tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221664982012-01-23T19:12:45.381+01:00Being the completely unimportant musings of a hopelessly self-important person.RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1156245035608806062006-08-22T12:08:00.000+02:002006-08-22T13:53:03.700+02:00

Without any protestations of apology for my long absence from blogging (I've been busy, so there), here are some snapshots of some of the recent newsworthy events concerning the "Cartoon Row":On the occasion of the holiday that marks the anniversary of the Danish Constitution, June 5, politicians all over Denmark traditionally give speeches on the state of democracy in the country. This year, Pia

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1148649730863487352006-05-26T13:39:00.000+02:002006-05-28T05:32:11.236+02:00

I love history. It's a wonderful subject, filled with odd anecdotes and quirky facts that make you exclaim: "Well, I never would have expected that!"Let's take a look at one of those surprising facts from history. Be warned, it is obscure, unverifiable and possibly untrue -- so the word "fact" may be stretching it a bit. But I guess it'll do for a "fact" until the real thing comes along.To set

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1148414900214964752006-05-23T21:53:00.000+02:002006-05-23T22:08:57.973+02:00

“Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain once remarked... and I have good reason to repeat the remark here, having been on hiatus for over six weeks. I could tell you a sob story about how dreadfully life has treated me, and how heavily burdened I've been... but the truth is that there are just 24 hours in a day. Being but frail mortal flesh, I still have to use some of

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1144361942162964332006-04-06T22:58:00.001+02:002006-11-22T22:07:25.446+01:00

(continued from Part 8)As noted in the earlier parts of this narrative, the crisis over the Muhammad caricatures was eagerly seized upon by many different parties, each with their own agendas. Among those already mentioned are:Kåre Bluitgen, arguably the instigator of the entire affair. His profit from the crisis has been immediate and tangible, with his fairly inconsequential book on Muhammad

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1143671396068318452006-03-29T22:47:00.000+02:002006-04-07T00:22:37.670+02:00

(continued from Part 7)As the boycott of Danish goods continued to affect Danish exports to the Middle East, the Danish company that was under most pressure was Arla, a dairy goods conglomerate responsible for most of the Danish dairy exports, as well as most of the domestic market. Arla had recently had an unpleasant encounter with the effects of consumer boycott -- they had for several years

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1143109512068894462006-03-23T11:13:00.000+01:002006-04-07T00:23:15.750+02:00

I'm currently backed up with other writing obligations, so instead of a lengthy chapter in my ongoing dissection of the "Cartoon Row", I'm going to temporize by offering you some selected quotations from various sources, in connection with the controversy. It is often the case with quotations that they are taken out of context, but I've tried not to abuse this, and I've sourced them all as

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1142851847851635842006-03-20T10:42:00.000+01:002006-04-07T00:23:32.373+02:00

(continued from Part 6)As February 2006 drew to a close, the domestic political situation for the government of Anders Fogh Rasmussen was essentially unchanged. The opposition had at no time managed to muster a united stance on the issue of the caricatures. The major opposition party, the Social Democrats, was leery of seeming too "immigrant-friendly", knowing that this would cost them votes to

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1142512547758414802006-03-16T13:35:00.000+01:002006-03-16T13:35:47.760+01:00

I've been writing this blog for a while now, and it has turned out slightly different from my initial plans. Originally, I had planned to leave the subject matter fairly broad and eclectic, covering all my many (many, many) interests, from cooking to politics to languages to film, and so on. However, the success of my first series of posts on the "cartoon row" has left me convinced that the way

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1142337463383669372006-03-14T11:39:00.000+01:002006-03-20T11:51:59.126+01:00

(continued from Part 5)Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a multi-national force under British leadership had been based in SE Iraq. Part of this force were 530 Danish soldiers, stationed at Qurnah, 60 kilometers north of Basra. The force's operations consisted mostly of "security and stabilization". On February 13 2006, the city council of Basra issued a statement demanding the withdrawal of the

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1141905864207125022006-03-09T11:46:00.000+01:002006-03-16T12:08:28.066+01:00

(continued from Part 4)In the days immediately before the Gaza incident, demonstrations protesting the caricatures had taken place. The demonstrations included burning of the Danish flag, and various other staples of Middle Eastern political demonstrations. To the Danish public, seeing images of the Dannebrog, the Danish flag, being burned by yelling demonstrators was a shock. Furthermore, in

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1141042738207212132006-02-27T13:01:00.000+01:002006-03-16T12:03:52.643+01:00

(continued from Part 3)From October 2005 (when the letter of the Islamic diplomats was sent to PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen) until February 1 2006 (the beginning of the violent phase of the crisis, when Palestinian gunmen shut down the EU office in Gaza), things were relatively quiet. In retrospect, it seems to have been an unusually peaceful period, given what followed -- but this is only because of

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1140688701004678702006-02-23T10:32:00.000+01:002006-03-16T12:02:04.143+01:00

(continued from Part 2)In the previous chapter of this narrative, it was described how Egypt undertook a series of diplomatic initiatives, calling international attention to the Muhammad caricatures, and seeking to put diplomatic pressure on the Danish government. This begs the question: Why was Egypt so active in this matter?A probable explanation is to be found in the strong undercurrent of

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1140440102682238442006-02-20T13:21:00.000+01:002006-03-16T11:59:00.443+01:00

Since the entire matter of the Muhammad caricatures is generally perceived as hinging on freedom of speech versus religious taboos, I think it might be interesting to make another digression, on the topic of how Danish law deals with this sort of subjects.Firstly, the Danish constitution guarantees freedom of religion, in section 70. Similarly, sections 77-79 grant the freedoms of speech,

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1140297321389155072006-02-18T22:12:00.000+01:002006-03-16T11:57:23.673+01:00

(continued from Part 1)On October 12 2005, a letter was sent to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, signed by the ambassadors of 11 predominantly Islamic countries. The letter was drafted by the Pakistani ambassador, who spoke the most perfect English of the group, and vetted by their respective governments.In the letter, the 11 requested a meeting with Fogh Rasmussen, and proposed that

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1140212541385536332006-02-17T21:46:00.000+01:002006-03-16T11:56:34.320+01:00

Before continuing my series of posts on the "cartoon row", I think it may be useful to digress a little. A lot of the events that have transpired will not be fully understandable by non-Danes, unless some background information is given.In today's Denmark, xenophobia is an important political factor. This is a significant point, since it is a fact that deviates quite strongly from the way Danes

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1140090937707009902006-02-16T12:41:00.000+01:002006-03-16T11:55:50.593+01:00

This is the first in a multi-part series of posts, wherein I will deal with the subject of a conflict that has become oddly high-profile, despite the apparent insignificance of the initial spark that set it off. To wit, the "cartoon row", as it has been dubbed by the media. On the surface, the conflict appears to deal with the publication of a dozen caricatures satirizing the prophet Muhammad,

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22166498.post-1139996540436738662006-02-15T10:31:00.000+01:002006-02-15T10:45:30.873+01:00

As the title of this blog implies, I don't consider that what I have to say is particularly Earth-shaking or profound. Nor do I have a specific policy as to what I'll discuss here. I may speak of current political events in one post, only to ramble on about historical minutiae in the next, and then turn to discussing a children's TV show in the next. There are no guarantees -- only that I'll do

RPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12384357009383871962noreply@blogger.com2