Up until now, you may have noticed an error message “403 Forbidden” when visiting this blog, or making comments. I thought the problem was gone, because I couldn’t reproduce the error myself. But then I made a comment to one of my blog posts from my computer at work, and there it was:

I looked all over the internet, upgraded the blog-software, asked the web hosting company and the dude who had recommended me this blog-software in the first place. No luck. Then I tried to figure it out myself – which is not that easy, because I’m stupid. That did the trick! I stopped the programme Bad Behaviour that was meant to protect my blog from evil spammers. It seems like the program may have been a little too protective, because after removing it, the 403 error vanished.
I still don’t know why it happened, or how many of you visitors who have encountered the error message. But I hope it is gone for good. 🙂

It probably started in Ireland a lot of years ago, and spread itself to Scotland, US and other English speaking countries. In Denmark we also have an “all saints day” (which go on almost unnoticed) and a carnival “Shrovetide” (or in Danish: Fastelavn), with children going trick-or-treat. In Denmark the Halloween is just something shops “celebrate” to promote business.

If you want a calendar little over the usual, you should go to Tanaka Kikinzoku Jewelry in Tokyos Ginza district, and purchase one in solid gold.

The price may seem a little steep:
1 350 000 DKK / 257 000 USD / 292 000 AUD / 181 000 EUR.

Few days ago, someone recommended me a program to make easy photo albums on the web: BananAlbum.
It really was easy – and I used it on some of my photos from China.
If you want to, you can see them here. But be aware that it may take some time if you have a slow internet connection!

On TV, Experts are always ready to make a clever comment on the subjects they know a lot about. But where do they come from? And how did they become Experts?
I believe Experts are living among us, looking like ordinary (boring) people. Then suddenly, when they hear a conversation between two really ordinary people (R.O.P), about a subject they know a lot about, they use their special Expert-power to tell the truth about that subject to the R.O.P.
The title “Expert” is handed to them by journalists or R.O.P. – or: by themselves (being an Expert entitles them to reword themselves the title).
Before my trip to China, I used the knowledge from the all-knowing Experts to tell me what I would get to see in China. Often they told me that, without me asking first – because it is very difficult to spot a China-Expert in a group of R.O.P.
After my little China-trip, I’ve got the feeling, that maybe the Experts were just R.O.P. trying to sound like Experts? Most of the Experts had not been to China themselves – and the picture they painted of China didn’t look much like the China I got to see.
With Experts looking so much like R.O.P. – then how can you tell the difference? Maybe there are no real Experts – only real R.O.P. out there? And maybe the Experts on TV are just R.O.P. playing Experts?

“Denmark”

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

From “An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania” (1759), attributed to Benjamin Franklin. [Source]