Saudi Arabia: Why we punished rape victim

The Saudi Justice Ministry Tuesday issued a "clarification" of a court's handling of a rape case and the increased punishment -- including 200 lashes --meted out to the victim.

The case, which has sparked media scrutiny of the Saudi legal system, centers on a married woman. The 19-year-old and an unrelated man were abducted, and she was raped by a group of seven men more than a year ago, according to Abdulrahman al-Lahim, the attorney who represented her in court.

The woman was originally sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes. But that sentence was more than doubled to 200 lashes and six months in prison by the Qatif General Court, because she spoke to the media about the case, a court source told Middle Eastern daily newspaper Arab News.

Al-Lahim told CNN his law license was revoked last week by a judge because he spoke to the Saudi-controlled media about the case.

"Currently she doesn't have a lawyer, and I feel they're doing this to isolate her and deprive her from her basic rights," he said. "We will not accept this judgment and I'll do my best to continue representing her because justice needs to take place."

The man and woman were attacked after they met in Qatif on the kingdom's Persian Gulf coast, so she could retrieve an old photograph of herself from him, according to al-Lahim. Citing phone records from the police investigation, al-Lahim said the man was trying to blackmail his client. He noted the photo she was trying to retrieve was harmless and did not show his client in any compromising position.

It is illegal for a woman to meet with an unrelated male under Saudi's Islamic law.

[...]

CNN.com

First you're raped - 14 times - by 7 men, then you get punished for being irresponsible enough to actually get raped. This is madness... although, unfortunately, not at all surprising.

Time to freak out yet?

8 days till my first exam.
I have an eight hour one on Thursday and one lasting five or six on Friday.

After exams I'll be working two weeks, before going home.
I haven't been home since Easter, and it'll be fun to be back there.
Only my parents have redecorated. A lot.
I probably won't know I'm home.

I'll also attend four pre-Christmas parties (Norwegian : julebord) in two weeks.
The first is this Saturday.
Two will be on a boat. We'll be celebrating my mother turning 50, and my aunt's husband will be 60.
We'll be lots of people and we'll be going to Germany and back.

I have to buy new shoes as I don't have dress-up-and-look-pretty-shoes.
I have no time to go shopping.
(never thought you'd hear a girl say that, did ya?)


Another few days and my eye will start twitching..
At least I'll survive no matter what happens.
That's become my new mantra when it comes to exams.
..I'm not sure that's a good thing..

The art of being happy.

I think an important part of being happy with yourself is knowing, and accepting, that you can always be better.


Very few of us will ever be entirely happy with our lives or who we are. We'll always think that we can do better, be better, that there's so many things we'd rather be doing.

I think the first step towards becoming who you want to be in the future, is accepting who you are today. We all know, no matter how 'good' we are, that we can always be better.

We need to realize that who we are is good enough, it's a starting point - and that the person we want to be is within reach.

The first thing we need to do is accept ourselves. The person I am today, is my starting point. It can go either way. I can't change the past, but I can make a difference in the future - to myself and to others.


It's ok to be who you are. The past, the present... it's the future we can control.

Growing

applestories is 3 years today, and I'm two decades older.
For once it doesn't feel weird to have to get used to a new number - for some reason I seem to have got used to it long before it was time. It's just like every January it's difficult to remember the new number, but some years it's more difficult than others.

I know I've been neglecting the blog for a while, I've literally been too busy to sit down and relax the past month or so. Hopefully life will be a little more predictable (although a lot more busy) the next few weeks, until exams in the end of November. I'm starting a new course tomorrow which means twice as much to do, but I'll be working less so somehow I'll survive.

Gotta get some sleep, my contacts are killing me..

I can't believe I never heard him sing...

Just knowing that the world is round
Here I'm dancing on the ground
Am I right side up or upside down
Is this real or am I dreaming

Maddie

Honestly, the fact that no one has yet found Madeleine McCann, proves there is no such thing as a psychic this side of the Milky Way.

Fields of Gold

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that Ive broken
But I swear in the days still left
Well walk in the fields of gold
Well walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
Youll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold

Fields of Gold by Sting
..who seems to turn 56 today
happy birthday!

He lives where the sun rises.

Party time!

First party of the semester in the building was last/this night...

(... and I found this guy on the way back to my room)

The girl, who is responsible for most things happening here (and who is employed by the student organization) told me her responsibilities are about to be handed over to me, because the organization needs to save money. Why this saves them money is this: she is a 'husvert' and gets a salary each month. I'm HTR, the elected representative for the residents, and do everything for free.

Which means more work for me and less for the husvert's. Which sucks and which I will object to as soon as given the chance. Not just because of the extra work, but because we need the husvert's. Cut their pay, that wouldn't be a problem, but they should be there.



Then one guy (a money-money kinda guy) wondered if my necklace was a penis ring/measuring instrument (and proceeded to tell me to laugh!).



Ha. Ha.



Money guy had a gf but was desperate to find a girl for the night. When he realized I had a boyfriend he asked his friend when they were going out. His friend asked 'why, does she have a man'. The guy said 'she says so'. I said 'not a 'man' (in Norwegian that's the same as 'husband'), a boyfriend'. The guy's friend said 'big difference, they're both just as much of a turn off'.



Naturally, after a few mins, I asked the guy if he really had a gf, because I wanted to know whether I should think he was a total jerk or not. He said feel free to think he's a jerk.

Which I do, and now I've wasted too much time on him... Bastard.


Anyway, the point was the picture above. I don't know the guy, I didn't recognize him when I stepped over him, and I didn't know if I should wake him. (so I went and got my camera to take his pic and post it on the net instead?!? Yeah that makes sense!)


