Fotlyrik

Finns mycket att säga en dag som denna. Nya tider står för dörren för människor som bor och lever i USA, men även för oss som lever med dem i världen. Någon frågade vadan hypen av Obama egentligen kommer. För mig är det självklart, att vi vill ha en ledare i USA som är så nära vår verklighet som möjligt. Att det för en gångs skull inte är en äldre vit man som tar kommandot är uppfriskande. Att det dessutom är en man som inte är vito ch som inte är från en välbärgad familj känns som kaching för alla. Obama som vågat prata om utjämningssystem och någon form av trygghet för alla/fler i sjukförsäkringsfrågan, trots ständiga anklagelser om marxism (hörde det flera gånger på TV under mina två veckor i USA nu i oktober), som har tydliga visioner och förhoppningsvis en stor förståelse för förtryck, rasism och diskriminering. det bådar gott i alla fall. Good enough just nu, jag har höga förväntningar som alla andra såklart, hoppas att de inte kommer på skam.

När klockan ringde kl 6 i morse så slog vi på TV:n direkt och fick se sen sista kvarten av det livesända talet Obama höll som förklarad vinnare. Mäktigt, jag fick rysningar. han är, bortsett allt annat, en särskilt bra talare tycker jag. Önskar jag hade mer av det där själv. :)

Appropå drag under galoscherna, så inhandlade jag igår stans läckraste stövlar. de är av typen "hot business", men bekväma, otroligt nog! Så, nu har det modebloggats. Jag ligger i tiden.

The Jelly Belly

Our last couple of days in San Francisco were very well spent I´d say. The red wood trip we wanted to do did not really work out. The shuttles there stopped going by the end of Septemberand we'd have to take a cab the last bit of the way (likely there will be a cab waiting for us by the woods late afternoon to take us home..not.) if we weren't to take one of those tourist trips there. The latter was really not an option since no company offered a day of free time in the woods. Sitting on a bus for 2 hours just to be let out in a group for another two before going home just was not worth it. I really wanted to see the huge trees, but I'm sure we'll be back in the states to see them, and then to have an opportunity to take our time while there.

One of those organized bus trips we already had planned and prepaid before coming here, and that was a wine tour in Napa Valley. Without a car, it's pretty hopeless to go testing, but with this tour we'd visit 4 places. In retrospect, 3 would have been enough. With 4-6 wines to try at each place, things felt a wee tipsy, but it was very interesting to challenge your pallot. Many nice white wines, and also nice bubbly ones at Chandon (yes, subsidiary to Moët), but just one good red wine. I'm very hard to please there, and I'm starting to realize I might not really like red wines, most of it is to heavy for me to really enjoy drinking. I'll just whiff on those from now on. ;)



The country side was absolutley beautiful, with all the (veeery expencive) wine yards, nice small wineries everywhere, and rolling hills by the horizon. Our guide was VERY enthusiastic, practically never stopped talking duing our time in the bus, EVER, but we had a very good time, and leart a lot. For instance, did you know that all juice that comes out of grapes ar clear? It is contact with the grapes skin that gives the wine it's colour.

But, the big field trip of the week, that we organized all by ourselves, went to the Jelly Belly Bean factory in Fairfield. Fairfield is a fairly small place in the bay area. We went there by tube and citybus/baylink, travelled for about two hours and were not disappointed. We got a factory tour, got to take cheesy couples photos with a big and soft jelly belly bean, hade jelly belly bean shaped food (not particularily good acctually, totally dry and boring, but felt like a must we had to endure), tasted all new kinds of jelly beans in their flavour bar and then bought merch and bags with our favourites. Buttered popcorn of course, cream soda, bubblegum, kiwi, apple pie and mint chocolate, but also the new ice cream and smoothie collections. We also bought their scary halloween-"dare to compare"-collection with flavours such as booger, baby wipes and vomit. Dare to try'em? Come by our house!



