Don't Call It a Comeback, I've been Here For Years

Well hello there. Long time.

Yes, the activity will start picking up as of this post. I have three days left in my military service. As much as I promised and hoped at the start of the year-long service that I would keep my activity up, other engagements often came up during the time I spent on-leave that I couldn't regularly update.

So the cliff-notes of what's happening with me.
On friday entering reserve as an alikersantti (undersergeant/corporal).
I have a car project I need to finish, which will net me some money to survive the next couple of months. Also semi-actively looking out for security jobs for gigs and events in and around Turku during the summer.
I will be entering my old vocational school on the 20th of August to finish up my studies there. It will be in the form of a single car project, after which I will get my degree for vocational studies and matriculation papers.

Depending on how long that will take, I may be out of anything to do for quite some time. Six months or over. I will seek to get into university when I get my papers and start looking more actively for a new place to live. As much as I love my home right now, it's about time I started moving on from there. Flew the coop so to speak.
My parents are also looking at a new place to rent as a second home right now, so they have a place where mom'll be more comfortable and it'll be easier for her to be and live. Their plan is to keep our old house as a second home for summers and so long with me as a subtenant. I don't know if I''ll fly with that. I hate the feeling that I'm leaving them in trouble if I leave, but I also hate that their plan came about without talking with me first and without any consideration to how I have planned my near future. they probably expect everything to return to the way it was before I entered military service, but it just won't. I'm a different man now, in many aspects.

Couldn't Believe It True

I'm twenty.
I'm in the military.
Friends who are my age are having kids.
Should we be adults now?

Responsible adults, that's a term used way too often as a condescending term for anyone below the age of twenty-six. Everyone knows this part of life is finding your boundaries, searching your place in the world and grabbing at opportunities wherever they may lie. Yet we should now be responsible for everything we do, all the smallest mistakes and the greatest achievements. We should know what we're doing and especially what our opinions are on all matters that are rushed to us.

Frankly, it's bullshit.

As a young adult, one should enjoy life to it's fullest. If it's to have children at a young age, then let it be just that. If it's smoking weed and ignoring the world going to shit, then let it be that. Overall, the outcome by all means is always the same; a young adult growing into the responsible adult. Not because society tells us it's what needs to happen, but because the younger generations will come about and hit their young adulthood and every reasonable person will deem the new generations as a bunch of asses and hooligans. And that's what makes a responsible adult, isn't it? In it's core, the ideal responsible adult is a cynic towards the youth of the day, snorts at most things new, dwells partly in nostalgia and has learned to know a little bit about how boring society really is.

I've always been a nostalgic cynic and I've even hated my own generation from time to time. For good reason too. But to be honest, it's not done me much good to be that way. It's kept me from doing a lot of neat things in life.
But now, with whatever highs and lows I've gone through, I think I'm ready to break free. Only a few more weeks until I'm an NCO, I know my place in there. And I know my move next summer when I'm moved to the reserve; a trip through Europe.


Life for the last two months has been cathartic. Very cathartic in a very positive way. A lot of old baggage carried away. Bittersweet becomes sweet.
Heh. Believe what you may.

The Child Who Loves Freedom

So, Gaddafi is dead and the world is saved. The US senate has finally decided that the war in Iraq is over and the troops are to be pulled out. We're safe now from everything.

Oh right, theres still a riot going on in New York. Except that Occupy Wall Street isn't a riot, no matter how much the media pushes false information down our throats about the movement. Media and corporate suits fear the movement, since it has no clear leader and no real demands. And that's why they're so dangerous to American capitalists; they protest because they know things aren't like they should be and they have the moral high ground as well. It's a rainbow group that's determined to change things. They want to get rid of the corruption and build from that. Quite frankly, I'm all for that. If I wasn't tied down in the army greens, I'd be out there supporting the Occupy movements.

Like a Lost Puppy

Since the last post, things have cleared up a bit. I believe that if I make any trip after military, they will be made to someplace other than Scandinavia. There's nothing here for me that wouldn't be here when I get back. Besides which, I'm tired of being jerked around.

In other news, for the first time in years I've been challenged to think about politics. Not a general banter about Finnish politics and how it's going down the toilet, but rather a challenge to think about actual political views and currents. It's refreshing to have someone come up and start debating stuff like that, even if it's slightly off-putting when I have less argumentation experience than the other guy. It's also slightly depressing that someone can be so bright-eyed about laissez-faire capitalism while the Occupy Wall Street movement rages around the globe.

