Imagine, it’s 20 year’s since the Berlin wall fell today! I suppose that, like most, I’m glad it did, but can’t help missing a more lucid world, with us good guys in the West and the bad guys in the East. Very, very bad guys.

Last week I browsed the web for communist memorabilia, but would be lying if I claimed to have found much worth mentioning. Fired by, above all, nostalgia, I decided to put up a sub-site, hard-coded, just as we did it almost 20 years ago. But I wanted to recapture the very look and feel of early 1990’s web pages, too – sans the animated gif’s that flourished at the time, of course. There are limits (although I must admit to overdoing the textured backgrounds back in the on-line stone ages – along with the occasional <blink> tag).

One might almost suspect a certain amount of communist sympathies on my part, but I can assure you that nothing would be farther from the truth. On the other hand I mist the old commie buggers, too, with their dachas and their Volga ZIL’s, driven by fur-hatted, uniformed drivers.

I launched the pages today, with only a handful of cold war memorabilia and propaganda items, I’m afraid, but promise to follow up with more in the days to come. Care for a look-see? Just click the picture:

This upcoming Monday marks a milestone in Europe’s recent history; the fall of the Berlin wall on 9 November 1989 and the subsequent reunion of a war-struck Germany – taking both WW2 and the following cold war into account.

British pre-war PM Neville Chamberlain had a point, you know, in claiming peace in our time – depending on how you define our time. As luck has it, France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg signed the European coal and steel union treaty, the European Union’s predecessor, on just 9 November 1951. Unfortunately, the date coincides with that of Germany’s 1938 Kristallnacht – which, in a sense, only goes to show what’s at risk, if it hadn’t been for the European Union.

The coal and steel union and the resulting European Union both have proved to materialise in the biggest international peace project in our time. The European continent, with its vast number of nations and conflicting interests, has experienced no era of such lasting peace as just the one brought about by the EU.

In claiming an outside, bitter-sweet look at that, I’m merely acknowledging the fact that my own country, in its infinite wisdom, has decided – not once, but twice – to exclude itself from that project (and the beneficial consequences thereof), by turning down the union’s gracious offer to join.

Living in a supposedly peace-loving country, I won’t deny having certain difficulties stomaching that attitude.

Our reiterated No to a European Union membership is based on sheer selfishness, clad as gravely mistaken socialism, branding the peace project a result of the market forces’ attempt to control the continent and its resources.

The thing is, though, if it hadn’t been for Norway’s vast oil and petroleum resources, we’d be begging on our knees to join. That’s right, good people, that’s the kind of people we are, paying heed to no-one’s interests but our own. Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen didn’t make up Troll, to thyself be – enough, based on nothing, you know.

Which makes our decision not to partake all the more discouraging – and the esteem in which we ought to hold ourselves all the lower. Not so, I’m afraid. On the contrary, we see ourselves as knights in shining armour, yet devoid of an actual will to contribute.

So you see, dear fellow Europeans, it is with much grief and humility I humbly ask your forgiveness, and permission to partake in what to me seems a bitter-sweet celebration – however unworthy. I remain, nonetheless, very happy for you.

Many happy returns on the 20th anniversary – as well as the 58th!

International reactions to U.S. president Obama’s Nobel peace prize award have been mixed, to say the least, since last week’s announcement, as they’ve been at home. In fact, the Norwegian public is split down the middle in the matter, despite general support for Obama and his political agenda.

Of course, it comes as no surprise, as, after all, the laureate himself has very little to show for himself. In fact, he seems just as surprised as the rest of us.

Much as I share president Obama’s ideas, goals, hopes and aspirations, I must admit that I’m prone to join the sceptics in this matter. Granted the prize appears aspirationally motivated, rather than by accomplishments, but, I fear, in breech of the Nobel committee’s bylaws – and Alfred Nobel’s intentions (whose legacy the committee’s been appointed to honour and enforce).

Could it be, as claimed by some, that U.S. president Barack H. Obama has been awarded for not being George W. Bush jr? Yes, it could, or better still, it is. There’s no point in denying the obvious; The Norwegian public and our politicians, included yours truly, had a hard time stomaching president Bush and his hard-line conservative policies.

In many ways this year’s Nobel peace prize can – and should – be viewed as expression for the Norwegian government’s rejoice in finally being rid of the old master, waggingly welcoming the new one, whose bidding we’ll eagerly do (hence the above picture). Of course, you could argue that our government’s involvement is irrelevant, if not non-existing, as the Nobel committee is an independent body. Only in the name, I’m afraid. Believing in that independence is highly naïve, at best. Make no mistake about it: These guys talk a lot (between themselves, that is).

The Norwegian Labour party is considered what we’ve dubbed a state-bearing party, filling crucial positions in our bureaucracy and our institutions for generations – including the Nobel committee. In fact, the committee’s chairman, Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland, has held a number of posts on Labour’s behalf:

• MP (1993–2009)
• PM (1996–1997)
• Minister of foreign affairs (2000–2001)
• President of parliament (2005–2009)
• Secretary general of the Council of Europe (2009–)

(God forbid that the Council of Europe’s peace prize candidacy should arise)

If you want to convince me that Labour had nothing to do with this year’s peace prize reward, please be my guest.

Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Norwegian Labour, but not prone to comply with party programmes or dogmas – and not about to begin to now. I follow my own, constantly revised and evolving thoughts and convictions only, rendering me unsuited for political memberships, really.

In a sense we have a set of dogs, only too happy to comply with his master’s voice: The Nobel committee, eagerly executing the government’s (so long as it’s Labour) bid, and the Norwegian government, whose zeal to please America is legendary. You have to applaud the strategists behind it all, though:

What better way to ensure an American presidential visit – and to draw the world’s attention to the Norwegian capital?

Yes, I’m a huge fan of U.S. president Obama and the promise of his current conduct, and yes, I fully understand the Nobel committee’s intentions, but fear they’re about to ruin the institution’s reputation.

However, we’d do well to keep in mind that the road to hell remains paved with good intentions.

My absence from the social media scene during summer, mainly based on a number of all-too time-consuming assignments, has lead me to realise that I simply do not miss it, save for blogging, as you will understand. And I think I know why, as I suspect I really tired of the social media more than a decade ago. “Hang on,” you say? “Social media didn’t exist at the time”?

Dear reader, I beg to differ.

The sudden enthusiasm for web 2.0 and, in particular, the scores of social media outlets emerging over the last five years or so (in some instances much less) is a very puzzling one, implying that we’re dealing with something altogether new – which indeed it is not. In fact, many of them are, for one reason or the other, 1990’s phenomena – some even older –  cracked up to be new.

