2.juledag

God jul godtfolk.
Har ikke oppdatert bloggen på en måned av forskjellige årsaker. Blant annet har jeg vært opptatt med drikke kaffe på universitetet, drikke øl på hurtigruta, og lese tegneserier i Mosjøen. Det er travle tider for den kommende middelklassen med andre ord. Kjenner faktisk at jeg ikke har det i meg nå heller og skrive en lang blogg, så det får vente. Men fortvil ikke, jeg skal vise dere noen triks i mangel på litterær input.
"Var det det det var snakk om?"
(Hvor ofte ser du ordet "det" tre ganger på rad i en grammatisk korrekt setning?)
"Maybe I'm dead. Maybe there is a God. In that case, he should be around here somewhere to offer me his throne.."
Spider Jerusalem, journalist.

Søndag???

Tro det eller ei, men det har blitt søndag igjen. Og i tillegg er det blitt skikkelig mørketid nå om dagen, så akkurat nå, halv tre, er det helt mørkt. Som om ikke søndager var kjedelige nok fra før så skal det altså være mørkt også. Vel. inntil videre hører jeg på pixies og venter på at noe spennende skal skje.

Thursday. At school

Hei hei.
Klokka er snart 1900, men jeg er fortsatt på skolen. Jadda. Jeg leser nemling om ideologi i forbindelse med at jeg skriver om den ideologiske utviklingen hos maoistene i Nepal under borgerkrigen. Jeg er egentlig ganske trøtt. Jeg stod opp halv ti i dag, det er tidlig for et b-menneske av mitt kaliber. Ganske overtrøtt når jeg tenker etter. Jeg har spist en halv boks peanøttsmør i dag. Det inneholder ganske mye energi. Så har jeg drukket endel kaffe. Jeg tror rett og slett jeg har transcendert tretthet. Jeg er forbi det stadiet. Nå er jeg på et annet, og bedre. Et som heter noe sånt som fanatisk arbeidslyst stadiet. Eller kanskje stadiet for irrasjonell innsats, eller post-tretthetssyndrom i forbindelse med masteroppgave. Ikke jeg vet.
Falsk bevissthet? Hvilke betingelser fins egentlig for at vi skal kunne snakke om falsk bevissthet?
Er denne setningen ideologisk? Bare i det språklige empiriske, eller også i dens underliggende antagelser? Går det an å være ideologisk i det empiriske men ikke i dens underliggende antagelser?
Om noen leser dette, få meg ut herfra. Den akademiske hulken har tatt over kroppen til den akademiske Bruce Banner. Eneste måte å bli Bruce igjen er å bli dratt bort fra bøkene og lesesalen. MAYDAY! SOS! Kom og hent meg ut!
Friiiiiiiiiiihet!

Søndag!

Søndag, vi møtes igjen.
Men i dag var jeg forberedet.
Ok, jeg hadde ikke forventet å miste stemmen, men det er i ferd med å gå over.
Jeg har på meg et par sokker med ditt navn.
Jeg har sett film fra sengen. I nesten tre timer.
Jeg har spist speilegg.
Jeg fant ut av deg, avslørte metoden din.
Du var aldri fleksibel nok til å holde meg nede over lang tid.
Bordene er i ferd med å snu seg, hva nå det måtte bety.
Søndag, vi møtes igjen, og denne gangen er det jeg som sitter på alle essene!

søndag

Søndag, det sleske smilet kler deg ikke!
Søndag, jeg er fyllesjuk og det er din feil.
Søndag, din skadefryd er usjarmerende.
Søndag, hvorfor er alt stengt?
Sømdag, hvorfor kan du ikke være mer all right, som torsdag eller fredag, faen, som mandag?
Søndag, ute er det bare kaldt og mørkt.
Folk kjører i kalde biler til steder det er klamme kaffeslabberas eller stengte butikker.
Søndag, du er verdens dårlige samvittighet.
Søndag, rygg unna, gi meg et minutt til å klarne tankene.
Søndag, vi kunne vært bedre venner enn dette.
Søndag, om du bare kunne anstrengt deg.
Om du ikke tok meg og min fyllesyke for gitt.
Om du bare hadde gjort en liten innsats.
Søndag, stikk. La meg være i fred.
Jeg synes det er mye kulere med mandag.
Søndag, det sleske smilet kler deg ikke!