Capitalism is just as failed as a policy as communism has been, as can be seen in the current situation in the world. Corporate greed, economic inequality, governments under the foot of corporate lobbyists... Corruption riddles both economic systems and the biggest reason for this is that governments and society as a whole is not even close to being open enough.
I admit that capitalism can work, if the society is open and free. But the same goes for socialist economics.
What I want to see first and foremost is an open and free society where direct democracy is key and people are told what their government is up to. After that, economy can find it's way to fit the society's needs. Perhaps finally even the anarcho-communists would find something else to do than smash cars and throw rocks at police.

An interesting column and a good read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/opinion/krugman-wall-street-loses-its-immunity.html

We are the 99%

Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben

It's certainly been a while. But I certainly haven't forgotten about this place.

I'm now an NCO student in the Finnish Defence Forces in the AT Company of the Pori Brigade. And I have some 285 mornings left until I get out. One thing about the military is that it's certainly way different from everything I ever thought it would be like. I made the right decision to step into service and I'm glad I got into the company I wanted as well as into NCO training. At the moment though, I'm tired as hell. We got back from a three-day camp on Thursday, got on leave on Friday evening and then had a christening on Saturday. Tomorrow we're heading back for five days of camp. There's no time to really relax and let go when you have just two days of leave and the other day was booked a week in advance.
What I want right now is a big red fast forward button. I'm nervous about being responsible for all the equipment we bring to the camp next week and I don't want to mess it up. Also, I have this gnawing feeling of just wanting to get out. Not quit in the middle of it all, but to just get it all done with.

The feeling at the back of my head of wanting to get on the road doesn't help either. By what I gather, it's a pretty common idea to go on a trip after the service. Understandable, since the fall back into civilian life might need some getting used to and perhaps a change of scenery will help with that.
I'll have to check my budget around the time I get out, but I really want to make that trip. I also want to move to my own place at some point after getting out next summer, so there is a risk of it becoming a decision between a place of my own and a trip. And no matter what the destination would be and who were waiting for me on the other end, I'm no sure if I'm ready to sacrifice a place of my own for a passing moment.

Right now I want things to work on so many levels right now that my thoughts are getting bunched up again. Need to concentrate, put the future in the future and take it easy with the present.


P.S. Congratulations to Vinski Armas Elokas Kuusela for getting a name. From dear old godfather.

Off To Serve

This is an automated message from the desk of one Teo Kuusela.

As I write this, there's still one more morning to sleep before I enter the military service. I've got the essentials packed that I might need. Basic hygiene supplies, some good old tyrkisk peber, matches, playing cards, equipment to clean my eyeglasses, shaving equipment, phone charger and two books; The Nation and The Foundation, and last but not least the order to step into service.
It's all packed and ready to go.

Although I will be gone for only a relatively short time. 180 days, hopefully 362. With leave on most weekends, I will get the chance to update and talk with most of who might want to talk to me. Whether or not I'll update this blog is up to my whims on any particular afternoon or evening. Some news may seep through, but don't expect much; after all it's mostly government business which should not be spread about.

At this point I don't know how much, if at all, the military life will change me. That will be seen when I come back. Be at ease though, my fluffy hair will grow back eventually ;P

At this point, I bid thee adieu. See you on the other side.

Osaa ihmisistä näen omaisten vierailupäivänä ja mahdollisesti muilla lomilla. Kummilasta varten tarvitseekin hakea erillistä lomaa sitten elokuussa, mutta se on aiheellista sitten myöhemmin.

Til min kjære, jeg håper vi kan holde kontakten videre.

Ain't My Game

The one conclusion I can draw from my dating experience is that dating ain't my game. The back and forth between me and my last interest went no further than flirting, the relationship before that hit the rocks and only now we've started getting back in touch, and the dating in my youth was catastrophic in the sense that nor even Sandler's movies come anywhere near it in awkwardness.
The unfortunate truth there may very well be that I just suck at the dating game and should stop, or I haven't met anyone who is anywhere near to being my type of a girl.

Actually, that's not quite true.

I know that amongst my family, relatives and friends, the idea of long-distance relationships hasn't been very supported. And I can see why that is. I can understand it's risky and when someone doesn't know what it's like, they figure it out as being just chatting and never seeing the true self of the other person.
But I have to say, the only date I can call successful and the only person who has understood me and my quirks on some level has been the one I didn't know from real life. The one who has been the most real for and with me has always been her.

