Kristen wants a cat...

...and here's the source of the desire:

Nora, the Piano playing cat


-The best part of the video is how Nora, nuzzles herself on the keys while playing

Kristen has always been a pet lover and her farm in Dassel always has cats in the big white barn. I want to someday own a cat with Kristen, and name him Agrippa, he could be the general of the house. I would be like, "Agrippa!! Come and get your food!"..And he would be like "MEOW!!" then I'd say "Hey, you don't talk to me like that". It's a lot funnier talking then typing about it I guess.

The only problem is that I am allergic to cats, I haven't been exposed to them as much as Kristen has, so I would need to get some allergy medication to mitigate the nasal effects of the little fur ball.

Enjoy the video of Nora playing the piano and be sure to visit the YouTube link I provided above the embeded clip.

A letter to the Terminator of California...I mean Governor

Having recently read that Governor Schwarzeneggar plans to cut funding for the California High Speed Rail plan, I wrote him a letter asking him to reconsider:

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,
My name is Andrew Wambach, I am a senior Urban Studies undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. This semester I am writing on the topic of High Speed Rail for the United States, specifically the Midwest. During my research, I stumbled upon the California High Speed Rail Authority's presentation on developing High Speed Rail to link California's major city centers by 2030. It is my hope that you will support this plan and be the true moderate Republican you have become.
I have to admit, I was skeptical when you took office. Not being a resident of California it was easy for me to tease and mock along with other Democrats "oh watch out for the Governator", then again our state did have Jessie "the Mind" Ventura, and he helped build our first and so far only Light Rail line.
It was when you began to distance yourself from President Bush and to address the issues of global warming and how California can innovate and prosper by creating new High Tech jobs and leading the way for the rest of the country in solving these problems that you should hope to be a good politician.
In a similar way, High Speed Rail accomplishes this and fits into your plan of renewable energy and sustainable development for California and the next 20-30 years.
While High Speed Rail exists in the Northeast Corridor between New York and Boston, California's plan could have rammifications for the West and Midwest and truly lead to passenger rail rebirth, not under Amtrak, but under the for-profit State High Speed Authoritys.
We need the first one that connects the lartgest state of the Union Governor Schwarzeneggar; California's is the best in regards to ridership, benefits to buisness and redevelopment, and protecting California's environment. Think of the boon to tourism as well.
California is the 5th largest economy in the world, don't be Jeb Bush and slowly kill a project by reducing funding or repealing amendments.
I hope California continues to prosper under your leadership and that the goodwill you have shown to the green revolution was legitimate.
Thank you,
P.S. Have always been a fan of your films, Commando is an all time classic as well as your signature role: The Terminator.

Regards from Minnesota,

Andrew Wambach
University of Minnesota

-We'll see if I get a response. Coming down the the wire in regards to the thesis, seems to be all I can talk about lately. Had a job interview for the summer with the city of Fridley in their Code Enforcement Department as an intern. I should hear back from them tomorrow whether I have received the position or not.

Hoping to have some employment after graduation, so that I can buy a new camera and take some more pictures with the Kristen and myself.

Something that has been occupying a lot of my time

And Finally it is to a point where I can stop. For the past couple of weeks I have been working on a presentation to go along with my Senior Thesis: The Need for High Speed Rail in the Midwest. What began as a few bits and pieces from other movies acquired online at a length of roughly 4-5 minutes, has now evolved into a close to 9 minute project. Last week at our class meeting, I asked my professor if I could use it for the presentation to which she said no :-(.
However, I showed her the clip I was most proud of (Part 3 of the video which I will embed from YouTube) an she said that it looked like I had put a lot of work into it, and that I should be putting this much work into my paper instead.

Here is the finished product:


I am thinking about shortening it and submitting it to the sustainability film contest, submissions are due next week. However, I have a lot to do still with my paper and with only a few weeks left of the semester, there is not a lot of time to waste time...

As for news, Friday morning (April 20th, 2007) I had a job interview with the Minneapolis Housing Inspection services division through the office of Public Safety in Downtown Minneapolis. I feel pretty confident about the interview and should hear back from them soon. I also have applications circulating some of the Community Development positions of cities around the Twin Cities, yet, so far I have only heard that my applications were received but not if I am to have a chance for an interview.
Hopefully I can have some form of employment after graduation (May 11th) and try to figure out where I should concentrate my skills acquired through the Urban Studies Program.

Enjoy the film

March, Talkin’ about the Madness

March is quickly on the way out, already it will be April 1st tomorrow. March came rolling in like a fury with a massive blizzard that the Twin Cities and state of Minnesota hadn’t seen in 8 years. Minnesota for two weeks was turned into a “winter wonderland”. To celebrate, Kristen and I spent a Saturday in Dassel snowmobiling. I had never snowmobiled in my life, a crime for the average Minnesotan I know.

As the title suggests, the main focus of March was the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the family’s bracket through ESPN. Frank, my older brother, always gets pumped up with this time of year and had a great post at the beginning of the month describing his picks and which teams he was backing. Currently I am sitting in 4th place and have Ohio State winning it all in the final round and they are playing Georgetown in 15 minutes. We’ll see how it goes. Final Four!!!! Woo-Hoo!

March has been a screwy month in terms of weather. From the start we go from blizzards with about 2 feet of snow followed by freezing temperatures to a high of 85 and beautiful sunshine all over the metro last week, and now about 5 days straight of rain.

Pushing Some Snow in Dassel Minnesota with the BobCat

March has also been a pretty hectic time at the University of Minnesota and the State Capitol. The Tax and Property Tax Committees have been hearing bills left and right and keeping us interns on our toes making copies, stuffing folders full of bills and bill summaries, and assisting the pages with their duties in committees. As for the University of Minnesota, Kristen and I are closing on the end of Spring Semester and our undergraduate careers. For classes, I have been busy with my senior thesis on High Speed Rail (HSR) for the Midwest, reading books and articles as well as checking the net for what the rest of the country is doing for High Speed Ground Transportation (HSGT). For example, one of the best proposals is from the state of California and their High Speed Rail Authority. Check out this short (4-minute) presentation of HSR for California: Thanks to user NC3D for uploading and to the HSR authority of California for having it available to the public.



I only wish that the Midwest Regional Rail System/Initiative (MWRRI) was this far along and had this quality of marketing. It makes me consider moving to California and possibly applying to Berkley for my Graduate degree.

Another class I have been working hard in is my Urban GIS class through the Geography department. Some classmates and I are working as a team for a neighborhood organization who need Geo-Spatial data to help them make decisions on where to locate a new facility. Recently in the class we have been working on covering Gravity Models and location-allocation theory. I have also been writing papers for my internship seminar and wrapping my head around Financial accounting at Carlson. I only wish I had taken the class 2 years ago while I was deep in statistics, it would have helped in Private Sector Development.

Spring Break was relaxing, I only went into the capitol for one day and Kristen worked for two. Kristen and I got to spend some time with friends at Lindsey Schempf’s 21st Birthday. Later in the week we spent a few hours at the Grand Rios indoor Water Park in Brooklyn Park riding waterslides and floating in the lazy river. Hopefully we will get a chance soon to take a peak at the Water Park of America in Bloomington. While we planned to get some skiing in this winter, it just wasn’t in the cards and will have to be something we do next season.