Baron Myrd og Grev opp-ned-kors

jadda

Nå er det lenge siden jeg har oppdatert bloggen, men det er ikke min feil. Det har seg nemlig slik at jeg skrev en ganske så lang blogg søndag, men da jeg skulle legge den ut nektet internett å samarbeide, slik at det hele gikk til helvete. Derfor skriver jeg istedet i dag. Og jeg kan rapportere at i Tromsø har vi snø. Og ikke bare litt, vi har noe innihelvete mye snø! Snart en meter om det fortsetter i dette tempoet. Snø synes jeg er fint, for da blir det så trivelig ute, og nesten litt julestemmning. Men av en eller annen grunn blir det alltid jævlig glatt for meg når det er snø ute. Jeg skriver "for meg" fordi jeg har enda ikke sett at noen andre plages like mye når de går på fortauet. Jeg vet ikke helt hva det kommer av, men jeg mistenker at militærstøvlene fra Haakonsvern rett og slett er elendige på vinterføre. Hva faen er det? Skal ikke Forsvaret servere sine soldater top-notch utstyr, slik at vi kan le av nederlenderne som kaver under hele joint winter? Neida, det skal vi ikke. Det kan jo være at forsvaret har spesialprodusert et par støvler som er ekstra glatte slik at samfunnet kan le av meg mens jeg kaver i hele vinterhalvåret, men det virker ikke så altfor sannsynlig.
Nuvel.
Forøvrig hater jeg å skrive masteroppgave og har i dag ikke fått gjort noe som helst, og bare lurt på hva i helvete det egentlig er jeg driver med.
Om noen vet det, så skriv inn!
Fred,
s

Søndag, som vanlig

Like sikkert som at regn kommer etter sol, er det at søndag kommer etter lørdag. Denne uken intet unntak i så måte. I går hadde vi halloween fest i kollektivet. En kanonfest med veldig mange mennesker i veldig mange kostymer. Selv kledde jeg meg ut som en satanrocker, og det fungerte ganske så fint, bortsett fra at parykken var ekstremt irriterende. Da jeg stod opp i dag var huset et kaos uten like. Men allikevel fikk vi det istand på omtrent to timer. Etter det stekte jeg egg og bacon, og drakk kaffe rundt kjøkkenbordet med resten av kollektivet. Riktig så koselig. Nå er klokka 1642 og jeg har akkurat vært på Bobbos og kjøpt snus. I det jeg kommer hjem skjønner jeg at, nei, det er faktisk ingenting mer å gjøre i dag. Faen. Søndager er og blir kjedelige uansett hvordan man snur og vender på det. Forslag til søndagsaktiviteter mottas med takk.
Forøvrig kan jeg melde at det er full vinter i Tromsø.
Fred ut

Søndag

Så var det søndag igjen. Jeg er ikke sikker på om jeg er så glad i søndager. Hver søndag har det gått en uke siden sist søndag, uten at jeg har utrettet revolusjonerende mye. Samtidig er det forsent å gjøre noe med det, slik at det beste egentlig er å vente til mandag og en ny uke. Nå er klokken snart syv og jeg har ventet ut nok en søndag. I uken som gikk har jeg blant annet:
Jobbet med research paperet, altså skolearbeid.
Solgt hefter for LAG, altså revolusjonsarbeid.
Vært på backgammontrening.
Vært på internasjonalt seminar om Iran og atomtrusselen.
Lært at det er lurt å blande egg i kjøttdeigen når man skal lage hamburgere.
Fått vite at jeg skal holde foredrag for 500 videregåendeelever under Operasjon Dagsverk. Dette fyller meg på den ene siden med en nærmest bunnløs frykt, men på den andre siden gleder jeg meg til den euforien som kommer til å komme fra lettelsen etterpå. I tillegg forsvinner kanskje noe av frykten for å snakke i forsamlinger til neste gang. Om så skulle være tror jeg kanskje å lære seg å kjøre bil i store byer (dvs. utenfor Mosjøen) er neste skritt på listen over ting jeg skal gjøre for å utfordre meg selv. Dette ble et litt langt punkt, jaja.
Hadde intensjoner om å vise filmen "Surplus, terrorized into being consumers" på universitetet, men dette feilet ettersom jeg ikke fikk tak i den. Kommer forhåpentligvis sterkere tilbake fredag om tre uker.
Så har jeg jogget to ganger tre kilometer. Ikke veldig langt, men om man løper fort er det ganske tungt.
I farten kommer jeg ikke på noe mer jeg har gjort, men syntes egentlig ikke det ble så verst når jeg fikk notert det ned. Kanskje en tilfredsstillende uke rett og slett.
Ellers vil jeg anbefale det svenske bandet Imperiet.

Diplomacy, the game

Spilte Diplomacy med resten av huset+ i dag. Et ganske så facinerende spill. Situasjonen er Europa i 1901 med syv stormakter, og målet er verdensherredømme gjennom å knuse alle de andre. Dette gjøres ved hemmelige allianser, som mest sannsynlig må brytes for å vinne. I dag var jeg Østerike/Ungarn, og hadde sammen med Tyrkia en plan om å dele Russland mellom oss. Slik skulle det imidlertid ikke gå ettersom Frankrike og Tyskland hadde avtalt å dele meg mellom seg etter å ha knust England. Enden på visa ble at Tyskland dolket Frankrike i ryggen og tok hjem seieren. Jeg får heller komme sterkere tilbake neste gang. Interessant? Kanskje ikke, men hva har du å vise til denne søndagen`?

