The bogeyman

Anyone else think that the bogeyman that is Osama Bin Laden is simply the tool of unscrupulous marketers, looking to boost their bottom lines through knee-jerk sales to patriotic-minded sorts?

Anger over the cartoons, which a Danish newspaper first published last year, outraged Muslims who consider drawings of the Prophet to be blasphemous.

The caricatures, which were reprinted in several Arab and European newspapers, sparked violent protests in which more than 50 people were killed. Consumers in Muslim countries have also boycotted Danish goods.

Denmark's government has refused to apologize for the cartoons, saying it cannot say sorry on behalf of a free and independent media and that freedom of speech is sacred.

Still, I think I'll go buy me some Danish Havarti cheese and perhaps an anthology of poetry by Niels Bohr, who, to my understanding, did not write poetry.

author's note: found an interesting word and concept in the Wikipedia's page on "Cuisine of Denmark":

Good food is an important ingredient in the Danish concept of hygge, a word that can be best translated as a "warm, fuzzy, cozy, comfortable feeling of well-being", however "hygge" is also a highly personal concept, dependent on many circumstances, such as family traditions, e.g. the celebration of Christmas etc. Good food, good company, wine, comfortable furniture, soft easy lighting (candle lights in particular), music, etc., all contribute to the feeling of "hygge."