beat the deadline

I have been working and thinking lately about how the neighbourhood web page can be used and how it could appear. I'll post the latest design suggestion and welcome any feedback and suggestions.

The objective with the web page is to get neighbours connected with each other and thus strenghten the local community.

Previous post could give the impression that this is a political blog. And that I want to be involved in the political debate. Let me be clear on this: I do not have sufficient knowledge to be very political and I will not make a habit of writing many posts like this. This blog is just a little reflection of what occupies my mind. And this time I felt I wanted to air this issue.

It was was quite interesting, knowing that what I wrote might be considered controversial, to get the response that I got. I am very happy and grateful to those who contributed to this mini-debate. It gave me some more angles to the issue and I learned about different arguments to the discussion.

What I also found interesting, was to see how easy it is to be misunderstood. I guess I could be better at communicating my views. But at the same time I feel I presented my thoughts clearly. So when people who passionately take a side, read into the text something that isn`t there, I found it a bit frustrating. Sometimes I guess it is good to take a step back from ones strong feelings and take the time to actually read everything in a context. Take time to listen, as it were. I must admit I have to work with it myself. I might have misunderstood some of the other arguments.

I wish I could send this letter to you. Maybe your agents who are constantly searching the internet for the words "president", "Bush" together with "terror" and "kill", will find this article and send it on to you. I can always hope...

I just wanted to say a few words before you send the world into a total mayhem. I understand that you are concerned about the Iranian president who say Israel must dissapear from the surface of the earth. I don't even have to say more about that because it is so unprecedented for a leader of a nation to say something even remotely similar. But you compare Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with Adolph Hitler before WW2 and say we should learn from not taking him seriously then. But Hitler never said he would destroy another country. That would be politically suicide to do that when he had a plan to take over the world. Someone would have stopped him then.

So why does Ahmadinejad let the world know his plans? If he really wanted to destroy Israel, it is my guess that he would keep the strategy a bit more hidden for his enemies. I know I would choose such a strategy. Maybe he let the world know his thoughts because he want the world to respect Iran - or rather fear them. I guess those two words hold the same quality for Iran.

Let us just for a moment believe that all Iran want, is respect. -Isn't that why the 9-11 has become a date of horror - because Isalmic people want respect and the world to stop the arroganse of USA? What about giving Iran more respect? You may say "they should earn our respect", well they do it in the way they know best; by terror and fear. And by acting more arrogant towards them, by bombing them, you give them an excuse to do what they relly want; delete Israel from the map.

USA has a responsibility to not be arrogant any longer. They must loose face, be humble and contribute to preserve the world as we know it. Let the islamic world know that you are humble and admit that you are not perfect. Maybe that's all they want from you? It is worth it when you can make sure that your grandchildren and their children can grow up.

Here is something to all you coffee lovers out there. Especially Per Filip, I guess...

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4337473766627248...

Can something similar be done here in Bergen?

This has been in my thought for far too long now. And I feel pressed to move on with it:

 

Can my neghborhood be reached for Jesus? Yes, I belive with all my heart that God will move in the area where I live! How? Maybe we need go new ways. Be creative. Use technology?

I have now made the first draft on what I like to call neighborhood fellowship on the web. The idea is to start a community on the internet for people who live in the same area. It will be a place where they can present themselves and get to know their neighbors better.

I am very interested in any feedback and comments on this idea. I am eager to make it as good as possible. So if you have any ideas to what I can do and how I can make it look better, I am very grateful if you let me know. This can become very exciting.

I almost became a thieve today.

You see, I went into a grocery store after work to buy some food and stuff. Then I remembered I needed some more dental floss. I found the aisle and had a look. There it was: the easy slide dental floss. I took it and put it into my pocket. Then I though. Well, I could do with a new toothbrush too. So I looked for a new tooth brush. And refill set for my gillette. When I looked in my hands and saw what I had picked, I couldn't find the dental floss, so I went to get one. Thinking: didn't I pick one up a minute ago?

In the end, when I found everything I needed and was on my way to the till, I put my hand in the pocket and found the floss. I was shocked. My subconsciousness was darker than I thought. I must watch myself so I don't start a fight club or something... And I was shocked to realise how easy it is to put things I haven't paid for in my pocket. No one stopped me from doing it.

Erik suggested that we should start a blogging community for distrè people. Maybe not a bad idea. Then we could all share experiences and help each other. Maybe exchange some advise and so on...

Have you ever had that Christmas nightmare thought when shopping Christmas gifts: What if I forget to buy to some of the people I will celebrate together with?
I had that thought. So I made sure I went through the check list in my mind several times. In the end all the boxes were ticked, and I was ready for Christmas. But on 24th things happened very fast from waking up to leaving my appartement. And sitting in my car wearing my suit unbuttoned I was quite stressed. But I was already little late and just had to go like this.
So later on in the evening after eaten the lovely sheep rib (can some poets put words to this amazing taste?) My feet became a little numb. There is one gift missing!!! I forgot to bring with me the gift to my mum.
She will get it today. And she is very graceful, so it went well after all.
I guess I can blame it on being distrè?

And by the way: A big thank you to Erik S for a great gift idea for my brothers. I took it and it was perfect. That helped my a lot.

It is fantastic to be in England and enjoy the good company of close and faithful friends. I arrived in Leicester Wednesday afternoon. I went straight from the train station and found myself a Starbucks cafè. After half an hour James finished work and took me back to his and Sarah's place. In the evening we had Fish and Chips. Good to be in England. Still haven't had a pint yet, though...
Last morning and today I work for the newspaper Norge IDAG through the internet. There is only some TV-pages for all the "Christian" channels that needs to be updated, and apparently I am the only one who knows how to. But that is cool. Makes me feel somewhat important, hehe.
The wedding is tomorrow and James and I are leaving for Birmingham early in the morning. I can't wait so see all the Birmingham people again. And to see Mark, who is getting married!

In Norway we have a word for people who sometimes can be in their own little world and forget the world outside. If someone tends to forget their keys or wallets or they without knowing it often wear socks that don't match, they are in Norwegian called "distrè". I am not sure if there is a similar word in English. I guess forgetful is fitting, but not as cool. So let me - just for the sake of this post - introduce a new(maybe) English word: distrè
I have a friend who according himself is very distrè. He forgets his keys all the time. He can be trusted to put a plastic bowl filled with dough on a hot plate, so that the bowl melts. If he wants to reveal himself it will be up to him.
But I want to challenge him - and anyone else - for, well, a challenge to show who is the most distrè.

Tell the best story and let us all decide who is worthy of the crown.

Here is my main contribution to the title:

It was New Year's day. Had gone to bed probably around four or five the night before. Around noon I was going to my brother for what we like to call brunch. He lived a seven minutes walk from the house. It was a lot of snow that day. And fairly cold. When I was more than half-way to my brother I discovered that I didn't have any shoes on me. No shoes, only slippers. I was one tired boy that day. And very distrè.