I am a retired architect, born 1935 in Lund. More than half my time I have lived in Stockholm. Wife, children, grandchildren, dog and a place in the countryside. Passionate reader, gardener and builder. Writer when I feel it necessary. Love the wind and the eternal drama of the heavens.
My work
I am the luckiest of men who through a twist of fate was blessed with working with Carl Nyrén, one of the most significant Swedish architects of the late 20th century, from autumn 1966 until he gradually brought his buisness to a close before the millennium.
I started my position by helping Carl Nyrén with projects such as:
The Arrhenius Laboratory at The University of Stockholm (first-stage design)
Pharmacia’s new headquarters in Uppsala (first-stage design)
Under the aegis of Carl Nyrén I went on to oversee the architecture of works such as:
The head quarters of Stockholms Sparbank in the centre of Stockholm
Provincial Government buildings in Malmö
Gottsunda Church outside Uppsala
The new railway station in Jönköping
Sweden’s embassy in Riyad
I was responsible for the design of the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg, but the original ideas for the plans and façades are Carl Nyrén’s.
I was sole principal architect for Nyrén’s firm of architects for the following projects:
Ericsson Radio’s head quarters at Kista
The geoscience departments at The University of Stockholm
My first encounter with the continual trouble-spots of the Middle East was when I worked as an architect on the culture house, Peace Centre, and the square in front of The Nativity Church in Bethlehem. This was a project, funded by SIDA, to be completed in time for the millennium in 2000. An assignment I won single-handedly in a competition for architects. The story of this project, and my experiences in Palestine can be found at the link About the Peace Centre.
My political activities
My encounter with Palestinian reality, and its people, was crucial to me and after retirement, I started to work for the solidarity movement. Among other things, I initiated a study circle about Palestine.
The occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq made me realise that it was here world-domination by Israel and the US would be broken, thanks to the violated people’s struggle for freedom. This led me to becoming involved in Iraq and I organized a new study circle, this time about Iraq.
I wrote the material, based on what I read on the Internet and information from patriotic Iraqis in exile. A study of Iraq’s resistance led to a website, now closed. The material has been saved on this website.
In the course of this work, I have, which shocked me, found that our media tell more lies than ever about war and foreign policy, and they all lie to the same tune. We are not told the truth, words are distorted to into their opposites, the world becomes increasingly incomprehensible. Taking part in other countries’ wars is now considered respectable in the public domain; experience gained in the past is thrown in the garbage bins.
Mass bombing of cities is justified as protection of civilians and hand-out for democracy. Piles of dead bodies, the result of today’s many great wars are hidden from view, as are the habitual violations of the UN charter and the Geneva Convention; the media “protect” and manipulate us.
“The UN as a peace-keeping international community is running out into the sewers”, said Oslo professor of criminal law StÃ¥le Eskeland to me after a talk about the criminal responsibility of western powers for war crimes and constitutional crimes such as those committed in the latest wars, that distort international human rights.
I channel my wrath and anguish through this website. My guiding star and test strip is international human rights, especially the fundamental conventions and statutes that are universally recognised. When the actions of the powerful come up against them, all hypocrisy is revealed, the skeletons come out of the cupboard. Visibility clears and it becomes easier to see all the other lies.
When what our mass media is offering us is so deceptive and deficient there is thankfully IT. Here one may oneself search as best one can and follow ones own judgment, which is both difficult and time consuming. It is easy to go wrong, for me as for others. Please correct me if I do that.
Snorre Lindquist