In the meantime, my Dad and brother have continued they’re planning for our trip to Glacier National Park this summer. Also, my Dad and I have begun making plans for a small Hiking trip in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee sometime hopefully after graduation.

Another important time of Spring, Kristen and I will be celebrating our third year together next week April 4th. We are hoping to hit up Mancini’s in St. Paul for dinner and maybe catch a few of the Omni Films at the Minnesota Science Museum. Both of us have been working hard applying for jobs and scheduling interviews. Kristen has an interview soon with Americorp and their Admission Possible program, while I may have a potential interview with the Housing Inspection and Code Enforcement for the city of Minneapolis Internship for the summer.

Hopefully as the weather improves I will have a chance to take more pictures and post more on flickr and Picassa.

Not sure when I will have a chance to update again, probably when something exciting happens, or when the weather clears, or I finish my thesis.

Until next time,

A Weekend of Bowling and Fun with friends

Man I am sore from all of this bowling. Friday night, Kristen and I enjoyed dinner with our friends Erik and Audrey at the Downtime Bar and Grill (formerly Mangia’s) in Dinkeytown before heading over to the St. Paul Student Center for some bowling.

From Blog Photos

For those interested in the history of the game and of course Wikipedia’s page on Bowling

Kristen and I have been bowling for a couple of weekends at the SPSC because of the availability of lanes (Unlike Coffman) and the close proximity to Kristen’s apartment, plus the availability of free parking at the Gortner ramp. For most of the games, Kristen beats me giving her the nickname of “the coach”. But because of her coaching, I have been able to improve my game by working on my throw and slowing down resulting in picking up more spares.

Friday night it was packed at the SPSC, but we were able to grab a lane and get through at least one game before Brain and Katrina joined us and we played another before calling it a night around 10:30 PM. I am really glad we had the chance to hang out with our friends and I hope we can do it again soon.

^Here are some photos provided from the KU of the night's activities:

Erik in Motion

From Blog Photos

Watch yourself

From Blog Photos

I believe that was a strike

From Blog Photos

All Smiles at the SPSC

From Blog Photos

Saturday night, my brother Frank and his girlfriend Megan invited us for an “all you can bowl” at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park for their Saturday night Cosmic Rock and Bowl along with our friends Mike and Betsy. We bowled from about 10:00 PM-12:30 AM and got in 3 solid games. In the first game, 4 of my first 5 frames were a strike, and I got a Turkey (3 strikes in a row) in the 5th frame; my final score at the end was 170 probably a new record for the Caboose. However, it was all down hill from there and I didn’t break 100 the rest of the night. Frank and Mike also did well with Frank winning the second game and Mike the third. Kristen had a tough time adjusting to the light and to the differences between the balls at SPSC and Park Tavern but she still had a lot of fun.

Kristen and I had a lot of fun bowling with one another and friends this weekend as well as spending as much time as we could together. We hope we can do it again soon.

A new Definition of National Service

This has been a topic I have been meaning to write about since my return from the strong Welfare States of Scandinavia. While I was there, I met a number of guys my age that had some form of mandatory service in the armed forces of their countries. For example, Halvard, my SUST program director’s assistant, served in the Norwegian Military for 8 months guarding the Royal Family. Another student at the University of Oslo (UIO) served in the Danish Military, and said it was a valuable experience. He had considered going to Afghanistan, but when asked he declined.

Arguments for and against military Conscription aside, I think the United States would benefit from some form of mandatory national service from its citizens. In Norway, it is the form of 6 months-1 year of service in the armed forces or with a non-profit organization or government office for Conscientious objectors. This is for both Men and Women.

I am not suggesting bringing back the dreaded “Draft” of conscripted service into the Army, Navy, or Air Force; I believe these services and the special forces that are associated them: Marines, Navy Seals, The Rangers etc. should remain a volunteer army and highly trained specialized force. However, at the end of the mandatory service, citizens would have the option to pursue professional careers in the armed forces if they desire to.

However, I do think that the National Guard should be refined to as service for the homeland and not be involved in operations abroad (Iraq or Afghanistan). These Citizen/Soldiers as the National Guard often bills itself as, should remain in the United States for purposes of National Defense in the event of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina to prevent events like rapid response teams where left with little to no equipment because their units had been mobilized and deployed to combat zones when they were needed in Louisiana. The National Guard would also assist law enforcement in the event of a Domestic attack or Terrorist attack on the United States. These forces would not be deployed abroad, not even as peace keeping forces.

This would dramatically reduce instances of “Backdoor drafts” or citizens enlisting for assignments that “they didn’t sign on for” as has been heard in the media from members of National Guard units who have encountered heavy amounts of combat in both theaters of the middle east.

Some would argue that institutions already exist too train our young men and women in the realm of national service: The Boy Scouts of America and its counterpart the Girl Scouts of America. However, I personally feel that being a member of the National Guard would have more unifying power of democracy and nation building than service in either of those institutions.

I am interested in others responses to this topic especially from my friend Rory who is currently serving in Iraq and has had many debates about the roles of the US military in the current era with my brother Frank. Check out Rory’s blog: Duty, Honor, and Country .

Some may accuse this post of being socialistic or even communistic in its tone, but maybe that is what the US needs, a return to the era of the New Deal and a belief in the power and responsibility of a government of the people and not an enemy to be feared. I really need to watch V for Vendetta again.

A response to an old question

Way back in September my brother posted this challenge in a post:
Since I have been on a roll with the topic of High Speed Rail lately I thought I would give a proper response as to what I will be bringing back in the Spring of 07...
Here Goes...

I'm Bringin' High Speed Back
*Yeah*
It will make up for what the Midwest Lacks
*Yeah*
From Minnesota to Chi-Town in under 3 hours flat
*Yeah*
take it to the platform...
Get your HSR, that's High Speed Rail baby, Get your HSR, go ahead get goin' with it, get your HSR, that's High Speed Rail, Get your HSR

180 Miles per Hour that's how fast it goes
*Yeah*
So you better hang onto your clothes
*Yeah*
Just watch that Bullet Train just come and Go
Get your ticket and take it to the station...
Get your HSR, that's High Speed Rail baby, Get your HSR, go ahead get goin' with it, get your HSR, that's High Speed Rail, Get your HSR

So that's what I am bringing back, the rails shall rise again from the ashes. If anyone would like to help me make a vid for this I think it would be sweet and worth a laugh for a presentation.

All right Senior Thesis: Game On

I touched on this topic at the beginning of the New Year, but here are some thoughts that have materialized in the past few days with my Senior Thesis Writing Seminar:

Possible Topics:

From Blog Photos

Too often I have used European examples of High Speed Rail; Not this time, the above image is of the Nozomi Series 500 Shinkansen in Japan from Bullet Trains. According to sources on Wikipedia, The Nozomi can reach speeds of 320km or 200 MPH, but is currently only operating at a maximum of 300 km or 186 MPH.

