Gunillocentrism – web diary of a freelance journalist

Det är Luciadag i Harlem – tyvärr inte minsta lussebulle i sikte, men det är bedårande vinterväder och jag försöker få något gjort. Det går uselt, minst sagt.

Men ikväll: luciafirande i norra delegatsloungen på FN, courtesy of Jan Eliasson!

Och igår kväll: opera, närmare bestämt “An American Tragedy” på The Met.
Det var fantastiskt, och lättförstått av mig som inte är operafreak och inte alltid hänger med på alla turer och ränksmiderier i traditionella operauppsättningar.

Bonus/kändisspotting: vi hamnade precis bakom Chelsea Clinton med pojkvän i strömmen av människor. Hon har verkligen vuxit till sig och verkar rätt cool, jämfört med den knubbiga tonåring-med-tandställning hon en gång var. Jag var den enda som överhuvudtaget brydde mig, alla andra New Yorkbor är väl betydligt mer kändisvana…eller så var jag den enda som kände igen henne under den stora svarta luvan! Inte.

/Gunilla

Verkligheten har återigen visat att den överträffar dikten. Med råge!

Kan någon i Stockholm berätta vad Fröken Julie-biljetterna betingar för pris på Svarta börsen nu?

/Gunilla

Det här reportaget hade man ju velat skriva…
DN Sport - “Zlatan är populär i Kroatien”

Tänk att få besöka en liten obskyr kroatisk bondhåla, och att få utrymme för ett stort reportage om det! Nu när jag skrivit om både indy racing och golf kunde jag väl få skriva om fotboll också.

För övrigt har jag vissa planer på att försöka se själva matchen Sverige–Kroatien på lördag. Två barer här i New York, Central Bar i East Village och Pig&Whistle i Midtown, har lovat att visa den för alla New Yorksvenskar.

/Gunilla

Clinton Global Initiative is a one stop shopping-place for world politics-celebrity shopping. Today, I took close up-pictures of: Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Chelsea Clinton, Jesse Jackson, and Shimon Peres. I could have done so with Madeleine Albright, Presidentent Xanana Gusmao of East Timor, and Angelina Jolie as well.

At lunch (roast beef and cous-cous, and some kind of tiramisu), Al Gore made a passionate speech on global warming, which made me think it’s very sad he wasn’t president-elect five years ago.

And I’ve interviewed interesting people such as Jeffrey Sachs and Wangari Maathai.

It feels like being a small fish in a big pond, and I’ll guess I will suffer from withdrawal symptoms when all this is over…today.

Gunilla

We’re pretty exhausted, after five full days of coverage of the UN summit… sometimes from 6AM to 11PM.
Today, I and my collegue Tina had to go shopping for a few hours, but now we’re back again. I’m sitting in the photo booth in the general assembly, listening to the final talks of representatives of Cuba, Venezuela, United States and Belarus… Drinks soon, anyone?!

/Gunilla

Wow! Former president Bill Clinton just referred to how ices are melting in Greenland and other Arctic regions. He must have listened to the same scientists as I did in Ilulissat.

/Gunilla

Tony Blair calls Condolezza Rice “Condi”, but she calls him “Prime Minister Blair”!

I like Tony Blair, his British accent is so beautiful.

Gunilla
still at the Clinton Global Initiative (see previous posting)

My friend Viggo Cavling has a diary in his news weekly Resumé, in which he simply names all the people he has talked to, or spotted, during the day.

I thought it might be fun to do the same thing – but in my case not from Riche, the Stockholm restaurant where Viggo spends most of his life, but from these days in New York as I cover the 2005 World Summit: High-level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of the General Assembly for TT at the UN headquarter.

There are so many heads of states and governments here, but these are some of the people I have seen live, sometimes shaken hands with, or even talked to (hmmm…I have to admit, most of them I have not spoken to in person, but anyway):

Today: Sir Bob Geldof, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Romano Prodi, José Manuel Barroso
Yesterday: Kofi Annan, Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva, Dominique de Villepin
All days: Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Laila Freivalds, UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson

Well, and lots of other people, too, but these were the ones most likely to be recognized by readers of this blog. I’ll add world politics celebrities as I see them!
For a former student of international relations like me, to be in the ambiance of all these people speaking about poverty reduction, peace, love and understanding and a better future is like being a child in a toy store or a candy shop.

Also, I’ve taken very nice close up pictures of most of this people – with the exception of Clinton and Rice, because I didn’t bring my camera – too bad I can’t post photos in this blog. My photo of Göran Persson makes him look like a little school boy in the first day in class.

/Gunilla
right now at this event:
Clinton Global Initiative at Sheraton hotel in Midtown
(Right now: Bill Clinton is interviewing Tony Blair, Condi Rice and Prince Abdullah II of Jordania as if this was a talk show! They are all sitting in plush arm chairs discussing the importance of free trade, investing and job creation in poor countries!)