I think I need to sleep a little...

Introducing: Nemi

Stolen from bt.no

What it says is as follows:


Nemi: "Excuse me, I'll just have..."
Salesperson: "Sorry, you'll have a wait a bit. I have to finish helping her first."
Girl: "This one.. and this one.. and this one. And this one."

Girl: "I need those false eye lashes.. and blue mascara. And a new eye liner. I am going to a party."
Nemi: [thinking]"A long time..."

Girl: "Glitter? Maybe some glitter?"
Nemi: [thinking] "&$@%"

Girl: "I want my eyes to shine!"
Nemi: "So shove a flash light in your ear."


More info
More strips

Jessica Lunsford

You're nine years old.

Your last living memory is this guy on top of you. Hurting you. Before you're wrapped in plastic and buried, left to die.


Just take a minute to imagine yourself there.


wikipedia.com
cnn.com

Raped in Bergen.

This weekend three women were raped in Bergen.
The police are looking for five men.

One woman was raped by two men. The second was dragged into some bushes on Bryggen, Bergen's most famous tourist spot. One guy raped her while the other held watch. The third was raped with a knife against her throat.

Three rapes like these are a lot for Bergen. All of last year there were only two where women were attacked by people she didn't know. Now there's three in a weekend..


Is it just me or does this happen each year when the students get back to town? I remember thinking "Is this what living in the city is like?" three years ago when I moved here, and it clearly hasn't gotten any better since then.


Incidents where women are attacked and raped by an unknown perpetrator have been extremely rare in Norway, but even this year we've seen an amazing increase.


It still makes me mad but I do feel I'm getting used to it. That's what happens - we get used to it, we're no longer shocked to hear these things. What do we do not to get desensitized?

One woman was raped at a spot I walk past every week.
Another where thousands of tourists walk past each day.
The third was seen by several witnesses, but the guy said she was his girl while he held a knife to her throat.

All you have to do is to put yourself in their situation. Take five minutes and picture it happening to you.


How bout next weekend we all form a posse and walk around town with home made castration devices?

August

It's been a while.
It's summer (or so they say). It's been raining all of July. But June was nice. The rain started when I got a job so I can't do anything but assume it'll stop when my summer job ends.

I'm selling pillows, duvets, carpets and other related items. I've suddenly realized there are so many things I should, but don't, have - such as a new pillow (a little harder than the old one), new bed sheets (haven't got around to putting them on), a lot of pillows for the common room (they're still in their bags) and... well, you get the picture. Boy does that 30% discount come in handy...


I haven't been home yet, hoping to squeeze a week in after Uni has started and my job ended. I'm told my brother has got a job this summer as well (need to get him onto my other MSN account, I never talk to him anymore).. hope to see him before summer ends. We both live in Bergen but never meet. Kinda miss talking to him.


Now.. The Guy bought an apartment and I'm helping (a teeeeny bit) with the... well.... fixing it. It was broken. In the way apartments can be broken. His parents were here for a couple weeks and did most of it. Yesterday he and I put together most of the kitchen cabinets and drawers (an endless amount of drawers). Even got to open up the fridge and look inside (those puppy dog eyes of mine are quite useful at times). I think he got quite annoyed with me by the end though.


And I've stepped on a snail. The brown ones are everywhere, not just when it's raining. It's crazy. Last night I was walking home some time after midnight. I thought "Wow, it's really dark these day... even with no clouds." Then, of course, I started looking up at the sky to see if there really were no clouds (there weren't, I'm pretty sure) and I felt this... strange sensation. Almost as if I stepped on an egg (not that I've ever stepped on an egg).

Not knowing what it could be, I took another step and tried to 'brush' it off, then I saw the remains of a snail on the ground. Naturally, I knelt down and whispered 'I'm so sorry' (no I wasn't drunk!), then my next thought was "ewww I got snail remains under my shoe!", then spending the rest of the walk home trying to get it off.

- For one thing, I now know I've never stepped on a snail before... not this summer anyway.


- My TV is dead. Or rather, in a coma. It just stopped working one day, The Guy and I borrowed his parents car and brought it to the shop, they fixed it (or so they say) and now I need to find a way to get back there and get it. It's a little far from the bus stop (too far to carry a big tv - The Guy said he didn't understand why I didn't have a flat screen, at least they are 'carryable'). I need a car. Pronto!


On a more serious note, today I watched the last episode of The Bachelor - Rome. How can a reality show be serious, right? I know, but with a couple glasses of wine inside and a nice bachelor for once (I've only watched half of one season before and he turned out to be a jerk), and two really nice girls, I got kinda sad for the one who lost - even if I knew he'd pick the other one.

What's serious is that completely without noticing it I've gotten to the point where I'm over the guy from two years ago. I know, two years, waaaay time to be over him. But since he wasn't 'real' and just disappeared into thin air, he was more like a dream than real life. I'll never stop trying to find out what happened to him but I know he's not... I know I'll never again say "but I love him...." (I know, silly, I never knew him).

I'm over him. It's been two years. I guess I needed it, it'll make me stronger. It's a relief to know I've let go.


Which brings me to The Guy. We've been going out for almost a year. I care for him deeply, I can't imagine what my everyday life would be without him. I'd be alone and lonely again. But I'm not in love with him. No butterflies. He knows, I'm not trying to trick him into anything. But since he's a little older than me there's always the "he's probably at the age where he wants to settle down where I still have a few years"-dilemma.

