Propaganda and Censorship (2008)
Propaganda and Censorship (2008)
Rather than examine the thousands of fascinating methods used in the implementation of propaganda and censorship, I want to examine the underlying motivation for their use. When they mess with your mind, they do it for a reason.
A Soldier Died Today (2007)
It's that old problem again, the one about dying in vain. We all die, most of us die in vain. We do nothing but prove the inevitability of death, a fact so mundane that it doesn't need to be proven, so mundane we don't even need to be reminded. Yet, of a soldier's death we ask this question: "Did his death serve a purpose?"
Multilateral Treaties and the Bully State (2009)
They're basic. From children's games to the multilayered complexity of the European Union. They are the hallmark of human co-operation, the cornerstone of civilisations. We call them laws, regulations, rules, agreements, treaties and much else. Any child will tell you that without rules there can be no game. Even the cheat knows their value.
Ye twenty-seventh letter of ye alphabet.(2010)
Inspired by a Newavine discussion - forgive me if I don't remember which one - I went in search of documents from America's colonial era. As I pondered ... over many a quaint and curious volume, I happened to stumble upon an old acquaintance of mine: The word ye.
Freedom: a Resource, a Condition, a State of Mind,
a Slogan, a Dream (2008)
...or just an illusion? My God, listen to me, just another semi-intellectual do-gooder, talking about freedom. Barring some finer points, I have never suffered personal deprivation.
Taxes: The Tool (2007)
The redistribution of wealth should be a key issue for any government calling itself socialist, and even for governments that go by other names. The chief instrument used to achieve this is taxes. Another instrument is the motivational factor.
The Fable of Anti-Americanism/em> (2008)
"Anti-Americanism" is a label of convenience launched by those who would prefer foreigners applauding American policies on all issues. This is a "clouding-the-issues" kind of a term.
How to speak Norwegian? Nobody really knows. (2008) 
It ain't broken, but it sure ain't fixed either.
How to Keep Your Honour: Try Killing Your Daughter and Stealing without Getting Caught (2007)
In the spring of 2007, some 900 Oslo cab drivers of Pakistani origin were found to be involved in a giant tax evasion scheme. Their legal council, the lawyer Abin Raja, interviewed by "Aftenposten Aften", September 14, 2007 demands clemency:
The Joy of Coincidence (2012) 
All of us have been victims of coincidences. There's a million stories every day. Like the one where you're humming a tune, and as you turn on the radio... That never happened to me.
They said it couldn't be done: Making a profit while caring for human rights. (2007)
The fund holds shares in nearly eight thousand companies. Only 20 have thus far been kicked out. Boeing and Wal-Mart are probably the most noteworthy of these. Tobacco companies are out, too. Others look to us and follow suit. No matter what we say and intend, political repercussions are unavoidable.
Secrets (2007)
All nations have secrets, that is to say, it’s people in governments who have secrets. Left to their own devices, all they did would be secret.
Some parts of China in October 2002
That's all they do you know, the Chinese, they speak Chinese all the time. They write, sing, inform, discuss... Everything we do back home - they do, too, in Chinese. It means that we suddenly turn illiterate and in addition turn deaf and dumb.
Democracy and Freedom, Unravelled
Those "buzz" words, democracy and freedom, seem inextricably intertwined — like love and marriage "you can't have one without the other". I can't imagine freedom without democracy, as long as one is talking about freedom for the many and not just the few.
This is a "don´t-try-this-at-home”-trick. It’s going to make small explosions and vast quantities of pink smoke, Not the stuff you want for your living room or kitchen.