28 December 2005


Time for recreation and relaxation. Here's a word from the pool in the sunbathing Tenerife. This year has been less productive than it could have been, but there is no reason why I can't make it up in less than a month.
Writing a dissertation is a process of confusion, clarification and more confursion, uphipp battle and then when you have written some stuff that makes sense, the hill becomess less steep, and life can become bearable, almost livable. My home town Stockholm is engulfed in snow and it will be nice to get back, despite the cold.

To all Phd candidates, don't despair, there´s a vacation to be had that will give you inspiration to do what you have to do - finish the job.

Your soon-to-be PhD Fredrik

06 November 2005

Hooray,

my region of research, Eastern Europe is pulling itself out of poverty. I quote from the World Bank home page.

"Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union have witnessed a significant decrease in poverty since the Russian financial crisis of 1998-99. Almost 40 million people moved out of poverty from 1998-2003. Three key factors contributed to poverty reduction: growth in wages, growth in employment, and more adequate social transfers. But poverty and vulnerability persist: more than 60 million people live on less than $2 a day."

This is what my research is more or less all about, that these poor countries get a fair chance at a decent living. I am happy. Cheers everybody. Let´s continue working in this same direction.

My dissertatino is about legal conditions for growth. It deepens the understanding of this subject. Law, and legal system development has been very much in focus by major organisations, such as the World Bank, WHO, WTO, UN, EBRD etc etc. That's becuse they are so very fundamental, and difficult to get right in a short time span. However, the World Bank report does not focus at all on legal matters, which is not correct. Law matter for growth, a whole lot. The report was more focused on social matters. The shock therapy that Russia went through, was, detrimental, to say the least. And we need to correct those sad mistakes that have led Russians to distrust their government so much. My poor, sad, and loved Russia.

05 November 2005



This blue sucker here can mean doom for millions of people. Let's hope that it won't seek refuge under your skin the following week. It's been captured on photo by one of the world's most renowned medical photographers Lennart Nilsson. Yes, the picture is totally new, and is the result of 6 months of hard work trying to get the virs from a US Defense laboratory, finally the WHO gave it away. And now it's on your screen, in your face.

02 November 2005


The T word is here. Tamiflu - the antidote against the bird flu. My dad gave me two packs today. Enough for ten days. Get ready for the big pandemic. I will live ten days. How many will you live? It's really frightening. 50 percent of all afflicted die. I dont mean to start a scare or anything...

Gotta go write my thesis now. Waiting for which comes first, defense, or flu. Let's find a dice, and see how we will do...



22 October 2005

Hello PhD student. You write, you suffer and you defend your thesis.
So that did not take a long time to say. But it takes a long time to do.


It is a disturbing thought, but has it occured to you that science is creating and nullifying theories. Research is writing. It occured to me that much of what goes on in academia is purely descriptive, without testing any theory at all. Mere description. The worst type is probably calling a collection of descriptive case studies science. I have seen some of these and they do not qualify as science. The qualify as knowledge. I welcome any comments.
Actually, what we know as academia is probably a mixture of knowledge and science. Many people just record knowledge. I have told a few people this, and they are not happy, obviously. It is not the way to become popular. But since the atmosphere is usually sooo accepting, somebody needs to hightlight what science is.

20 September 2005

There is never such intensity in my research as there is when I prepare a paper for a seminar or conference. This gives some special effects, i.e. it's rough falling asleep (and of course getting up), due to my high thought activity. I welcome any good advice on how to cure this.

10 September 2005

Maybe, just maybe, you are goin throught the same kind of situation that I am going through. Do not be sad, you are not alone. For reassurance please check out the site Dissertation Hell, www.disshell.blogspot.com.
This woman has made it, she will defend really soon. Be a friend, send her a cheer!

06 September 2005

Hey ya all out there. I know you like movies. I know you are busy. So, read the movie in one sentence, it's very practical, go check it out at Movie a Minute http://www.rinkworks.com/movieaminute/.
It made me laugh ;-)
F.

02 September 2005

Inspiration, they say, you shall not wait for. But create a routine, in which you everyday type away, inking your thoughts down. Well,now I have collected my thoughts. It seems that the summer has given me the strength now to finally push on through.
I spent the last week waving goodbye to my girlfriend, now she won't be back until x-mas. What a shame. Well, it gives ample time for inking down my thoughts in my thesis...

14 August 2005


My Face

Today was one of those wonderful days when I did absolutely nothing to work at all. I just played and relaxed. When waking up, I felt like I had really slept deep. I love it. This summer started with a sharp pain in my right lungue May 30th , which got me hospitalized for three days. It took me almost until today, more than two months later, to recover.

This week, I have to decide what my next paper will contain. It's based on a huge material, which is good enough for no less than 10 papers. I just have to decide which of these I want to write for my thesis. This was tougher than I thought.

It´s only when you do not have something that you can put a value on it. Like the summer house my family had until ten years ago. Then it was sold, and now I understand how valuable it is to recharge one's strenght with all that summer harmony. My next task is to get a new house like that by myself, that belongs only to me, where I can get the best possible summers. Here I come, summer house, don't wait for me too long. Please.

11 August 2005

First entry:

This fall is the the beginning of the end for my thesis. I eagerly await D-day.