If I were going out with someone who didn't love me and I loved them, then they say they care about me but it might be best we just be friends... I wouldn't want to see them dating others. I wouldn't want to know they were sleeping around. I couldn't handle knowing he was falling in love with someone else. How can I do to someone the things I don't want to have done to me? I don't want to leave him, and I hope he won't leave me. But when and where do you decide what is more important - to be with someone you like and care for and have fun with and are on the same level as - or finding someone who gives you butterflies? I have time.. I just don't know if he does.



....and that's what summer has been like. I've got a job, met nice people, spent most of June on the balcony and most of July in my rubber boots and umbrella. It's starting to look a lot like autumn and there are only 5 months left of the year. I'm dreading the start of a new semester and I'm missing home, the hammock under the cherry tree - and the kitten.

At least it's not long till Christmas!

Squirrel Spy Ring? Thats Nuts!

Police in Iran are reported to have taken 14 squirrels into custody , suspected of spying.


The rodents were found near the Iranian border allegedly equipped with eavesdropping devices. The reports have come from the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

When asked about the confiscation of the spy squirrels, the national police chief said: "I have heard about it, but I do not have precise information."

The IRNA said that the squirrels were kitted out by foreign intelligence services - but they were captured two weeks ago by police officers.

A Foreign Office source told Sky News: "The story is nuts."

But if true, this would not be the first time animals have been used to spy. During World War II the Allied Forces used pigeons to fly vital intelligence out of occupied France.

More recently, US marines stationed in Kuwait have used chickens as a low-tech chemical detection system. It is also well documented that dolphins have been used to seek out underwater mines.

It is even claimed that M15 once planned to recruit a team of specially-trained gerbils as a secret weapon to sniff out spies.

SkyNews

Sex Facts

Random sex-facts courtesy of side.no
Here goes!


Men get twice as horny during the summer than other times of year.
- not friggin possible!

Rats are able to have sex 20 times a day.
- so am I! Technically...

Two out of three Norwegian couples have sex every week during summer.
- and for those who don't, it's probably too hot.

Women in relationships want sex less than single women.
- makes sense: you always want what you can't have

Only about 50% of women want sex regularly after four years into a relationship.
- hoping never to experience that

One out of four women find men with a lot of money more sexy than other men.
- weeell.... I'm not sure if I can argue with that one...

The midnight sun in the north of Norway increases apetite for sex.
- the midnight sun is the same sun as the midday sun so... well, that's just logic..

Biologically, women would rather have sex with sweaty than with men right out of the shower. The reason is that sweat contains a hormone which makes women horny.
- But please guys, please wash downstairs first..!

Only 44% of us are completely satisfied with our sex lives, 60% think sex is a fun and important part of life.
- I'm impressed people are actually satisfied - we seem to have lost the ability to appreciate what we have these days.

More than half of us fantasize about money more often than about sex.
- proud to say I'm not part of that half..

Tall men more often have a partner, and, on average, gives their partner more orgasms than shorter men.
- as said in a documentary looking into human attraction and physical appearance: if you want to get laid, "guys, you don't have to be a gentlemen or wear the newest clothes - don't bother going to the gym, just be tall!"

Red headed women have more partners and more sex than other women.
- apparently men who see women with red hair immideatly think they're turned on. No clue why.

45% of side2.no readers own one or more sex toys.
- conservative readers?

Another 20% say they want one.
- you won't know how you ever manged without one.

50% of British workers say they've pictured their boss naked.
- people say that "if you're nervous about having to speak in front of a group of people, just picture them naked." - I find it more entertaining to picture people on the toilet. All red in the face, trying to squeeze out a big one. "Yiiiiiegghhh!!!"

Lipstick is said to have been invented in Egypt because the men wanted their women to have beautiful lips when performing oral sex.
- not sure how much I trust this one - I've always heard women invented lipstick because men are more attracted to youthful and full lips, which are more likely to be red. FYI, lips also turn redder when a person is turned on.

96% of men and 90% of women sometimes fantasize about sex with someone other than their partner.
- and the rest of them are lying.

30% of women admit to having faked an orgasm.
- see previous comment.

Men ejaculate, on average, 7200 times during their lives.
- from age 10 until 70, 60 years, that's 120 times a year - 3 times a week.

Most women say they would give up all forms of sex for 15 months, getting in return a brand new wardrobe.
- if I were single... sure! Wait a minute... what does 'all forms of sex' mean? If that means what I think it means, I wouldn't stand a chance. Never more than 4 days. I've tried. Several times.

People with allergies may experience a relief of their sufferings after sex.
- "honey, my throat itches, come give a blow job!"

An orgasm may help relieve pain because it increases your level of endorphins.
- old news.. still good news though.

British women most often fantasize about fire fighters (47%), soldiers (28%), business men (27%), doctors (26%) and football players (20%).
Interestingly, those numbers add up to 148%..

An hour of sex burns 360 calories.
- that's motivation right there. Guys should learn those numbers.

Sex can give women better looking hair and skin because it increases the production of oestrogen.
- again guys, just remember this, go dig up some facts and numbres, and casually share the info with your girlfriend some time.

40% of the British population say they would choose to be celibate - if that guaranteed them a life lasting 100 years.
- you have to live until you're a hundred and you don't get to have sex?? Where's the fun in that? (Either the people who answered yes were old, or they didn't think about the fact that no sex, most likely no children, no grandchildren, no one to care for, and who cares for you when you're 98 except your friends... who died when you were 82. Some life...). I'm immortal anyway.