Helg igjen

Da er det fredag igjen. Klok av skade skal jeg ikke kræsje med sykkel denne fredagen, men heller ta det med ro og kanskje spille litt poker. Kan rapportere at jeg i dag, fredag 150906, stod opp klokka ni, jogget 4 kilometer, for deretter å dra på skolen og jobbe til fire. Tenk litt på det.
Ellers så ryktes det om en revolusjonær veggavis på universitetet i Tromsø. Følg med, revolusjonen venter ikke på noen!

åååååkei.

La meg fortelle deg en liten historie. I går var jeg nemlig på ska konsert på driv med et band som heter ska patrol. Det var en riktig fin konsert, og jeg danset og hadde det gøy. Da jeg skulle hjem syklet jeg. Det går ganske fort å sykle fra Tromsø sentrum og hjem til meg. I veien vi bor i driver de for tiden på med veiarbeid, og det er masse grus og stein rundtomkring. Da jeg nærmet meg huset vårt trødde jeg litt ekstra på for å komme meg opp innkjørselen. Jeg pleier å sykle helt opp, selv om det er en liten bakke. Slik skulle det imidlertid ikke bli denne gangen. Jeg traff en asfalthaug som noen idioter av noen bygningsarbeidere hadde lagt i innkjørselen vår, og fløy over styret. Heldigvis for meg greide jeg å ta meg for med nese og panne, slik at resten av kroppen ikke ble skadet. Min første tanke etter at jeg hadde truffet bakken var "faen, håper alle tennene er på plass". Noe de heldigvis var. Resultatet ble en finfint skrubbsår i ansiktet, og noe som trolig kommer til å utvikle seg til et blåøye. Knall.
Jeg føler at denne episoden en gang for alle tar lufta ut av argumentet om at Norge er så fint og stas å bo i. Om vi er så rike, hvorfor i helvete kan ikke Tromsø kommune spandere på seg å ha gatelysene på om natta, så man ser hvor man sykler? Over 1000 milliarder på bok, men livsfarlig å ferdes i gatene, det skal det være. Forbanna molboland. Bare vi her på berget som kan få det til. Heia Norge!

tilbake i tromsø

jadda.
da er jeg tilbake i Norge og Tromsø. Har i tillegg rukket et oslobesøk i helga.
stakkevollveien fins enda, og utrolig nok driver de og graver utenfor her enda. fantastisk.
nå skal jeg på bli kjent middag med fredssenteret, og ryktene sier at vi skal meske oss med...trommevirvler....suppe!
håper dette bare er løse rykter og at vi kan få pizza istedet.
bon voyage,
stian

and by the way

In three hours time my visa expires. This means that when I leave tomorrow I'll be one day overdue. The immigration office assured me that this will not be a problem. "Visa, no no. Not a problem at all sir. HAHA"
However, the Mexico/Continental airlines incident suggests that things left to destiny will always get messed up. So if I'm not home by sunday, I'm probably in jail in Nepal for illegal immigration or something.
Send me a postcard!

It's over...

Well, today we're writing the 11th of August and tomorrow I am going home. I feels kind of strange actually. But, some time in Norway doing nothing is going to be great. Hm, thinking about it, I don't really have much to say. Other than being in Nepal for two months at times has been extremely rewarding, at times incredibly funny, and at other times quite lonely. I look forward to seeing all, or at least most of you back home!

until then, Lal Salaam!

Jazzmandu

Yes box. Today I bought a record with nepali jazz music. Those of you who know me of course know how much I love jazz from the Himalayas. It's just so much more alive than music from our cold and industrialized society. People over here, they care for each other. I mean, in the music, you can really tell. They jam for people, not for money, like in the west.
Like the great celloman Mao once said, it's people, not things, that are deceisive.

Beebop

Thougts on war while drinking a beer, sitting in a chair

The war in the middle east has gone on for quite some time now. Israel has been shelling Lebanon for some two weeks now. And while the words Israel, Lebanon, dead or civilians don't really conjures up much anger anymore, let's go behind fancy news broadcast language to see what really happens. A few days ago, some people launched a highly explosive charge on an apartment block in a city in the Middle east. Stop and hold it right there.Lets look at this from another angle. If someone I've never seen before kicks me in the liver, I get upset. Most likely angry, or very sad. Maybe I even start crying. I don't know. No one I've ever met has been that much of an asshole to kick a stranger in the liver. And right now, in the Middle east, people are firing bullets and things that explode on people they've never seen before. And if we asked them why they performed this seemingly mongoloid action, what would they say? Maybe they would say that their commanding officer commanded them to, in order to stamp out terrorism from the face of the earth. But what is the real answer here? I launched 10 kgs of TNT (for example) at that apartment block because this guy told me to? Can I do that too? If I throw a stone at Carl I. Hagen because Stein Lillevolden told me to, is that ok? I think I don't think so. But all of us, who see this stuff on tv, we don't even get upset anymore, possibly with a few noble exceptions. We watch the news, and we think: "Israel bombed Lebanon again, 40 civilians dies. (maybe if we are in the politically correct mood, we add "those motherfuckers" to the end of that sentence). But this is not really what happened. What really happened is that someone launched an unknown amount of highly explosive material into an apartment block because someone else told them to. One man (most often it's unfortunately a member of my own sex) launched explosives into someones home. If this happened in my hometown, any sane person would simply freak out. Lynch mobs would've been formed. But when it's on the news, we don't react, because this is Israel, civilians, Lebanon. It's all familiar news stuff that we have grown to accept as a part of daily life. Maybe it's not about the revolution. Maybe it's about doing the only sane thing, freaking out. I don't really know. I don't really have a solution. As usual I only have plenty of time. But if anyone is planning, co-ordinating or participating in a big freak out, let me know. If feel like I have to do something. For the sake of humanity let's hope the feeling doesn't disappear in any of us.
until next time, don't give up

