Moesgaard 2006

Today is the last day of the annual Moesgaard gathering. Every year various Viking re-enactors (including all my role playing friends) get together and hold a week long camp culminating in several 'show battles' for the public. I usually don't go to these because the crowds are oppressive, and because I don't belong to a Viking group and feel awkward in my modern attire. I've been in the past and enjoyed the spectacle for what it is, but in truth I find it more interesting to hear my friends relate their adventures in the week afterwards. Usually this means a lot of enthusiastic anecdotes over dinner.

Here is an article I have translated from Jyllands Posten:

The roar of the enemy sounds from a forest clearing and the Vikings prepare for battle. By the booths along the beach small boys fall in love with big swords, a powerfully built and bearded man cleaves fire wood and a woman tries to sell an animal skull from the darkness of her tent… It is the Viking age at Moesgaard.

Again the sound of many voices comes from the forest. The last training session for the Vikings of Århus is underway.
Two groups of circa 60 men race at each other and the fight begins. Every one is dressed in a mix of authentic and colourful costumes, and fighting with a variety of weaponry. A large man wearinga wolf skin over his shoulders keeps the public at a safe distance. He is the army leader, obseving his soldiers on the field.

“The ones from Århus are the good guys a small boy observes. Behind him a woman casts her eye over the battle.
“I hope he isn’t dead… my boy friend is lying in that pile over there”
“Its super cool, and chaotic. We’ve trained all winter for this and its like a ig release” says her boy friend whose name is Kasper Kosack. 28 years old, short cut hair and a full beard. He is a beginner as revealed by his humble tunic.
“The opponents can see we are new but its fine… then they under estimate us” he grins.
The games look like a choreographic arrangement or a parade performance, but they are not. Viking fighting is a full contact sport, much like karate. Axes, swords and other weapons can hit hard but they can’t cut. The strongest man wins, so say the Vikings of Moesgaard.

The Viking moot draws upwards of 25,000 guests in just the two days of the week end, but despite the many tourists, the Vikings appear to be in the majority. Women dress in coarse fabrics and strong colours and the men wear mail, leather protection, helmets and the obligatory beards

In a tent, to mini Vikings fight a childrens battle and their father calls them to order. His name is Henrik Gautier and he is the former leader of the Danish Vikings. In the real world he is a systems administrator.
“This is the first time I’m seeing the battle from outside and its far to important for me to miss” he says and hurries his children along. His Nordic tattoo’s start at one wrist and continue all the way aloong to the other. His chidren are called Regnar, Rolf and Håkan. The latter is named after another Viking leader, not a historical figure but a close friend.

The drums thunder and its finally happening! On the battlefield stand hundreds of battle ready Vikings. The leader with the wolf skin on his back shouts. The soldiers shout. Every body shouts and then the two armies crash into each other ina vast battle. Small children gaze in rapture, their hands before their mouths and mothers watch in concern from the gathered public as the bodies fall to the grass.

“Our son is out there” says Kirsten Toplund and points to Jesper. She raises herslef onto her toes and peers across the carnage. “It was terrifying to hear them all shouting like that. They’re so vulnerable in the middle of it all”. She admits that she is largely responsible for her son being in the battle since she herself urged him to take up role playng ten years ago after having heard about it on the radio. She has nothing but praise for Moesgaard 2006.

On the field, the Danes have now come to grips with the enemy and the wolf skin clad leader has a final captive Icelander.
“Silence! It is but a flesh wound” he shouts before cutting the stricken foe’s throat to delighted applause from the public.

After the battle the former army leader trudges back to the camp. “It was moving to see” he says. “I shouted as though it were a football match!”

For Peter

This might make you chuckle....

and this one might make you grin...

News from Denmark: Eat the Seagulls!

DR nyheder has an article today about the seagull infestation in Århus...

It seems I am not the only one being driven half mad by the braying screams of rutting birds which dominate the summer nights as a plague of seagulls has grown up in and around Århus. It seems the culprit for this invasion is our ever increasing fondness for junk food and the sheer quantities of which we discard in the streets and in bins around the city.

Its no news that Denmark's city's have become dirtier places in the last few decades as more and more shawarma and pizza joints have opened to cater to the demands of an ever heavier population, but here is a side effect no one has considered nor taken steps to counter, and now people have started complaining about the racket.

So whats the solution to these flying rats?

Eat them suggests the local hunting club. Its no problem their chairmen tells the media, Gull breast with fried eggs is delicious.