*no title*

Jeg kjente en en gang, på andre siden av havet, som hadde en
stemme som krøp ned i tærne og ut i fingertuppene og til slutt
satte seg fast i hjertet et sted.

Jeg likte hans stemme og han likte min og vi brukte mange mange
timer på å lytte til hverandre si mange meningsløse ting som ikke
virker så meningsløse nå lenger.

Stemmen forsvant men jeg glemmer den aldri.

Nature

the Creepy Guy from home

"Hi.. it was me who were there just now, ringing the door bell at your place..do you live in Honndalen?* Maybe we could go for a walk sometime? - Matt"

*town where I'm from - "home"

- Guy had been at home to sell lottery tickets for a football club. Apparently sister had opened the door. Sister is 14. Guy, I find, is 29 or 30.


"I think you've sent this to the wrong person - I haven't been at home since Easter. But... stay away from my little sister, she's a bit too young for you :)"


"Hmm... now this is funny :) no, I wasn't planning on going after your sister... you got msn? Maybe we could chat?"



Turns out the guy, who has just moved back to town, thought my little sister was me, he knew I was born in 84 and therefore should be 23, asked his mother about me/my sister and decided to send her/me a message.

I explained the misunderstanding, asked my parents who this guy is and told my sister, to the family's great amusement, to stay the hell away from grown men! She was just offended someone thought she was my age, I quote "I don't look that old!!"



Saying this was one of the creepiest messages I've got is not an exaggeration... What was new with this was it didn't get creepy until I had my suspicions confirmed, realizing he had the hots for my sister. Who is 16 years younger than him. He's more than twice her age!

Not to mention that if he had sent this message to my sister instead of me they might have met, him thinking she was older than she was, her thinking he... I'm not even sure I want to go there...

*creepy*

May 16th

I was gonna say something really smart but I can't remember what it was... But then again, nobody in Norway is sober on May 16th, are they?

May 16th is the day before May 17th, Norway's Independence Day. It's a day like none other. If you don't believe me, google it.

It's the last day of the russ, after a few months of celebration, they will finally be graduating high school. It seems like a much bigger deal in "the middle of nowhere", where I'm from, than in the city...

I have no idea what I was gonna say... I forgot... so sue me (I'm gonna hope you're not an American here...).

Well...I'm gonna go have sex with my boyfriend now (I was supposed to be at his place 2 hours ago..) so... bye bye!


(If there's one thing I'm thankful for it's that I know *Touch*, otherwise this post would never have seen the light of day!)

Famous Last Words

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"So, you're a cannibal."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

Ariane

Try and seduce Ariane, a model in an 'interactive universe'.

You can take her out to dinner, visit an amusement park or an art museum. Or you can stay in, have a BBQ or go skinny dipping.

If you're lucky you'll get her naked, in the tub, the pool, the shower or anywhere!


But be careful, The Guy got her all ready to roll on the kitchen table but apparently he'd served her a little too much wine along the way and she fell asleep.


The object is, at least as far as I'm concerned, to get her to bed (or anywhere else for that matter). And I have to say - girls can be a pain in the butt and I have no idea why you guys would ever bother going through all this!

Absent Canadian and "The story of the skull"

This may or may not be the blog of Mike Helms, the Absent Canadian.

I'm not entirely sure what he writes about but one of the comments he's gotten has made me like him already;

"DEAR “mikehelms” What in GODS name makes you say that about OUR military? Who are you to talk about them? Are you ASHAMED that YOU dont have the GUTS to defend YOUR OWN right to talk [...]"

Mike's reply?

[...]as long as I have wind in my lungs, I’ll happily proclaim that I would FAR rather spend my tax dollars on educating young people from ALL nations, instead of funding a military that is engaged in an illegal, immoral war.[...]

Check out his page, if nothing else, his "Story of the skull" should make you laugh.


...I want a skull too... I mean, another one. I have one, I know, but I want one more. You can never have enough skulls, right?

Get your drugs here!

I just received an email from Bennie Bryant [wei-mingow@barringtonhomesinc.com] over at Barrington Homes Inc.

He's telling me about "the nicest prices for top quality drug$!"

And I thought drugs were frowned upon...



Included in the email was an attachment I did not open, and the text below. I'm wondering if it means anything..


learning of course but it's very different coming and doing it in a real life,
believe that offers enough protection. Opinion and Editorials The documents
who met the Russian former spy on the day he was taken ill, has also returned
be heard, and another year to schedule a hearing. After years of spiralling
in Camden were not afraid to get their hands dirty during their field trip to Epping
paper or by the dead layer of outer skin. Dollar falls to 20-month low vs. euro
to tell them of a visit made by Mr Litvinenko to its offices. My Sources > All Science from
AP WASHINGTON - In a decision that could roil Democratic unity in the new House, Speaker-to-be
complaints E-mail this to a friend Printable Mario Scaramella, the academic
and so on - the real thing is still better." Reuters ----------------- USATODAY.com
ago Site Index Enter your postcode:What's this? AP - 27 minutes ago TALK
poisoning. BBC News health correspondent Elsewhere on the Web Police say mother microwaved
on Elder Abuse says the delays are inexcusable. Nurses facing the most
AP - 1 hour, 7 minutes ago Patient safety is at risk because of delays in hearing misconduct
Iraqi man and five females, ranging in age from an infant to
Papacy and the Vatican 'Off the radar' Ask a congressman There is
1,100 people have called a helpline for advice. Most popular now,
of self-confidence as the final hearing was repeatedly delayed. AP EXPOSURE
insisted patient safety was not being compromised. Unlock the code at Y! Movies Opinion
in SA court Politics Iraq WEATHER Some cases are already taking more than a year
said he had not spoken to Russian President Putin over the matter, but would "do so at

Early summer days

A lot of things make me happy.