1) The Need for High Speed Rail (HSR) in the Midwest.
The idea came to me while I was on Study Abroad participating in the Scandinavia Urban Studies Term (SUST) through HECUA last semester. It was very easy and reasonably priced to get on a long-haul train and go from Oslo-to-Bergen in roughly 6 hours. At the end of my term, I attended a conference on the development of High Speed Rail (HSR) corridors in Norway that included High Speed proposals with service from Oslo-to-Trondheim and Oslo-to-Bergen.
This got me curious as to why the United States did not have a High Speed Rail network and what was being done in the field. Over break I began reading a few sources, particularly High Speed Rail Policy for the 21st Century by Anthony Pearl and read over the 2004 Executive Report of the Midwest Regional Rail System
My paper would be similar to these sources of looking at European HSR applications and then determining policy solutions, amounts of financing and sources of financing, as well as feasibility for applications in the Midwest to connect to HSR networks pre-existing predominantly in the Northeast corridors (Acela, formerly the Metroliner).

From Blog Photos

Another picture of the Nozomi 500 Series Shinkensen

2) I-494 Transitway Study
This topic would directly relate to my internship at the State Capitol with Rep. Ann Lenczewski and is a topic that is directly related to the Twin Cities MSA and the South Metro. This would be a preliminary model study of transit options for the I-494 Corridor including: BRT, LRT, and possibly PRT. This study would then be used to inform Rep. Ann Lenczewski to propose legislation for funding of a true study conducted by the Metropolitan Council.
Through my internship I will have contact with major stakeholders involved in the study. However, since there has been no formal study of transit along I-494, it may be difficult to find sources directly related to this topic.

And yet another question, which of these topics would you choose, and which one in your opinion would help Minnesota and the Midwest the most?
Whichever way it goes it should be a fun semester and a interesting senior thesis. Wish me luck.

Photo Contest Time

Got word today in am email from the University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center of a mighty important contest coming up in February:
2007 INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST
WIN GREAT PRIZES!
Past sponsors have included Rail Europe, STA Travel, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and more!

Top 10 photos chosen by popular vote at the Learning Abroad Spring Fair, February 21. Global Link members will determine final winners.

Official Rules:
1. Contest is open to University of Minnesota undergraduate and graduate students only.
2. Photo must have been taken outside of the U.S.
3. Photo must have been taken by the person submitting the photo.
4. Only one photo entry per person.
5. Entries must be color or black and white prints 4" x 6". Digital prints will be accepted only if they are unaltered. E-mailed submissions will not be accepted.
6. Photos will not be returned. Please submit copies of your photo only.
7. The top ten photos will be determined by public vote at the Spring Learning Abroad Fair on February 21st in the Great Hall of Coffman Memorial Union.
8. Winners will be notified via email and must respond to claim their prize by Friday, March 2nd.

So, to help me decide which of my photos from Scandinavia are of the highest quality, contest winning quality ;-), I consulted a former winner; Franky J with his photo from Australia.
See more of his photos at his flickr page.
The following - which have been posted on this blog in other posts are his personal suggestions.

His first pick: My Personal Favorite as well, Pulpit Rock in the Lysefjorden Towering at 604 Meters (And as an update: The one I submitted this morning...February 13th, 2007)


His Second: Along the Oslo-Bergen Railway, one of the most beautiful railways labled by National Geographic Traveler in 2004


His Third: Eyes Glued to the Window


Fourth: If cropped right...


My parent's Personal Favorite is of the kids in the T-Bahn which is another one of my favorites and has appeared many times on this little blog.


That's all for recommendations for now from Family and the brother, but I am wondering what some of my readers (I know there are a few of you out there) would recommend. I sometimes like to add tasks to the end of my blogs, and this one is pretty easy, pick your favorite photo from the Scandinavian Set on my flickr page (link below my profile) and let me know or leave a comment at flickr (if your a member of course).
Deadline is the 15h, so I got some time, which means you (the readers) do too.
I look forward to the comments and thanks Frank for the help.

Now I have to read the book :-D

As the previous post states, I have been talking a lot about the film Children of Men. I have since learned that it was originally a book by P.D. James, a British detective author, and that the book was not in the category of apocalyptic science fiction.
Here's an article from the NY Times comparing the book to the film dated December 28th

Source: Proquest Newsstand
Author: Caryn James (Times Select $$)
Copyright New York Times Company Dec 28, 2006
to view the article online (must be a member or have access from other accounts)

No one should have to choose between Clive Owen and P. D. James. As an alcoholic, unshaven hero in a totalitarian near-future, Mr. Owen holds together the ominous yet vibrant new film ''Children of Men,'' adding to his list of brooding, darkly handsome characters (notably in ''Closer''). But while this Alfonso Cuaron film is inspired by the 1992 James novel, the movie is so purely cinematic, and its plot departs so widely from the book's, that the screen version may obscure how wonderfully rich and unlikely that novel is.(which is why I want to read it)

''The Children of Men'' is not another of Ms. James's famed detective novels, and it is not, as it has sometimes sloppily been described, science fiction. It is a trenchant analysis of politics and power that speaks urgently to this social moment, a 14-year-old work that remains surprisingly pertinent.(Was that the director's intent, to bring focus back to this "pertinent" piece of literature that has faded into obscurity?) Mr. Cuaron and Mr. Owen have made a film that works superbly apart from the book, but Ms. James's extraordinary novel deserves to be rediscovered on its own.

In both forms ''Children of Men,'' which opened Monday (in select cities, others had to wait until after New Years), is a story of redemption, set in England just decades in the future (the film takes place in 2027), when women have inexplicably lost the ability to become pregnant. Utterly cynical, Theo (Mr. Owen) is drawn into a group trying to protect a woman who has, just as inexplicably, become pregnant and whose child is likely to be used for the despotic government's own purposes.

Ms. James couldn't have foreseen some details the film uses to create a future frighteningly like today: a government department called Homeland Security; a crawl at the bottom of the omnipresent video screens that says, ''Terror Alert: Extremely High.''(not so sure about that, the book was written shortly after the first Gulf War with Iraq, not to mention some terrorists events of the Reagan Era of Iran Contra and the Beirut Marine Bombings, but of course not to the scale of which we see today)

But the social problems she could spot in 1992, like immigration, are even more disturbing now because they are more topical. A member of the novel's ruling Council of England makes a comment that could come from a right-wing radio show in America today. ''Remember what happened in Europe in the 1990s?'' he says. ''People became tired of invading hordes,'' who expect to ''exploit the benefits which had been won over centuries by intelligence, industry and courage.''

Those prescient social themes give the book its resonance, and are far more important than the deft way the movie streamlines the novel: Theo, an Oxford historian in the James version, is a minor bureaucrat in the film's Ministry of Energy; Julianne Moore's character, who enlists his help in protecting the pregnant woman, combines two people from the novel, Theo's ex-wife and a former student he scarcely knows.

As she does so gracefully in her mysteries, in ''The Children of Men'' Ms. James creates a beautifully realized world, making fine points the film has no time for(and is worse off because of those details left out): childless women push dolls in baby carriages, and couples hold christening ceremonies after the births of kittens.(imagine some of the scenes that could have been used for this, not more than a couple of seconds)

And Theo recalls boyhood summers as the poor relation visiting his rich, supremely self-confident cousin, Xan, a character who as an adult holds the title warden of England and is, in fact, the country's dictator. On screen this character, called Nigel and played by Danny Huston, has only one scene, when Theo tries to use this connection to get a travel visa for the pregnant woman.

