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The Constant Janitor

I'm back in Denmark and with my new way of living I find myself in the truly wonderous situation of doing my janitor duty, sweeping leaves and then answering a call regarding my communication company, giving primers for press releases and contacting politicians.

Truly odd. And what a great job to have: spin janitor.

Maritime Security Status II

I'll be writing the conference report again this year from the Maritime Security Status Conference at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport.

An interesting highlight should be:

Strategic trends within and beyond Al Qaeda and its implications for maritime security and piracy - Dr Magnus Ranstorp, University of St. Andrews

En samtale med satan?

I det seneste nummer af RetorikMagasinet har jeg skrevet en artikel om Osama Bin Laden's tale fra oktober sidste år. Den er baseret på det essay jeg havde i Journal of Diplomatic Language.

RetorikMagasinet har i øvrigt fået et nyt lay-out. Det er meget regelret, professionelt - og lidt tandlæge-agtigt.

Tjek det ud.

MI6 and ethos

It is a difficult question: Should we change our rhetorical profile so as to be able to adress people whom we normally have no credibility with?

The question is pressing when considering strategic communication in the war against terrorism as well as more operational intelligence works. Today the The Observer can reveal that MI6 had plans for doing 'black propaganda' as to infiltrate extremist islamists on the internet. This of course raises a cry of protest from the political world - as the norm is that we as democratic citizens should always be behind our words and not manipulate etc. - a standard that is then transferred to our democratic institutions, like the intelligence services.

My dissertation touches on this dilemma and so does my essay in Journal of Diplomatic Language. My solution is to a large extend that we should focus much more on the individual level of description and further the mastery of communication. But as the MI6 case show, this will not resolve the basic dilemma without being followed up by a clear intent from our politicians.

The Best and the Worst - Part II

Studying in London...

The best is going to a lecture by some guy who actually published a book and who is seen as a world class expert - but it is worse to realise that men are just men and that world class experts can be mediocre lecturerers.

The best is feeling a sting of Britishness coming on when the air of OxBridge and the classical English education tradition blows through the University halls in mis-matched suit and a wise gaze over the spectacles. The worst is that I still to this day cannot spell 'sovereignty' right in the first go. Soverignty... Souvreignty... Sovereignity...

The best is getting new friends and remembering that friend-material is constant all over the world - you make friends with the same people here as you would have there. The worst is that all the same chances pass you by whereever you are - the things you don't do here is the same things you don't do there.

The Best and the Worst

Having turned in my dissertation yesterday (yay!) and flying out later today (huhu!), there is only left to paraphrase Charles Bukowski and Søren Ulrik Thomsen and exclaim "The best and the worst" - Part One: Wolfson House

The best is the view from 14th floor. The worst is when that Chinese guy pees on the same spot on the floor - EVERY time.

The best is returning from Borough Market in the winter with a fresh chocolate brownie and a buzz from warm cider. The worst is some guy's bag from Tesco in the fridge that you watch go brown and rot until you finally throw it out in anger.

The best is finding out you can catch internet through the window in your squalid room - thereby increasing its value by 200%. The worst is being woken in the night by somebody slamming the front door, slamming the hallway door, slamming a room door - twice - then the toilet door one time and again, the room door one final time. Then the room door from someone who was woken by the racket slams, then the toilet door. Continue ad infinitum...