I've been telling myself ever since the breakup that I don't need her, she's not the one for me and so on and so forth. I may be right, I may be wrong. But a part of me knows for sure that it might very well be worth another try. A trip to figure things out. If we can make it happen, or if we really should just be friends.

A week wasn't enough for anyone. Things went way too fast, even if the build-up was the previous seven years.

But for now... military. After that, who knows how things'll look.

Ides of ...July?

Alright, so with the coming of the last week of civilian lifestyle, I believe it's time to recap on events (or lack thereof) from the past month or so.

Guess I should first start by apologizing that my life is as easy as it sometimes sounds. I manage to scrounge up money for what I need - and I don't need much due to living still with my folks - I have a lack of relationship issues at the moment and there are no losses in the close relative circle of people in the recent future. Nothing new in that front.
That's a quick shout-out to anyone from the peer support group who were complaining I had it easy when we met yesterday. And seriously girls, as quiet as I may have seemed, nothing is or was bothering me.

Right now my mind is very much preoccupied with the upcoming military service. Six mornings left and counting. I'm not nervous, but very anxious. I don't really know what I should do with the days I have left and on the other hand I feel like I'm trying to rush as much activity into these few days I have left to do all sorts of things, much of which I probably won't end up doing.
I guess it's borderline fortunate that I won't be attending Ruisrock this year either. Leaves me three more days to accomplish... something or another.
Dad keeps telling me I'm nervous and that he can see it from my face. I doubt it. I think he's much much more nervous than I am or than he's letting on. I don't blame him, methinks it would be tough to see the last of boys finally go as well.

On a side note of this, I was counting some time ago about how much money the military would pay me if I get to stay the twelve months. Very roughly, it's about 2600€ if all the money is saved up from that time. That means no visits to the cafeteria to sink the money into coffee, pastries and whatnot else. Strict money spending measures have to be upheld. And I'm hoping that if I get to stay the 12 months, it might very well be the first step of me removing myself from home. A group of friends are gathering an airsoft group which I'm also planning to be a part of as soon as I get home. So that means a portion of the money saved will be spent on equipment for that. By my estimates, it would take less than a grand to get that off the ground. That leaves a good amount of money as a nest egg for getting my own place. Not perhaps enough to put much in it, but certainly enough for a few months of rent and bills.
I'm getting ahead of myself a bit, but that's a certain possibility that I've been turning around in my head.

On the family side, I spent some time with my grandma, aunt and brother (as well as nephew Leevi) at the medieval fair last Saturday. It was nice, although I'm wishing I could get to see my older nephew Joona still before I go. I guess it doesn't matter much, since the first vacation I get will probably be in a couple of weeks after entering the service, but it would still be nice.
Nephews give me a nice segue to get to my second eldest brother, who with my sister-in-law have in their wisdom made the call that I should be their yet-to-be-born child's godfather. Well, "godfather" since it won't be a religious thing and with the English term the clue seems to be very much in the title. I - of course- went and agreed, although taken aback by the pleasant surprise. I have yet to figure out why I would be suitable, but I guess it's one of those things that trying to reason it to yourself is somewhat silly even so far as attempts go.

This very same couple has had me labouring away recently as well. Although the original plan was to remodel the living room and study into a living room/study and child's room, respectively, before I left for the military, this plan has no way of going through anymore. Too few days to finish the study renovation. Not that I'm complaining. Just that I'm quite fed up with IKEA furniture and I'd much rather go to greener pastures to take apart and meticulously clean the inside mechanisms of an Rk 62.


As an ending thought, as one who has recently started watching BBC channels, I cannot fathom what the interest is to tennis. At the worst of times, there was not one BBC channels that did not air something about Wimbledon.
To paraphrase the late great Obelix the Gaul; "These Brits are crazy!"

Uncertain Futures

I realize I haven't updated for some time and my apologies for that. I'll call it lack of inspiration, for the lack of better reasons.


Life, as it is, is an unpredictable mess. You can either take it with a positive or negative attitude, but being the jaded cynic that I am, I tend to reflect on many a thing with plenty of negativity. Yes yes, I realize I may not seem that way to those who known me in real life and think of it as a happy and bubbly existence that I go through purely because I am the jolly sort. Perhaps socializing is the only thing I don't counter with massive negative feedback.
Sod's Law, Murphy's Law, Finagle's Law - If things can go wrong, they will go wrong and at the worst possible moment. It's by these three adages that anyone can find some comfort in this world; to believe that the world is ruled by predestined laws. We all know the passionate explanation from Jurassic Park about the chaos theory as the very example of this.