You have to wonder though, where the enthusiasts were in the early 1990’s to the mid-nineties, at which time the social media flourished, even though you cannot blame them for revelling in the wonders the rest of us hailed some 15 years ago. Even so, it is fascinating to see how so many of the newly converted appear as experts, chiefly based on mere ardour.

My guess is that most of them still wore shorts at the time, lacking Internet access, as most did. Which, in my view, is a perfectly understandable and valid excuse. I, for one, am not the least surprised that they perceive social media as a novelty.

Granted you never found sophisticated, convoluted packages such as Facebook, with its multifaceted solutions back in the heydays of Web 1.0. Nevertheless most of them did exist, albeit separately. What Mark Zuckerberg et al did, was to offer it all as a package, invoking much praise. For work already done by the included third-parties.

Also, video clips weren’t nearly as accessible back in the 1990’s as they became with the launch of YouTube. But accessible they were, even in pre-web times. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we’re back in the 1980’s, at which time even many of Facebook’s, Twitter’s and the instant messengers’ basic features indeed were available.

In the 1980’s you had access to the net, even if it was a different one, by way of a slow dial-up modem and a plethora of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), first and foremost championed by CompuServe, as I recall (please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong in that assumption). It offered much of what we find on today’s Internet, less the GUI (Graphic User Interface) and hypertexted functionality. Let me mention but a few:

• YouTube? A matter of instant on-page access only. You could download just about any video you wanted back in the 1980’s, although often as native AVI files (later, in the early 1990’s, Apple’s Quicktime MOV files came to)
• Flickr/Picasa? Same thing here: Photos were shared by the numbers, quite often at impressive resolutions for that time
• Socialising? Numerous fora were available on the equally numerous bulletin boards

As for socialising, by the end of the 1980’s, some had even been on the Internet for almost two decades, enjoying the blessings of email and the very email-like Usenet (more often referred to as Newsgroups), offering threaded discussions, not to mention IRC (Internet Relay Chat), when it came along at le fin de décennie (i.e. the 1980’s).

When it came to video, we also had Real Player and Quicktime files embedded in web pages for years and years prior to YouTube, which by the way really wasn’t much of a novelty in terms of technology, as it was based on Flash, introduced back in the mid-nineties.

My chief motivation for hooking up in pre-web times was the ability to “modem” (as a verb) brochure and magazine originals to print offices. Little did I know, at the time, that the yet-to-come web would make printed publications obsolete.

Before long I was, however, deeply fascinated by the interactivity (as in interaction between the individual and the on-line community – and between individuals) offered by the web, at a time when “interactivity” was largely seen as a highly graphical experience, with avatars and landscapes, in which the participating parties roamed. VRML (Virtual Reality Markup language, as opposed to the static HTML, Hypertext Markup Language) came along at some point, bringing hope to those who were taken to the idea.

There were simpler, more widespread alternatives, too, such as The Palace, Virtual Places and WBS – of which the latter really brings out the nostalgic in yours truly, a regular guest back in 1995.

Screendump from the soon-to-maybe relaunched Webchat Broadcasting System, with the look and feel of its mid-nineties predecessor.

Later on, early 1996 saw the first major Norwegian webchat, SN-snakk on Schibsted Nett:

The mid-nineties header of Schibsted Nett, with changing daylight as the day (and night) progressed… A feature that I found highly intriguing at the time.

And oh, there were some quite advanced instant message systems and clients out there, too, such as the mid-90’s PowWow, with VoIP and shared whiteboards! I remember trying it out for a while, before I laid eyes on ICQ and AOL’s IM.

Soon after, in 1999 or so, I found myself a victim of social media fatigue. Which, I suppose, makes my marvelling in present-day social media enthusiasm all the more understandable. At any rate you will, of course, understand that I find the novelty of social media to be greatly exaggerated – and that my absence from social media is to do with more than just time-consuming assignments.

In many ways the various on-line communities of yesteryears were endowed with several (isolated) features superior to those of Facebook or Twitter. In blessing Twitter for its unsurpassed role as conveyor of breaking news, useful links and so forth and so on, we completely ignore that in fact all of the above mentioned, now outdated, services had it all – even that. To their own misfortune they were launched at a time when business models were immature, to say the least.

By the time Larry Page and Sergey Brin eventually incorporated their spare-time project, Google, on 4 September 1998, the infamous dot com era was already long since on its way. I worked in a leading Norwegian daily’s Internet edition at the time, in sync with the Internet’s constant development, as it were. We all sensed that a “new economy” was afoot, even if we did not anticipate its short lifespan.

Google in 1998.

But Page and Brin inspired much innovation by demonstrating how far you can go with limited funds. The company, founded by the two not yet eleven years ago, now boasts some 20,000 employees, after several credit crunch motivated cut-backs. Nevertheless, I think it’s fair to say that Web 2.0 started with the two. I even took an initiative myself, back in 2000, which could well be construed as a web 2.0 phenomenon; video assisted on-line medical consultations. Needless to say; raising money in the post-dot com period wasn’t easy. Five years later we just could’ve pulled it off.

But others, who either waited the crisis out or came up with their ideas at a later, financially more favourable stage, succeeded, supported by huge expectations to the second generation worldwide web. With Ajax and other means of integration, syndication and cross-publishing came the ability to package a lot of functionality in one portal – or as many as you like. Third-parties were invited to contribute in an open community, such as Facebook.

Wikipedia, launched in 2001, paved the way for content collaboration, such as citizen journalism or even competitors. The blogs, a factor to be reckoned with even then, grew to unfathomable proportions, utilising elements imported or embedded from many of the above mentioned, as well as mutual syndication, linking and, not least, by facilitating a dialogue, by way of reader comments.

Having said that, homepage owners of the 1990’s had much of that, too, even if comments were usually made in the now archaic guest books. But we had feeds, even if the technology behind wasn’t called RSS. I personally had a number of various hard coded (html coding in Notepad) homepages, some made in WYSIWYG editors, too, between 1995 and 2002, of which the last is still available (in Norwegian), by the way.

In many ways the only new thing about blogs, back when they first surfaced, was that they required no prior knowledge of html coding.

In short: Web 2.0 and the social media brought about precious few new features. It has, however, been cracked up to have done just that. Probably, as already mentioned, because the enthusiasts couldn’t possibly know that last century’s Internet indeed offered much of the same.

Upon reading this, I see how I must be perceived as anti social media, but believe me; although I’ve tired of them, I still urge my clients to make good use of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and so on, as demonstrated on this website, that I recently helped to launch. Most enterprises’ participation in the social media is long overdue. However by approximately 15 years, not four or five, as the newly converted social media consultants would have it.

