Given time

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22 July 2011

It’s been a month. A month since the lives of so many were changed so abruptly. They say an entire nation was changed in that moment, because of one extreme, right-winged psychopath. People were killed, most of these politically curious (rather than politically active – as many still weren’t old enough, and many we still only exploring this interest) and intelligent, young adults. The lives of their loved ones are changed forever.

I wrote some thoughts about the terrorist attacks earlier. Love and respect were words I used to describe the people around me at that time. These words are still relevant, very much so, even though we no longer speak of what happened. I say we’ve gone back to where we were, but stronger this time, because we now know what we can expect from those around us. We now know that we can rely on others, and that we are not alone in what has been going on. We don’t talk, but we think, and we know, and we don’t forget. 

Time is said to heal all wounds. Maybe it does, but wounds still leave scars. Scars are visible, they show, and everyone can see that they’re there. But a scar is also a thicker layer of skin, tougher than the unhurt skin that was torn apart, or away. The area of the scar is less easily bruised.

The weeks after the attack were exceptional. All those who spoke up, spoke for the same cause. Everyone stood together. I would like to have kept on those pink shaded specs that made everything look so blissful and peaceful, but now there are other voices as well. I hear what they say, I listen, I learn, but I think, and I know, and I am not alone. I watch them with my deceiving blue eyes, and turn my scar towards them, and I am not alone. Democracy means there will always be minorities, but the majority rules.

I want my food to be food!

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Additives, Food, Nestlé, Processed Food

I’m a little pissed off, maybe not the best mood to be in when I trying to reach out to other by the use of blog. But I have to get it out, I’m angry, disappointed, sad and exasperated. Again, this is another post about. Or, to be more politically correct it is rather about a lack of food. After I became a mom I have become more critical about I eat, what Husband eats, and not least, what Son eats. I’ve never seen myself as one of those hysterical persons who fret about everything. I have lived by mottos such as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” and thought that as long as you “bad” things aren’t eaten every day, it’s ok. Well, the meaning of the post is not to prove my sanity. Let me elaborate:

 

After becoming mom and being introduced to Nestlé’s baby food, scare tactics and ‘well-meaning words’ I have changed my way of life, considerably. And I have begun to develop an interest about food and become more aware of what I eat. And the more I read, learn and find out the more exasperated I feel. I want to share this knowledge and awareness, but I don’t want to make this just another thing that you have to worry about. But I am, and I become more and more convinced that we in this country need a food revolution. Actually not only in this country but let’s start out in a small scale. (Country-wide revolutions are a piece of cake!)

 

I want to, and I believe that everyone has the right to, demand that the food we buy mainly to consist of FOOD! I don’t my food to have been processed by people with PhDs in chemistry. I as pure ingredients as possible. I want food, not food additives I can barely pronounce. I’m willing to pay extra for decent food, but that does not mean proper food need to be ridiculously expensive. And I want people to see what’s happening.

 

It was recently announced that the owners of some of the largest foodchains in Norway won’t eat the food they sell because it has phosphate added, which can be added without any information being given to the customer. Why should we have to accept such additives? Why need there be flavour enhancers in so many products? Is there not enough taste in natural ingredients? Yes, there is, of course, but tasteless junk is so much cheaper, so we get spice mixes whose main ingredients are salt, sugar and flavor enhancers.

 

I want the food I eat to be food. I understand that some products need preservatives but there’s so much else added that is not necessary for anything other than the producer’s income. A panel in Belgium should not be necessary to tell us what we can or cannot eat. We need no discussions about the influence of substances on the body if no products contain these substances.

 

The food industry is out of control, and do exactly as they please. Cheaper is better, regardless of content. People are malnourished, despite sky-high calorie intake. The man in the street should not have to need higher education and develop special interest in food in order to read food labels.

 

I want more information, better products and normal food for everyone. We deserve it!

(I want to publish this asap and thus simply translated my Norwegian post and had Google Translate help me. It was done quickly and hastily and thus probably contain a number of typos, misspellings and embarassing gramamtical errors…)

Barselpermisjon

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Barselspermisjon, Foreldrepenger

Leser dette på norsk er du nok velkjent med fenomenet barselspermisjon og vet at Norge har et fantastsisk system for nybakte foreldre. Rent praktisk betyr det i dag at mor har tre uker fri før termin, og seks uker etter fødsel. Far har rett på to uker fri etter fødsel, om dette er betalt eller ikke kommer an på hvor han jobber, og i tillegg ti uker som er forbehold far. Mor har derfor rett på færre uker enn far, men 27 eller 37 uker kan foreldrene dele fritt mellom seg, og i snitt tar mor ut 88 prosent av alle foreldrepengedagene. Totalt blir dette 46 uker med 100 prosent lønn, eller 56 uker med 80 prosent lønn.

Det har vært diskusjoner i det siste om å dele permisjonen i tre like perioder, en periode til mor, en like stor til far, og en like stor på  deling. Tredelingen av permisjonen som nå er foreslått vil gi mor og far hver sin del på 12 uker, og en deling av de resterende ukene. Ved 100 prosent lønnsdekning vil det resultere I en deleperiode på 19 uker, ved 80 prosent vil den være på 29. I statsbudsjettet for 2011 ble det foreslått og også øke hele permisjonen med en uke. Ved 100 prosent vil mor da være hjemme til barnet er 7 mnd, med 80 prosent til barnet er 9,5 mnd, på den betingelsen at hun tar hele deleperioden.

Jeg liker ikke at regjeringen skal bestemme hvordan Mannen og jeg deler vår permisjon, jeg er sikker på at vi ville klart å finne en ordning som begge to hadde vært fornøyde med. Men ikke alle er I samme situasjon når de blir foreldre. Jeg synes det er fantastisk at far får satt av en del som kun er hans. Far har, og bør ha, rettigheter når det gjelder barna sine. Det er et delt ansvar å få barn. Studier viser også at fedre som tilbringer mye tid med barna sine det første året, også involverer seg mer i senere år. Men, så må vi huske at det er store fysiologiske forskjeller på mor og far rundt det å få barn. Mor går gjennom en graviditet, fødsel og får heller ikke kroppen sin tilbake med det første etter fødselen. Mor er den eneste som kan amme, og morsmelk bør være den viktigste næringskilden for babyer fram til de er seks måneder. Her er det dessverre lite far kan gjøre.

Å tvinge more tilbake i jobb etter 7 mnd for foreldre som ikke har mulighet til å ta ut maks antall uker synes jeg ikke er rettferdig. Mange barn som ammes får fremdeles mat på nattestid I denne alderen, og viss barnet er fullammet frem til seks mnd består flesteparten av dagens måltider fremdeles av morsmelk ved 7 mnd. Mor skal ha en veldig tilrettelagt arbeidsdag for at dette da skal gå smertefritt. Prøv å legge til skiftarbeid i helsesektoren, eller en offshoreschedule for mor i denne blandingen…

Med 80 prosent lønnsdekning er deleperioden på 29 uker, og barnet 9,5 mnd før mor må på jobb. Så lenge det ikke er noen ukjente faktorer med I ligningen så synes jeg dette må være en perfekt løsning. Men er far selvstendig næringsdrivende eller lignende bør det være mulighet får å legge fedrekvoten over på mor, så lenge begge er enige. Ikke alle familier har mulighet til at begge parter kan ta fri over lengre perioder.