One of them is watching my roommate come home, continuing straight out onto the veranda, standing out there with ear plugs in his ears and a cold beer in his hand.

He's smiling, not knowing I'm watching. Bending down to take his socks off, moving his head along with the music. It's a beautiful day.

The gentle breeze is making his shirt blow gently, his cap holding his hair, which keeps growing longer, in place.

Just standing there, he looks happy.

And that makes me happy.

Earth II

Richard Macey
April 25, 2007 - 11:08AM

The first planet that could support life as we know it outside our solar system has been discovered.

A team of European astronomers say they have detected a rocky world, possibly only 50 per cent larger than the Earth, circling a small red star called Gliese 581, 20.5 light years away in the constellation Libra.

What makes the discovery so important is that the planet orbits in what astronomers call the "Goldilocks zone" - where makes it neither too hot, nor too cold for life.

Astronomers have found more than 200 planets circling other stars, but, until now, all have been unsuitable for life because they are either massive gas balls, resembling Jupiter, that circle scorchingly close to their parent, stars, or have eccentric orbits that take them out into the bitterly cold depths of space.

The newly found "super-Earth," about five times more massive than our planet, is 14 times closer to its star than the Earth is from the sun. As a result, its year lasts only 13 Earth days. It has been named , named 581 c.

However, because the star is only a third the mass of our sun, it is also much cooler.

Astronomers estimate that the world's surface temperature would therefore be between 0 and 40 degrees.

"Water would thus be liquid," one of the discoverers, Stephane Udry, from Switzerland's Geneva Observatory, said.

"Models predict that the planet should be either rocky - like our Earth - or covered with oceans."

Another team member, Xavier Delfosse, from France's Grenoble University, said: "Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will probably be a very important target of future space missions dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life. On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X."

Gliese 581, one of the 100 closest stars to our solar system, is a red dwarf, one of the most common types of stars in the universe. It is already known to have a planet about the same size as Neptune, the fourth biggest world in our solar system.

The astronomers say they also have strong evidence that the star is circled by a second rocky planet, about eight times as massive as the Earth.

That such a common type of star could have three planets, including two rocky "terrestrial" planets, has boosted speculation that many other red dwarfs might also have their own Earth-like worlds

"Red dwarfs are ideal targets for the search for low-mass planets where water could be liquid," another astronomer, Xavier Bonfils, from Lisbon University, said.

The new "super Earth" was not directly observed by the astronomers who discovered it with the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

Instead, they tracked the red star's wobble, which revealed it is being tugged from side to side as it is circled by the unseen planet.

Chris Tinney, an Australian planet hunter whose team at the Anglo-Australian Observatory has found 30 planets, said today he was still to "check the homework" of the European team.

"These guys have done excellent work in the past," he said.

"But what's a little bit more up in the air is whether it really is Earth- like."

Dr Tinney said science was not advanced enough to be sure that all planets of similar mass had rocky surfaces and could not be worlds of ice and gas, as is Neptune.

"But if it does indeed have a rocky surface it could indeed have liquid water and it could indeed be habitable for life."

Dr Tinney said living on the planet could be a gloomy experience. The "sun" hanging in the planet's sky would "be very dark red. There would not be a lot of light, but a lot of heat".


Constellation of *Libra*?
- my star sign

"Goldilocks zone"?
- my nick name in high school

"not [...] a lot of light, but a lot of heat"
- I can deal with that


Catch my drift?
This planet is meant for me!

I wonder when I can go...

Times of year

A guy I used to know showed me this picture and told me how he loved it - and how he looked forward to going to Trondheim, where the picture was taken.

A year later I found myself back in town and I wondered what it would look like during summer. Not quite so magical, but I guess magic is something which exist in our hearts and is hard to recreate with a camera.

Arc du Triomphe

One day in June Ben, a British guy, came to visit. We were walking around Paris - he wanted me to show him the sites - when we came to the Arc de Triomphe. Some men were trying to get this huge flag to hang just right. They started by pulling it out of a big bag, we didn't have a clue what it was until we started seeing the three colours of the tricolore.

It was blowing like crazy and the flag was sweeping the floor of the entire Arc before they caught hold of it. By then it had tipped over the markings, the flowers and candles of the Tombe du Soldat inconnu and the eternal flame burning there.

I could swear they were about to extinguish the whole thing, wouldn't that be symbolism for you - the French flag itself putting out a symbol of eternal life. Maybe even the flag itself catching fire.

However, such an historic event did not take place. They hoisted the thing up and it waved in the wind, harming nobody, looking good like a good flag should.


I found the explanation as to why the flag was there in the first place quite funny. I heard they put it up there each time the French football (soccer) team played a match in the European Championship (Euro 2004).

Whether that was true or not I couldn't say but I liked the explanation and knowing the French, I wouldn't be altogether surprised if it was true.

A whole lotta pictures

The past few days I've spent some time sorting through all the photos I've taken the past three years. I started at about 5,000, removed all duplicates, copies and most blurry shots and now I'm down to a little under 4,000.

It's fun seeing 'old' photos but what strikes me is that the photos I like the most, are those with people in them. I usually don't take pictures of people, I like beautiful things (not that people aren't beautiful) and I tend to take pictures of mountains, trees, the ocean, the sky, things like that.

I think I'm going to have to get a little better at taking pictures of not only the things I like but also the people. After all, the mountains, the sky and the sea will stick around until I'm 60 - the people may not.