The real revolution in web 2.0 lies in the so-called cloud. We all know Google Docs and a number of similar services. Personally I’m currently testing the promising G.ho.st service, reminiscent of older thin client solutions, which most definitely is the way to go.

Even Microsoft recently announced a “cloud computed” version of their Office 2010. Who would’ve thought, only two years ago!

But wait… There has to be a catch. Will the use of Office 2010 provide a Sharepoint server of your own – or access to one? That’s pretty much what it sounds like to me. Otherwise they just wouldn’t be Microsoft. But things definitely move in the right direction.

Therein, dear reader, lies the novelty in Web 2.0. Social media, on the other hand.

That’s just yesterday’s news.

I am yet not departed. Actually, I’m not even sick, except perhaps, mentally. But I do struggle. With unimaginable loads of work, preventing me from blogging, twittering, facebooking – or leading a life of my own at all, truth be told.

For the better of a fortnight I’ve been my clients’ exclusive property 24/7, and am likely to remain so for most of summer, amid our family’s move from the Oslo region to the west coast.

I’m terribly sorry for late responses on comments, tweets, private emails and what have you, but can assure you that I’m very much alive, kicking and up and about.

Please forgive the absence, for the duration of I don’t know exactly how many assignments.

As for the rest of you: Enjoy summer (even if it pours down in these parts).

P.S. Some probably would have written something along the lines of Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated, so I won’t. What is it with that phrase anyway? Do we think we introduce our readers to great wit by recycling it ad nauseam?

Both Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Carl Bildt and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre confirm a joint effort to defend Iceland’s air space as of 2011, expected to be joined by Denmark and Finland as the Nordic foreign minister ajourn in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Tuesday.

The arrangement is considered controversial, as Denmark, Norway and Iceland herself are NATO members, as opposed to non-NATO countries Finland and Sweden.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas G. Støre.

In an interview on Norwegian national TV news Sunday evening, however, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs expressed no concern over this.

The joint Nordic force is expected to take over the derelict U.S. Naval Air Station Keflavik, once established.

The American military command The Iceland Defense Force (IDF) was responsible for Iceland’s defence between 1951 and 2006, at which point the last U.S. airmen left Icelandic territory. The country has been left without a dedicated military defence since.

Top photo: Norwegian F-16 on the ground (Wikimedia Commons)

Some of us have mourned the apparent demise of CitJ site iNorden.org, a service we all hoped would once become the Scandinavian response to the Korean success OhmyNews, which, evidently, never came to pass. After about a year’s existence, iNorden flopped big time last autumn, at which time I decided to retire myself as editor, leaving it all to co-editor Øyvind Strømmen, who clearly didn’t have much time to spend on the project either.

The remaining staff, if that’s an appropriate term, was unable to uphold the regularity we came to rely on during iN’s first year, leaving us all to believe it had come to an end. Until Øyvind mailed a few of us the other day, wondering if any of us had any ideas. Along came iNorden 3.0 – a full-fledged social media outlet, boasting functionality never before seen in the open (seeing as Facebook provides a log-in), and I have to say: For the first time in about a year, I’m all about great expectations, if Dickens will excuse my insolence.

Click for full size (1:1).

iNorden 1.0 started out as an online newspaper, really (as seen in screendump to the left, click for full size), with an ever-growing number of contributors – up until a certain point of time. Personally I have to admit to losing faith as I discovered that I was left to edit the whole thing single-handedly for the last couple of months prior to my “retirement”. By then we were already slightly connected to other social media, boasting a few functions ourselves, but nothing close to what we see in today’s version, offering blog pings, feeds from major Scandinavian ping services, Twitter-style dialogue and an integrated, filtered blog search engine, courtesy of Google. For now.

Apparently the ambition is to offer Nordic newspaper listings (feeds, perhaps?) and a host of additional functions, undoubtedly, and in all honesty, this may very well turn out to be the place to be for Nordic on-line socialites, citizen journalists, bloggers and all of you who are simply interested in Nordic goings on.

I can tell you this much, though: Even if I’m no longer involved, other than as an average contributor, I keep my hopes up high for iNorden’s re-introduction, which is much more in line with the 21st century social media requirements. That said, much remains to be done about the interface, and several functions are yet to be implemented, according to Øyvind Strømmen. In other words, it’s early days yet, but I can say this: Here’s a site with potential aplenty.

If you read this: Please don’t hesitate to spread the word. These things tend to rely on a certain participatory level, but are more often than not short of funds necessary to make themselves known.

iNorden 2.0 is still available, by the way, in a very crude, default WordPress theme.

Top photo: The Nordic social media outlet and ping service iNorden.

I’ve never had the pleasure of counting myself among the Alexa elite (as a matter of fact, this blog holds a humble 8763rd place – among sites Norwegians visit). Never paid much attention to search engine optimisation, commenting wildly on other bloggers’ posts for requital traffic, unless I should, for other reasons, but I do appreciate frequent visitors and love the input you provide, unless you’re up to no good, that is.

In short, my insignificances are indeed highly insignificant, in the big picture that is the blogosphere, but I cherish my readers, who, more often than not, provide additional facts to my posts – or correct them, even, which is even better. There’s no better way to expand your horizon than to have your own misconceptions rectified, no matter how embarrassing at the time. Which is why I’m pleased to pride myself with a highly competent parish, whose own blogs I admire immensely.

Even though my traffic figures have been and remain modest, I’ve discovered that there’s really nothing to boost traffic, if that’s what you’re after – provided you have the time, unfortunately a very sparse commodity, to actually maintain the blog regularly.

Seeing as I prefer quality over quantity, I broke my stride the other week somehow,  on deciding to experiment with a somewhat more popular – some would say common – approach, delving into the realms of popular culture. Which, believe you me, is a lot easier in Norwegian, as we Norwegians do not much care for high brow phenomena, save for the odd occasion when, for one reason or the other, we’re flaunting our faux intellectualism. In reality we’re every bit as commercially inclined as the outrageous Americans. The decision was made: I was determined to attract the salt of the earth by blogging a few posts of monumental interest to the average news reader (useful information: Hereabouts the term “news” refers to entertainment, celebrities and the “heinous Muslim immigrants”).

My blog boasts a meagre average of some 500 visits a day (not unique), but on 20 April  I published a post on the Pirate Bay verdict (in Norwegian), which was all over the place, linking liberally to every Twingly-enabled news outlet, thereby securing a minor boost in reciprocal traffic, to 2252 visits and 10,475 page views that day, an exercise I repeated on several occasions, in relation to other popular subjects, such as Norway’s Eurovision Song Contest contender, who accidentally won the whole thing (did I remember to inform you that Norwegian news are all entertainment, celebrities et cetera?).