Observation

Here in Nepal, the banks often have security guards. These are armed with small knives. Quite a contrast to Central America where they are armed with sawed off shotguns or uzis. This is in my view a good thing in one way. Less weapons is generally good. But on the other hand, a knife is maybe not so much of a deterrent to a bank robber?
If you have a guard in the first place, he is there to prevent robbery, right?
But if he's got a breadknife, what can he do?
I'll give the Nepali guards about 50-50 against a robber with a baseball bat.
And maybe 75-25 against an unarmed robber.
But robbers these days are armed to the teeth with weapons, so that little knife is maybe not going to be so much help?
I was were a robber I'd rather take the bank with the knife guard than the bank with that former mossad agent with a uzi.
But that's just a thougt. Opinions on the knife?

The Hunt for Decadency

Welcome back. I have been visiting the Nepali countryside for the last week, and therefore not updated the blog.
But, today I will, and what better than to tell about my research in the Nepali casino scene. As I am currently writing an article about the Maoists, I was trying to find some real rich and decadent people to get their views on the Maoist insurgency. And what better place to look for decadency than among Nepals half a dozen casinos?
The first casino of the day bore the name Casino Royale (true!) and here I met mr. Chobang who was in charge of human resource management at the casino. We sat down and he immediately asked if I wanted a beer. While I was determined not to let simple bribery come in the way of my research, I also had to consider the fluid level of my body, and therefore agreed to this friendly proposal. But under the interview if suddenly became clear to me that mr. Chobang was not the decadent evil rich man I had hoped. He said that the Maoists had done a great job in raising political awareness in the countryside, and that he supported all of their demands. But what he didn't like was their methods, so therefore he would've voted for the Marxist Leninist party if there was an election now. The manager at the casino voting marxist leninist. Who would've thought?
After this I decided to go to some more casinos to find a rich man who could say stuff like : "If people are poor, it's their own fault." and stuff like that. But no. All reasonable people in the casino industry in Nepal. After an unknown number of free beers, I finally gave in and bought chips for 3000 Nepali Rupee. At casino tara. When I left six hours later, drunk and happy, the casino people drove me home.
To conclude this groundbraking piece of research, I'll just say that:
Ask not for whom decadence rings, for it rings for thee..

au revior

Honk if you're horny

After six weeks in Kathmandu's tourist headquarter Thamel, I have built up a large amount of frustration over the constant honking of car horns. But, I am clever. I have a blog. If I post a message expressing my problems, Nepali drivers will read it, and understand.

Dear Drivers of Nepal.
If there is traffic jam in front of you, do you think it will disappear if you push your horn relentlessly for 5 minutes? Do you think that people organize traffic jams because they want you to show off your horn? Do you think i appreciate having a motorcycle horn at full power 50 centimetres from my ear?
And why the hell do every single truck in Nepal have "Horn Please" painted on the back?
Is it a karma thing? Do you get to Nirvana if you push your horn enough?
Is Jesus just waiting for all christians to honk their horns, to signal doomsday and the return of God?
I don't know. i'm just asking questions.

What else is new is that I have bought a green aluminum water bottle. Luckily enough, it was already water in it when I bought it. So no need to fill yet.

Until the revolution comes, honk at your own peril.

Gangsters of Nepal

My impression of most Nepali politicians is that they are rich, of the priestly caste, and have big houses. Of course, members of parliament in Norway aren't exactly striving to make ends meet, but still. The wealth of some Nepali politicians stands in a striking contrast to the poverty under which many of the people live. There can of course be many explanations for this. The good wage enjoyed by most politicians, coming from a wealth family or maybe some are just good businessmen. But, in addition to this, corruption has also been an important source of income for many politicians. And this doesn't just relate to oppotunities to amass wealth for themselves, but also relative freedom from punishment when breaking the law.

One example is the Royal party politician Khovari Raya. Between 1994 and 1999 he became minister four times, despite the fact that he holds the dubious honour of being the first MP arrested while in parliament. Raya was arrested for brandishing a firearm at a discoteque in Kathmandu, but no charges were filed and he was set free.

Another politician not wasting his time in parliament is Goshinda Yoshi from Nepali Congress Party. When he first became a minister in 1991 he had a fortune of 300000 nepali rupees(divide by ten to get Nkr.) In 1997 this had grown to 37,9 million, without Yoshi being able to answer where he had earned the money. Yoshi is still an influential politician in Nepal.