There are always things in the past that one will look back on with a melancholy mindset just as much as there are things one will look back on with joy. One can blurt out things that will drive relationships to their ends or things that will suddenly surge it to a whole different level, just because of the moment. And the future? Well, the futures that we all must face are and always will be uncertain. We can't foresee the actions of others or the impacts of our own actions until we must ourselves face the aftermath and nothing in this world will change this fact. Sometimes you just have to go with what's thrown at you. Opportunities, losses, whatever they may be.

It's all a part of life, even if sometimes it feels like the most horrible, fucked up thing in the world. Sometimes you just happen to bump into that one person who makes it all worth it. And maybe sometimes you've already met this person.

And that's about the last I have to say about that for now, I think.

I'll get around to making a brief update of what's been happening lately before I leave. Until then, see you on the other side.
8 mornings left.

Speculum homini lupus est

If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that the mirror is one's worst enemy.
The issue with mirrors is that often what you see in the reflection is what you want to see and not the reality of it. Your mind distorts the image to fit your own presumptions of yourself. You can feel good about yourself and see a slimmer and cool you in the mirror, only to be the complete opposite. And the same works the other way round as well; you can see yourself as a fat slob, only to be skinny and charming.

In either case, no matter which way your mind distorts the image, one thing will be certain; an objective view on oneself will not be listened to. I know because I've done it myself and I've tried to be an objective voice as well. Rarely will the words be taken kindly or with any hint of belief.

The peer sentimentality of this society is the driving force behind the thinking of one's inadequacies. The fashion- and beauty-fixated world forces people to conform to become one of the mass and it's gone to the point of having to wear dresses made of meat or tennis balls just to rebel against the dress ideals that are upheld in the media these days. "You need to dress beautifully to be noticed" "You need to be thin to be beautiful" - utter bullshit and fashion propaganda. No matter what you do, there will be people who think of you as beautiful and there will be people who think of you as ugly and everything in between those two extremes. But people will notice if you stress too much over what you look like.
The most important thing in life is to find your own happy place. If you feel good, find your own way of dressing and feel comfortable, then people will notice it.

What men want is not what's shown on the cover of fashion magazines. Men like regular women, not size-zero skeletons. The point of fashion magazines is to make you feel like shit so you will buy shit in an effort to make yourself feel better about yourself. You don't need to get into that rat race.

Good little future son-in-law

Call me crazy, but I honestly do not like to be complimented. Words like 'cute' and 'reliable' and 'honest' and 'upright' and especially 'cute', did I mention 'cute', are not good! Word like that, when used to describe a male between the age of 10-28, do and will mean that that person will have trouble in the dating scene.

I just got through discussing this point yesterday with a Canadian female friend of mine. Sure, girls want a nice, reliable kind of guy that's cute and nice to cuddle with. Suure. But I'll bet all the money I have that nine out of ten times this cute, nice, honest person will be overlooked when there's a gruff, handsome and all-around bad boy available.
Yeah, you can try to deny it all you like, but the fact of the matter is that these nice, cute and all-around son-in-law material come into play when the single woman in question is nearing her thirties and getting ready to settle down. And even then the eyes will easily rotate towards the bad boys.

You know the guy is bad, you know he will probably cheat on you and dump you like a wet rag when he finds the next girl in the block. You know for certain that he's not going to mean a word he says and all he's after is getting inside those panties you are('nt) wearing.
Do you like being mistreated? Do you crave for a man to just use you?
Seriously, I can't figure it out.

Nuts!

Shoot-em-up

I started thinking while playing Modern Warfare 2 (I know, imagine that someone actually thinks while playing a game like that) about the mechanics of firefights in most recent games. I've played these games since Return to Castle Wolfenstein and I have to say that as much as I appreciate the fact that now you get that squad feeling in firefights instead of just running and gunning alone, what are the squadmates there for?

Probably 9/10 new FPS games hail themselves as the most realistic military combat game that's out there. I can see it maybe with Operation Flashpoint and Americas Army titles, since those are heavily based on simulating military tactics and places full importance on covers. It feels like a team that you're leading and losing a member is a major hindrance to how the rest of the op plays out. Others have to pick up the slack of the dead fireteam member. Unlike in Battlefield titles where the other members won't die and Call of Duty where another soldier replaces the one that just dropped dead at your feet.