As you will see from this table, activity was extremely low during the year’s two initial months, until a gradual increase became evident as of March:

The May figures aren’t complete at the moment, but with all probability end at approximately 10,000 unique visitors. Still not impressive, but I’m more than happy. A monthly average from just below 1000 unique monthly visitors to say 11,000, wouldn’t be possible for a fairly new blog, such as this (launched in the end of last September, with moderate activity), if it hadn’t been for the Twingly trackbacks and Google Friend Connect. Here’s an interesting piece of information, see:

Of the above shown figures, some 48,5 percent are referred from my very limited participation in the Google Friend Connect network – among those actually referred from elsewhere, that is. I’ve joined a very moderate number of blogs, as follower, if you will. All blogs that I intend to follow, mind you (joining those you don’t care much to follow, simply in order to attract reciprocal traffic, would be a little overzealous, in my opinion).

In other words, if increasing traffic figures is a goal in itself, I really ought to join more sites – via Google Friend Connect. As the screendump to the left (or the real deal in the lower end of my sidebar) shows, I haven’t got more than 13 followers to show for myself, me included. Followers who undoubtedly have come to much of the same conclusion; that Google Friend Connect indeed is a proverbial lifesaver, in terms of traffic figures.

In fact, I’m amazed that very few blogs seem to have discovered. If you don’t have one, Go get. If you’d like to assist fellow bloggers in their attempts at improving visits, that is. If you’re all about attracting traffic to yourself: joining blogs who have it is an alternative, I suppose.

British Holocaust revisionist and pseudo-historian David Irving, originally invited to the Lillehammer literature festival, arrived in Oslo on Monday, in spite of the festival’s cancellation last autumn, according to Norwegian news site ABC Nyheter (in Norwegian).

The initial festival programme contained an Irving lecture on the concept of truth, later to be withdrawn on account of massive protests.

It’s been rumoured later that Mr. Irving intended to attend regardless. He is currently confirmed present in Oslo, on his way to Lillehammer.

“Yes, I’m in Oslo, saying ‘tusen takk’ [thank you] wherever I go,” he says, trying to keep a low profile for security reasons.

His presence during the literature festival has been uncertain for some time, as none of the Lillehammer hotels have been willing to accommodate him, but he now claims having friends in the area who are prepared to house him.

David Irving is scheduled to hold a speech alongside the official festival programme.

A brief update on Tuesday 26 May: Up until now there’s been precious little mentioning of Mr. Irving’s visit in Norwegian news, save for these two nationals yesterday (both in Norwegian):

• Irving er i Oslo – ABC Nyheter
• – David Irving er i Oslo – ap.no

Granted several regional and local newspapers picked up on the news, too, but the above two remained alone on the national arena.

Recent news however has it that Mr. Irving was met by a number of protesters in Oslo today, which is always of a certain interest for a sensation-driven press. I’ll try to keep the list as up to date as possible (all still in Norwegian):

• David Irving møtt av demonstranter i Oslo – db.no
• Her kommer David Irving til TV 2 – tv2nyhetene.no
• – Vi skal fotfølge Irwing [sic] uansett – VG Nett
• Minst én person pågrepet under Irving-demonstrasjon – db.no
• TV 2 betaler Irvings norgesreise – db.no
• TV 2 betalte Irvings Norges-reise – VG Nett/NTB
• David Irving: – Hitler utpekte meg til sin biograf – tv2nyhetene.no
• TV2 [sic] betalte for Irvings Norges-reise – vl.no/NTB
• Irving måtte ta sidedøren til TV2 [sic] – vl.no/NTB
• – Jeg var ikke invitert som løgner – vl.no
• Men hva er usant? – vl.no
• Irving på vei hjem til London nå – db.no
• Irving har forlatt landet – VG Nett
• Holocaustsenteret trakk seg fra TV2-debatt [sic] – VG Nett
• David Irving til VG Nett: – Prøv å motbevis meg – VG Nett
• Irving: Jeg reiser hjem nå – vl.no
• Overlevde Auscwhitz – fortvilt over TV2 [sic] – vl.no
• Irving på vei tilbake til Storbritannia – tv2nyhetene.no
• Norsk professor: – Irving er en amatørhistoriker – tv2nyhetene.no
• David Irving: Nordmenn samarbeidet med tyskerne i stort omfang – tv2nyhetene.no
• Lønnsomt Norges-besøk for David Irving – VG Nett
• – Undercover i min egen by – db.no

It’s been argued that Irving’s cause gains less by a silent press, with which I have to agree. Personally I’m more curious as to whom his Norwegian cohorts might be, which is something that further press coverage may indeed unearth.

For a peek into David Irving’s repulsive, however irrelevant, mindset, please have a look at this, recorded last summer:

The Kiwi software development company Dinther Product Design launched the first version of its free ship simulation, Ships, the other day, which leverages on the browser-based Google Earth plugin as the primary graphics engine, according to the Google Earth Blog.

First of all, let me point out that I was never much of a gamer, save for a brief Amiga period some 20 years ago, but this one actually had me impressed. Not so much by the game’s features and functionality perhaps as by its availability, as a free of charge offer based on third party R&D and development, such as Google’s ever-improving Google Earth.

If you’ve used Google Earth before, you already know some of the drill. Type in any location in the world (or click on it on the map), and you’re there. Personally I couldn’t resist ordering a huge container vessel to the Oslo harbour, as seen in this screendump:

A container vessel next to Oslo's Aker Brygge.

As you will see from the above screendumps, Ships is nowhere near the realistic experience you get from simulation programmes applied in commercial training, but it is great fun, offering different angles and vantage points, a selection of vessel classes, close to realistic navigation features (but no cigar) and, above all, hours of fun, if you’re so inclined.

I suppose it’s pretty obvious by now that I have no future as a gaming critic, but I thought you might be interested. Please check it out (requires that you download the Google Earth plugin). Before you do, you may find this brief walk-through interesting, though:

Top photo: Screendump from Ships, showing the “Queen Mary 2″ in Rotterdam.

We all seem perfectly agreed that the credit crunch has to take most of the blame for the current media crisis, threatening to overthrow the press we’ve become so dependent on over more than a century or so, but didn’t the media’s frantic search for cost reductions really begin years and years ago – some time around last fin-de siècle?

I, for one, still harbour vivid memories of my very first job in the business, an almost 20 year old novice in a provincial Norwegian newspaper, which happened to keel over while I took a leave of absence to serve my compulsory year in The Royal Norwegian Navy. By the time I returned, my working place had ceased to exist, due to an all-too costly investment in print works which far exceeded the newspaper’s own requirements. 27 years have since come to pass, in which the press’ conditions have deteriorated considerably – especially, of course, in the wake of the early to mid-1990’s World Wide Web introduction.