In 1995 the parliament was ruled by a minority cabinet. This usually means that it will be harder for cabinet to get proposals trough. Deuba, from NC, who was prime minister at the time, managed to get past this hinderance by paying other members of parliament to leave while a vote of no confidence was being held against him. He paid five MPs 2000 USD each, and sent them to Thailand for "medical treatment". Just enough to tip the vote of no confidence in his favor. A good example of seeing solutions instead of obstacles that we all could learn from.

Stay with us until next time, and remember that crime doesn't pay....as well as politics.

Captain where art thou?

And there he is!
In a small embroidery shop, they have actually specialized in selling t-shirts with motives from Tintin.
And, on the wall, I spotted a t-shirt with the great Captain Haddock. Utilizing his superpowers to down a bottle of whisky without getting hung over. The Nepali have a good eye for superheroes. I'll give them that. Needless to say, I immediately bought this fantastic shirt.

Except for this bargain, the day has been busy with Nepali class (do you see laanekassen, I'm sticking to my part of the agreement?), interviewing people from the British embassy, and meeting Ratu who is a journalist from India. And all this in the same day. At the level of work I performed in the beginning, this would have been a weeks work. But now I am oh so efficient, and plan to keep it up for the rest of my stay. Or maybe just intil the weekend, or tomorrow. But I would just like to state for the record that, today, I've done a good days job.

On the side I can also inform that the British conception of peace in Nepal is "an end to violence and a stable, inclusive democracy." Well, that certainly sounds good. At present, we'll overlook the fact that the UK in 2003 gave to Mi-17 helicopters to the Royal Nepali Army, which they have used to fly over villages and drop mortar shells. On question, the UK's view is that this is a bad thing, and not something they encourage the RNA to do.

Until next time, keep it simple stupid (KISS). Formerly known as knights in satans service.

Visiting the Terai. Meeting old friends.

The last days I have been visiting the Terai, which is the lowland region of Nepal. Being much lower than Kathmandu, it is also much warmer, and much more humid. In other words, much more hardcore climate for a Norwegian like me. While there, I decided to try and meet with the Nepal Goodwill Party once again. Partly because they have such a great name, and partly because the are a regional party fighting for the interests of the Madhesi people, living in the Terai.
When I entered the party office however, I immediately recognized mr. G. from my earlier meeting in Kathmandu. The last time I didn't talk much with mr. G., but he recognized me anyway. (It should be noted that mr. G. is a good natured looking guy, whit a white beard and a santa clause kind of belly.) As I was about to mention to the rest of the room that we had met earlier, mr. G. beat me to it. And talked for about three minutes in Nepali while laughing (a good natured, pirate kind of laugh I must say) and pointing at me. I wasn't able to understand much of what was said, but judging from his way of saying it, I have made a transcription of the monologue as I think it was articulated.
mr. G. "HAHA. Yes, I met this guy in Kathmandu. He came to interview us. HAHA. At the party office. HAHA. He's been nagging for one month now about us not answering his fax with questions. HAHAHAHA. Some son of a gun, I tell you. HAHA HAHA. Yessireee. This guy, coming to the office. Look at him, what a bastard. HAHAHAHA. I tell you. Yesbox, i'm not kidding. This sonofabitch, researcher he says. HAHA. By the Guru's beard. HAHA. I've seen some researchers in my time. But this son of a gun. HAHA. He takes the cake. Give the man a drink. What? Just water? Ok. HAHA. Yessir I can boogie I told him. HAHAHA. By the beard of the Sadhu, err, Guru I mean. HAHA. HAHA. Tell you what. See you in Kathmandu. I know president of party. I fix meeting. HAHA. Sucker. Answer fax? Sure we will. HAHA. Just send it one more time you son of a czar. HAHA. ok. HAHA. This guy. he cracks me up. HAHA.
Ok. See you."

Maybe not the most informative of the interviews I've done, but then again, this is the goodwill party. And that's no joke.
Until next time, be safe, or be a disgrace.

Having a Blast

Yesterday, me, Bjorn Richard and Stian went out for a beer. One beer turned into two, and we decided to find a pub. We ended up in a bar bearing the name Pub Maya, which after all, sounded like a reasonable enough name. When we got the drink menus, one drink immediately distinguished itself from the rest. The beer blaster.

"Beer Blaster: Beer, vodka, tabasco."

How can anyone remotely familiar with alcohol come up with this fantastic recipe? Such stupidity made it my goddamned duty to try one. And lo(!) it tasted like crap. Beer and Vodka in the same drink is generally a bad idea, but the tabasco really took the cake. In a display of willpower I managed to finish it, only to find another gem of a drink in the menu.