Freja

The Snoos had a long hot day today and relieved the heat by splashing in the kids pool on the terrace with her little friend from downstairs Andrea. Its funny to see Freja standing next to another little girl, and compare them. Freja is six months younger than Andrea, but easily larger. When she raises her arms high, its possible to see just how well built Freja really is under all the baby fat. I reckon she is going to be taller and more robust than I ever was.

These images are all from a few days ago. I didn't take any today, mostly because they wouldn't have been approripate for the internet.

In the last few days, Freja has had a lot of agro with her new teeth, and as usual has dealt with this by drooling heavily, whining a lot and being fussy about her Mother. When ever Mette left the room, Pip would kick off a fuss and unlike in the 'old days', she's now learned how to exagerate her anger so she makes all manner of unusual cat like sounds. Most of the time she's okay though she is now more aware of strangers than before and as a consequence, more loving than before. I get hugs and snuggles all day along now, though only Mette gets the open-mouthed-biting-nose kisses. Uncle Philip came by today and this time Freja actually responded to him with interest, and later even held his hand and allowed him to lead her about the apartment!

Snoosen har haft en langt varm dag idag og vi sad ud på terracen hvor hun plaskede i vandet sammen med Andrea fra første sal. Det er sjøvt at se Freja sammen med en pige på nær hendes egn alder. Andrea er et halv år ældre, men Freja er klart større og meget mere udadvent. Man kan lige så tydeligt se at under hendes hvalpfedt er Freja en godt bygget lille pige og jeg tror hun bliver både større og mere robust end jeg var som barn.

Billederen her er fra et par dag siden da jeg syntes ikke om at poste billeder fra i dag på nettet.

I de sidste par dage har Pipski haft en del problemer med hendes ny tænder der kom. Det har medført en masse savl og ballade, og hvert gang Mette gik fra værlset begyndte Freja at hyl. Men, i modsætning til de' gamle dag', har hun nu lært at overdrev så nogle af de lyd hun laver er meget mærkligt. Hun er også begyndte at efter abe når vi griner og det lyder også falske, men også sjovt.
Hun er også begyndt at blive mere opmærksom over for fremmede, og det betyder at jeg få mere nus og kram end nogen sind før. Jeg få ikke den special åben mundet kys hvor hun bider næsen, som Mette får, men jeg klager ikke. Det er super fedt at få en rigtig Pispki knus!!!!
Onkel Philip kom også forbi i dag og efter et styk tid blev Freja interesseret nok til at Philip måtte godt tage hendes lille hånd og gå tur med hende rundt i lejligheden.

Vores tanker har været med Solveig i dag som har haft det skidt de sidst par dag. Hvis du læser dette Malene inden jeg taler til dig før må du meget gerne videre bring min kærligst hilsner.

Gud hvor jeg er klodset til at skrev på Dansk! Jeg føler mig som en fem årig.

Forresten, jeg kan se at jeg får tit en besøgende på siden fra Juelsminde, Vejle... men hvem er det?

Pope Calls For Crusade!

...a satire

News from Denmark: Update.

Mogens Lykketoft (the Grand Old Man of Denmarks Social Democrat Party) has come out strongly in favour of a possible deployment of Danish troops in South Lebanon. He brushes aside Defence Minister Søren Gade's justifications against such a deployment by pointing out Denmark could simply move its troops out of Iraq to ease its international forces and allow the deployment of peace keepers to Lebanon.
"We could recognize that we're not doing anything useful in Iraq anyway" he is quoted as saying at Jyllands Posten "and we could pull out of Iraq just as the other countries of Europe have done".

It should be noted that Denmark has already told the UN it will send forces to Darfur if asked.

Military hard pressed to send troops to Lebanon

Another news story on DR nyheder describes how a Danish UN observer, already stationed in South Lebanon, saved the life of a colleague who had been hit by incoming fire. Apparently Denmark has two men stationed with UNIFIL as 'unarmed observers'.

Whats odd about this story is its the first I've heard of the UN coming under fire in the region. The article does not say who fired at the UN, but does say that the UN outpost involved in the incident was in a region previously hit by 'Israeli rocket fire'.

~~~~

Ahmed Akari is in the news again. Akari is one of the Danish imams whose exploits in the Middle East contributed to the flames of the Mo'toons affair being fanned so heavily. Along with Abu Laban, Akari went on a trip to the Middle East to spread the word of 'Danish Islamophobia', and with him he had the 12 drawings which started the whole mess, and three other images which he claimed had been sent to Muslims in Denmark as insults. Akari was also caught on hidden camera making death threats against MP Naser Khader, though he later claimed to be joking.
Since then Akari had left Denmark, claiming the country was biased against him. he fled to Lebanon where his actions had helped raise the anger enough for the Danish embassy to be burned by angry Muslims. Now he has returned, fleeing Lebanon, back to Denmark.

"I know some people are not happy to see me back in Denmark" Akari has said, "But I am of the opinion that even if people are in deep disagreement, one ought to be able to live together and show tolerance and foregiveness".

moif: No doubt the irony of his own words is totally lost on him.