We learnt so much on the tour, mainly about how the jelly belly beans are made of course. 150 flavours, and each flavour takes 20 days to make. They have a unique centre, all flavours, and then different coatings etc. The factory was strange to experience with all the huge piles of candy in all imaginable colours and big blenders (like those for cement) where flavours and coating were added. Apparantly the little bean hade a true fan in former president Reagan. Due to his sweet tooth, all meetings were held off until the bowl of jelly beans had been passed around, and Air Force One back then had jelly belly bean dispensers, for safe munching while in the air.

Best trip ever, but walking to/between the buses was getting harder by the hour for me. The day before we had been out like forever, visiting the Golden Gate Park, but also the San Francisco Zoo. We left the hotel at no later than 10, and walked and walked and walked and walked. Ended up at the zoo at 16, one hour before they were to close up. Many of the animals weren't out anymore, unfortunatley, but we were there for the feeding of the giraffes at least, and that was quite something. Upon arrival my feet hurt SO MUCH. Our plan was to just bite it together, run around the zoo to see EVERYTHING and then hail a cab back to the hotel. After the zoo closed we hade to walk for hours before finding a tube station. No cab. Many blisters for Mika, out in her stylish but painfully flat sneakers. I'm getting old folks shoes from now on, that's for sure. Just over 36 000 steps we took that day. Crazy, great yet somewhat frightening..

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om San Francisco, Zoo, Jelly Belly Bean, Factory, Candy, Ronald Reagan, Air Force One, USA, Blåsor, Ecco, Napa Valley, Vingård

This is how we roll

San Francisco is still amazing, after over a week now. My foot totally broke down the other day, I could hardly stand on it at all, but after a lot of resting the swelling went down and today I am good to go. We have due to this been going around with cabs a lot more, and i just have to tell you that it is so cheap here. Also, the meeters run not on time but on distance. So, if you're standing in traffic you don't have to start sweating. On the other hand, most of the chauffeaurs drive like mad, due to the system. Our ride from the airport to thei hotel upon arrival was the worst cab ride I have ever made in my life - worse that both old cabs in Moldova with no seatbelts and the strange minibuses in Hurg Hada, Egypt, driving on piles of garbage and dirt.. We were going twice the speed limit, pitch dark out side. Brr...



The last few days we have experienced fleet week here in the harbour. The events were topped off with a really cool show be the Blue Angels, performing all kinds of air bourn stunts over the bay and flying really low amongst the skyscrapers. We also visited Haight Ashbury, the so called hippie part of town.
I must say that the hippie thing mostly concisted of weed, weed pipe stores and a lot of tingel tangel (Sw. krimskrams), which did not really impress me. So, sorry mom, not hippie gift for anyone, it was all crap.. BUT Ashbury had really good places to eat, and also some cool stores with your designer clothes. We went on a total spree at Loyal Army Clothing, so many cool items there. We both bought clothing, some gifts for friends and I got a handbag with dracula burgers and happy pears on it. Totally cute! The girl in the store was a former political sciences student and amazed about the Swedish welfare system. While being here, I am just so sad about people not having at least parts of the security we experience. Even though our system isn't by far what it once was, it is still concidered a luxury to many others. Weird to see it for another view for a change, to see workes demonstrations demanding at least some vacation time every year, pensions, paid sick leave, higher minimum wages, unemployment protection. All of this is very tangible here at the moment, since the bail out.

Obviously it's all about politics on the news, and we are very excited about that. It's interesting to see the portraial of the campaigns by the media, and to see how the election system works, what's the debates all about, the rhetoric etc. There are a lot of commercials about regional props aswell, being voted on during the national election. Some are so right wing I almost think they are made up. The issue of banning gay marriage again here in California, dreadful propaganda out there, and clashing demos from both sides this weekend.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Barack Obama, Californien, hbt-politik, Joe Biden, John McCain, Politik, San Francisco, Sarah Palin, USA

Best of San Francisco

It's so weird to be here. Our part of town is totally nice, and the first days we were wondering where all the homelessness and poverty was. San Fran is told to have one of the highest rates of homelessness in the US. One day when we strolled 2 streets in the "wrong" direction, we got our answer. Tenderloin with drugs, prostitution, people visibly high, hungry, sick and/or mentaly ill; we just walked right into it by accident. The area where we live definatley looks and feels different at night, so we are not out on adventures then. Old folks warning on that one, I know..

