How does one capture Kony?

As I said in my earlier post about Kony: At the end of it all, why did I decide to support this organization right NOW? (Maybe not in the future, who knows). Well, because this is about children. And when children are being hurt in this horrific way I personally think that you have the right to choose one side. Then you have the right to act. I have read the pros and cons and I feel okay about my decision. And if things still look okay in the upcoming month, I will be out on the streets on the 20th of April with thousands of other people, standing for what we believe in. 

 ...and I stand by my word. I actually cancelled that Action Kit after Jason Russell´s (the Kony film maker) breakdown. I saw a video of some guy running around naked on the streets who people claimed was him. But how could you possibly tell? He didn't turn around and face the camera once.
This was only one guy though. He seems nice and I respect that everyone goes through hard times, so I don't judge him because I don't know what really happened. But it did make me hestiant about giving money to the organization. But I have got to remember that he was just one guy out of those hundreds of people who is working with Invisible Children. And at the end of the day their goal is to raise awareness and I am still supportive of that. Cover the night is still on! It's only a matter of printing your own posters. Although I personally don't like that the organizer of this night in Västerås has not asked for permission from the police. If you are going to do it, then do it right. But I hardly think the police will stop us as long as we keep it calm. I hope people remember that we aren't supposed to stand in the middle of Västerås City yelling and demonstrating against this guy. We are going to cover the city with awareness posters and then go back home, wake up the following day and hope that even more people knows who this guy i.

In the organization's own words: "Invisible Children does not condone illegal activity, including trespass and destruction of property. We encourage creative and legal approaches of promotion only. Use common sense."

Some people, who I have talked to, claims that Invisible Children doesn't even have a plan on how to make the capturing of Kony happen. But what am I supposed to do with that information? I don't know the right way to capture Kony... do you? Should the American government be involved in this or not? How the hell should I know! I've never done this before. Very few of us have. But there has been so many attempts trying to stop this guy and his rebel army that I can totally understand why they are desperate enough to ask another country for help. And what country is better to ask than the biggest, the wealthiest and the most powerful one?

"The world should know that this war is complex. If it wasn't complex, it wouldn't have stayed for 26 years." Jolly Okot. Country director, Invisible Children

Some people have told me to support other organizations than Invisible Children because they can't be trusted. I do support other organizations. But what some people dosen't seem to get is that Invisble Children works and cooperates with these organizations too. Because they know that they can´t do this all on their own. Yes, Invisible Children started the campaign "Make Kony famous" and therefore the spotlight is on them. But they aren't alone.

"The last time I checked, when something is threatening four different countries, that is a threat to the international peace and security. Then it becomes a question of collective responsibility." John Prendercast, Enough project

Always be critical. Don't ever forget how Hitler made people in Germany root for him and believe he had a good thing going. But don't ever lose hope, there are still good people out there in the world who actually wants to make a positive change.

"Despite the fact that the LRA is not a threat to my pesonal safety and my family, I still feel the pain. These children need to come back and have a normal life. Why would I stop?" - Jolly Okot

Animal lover... really?

Most people call themselves 'animal lovers'. Because it's a nice description of someone who is in connection with nature, humble, loving and caring. Four weeks ago a little bunny was born in Germany. The zoo keepers immediately wanted him to replace another cute animal, a polar bear named Knut, who died in 2011. The thing that was so special about this bunny, Til, was that he had no ears. Can you imagine? A tiny, fluffy cutiepie with a disability? How adorable is that. More innocent than anything! So of course there was a press conference set up about a week ago to introduce this little creature to the world. So that everyone who had once completely fallen for Knut, could now fall for Til. But what happens?

Well, a camera guy accidently took a step back without seeing that Til was standing there. He died immediately. This whole incident is extremely sad and I feel bad for both the camera guy and the little bunny. 

But here is the thing. This happens every single day in pretty much every persons home. Not with bunnies, but with animals. I am happy to say that my conscience stands clear from this, but so many other people kill bugs each day. They kill these wonderful creatures who are absolutely beautiful in their own way! The lady who showed up in Swedish TV with unshaved armpits was being bullied online for several days just because she was considered ugly and gross. But when people stepped up and defended her and made others look at her as an actual human being, things changed. People realised that there was more to her than just a shell. Just like there is more to an insect than just an 'ugly' surface. It breaks my heart when people kill ants, spiders and flies. These animals have been here for much longer than us, so what gives us the right to come into THEIR world and just take over? The actress Lisa Kudrow recently stated in an interview that "Mankind hasn’t been very kind to itself" and it's true. We got here after the insects and yet, we're killing ourselves off when we could actually learn fom the ants, spiders and flies how to survive. But instead we say "we're going down and you're going down with us!". Because we are too damn proud to realise that something smaller than us can actually be smarter than us.