Old copies of The Times with supplements (Wikimedia Commons)

By 1996, most news corporations were dead set on exploiting this new channel for all its worth, regarding it a means to a much different end than the eventual result: An on-line display of the printed editions’ merits, by which subscribers and readers would be recruited in fourscores.

I don’t have to remind you, some 15 years later, that web news became an almost instant success. To such an extent that some newspapers even tried out paid content, only to learn that by then we were already too spoilt to accept anything less than free news. It’s that old Internet proverb all over: Information wants to be free.

They’re all tabloids now

Consequently the media corporations spent more and more on their free of charge outlets on-line, hoping for vast advertisement income following the hugely increased traffic figures, at the cost of ever-declining printed circulation – up to a point where the once so respected broadsheets decided to go for the much more cost-effective tabloid format, ignoring the mere fact that a tabloid format also requires a tabloid-accommodated content. That’s right: A tabloid content (hence the description) – unless, of course, they were prepared to increase the number of pages per story, which again would undermine the measurement’s chief objective; to reduce costs.

We can’t have that in times like these, try as we may – and some really do. As mentioned ad nauseam, The New York Times have decided against quality reductions in order to meet its financial challenges, leaving the entire corporation vulnerable for multiple cases of near-bankruptcy. The UK’s and Ireland’s The Independent needs to raise EUR 200 million to repay debts, which, under the circumstances, is considered a very tough call.

In order to boost circulation figures the press, unfortunately, is forced to provide “news” that’s in demand, which, for modern day citizens happens to be light entertainment, I’m sorry to say.

Serious = Corny

In Norway we see that a modest number of serious and opinionated newspapers have grown, in terms of circulation figures. But we’re talking marginal circulation, compared to our nationals – or some regional dailies, even – however declining. Do you know what we call the serious newspapers in our neck of the woods? Niche papers. That’s right: Niche papers!

Being serious has become something of an oddity best left to the intellectuals, whose gross purchasing power is nowhere near that of the common majority. But who am I to complain, who long since gave up printed news on the altar of the almighty interwoven Interweb. Then again, I have my reasons. Some of the “niche papers” are a tad too pretentious for my taste, to be honest, while the nationals are all about sports, celebrities and… well, light entertainment, creating a void in which the serious general newspapers once used to reside – one that I fear is not about to be filled any time soon.

Following the massacre

As if an acknowledgement of the state of the press isn’t enough, I’ve delved into frequent and depressive tidings of the media’s infinite demise. Actually, keeping tabs on the ongoing massacre has turned into something of an industry in its own right (a development I fear I’m not about to alleviate in any way). Take this little chap – on Twitter, for instance:

1. 
   themediaisdying Fort Collins Now will now cease publication on May 21 : http://digg.com/u13b0n (via @mcfaddenpat) 19 May 2009 from twhirl
2. 
   themediaisdying “Why journalists deserve low pay” — economics of journalism, brilliantly explained : http://tr.im/lOmf (via @amonck / @niemanlab) 19 May 2009 from twhirl
3. 
   themediaisdying Microsoft mag for IT pros, TechNet, loses most of staff because of company cut backs…http://tiny.cc/FLzDb 19 May 2009 from twhirl
4. 
   themediaisdying Washington’s Finest has ceased publication :http://bit.ly/DFmK3 20 May 2009 from twhirl

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Not to mention The Newspaper Death Watch, of course:

Screendump from The Newspaper Death Watch.

And then there’s people like me (along with legions of concerned journalists and news consumers). A quick look at some of my recent posts on the matter:

• Media crisis: TV news sacrificed
• ePaper — Newsprint’s saviour?
• Online life after newsprintocide
• Schibsted head saves face
• 2009 a turning point for web news

In addition to numerous similar posts in my native tongue. As a freelance journalist, very much dependent on the well-being of our press, I must admit that I’m frequently tempted to shrug it all off with a nonchalant What me worry, while in truth I’m scared stiff. Like most freelancers, I’ve experienced a significant decline in assignments, while payment for those I do get, more often than not requires a lot more persistence than only half a year ago. By all means, I’m not special in that respect. These are all signs of the times, prompting yours truly to take his entire livelihood under serious consideration.

Then again, we’re all pretty close to doomed these days, anyway, regardless the nature of our business. I really never thought it’d come to this, but I’m more than happy for suggestions – like most of my writing brethren, I suppose.

On a lighter note, however:

P.S. Yes! I was indeed tempted to use “Fleet Street from Broadsheet to Spreadsheet” in the headline, but let’s not go completely overboard. After all – and contrary to popular belief, for all I know: This is not a tabloid.

17 May bears special meaning to all Norwegians. Of course, why shouldn’t it? It is, after all, our Constitution Day, which we tend to celebrate perhaps a little more than what is considered normal in most countries. Which again is to do with the mere fact that we’re convinced we have so much more to be proud of than anywhere else on the planet – a conviction we set out to reinforce every 17 May, by way of much pomp and elaborate circumstance, even in the smallest communities, such as our own.

Our daughter (centre in pink and white) and friends rehearsing for 17 May. Photo by Malin P.

The above picture shows our local school band, leading the kindergarten’s 17 May rehearsal Friday afternoon. On the very day itself they’ll join forces with the other schools, kindergartens, clubs and associations in the local community, in joint commemoration of the 17 May 1814, at which date our constitution was signed by a selection of the country’s prominent and upstanding men.

In line with our usual self-perception, we like to think that most countries envy us our particular brand of Constitution Day patriotism, heavily focused on the country’s future: Sound, healthy, happy and Nordic children, a not too subtle representation of our future force, endeavours and untarnished proliferation – as opposed to some other countries’ all-too obvious display of splendour already achieved.

Georgian soldiers on a military parade during the Indepedence Day celebration, 26 May 2008. Photographer: Kober/Wikimedia Commons

You will of course appreciate that “untarnished proliferation” entails certain challenges, already demonstrated through intense and recurring discussions over the last decade or so: Whether or not children of foreign lineage should be allowed to carry their ancestral flags. Even Sàmi families have met massive resistance in their attempts at using one of the country’s official flags, namely the Sàmi flag.

How can we not regard foreign flags – any foreign flag – a greeting to our “great nation” from admiring countries, near and far? And wouldn’t it signify an acknowledgement of our place in the world, rather than glorifying ourselves – and everything that is us?

You could of course argue that, being a European federalist, I take our smug patriotism up in its worst meaning, and you could be right, for all I know. But I do know that, as father of a child partaking in tomorrow’s local procession, I’m probably expected to join in. Unfortunately, though, I do not have a European flag at hand.

I’ll be carrying one – in spirit.