On our trip we are guided by SF Weekly and our magic 8-ball. SF Weekly hase the best lists of all the best places here. We have followed its advise regarding the best compic book store, burrito, swiss fondue and traditional italian dinner. We will keep on taking their advise, with a little help of the 8-ball, who's decisions we know better than to defy.

We visited Japantown and the Mission District yesterday, also known as the banana belt (the taxidriver who told me figured that it was not a negatively racist epithet on the latino part of town, but I don't know, he was white himself so..). In Chinatown I bought the traditional Chinese fiddle Erhu (Sw: Ninjafiol)the other day, and we will try to dare a Dim Sun meal there soon. Try to stay away of the chicken feet and focus on the nicer stuff I guess..

Tonight is laundry night for us, and maybe go out for dinner. Most of all we'll read the stuff we bought at Isotopes and plan for our red wood trip this weekend!

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Banana Belt, Burrito, Chinatown, Erhu, Fondue, Hemlöshet, Isotope, Japantown, Magic 8-ball, Mat, Melt, Papalote, San Francisco, SF Weekly, Socialpolitik, Sodini's, USA

Burnt honeymooners spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge

Yes, it's true. I am in California for 2 whole weeks, and yes, I did not bring my sun lotion. I also did not purchase such a bottle upon arrival, or even before going on a 6 hour bike ride wearing a tank top. So yeah, that's settled then, and Daniel is rubbing my back and arms with aloe vera every hour.



I'm writing in English as a way of honouring one of my best friends in life, April the sunny and funny girl from Manitoba, Canada. I have not seen her since the day in June 2000, when I got on the train leaving my aupair life in Engelberg Schweiz, going back to Sweden. The other night when I flew over seas I acctually sorta flew over Winnipeg Manitoba, and that's the closest we've been since.

Anyway, I am a happy honeymooner. First time in the US ever, and I did not quite know what to expect, except some alone time without work or dog with the lovely Daniel (also referred to as "The Husband"). I love Mir to the bone, and miss him heaps, but it's also nice to be away just the two of us after becoming a "parent" this summer. We have so much time on our hands before going back home, but we have already experienced so much.

After fighting off the jet lag pretty good (we simply did not sleep for the entire flight), we are early birds and have spent the mornings walking around, in the harbour, in parks, in the financial district. I work in the financial district of Stockholm, and it's a wee bit funny to see that the dress code seems much more strict there than here. Today we rented bikes and went along the costal trail before the bay fog lifted. This leaves me with the strongest views I have ever seen. The ocean is so powerful! After biking over the bridge and back, we went home via Fishermans Warf and In 'n out burger. Awesome!

San Fran is a strangely steep city, and combined with sky scrapers and small crowded houses all in different styles, we just won't get bored walking around all day I think. Some excursions planned though, such as a trip to Great America or Six Flags amusement Park, as well as a wine tour.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Bonnabränna, Bröllopsresa, Californien, Golden Gate Bridge, Honeymoon, San Francisco, Semester, USA

Nuffror från over seas

I senaste numret av The Economist kan man läsa om inflytelserika religiösa ledare i USA - starka evangelister helt enkelt. Billy Graham har varit leader of the pack sedan 50-talet, sysslat med en del osympatiskt vad det verkar men haft många presidenter i sitt knä. Nu är frågan vem som kommer ta över hans roll. Kanske tar ingen över tänkte jag först, frågan är kanske onödigt, det kan ju vara en smula otidsenligt med dylika höga herrar i det mer moderna USA. Nu fattar jag att inte underskatta religionens starka position där. Statistiken är chockerande och talar rätt mycket för sig själv.

