Living Room 2004
AV-nummer: 41605ra 13 och 41615tv 8
His name was on everybody’s lips in 2002 and Hans Blix could hardly walk a single step without having a
TV crew following him. The former head of the UN inspectors for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq remembers the hectic times with a smile.
During this period he and his colleagues searched for the truth among myriads of lies and he managed to stay calm and objective, only reporting what he saw, accurately and honestly, without judging, which might be what made the US government less fond of him, while the rest of the world celebrated his work. He did not support the US war on Iraq, and the fall of the cruel dictator Saddam Hussein is the only gain that Mr
Blix can admit (see).
Another expert on cruel dictators is the British historian and novelist Tom Holland. Everybody was wondering how he could be so foolish as to think that someone would be interested in a book about the
Roman republic… Then the 11th of September occurred, and suddenly the world was watching something that looked like a parallel to Caesar’s historic wish to build a world empire. Tom Holland’s best-seller has an eerie contemporariness which makes him think that the modern world is more influenced by ancient times than ever.
Hans Blix believes that travelling and moving from one culture to another is valuable and breeds more tolerance. This is exactly what interior architect Shideh Shaygan has done. Although it was completely involuntarily.
The Iran of her childhood was a liberal, open-minded and very westernized society, but then strictly religious leaders came to power and imposed laws that made Shideh realise that she would face arrest, murder or even rape if she did not escape. That is why she ended up in Sweden, via Italy.
Here she has created a career within interior design that has made her a true cosmopolitan, sharing her time between London and Stockholm.
The programme features a beautiful song by debutant Anna Ternheim, ”To Be Gone”.
novel = roman curtail = förkorta commute = pendla accurate = exakt, precis; noggrann hostile = fientlig the Civil Service = statsförvaltningen leaning = böjelse, sympati obligation = plikt, skyldighet defector = avhoppare field-glasses = fältkikare in retrospect = (så här) i efterhand slam dunk = ung. bombsäkert eerie = kuslig coda = coda; bildl. ung. slutvinjett puppet = marionett remotely = avlägset, fjärran obliterate = utplåna; tillintetgöra whopping = jättestor indemnity = ersättning, skadestånd
Handledning till Living Room 2004 – Engelsk Talkshow 13/04 1

Living Room 2004 impose = lägga på, belägga, ålägga hamstring = skära av knäsenan på (även bildl. lamslå) equate = jämställa, likställa depose = avsätta expatriate = person som bor utomlands; landsflyktig (”expat”) restraint = hinder; inskränkning framework = stomme; ram permafrost = permafrost, ständig tjäle crusade = korståg affirmation = bekräftelse; försäkran the Charter of the United Nations = Förenta Nationernas stadga moderation = återhållsamhet; sans, besinning appalling = skrämmande, förfärlig rife = mycket vanlig, utbredd, förhärskande; talrik citizenship = medborgarskap proliferation = förökning; spridning
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How many languages has Hans Blix’s book ’Disarming Iraq’ been translated into?
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Is there reason to be optimistic about the world, as Hans Blix is?
If you agree, why – if you don’t agree, why?
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What does Tom think he would have been in the Roman Republic?
What would you have been in a Roman Republic? How would you have been dressed?
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Why does Holland feel an enormous amount of relief when he looks upon America today, as opposed to the Roman republic?
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Shideh is originally from Iran, which makes a lot of people believe her to be an expert on Persian rugs.
Have you experienced any prejudices similar to that?
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The concept of home has changed a lot for Shideh, as she had to leave her family and country, but she still does not feel like an outsider. What is home for you?
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How was the Roman empire cut in half, according to Keith?
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When the Romans imposed weapon sanctions, what could that include?
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No one in this world is 100 percent objective, says Blix.
Do you agree?
Are you being objective in your answer?
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Can you draw a map of the Roman Empire?
Guess what territories it covered and then check against an encyclopaedia or the Internet!
Handledning till Living Room 2004 – Engelsk Talkshow 13/04 2

Living Room 2004
01:10
02:00
02:25
03:35
Presentation of Tom Holland
Presentation of Hans Blix
Presentation of Shideh Shaygan
06:05
08:15
Hans Blix about what his work as the head of UN inspectors involved, how he looked upon it and how people, politicians and media regarded him.
Hans Blix about top level diplomacy, about dealing with, how to look upon and find the truth.
Hans Blix about what the British and Americans believed, and what was gained through the war in Iraq.
10:10 Tom Holland about his book Rubicon (telling the tale of the end of the Roman republic), about the strong characters that build the Roman world, and what it was like writing a history book about how a super power keeps control and operates – and suddenly find that similar things are happening right now. About the interesting parallels between the Romans’ building of an empire and the US and their war on Iraq.
13:50
15:30
18.20
Shideh Shaygan about her concerns for the situation in that part of the world where she originates from.
Shideh about why she left, about how Iran was westernized and close to America, and then changed completely. How religious leaders made it impossible for her to continue living in Iran.
About Shideh’s different moves, and what her concept of home is, being so far away from her origin.
A little about how Shideh is working as an interior architect. 19:20
20:25
24:55
Anna Ternheim sings her song ”To Be Gone”.
27:30
Tom Holland about the reasons why his novel topped the best-seller list. There is a hunger for ancient history that he believes started with the film Gladiator. Also he sees how the interest for the ancient world has increased since the fall of the Berlin wall.
Tom about what we could learn from history and how the attacks on New York on the 11th of
September 2001 brought to life the crusades, islam against christianity.
28:40
31:50
Hans Blix about his views upon how the US has developed over the past fifty years and about his continued optimism that the era of wars between great powers is over.
Tom Holland about his sense of relief when comparing the super power of today with the ancient super power of Rome. Further description of the Roman republic and its many appalling features.
34:45 Shideh Shaygan and Hans Blix about oriental rugs and the value of travelling and moving around in the world.
Handledning till Living Room 2004 – Engelsk Talkshow 13/04 3