Moviegoers may wonder why this character pops up at all, or why such an elaborate set was created; we see that he owns Picasso's ''Guernica'' and Michelangelo's ''David,'' whose leg has been damaged. The episode feels shoehorned into the movie, which isn't surprising in a work with five credited screenwriters and a nine-year gestation(five!!??). Even after Mr. Cuaron became interested, in 2001, he went off to direct ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' before returning to the project, which was then altered to suit the post-9/11 world.

Despite those topical additions, Xan is a huge lost opportunity for the film, because he is the vehicle for Ms. James's astute exploration of how certain kinds of tyrants come to exist. The social disorder and pessimism that Ms. James defines so sharply -- science has failed to explain, much less cure, the infertility, and religion is a solace to some but a gaping hole to others -- has allowed this despot to seize control. Parliament is a sham that, as Theo says, ''gives the illusion of democracy,'' and the members of Xan's ruling Council never disagree with him.

This poisonous rule is presented to the public and accepted as a strong, desirable response to threats to the country. The government justifies abuses in the name of a smoothly run society: it condones the forced, slavelike labor of immigrants and encourages the mass suicides of the old. As a Council member explains: ''What we guarantee is freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom from boredom. The other freedoms are pointless without freedom from fear.''

That line becomes even more haunting now that the world feels more threatening and freedom has become a buzzword applied to everything from the ludicrous anti-French Freedom Fries to the sober Freedom Tower planned for the World Trade Center site.

The personal motives behind Xan's tyranny are also shrewdly analyzed. Theo asks the once apolitical Xan why he became Britain's ruler, and Xan answers in the cavalier manner we recognize from his boyhood, ''At first because I thought I'd enjoy it,'' adding, ''I could never bear to watch someone doing badly what I knew I could do well.'' By the time power had lost its thrill, he claims, no one in the Council was competent to take over.

When Theo calls him on this self-delusion, Xan replies, ''Have you ever known anyone to give up power, real power?''

Theo fully grasps this explanation and carries its lesson to the underground group that hopes to overthrow Xan's tyranny. ''If you did succeed, what an intoxication of power,'' he says.

That warning comes back to haunt the entire novel, and it's a theme the film could have put to fuller use. In its second half the screen version of ''Children of Men'' all but abandons its social concerns. (We see that immigrants have been forced into camps, but how and why?) It becomes a thoughtful chase movie. And even with Mr. Owen's tough yet stirring performance, Theo is more conventional on screen. Like the film character, the book's Theo has also lost a small child, but he has been responsible for the death, no state for a movie hero to be in.

When the film loses its energy for politics and its taste for ambiguity, that makes the difference between a good movie and an exceptional one. (There are lesser reasons; was it necessary for two characters actually to say, ''Jesus Christ'' when learning of the near-miraculous pregnancy and birth?)

The ending of the novel is brilliantly ambiguous and entirely different from the film's, as the potential for the ''intoxication of power'' falls into unexpected hands. As Ms. James said in an interview when the book came out: ''The detective novel affirms our belief in a rational universe because, at the end, the mystery is solved. In 'The Children of Men' there is no such comforting resolution.'' It is comforting for both moviegoers and readers, though, to have Clive and P. D. as the season's best odd couple.
Author(s): Caryn James
Column Name: Film
Section: E
Publication title: New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Dec 28, 2006. pg. E.1
Source type: Newspaper
ISSN: 03624331
ProQuest document ID: 1186984861
Text Word Count 1236

I plan on finding this book as soon as I have finished the others that are stacked upon my desk, see the movie, read the book, or the other way around and let me know what you think, I'd like to hear people's thoughts.

Mission World: See this Movie

The film: Children of Men

I have waited for weeks for this shocking “brave new future”; “Apocalypse close, but not yet” Political drama that was finally released here in the Midwest last week Friday. Kristen and I saw Children of Men today at the AMC Arbor Lakes theater in Maple Grove.
Here is the movie Trailer found on YouTube uploaded by sallbritton

or Apple Trailers

Both the NY Times and the Star Tribune have had positive reviews with the Star Tribune having the best IMO and giving 4 stars here are a few excerpts:
Text in black are my added thoughts and comments
Movie review: Future shock in 'Children of Men'
"Children of Men" offers a brilliant look at a dark future -- with a small glimmer of hope.
By Colin Covert, Star Tribune
The time is soon, the place familiar, the vision devastating. London, 2027, is a crowded, decaying metropolis under martial law. "The world has collapsed; only Britain soldiers on," TV announcers declare. Video walls report endless overseas wars and advertise pharmaceutical suicide kits. An infertility pandemic swept the globe in 2009. Humanity as a species is at its last gasp, while humanity as a spiritual quality is gone already.

The story's focus is Theo (Clive Owen), a rumpled, booze-soaked bureaucrat with the Ministry of Energy (the movie is not without moments of sharp irony or inaccuracy if you read the book). Years ago he went along for the ride when his onetime partner Julian (Julianne Moore) (who makes a rather short appearance and could have played a larger role in the film IMO) pulled him into dissident politics. Suddenly she's back, seeking Theo's help to transport a secretive young refugee named Kee (Claire Hope-Ashitey) across England. Theo is suspicious; the activists pursue noble-sounding ends with violent, treacherous means. Most of the film's bloodshed is committed in the name of freedom.

Still, Theo agrees, maybe for the paltry bribe Julian offers, maybe because seeing her reanimates him, or maybe because it's the decent thing to get sullen young Kee out of London's urban hell.

But the forest has its terrors, too. Theo and Kee face outbursts of brilliantly orchestrated carnage that could be handheld war footage, and their baptism of fire changes them. Theo goes from clinging to existence to embracing life, courageously protecting the girl, while she entrusts him with a secret that could alter mankind's future.

Director Alfonso Cuaron (who made "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" genuinely fantastic) films "Children of Men" with a grimy realism that grips your nerves and never lets go. There are tour-de-force chase sequences here that would make Spielberg weep hot tears of envy (my personal favorite part of this review, sounds like something my brother or I would say), and the crystalline cinematography is a gallery of astonishments.

In most sci-fi epics, special effects substitute for story. Here they seamlessly advance it; the double-decker buses feature dazzling video billboards, while the interiors are shabby and worn. It's such densely textured atmosphere that makes the strongest impression; almost every location carries the haunting sense that terrible things happened on this spot. (still more backstory would have been better)
Excerpts end here.

Colin Covert • ccovert@startribune.com
©2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
To see the entire article online

Now you have seen the trailer and you have read one of the reviews of this film, so the task is now to tell me what you think…how close are we to the depictions of the future and if anyone has read the book, would you recommend reading it before seeing the film or after?