92% av alla amerikaner tror på Gud
63% tror att Bibeln är Guds ord
46% av dem skulle rösta på en ateistisk presidentkandidat, emedan 56% skulle rösta på en homosexuell dito och hela 93% skulle lägga sin röst på en svart kandidat.

Min bild av USA och vart det finns flexibilitet för oliktänkande och inte ändrades en smula idag faktiskt. Till det bättre på ett vis, vägen bort från fördomar vad gäller kön, sexualitet och etnicitet kanske inte är så lång som jag trott, men en supermakt som inte bara leds av religiösa konservativa utan också har stark opinion för sådant styre, är ett farligt land. I ljuset av detta blir the war on terror mer logiskt kanske.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Religion, Statistik, USA, The Economist, Politik,

FISA & PNR

Idag hölls ett möte för delegationen för relationer mellan den europeiska unionen och USA. Jag tycker att delegationerna är bland det mest spännande i parlamentets verksamhet, för där sker en väldigt direkt förhandling mellan EU och det som ligger utanför. Syftet i fallen Ukraina och Moldavien är ju att utöva påtryckningar; det är länder som en dag kommer vilja in i unionen. I fråga om Iran så sker en akut bevakning av mänskliga rättigheter, men USA-delegationer handlar ju mer om samarbete mellan två giganter. Transatlantiska handelsavtal, säkerhet, polisiära samarbeten och så vidare. Att se detta nedkokat till ett konferensrum känns mäktigt på något sätt.

För några dagar sedan nåddes vi av en tidningsnotis kring en ny buggningslag/avtal mellan EU och USA som gjorde mig förbryllad (kallas FISA i kontorsmun). Jag har inte hört talas om detta någon annan stans, att en ny lag kommer träda i kraft, som ger USA rätten att bugga EU-medborgare, om kommunikationen går genom USA. Så här löd notisen från Agence Europe:

(EU) EP/TERRORISM/USA:

Liberal group questions Commission over US law on “tapping”
29 August 2007
Agence Europe

Brussels, 28/08/2007 (Agence Europe) - MEPs from the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals for Europe (ADLE), Sophie In't Veld (Netherlands) and Graham Watson from the United Kingdom are planning to ask the European Commission and Council a question at the plenary session in Strasbourg. This will touch on serious concerns about the impact of the new law on telephone tapping and the private life of European citizens. The US president last week proclaimed that a text amending the Foreign Intelligence Act (FISA, law on monitoring foreign intelligence), a law facilitating telephone taps and interceptions of e-mails from, to or going through the US.

In a press release Ms In't Veld stated that she was particularly concerned by the extra-territorial aspects of the new law, which she believes have been introduced unilaterally, without consultation with European partners and which will in fact enable the US authorities to spy on European citizens, even in their own countries or in cases where they use US equipment or service providers. The Dutch MEP is also asking whether there was a link with the extradition treaties concluded between the EU and US and whether the gathering of such data would lead to the automatic extradition of a European citizen to the US if there had not been any judicial oversight. They are looking into what means exist to protect personal data and what means of redress are envisaged for EU citizens whose conversations are monitored.


Detta har vi anledning att oroas över, helt klart, men verkar inte vara en stor nyhet. Visst är det så att det handlar om buggning av kommunikation som går via USA, så de kan inte avlyssna samtal mellan svenska mobiler t ex, och de kommer väl sköta eventuell avlyssning från USA, men som maken så klokt inflikade så sker ju mycket kommunikation via Blackberries eller internet, och en hel del sådan kommunikation passerar då genom USA den vägen. Att allt fler går över till att telefonera via nätet, gör ju att denna lag kan innebära något helt annat om 5 år än det gör idag. Och detta är redan beslutat om, så det är som ingen mening att debattera detta heller, för vad skall man göra åt saken?

