2002-05-01 Måndag: May Day

The New York Times has published an exposé concerning rampant corruption and abuse in the Adult Homes of New York State, including barbaric abuses like unnecessary eye-surgery by the van-full. It really sounds like a throwback to the early days of mental hospitals where these sort of abuses, and worse, were the norm. In Sweden in the 60's (?) for example, all sorts of experiments were performed on the mentally ill ``for the good of the group'' or something like that. At least in Sweden it was in the name of science; the current NY abuses are the result, apparently, of simple greed. I think it would be quite interesting to research the matter of what still goes on in the U.S. and in Sweden in mental hospitals (etc). Fatima said that they still use electroshock therapy here... I wonder if that's really true, etc.

May Day

May Day started out rather soggy, with an intermittant drizzle. Somehow I managed to get myself down to Lundagård at noon for the Rektor's speech and to hear Blekhornen play. I think only today did I realise the physical embodiment of the University power structure there in Lundagård: There's the University Building, home of the rektor and officialdom and pomp and circumstance and the old guard of academia. And directly across from the University building is the AF-borgen — the castle of the Student Union, representing, naturally, the Students, via the Nations. So for this first-of-may observance, the representatives of the Nations proceed out of AF-borgen (preceeded by a small choir), all formally dressed and carrying the flags of the Nations. And there outside the University Building, the Nations form three sides of a square around the Rector, who then delivers an address on the State of the University, and then a representative from AF gives a reply, and it's all very formal. These happenings, of course, are flanked to the side by the Lundagård building itself (to the South) and Palaestra Et Odivm (to the North); as the Lundagård building is the old residence of the Archbishop perhaps you can fit these institutions into this old power structure as well.

The Rektor's address went to the point of the issues — gender equality in the university, funding of public schools in Sweden, the student housing crisis in Lund, confusion about the heirarchy of power in the University, Iraq and Israel and Palestine. The Rektor, the first female Rektor at Lund and one of very few female University chiefs in the world, is stepping down this year to take on some other leadership position; I think she's been quite an activist for many causes. She made some comment about the absurdity of talking about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict "while standing here in the May sun" — she hurried over the last two words ironically, as the drizzle drizzled down upon us.

This little ceremony was all well and good, but I was vastly disappointed; I'd been told that it would be televised live all across Sweden and there would be people playing in the fountain and all kinds of related jubilation would be going on. But that wasn't happening. I walked down to Stortorget to check out the Socialist (organised by Vänster Partiet) march staging there (this being May Day remember) and then just cycled back to Delphi to have some hot coffee and somethign to eat.

At halv åtta I was supposed to meet Nina et al down at Kulturen. I was feeling pretty lazy, but I'd said I'd be there, so I biked down to town. The weather had cleared up and that maj solen had become a reality; much to my dismay I discovered a huge crowd, all wearing their university hats, in Lundagård. Or rather leaving Lundagård. And TV crews, — packing up. Apparently the previously mentioned spring activities occurred at five. Woops.

Met with Nina N., Simon, Charles, Thomas, Anna/Finland, and Elina at Kulturen until it got dark. The others went their various ways, and then Simon invited Nina and I to eat some peach cobbler that he'd made, back at his korridor at The Old Firestation. Yummy! Unfortunately it was full of mandel so I didn't have any, but it was still quite nice to be there with them and have interesting conversations (yes, life of luxury). Also Simon showed me the holograms he made in his holography class. I was amazed to see that they were color holograms. Since holograms are interference patterns (and because our eyes work by sensing color in three frequency ranges), you get the color image ``for free'' by using three different colored lasers. The photographic plate is a regular, standard black & white photographic plate. Cool!

nina's birthday

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