Writing on three articles for the magazine, one of the articles is about Francisco Badenes, the Brazilian police investigator. I met him here in Bergen where he held a big presentation at the Town Hall, by invitation from the university branch of Amnesty International. I met him a few days later and asked a few questions, and my article is based on his answers, as well as the general problem of corruption/organized crime in Brazil.. (I am NOT saying that Brazil is a bad country; those who have reason will know the difference)

On saturday, I just found out today, I will be attending a big debate on environmental issues. It will be my first Major public debate for years... And the first in party politics (as opposed to student politics, which I did earlier), so I am a bit nervous about that. The hall will be filled with pro-environment youngsters (from the Natur og Ungdom norwegian NGO), and I will be representing the Liberals, which is part of the Norwegian government coalition, as well as the city government here in Bergen, so I will have to "defend" our party against all kinds of bad things that our government is doing. mmmm, sexy!

Oh well, I will use the tactics of open-ness, and discussion, and tell the socialists and others that hey, one thing is the ideal world, another thing is the real world, and our work is to move the real world towards the ideal world. We can do Some miracles, but we cannot do them all.. I guess the worst thing I can do is to defend our party or the government without any decency, and just say that the environment groups are whining without stop, or something silly like that.

Oh, Russia will sign the Kyoto Treaty, so this means that Norway has to reduce its emissions as well, hmm. Good!! Now, lets look constructively at what we can do together, here in Norway and internationally for the environment.

bleh, I need to finish those articles now, or the new editor of the magazine will slaughter me and feed me to the pigs.

It just finished some minutes ago, the first presidential election television debate between the current president, Mr. George Bush, and his opponent, Senator John Kerry.

So, what do I think?

Firstly, I think Kerry Somehow got better points during the debate, but that is as subjective as can be. I think Bush's central point, that being that Kerry is changing opinions on Iraq all the time, sort of fell to the ground. Bush claims that Kerry wavers and lacks the backbone to "stick to his opinion", while Kerry on his side claims that Bush might stick to his opinion, but it simply happened to be a Wrong opinion; a wrong decision; a wrong way to do things.

Now, I have (unfortunately) never been in the US myself, and I apologize for not knowing more about this great country on the earth. But I must say that I really hope, for the sake of the US, and for the world, that Bush is not re-elected. His unilateral stanze towards the Kyoto treaty, towards the International Criminal court, and other central issues, is dangerous. It might serve the interest of the US in short terms, but it certainly does not - after all. The world is not living in it's own world. The US is PART of this world, this globe.

Now, personal political ramblings aside, I think this first election debate was illuminating. Well, it could have been better, of course, but I think the debate was being run in a very good way, all credit due to Jim Lehrer. I hope that this debate is analysed, discussed in detail, and that we all can come to our own conclusions, and our own point of view on either of the two candidates. I will be looking for some scripted text version of the debate somewhere (I assume such a version will be produced), and I will be looking for Precise discussions about the debate and its many points and angles.

Here is my question to you: Who do you think did best in the debate, and why?

So, time for an update.

The "With the Right to Know" campaign is closing in; it has lasted all September now as a national campaign here in Norway, and we have got quite a lot of media coverage. If we had more time, we would like to link with the international organisations against sweatshops and indecent labour conditions in countries around the world.

I am co-editing the next issue of "Internasjonalt Fokus" which will be out on oct 1st and be about norwegian development aid policy, and a critical view on how we organise our development aid which is being pumped into economies in primarily africa and asia. How do we "do" development aid? Could it be done more effectively? Or is it only a matter of giving moremoremore $$ in development aid?

An example of a more positive development aid system we use is the socalled microfinance where individuals get small loans so they can start their own little company. Of course, this does not help build schools or hospitals, and we need a series of perspectives to development. To sum up, the issue is complex and huge, and it is difficult to have any definite 'answers' to how to meet the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals.

I am leaving for the Balkans again in November, this time not to attend a seminar, but to arrange a seminar on education and the problem of brain drain on the Balkans. The seminar will take place in Sarajevo, and will have participants from both Bosnia, Serbia and Norway.

I am otherwise concerned about the following issues:

* Bush vs. Kerry. Bush will win, and will lower his shoulders and stop worrying about re-election issues, and will go even further on his own holy Crusade. But I am uncertain whether they will try to overthrow the Iranian regime, or what other measures they will do. I frankly have no clue what the hawks in that administration will do, besides helping their corporate friends.

* China.. How will the communist regime there develop? Will they allow slow democratization, or will they be so intent upon their maxim that democracy = chaos that they will do what they can to halt it? Oh, and the combination of Chinese government LOVING business and capitalism, and fighting very half-heartedly for freedom of speech and civil society, makes china a dangerous place. Just wait for 2005 when the Multi-Fibre Agreement is phased out and even more clothes-producing companies will move to China and a few other countries. 2008 will see the Olympics coming to China, and China will do what it can to build up a certain image for that, and i am worried about all the stories that do Not come to the surface in all of that. I read recently a norwegian-chinese business-man (born in China, moved to norway decades ago and now moving back to China to do business) saying that the communist regime is the best regime ever, because "there is not so much compromises and silly things". I was shocked by the fact that his point of view did not shock me.

Otherwise, the usual middle east crisis is terrible, and Darfur, and the Guantanamo Bay, and Iraq, and Russia's treatment of the Chechnian people, and all the terrorism attacks done by radicalized people.

I guess closing one's eyes to all that is out there is a very comforting thought, even tho I _know_ it wont help my conscience.