You're not an animal lover when you only love the cute and fluffy creatures

Unshaved armpits in Melodifestivalen

Last night during Melodifestivalen (Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest), I saw an unfortunate pattern of nasty comments being written on Facebook. I am sad to say that some of those things were written by my very own friends. The comments were about this woman in the picture, who for a moment was on live TV in front of millions of people. I got so terribly angry when I saw my own friends wrting shit about this girl! It's so disgraceful and terribly embarrassing to mock someone who is being completely natural. Is our society THAT shallow and superficial, that this woman deserves to be bullied online? Can you imagine how she felt waking up today? This is not about having 'the right to an opinion'. This is about a young, brave woman who dared to show her true self with no shame, and then she was punished for it. And people are so used to having the right to comment on each other's bodies, so no one thinks about what they're really doing to her! This girl did not follow the strict norm or society's ideal and because of that she lost society's respect. Does that make sense?

I've had enough! I am so damn tired of this idiotic ideal of what beauty is and of people pointing out each others flaws. Look at the original picture instead and see how wonderfully happy this girl is ♥ See how much joy she experienced that night when she perhaps saw her biggest idol perform. She probably danced and created beautiful memories with her friends or her family. See how damn beautiful this picture really is, without focusing on the superficial.

You get no love

Cold-hearted. Some of you have never seen that side of me and some of you have seen way too much of it.
Some things that make others cry doesn't make me cry.  I can be quite harsh about some things. I can be very direct and that probably makes some people surprised, which is why they often look at me like I am made of stone or something.

I am self destructive. I have fought long and hard to make up a system for what I should do when those negative thoughts pop up. It happens from time to time and I am quite good at stop thinking about em. I put up a wall, that I wasn't able to put up before when I was depressed. It's very logical. Of course those feelings will get to you if you aren't able to block em! But here is the thing. When you learn how to block it, you can block other things as well. I guess people look at me as a bit different sometimes since I don't have a problem with shutting some people out of my life. I am not a mean or an evil person for acting this way. It's just self protection. And I understand that from an outsider's point of view it may look selfish, but I do what I have to do....to survive. Even though I don't classify myself as evil, I guess I'll have to count this as one of my darker sides. Because even the though the end result may be good for me, it may not be the greatest thing for someone else. Sometimes people get hurt from being shut out, which is understandable. But the worst part for me is when my other friends are being effected by it too. When they are put in a position where they feel like they need to choose sides. But we aren't in high school anymore, are we? We are grown ups and I think that a situation like this doesn't have to be blown out of porportion. Let's just agree to not hang out with each other, but still be able to be in the same room!

Here is where that cold-hearted side of me comes in again. Because hanging out in the same room as someone who you aren't friends with anymore, isn't very easy for some people. 5 years ago I would most likely have had a problem with it too, so I can relate. But nowadays I have a tendensy to become very impatient with people who make a big deal out of it. I feel like life is too short to dwell on things and be overly sensitive, just move on and make the most of it. I won't change my mind. Those people who are out of my life really ARE out of my life. And for good reasons! They brought negative energy that I had to deal with. My heart and my head got so tired of it. And I refuse to look back on my life and see one big head ache. I want to see fun, laughter and wonderful memories with people that are positive.
I'm not impossible. There are plenty of things that still makes me cry. But I don't cry when I cut someone out of my life because they just aren't worth it. If they have gone that far, so that I feel like they need to be cut out. Then I really don't care about them anymore.

So maybe I'm not cold-hearted after all. 

Maybe I'm just smart enough to be a bit selfish sometimes. 

Because I think we all need that.

My thoughts on Kony and Invisible Children

Ever since I woke up today, I have been caught up in a debate with one person after another. It has been incredibly important debates about both this and that. But the most important one has been about Joseph Kony. I am sure you have heard his name by now.

 
To begin with I'd just like to say that I am being critical about this. Believe me, I really am. But it's really hard to stand by something when you hear different things from people who ALL claim that they are right. That they KNOW what is going on down there in Africa and within the organization Invisible Children. But let me tell you this much.

Neither one of us knows.