Anywho - I'll probably post some random pictures before storing them all on CDs (and checking them three times before copying them to make sure they're all there before I delete them. I'm way overprotective of my photos).

Bergen, August '06

Wonder *why mosquito and which book...*

Haute Couture á Paris, Printemps 2007

by On Aura Tout Vu, Paris, Spring 2007

Annoying visitor

When someone is writing unpleasant comments on your blog and refuses to leave you alone, what do you do?

I'd love to delete the comments but I just don't do that. I can't bring myself to censor people. Rather than continuing to ignore this problem, I've now decided to face it.


So what can I do.. Ban this particular person?
- Can't do that. He's even posting anonymously (which is chicken shit behavior if you ask me)

I could ban anonymous comments.
- But that would exclude other people as well, people I don't want to exclude. Plus he'd only get himself an account.. or twenty.

I could ban everyone from Turkey?
- Not possible.

I could stop responding to his comments.
- I've tried that and if anything it only got worse.


Up until now I've just asked him to leave me alone and hoped it would eventually work. Apparently it hasn't. Until now I've also said I prefer not to delete anything and rather have some annoying people from time to time. But this is getting a little too much.

How does someone end up being like that? A person like that? You know people don't want to hear from you, you know people don't like you, but you still come back again and again. Can't people take a hint? Even when I've said "please just leave me alone" numerous times?


This is my blog. I shouldn't have to dread publishing posts because I know I'll only get some incomprehensible comments, way outside the point of my post, criticizing something or other. I know it doesn't help to explain what I meant or what I'm saying because that will only lead to more comments from a person with whom I already do not wish to communicate.


So what do I do?
Apart from murder (he's too far away) I can't think of anything that might help.

It's just getting too pathetic.
I wish he'd realize that.

Heia Brann, Heia Brann!

Easter is over and The Guy brought me along to my first football match ever!
(that's soccer to you foreigners)



He likes saying it was my first football match, as if I don't know anything about the sport.

I think it makes him feel more like a man... and maybe he thinks it makes me more of a stereotypical woman if I don't know much about sports. I believe it has been quite a while since he learned I'm not a stereotypical woman, but that doesn't keep him from dreaming!

Anywho.. the team is Brann and in Bergen it's mandatory to be a fan. The opposing team was Strømsgodset and the result? 3-1 to Brann. Of course.

Now all they need is to keep up their winning streak for, oh, another six months (this was their second game this season). Then they might win gold in the series. Maybe.


For more pics, among them a lucky one of the winning goal being scored (took me a while to figure out where the ball was), check out appleshots.

Vårens vakreste

Holy Cow!

My hormones are going haywire.

The past two weeks I've been going around calling everything cute. It's real bad already and it's only getting worse.

I've recently found myself calling bad pick up lines cute. And cars. And computers. And the Swedish word for software (mjukvaran)!

If I didn't know any better, I'd think I were pregnant.


Somehow I must have overdosed on oestrogen..



Oh and btw.. did you know there was a page called cuteoverload.com? That's a little too much even for me.. Got a few cute pics though...


Ew! Cute! See what it's doing to me?!

March 21st

Today marks the start of the light, bright and warm six months of the year.

At least north of the equator... It's been three months since the sun was at its lowest on the sky and in another three it'll be at its highest.

We might not have six months of sunshine but every day the coming six months will all be lighter and brighter than yesterday and the day before.

If that's not gonna put a smile on your face, I don't know what is.

Human Rights Week

Since September about nine of us in a group within Amnesty International at the University of Bergen have been working on getting the Human Rights Week together. There are nine other groups in Amnesty UiB and most of them will be doing one lecture during the week.

The week starts tomorrow with a concert outside at 'Festplassen', with five up and coming bands. Between the bands we'll have speakers such as the principal of Bergen Uni and the general secretary of Amnesty Norway, to name a couple. During the evening there's a salsa course and dancing all night.


The concert starts at 1pm tomorrow but we'll show up between 8:00 and 9:00am to set up the stage, the huge metal 'boxes' with exhibits from the groups (four of them in total, adding up to more than 800 square feet), do the sound checks, show the artists to the room the hotel is lending us and serve them their requested coffee, coke and pears.

After the show, hopefully over at 4:00pm, we'll be taking down the stage (and it's not exactly small), removing the boxes and clearing up. Then at 9:00pm it's salsa night!


Then every day from Sunday through Thursday we'll have two lectures a day about human rights and human rights violations, with topics such as:
- Introduction to Human Rights
- Russian Nationalism
- The situation in Burma
- Free speech, or lack thereof, in China
- Discrimination of disabled people
- Torture = Terror with focus on Guantanamo

and a lot more. All lectures by people who know who work with these topics, coming in from around Norway and abroad. The different groups of Amnesty UiB will help with lectures.


Friday is the last day and we'll be having a human rights pub quiz. I think it's safe to say the members of Amnesty, and especially those of us in the group making this week happen, will be kicking back and enjoying ourselves.

And you betcha we're gonna win that quiz!


- if you're Norwegian and in town, check out www.menneskerettighetsuken.no

March

It's been two years.
It's been two long years.

Argh...

Tomorrow I'm going to Bethlehem to do an exam in macroeconomics.

Today I've been drinking lots of tea to stay warm and awake while studying. Tea goes right through me, more so than alcohol, which means I've been running to the toilet all day.

Now would be one of those times if it hadn't been for the fact that my new roommate (a girl, moved in yesterday) has decided this is a good time to occupy the bathroom. She's in the shower.

And I need to pee!!