~~~~

There was a bomb scare in Copenhagen today when a man with a rucksack was seen fiddling about with what appeared to be a bomb, outside the US embassy. The police were immedietely called, the area was cordoned off, bomb dogs sent in and the man was detained.
In the mans bag was found numerous items, a knife, batteries and a clock, all taped together, but no actual bomb. It appears the man was 'slightly confused' and has been whisked away for interogation.

Corpse Bride

When you look at the voices in this film you might be forgiven for expecing a master-piece...

Alas. I hardly reconized any of the voices at all, and I found the animation to be stiff and contrived. I could see what they'd tried to do in transposing pen scratches from paper in to a 3d digital medium, but I didn't think it worked. A lot of the details were static (the horses were hardly better than any sixteen year old novice might have animated) and the other figures were hardly better.

Since I'm not a die hard Burton fan, I wasn't really disapointed. I don't much like the 'Nightmare before Christamas', but I thought it was superior to this fim.

News from Denmark: The Military

Denmark's defence minister, Søren Gade , has made it clear that no Danish troops will be sent to Lebanon to take part in an eventual peace keeping force, regardless of calls from the Socialist opposition to that end. He is quoted at DR nyheder as saying the government has not debated the matter, but given Denmarks current commitments, he canot see any way such a force can be created given Denmarks current military capabilities.

This ties in with news I read yesterday that the Danish Army is having difficulty meeting its commitments. Some 1,200 odd positions require filling. Given the small size of Denmak's current military obligations, this doesn't bode well. Denmark has just over 100 soldiers in Afghanistan, including special forces and approximately 550 troops in Iraq. Denmark also has 380 KFOR soldiers in the Balkans. The Afghan force is to be boosted in size, but not to any great number.

Recently I also read that the Danish military had even trained a National Guard unit to go to Iraq. This is pretty amazing since, having served four years in the Guard I am pretty well acquainted with it and I am amazed that we have become so weak as to have to rely on our last line of defence for over sea's operations... such a thing was inconceiable in my day (from 90 to 94)... especially given the restructuring that was supposed to give the Danish military just the sort of over sea's capability which it now seems we don't have...

The latest Defence agreement ("Defence agreement 2005-2009") was signed June 10, 2004, and calls for a significant re-construction of the entire military. From now about 60% support structure and 40% combat operational capability, it is to be 40% support structure and 60% combat operational capability. E.g. more combat soldiers and less 'paper'-soldiers. The reaction speed is increased, with an entire brigade on standby readiness; the military retains the capability to continually deploy 2.000 soldiers in international service or 5.000 over a short time span. The standard mandatory conscription is modified. Generally this means lesser conscripts, lesser service time for them and only those who choose to will continue into the reaction force system. From Wikipedia

News from Denmark.

The conflict in Lebanon has had its echoes here in Denmark with various demonstrations taking place across the country. Most were arranged by Left wing and Muslim groups and brought mostly immigrant Danes on to the streets, but some ethnic Danes were also present. Support for Israel was pretty meagre and I've only seen one pro Israeli demonstration mentioned in the media. 2 min video.
The biggest demonstration was held by Hizb ut-Tahir marching through the Nørrebro quarter to Copenhagen's Council House Square. As usual the police kept a low but visible profile. Some Danish observers have reported an antagonism in the air, but little actual violence (only two assaults, one against a pro Israel demonstrator on a bus, where the only person to intervene was another immigrant Dane). It was also noted that instead of the usual angry statements against the 'zionist state', the speakers on the Council House Square now openly spoke out against 'Jews'.
Antisemitisme i fuld blomst på Danske jord

At another demonstration held by the far left political group Enhedlisten, Irene Clausen, a member of the International Forums, Middle East group said, "We are here today to show our anger against the zionist state of Israel." She went to elaborate, telling her fellow demonstrators that Israel 'does nothing without first clearing its actions with the USA' and what she wanted, what her fellow demonstrators wanted, was 'nothing short of a revolution in the whole Middle East'.
"We don't care about whether or not the USA calls liberation movements for terrorists" she told the crowd who answered by chanting "Down, down, Israel, down, down, USA".