That is why these debates are so important. So that we can share all of the rumors, discuss them and come to a conclusion about what we as individuals think is true. It's not easy going against your own friends in a debate, but hopefully everyone is able to see it from a professional point of view and not a personal one. As an animal rights activist and a lacto-ovo vegetarian I have had plenty of debates with my friends over the years. But even though I have had lots of training in this area, I still feel insecure sometimes and wish that I had read more about the topic before taking sides. But here is the beauty of debates. You can always switch sides! You're not a hypocrite for doing so. You've just educated yourself and realized that you can't stand by your own viewpoint anymore. To quote myself in the introduction box; "I love a good debate but I will never stick to a viewpoint just because it’s mine."

What is so hard about this particular debate is that there are so many strong opinions and rumors flying around that I hardly think anyone knows the truth anymore. Invisble Children have a page on their site where they give replies to all of these rumors but how am I supposed to know that they are telling the truth? It’s the same thing with people who are claiming that Invisible Children are using their money to provide Uganda soldiers with weapons and that Kony has already been captured. Who started these rumors and are they really true? It's very rare that I come across a situation as complicated as this one. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was clear as daylight what was right and wrong? But it's not black or white. It's gray. It's fuzzy. This puts all of us in a position where we have to look at the big picture.

Do I care that 60-70% of my donated money goes to the three owners of Invisible Children's organization? No I don't because they are travelling back and forth to Africa and therefore need all the money they can get to provide for themselves and to do marketing. To not give money to an organization just because they need money to provide for themselves is an excuse that won't ever work. All organizations have this system. Invisible Children's money mostly goes to "awareness" which is the main purpose. They have made that very clear. They want to make Kony famous. Not to punish him but to show people all around the world that they have had enough of people like him. It doesn't matter that he stopped being an asshole 5 years ago. He is still guilty of those crimes and those people's lives being ruined.

Don't be fake though and only spread the word with the "KONY 2012" video. Don't let that be the first and the last thing that you do if you REALLY want to help this organization. Get active. Take part of the awareness campaign that is going down all over the world on April the 20th. Donate money by buying T-shirts, posters and other kinds of merchandise in their shop! That is the easiest way you can help. The ones who are really working the hardest are Jason, Laren, Bobby and their crew. They are the ones who are OUT THERE, doing the dirty work that everyone else is "too good" for. That is the raw truth. So if the money I just donated by buying an "Action kit" turns out to be a complete waste and that it was only used to make matters worse, then so be it. I am on the other side of the planet and there is just so much I can do to get the information I need to decide if I should take action against this or not. We can't always make the right decisions. But we, who are lucky enough to live in countries where we can educate ourselves without the help from schools, should embrace that and do so! We should all understand how valuable that is and what a beautiful thing that is. Because it can be taken away from us. Just like that opportunity has been taken away from the people in Africa.

At the end of it all, why did I decide to support this organization right NOW? (Maybe not in the future, who knows). Well, because this is about children. And when children are being hurt in this horrific way I personally think that you have the right to choose one side. Then you have the right to act. I have read the pros and cons and I feel okay about my decision. And if things still look okay in the upcoming month, I will be out on the streets on the 20th of April with thousands of other people, standing for what we believe in. 

Where you live 

shouldn't determine 

whether you live...

Men aren't animals

Lady Dahmer is as wise as always... :)

"Feminists are often accused for being men-haters but I think that the people who really hates men are those who claims it's natural for men to fight and to cheat and those who claims that men behaves in a certain way simply because they are men. Those who refer to biology and testosteron every time a man commits a violent crime or a sexual assault."

All we really want is for people to think about their own actions and what effects they have. If you have kids then there is so much you can do to prevent the unbalanced look we have on women and men today. For example: I grew up watching so many Disney movies. They gave me a lot of great memories, stories and beautiful images to be inspired by. I remember it with great joy and I still watch those movies once in a while. But now when I think back I realise that those movies also influenced me in a bad way. Take "Beauty and the Beast" for example! Threats, assault, illegal restraint and OH how cute isn't it when the feather duster says NO to the chandelier who still does whatever he wants with her...

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To be someone's exception, not the rule

This evening has been brilliant! I babysat the girls who I'm a Nanny to. Haven't seen them in ages so it was a joy cuddling with them in a big pile of pillows while watching the children's channel on TV. When I got home I finished watching a movie that I was recommended by a friend to see. It's called "He's just not that into you". The name of it doesn't sound very appealing, huh? But that's the beauty of it!! Finally someone has made a movie about how girls and boys are being raised differently. To show how that affects us when we grow up to become adults who are trying to find a partner. Apparently it is based on a book that was published with the same titel; the line is from "Sex and the City". I recognize myself so much in the character Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) who constantly is misreading the signals guys are sending out. But the one I recognized myself in the most was Anna (Scarlett Johansson) who uses flirting as a way of keeping guys at a distance. She is totally scared off when she's being offered a stable relationship, even though that is what she has always dreamed of... Hello me! 