Bug

There's a bug on the window.
It must be spring.

Jack Osbourne

What on earth happened to him??
He's turned completely yummy..




Mmm... I think I need to try his diet.

Like vs. Love

There should be a word between 'like' and 'love'.

I've met a lot of guys I've 'liked', but only a couple that I've 'loved'.

So how do you classify the guys in between? Like my boyfriend... I clearly like him. But I don't love him. Which is fine, he doesn't love me either. We like each other, like spending time together and we care about each other. But it's not love. So where do I put him?

I don't want to say I just like him because, well, I like most people. How do you label the people who fall in between categories, people you care deeply about but do not love?

Maybe it's easier in English, there you can love family members and friends, but in Norwegian you don't do that. You only 'love' one person. 'Liking' applies to everything, from your friends to your grumpy (but oddly charming) neighbour.


And while we're on the subject... is 'love' and 'in love' the same thing?
I say no, but an American I once knew said they were.
It confused me. What do you think?

Bushy

I'm actually thinking about volunteering..

This is the freakiest thing I've seen..

A house and three people just disappeared into this hole in the ground in Guatemala City. The resident in this poor neighbourhood had heard sounds and felt the ground shake for a month.

The city was aware of the problem and thought it could be a blocked water pipe and sewer. They were planning to execute a controlled explosion but the problem literally disappeared before they could do anything.

1,000 people have been evacuated, there's a good chance the hole, which is 100 meters deep, will grow bigger. There might also appear similar holes around the city.


They've also found a body but they can't say if it's one of the three people missing.

Because bodies in sewers are all too common this time of year...?

"Solidarity with the snowmen!"

"We're becoming extinct!
Please help us!"




"Global warming is distroying us!
Give us a future!"

It's Tuesday...

...and another roommate moved out.

At least I think he did, he's moved out all his stuff and even cleaned the bathroom. For the first time.

It's really rather depressing. Five people have moved out during the past two and a half years, and I'm still here.

One of the other guys left to go to Denmark just a few weeks ago, another guy moved in and he's just annoying. He never cleans up after himself and never says hi. Kinda rude if you ask me.

The guy who's moving out today has lived here for just over a year and he was the only one of the three others I ever really talked to. And he didn't even tell me he was moving!


I hope he didn't pack the stool in the kitchen... it seems to have gone missing.

I have the weirdest dreams...

Last night I dreamt I wanted to find a new place for my toothbrush. I remember I was brushing my teeth, then I put the brush back in its place. I stood looking at it for a little while and realized that might be a silly place to keep it, and why hadn't I thought of that before?

The place it was in was the toilet bowl. There was something at the bottom of the toilet to put the toothbrush in so it was standing up, and that was its place. I was looking at it and thought "huh... when I go to the toilet I must be almost touching it" then came the sinking realization that "when it's standing like that, people have probably hit it when they've peed.."

And then... "If someone goes to the toilet and does no. 2... how can they avoid hitting the toothbrush? They can't! It's right there, in the middle of the toilet!"


It was only a dream but I'm not sure I can ever get myself to use that toothbrush again...

I'm up, I'm up!

I've been a little under the weather lately, that's why the sudden silence. I don't like sick and I don't do sick. One of the things I hate the most is how I lose my sense of taste and smell.

Although that tends to happen when you have the cold or the flu, I seem to be the only person who cares much about it. What's life if you can't taste it? Not much fun, that's for sure. I live for the little things.

Ehren Watada

What does freedom of speech mean?

...

You thought it meant you could speak your mind and share your opinions, didn't you? Well, to some extent it does mean that. Unless, of course, you are an American soldier. Then you're not entitled to an opinion anymore.


A story
-
In June 2005, Ehren Watada, First Lieutenant in the US Army, was told he was to go to Iraq. He read up on the war and the reasons behind it, talked to soldiers who had been there, and decided he couldn't be a part of it. Seeing as the war itself is illegal according to UN treaties, and the rules of the US Army say wars are to be waged according to the UN treaties, one could say this soldier simply refused to break the law.

Ehren Watadas court-martial starts today, February 5th.
-
The charges;

• conduct unbecoming an officer (for statements made in speeches and interviews)
• missing movement (for refusing to deploy to Iraq on June 22)
• contempt toward officials (in this case, President Bush)

What he has said in interviews to explain why he didn't go to Iraq, is now used against him because a soldier saying the war just ain't right might influence other soldiers. He is charged with this, the state can use it in their prosecution. But it cannot be used by the defense. Why?
-
The arguments
-
Watadas defense lawyer, Eric Seitz, says if the war itself is against the laws and rules of the United States and the United States Army, then this should be a brought up during the trial. His client refused to go because he felt it wasn't right to fight a war built on lies.

However, in January Lieutenant Colonel John Head, the judge in the case, ruled that whether the war was legal or not was a "nonjusticiable political question". He also decided that Watada was forbidden to 'present a First Amendment defense'. Meaning he has no way to defend his statements.
-
Conclusion
-
We now have a soldier who refused to go to Iraq two years after the war started, because he'd seen the politicians' and military's story change too many times. He clearly didn't refuse because he was scared to go - he had just got back from Korea when he got his orders to go to Iraq. He then offered to go to Afghanistan instead, a suggestion the Army refused.

When he is asked questions about why he refused to go, he explains his reasons which only results in additional charges - an American soldier is not supposed to argue with orders. They shouldn't think, they should follow orders. A soldier once told me that.


One thing is what will happen to this guy. Another is what it does to other American soldiers. When it's so obvious, so publicly broadcast that "if you speak up against the US, the Army or the war, if you criticize your superior officers or doubt your President, it might be you next time."