Hizbollah flags and pictures of Hassan Nasrallah were also present at the Left Wing demonstration. Some people wore T shirts which depicted the star of David as a swastika and one of the speakers told the crowd that 'Jews are only interested in money, power and land". Later a rap song about "the fucking Jews" was played. Arne Lund, of the Enhedslisten was later asked if the group now openly supported anti semitism and whether or not they supported Hezbollah. He said no to both questions.

Other protests for peace also took place, but these seem to have received very little media attention.
In Sweden, demonstrations there appear to have gotten violent.

moif: My brother was in the city of Odense and he reports a similar Muslim demonstration there.

Galley.

Oleg finished his galley model several weeks ago but I couldn't post any images due to my computer problems. Here now though are some images of the finished model. All 72cm of it.

Me 262

Here's for those of you into old German aircraft:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7620890100890480

And here is a somewhat cheesy patriotic IAF/IDF video featuring all manner of air craft and hardware... no doubt most of which is currently being employed in Lebanon right now.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-765248292546876288

edited to add:
Playing aeronautical games in a Sukhoi...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1994695142386399860

Freja

It is hot! Well hot and well humid too. Our two thermometers (on either side of the house) are showing an ambient tempeature of 28 to 30 degrees C.
Freja has been kicking up a fuss lately as well. She spent most of yesterday wailing and carrying on, and can't have made much of an impression on Uncle Philip who came by to see her. Even after the sun went down she kicked up a fuss most of the night, tossing and turning and being 'unreasonable'. We had no idea what was bothering her, whether it was her tummy or the heat or what, but this morning's heavy drooling led us to examine her upper gums and sure enough there is a tooth coming through! It won't be long before she looks like a squirrel... a squirrel with fat cheeks and a sweaty head. Reminds me of a poem I once wrote... Heh heh heh... a not very appropriate poem regarding a psychopathic squirrel...

Det er så varmt og klamt idag. Termometererne viser 28 til 30 grader i skyggen!
Freja kan heller ikke lide det så varmt. Hun har været ret så besværeligt i går og i nat var hun vågn flere gang (Metter savner virkelift sin mor når Freja er besærligt om morgen). Onkle Philip kom forbi i går sammen med hans kæreste men Freja var ikke sig selv of skabt sig gevældigt. I dag har vi obdaget at hun er begyndt at får tænder i overmunden så det er nok der for.

Freja and things

There isn't much to say except, what a glorious day! Yesterday was cool too. We went to the beach with a friend and her two year old son and had a great time (I forgot the camera though). Mette and Freja (who loved the sea) went out into the water but I was shy. Too fat and too pale at the moment. Usually I wouldn't have cared, but I was feeling more than usually self conscious since yesterday was the first time I'd been out in public with my new hair... thats right. I finally had my hair cut....

...Freja continues to develop swiftly and can now move about on her own two feet, although she is quite unstable and sometimes timid. She insists on holding a hand when embarking on a longer journey.

Vi var på stranden i går, men jeg glemte kameret. Det var smukt og ikke for varmt og Freja var vildt med vandet. En rigtig vand hund!
Som i kan se, fik jeg min hår klippet. Peter kom fordi i mandags og tog det hele på en gang. Væk med det.

Lazy day

The week end is long and slow and not much is happening in Denmark. Last night the city came alive with festive people in the streets, singing and shouting with drunks kicking up the occaisional fuss and every five minutes cars blasting out loud hip hop or Arabic music. The heat was not so oppressive as it has been on occaision in the last few weeks and I sat watching the TV, drinking fanta and surfing the net.

Both my brothers came by yesterday and it was funny. Its been a long time since we were all three together and the talk was lively and fun. The usual heated debate never turned into argument, and although I did rant a bit, I was treated with good natured affection.

The new computer is working well except for an error message that keeps poppng up to tell me of a defunct USB port. It looks like faulty hardware and I'll have to get it replaced I guess but the message doesn't actually say which port is at fault. This computer has 8 USB ports and I have no idea what they are good for. Two of them are inside the machine so I guess they are for permanent hardware. Two are on the front and I was told these were good for game stuff, joysticks and what have you.

Am working on two or three projects at the moment and today I must make a start on a fourth. I don't know when I'll ever get around to finishing anything at this rate!

Viking aniversary

NASA is marking the annivesary of the Viking landers.

The Viking 1 and 2 missions to Mars, each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, and became the first space probes to obtain high resolution images of the Martian surface;characterize the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface; and conducton-the-spot biological tests for life on another planet.