This is your assignment blogosphere readers of this outpost known as Ain’t nothin but a drew thing, take it or leave it (and I do hope you take it) :-D

First post of 2007!/The Vault: TCF Bank Stadium

Happy New Year Blogosphere and a warm welcome to 2007. -Note, some changes and additions have been made since the original date; Date of Changes: January 9th, 2006: the Day after OSU got beat by the Florida Gators...
And what a way to begin 2007, with the firing of Minnesota Gophers Football Coach Glen Mason 2 days after his loss to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl which has been stated at the biggest come back defeat in bowl History. Not to worry since the rest of the Big Ten hasn't been doing so hot in bowl games this year.
This has been a topic of much discussion at the Wambach house along with the discussion of who the University of Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi should hire when it comes time to hire a new Head Coach for the Gophers. I'd keep an eye on my brothers blog in the next few days, as he is the expert of all things college football and a Minnesotan that bleeds Maroon and Gold.
With all of this talk surrounding the Gophers, The Star Tribune had a good article on the TCF Bank Stadium also known as the Vault.
Photos were released Yesterday by HOK architects designers of the Vault, and photos appeared in the Star Tribune article I have linked above.

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

The stadium, although requiring significant investment, will be a great new addition to campus and to the region. But most importantly for the Gophers, it will help land (hopefully) a new and exciting coach, improve recruiting, generate more revenue, and increase attendance at games. I, like many others, have liked the new East-West orientation with the open bowl that provides great views of the University of Minnesota's important neighbor Downtown Minneapolis and its signature skyline. Minnesotan's will once again have to be prepared to face the elements though with an open air stadium after enjoying the luxuries of indoor football provided at the dome, but with the way Global Warming or Global Climate Change has affected Minnesota (especially in the fall) I think we'll survive.

An added note to tack onto this post, recently in the comments a friend of mine asked how the Central Corridor would be tied into the site plan and where a possible station would go...
To answer this question I am posting the site plan that was posted on the development forum: Minnescraper by user blocksi.

From Blog Photos

In the bottom right corner, there is a large structure to the rear of the stadium with the words: University Development Transit Hub, and on the Southwestern corner of that building is labeled a potential CC LRT station. Now, whether the CC LRT will follow this implied alignment is debatable but it is good to see the University of Minnesota is actively planning and participating with the future of CC LRT. Hope that answers the question :-D

Lot's of links with this post I guess, but oh well. Things that are new in my neck of the woods include the decision to stay at home for my final semester at the University of Minnesota. I finished Thomas E. Rick's book Fiasco. And have started reading books on Public Transportation to help with my senior thesis which for the moment I am undecided as to what to write about, however, the two topics at present are: (1)Public Transportation Policy in Minnesota and comparison to Scandinavian Public Transportation: My ISP while I was participating in the SUST program (see old posts) and possibly (2) The need for investment in High Speed Rail in the Midwest. The second topic follows closely with a string of discussion: High Speed Trains - the 21st Century Freeway System? from the Minnescraper development forum that I often frequent. Also, we are getting closer to the start of Spring Semester which means time to buy textbooks!!
On the fun side of reading I am almost finished with Eric Nyland's third book of his series involving the Halo Universe this one titled Halo:Ghosts of Onyx. I also got some books for Christmas that I am hoping to plough through including a new book by Jared Diamond as well as a book on the Cholera epidemic that plagued London in 1854 (let's hope that doesn't happen to us).
Cheers for 2007 blogoshpere!

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

I’d like to start this Holiday post with the lyrics of one of my favorite holiday songs:
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas as sung by Burl Ives

Have a holly, jolly Christmas,
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow,
But have a cup of cheer.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas,
And when you walk down the street
Say hello to friends you know
And everyone you meet.

Oh, ho, the mistletoe
Hung where you can see,
Somebody waits for you
Kiss her once for me.

Have a holly jolly Christmas,
And in case you didn't hear,
Oh by golly, have a holly,
Jolly Christmas this year.

What a Holiday this has been indeed. Kristen and I celebrated our Christmas on the 23rd, exchanging gifts and making dinner together. We made our own pizzas with one consisting of pepperoni, green peppers, and onions while the second was a chicken, bacon, and garlic pizza in the style of our favorite gourmet Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza. The second pizza was delicious, however, the bacon we used was maple bacon and added an interesting flavor. We grinded up most of the ingredients using Kristen’s present from me, a 2-quart food processor from Cuisinart.

During dinner we enjoyed some white whine and watched the first few episodes of Animaniacs on DVD that Kristen gave me both Volume 1 and 2 of for Christmas followed by TLOTR: The Return of the King Extended edition of which Kristen was only able to make through the first half before heading to bed. I don’t blame her, even through the second half of the film I was struggling to stay awake and jumping from scene to scene before throwing in the towel and heading to bed.

Christmas Eve I spent the morning out in Dassel with Kristen’s family visiting with her Dad, siblings, and cats Shadow and Quinton. We all enjoyed a great lunch consisting of ham and cheesy potatoes (my first serving of the dish for the holiday) and the Urban’s were introduced to the Wambach’s famous Christmas cookies of sprits, peanut butter star cookies, and chocolate covered peanut butter balls. Then we opened some presents. I wasn’t expecting anything, but came out with three gifts including all the albums of the Cranberries from Kristen’s younger brother Ryan, Harvey Birdman volume II on DVD, and lastly the Orville Redenbacher official Presto popcorn maker, a gift I have been asking for from Kristen and my folks for the past three Christmases. The Presto is a superior popcorn-popping machine because of no-unpopped kernels.

In the afternoon, I left for Brooklyn Park and dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house with my family along with my aunt Andrea and her husband Andrew. We all enjoyed some delicious roast beef (our holiday traditional feast) and my second serving of cheesy potatoes, a staple of holiday feats followed by another tradition: cranberry cake and butter sauce. Afterwards we all enjoyed some coffee and visiting and then opened presents. I got some new kitchen knives from Chicago Cutlery along with a new cutting board, a pair of kitchen shears (sensing a theme here), Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0 (episodes 1-10 of season 2, why they couldn’t release the entire season 2 in one set???), and a Best Buy gift card from Grandma and Grandpa.

When we got home from the Grandparent’s house, our immediate family opened presents and it was an REI Christmas for a lot of us. My Dad has been working at the new REI in Maple Grove since late August and so the majority of gifts from him were of outdoor clothing which I am going to need for our coming trip to Glacier National Park hopefully in July.

And lastly, we spent the day down in Canon Falls with the usual suspects my Uncle Bill and his wife Karen and my aunt Cindy with her husband John who I haven’t seen since I was at least 5 or maybe younger. We had another great meal and a good visit with family; especially the conversation I had with my grandpa FB about my time in Scandinavia.

I think the best part of the Holiday was my evening with Kristen and the morning in Dassel along with the catching up I had with my brother Frank who I hadn’t much time to hang out with.

Plans are in motion for New Years Eve, should be a blast, but more on that in another post…

Once again, Merry Christmas

A weekend of Parties: Sweater and Cookie

Last weekend, Kristen and I spent the entire weekend together. Kristen had her Last Final of Fall Semester Saturday morning and as a surprise I gave her a cake from Byerly's that we finally finished off tonight after dinner.

Kristen's Cake


Later on Saturday night we attended Kristen and Meghan’s friends Anna and Beth’s Ugly Sweater Party over at their place in Prospect Park. The premise of the Ugly Sweater party is to find the most god awful holiday sweater at a place such as Savers or second hand store, then drink and snack the night away with others who have horrible sweaters as well, sounds like a good time right? It indeed was a good time; Kristen and I wore our fancy new Dale of Norway Sweaters that were only cheesy because we were wearing the Male and Female versions of the same Sweater.