Oh by the way, there’s a distinct possibility that I may have misinformed you in claiming that our Constitution Day is all about the children. Here are His Majesty the King’s Guards, on 17 May last year:

One can only hope that tonight’s European Song Contest finals produce a victor from anywhere but Norway, or tomorrow we’ll be downright insufferable. As usual, though, we have every confidence in Norwegian victory – or else we just wouldn’t be our usual infallible selves.

Top photo: Our local school band rehearsing for 17 May. Photo taken by Malin P. (the blogger’s wife).

Norway has never been “blessed” with an auto industry, save for its role as provider of parts to car makers throughout Europe, not exactly in demand these days. With an international auto industry threatening to file for bankruptcy, drastic measures have been made to keep it afloat, both in terms of governmental bailouts and a massive reorientation towards environment-friendly cars.

One would think that electric vehicle producers have a field day, all things considered. In Norway not so. In spite of the country’s apparent financial success amid global recession (I suggest you read this NYT article on the matter), electric vehicle manufacturer Think, on the outskirts of the capital, lacks funding to uphold its production. With order books brimming, the company finds itself unable to meet the demand – at all. Not a single car leaves the factory, while Norwegian authorities have turned down a popular plea for financial support, unlike what we’ve seen in other countries.

I was appalled to learn this from the TV news the other day, but decided against acting on it, blogging, that is, until I’d had time to give it some thought, but have landed on the same conclusion again:

While our government eagerly advocates a viable and environmental friendly economy, there’s no getting around the fact that it also profits immensely on continued exploitation of the country’s oil and gas resources, thereby eliminating any trace of credibility in environmental matters (continues under picture).

Norway's PM Jens Stoltenberg (Labour). Photographer: Guri Dahl/PM's office.

Has it occurred to them that EV manufacturing could become a great source of income, too? A viable one at that.

Shame on you, Mister Stoltenberg.

See also Norwegian car making: Contradiction in terms (15 December 2008).

Photo: The Think Ox

Amid what up until recently was considered a newsprint crisis, commercial TV stations in Norway take drastic budget measures, of which TVNorge’s (TVNorway) appears overly dramatic, as it on Monday announced the shut down of its news, sports and weather forecast department, effective by the end of this year. The channel’s local programming for the Oslo area, OsloTV, is affected, too, taking effect on 19 June this year.

The decision won’t affect the number two commercial channel’s presenters, but third party provider Mastiff, in charge of content and production, took quite a blow. Moreover, the country’s leading commercial TV channel, TV 2’s CEO Alf Hildrum announced an NOK 70 million cost reduction today, saying:

“We may paradoxically find ourselves in a position where the [state-owned] Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation remains the sole TV news provider, ” which may very well be the case, if TV 2 bails out of the news market, too, as Norwegian TV news today consists of just TV 2 and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK.

Although Norwegian finances, in comparison, have been fairly unaffected by the global downturn, we’ve already seen massive lay-offs in the newspaper business, including two newspapers going out of business altogether, which, I’m afraid, is far from the end of it.

Being a freelance journalist myself, I’m seriously considering an imminent career move – as far away from journalism as I can possibly get, unless you have an offer that I simply cannot refuse, to paraphrase a certain Don. I’m certainly open for suggestions, for which purpose I’ll even provide a contact form:

In conclusion, and as a greeting to worried colleagues:

Dear friends, run for your lives. It’s every man for himself!

In all honesty, if the NYT struggles, who are we to think we’ll not?

Photo: TV Norge news, sports and weather presenters (photo from TVNorge).

Amazon’s Kindle DX launch stirred enthused response in the media business the other day, which shouldn’t come as a surprise really, seeing how the old media for the time being seems to be on a desperate search for ways out of the current downturn.

The Kindle DX, Amazon’s generation 2 ebook board, with a larger screen, specially designed for newspapers, is by many expected to be the salvation for a newspaper business in utter distress. The very idea is, of course, brilliant. Save the forests and reduce costs! But is it a viable business model?

First of all, the Kindle is sold in the U.S. only, mainly, I expect, because it connects to the Internet via Amazon’s own Whispernet, through Sprint’s 3G network. No wi-fi connection, what are they thinking? There are, however, ways around that obstacle, I’ve been told. More important, I think, is the Kindle’s – or rather the distributed newspapers’ – lack of links, interactivity and multimedia.

The news consumers’ flee from newsprint to news on the net isn’t related to the medium (i.e. the paper/the platform) per se: If links, leaving instant comments, sound and living images were an option on newsprint, chances are we’d stick with the good old rags. Unfortunately it’s not. Or rather… Who knows? The electronics industry have been fooling around with bendable, unbreakable electronic displays for over a decade now (I seem to remember Philips experimenting with it, sometime back in the 20th century, too). Maybe it’s time we could expect an outcome?

Back to the Kindle DX: Let’s take a closer look at how it works, shall we (text continues underneath video clip)?

The New York Times have been at the forefront for several years, in terms of finding new methods for traditional newsprint distribution. Several years ago I tried out the NYT Reader, in beta at the time, presenting the newspaper on-screen, pretty much in exactly the same fashion as a traditional newsprint paper – on the computer, but I soon tired of it.

This time around they attack the need to boost circulation with a different platform. According to a press release issued by Amazon last Wednesday, The New York Times Company and Washington Post Company are launching pilots with Kindle DX this summer. The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post will offer the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home-delivery is not available and who sign up for a long-term subscription to the Kindle edition of the newspapers, which ties in nicely with the media executives’ expectations. Clearly, the intention is to maintain – or increase, even – “traditional” circulation and subscription figures. The medium, the newspaper, that is, remains the same. The new thing about it is the distribution channel, as it were. Furthermore, according to the press release:

The New York Times headquarters. Photographer: Haxorjoe/Wikipedia

“At The New York Times Company we are always seeking new ways for our millions of readers to have full and continuing access to our high-quality news and information,” said Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., chairman, The New York Times Company and publisher, The New York Times.

“The wireless delivery and new value-added features of the Kindle DX will provide our large, loyal audience, no matter where they live, with an exciting new way to interact with The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Additionally, by offering a subscription through the Kindle DX to readers who live outside of our delivery areas, we will extend our reach to our loyal readers who will be able to more readily enjoy their favourite newspapers. Meanwhile, we are continuing to work with Amazon to make The New York Times and The Boston Globe experiences on Kindle better than ever.”

Old copies of The Times with supplements (Wikimedia Commons)

You really can’t blame them for trying, but, as indicated above, I really wouldn’t hold my breath. For one, the revenues are dramatically reduced by the mere fact that Amazon charges 70 percent of the subscription income. Secondly, the reason we all fled the print editions is the Internet’s ability to offer additional functionality, which isn’t featured in the Kindle version.

