if there are two sides to your personality now and neither wants to recognize the other. This may be just as confusing to you as it is to others. Nevertheless, you can avoid problems that might arise from a misunderstanding if you're sincere about your complicated intentions right from the start. Honesty will not steer you wrong". I am so done with group projects. If we start a new one at school, I might as well just go and hit myself in the head. I hate the fact that I have to think about others. Selfish? Probably, yes. And whenever I end up in a group project, I always do my best to please the others. Look at it as giving. I remember one particular project a while ago, where I had a family-gathering at my house, and I had to run up and downstairs, in order to hang with the visit, but also to finish the paper and the presentation. I did everything I could. And when that isn't given back from other group-members, I am annoyed. Immensely annoyed. I don't give to get nothing back. That is plain stupid. Anyways, I just had to get it off my chest somewhere, or else I would pop of anger. Now I have to study for my presentation tomorrow. I am so glad this will be over in just a few hours.

sigh no more

I really want this album. I am in love with their music. Right now I am hastily doing schoolwork. I have a presentation tomorrow, where none on my group with exception for one, is done with their part. It makes me nervous. Nervous that we will not pull it off, and stand there in front of my class mates talking gibberish. Well, no, that is not my biggest fear. My fear is to get a really bad grade. I'm crossing my fingers.

can you lie next to her and give her your heart

I realised that the reason why I slept so badly yesterday, was the heat. Through winter I usually sleep with a sweater and pajama bottoms. But last night I had to strip them all off, because I was about to have a heat-attack. Might have something to do with my duvet though. I am not complaining. Not at all. In Norway it is cold most of the time and usually a very long winter, and a long period with darkness. This makes people glum. It is true. Try putting a person in a room with daylight, and another one in a room with no light. It's science. And when spring comes, the thoughts of summer also comes along, just because it's so similar. And then the smiles appear on peoples faces. Like yesterday whilst walking home from the busstop, I spotted this man walking past me, smiling to me as if he knew me. And trust me, that is quite unusual. At least where I live.

all that I have is on the floor

Today must have been the first day where I've really thought "summer is coming". I know the spring has barely come, but the air and the wind was so nice and warm. And it was sunny. And the ground (well most of it) was free of snow and ice. This is one of the reasons why I'm happy today. The other is that I'm done with my presentation today. It just feels good to finally be done. The only minus was my lack of sleep. Somehow my body didn't want to sleep. Right now I'm about to start doing some schoolwork. Just because you're done with something, it doesn't mean you can relax. There's more to come. That's my schools motto. Joke.

close enough to start a war

Yesterday was spent at a birthday with some friends. The house was .. well, it looked like a house you make on The Sims. I'm not even kidding. And then we ate lots of good food. Asian food, so it was well in my comfort-zone. Then we played this really funny game, which I want to try another time as well. We teamed up in five groups with 3-4 members in one. And then we were supposed to mime and describe a word (with time of course). And it was seriously hilarious. I got the word "robot", so I did the robot-dance .. which is awkward now when I think about it. But right then I just wanted my group to get another point, so I didn't care. Oh and then the hostess and birthday-girl served the most amazing-looking cake ever. With marshmallow-topping and oreo between each cake-layer. I mean c'mon.

white blank page

Things I bought yesterday in the lunch break. The little orange juice bottle is a sample I got from the mall by my school, and I just thought it was too cute. Today has been an awesome day, first of all I ate chocolate. Secondly it was a great day for both of my favorite sports to watch: handball and cross country skiing. The 50 km race in cross country skiing takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes for the fittest. Petter Eliassen and a swede did most of the first job, pulling all the others behind them. But the last 3 kilometres, it was Eldar Roenning, Dario Cologna, Alexander Legkov, and Martin Johnsrud Sundby. They were all very strong, but the strongest were Eldar and Dario. The last minute I was shouting "gogogogogo Eldaar!" whilst jumping for my life, hoping it would somehow help Eldar winning. And he won! He beat Dario Cologna, and I was so happy. And I must say that the Norwegian team did a pretty great job today! The Norwegian ladies on the Norwegian biathlon team also did a great job. They managed to take the third place. Oh, and Larvik, the handball team managed to beat Györ. I love these kinds of days.

my opinion on stokke xplory

The story

Yesterday I was at the mall with two of my friends, and we saw a Stokke Xplory. My friends were totally like "it doesn't look stable, what if the baby falls,  it's futuristic-looking and ugly". I, however, disagreed. Partly because we own one ourselves. Well, it's my nephews "stroller at my grandparents". I am honestly completely in love with it. It's like a big toy, really. I'm going to try to write an objective review of it. Also, the model we own is a 2006-model. The newest model has quite a few changes, although not immensely. According to the website, "Stokke® Xplory® fits around your baby, from top to bottom with every inch designed to enhance the experience of moving through the world together". This stroller has been designed with the thought of it "growing" along with the child.

The positive sides by Stokke Xplory

+ It's small and slender, making it super easy to stroll around in small places (the mall, or the city in general).
+ It comes in a lot of different colours, sometimes also patterns. This allows for a variety in choosing.
+ It's known for being very adjustable. You can adjust the elevation of the seat, handle, the seating positions. This will for example allow you to use the stroller as a seat by a table.
+ Adapters will allow you to replace the carrycot or the Xplory seat with a car seat.
+ The swivel wheels makes it easy to stroll around even surfaces.
+ To each their tastes, but Stokke Xplory is quite a sight, and appeasing to the eye (not so very objective argument)
+ Stokke Xplory have a lot of accessories that can be added to the stroller if wanted.  