"Maya Coctail: A mix of all our whiskeys with Brandy"

And again, I offered myself as a humble tool to the idea of science. At first, the staff were not willing to make it, because "this is the new menu, we have never made this before. we don't know how much of each to use". I told them to bring it on, thinking for myself that this is going to taste like rat poison no matter how much Brandy is in it. And behold(!), I was correct. What a start to a night out. After drinking these fine examples of drinkmixing craftmanship, I did what every other responsible human being in my situation would have done. I got drunk.

And when I woke up on the couch in my apartment the day after, the hypothesis that the drinks were secret remedies to prevent hungover was immediately falsified. But now the night has come, and the mood lifting. Tomorrow I'm going to Bairawar to interview some Maoist footsoldiers and a battalion commander. Updates will follow.
And remember that drinking a beer blaster should only be done by lanekasse sponsored scientists in a controlled enviroment.

Meeting the Captain

Yesterday, as I was on the way to my apartment to celebrate my birthday in silent solitude, I picked up a copy of the cartoon "Tin-Tin in Tibet". I haven't read Tin-Tin since I was a kid, and re-discovering it was a grand experience indeed. Much of this has to do with the series only superhero, captain Haddock. The captain always wears his captain hat, walks around in captain clothes and swears a lot. But in addition to this, he posesses one superhuman quality. Namely his body's capability to consume enormous amounts of alcohol without getting hung over. No place is this more clearly seen than when Tintin (how the hell is TinTin written anyway?), captain Haddock and three sherpas pack their backpacks to climb the mountains from Nepal to Tibet. Tintin and the sherpas unsurprinsingly enough stock up on mountaineering gear and food, but after turning the page, one can see the captain filling his backpack with nothing except twelve bottles of whisky. Twelve bottles which he in turn proceeds to consume on their way to Tibet, in altitudes of 4-5000meters above sea level. And hungover? Not once. Remarkable, to say the least. So from now on, Haddock is one of the top superheroes of all time, at least on my list. Along with Captain America, the Hulk and Bill Hicks.

Stay with us for more updates from the roof of the world.

Introduction to the People's War (Part I)

Contrary to what the title may have led you to believe, this isn't an introduction to Maoist tactics on guerilla warfare. Rather, it is an introduction to the people's war in Nepal. The summary is written as I remember it, and focused on the things that I think are interesting. I am no expert, but I have plenty of time.
The people's war (pw from now on) was started in February 1996 when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) attacked several police posts and public installations on the Nepali countryside. The CPN(M) was formed a few years earlier, by smaller groupings on the Nepali left, who shared some views on the developments in world communism in the 20th century.Among others, these were:

The Soviet Union had some errors, but was mainly good until Khrutchev denounced Stalin in 1956. China was good until Mao died and Deng Xiaoping started on a "rightist, revisionist policy", by introducing limited market reforms with the goal of developing the productive forces.The cultural revolution was basically a progressive course of action.Lenin and Mao both made important contributions to the theory of Marxism, and thus the guiding ideology should be (Marxism-Leninism-Maoism).The only reason to join in parliamentary politics was to expose it's oppressive nature. In countries where feudal modes of production are predominant, the only solution is to liberate the people by a strategy of "protracted people's war".Furthermore, they agreed that the objective conditions of Nepal called for the initiation of people's war as soon as possible.

To agree that Nepal is favourable to guerilla warfare is not very difficult. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the vast majority of the population relies on subsistence agriculture to meet their needs. The state has traditionally been, and is, dominated by the large landowners and the king. Infact, until 1990, Nepal was effectively a dictatorship with the king on top. The new constitution formed in 1991, gave the king some veto powers, as well as de facto control over the army. Furthermore, the geography of Nepal is perfect for guerilla tactics. Mountains, jungle and forest all offer possibilities for hit and run tactics. In addition to this, infrastructure outside the Kathmandu valley is lacking, and huge parts of the countryside are without road access, and must rely on pack mules and porters for the transportation of goods.
Nepal is also a country consisting of several ethnic groups. People have trough the history of Nepal wandered in from Tibet, the Gangetic plains and Indian Himalaya. Many of these are effectively blocked from entering politics or business in Nepal(the two are often intertwined). One example is the Madhesi people, who came from the Gangetic plains several thousand years ago. They look more like Indians than Nepalis, and have therefore traditionally been seen as "Indian infiltrators" by the ruling classes. A Madhesi in Nepal has the right to vote, but not to run for office.

Before the CPN(M) started the attack, they made a list of 40 demands that were presented to the government. The demands covered many sections of society, and were put under different labels. Demands regard to nationalism, to the well being of the public and to people's livelihoods. The government oversaw the demands, and on the 13th of February, the people's army struck on various locations in mid-western Nepal.
At this point of time, the objective conditions seems to suggest that I should take a break. Stay with us for more revolutionary information!

question

If peace happens in the forest, but no one is there to witness it, did it really happen?