I could go on, of course. Suffice it to say the technology obviously remains at its earliest stages. With Amazon offering U.S. newspapers only, I’d guess that the market has its limits. Why don’t they open up a bit? This really could be Amazon’s equivalent to Apple’s global iPhone success!

But there are alternatives. Take the Plastic Logic Reader, for instance, sporting a full range of business document formats, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, and Adobe PDFs, as well as newspapers, periodicals and books. Plus (BIG plus!), it has wi-fi connectivity (text continues underneath picture)!

ePaper from Plastic Logic (photo from Plastic Logic).

Let’s have a closer look at that one, too:

In all honesty, I think it’s time the media execs leave the old print editions behind, regardless the distribution channels or platforms. Modern day man wants the Internet interaction. The platform itself isn’t so bad, though. I’d love reading news on a Kindle or a Plastic Logic reader, but with Internet functionality, if you please.

If I’d like to have one? Of course, but gadgets – any kind of gadget – are a little out of reach if you’re a freelance journalist these days – as an interesting reflection of the overall and very tangible news business crisis.

See also:

• Switched On: Big Kindle on Campus – Engadget
• How Big Can The Kindle Get? – TechCrunch
• Hands-on: Amazon Kindle DX – TechCrunch

Late edit (Tuesday 12 May 2009): Norwegian daily Dagbladet’s tech writer Jan Omdal seems to share my Kindle scepticism in today’s article (in Norwegian, obviously): Ville du betalt for å lese papiravis på denne? Link later changed to this: Ville du betalt for å lese papiravis på denne? (Loosely translated: Would you pay to read print editions on this?)

Top photo: Amazon’s Kindle DX.

We all remember how the Democrats used to scorn the Bush administration for Guantanamo and the CIA’s waterboarding practice – once it was publicly known. It turns out, however, that

A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a CIA briefing in early 2003 in which it was made clear that waterboarding and other harsh techniques were being used in the interrogation of an alleged al-Qaeda operative, according to documents the CIA released to Congress on Thursday.

— The Washington Post

Pelosi herself denies any direct (wtf!?) knowledge of the CIA practice, but, still according to The Post

Michael Sheehy, a top Pelosi aide, was present for a classified briefing that included Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), then the ranking minority member of the House intelligence committee, at which agency officials discussed the use of waterboarding on terrorism suspect Abu Zubaida.

Well waddayaknow… (the posting continues after video clip)

U.S. President Barack Obama (D).

“I can stand here today and say without equivocation or exception that the United States of America does not and will not torture,” president Barack Obama said on his visit to the CIA last April, followed by “Don’t be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we’ve made some mistakes,” Obama told the CIA staff. “That’s how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be president of the United States, and that’s why you should be proud to be members of the CIA.” (The San Francisco Chronicle)

But if he – and other leading Democrats – were aware of CIA torture as early as 2003, 2002, maybe, the Democrat’s Bush criticism over both Guantanamo and the waterboarding practice definitely does sound a little hollow. To say the least.

You may also want to see this, by the way, recently released by Amnesty Int’l:

Scandinavian media coverage:

• – Demokratene var informert om vanntorturen – db.no
• And that’s it – so far

P.S. I apologise if the post appears a little under par, even by my standards, but coherent blogging interrupted by kids, constant domestic chores and work, as is the case with most of my blogging, I’m afraid, is something pretty damned close to impossible. Please bear with me.

Top photo: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D)

Today, the 8 May 2009 marks the 64th anniversary of my country’s (i.e. Norway’s) liberation from five years’ German wartime occupation, reminding us how fragile a country’s freedom actually is – of which we are constantly informed, through perpetual global unrest.

We were all shocked and appalled as Russian forces poured into Georgian South Ossetia – and well into the very heart of the country – last August, threatening to occupy the young nation in the long haul.

Allegations would have it that Georgian forces themselves provoked the invasion in their search for South Ossetian insurgents, that Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili indeed wanted the invasion, as a means to prove a point – the urgency of a Georgian NATO membership, perhaps. Whatever the case: South Ossetia remains Georgian territory,which entails a violation on Russia’s part, of Georgia’s internationally acknowledged sovereignty. So much for indisputable facts we’d be hard pressed to contradict. And how can you not sympathise with the offended president? I know I did.

Bur that was then.

Seeing how civil dismay in Georgia has increased gradually since, and how president Saakashvili himself came out during these last days’ disturbances, you just can’t help noticing how increasingly similar to his old counterpart, Vladimir Putin, he appears to be – in behaviour.

Bearing last year’s accusations in mind, that Georgia’s provocation was indeed intended, a pattern is about to emerge, very clearly demonstrated in Saakashvili’s obviously staged rebuke of the overly ashamed troops in the Mukhrovani military base, whence an alleged attempt at a coup d’etat was instigated. Alleged being the key word, as Saakashvili’s proofs appeared too numerous, much too prepared, included, even video footage:

Hmm… A very carefully directed cry for help from the president in his hour of need, as civil support plummets, don’t you find?

Saakashvili may find it a lot harder to earn sympathy this time, though. He had George W. Bush jr., an avid supporter, to lean on last year, for one. Add to that the European countries’ lowered patience with Saakashvili’s obvious misconduct. If it hadn’t been for fear of letting Russia dictate NATO decisions, the NATO exercises currently taking place in Georgia, planned ahead of last year’s Russian invasion, might never have taken place.

I don’t want to come across as overly anxious, but having said that – in light of my country’s 64th liberation anniversary – there’s every reason to worry over Russia’s growing hostility towards the West. But that’s a different cup of tea altogether, which I’ll make sure to revisit on an appropriate occasion. However, from the archives:

• US-Russian talks on nuclear reductions – 1 April 2009
• Russia flexing muscles – 12 October 2008
• Freezing cold – 22 September 2008
• Should we prepare for a Soviet reunion? – iNorden, 16 August 2008
• Hello, cold war 2 – iNorden, 11 August 2008
• A dangerous neighbourhood – iNorden, 10 August 2008
• Nordic Countries Remain Indifferent to Russian Election – iNorden, 3 March 2008
• You.have.to.get.rid.of.that.man! – iNorden, 14 December, 2007
• Sweden Prepared to Defend Norway – iNorden, 6 December 2007
• Russisk splitt og hersk – (in Norwegian) 25 March 2009
• NATO: Gjensidig forsvar eller verdenspoliti? – (in Norwegian) 17 March 2009

Oh yes, I’m a certified warmonger, but honestly; continuing more or less without an effective defence, as Norway currently does, has me slightly worried.

Meanwhile, a happy 8 May to my fellow countrymen.