Don't think this movie is a chick flick though, it's for guys too! Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck are just some of the actors who are showing these scenarios from a guys point of view. Each of the characters stories are important for women and men to understand each other better. Watch it! It's so funny and great, you won't be disapointed!

Maybe the happy ending is this:  

knowing that through all of the unreturned phone calls, the broken hearts, through all of the blunders and misread signals, through all of the pain and embarrassment... you never ever gave up hope.

It takes courage to play in a world that does not play

While we are talking about having fun...
One of the few people that I have looked up to for almost my whole life is Ellen Degeneres. I have followed her career for so long that she almost feels like a part of my family. Weird huh?
But how can I not feel that way when she's been in my living room almost every day after school. For all of these years she's been making me laugh and she has teached me that all people are important no matter what their sexuality is. I have never even questioned it because it's always been so obvious to me. And even though I do have two very liberal parents who would never allow me to look down on someone for being gay, I am still convinced that Ellen was the person who influenced me the most to be open minded. But most important, open hearted. 
I feel proud in a strange way that she has this succesful talk show called "The Ellen Degeneres show". Because I was one of her fans all the way from the beginning. From the time that no one even knew that she was gay. It's nice being able to say that I was one of those people who stuck by her until she had made it all the way to the top and now is one of America's most powerful woman. And that power is truly in the right pair of hands.

Just watch this clip from when Ellen was still doing stand-up and had her hilarious TV-serie "Ellen". What she says about our inner child is brilliant and don't you all wish that we could do this!? Just run around on the street playing games with each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. For some of us it would be such a scary challenge to walk up to someone and do this. But at least we could start with our friends! (Or maybe our boss...) We barely play with our friends anymore! How lame is that? Kids rock because they aren't chickens like us who are afraid of every little thing.

Watch from 8:25 and continue in the video below!

Setlist here and setlist there

Today there has been a lot of talk between Crashdïet fans about setlists. The guys just finshed their small tour in Australia (so happy and proud that they made it all the way there) and people are curious to know which songs they played. I've honestly never really understood the thing about setlists. I mean yeah, it's fun to hear if the band played a song that they usually don't perform live. For example, Crashdïet added "Save her" to the setlist on their last acoustic gig in Australia. That is a beautiful and at the same time tragic song that always goes straight into my heart, but I've actually never seen them perform it live. There are just too many other Crash-classics that needs to be put first on the list I guess.

But I'm really not that kind of girl who stays longer after a gig to get my hands on the setlist (the piece of paper that all bands write the order of the songs on, in case that they forget it). I just don't see the point in saving a piece of paper that often is pretty dirty cause people has stepped on it. Maybe it's the historical aspect of why people want it so much? The fact that this setlist was used on this night and this night only.
Or maybe the important thing is that the artists have touched that piece of paper? I get the point if you get it signed, but other then that I'm lost...
If anyone feel like explaining it to me, then please do because I'm curious :)

If postcards looked like this I bet people would send em all day long, just for the fun of it ;)

Libra friends and work

Friends
Libra can sense what others want before they ask it. And she can make the needs of others a higher priority than her own. As the diplomat of the signs she goes back and forth until a solution has been found.
When people close to Libra consider something to be a problem, she considers it her problem as well.

Work
Libra women adore working in partnership. Even if she's your adminstrative assistant, associate or colleauge... she will perform at maximum efficiency. She wants to contribute to your success and considers herself your equal, so you must give her an opportunity to present feedback, and for heaven's sake listen to what she has to say.
The female Libra boss can be ideal. She has a natural sense of authority, is a good strategist and a just administrator.

Libra Love

Libran's adore the concept of love. They idealize and worship it. A life without love is not worth contemplating, since they find it hard to function properly without the emotional security of knowing that they are loved. However, do not delude yourself with the belief that they will let you dominate and humbly accept everything you say. Gravely mistaken you shall be if you are naïve enough to believe this. When it comes to romance, female Libra characteristics, are manipulative but then again she does it all to win you over and then protect you.
Libras are typically amongst the most loyal signs. It's very common for them to refuse to acknowledge the bad parts of a relationship, while always highlighting the good.