So, what are these squad members for? As you play through these games at some point it will hit you that you cannot rely on the AI soldiers to do anything that would otherwise be a given in a combat situation. You are the lowly Pfc. that has to run and gun through every situation, enemy fortification and occupied house before you can be sure that that place on the map will not have an enemy soldier that will shoot you in the back as soon as you try to move forwards. The sergeant is always this gruff African-American vet that more often than not sounds like Keith David. I'm sure such an authority figure would be able to relay some orders to other soldiers as well, instead of always throwing the player character into the thick of it. Another thing that bothers me is how the AI soldiers follow the player, even if he is the most junior in the ranks. If in a real situation a private went off on his own, he would not be followed by the entire battalion.

I know, I do realize that it's all a part of the game design and mechanics for the player character to be thrown into the frying pan in each and every situation. Otherwise the player would get bored and perhaps not bother to buy the game on the basis of not having much to do in the game. That way the player can influence the game world much more and feel like he's achieving something.
I'm more worried about the generation that grows up playing Modern Warfare games and Battlefield and stuff like that, enter military service and suddenly has to deal with the fact that not every general is malicious, not every NCO is gallant, your unit is not the best equipped and best trained ass-kicking machine in the company and you will not be everywhere where there's fighting going on. Most people should understand that life isn't what it shows on TV and in the video games, but unfortunately there are those cases where people cling too heavily on aspects of life that in the end turn up to be imaginary.

A lot of people might not enjoy something that would emulate military combat or even the hierarchy. I know this, but that doesn't mean that game developers shouldn't give it a try. Brothers in Arms was a gamble because it limited how much the player could and should do in a relatively open gameplay area and it became a pioneer, a pathfinder for the next generation of FPS games.
Either it should be given a go, or developers should stop calling their games the best in military combat shooters and whatnot, when they clearly have nothing to do with military or combat. Deep down each and every one of these is just a Wolfenstein 3D with some makeup and useless AI squadmates slapped on them.


I'll get off this military-theme soon, I promise.

Opinionated

Over the last six months, I've presented a lot of views and opinions in this blog. I've opened up on a lot of things, ranging from family to relationships to music to politics. I could always continue on this course and concentrate to open about about my personal life ad nauseam, or I could switch to more serious topics nobody truly cares about. So far I haven't made a decision to inch towards either option, but as of the 11th of next month, the decision will be made pretty much for me. As of that date, my personal life will effectively cease to exist in any form I might open up about. What I will do, go through, experience, like, hate, hear and see will be between me and the Finnish Defence Forces. And what I do on leaves might be even more than a bit boring unless I manage to stuff something more permanent into my life in these last 26 days.

In any case, I believe my point in starting this particular blog post was to say that I have and probably will continue to go by instinct as to what I'm going to write here. Everything I've written down or linked to in this blog has been very much spur of the moment things and everything reflects the view of life I have at that moment in time. So far I don't regret any post in here, each have served a purpose and will be there until time immemorial to record what kind of a douche I might have been in any one month.
Everyone needs to have an option for an occasional reality check.

Actually, now that I think about it, these six last months have marked much more changes, experiences and new friendships than any other half-a-year so far. Either this is a sign that my life's been quite void of actual life before this year, or it means I'm more comfortable in leaving my comfort zone. Either way, this has so far been a good year for me. With the military approaching, it might very well just get better and better.

Finally.


I'll be sure to figure out a proper topic soon. Quasi-status updates are hardly the standard I've been trying to build up.

Benefits

You know what the benefits of living in this remote little bit of Pikisaari is?
Aside from never having to care about trick-or-treaters, Jehovah's witnesses and door-to-door salesmen...

You can start off the day by trekking maybe 150 meters and then going for a swim at a nice little beach that's hardly ever occupied at the same time as you're going there. Forest all around, a nice sandy bottom under the water... If only the water was a bit more warm.
The only downside is that the water's not exactly clear and the shipping lane goes right by it. But that's what they call a reasonable compromise, amirite?



P.S. I have a new e-mail for those who're interested. I'll keep using the hotmail one as well, but you can also approach me with this: teo.kuusela@gmail.com

P.P.S. 29 mornings left!

Kick Out The Jams

This heat is killing me.




That is all...





What...?






No, seriously.










Oh, fine then.