Kristen, Myself, and Erik and his GF Audrey at the Sweater Party


Other Sweaters included vests and my Friend Erik sported a full-fledged pair of Christmas Pajamas. The food was great with a neat chip dip and meatballs provided by Anna and Beth, while Kristen and I brought some holiday Brae cheese and crackers. The drink of choice for me for the night were Amaretto Sours that were quite tasty followed by a few Killian’s Beers that I split with the KU. The party was great in that we were able to visit with friends of ours that we hadn’t seen in a while and I got to talk a little bit more about being abroad.

Sunday, Kristen and I attended our second party of the weekend; a holiday cookie party for the Wambach’s hosted by my Aunt Andrea and her husband Andrew over at their house in South Minneapolis. It was great visiting with members of the family and enjoying all sorts of Christmas cookies including Peanut Butter Balls, Sprits, and others along with some hot coffee and of course good conversation.

Monday, the two of us ventured out to the Mall of America for some Holiday shopping and to see the world’s Largest Gingerbread House. Both of us felt like the trip was a success and were out of the mall by 3:30 PM.

Since I have been back in Minnesota, Kristen and I have been spending a lot of time together, which makes me a happy caboose. We have been catching up on movies including Superman Returns which we rented a couple of days ago from Blockbuster and we also saw the remake of Casino Royal with Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007. We also recently saw The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as competing Victorian illusionists. The film also contains a great supporting cast of Michael Cain, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie as the inventor Nikolas Tesla; inventor of the Tesla Coil.

Tonight we saw The Holiday at the new AMC Roseville 14 Theater that opened December 8th I believe. Quite the cinema there with very large auditoriums and huge screens that go from floor to ceiling and ticket prices of $6 dollars per person Monday-Thursday. The Holiday, while a good holiday romantic comedy, starring Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Jude Law, and Cameron Diaz was a little too focused on the character relationships of Law and Diaz when the one that Kristen and I wanted to see more of was the relationship between Jack Black and Kate Winslet. Read the NY Times Review.

5 days till Christmas, it’s practically here to quote the Grinch. I have almost all of my shopping done save for a few spare items here and there. Tomorrow or in this case today looking at the time, Kristen and I plan on attending a free screening of Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller at the Bell Museum Auditorium of the University of Minnesota. Hopefully we will get there in enough time to get seats and I hope to persuade Kristen to stick around for the flashlight tour of the museum after the film.

Not sure when I will get another post in, still lots to do, so until next time…

Goodnight

Posts of Norway

All the posts from my 4 month Study Abroad in Norway: Starting from the first to the last.

• Chaos...Total and utter chaos
  
• Great End to a Very Long Week
• The People you meet while doing...laundry
• Building Community...One Kitchen at a time
• Updates and weekend plans
• Bergen and Stavanger
• Nigard Glacier
• London Calling and the Mother & Child Reunion
• Now that's what I call an Underground
• A glimpse into what we do
• Snow at Sogn
• My ISP
• A Glimpse into what we do pt. 2...
• Stockholm Sweden
• Latest Addiction
• A week in review
• 2 Days left in Norway
• The Final Praxis
• Back in Minnesota

20 posts dating from August 2006 to December, what a ride, most of the pictures are still up on flickr as well as Picasa...For those that missed out on previous posts...enjoy :-D

Some of my favorite photos from Scandinavia:
Stortinget

SUST group at Folk Museum

Globen Arena Stockholm

Preikestolen


And lastly...
The Oslo T-Bane



Another great way to look at these posts is by clicking on the labels at the bottom of the post, that way you can see all the posts with similar labels.

Added: January, 27, 2007 by Author...
Misc. stuff from Facebook when I was in Norway:
Activites:NORWAY, hiking, taking the T-Bane to Blindern every Monday-Thursday, taking pictures, making movies, meeting other international students, reading...whew this list got long...Conquering Glaciers, eating Kebabs!, using all variations of the Kroner, being informally taught Norwegian by my flatmates and other SUST members, all a part of STUDY ABROAD!!!

Interests:Scandinavia, European Politics, relationships with the US and the roles the EU will play in the near future, how the US and Minnesota can better ourselves by looking to our Scandinavian and European Bretheren.

-I was cleaning house on Facebook and it was time for some things to be updated, but I didn't want to lose them forever...best solution, tack them onto an old post regarding the time I had in Norway.

Christmas List!!!

This is of course a work in progress with the help of Amazon.com and the wish list listings:
to see the list, click here.
After visiting the Rosedale Expansion, looking over some of the winter fashions, and picking up some t-shirts at Express, I decided that a big thing on my list this year would be Gift Cards. There are a lot of good clothes in the high-end malls of this state and I could use some nice looking stuff for interviews for internships and the coming job market. I am a little scared to buy new pants, having just returned from Scandinavia I noticed that I can fit into a lot of my older jeans and I hope to continue to be able to wear them ;-)
This next semester it is my intent to go to the rec center as much as I can, to keep this slimer me and to make myself more physically fit for this coming summer's trip to Glacier National Park with Franky J, and my Dad.
4th of December already tomorrow and the shopping season is in full swing.

Back in Minnesota

Well, I have made it back to Minnesota in one piece. On wednesday morning, my friend Tobias picked me up and took me to Ulleval Stadion to catch the Flybussen to the airport. From the airport I checked my bags, got through security, and I caught my first flight from Oslo to Amsterdam and then onwards from Amsterdam to Minneapolis directly. The flight from Minneapolis lasted about 9 and a half hours and I got into Minneapolis international at 3:20 in the afternoon where I was greeted by my Dad and Kristen.

From Blog Photos

After getting home and relaxing a bit; my Mom, Kristen and myself met up with Franky J and Megan for dinner at the Granite City Brewery in Maple Grove.
Friday night, Kristen threw a surprise party for me with some friends from the University of Minnesota and we all had a good time visiting and catching up.

From Blog Photos

The rest of the weekend I spent with Kristen relaxing, watching some movies including favorites I missed while I was in Norway: Ghostbusters and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (The best of the three), and we checked out the new expansion at Rosedale Center and found some ideas for Christmas presents.
Now it is Sunday evening, and the folks and I are watching some television after eating a delicious meal of Ham, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and roasted pineapples. I am also working on creating a Christmas list due to the rapidly approaching holiday. Tomorrow I am heading into campus to attend an Urban Studies professional screaning.

The Final Praxis...Cheers to being done academically with SUST

Since I didn't get any sleep last night...not really sure why? Figured I would post this final praxis reflection paper. Enjoy.

Summing up

A Semester in Scandinavia

When I first came to Norway, I knew very little about the country and therefore had few assumptions about what the country was like. Unlike the others in the SUST program who had family connections here, I chose to study in Norway for purely academic reasons. I wanted to have an experience that would deepen my knowledge of urban life as it is experienced in another country. The opportunity to study public transport systems of similar sized metropolitan areas to that of the Twin Cities through the ISP was a major draw.