The Libra woman is also very big on teamwork and fairness. She wants a partner, and not a puppy or a master. Conversation is more important to her than most other signs. Typically she don't have a problem complimenting you on anything she likes about you. At her worst, she is passive aggressive and don’t know who she is except in relationship to others. She has a tendensy to think too much and act too little

Refined and caring the Libra woman loves everything about romance, seduction and partnership. She will constantly work towards improving a relationship. Librans girls hate being single. As a result, she tries involving her partner in most things she does. She is very, very supportive of her partners decisions, after elaborately analyzing them in her mind. However, even if she finds a fault with the plan of action, she gently pushes him into the correct path. So gentle is her approach that you might not even realize that it wasn't your own idea to allow the paradigm shift!

Being suspicious is not one of the personality traits of a Libran girl. She trusts you completely and opening your personal mail will be wrong in her eyes. She expresses her emotions easily and lavishly; you will never find yourself complaining in this aspect.

But, by nature the female scale-bearer is initially a little shy and goes further into her cocoon if she doesn't get any responses from her partner. She needs that assurance that her efforts are actually being noticed and appreciated

She values the opinion of her friends, and the area of love is no exception to this. Impress her friends and you will find it much easier to win her.

Would you like to get to know me better?

Not that I believe in horoscopes or anything like that. But I do believe that we are affected by many different things when we are born. Things that will shape our personalities and behaviour. I am born under the star sign Libra and even though I take these sort of things very lightly, I still think it's fun to read about the Scales personal traits. Sometimes it's hard to describe yourself with words. But I think it's important for people to know why I act the way I do sometimes. It's important for all of us. I have summed up the traits that describes me best so that you all can get to know me a little better! I'll divide it into several posts because it got really long, lol.
Let me clarify - this is not something that I have just read online and thought "Oh, that's the way I am as a person? Good to know". Of course not, how silly would that be. I have picked out parts of different texts that I can relate to. This is the real me. Both the good and the bad.

About Libra

The first and foremost personality trait you will notice about a Libran is her politeness. She loves people and hates to be rude to anyone. The most striking thing about Libra's eyes is that they start smiling before it can be detected on her lips. And she knows that and often use it to her advantage! She is known for her charming and graceful ways among friends, relatives and even distant social circles. Since she often excludes an easy, light and fun aura she is stereotyped as the happy-go-lucky Libran. This is the reason why she makes a good hostesses. Libra has a gift for offering genuine compliments. She is tasteful and sophisticated, with an eye for quality, beauty and harmony in all things.

She is a social butterfly whose attempts at even harmless flirting can reap fantastic results. Although, this social perfectionist streak in Libra comes from the fact that she can't take criticism well. She ponder for days after being criticized and often hold it against people who fail to recongize her efforts.

She loathe cruelty, viciousness and vulgarity and detest conflict between people, so she often turns out to be the mediator who tries to cooperate and compromise with everyone around her. Libra is sensitive to the need of others and have the gift of understanding the emotional needs of others and meeting them with optimism.

Because she is so charming and eloquent, she is sometimes taken for being an air-brain. Anybody who falls into this trap is gravely mistaken. Librans, given their varied interests, are usually very well-read and have logical things to say on many different subjects. It's just that they are not very vocal about it. Libra also loves to argue, especially when someone passes general statements. A Libran can take both the sides of an argument by turns, and win at both. Infact, she can even switch sides in the middle of the argument!

Debate attracts her and she weighs both sides of the situation with total fairness. While she is arguing with you, she may smile every now and then. The best part is that she presents her case in such a tactful way that you don't feel offended at all. At the same time, she is not stubborn and easily changes her mind if she finds your arguments more logical and convincing.

She will never stick to a viewpoint just because its hers and your opinion will matter to her as much as her own. However, don't get impatient when a Libra is making up her mind. She hates impatience and it can make her extremely stubborn.

The negative sides of the Scales is to be flirtatious, changeable, indecisive, timid and impatient of routine. One thing in particular that ticks off a Libran is taking orders. You order her around and she will become the sulkiest person on this earth.

A Libran will be composed, balanced, lovable and courteous half of the time. In the other half, she will be irritable, inflexible, unhappy and mystified. She is always tipping to one side or the other, till the perfect balance is achieved. She is very delightful when her mind is in a balanced state.

One common quirk of Libra women is that of getting depressed easily. Partly this is because they genuinely feel the world should always be fair and beautiful, and the reality of course is that sometimes it just isn't. What others shrug off in this area a Libra sometimes just can't accept. This broken-hearted approach to life can be both endearing, or off-putting, depending on your viewpoint. It does create a unique and powerful counter point to her otherwise passionate approach to life.

Libran women are extremely cultured and tend to develop a leaning towards artistic and creative things in life. Usually they themselves take up and cultivate a particular art form. They are connoisseurs of paintings, dance forms, music and literature.