Rant over US policy while drinking a beer, sitting in my underwear

One of the news headlines in Nepal these days is the advice given from the American ambassadour in Kathmandu, James Moriarty. He is advicing the Koirala, the Prime Minister, on how to deal with the Maoists as a negotiation counterpart. At first glance, this appears quite innocent as far as foreign affairs of the US goes. But let us stop for a minute, and place this oh so friendly advice under closer scrutiny.Mr. Moriarty is a man in his mid-40s, at least that's my unqualified, news-photo-informed guess. Koirala on the other hand is, again based on my poorly informed guessing, a man in his mid 80s, going for 90. So what the hell is this yankee doing giving advice to someone who fought the King with gun in hand even before mr. Moriarty could spell "diplomatic coctailparty"?Is this a manifestation of the shadowy concept "strategic interest"?
I guess one could say that, but why not call a spade for a dung-shovel and call it imperialism? Why? Because that's what it is. Of course, some of you might already be raising your finger and saying "Well (note: in a Bill Hicks kind of voice), the US have done some good things for the world, if it weren't for the US, we would not have our freedom."And when did this growing consensus that the US have preserved our freedom develop? When was it that the US stopped the rabid barbarians at our borders? The cold war? Without the mighty NATO and the US, the russkies would have invaded and deported us all to Siberia? Correct me if I'm wrong, but is Sweden a member of NATO, is Finland?Was it the second world war then? Would we all have been speaking German if the US hadn't defeated the axis only with the help of an atom-bomb and captain america? I dunno. You tell me.
So, imperialism then...what to do? I for one, am open for suggestions. In the meantime I'll have a Tuborg. Drinking beer brewed for Danish royalty in Nepal where the people are fighting to end the autocrathic palace rule...I don't know. Can you do that?I cross my fingers that until next post I can.
Stay sober(ML!)

Breaking news!

Yesterday, while attending a meeting with the Madhesi National Liberation Front (Maoist) I made som quite interesting discoveries. After one hour of discussion in Nepali, from which I understood nothing, the maoist cadres brought out tea and biscuits. This leads me to draw the conclusion that, contrary to popular belief, the revolution is indeed a teaparty!
This discovery could have far ranging implications for my understanding of the current peace process. Have the CPN(M) turned political mainstream for good? Is maoism after all a paper tiger? And who is heading for the scrapheap of history. the king, the maoist, peace research?
Many questions, few answers.

I also had a meeting with an old timer of the communist movement in Nepal, mr. Torch. He expressed his disappointment with the lack of unity on the Nepali left, and also told me that his party The Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Center-Masal) will itself split in three in two weeks time. So much for unity.

Other than that I have met a journalist and a lawyer who works in a solidarity network who publishes information about the ongoing peace process. They were working underground until last April, when the victory of the people's movemet resulted in a lift of the ban on their webpage.

Yesterday I watched England yet again go out on penalties. Before the shootout I thought it was impossible to go out every single time one faces a penalty shootout, but alas, Lampard and company surprised me again. So now we are left with Germany, Italy, France and Portugal in the semis. I'm trying to come up with reasons to root for any of these, but haven't found any yet.
Suggestions are welcome. I might root for Germany just for the hell of it. And Raul, congratulations on your picking of Ronaldo and Adriano over Klose as the top scorer of the World Cup.

Today I will transcribe two hours of interviews from tape. That will probably take me four hours and be lots of fun. Apart from that, I will work on my new proposal.
Until next time, stay vigilant!

Meeting the party, again.

Yesterday I had a meeting with another party. This time it was with the Nepali Sadbhawna Party (Anandi Devi). Translated to English, The Nepalese Goodwill Party. Judging from the name, a good party. After all, who doesn't want goodwill?
An upon arrival, goodwill was shown indeed. They had lined up the whole leadership of the party in a meeting room, lacking only the leader, Anandi Devi. Good people.
The interview went according to plan, and I went home to transcribe it, which took forever.

After this I went to see Ghana Brazil in hope of an African miracle. But no.
But I met an interesting character from Brazil, who told me he lived in India. We agreed that the Ghanians were a forced to be reckoned with, and that they were unlucky to meet Brazil.

Other than that I can report that living in an apartment beats living in a hostel by a mile.
Today I even found Simpsons on the TV. I also found a channel that sends counterstrike matches. Surprisingly, it was British. I would have thought Korean for sure. Is gaming the new world cup? Sure hope not.

Other than that that there is not so much of interest to report. Stay with us for updates on the political situation of Nepal to follow.

Bon Voyage

Fieldwork, apartment, courage

Today I decided to reformulate my project proposal!
From now on the focus will be on how the alliance between the Maoists and the political parties could happen. Earlier I wanted to focus on the Maoist uprising, but after reading some books and finding out that the subject is covered in depth already, I decided to focus on something more recent. So from now on I'll rush around interviewing political parties and studying their documents and statements. Finally some direction and clarity. Of course, my supervisor is yet to comment on this course of events, but hopefully, the reply from Tromso will be positive.

I also went to check out an apartment complex in Thamel today. They have apartments with cable TV, kitchen, fridge and balcony for only slightly more than I pay living in random hostels. I'm moving in tomorrow and are really looking forward to getting a semi-permanent place where I can install myself. The system of packing all my belongings in one heap at the hostel is now going to the scrapheap of history.

Just read on VG that Frp considers it cowardience not to throw out the Afghan refugees. When all else fails, what's better than to appeal to traditional values of courage and boldness?
I can already picture how Per Willy Amundsen sees himself as the strong man with the courage to throw out all the bandits and terrorists from Norway. I also look forward to future FRP slogans branding themselves as the only party with the courage to take a stand against degeneration of christian values, world communism and the worldwide terrorist conspiracy.
Infact, I'm gonna give the FRP some good slogans for free, because I dare.

FRP for the common man, because we dare!
Dont' be a hippie, vote FRP!
Don't be a fag, vote FRP!
Vote neoliberalist, or be a terrorist!
Vote christian-right, or prepare to fight!

And as a special pamphlet to be distributed to minority groups:
Vote Siv, or leave!

Until next time, stay bold.

We're not in Kansas anymore

Saturday arrives. And I have decided to take the weekend off. Managed to sleep until 11. But when I got up I realized, "there is nothing to do here". Sure, I could visit a temple or check out some old Newari architecture, but I don't know. I could also just sit on the internet all day and wait for the world cup to begin.

Yesterday, as I was walking home, I met a man from Iran looking for a place to dance. I told him that unfortunately I couldn't help him, and he told me that he was in Nepal to forge money. One of the more interesting conversations I've had so far I have to say.

The plan is to meet the maoists on monday, and in preparation for it I have read some old interviews with them.
I end todays blog by these wise words of CPN(Maoist) standing commitee member Baburam Bhattarai.
"Down with the imperialists, down with all feudalists, reactionaries and comprador buourgeise. Down with all opportunism, revisionism and rightist tendencies. Long live the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)."

Meeting the Party

Today I met with a politician from the NPC(UML). He had a really big house in a good neighbourhood. We talked about their view of the maoist insurgency and discussed reform vs revolution. After the interview he asked if I was a member of any party in Norway, and when I said RV, he nodded with recognition and went on to tell about his visit to Oslo and RV in 2001. Interesting. The party seems to be something along the lines of SV in Norway.
After the interview he said that he hoped I would "Envigorate the party in Norway, so we could get into parliament". Seems like good advice. Torbjoern and Gunvald, I pass the ball over to you..
Tomorrow I'm going to the maoist information office with hopes of meeting someone with good english. Right now I'm broken after a long days work. When I think about it, I'm going to have a well deserved Tuborg.
Until next time,
Tapaaile kasto Kholam dineko?
Whose pen did you give?

and behold...THE LUGGAGE

Day seven i Nepal, and my luggage arrives. A miracle. Gulf Air were even generous enough to offer me 350 nKr in compensation. Joy. So from now on the fieldwork is starting. Tomorrow I'm hoping to visit the office of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist). Behind that cool sounding name is a party with the same policies of SV in Norway. But I have to say that CPN(UML) sounds way better than Sosialistisk Venstreparti.
The rainy season also started today, so hopefully things will cool down a bit and all the mosquitos will die.

On the peace side things are still looking good, but the Maoists appearently took over some village development comitee in the countryside, which was a breach of the earlier agreement between the seven party alliance and the Maoists. Most likely, it's only a detail and will have no effect on the peace process.
Talking about the peace process, things are surprisingly calm here. There are many tourists, and things look very much like they did the last time I was here.

That it for now. I'm going to my room to listen to the rain and the fan.
If you get bored, check out the fantastic website of the Maoist party.
www.cpnm.org

Nepal, so far

After almost one week in Nepal, there has been a lot of going around trying to get stuff done, and not much progress. As my luggage still hasn't arrived, the mood is kind of sinking. But today I got a mail from Nahil in Baharain saying that they have found a bag with my e-mail adress on it. What a miracle! My luggage is saved due to one small piece of paper with my lousy handwriting on it. After this unexpected turn of events (I had started to consider my luggage as lost forever) things look a bit brighter. I have also picked up a little nepali, and a nepali sim card for my phone. The rainy season is also about to start, so hopefully thing will quiet down when all the tourists leave. Today I spent 2 hours in a taxi in rush traffic, which wasn't any fun at all. But, if the luggage comes tomorrow, the future looks bright.

As for the status of nepalese politics, the latest news is that the seven party alliance and the Maoists have agreed on the formation of an interim government which includes the Maoists. The plan is to hold elections for a constituent assembly in one years time. The attitude of people I have talked to (mainly people trying to hassle tourists and shop owners) have seemingly lost all faith in the political parties, and the slogan is "Nothing will change, but we have not tried maoist government yet. Maybe they can change things." A sentence that conjures up thoughts of the slogan back home "Vi har ikke hatt FRP i regjering enda, la dem proeve seg". So in a way Nepal is very different from Norway, and very similar.

Tomorrow I'll go to the university and hopefully talk to some interesting people. Updates will follow.

Until then, Namaste.

starting to blog

Hello. I have made a blog. Until I'm home from Nepal I'll write in English because there are no : " or { on the computers here. Until next blog remember that "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."