Because I was basically uninformed about Norway, I do not think I have experienced the shock that some of the other SUST participants have experienced. I did not have a strong image of Norway as the: “Land of the Vikings”, with beautiful landscapes, strong environmentalism, tolerance of other backgrounds, openness to all, etc. So, this program has both informed me about these images and crumbled them. The course readings and our guests have revealed growing tensions of xenophobia, consequences created by a constructed national identity, discrimination based on ethnic background, and a growing divide between the wealthy and the poor even with Scandinavia’s Welfare system. I learned that these issues are sometimes considered taboo; subjects that “we don’t talk about here”. By not having a strong perception of what Norway was before coming here, I created the understanding of what Norway is as it was presented to me in the readings and in class discussions.

After reflecting on the semester in general, I realize that I have had very few problems or obstacles that I have had to overcome. In some of our travels I have been thwarted by the airlines in getting to certain destinations (Bergen-Stavanger), yet through patience and perseverance I was able to get to those places eventually and reconnect with the group. In doing research for my ISP, my lack of ability to read Norwegian was an obstacle because important documents were only published in Norwegian with short English summaries. However, I was able to overcome this by contacting and talking to important researchers through my placement at the Norwegian Conservation Society. It made me feel proud to hear positive comments from my program director about my efforts to establish contacts regardless of my lack of experience with the Norwegian language.

Overall I think adapted very well to living in Norway. This can be attributed to the many similarities between Norway and the US in regards to daily life, which I described in my praxis regarding globalization. I was able to buy food that was familiar to me and didn’t have to eat fish eyes or something of the equivalent. My living space at Sogn was similar to that of most student housing developments in the US. I was able to make new friends, something that was a challenge for me. It is easy to rely on family and old friends rather than push myself to meet new people. I hope to stay in contact with my new friends and visit them in the future.

In addition to making new friends, I was able to survive a 4-month separation from my girlfriend who awaits my return. This period provided me with insight into what couples often face in long distance relationships including feelings of jealousy and loneliness, and the arguments that can flare up from the smallest of things. Through this study abroad Kristen and I learned a lot about each other and how we interact with one another when the conversation isn’t face to face.

Finally although I have traveled quite a bit with my family, this was my first trip alone. Before I left on this trip I was worried that things would go wrong and I wouldn't know what to do. I found that even when things go wrong, I can solve the problem. I have survived a traveling here, and the huge ordeal that was, but also arranging other trips in Europe including the trip my Mother and I enjoyed in London during the semester break in October. All of the travel I have done over the past four months has increased my confidence in my ability to solve problems and reduced my fear of traveling on my own.

Through the SUST program I was exposed to a large range of issues facing contemporary Scandinavia including the importance of national identity, immigration and integration, and the future of the welfare state. What I found interesting was how all of these large topics are in themselves interconnected to each other, and how they continue to fuel the center-periphery struggle in Norway, my core issue. I have been particularly fascinated by this debate the entire semester because it relates so closely to things that Minnesota politically is facing in the wake of increased urbanization and centralizing forces. So far this topic has been covered in several sets of critical questions and at least two praxis reflection papers.

In my first praxis paper (Wambach, Praxis 1, 2006) I summarized the work of Knut Heidar (2001) on the creation of Norwegian identity. Heider describes how Norwegian identity was created by social elites who searched for a “pure Norwegian” after gaining independence from Sweden and earlier Denmark. These elites were looking for an identity that was as far from Danish influence as possible. Thus the periphery of Norway, due to the lack of communication technology at the time, along with common Scandinavian ancestry was the perfect place to find the foundation for the fledgling identity. (Wambach, Praxis 1 page 3, 2006). As Szlachetko stated, at the time Norway achieved independence, there were no large urban areas in existence. The relative lack of urbanization, tied with Norway’s geographical conditions, mandated that the regions were more important and self-sustaining out of necessity. The traits that lead to success in a challenging agrarian environment, such as persistence, physical strength, stoicism, and self-sufficiency (or what ever you have read - throw it in here) are still championed in Norway. Yet Norway has developed large urban centers where cooperation, collaboration and tolerance of diverse life styles will be needed to avoid urban problems such as congestion, pollution and disenfranchisement of segments of the population.

Recently this issue has been brought to the forefront for myself with our recent visit with Ketil Solvik-Olsen of the Progress Party of Norway. During that talk I brought up the issue of transportation planning to which he responded quickly and without further discussion that his party favors road investment over investment in critical rail infrastructure. Andrea tried to keep the conversation going by asking whether rail transport would threaten the current decentralized state of Norway, and if favoring roads was a simple form of showing opposition. Though he did not address her question, Andrea was on the right track. In any country there are likely to be forces promoting centralization and those promoting decentralization. Transportation planning is one area of decision-making where those forces become apparent. Like in the US, those in the periphery are often opposed to projects that increase centralizing forces such as investment in High Speed Rail and public transport subsidy. Parties who are in favor of public transportation spending, such as the Social Democrats and to some degree the Conservative party, support these projects due to the benefits of centralization. Hamilton (2004) described how investment in critical infrastructure is often justified because of the creation of economic growth that often occurs as a result of these projects. The economic growth is generated from reduced costs in the movement of people and goods, jobs created while the network is being built, jobs needed to maintain new rolling stock and guideways, etc. However, one could also argue that decentralization can also be encouraged at the same time with these investments because it makes it easier to travel to and from major urban centers of the decentralized state. For example, in the USA planners argue against improving highways, because adding more lanes to roads encourages development further from the urban core called "urban sprawl". Advocates for roads argue that most people prefer to live in more rural or suburban settings and roads allow us to do that, improving our quality of life.
In another praxis I described how classic Scandinavia Literature and art support this stigma against city life. For example, Knut Hamsun’s Growth of the Soil and artwork featured prominently in the National Gallery examine the problems of urban living. Szlachetko commented that the depiction of the urban areas during the early 19th century or height of the industrial revolution often depict the misery of urban life. This is also a common feature in the US art where very strong depictions of the harshness of the urban realm and the need to escape to the peripheries can be found in 19th century literature and art.

Through the process of examining these competing forces in Norwegian culture I have become more aware of how they operate in the USA. For example, our SUST group has discussed the threat to the periphery that Norway’s potential integration with the EU creates through the targeted elimination of subsidies in the fisheries and agricultural sectors (Matlary, 2004). Political parties such as the center party that was formally the agrarian party continue to lobby for these subsidies without addressing the negative effects of continuing these subsidies such as inefficiency and lack of competition. This is similar to Minnesota where lobbyists have called for an increase in the size of feedlots to support increases in livestock production for farmers without considering any of the negative side effects such as environmental degradation through “feedlot” farming practices. I have also come to see how competing forces influence my own personal choices. For example, I believe that using mass transit is better than driving for the environment, but it is sure more convenient to hop in the car. Reconciling the need for preserving the environment with my need to travel when and where I like is a challenge.

To conclude the center-periphery debate for Norway and other states is a dialectical problem. Dialectical problems require us to combine a thesis with its antithesis, or bring together two contradictory ideas, to create a synthesis. Hanging onto core values and traditions of the past while at the same time strengthening these traditions by adapting to changing circumstances is an example of synthesis. Another example is the pursuit of High-Speed Rail to enhance centralization while promoting decentralization at the same time. Seeing problems as either or – we either have or do not have centralization – limits our ability to come up with creative solutions. But dialectical thinking is hard, especially when we are highly committed to our positions. From my vantage point as an outsider, it is easier to see need for synthesis in the problems faced by Norwegians, than it is to see the potential for synthesis in problems we face in the USA, or that I face in my personal life. I hope that as I return to my usual environment, the lessons I have learned through this study abroad experience will help me recognize and think through the dialectical problems I will surely encounter in the future.

