Yes, We Can - A Tribute

Photo provided by:

http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/galleries/gallery/?id=35166d38-ec10-4c54-8ad6-69cbac730d96

Hard Head, Soft Heart

Paradox status:
Sometimes you must go down to step it up. Sometimes you have to take a step back to get forward. And sometimes you have to make a major detour to get home.

A Helicopter Perspective

If Mother Earth can grab us this much, why don't we take better care of her? This is the paradoxical focus of the documentary Home. You see, sometimes a helicopter perspective of things is helpful. Last night i viewed the Home project by renowned French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand at Cinemateket in Copenhagen, with representatives from UNFPA/United Nations Population Fund, WFP/World Food Programme, and EEA/European Environment Agency present to take questions afterwards. The purpose is to create awareness about the effects of climate change on the blue planet.

The documentary of planet Earth seen from the sky is a breathtaking film, with astonishing images and a dramatic narrative voice to fill in the statistics. And although the statistics flew by much faster than the helicopter, the impression made by Bertrand's documentary is permanent. Hopefully the impression lasts enough for world leaders to take appropriate measures at COP15 in December to stop the above two percent warming catastrophic effects. Please go see.

For further information about the Home project, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

http://www.yannarthusbertrand.org/

Intolerance

Last night a concert was held at Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) to support asylum for 282 Iraqi refugees, that have been rejected by the Danish refugee authorities. A six hour long event with many of the best names in Danish music. Among them Trentemøller, Lars H.U.G, Simon Kvamm, Niels Hausgaard, Sebastian - and many more. They were there to put the focus on tolerance under the slogan of 'If there are rules in effect that contradict humanity - it's not humanity that is the problem.'

The 282 Iraqi refugees have been thrown out of a Danish church where they had spent a few months in protest of being rejected, because Iraq still isn't safe to return to. They have now been thrown out of church and into confinement. Every human rights body from a Danish center for research in torture victims (RCT), Amnesty International to UNHCR have protested that throwing them in confinement is at odds with the torture paragraphs in the UN Human Rights Convention.

Even voters are against this government policy with about 80-90 percent in the opposition parties, and even within the government's own electorate, with close to 60 percent against this policy. Despite this the Danish government and the Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, stand firm on the issue referring to Danish law and rules. With an indictment from human rights associations as a result. Paradox: Have rules become more important than humanity and tolerance?

For further information, please see:
http://afvisteirakere.dk/
http://kirkeasyl.dk/
http://politiken.dk/indland/article769610.ece

Come Home

Is there a nice person out there to help Naser Khader back on track? This genuinely sympathic Danish politician has undergone political changes as seen nowhere else these past few years. With points of view ranging from Social Liberal to Centered Democratic over very-very Liberal to Conservative and lately to Right wing People's Party views. Latest on his suggestions to ban Muslim religious head wear, in particular burkas and nijabs in public areas. Whereas chadors and hijabs, where you can still see the faces of the women are more suitable. For the sake of the women and their limited options on the job market - in order to ensure better integration.

One thing is that private and public employers won't accept a totally covered employee, but to ban the veiling in public areas is more controversial. And has sparked a heavy debate lately, in particular from the opposion parties of The Red-Green Alliance (Ø), The Socialist People's Party (F), The Danish Social Liberal Party (B). And even from government and government supporting The Liberal Party of Denmark (V) and Liberal Alliance (Y). Surprisingly The Social Democrats (A) support it. With The Christian Democrats in Denmark (K) oddly missing in the debates. But with accusations flying that Naser Khader has not only placed himself to the Right of The Conservatives (C), but has even pushed The Danish People's Party (O) to the Right.

Naser Khader, please look up the best possible navigator to bring you HOME.

For further information about Muslim religious head wear, please see:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/505-muslim-veils-hijab-burqa

For further information about the Danish political debate, please see:
http://politiken.dk/politik/article769206.ece

For further information about the Danish political parties, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics.html

An Election Paradox

You may be mistaking, Jon. Politics is not about winning the polls - but winning the election.

Paradoxical News in Dire Straits - Part Two

Intranet: Since the onset of the seven - at least! - combined crises Paradoxical News has been in dire straits. Please see the weekly letter of Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen in the fall of 2008 for an in depth analysis of the seven - at least! - interlinked crises.

The editor-in-chief of PN would like to express gratitude to its shareholders, advertisers - and first and foremost to its work force with the following statement:

'There are no words to express how hard all employees at PN have worked these past few years. They have suffered economically, taking tremendous cutbacks and working in all fields to pull PN out of the crises. And I think we have the hardest working journalists in the industry,' the editor-in-chief of Paradoxical News says.

So much for past history and bumps along the road. They have caused severe setbacks. However, the editor also looks to the future for hope and change:

'PN is in dire straits - and has been for quite some time. But I believe we have hit rock bottom now, so the only way is up from here. PN has unique qualities, and PN has the strongest network of any contender out there on the news market - a more convincing network than any other contender I know. These unique selling points will pull PN through,' the PN editor-in-chief claims.

Paradoxical News in Dire Straits - Part One

Globally: Paradoxical News is in dire straits. Since the onset of the seven - at least! - combined crises beginning in 2008, your niche publication of choice has been hit hard on several occasions. This summer Paradoxical News had to adjust its expectations for 2009. And in July the editor-in-chief of PN announced a relocation to an interim HQ, the contract of which expires this weekend. Today, PN is urgently looking for a more permanent place for its HQ - and will be searching the usual prime site for immediate options. In the finest Cavling and public journalism tradition the editor is calling for help from its permanent readership: If anyone has ideas, please let the editor of PN know.

Lemonade

And now for the food section: If you squeeze a lemon hard, will it not juice? I'm sorry for the paradoxical paraphrasing here, I am but a thief of words. Try this for an experiment: Cut a lemon in two halves. Leave one half, only squeezing the other to its max into a glass. If the experiment works you will now have a glass of wonderfully refreshing lemon juice. And one half of fresh lemon bursting with juice - still there for the taking. Now have a look at the squeezed lemon. Do you like the appearance? Does it appeal to you? Can you use it for anything? Just one of those food section paradoxes. Enjoy your juice.

Meta-Comment No. 10

Looking for paradoxes? Sometimes you should have been at a certain place at a certain time. And you really, really wanted to. But you just weren't. Today was one of those very sad times. So you may have given up. I need to be somewhere else.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Right...

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it - a sharp man once told me. These past few days the media have been swamped with the always lovely - though very opinionated - Pia Kjærsgaard, leader of The Danish People's Party (O). Who now wants to decide what is art and what is not. And though her opions are always enjoyable to hear, because they in the most paradoxical way help you make up your own mind - perhaps this is not her most prominent field of expertise. As discovered and debated by artists and media people alike. So this time I close my eyes and my ears - wishing for the opposition to emerge in full and take part in the debate. And simply a full range of politicians. Please don't be 'gone'...

The Ultimate Politician

Today's paradox: Isn't it odd that someone has to leave politics for every other politician to voice their support and be in unison - independent of political colour? It would seem that the ultimate politician is neither Left nor Right - but simply gone...

To The Lighthouse

This is not an ode to the Virginia Woolf novel, but to a Social Democrat (S), former Minister for the Environment and Vice President of the Danish Parliament, Svend Auken, who stood tall in more sense than one. For his beloved wind mills. In politics. In real life.

Photo provided by:

http://politiken.dk/fotografier/nyhederfoto/article748875.ece