Phlegma weblog

The Case for Closing Churches

Ever since the Catholic church came to Norway a thousand years ago, people have been building churces. Now it's time to tear some of them down.

There was a time when it made sence to build and keep all the churces, that every little community had their own congregation. But not anymore.

If you go into any given church on any given sunday, you'll notice that the congregation is small - and consist mostly of elderly people. When you add the fact that several churches have to close down during winter to save power, and others turn off the lights to save a quid or two.

As our society gets more and more secular, fewer and fewer attends church for anything other than baptisms, communions, weddings and funerals. So the only solution is to close them down. Not all, but many.

We have means of transportation other than our feet, horses and rowing boats. We can go to a church that is more than a couple of kilometers away. And the effects of closing down some churches can only be positive. The economy of the church will improve, the congregation will become bigger and more versatile, and we may again see churches that are open at all times - and we may actually see them.

Back - again

Ok, I'm back. I have been away for quite some time, but hopefully you will appreciate this.

Since the last post, I've taken up a position as a assistant editor for a local newspaper, and thus work for up to 14 hours a day. (I can even get up to 20... But then again - sometimes I can leave at two pm.)

I'll try to post some of my points for the editorials in the blog and try it out for you. I will appreciate every comment you have on these - as well as all the other ones...

Sincerly, Phlegma

How to be creative

Hugh at gapingvoid has got twelve points on how to be creative. Read it here. It very, very good.

Thanks to Tim at Bloggerheads for the link.

Computer = trouble

My PC is down, and my computer hot line (read: my IT-educated friend) is out of town. Thus I'm barred from the net. And when I'm at job there isn't much time to be blogging. But I try.

I've been working this weekend - as sports editor. In a small rural newspaper it means that I'm the only journalist working sports. And that's fine. But I can't understand why they keep putting the football matches so close to our deadline.

Joke aside. I've been working hard, and haven't been able to keep my posts coming in as usual. I will remedy this in the coming week. (Hopefully my computer hot line will be back from his vacation soon)

Naomi Klein: Anybody but Bush

Naomi Klein, the author of No Logo, has got a piece in the Guardian.

This madness has to stop, and the fastest way of doing that is to elect John Kerry, not because he will be different but because in most key areas - Iraq, the "war on drugs", Israel/Palestine, free trade, corporate taxes - he will be just as bad. The main difference will be that as Kerry pursues these brutal policies, he will come off as intelligent, sane and blissfully dull. That's why I've joined the Anybody But Bush camp: only with a bore such as Kerry at the helm will we finally be able to put an end to the presidential pathologising and focus on the issues again.

That's also a reason to vote Kerry.

Masters of the Word

When one looks at big conventions like the Democratic convention in Boston, you see that there are some politicians that are masters of the word, like State Senator Barack Obama:

...there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America—there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.

It's sad that the Democratic candidate John Kerry isn't one of them:

I was born in Colorado, in Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, when my dad was a pilot in World War II.  Now, I'm not one to read into things, but guess which wing of the hospital the maternity ward was in?  I'm not making this up.  I was born in the West Wing!

This coming from a man who are viewed as brahmin and elitist in the first place. He - or his writers - has made some pretty bad choices when it came to this speech.

Bush vs Kerry video

JibJab has got an very funny video. Bush and Kerry goes after each other - check it out.

Sex for democracy

A piece in the Sydney Morning Herald is quite an interesting read. An organisation offer sex for a non-republican vote in the upcoming election. So far, the website boasts eight models prepared to drop their pants in the name of anti-Republicanism. The website, believe us, is only suitable for adults, and open-minded ones at that.

[CDL ringleader Nathan] Martin insists the project is aimed at showing what little value Americans place on their votes. These days, he says, many voters will simply go for the better-looking candidate. "CDL contends that with such frivolous reasons for voting, why not give voters a more legitimate reward for voting?" Martin asks. "Since giving money is illegal, why not the next best thing that all politicians know and love themselves: sex?"

Thanks to perfect.co.uk for the link.

The real reasons Bush went to war

John Chapman has got a piece in the Guardian.

There were only two credible reasons for invading Iraq: control over oil and preservation of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. Yet the government has kept silent on these factors, instead treating us to the intriguing distractions of the Hutton and Butler reports.

Thanks to perfect.co.uk for the link.

The New 007

Orlando Bloom is the new James Bond. He has been signed by Miramax to star in the movie, about Bond's college days after being expelled from Eton.

There's also a rumour that Bloom will take over the part from Pierce Brosnan in the next movie that is expected in November 2005.