Watada himself is ready to accept whatever consequences his decision will have. He said two things I felt it necessary to add to this. We can only hope these didn't result in additional charges.


"When you are looking your children in the eye in the future, or when you are at the end of your life, you want to look back on your life and know that at a very important moment, when I had the opportunity to make the right decisions, I did so, even knowing there were negative consequences."
-
"It is my duty as a commissioned officer in the United States army to speak out against grave injustices. My moral and legal obligation is to the constitution. Not to those who issue unlawful orders. I stand before you today because it is my job to serve and protect American soldiers and innocent Iraqis who have no voice. It is my conclusion that the war in Iraq is not only morally wrong, but also a breach of American law."

My wonderful fellow students...

It's always nice to come home a Sunday morning only to find the stairs decorated with broken beer bottles.

And it's even nicer to know I'm the one who'll have to clean it up, seeing as I'm the 'elected representative' (whatever that means) for this student apartment complex.


I think I'll just leave it for a few days and let them walk around in their own mess. Then yell at them at a meeting we'll have in a week or two. However, that plan most likely won't, for two reasons.

• The people (from now on referred to as idiots) who spend Saturday nights drinking, then breaking beer bottles inside the building in which they live, are probably the kind of people who prefer waiting three minutes for the elevator, only to ride it down one floor rather than spending 10 seconds on the stairs(it happens, it really does). Which means they won't see their mess.
  

• These people, the idiots, are also the kind of people who don't show up at meetings. Last meeting, arranged by someone else, was attended by an amazing 8 people. Out of 157. Anything more this time would almost be a success.
  

So I've figured out what I can do to try and get someone to show up. These idiots are probably the very same people as those who have suggested we get a soda machine. Walking to the shop takes too long. Seeing as I'm the only one who can decide if we should get a soda machine or not, maybe adding "show up and have your say or we won't get it anyway" (rhyme not intended), maybe, just maybe that will help.


Then again, if you can't be bothered to walk down one flight of stairs, or the four minutes to the shop, can you really be expected to bother going to a simple meeting?

My semester

I'm doing three courses this year; Administration and organization, Geography and Anthropology.

A&O started in January, Geo will start in February and Anthropology in March, a nice spread. Even exam dates are spread out with one week in between each.

My only problem is that I find Geo interesting and I like the books. Doesn't sound like much of a problem, I know, but add Anthropology which I also like, then A&O which I seem to detest. Not the subject as such, but the books. Actually, I'd probably hate the subject if I understood what I was reading...


Instead of doing as the professor said at the end of my last A&O lecture: "For next time, read the book by Scott, will you?" Yes, sure, I'll read a book I don't understand when I've got plenty of books I do like that I have to read. That's my excuse, I have to read all the books anyway so I might as well read the ones I like first. But that way, which has been my way the past four semesters, I end up being behind the rest of the class from the second lecture on.


Reading itself isn't the problem, taking notes is. I could read all the books just fine, but that way I wouldn't remember anything when it was time for exams. Which is why taking notes is the way to go. Taking notes takes forever, especially when we have to translate terms from English, terms which seem to exist only in that field of study and not in an ordinary dictionary. Language tends to complicate things, because;

1) All books and articles are in English.
2) Lectures are in English because there are foreign students.
3) Lecture notes by professors are in English
4) Exams are in Norwegian.


I clearly don't mind English. If I did, this would all be in another language. It's when we're learning something in a different language than the exam and have to find the correct terms with which to translate all English terms, by ourselves.

We had that in Psychology a few years ago too - going to seminar groups or even the exams, finding questions about something we'd never heard of before, only to realize afterwards we knew what it was, we'd just never heard of it in Norwegian before. Especially annoying since a lot of words cannot be found in an ordinary dictionary, some not even in the dictionaries made especially for that field of study. Which is why the lectures are usually the way to learn the terms in Norwegian, now that's impossible since also lectures are in English.


IT'S FRUSTRATING!!


Maybe I should tell someone at the Uni instead of just complaining...

Someone new moved in.

Actually, I think six someones moved in.

There were four of us in the appartment, we never saw the one guy who moved in last summer. Now he's moving to Denmark for a semester and another guy moved in for a while.

The place is a mess. There's pasta, beer bottles and coats all over the place. And my stuff has apparently been adopted by them. It's kinda... I mean... what's going on?!?


Maybe it's a good thing though, maybe it means there will finally be some life in this apartment - it's been quiet and dark since... forever. It would be nice to see someone not just run to their room and lock the door. Although all the mess and all the people might be a little annoying in the long run...


- kinda fun to spy on the neighbours though...

Blown away

I was talking to a guy I met last summer who said

"...you gave me the blow job of the century"


Although, yes, I do realize he only said that to make me feel hot and want to see him again, it did feel like a nice compliment now that, after four months with the same guy (without freaking out) I am starting to lose my inspiration.


Have you discovered a new technique?
Found a revolutionary way to please your guy?
Got any brand new blow job tips you want to share?

Or is the old "wet, lick, suck and wank routine" still good enough?

How much do you think this bag costs?

i

$100?

$500?

Actually, it's $38,470. For a bag.
A Norwegian bag, nonetheless.

It's been made by Hilde Palladino and the brand is Gadino.
It's decorated with white gold and 39 diamonds.


Few Norwegians would consider spending money on this but, fortunately for designers, people around the world tend to be a little less inhibited than we are when it comes to spending money.

Even if it is 38 grand for a handbag.