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ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
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The common denominator of the various materials on this website is that they all concern activities and initiatives of Al Burke, who immigrated to Sweden from the United States in 1988 and exchanged citizenship at the earliest opportunity. Presented below are brief descriptions of the site's main components, along with some tips on navigation, viewing and printing.
POX AMERICANA
The “peace dividend” that was widely predicted or hoped to result from the end of the Cold War did not materialize, which ought to have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of U.S. foreign policy and the forces behind it.
The subsequent wars and other forms of aggression in pursuit of Pax Americana were anticipated by the Living Future/Levande Framtid project, an account of which is included in this section of the website. The principal outcome of that initiative was the Environmental Conference on Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam — the first international gathering to attempt a comprehensive review of the Vietnam War's long-term consequences.
That war and the falsification of its history remain of great significance in world affairs. Among other things, the Vietnam War continues to exert a powerful influence on the foreign and domestic politics of the current superpower; and the process by which its history has been falsified provides a useful framework for interpreting the similar process that is already being applied to the wars of today.
These and related matters are the focus of Remember Vietnam, part of an ongoing effort to counteract the forces of oblivion and obfuscation by reviving the world's collective memory of the war. For, if humanity can be made to forget something so horrendous as the Vietnam War, there is nothing that cannot be swept under the carpet of distorted history so that the same pattern can be repeated again and again.
NORDIC NEWS NETWORK
With its mixed economy and egalitarian principles, the Nordic model of society has always posed the threat of a good example when compared with more brutal and dogmatic regimes. The potential significance of that threat increased after the Cold War, when the Nordic model was left as the principal remaining alternative to the neo-liberal “Anglo-American model” that now predominates throughout the world.
The result was a noticeable escalation of propaganda against the Nordic model, especially the Swedish version, accompanied by various attempts to cripple or destroy it by economic means. Nordic News Network was founded as a response to that propaganda and associated economic pressures, a central function that is reflected in the materials thus far produced.
This section of the website is due to be substantially revised and expanded; but most of the existing material is still relevant and should be of some use to anyone interested in the basic issues. A general overview is provided by the article entitled “The Price of Everything”.
DISINFORMATION DIGEST
The issues addressed by Pox Americana and Nordic News Network are intimately connected with the workings of the mainstream media. The focus here is on the function of Swedish media as cogs in the global propaganda apparatus of the U.S. empire, the role of international media in the continuing effort to eliminate the Nordic model, and the various symbiotic relationships involved.
SEA OTTER PRODUCTIONS
This is the little enterprise whose modest earnings finance the website and related activities. It is included here simply as a matter of convenience, in order to avoid the necessity of maintaining a separate website for what is a fairly limited purpose. The language is that of the primary clientele, i.e. Swedish.
NAVIGATING THE SITE
The contents of the website can be explored with the Search function provided on all web pages, the left columns of which contain links to the main sections. The Site Map provides an overview of the site, and links to all articles. Text links are indicated with blue boldface which changes to maroon underlined text when the mouse cursor (pointer) is placed over them.
Note: Until the revisions of Nordic News Network and Disinformation Digest are complete (see above), some links may not function properly. In that case, it should be possible to locate the missing item with the Search function or the Site Map.
VIEWING
For consistency of display and ease of printing, most of the information on this website is contained in PDF documents, which are viewed and printed with Adobe Reader. For details on the use and (if necessary) the acquisition of that free software program, see PDF Guide.
For the comparatively few web pages in standard HTML format, the appearance of text and graphics in web browsers (Explorer, Foxfire, etc.) may vary widely, depending on a number of factors. But some important features, such as type size and screen brightness, are adjustable.
The text areas of this website were designed with 12-point Palatino type; other names include Palatino Linotype and ITC Palatino. Somewhat similar typefaces are Times, New Times Roman and Garamond. The pages are best viewed with the text size set at no larger than “Normal” or 100% in the web browser, and with the preferences set to allow the web page to specify the typeface. Under those conditions, text should look something like this:
With most computer screens (monitors), it is possible to adjust brightness, contrast, etc. for optimal viewing. A display resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels or higher is recommended. for this website.
PRINTING
As noted, most of the documents on this website are in PDF format, which facilitates printing. The ordinary web pages in HTML format can be printed directly from the web browser; but their appearance may vary widely, depending on the browser's characteristics and settings.
Later versions of most browsers are able to convert web pages to PDF format. Note, however, that printed output reflects the pages' appearance in the browser, which is adjustable; displayed text can be made smaller or larger, for example. Otherwise, it may be difficult to control such factors as the margins and page breaks of browser-generated PDF documents.
Questions and comments on any aspect of this website are very welcome and may be submitted via e-mail to: editor@nnn.se
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