Viking 1 was launched Aug. 20, 1975, and arrived at Mars on June 19, 1976. On July 20,1976, the Viking 1 lander separated from the orbiter and touched down at ChrysePlanitia. Viking 2 was launched Sept. 9, 1975, and entered Mars orbit Aug. 7, 1976. The Viking 2 lander touched down at Utopia Planitia on Sept. 3, 1976.

Freja

De sidste to uger har set nogle imponerende udviklinger i Pipskimusen. Sidste Lørdag tog hun hendes første rigtig skridt, helt ubevidst og uprovokeret. Mette og jeg var over lykkeligt og helt pjættede med at røs hende (hun anede ikke hvad vi snakkede om). Indtil videre har hendes længest prestation været circa ni skridt, uden at fald. Vi har prøvet at filme det, men indtil videre har det ikke været de stor success.

I det hel taget er hun ret frem i skoerne. Sammenlignet med de andre piger i hendes mødergruppe og Mathias som bor ned under (alle er et par måneder ældre en Freja) er hun klart længre frem! Hun er også langt mere 'talende' og i stand til at udtryk sig selv end de andre børn, men det er nok bar min stolthed som føler en såden glæd og stolthed over min lille vinunderbarn. Heh heh heh.
I morgen er hun 11 måneder gammel.

The last two weeks have seen some huge improvements in the Pip. Last saturday she took her first real steps and snce then has demonstrated this feat several times. So far her longest unaided trip has been about eight or nine steps, without falling at the end. Mette and I were as proud as Punch of course and we've tried to capture the moment on video.

On the whole her development is coming along very quickly. Compared to the other children of her age we know she appears to be moving quite briskly along. She is able to move about and articulate herself far more than I had imagined, though no doubt all parents feel such unbound wonder and amazement. Tomorrow she will be 11 months old.

News and comment from Denmark

On Monday last, the Danish parliament agreed to send 'aid' to Egypt, to the tune of 447 million kroner. The only party to oppose this move was the nationalist Danske folkeparti. Steen Gade of the Socialistiske Folkeparti (Socialist Peoples Party) is quoted as saying: "Its a bit absurd to say we should back out because a minority of politicians in Cairo have been critical [of Denmark]. It is important for Denmark to work closely with the Arab countries, including Egypt".

moif: One hundred years ago, Egypt had a similar population size to Denmark. Both nations held approx. 5 million people. One century on, and Denmark, a democratic, secular, fertile agricultural nation with 5.5 million inhabitants, is one of the healthiest nations on Earth whilst Egypt, a nation characterized by Islam, military dictatorship and vast tracts of desert has a population mark now passing 80 million and for the most part, wallowing in poverty and propped up by western aid lest it fall utterly into the power of Islamic extremism.

At the same time as we are giving the Egyptians this money, several local play area's for inner city children in Århus are being shut down to save a mere 3 million kroner bcause the current government refuses to pay for them.

ULLA!

I came across this beauty on the Eve of the War forum. Apparently it stands six feet tall! Click on the image to see the full gallery....

Artist of the Month: Craig Mullins

Craig Mullins is an American free lance illustrator who specialises in digital concept art. I haven't known of him for more than a year or two, but in that time he's been my main source of technical and aesthetic inspiration (though I haven't embarked on digital art yet)

Mullins seems to have a talent for combining a loose style with a sharp attention to detail which means he can be very sloppy, and yet retain the narrative edge my old illustration tutor back in Liverppool used to wax so lyrically about. Back in those days, my main source of learning in this manner was C. Michael Dudash (another American) and its interesting (for me) to note the similarities in approach and style, if not in medium, between these two gentlemen.

For any one not familiar with the term digital art, it means the image was painted by means of a computer, using a device known as a light pen/brush, or wacum tablet. Instead of a canvas or paper, the artist draws on a special touch sensitive pad and the image appears on screen. Mullins is extremely talented at this technique, but he also has a keen eye for classical composition and is a dab hand with more traditional methods, though I feel his style is somewhat cramped in the transposition of media.
Click on the image above to visit Mullins site, its well worth a visit if you, like me, appreciate this style of illustration.

...restart

I'm back again!
Unfortunately, our computer finally died on me, so I was left with no other recourse than to buy a new new one. Oleg tried to bring the old computer back from the dead, but even the BIOS seemed to be screwed and although he tried several different generations of dos, none of it made much of a difference.

So, now I'm sitting here trying to figure out this new machine, which, although it was almost the cheapest I could find, is still ten times bigger and faster than the old one. And it has a flat screen (YAY!) so I can finally get some space on this desk again.