The negatives sides by Stokke Xplory 

- Although the designers have been smart to produce a winter kit, the stroller in itself does not suit winter very well. This is due to the swivel wheels, which also are very small.
- It is a bit smaller than other combo strollers, which means the child cannot use it as long as other brands of strollers.
- It is very pricey. However, it is a high-quality product with a guarantee of three years.
- It does not have any shopping basket, though it does come with a shopping bag. It's also possible to buy another shopping bag. It is however, a lot more inconvenient than a shopping basket. (The Stokke Crusi and  Stokke Scoot does come with a shopping basket)
- It does not have any suspension, which makes it hard to drive on uneven surfaces.

Conclusion

Though it has a lot of downsides along with the positive sides, I am still very fond of the stroller. Because I live in a place with mostly even surfaces, it suits my environment well. However, when the Norwegian winter sets in, the stroller becomes a lot harder to use. 

you desire my attention but deny my affection

(Picture: from Tumblr -  http://thefaintestspark.tumblr.com/post/18778035212)
I'm studying. I have a test tomorrow, hence why I'm studying. Surprise! I just spent a little time having skyping with my nephew, who will turn five months this March. It's crazy how fast time pass us by, and how little of it we remember. I spend most of my time wishing I was somewhere else, when I'm perfectly fine where I am. But can you blame me for wanting to jump on a plane in order to meet my nephew and kiss his chubby cheeks? I keep wishing for summer, but that will mean the end of my last schoolyear. And that will most likely sadden me more. But then I will have a new school to attend to, and new opportunities. I'm just not the one who likes changes. That's all.

KONY 2012 ☮

Kanskje dette er svaret? Jeg visste at tårene ville renne, da jeg klikket play. Men jeg ble glad, og ikke håpløs. Videoen oser av håp og et fellesskap. Den treffer meg rett og slett i hjerteroten. Nå er det bare å share. Lykke til til mine 116 followers på Twitter. Nå skal det skje litt spamming.

Edit: med alt positivt kommer alltid noe negativt. Jeg fant denne informasjonen på Tumblr:

After watching the KONY 2012 video, I was completely sold. However, a friend posed an interesting idea on Facebook and I decided to do some more research, just to be better informed. The truth is, Kony is a horrible man who abducts thousands of children to turn into soldiers or slaves for his own gain. We should be spreading the word and he should be stopped -this is true.

HOWEVER

I’ve also read other information about the actual spread of the 2012 campaign. Apparently last year $8,676,614 was spent by the organisation and only 31% of this money has gone towards the actual charity program. The program makes no secret of their fees for their merchandise and has publicly denounced being audited to see where all their funding is being attributed. In the past year they have used over a million dollars to go towards the travel of the charity’s 3 main advocates. The program is also a great advocate of military intervention by Ugandan militia and various other sources, with the money that has been accounted for going to these areas. 

“Both the Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army are riddled with accusations of rape and looting, but Invisible Children defends them, arguing that the Ugandan army is “better equipped than that of any of the other affected countries”, although Kony is no longer active in Uganda and hasn’t been since 2006 by their own admission.”

Another large problem is that being a man who is building an army of children, he himself has bodyguards who are children. How many of them must be killed in order to get to him?
“Any effort to capture or kill him will almost certainly result in many children’s deaths, an impact that needs to be minimized as much as possible. Each attempt brings more retaliation. And yet Invisible Children funds this military intervention.”

In summary, I do believe that making people aware of Joseph Kony’s actions is a vital part in bringing him down, but I don’t think people do enough of their own research on the subject and some blindly go ahead and support the campaign. I for one hate charities that spend a fraction of their funding on the actual program and who will not submit to auditing to see where the bulk of the money contributed goes to.

I think that people should definitely watch the film but should also definitely do their own research before making up their minds about whether to support the campaign or to just support the taking down of Kony. Awareness is definitely good, but giving money to an organisation so they can spend it on film-making and violent interventions that are perhaps not as well advised as one would think is maybe not the answer. 

Changing your facebook status or profile picture means nothing at all unless you know all the facts, which none of us do, and I don’t claim to either. I want the man stopped, but I dont know if fighting violence with violence is the answer.

it's empty in the valley in your heart

Snøen er tilbake. Det er et godt tegn. Ting forandrer seg ikke helt, vi har fortsatt noen snøstormer. Det vil si at global oppvarming ikke har kommet seg så langt. Vel, tror jeg i hvertfall. Nå skal jeg motvillig sette meg ned for å se denne Kony-filmen. Motvillig? Jeg liker ikke å se på sånne filmer. Noen ville kalt meg dum og ignorant. Ja svarer jeg da. Kanskje det. Jeg beskytter mitt eget lille hjerte. Verden er så håpløs, at jeg ikke forstår hvorfor ikke flere går rundt deprimerte. Nei, jeg er ikke deprimert. Ikke mer enn et vanlig menneske i hvertfall. Men jeg har tilfeldigvis valgt en skolelinje der jeg får høre om hvor mye håpløshet som finnes. Og der mine forsøk på svar til å løse et problem blir slått ned på et sekund. Når jeg ber for noe, ber jeg for fattige barn eller barn som ikke har de like mulighetene som meg. Jeg tør ikke be for en løsning som kan hjelpe menneskeheten og verden. Jeg tror ikke det finnes. Det finnes ingen svar.

break every lock to every door

You know when you are so tired, but you aren't able to fall asleep? You are just overtired. I did finally manage to fall asleep though, and slept until 5:30 pm, and then I went to eat "breakfast". My current playlist on my iPod:

1 The Cave by Mumford and Sons
2 Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars 
3 Turn and Turn Again by All Thieves
4 To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra