My virtual world

I am completely hooked on youtube. Every day I use it to listen to music, look at a funny clip or to learn something new. Yesterday I read in the Dutch magazine Elsevier that Youtube is making an enormous loss every year. Despite millions of users the costs of maintaining the site is skyrocketing. Well, I hope that Google sees it as an important marketing tool and a tool to increase internet users all over the world. I also think it has a democratic value and brings the world together in a completely new constellation.

One of my favorites on youtube right now are the many films from is www.ted.com
TEDTalks shares the best ideas from the TED Conference with the world, for free. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

My new personal favorite is global health professor Hans Rosling. Anyone interested in getting an update on the developing world and where we are at should look at one of his speeches. He is not only smart and interesting to listen to but also brings about statistic in a fun and exciting way.
Please have a look at;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVimVzgtD6w

Another interesting film to watch is “Did you know”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8

This film was made for educators in the US a few years ago and has been updated several times since then. I gives us a picture of a changing world where Asia is passing the OECD countries within years (or maybe they already did?).

We sometimes talk about all the dangers of internet, about the unclear structure of it and the threat it could pose to a democratic society. These are all serious problems but I think the positive aspects are even more important. We now need to focus to get the price of computers down linking people from all over the world together. In a global economy it is important that we have global access to information. E-democracy is a key factor to development and stability.

Last week I took part in an interesting conference at the International Centre for Local Democracy in Visby, Sweden. I was there to learn more about municipal partnership as we have collaboration with Voi in Kenya. Tomas Ries, a researcher for the National Defence Academy held a speech explaining that we are now so linked in the world that political, economical and social aspects influence each other on a larger scale. Instability in any of these fields in any country immediately has an effect on a global scale.

In my view internet is a way of opening doors and information flows that might have been difficult to spread in any other way. Ideas about the world, news, religious believes, philosophy, creative solutions, information about disasters and mistakes etc. gets spread in the virtual world wherever you might live. Something is changing and I like to agree with Rosling that things are getting better despite health threats and famine. We can make things better but we have to do it together.

Please try the links!

Where there is love there is life!

Love is a necessity in life and still it is something that often complicates our lives and makes us vulnerable. Too often people play it safe and go for the easy solution. A solution that might not make us happier but will keep the balance in life. I don’t know what is right or wrong but I get all warm and happy inside when I hear that a friend will move in with her new love and try mixing two families into one. We need love in life to develop as human beings and we need to take the chance of failure. I truly believe that is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all. So, just go for it Jenny! You absolutely deserve to be happy and most roads are not paved perfectly. We all travel on bumpy roads but at least they take us somewhere!

Talking about bumpy roads Jochem knows all about them. He bought a second boat yesterday but had a very difficult time bringing it home. He missed Mikaels 40th birthday party but got to know a lot of new people. The crane that was going to lift the boat out of the water broke and while driving the boat home the trailer wheel broke off. He accidentally put the boat in at the wrong pier and first he could not start the engine and then he couldn’t turn it off. He left at 8 am Sunday morning and was home at 1 am the next morning, wet, tired and told me that he was the unhandiest man in the world. Well, I could have told him that but now he knows it for sure. However, anyone wanting to change and wanting to learn should be praised and Jochem is surely going through a steep learning curve with all his projects. I love him for his effort and I bet he will prove me wrong and become the handiest of men (it might just take some time!!).

Where there is love there is life,
MOHANDAS K. GANDHI

Take care and Hanna, make that baby come out now!

Messages from above?

Sometimes things happen in such a way that it is difficult to see it as pure co incidents without a connecting idea behind. I am not very religious and I like facts and rational behaviour but last week a number of things happened in a short period of time and they all seemed connected to each other in a strange way.

A few weeks ago a group of civil servants from Region Skåne and Region West Sweden went to the US together with the Invest in Sweden agency. While there a terrible accident took place when a truck driver drove straight into the group while they were crossing a street. One person was killed instantly and a colleague of mine was severely injured. When I heard about it I obviously wanted to call her and see how she was doing but I knew she was still in hospital care in the US and when I later learned that she had been sent to a Swedish hospital I thought I would wait a while before contacting her. I knew family and close friends were by her side and I felt that she probably needed some rest.

Last week I wanted to call someone and I used my short- number- list on the phone. Somehow I got the wrong number and ended up by my colleague who is now at home but who will not be back at work for 6 months due to her injuries. We talked for some time and obviously a lot of the conversation was about the mental impact an accident like this has on you. You suddenly realize you mortality and questions arise about why did I survive when someone else didn’t. Priorities in life become clear and existential questions about the meaning of our existence her and now are popping up. I spent the rest of the day and night thinking about our conversation and decided to send her a book package, including a book called “Seeds for the soul” by Chuck Hillig. The next night I spoke to my dad as I needed some help with my tax declaration. He told me about his cousin who died recently while on a visit in the US. He was there as a representative for Region Skåne and was hit by a truck while passing a zebra crossing. Sweden has 9 million inhabitants and many of them go on business trips to the US. The fact that I within 24 hours was confronted about the destiny of two people who were both involved in the same accidents felt very strange.

I could not help thinking that maybe there is something in this that I am not seeing. I told Jochem and said;
- Does this mean anything? It almost feels as being told – life is precious so be careful with it. Or be aware of what you have.

Jochem was sure it was a message to the messenger (me) and that it meant; “Your husband should stop working right now” but after some deeper reflection he came to the conclusion that maybe, if one wants to find a message in this, it could be a very simple but important message.

Life is here and life is now so we have to live it, cherish it and enjoy it fully. No one knows what tomorrow holds.

I like to think that this is true and that despite all the unexpected bad things that happens in peoples lives most of the time we live in good times, in good lives surrounded by special people who make life worth living.

Special deal for Suzanne :)! Kids enjoying Ulricehamn

A friend of mine declared that she would stop her blog as she had only two readers. I objected as I really enjoy her photoblog and she responded ;
- oh, you must be the second one as I know my husband is the other one.

Well, do you write a blog in order to attract as many readers as possible or do you write a blog because its fun and it’s a way to stay in contact with people or to air your views in a particular subject. Do you have to have X amount of readers to make it worthwhile? I don´t know but I enjoy the fact that some people read my blog and I like that you come with suggestions and questions.

Today I got a suggestion to write more about what goes on in Ingrid, Elsa and Nils life. So, here is an update on the kids! I just picked up Ingrid (10) from a soccer game and Ingrid is really the one into sports in this family. Twice a week it is soccer and Thursdays it is golf. Every morning she gets up half an hour before the rest and while we sit down to start our breakfast she gets on her bike to school. She likes to be well on time (half an hour before school actually starts) and she certainly likes her independence. This is something Jochem and I still have to get used to. She knows very well what she wants and she is very focused. At times I whish she would be a little bit less serious and not as competitive but with her parents I guess it is no surprise.

If Ingrid is focused and serious Elsa (8) is the opposite. Her world is full of play, singing, enjoying her close group of friends and school is going well. Her friend Coraldi just returned from a 6 weeks stay in the Dominican Republic and both girls fell into each other’s arms and cried of happiness when they saw each other. She is not into sports but is more the creative type with a strong caring sense. However, when it comes to skiing and swimming she likes it as much as Ingrid.

Nils (5) is now fluent in Swedish and has a best friend living 250 m. away from our house. He calls Daniel on his own and makes appointments. Last Saturday he woke Jochem up at 7 am to ask him to help him pack his bag. He wanted to go to Daniel as they had decided to sleep over. He doesn’t speak any Dutch anymore but understands everything and when oma Nell visited last week they had no problem communicating despite the language differences. In a few weeks time the 10 week summerholiday starts here. The kids will enjoy a week in the Netherlands, two weeks in Skåne (one with my parents) and 5 weeks with me or Jochem. Sailingschool, golfschool and hopefully enjoying great weather is the plan for the summer.

The outdoor life here offers great possibilities and especially now as summer is coming. The sun sets late and in the weekends the streets fill up with kids playing hockey on the street or soccer in the park 100 m. away from our house. Nils and Jochem painted the boat a few weekends ago and soon it is time to fill it with water. I just signed us up for a family card at the outdoor tennis courts so hopefully we will play a bit more tennis this summer. The golf season has started and this year the aim is to get Jochem going (Ingrid, Elsa and I are already at it). Life is good for all of us and when the renovation in Vegby is finished I think life will be absolutely great!

Looking forward to see so many of you here this summer!

What makes a place attractive?

We were joking around this morning and Jochem said;
- I live in a hole but at least it’s a very beautiful hole.
At work we often discuss what makes Ulricehamn unique and why anyone should live here. People who move here makes a conscious choice. We move here because Ulricehamn offers something we are in need of. In our case it was the search for something typically Swedish, small town life in a beautiful setting but still close enough to bigger cities. Good schools, lots of sport facilities, good house prices, low crime rate etc made us feel attracted to this small town. At the same time it is not the most intellectual of places and sometimes it feels conservative, slow and little bit too static. Yet, I still believe in it. I still think that this is a great place for my kids to grow up in and we can enjoy a lifestyle that would not have been possible in the Netherlands. We have our two houses, the boat and take part in many activities. The kids have settled in really well and it sometimes feels as if we have been here much longer than a year.

I asked Jochem if he would like to live anywhere else and if so, then where? He had no answer. I guess we are both doomed to travelling in search for something else. For now though, we both feel that this is the right place but as life changes so does our needs. For potential newcomers to Ulricehamn this is important to keep in mind. It is never enough to be just a nice looking town. It is not enough to be close to some bigger cities. Today’s society is complex and we need many different things to feel at home somewhere. For a small town like Ulricehamn it is important to make sure that newcomers find their way around here and this is not only a task for the inhabitants. It is a task for the municipality. A welcoming package, arranging a day for all newcomers or addressing newcomers and asking them what they would like to see happening in this place after living here a year are simple things that can make a difference. Thinking about how the town looks like for someone who drives in for the first time and making sure that signs are correctly put up where needed are other important aspects of attracting and keeping newcomers.

Looking at some of the photos Karin Greeber took while visiting here it is easy to see what a beautiful place this is. The water, the nature surrounding the town and the wooden houses with their apple trees could come from any Astrid Lindgren story but in this case they are real.

What makes your city unique?

What is true democracy?

I am currently working on a project proposal regarding democracy development between Ulricehamn and Voi in Kenya. I want to bring in down to concrete projects where we do not only talk about democracy but actually work to implement it. Everyone knows what democracy is and most of us understand that a true democracy fosters development and is a way of fighting poverty, increasing stability and making business growth possible. Still, democracy is not a static phenomenon. It needs to be taken care of and fostered and in order to keep its credibility you need to critically observe it and make sure it changes according to the needs and wants of the mass. When we have an average age among politicians, which is far beyond 50+ we need to ask our self if our assembly is a true mirror of society. I am seriously concerned about the lack of initiative among politicians and political parties to increase the number of young members in political organisations.

In Ulricehamn we might not have the type of problem they have in Kenya (unfair elections, corrupt politicians etc) but we have a problem when people who nearly never uses the Internet or do not even have an e-mail address have the power to determine how much money should go to the educational services and IT within the schools. I am not saying that our politicians are not doing a good job but I am saying that we need more young people in the assembly. We need people with visions, who have a wider perspective and can understand what the future holds. We need people who can anticipate the changes in the world and who understands that these changes will have an impact on us weather we want it or not. I think these people can be found in Ulricehamn but someone needs to step down and pave the way for new talent and who is ready to give away power? I don’t think young people are not interested in social issues but they choose other ways to show their engagement. The system is not constructed in such a way that young people find their way into it and the established parties do too little to change it. It is too easy to blame the system and say that these are the rules and we need to follow them. We need to look at new educational approaches and maybe we need to elaborate on ways of communication or find other indicators for democracy involvement?

Well, in my project proposal I will work on these issues. In Kenya they do not have any problem in regard to the lack of interest among young people. But they have serious problems with transparency, with corruption and lack of funds to achieve what they want. They have less autonomy and serous development threats due to HIV and Aids. It is easy to make the conclusion that they are in more need of democracy then we are since we already have it and it has followed a stable pattern for quite some time. However, you conquer democracy but need to do it over and over again because the day you loose the trust of the people democracy is quickly lost. It will be interesting to see what our politicians will learn from our municipal partnership with Voi and what results we will see here in Ulricehamn.

We have enjoyed the visit of oma Nell and the Greeber family this week. I got the good news that a seconde project has been approved by the European Union this week so now the municipality has recieved 100 000 euro in the last 5 months. This week we celebrate Europe week with an EU evening for businesses and several activities at the local high school.

Take care!