Late edit: Before long (a day upon publishing this post) the Russians were at it again (in Norwegian).

Photo: Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili. Photographer: Sebastian Zwez/Wikimedia Commons

Safar Angooti (19) and Amir Khaleghi (18), scheduled to be executed by hanging Wednesday morning, both escaped the gallows for now. Their sentences, which fell when the boys were 17 og 16, still stand, leaving few hopes of their survival, as 22 yo Delara Darabi, hanged last Friday, originally scheduled to be executed on 20 April, was granted a two-month stay, shortened to a week and a half, without prior warning.

Safar Angooti (19).

According to Iran Human Rights, four offenders were however executed by hanging Wednesday morning, the female prisoner Zeynab Nazarzadeh and three men: Hamid, Safar Ali and Hassan Ali.

Furthermore, from Iran Human Rights:

According to the report 9 men and one woman were scheduled to be executed this morning, but execution of six of them was postponed for six months. The report also said that the youngest person who was scheduled to be executed today was 17 years old!

The report didn’t mention whether the 17 eyars [sic] old boy was executed or not!

Amnesty International reports of demonstrations in 20 different countries today, among them outside Iran’s London embassy at 4 PM, protesting Iran’s inhuman practices – and in memory of Delara Darabi.

The young Iranian woman Delara Darabi (22), executed on Friday 1 May (myspace.com/helpdelara).

As many as approximately 150 minors are still awaiting the execution of their death sentences, which may me carried out at any given point of time.

Top photo: Two Iranian boys prepared for hanging (illustration photo)

Not a week after the appalling hanging of Delara Darabi (22) last Friday, two minor offenders, aged 18 and 19 (16 and 17 when convicted) are to be executed by hanging in Tehran tomorrow, according to Iran Human Rights in Norway:

According to Mohammad Mostafaei, lawyer of several Iranian minors on the death row, the two minors scheduled to be executed on Wednesday are Amir Khaleghi and Safar Angooti.

Amir Khaleghi (18) is convicted of an alleged murder when he was 16 years old. According to his lawyer, Amir was heavily drunk (from the alcohol he bought from a drug store) when he got involved in a street fight which led to a stabbing injury in the chest of another boy identified as Ali Malekpour (who later died).

Amir was scheduled to be executed on February 22, but it was postponed after orders from the Iranian judiciary.

The other minor offender scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, Safar Angooti (19), is convicted of a murder when he was 17 years old.

Here’s the thing, though: The United Nation’s convention of children’s rights, also signed by Iran, explicitly bans death penalty for offences committed under the age of 18, as was the case with Delara Darabi (although she pledged her innocence to the very end), too, convicted at the age of 17.

The young Iranian woman Delara Darabi (22), executed on Friday 1 May (myspace.com/helpdelara).

While Iran’s judiciary system prepares tomorrow’s two hangings, protesters around the world show their contempt for the country’s practices. Amnesty International Norway, for one, plans several rallies during Wednesday 6 May, among them, outside Iran’s Oslo embassy.

Read also:

• Iran: 150 juveniles to be executed – Insignificances
• Two more juveniles to be executed on Wednesday – Iranian.com
• Life Without Parole for Juveniles? – Blogger News Network

Please tweet this, share via social media (see below buttons) or blog about it. Time most certainly is of the essence, even if Iran’s authorities have demonstrated their lack of respect for the international community.

Top photo: Iranian mass-execution (source/photograph’s origin undisclosed).

It’s been two days since news broke of Iranian prisoner Delara Darabi’s (22) execution in the Rasht prison Friday morning; a sentence originally scheduled to be carried out on Monday 20 April, postponed for two months, following massive international protests.

The international community and human rights organisations, such as the Amnesty International, mourns the all-too premature death of the young artist, whose painting, The prisoner of colours, is shown here.

Delara Darabi received her sentence at the tender age of 17, which, according to international law, ratified even by Iran, renders her under-aged, for a crime she later denied. Since, at the age of 17, she was not elligible for a death sentence, she took the blame for a murder commited by her boyfriend, in order to save his life. When her own sentence fell, in spite of international law, she retracted her confession, to no avail.

MAY DAY EXECUTION: Delara Darabi, hanged on 1 May 2009. (Photo from myspace.com/helpdelara)

The two-month stay of Delara’s execution, announced on 20 April, gave hope that Iranian authorities might be convinced to spare her life in response to a massive two-month international campaign.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s deputy chief for the Middle East and North Africa, said that the execution was a cynical move to avoid international protests.

— BBC News

According to the above quoted BBC report, the BBC’s Jon Leyne in Tehran says that Delara Darabi early on Friday morning made a desperate phone call to her parents, saying she could see the hangman’s noose:

“Mother they are going to execute me, please save me,” she said, before a prison official took the phone away and said: “We are going to execute your daughter and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Programme Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said:

Amnesty International is outraged at the execution of Delara Darabi, and particularly at the news that her lawyer was not informed about the execution, despite the legal requirement that he should receive 48 hours’ notice.

This appears to have been a cynical move on the part of the authorities to avoid domestic and international protests which might have saved Delara Darabi’s life.

This indicates that even decisions by the Head of the Judiciary carry no weight and are disregarded in the provinces.

Clearly, there’s little left to do with respect to Delara Darabi’s all-too short life, but according to Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of Iran Human Rights in Norway, another 150 Iranian juveniles are still awaiting the execution of their death sentences, which may me carried out at any given point of time. Furthermore, according to the organisation’s web pages, the EU presidency strongly condemns the execution of Delara:

The Presidency of the European Union strongly condemns the execution of Miss Delara Darabi carried out by the Iranian authorities in the City of Rasht on May 1. Miss Darabi was sentenced for crime she committed as juvenile at the age of 17.

The Presidency strongly protests against her execution as an act running counter the international commitments that Iran has voluntarily accepted. The Presidency of the European Union urgently calls on Iran to avoid any juvenile executions and to eliminate the death penalty for juveniles from its penal code. Such human rights violations erode the ground for understanding and mutual trust between Iran and the European Union.

If Mr. Amiry-Moghaddam’a estimates are right, Amnesty International’s and the international community’s focus should be to convince Iran’s authorities to respect international laws, in the hope it’s not – once more – too late.

See also:

• Rights Groups Condemn Iran for Execution – The New York Times/Reuters
• Amnesty International condemns hanging of Iranian woman – CBC News
• EU condemns Iran execution – Radio Netherlands
• Outcry as Iran executes artist over juvenile conviction – The Guardian
• – Mamma, de skal henge meg! Redd meg! – VG Nett (in Norwegian)

Top photo: “The prisoner of colours”, painted by Delara Darabi.