2 days Left in Norway

The countdown has begun for the return trip home. For Kristen this countdown has been occurring since late October and will now finally come to a close in the next two days. It is currently 3:08 AM here in Oslo Norway. I am wide awake for some reason and thought I would do some free writing to possibly make myself tired.
Last night was Saturday night, my last Saturday in Oslo, and nothing exciting happened. That’s not to say the night was a total waste, but it was close. My friends all felt tired and didn’t want to go out to the city, Mark is getting set for his trip to Amsterdam and is saving money, and I think Jennifer has a cold and I hope she starts to feel better. Saturday night consisted of sitting in Mark’s room chatting, drinking a couple beers, eating some chips, and enjoying the wonders of YouTube with music video clips featuring David Bowie and Ray Parker Junior’s Ghostbusters.
The weather has been to blame in regards to people not wanting to venture out in my opinion, then again, we are very close to the end and people need to pack who are leaving in the next few days, and then the other students here at Sogn who most of us are friends with are preparing for their final papers and exams as well, making it difficult to go out and have a good time.

Oslo City Hall, semi rainy and cold night

Just another thing I’ll have to add to the list of things I want to do when revisiting this Northern portion of Europe called Scandinavia.
I finished my Final Praxis paper earlier this evening, and yesterday I began taking down cards, photos, maps, and posters down from my walls and started to feel sad. I gave away a bunch of my kitchen stuff tonight because I wasn’t going to be cooking here again in the time between now and Wednesday morning when I plan on catching the Express bus at Ulleval Stadion to the Oslo Lufthaven (Oslo Airport). Hopefully I can have Henrike and Tobias help me load up my suitcase in their car and give me a lift down to the bus stop.

The room, getting set for the departure
Tonight Alizee and Cora did some baking in the kitchen, which was nice. Alizee made a chocolate cake and offered a piece to everyone in the flat while Cora made cupcakes. I feel bad for not baking with them, I tried cooking for people a number of times and shared my meals with Marie so that she wouldn’t have to cook when she came home late a few times but it wasn’t a reoccurring thing.
Photo added 1-31-07

Eating some Peppes Pizza with the Flatmates before heading back to the states, it is something that I wish I would have done more of, but upon reflection I spent a lot of time with students from other countries vs. hanging out with other Americans.
Leaving for the SUST retreat tomorrow morning at 9:30 from Ulleval Stadion, so I need to get to sleep.
Probably have one or two more posts before I leave Norway,
Cheers.

Another late edition:
Some photos from the Retreat:
Morning at Sogn


A Cabin fit for a SUST retreat

A Week in Review

The past week has been pretty hectic. It started Sunday night when I pulled an “all-nighter” to finish my Independent Study Project (ISP) report on Scandinavian Public Transport and the presentation that would follow later on Monday afternoon. Once I had finished the Oslo section, the most detailed, I switched gears to the systems of Copenhagen and Stockholm and was able to find some good information but not to the degree of detail that I was able to get from studying the Oslo Public Transport atmosphere through my work at the Norwegian Conservation Society and the researchers I had contacted during my time here. Suffice to say, I was able to finish the report and had a total of 17 pages single-spaced due to images and figures used in the report and created a 22-slide presentation from that report.

From Blog Photos

The X60 Commuter train, manufactured by Alstom
photo taken by User:Udo Schröter
date: August 2005
first upload: 16:11, Aug. 13, 2005 -­ sv:Wikipedia by the photographer
URL

The presentation went well, even though I was incredibly nervous and kind of loopy for not having sleep the night before. Tim quickly noticed that my skin color had turned to a very pale white and after our field seminar that morning suggested I go back to Sogn and get some rest. However, had I done that I wouldn’t have woken up for my presentation. So during our time between the seminar and my presentation I tweaked some things in the PowerPoint and added some extra pictures. After class, I went straight home to Sogn and crashed hard. I slept straight until about 10:30 or 11:00 PM, and then woke up for a snack. Afterwards I slept from midnight till about 10:00 Am I think, and then I had to hoof it to our seminar at the ISS classroom discussing Growth Fetishism in the world economy. Very interesting topic.
Later on Tuesday, our SUST group met with the Norwegian Progress Party at Stortinget that was very revealing. For the entire semester the Progress Party has been labeled as very Xenophobic in regards to its stand on immigration and integration issues and on the amount of foreign aid that they support. The man we spoke with, new where we were coming from politically and answered our questions very well. However, when I launched into him about High-Speed Rail and their opinions regarding Public Transport he told me straight that they supported cars over rails, however, he did not go into greater detail.
Wednesday involved the last meeting with my volunteer placement with the Norwegian Conservation Society. My advisor, Holger Schlaupitz, and I attended a High-Speed Rail conference hosted by Jernbaneverket (the Norwegian National Rail Authority) from 10:00 Am to 3:30 PM. The conference started with a presentation from a German Consortium VWI from Stuttgart, who showed the phase 1 of their analysis on the feasibility of High-Speed Rail in Norway. They concluded that the most feasible alignment for High-Speed service would be single track from Oslo to Trondheim based on market aspects. The travel time between Oslo and Trondheim would be reduced from 6 hours to 2 and half hours and serve 5,000 passengers a day. Their was a strong negative reaction from many of the attendants who were surprised that the Oslo-Bergen line was not selected, environmental effects were left out, etc. Personally I was surprised that a single track system was proposed when double track can allow for faster speeds and reduced dwell times for passenger trains at stations. Followed by the presentation from the Germans were two presentations by Norwegian proposals, the first being Den Sørnorske Høyhastighetsringen which basically means High Speed Ring route, a very ambitious project, however, is supported by the Conservative Party I think; and the second presentation was from a company called Norsk Bane AS whose website I have linked in a previous post.
The Oslo-Gardermoen Flytoget Express Train

From Blog Photos

Origionally uploaded by Mr. Kjetil Ree, on wikipedia, origional image can be found here. Currently this is the closest thing to High-Speed Rail in Norway.

Thursday involved our final field seminar as our SUST group, when we all visited the Henie Onstad Art Center, where Maria has been working this semester and will continue to work for after the program is done. Thursday also consisted of the level 2 Norwegian students Mark, Jennifer, and Heather taking their Oral exams and then having their final Norwegian exam on Friday.
For me, Friday I spent the whole day walking around Oslo and taking care of some holiday shopping. In the evening I hung out with Tobias, Henrike, Marc, and Friederike. Marc and Friederike had visited the Freia chocolate factory earlier in the day, and told us all about it.
Now it is Saturday, and the weather sure hasn’t been cooperating this week at all. It has been raining for almost this entire week; I personally wish it had snowed but oh well. Have one more academic thing to do and that is the Final Praxis that is due on Monday before we leave for our SUST retreat where we will be staying in a hytte until Tuesday and coming back to Oslo.
Not sure what will happen this evening, but as the last partying night in Oslo, it should be a blast.

Be back in the Twin Cities soon.