On the Ball: Sesame Street Edition

Copenhagen contest called off

When I said the Scandinavian truce was to take a pause, the Danes just had to go and take it too far. Sweden took a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes, only to see their lead slowly chipped away by the Danes. In the 89th minute, Poulsen of Denmark took a cheap shot at Rosenberg, reminiscent of the Zindane head butt of the 2006 World Cup. The Dane received a direct red card for the kidney punch and the Swedes were awarded a penalty kick. After the call, all hell broke loose in Parken (the stadium in Copenhagen), and a disgruntled Dane charged the field on a mission and attempted to attack the referee. The ref called the match off, and the pitch was cleared as fans pelted the field with flares/debris. After deliberation, UEFA took away the goals of Denmark, and the final score will go in the books as 3-0 Sweden.

Needless to say, I can't wait to go to Copenhagen tomorrow to see what kind of destruction the Danes unleash in their drunken fury!

Michael Moore on Sweden

Filmmaker Michael Moore has attacked the Swedish government for opening up the health service to more private sector involvement.

"I am very sorry to hear that they are selling out public healthcare. Everything that is good about public healthcare has its origins in Scandinavia," he said, adding that he thought the Swedish public would vote the centre -right Alliance government out as a result.

I accept your apology Mr. Moore...

Little Mermaid statue defaced — again

The Copenhagen Post is reporting that once again, Denmark hippies retaliated in the government takeover of their "Freetown Christiana." The city is demolishing old buildings in the district to make room for a new government subsidized housing project, which has upset the squatters that have been living there for free since the government abandoned the old military barracks in 1971.

Whilst I'm as hippie as the next guy, these "non-violent" protests have gotten a bit out of hand. They have culminated into large gatherings where protesters start big fires and throw Molotov cocktails at police. That being said, I'm totally okay with painting the joke of a statue that is the Little Mermaid though... I hope I'm not brought in for questioning for saying that.

100th Post Celebration!

In celebration of the 100th Swede In America post, I have shaved my head...

Day 3-4: London

Mind the Gap! I took an early morning stroll while James caught up on sleep. When I crossed the Victoria Bridge, I was angered to see a huge sign hanging from Big Ben, obstructing the view to my Tower. Greenpeace had hung a huge sign in protest of WMD's in England. As I made my way towards Parliament Square, I came across another riot of sorts (well more of a protest than a riot.) Parliament was voting that same day on the decision to upgrade Briton's aging nuclear arsenal for the year 2022. I struck up a conversation with a member of Greenpeace, and marched around the block a few times with the calm mob. After my protesting itch was scratched, I went back to get James. We made our way to see Buckingham Palace, and were surprised to see not the changing of the guard, but something much bigger and grander. The President of Ghana was in town to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence from the UK, and there was no shortage of spirit. Ghanese people lined the streets as hundreds of guard mounted white horses made their way down the streets, followed by golden chariots carrying England's Queen and the President of Ghana. So yes I was England and I didn't see the changing of the guard, but I think what we saw was much more memorable! I did however miss my chance to pose, Austin Powers style with a guard, as the square was closed for the celebrations.

We wandered all over the city, seeing the usual sights, and as dusk was approaching, took a commuter boat up and down The River Thames. This is a must do, as you cannot really enjoy London Bridge until you pass under it and view it from the river. The most beautiful thing I had seen... so far.

Day 1-2: Copenhagen

I thought it might be easier to remember and describe the trip if I went day by day. The trip actually started Saturday night at 23:00 when I left Sonderborg station to catch a train to Copenhagen. I had a 3 hr. layover in Fredericia where I slept among the business men in the station, waiting to catch the 3:06AM train into Copenhagen. We arrived just as the sun was rising over beautiful Copenhagen (yes, the sun does shine in Denmark), and I walked the streets as bikes begun to flood the streets. I then made my way to the airport to meet James for his early morning arrival. While waiting, I picked up a copy of the Copenhagen Post to read more about the riots that had been ravaging Copenhagen over the destruction of a youth center (Ungdomshuset), home of 800 leftist squatters. The smell of fire and the sight of demolition were evident in the streets. Police were everywhere, and I later found out that I was lucky to have made it by train from the south of Denmark, as students from Germany and The Netherlands were denied access to the city just hours before I arrived.

After observing the chaos, we made our way to Freetown Christiania. Christiania's Mission Statement: "The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted." The rules in this community are, "no hard drugs, no guns, no violence and no cars."

We then made it just in time to Amalienborg Palace for the changing of the guard. Having seen a few other royal guards, these Danish guardians of the Queen are packing some pretty big guns compared to the paltry swords of the Czech guard. The parade of music and marching is quite the ordeal, but only takes place if the Queen is in residence (lucky us!)

On to London...