In't Veld och MEP Watson har alltså skrivit en fråga till kommissionen om detta med avlyssningen. Igår samlades en rad MEP:ar från ALDE också och sände ett brev till kommissionen angående den rätt kontroversiella deal som också slutits nyligen mellan EU och USA "in the fight against terror" om det som kallas PNR, passenger name record. I den amerikanska CRS-rapporten (Congressional Research Service) från 10 augusti berättas om det nya avtalet som man är mycket nöjd över. Det ligger till som så, för er som vet, att från maj 2004 har EU och USA haft en överenskommelse om att namn och uppgifter kring passagerare som reser från EU till USA, tillhandahålls amerikanska myndigheter 15 min innan varje flight avgår. Detta löpte ut 2 år senare, eller avbröts snarare genom att det togs upp i domstol och avvisades för att det inte gått rätt till rent legalt.

Detta känner nog många till, och blev glada över. Att det ersattes med ett nytt och mer omfattande avtal på sju (7) år i juli detta år, är kanske inte lika vida spritt? CRS-rapporten citerar och parafraserar Washington post från 27 juli 2007. Artikeln heter "Travelers Face Greater Use of Personal Data" och i rapporten berättar man följande om dealen:

In July 2007, the United States and the EU concluded negotiations on a new, seven-year agreement to ensure the continued transfer of PNR data. U.S officials appear pleased with this new deal, which will allow U.S Customs and Border Protection to share PNR data with other U.S agencies engaged in the fight against terrorism, will extend the length of time that the United States can store such data, and will permit the United States to access sensitive information about a passenger's race, ethnecity, religion, and health in exceptional circumstances. The new accord, beginning in January 2008, will also require airlines to send data from their reservation systems to U.S authorities at least 72 hours before a flight departs.


Inte nog med att detta kommer fortgå, utan USA har fått mer utrymme här, och kommer alltså ha det fram till 2015. Rapporten nämner också att amerikanska myndigheter noterar att några europaparlamentariker eventuellt kommer fortsätta att utmana detta. Och, det var just detta som brevet från MEP:arna i ALDE handlar om, för här kommer det fina i kråksången: USA krävde 7 dagar efter att avtalet var klart, att dokumenten rörande detta skulle hållas hemliga i 10 år, och in't Veld, Carlshamre med flera vill ha dem utlämnade. Läs mer om denna grej här!

Shit alltså, man känner ibland att man inte vet en bråkdel av vad som sker. Och, om jag inte satt här där jag sitter hade jag inte nåtts av nyheterna heller, det krävs ju resurser, tid och energi för att finna saker i press runt om i världen. Bah.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om ALDE, EU, Graham Watson, Maria Carlshamre, PNR, Sophie In't Veld, Terrorism, USA

F! om demokrati

Pressmeddelande
Feministiskt initiativ
4 maj 2007

Sverige måste våga stå för demokratiska värden

Var är Sveriges röst för utsatta grupper i världen och varför är Sveriges riksdag så trög i sin lagstiftning? undrar Stina Sundberg.
Den amerikanska senaten har kommit längre än vår egen svenska riksdag i insikten om behovet att skydda alla medborgare och är nu beredda att rösta igenom ett lagförslag som inkluderar även homo,- bi,- och transpersoner samt kön i hatbrottslagstiftningen.
När nu George Bush säger att han kommer att lägga sitt veto mot en sådan utvidgning borde Sveriges regering snabbt agera och uttala sitt stöd för de demokratiska krafterna i den amerikanska senaten och dessutom initiera en förändring av vår egen hatbrottslagstiftning.
Feministiskt initiativ har redan ställt kravet om en mer demokratisk lagstiftning som även skyddar medborgare som avviker från normer av kvinnligt och manligt. Inget av våra riksdagspartier har lyft frågan att Sverige inte skyddar alla sina medborgare mot våld inom ramen för hatbrott. Vackra ord om allas rätt till lika värde klingar illa när inga initiativ tas.
- Jag förväntade mig även ett kraftfullt uttalande från regeringen om Moldaviens förtryck av homosexuella, men regeringen har varit tyst konstaterar Feministiskt initiativs talesperson Stina Sundberg.