It's been a couple of months from the Finnish parliamentary elections and we still don't have a cabinet formed. Our old cabinet, which is still holding out as acting cabinet until the next one is sworn in, refuses to enact any policies for the time being and basically runs things by bare minimum. Every decision is pushed forward, Finland is getting more and more indebted by something like 20 million euros per day. Is this what we seriously voted for? No! That's why previous parties that had ministers lost a lot of seats. The people demand a change to how things are run.

But holy fuck. Seriously? I can't say I voted, but did YOU really vote four years ago for a government that first pushes Finland right into the mix of a global economic crisis, that refused to listen to any sort of reason when it came to running the interests of Finland through the EU, that is now paralyzed and cranky towards the people to the extent of allowing Finland to spiral out of control? Do these politicians honestly want us to be the next Portugal? We have unrepayable loan as much as they do, we're taking out even more loan just to cover Portugal and Greece.

Right now, the right decision would be to shift the opposition parties into power and let it be. Katainen, as the leader of the biggest party and as one who has failed now three times in finding a compatible coalition, should honourably step down and let the social democrats to take charge of building the future government. The cabinet seats should be spread between SDP, Left Alliance and the True Finns. As much as I hate the True Finns, the fact of the matter is that with these three parties, we would have a strong eurosceptic government for the next four years. One that would not drag us down to the extent of what the last government has done.

Heat Makes You Bonkers

Shit... Aside from last night, the previous three nights have been hell. I was actually anxious of going to sleep last night and put it off before finally practically passing out. All because I was having weird ass dreams and kept waking up every two hours only to fall asleep and have the weird ass dreams continue.

The weirdest dream I had was seemingly a looong dream. Even by my standards. It was about a war against Russia, go figure. I was a squad leader on the frontlines of the conflict and the entire experience was like from an FPS. The most vivid portion was assaulting a house, going room by room either as the lead or alone. Sliced two soldiers with a bayonet with plenty of gore.
The only reason for the dream I can figure out would be that I'm either nervous or anxious about my upcoming entry into the world of the Finnish Defence Forces. Well, I wouldn't call myself nervous. I'll probably be nervous the previous day or two and then when I get there, but not this far before. I'm probably more anxious since I can finally get there and enter military service, which is a long-standing wish and dream. And this heat isn't helping, since I tend to shift a lot in my sleep when it's hot enough.

There's also another thing, but I'm not sure if this was a dream or just a sensation in the aftermath or just generally a light bulb going off in my head. And that has to do with being single. Seven years of an on-off long-distance relationship breaking up was first horrible, then it became a sense of freedom. During the last year of vocational school, I started to enjoy life much more by going out with friends and seeking to get out of the house. I got something to fill the void of being at home and not having someone to chat to over the net. And it felt great for a time.
Unfortunately, it seems I miss being tied down. Call me stupid, but I think I kind of like having something dependable, even if it is a fucked up jumble sale of shitstorms, drama and broken hearts. Sure, I miss her first and foremost, since that's what I know and that was my first love.
However, I think I've also met someone else who I might want to start something with. Unfortunately, there's a slight problem of distance there as well. Sure, it's about 890km less than the previous one, but hey it's still a distance. At least she'll come back to Turku at some point before I enter the military, so I might have some time to woo her xD

Ett liv utan kärlek är som ett år utan sommar.

"Socialism is no longer viable"

The formation of a new Finnish cabinet has reached a dead end. The two leftist parties were thrown out due to their uncompromising attitudes towards economic decisions, the True Finns left when it became clear the new government would back the Portugal aid package. The National Coalition Party has lost two of four big parties and the largest small party. With that it seems the next government will be formed of pretty much the same parties as were part of the previous one, despite the massive losses they faced in this election. That happens only if the Centre Party decides to change it's previous statements about going over to the opposition due to the election loss. But even if they do change their minds and Jyrki Katainen finds a deal for the next cabinet, it will be a short-lived one. The opposition will find reason for a motion of no confidence and they will have a chance for getting a majority on their side in the parliament. That would mean a dissolution of the government and a new election. Poison for SDP and Centre Party, which lost seats and will continue losing seats to the True Finns, but perhaps something that is necessary for the creation of a democratically elected government.

During the election, the resounding opinion seemed to be that socialism is not a viable way to go anymore. It was claimed that the leftist parties were outdated and their views would hamper more than aid in the current economic situation. Frankly, people who say such things couldn't be more wrong. And it showed in the election results as well. SDP lost few seats compared to most other parties and the Left Alliance lost only a three seats. Even the climb of populist True Finns could not break the Left Alliance, which under Paavo Arhinmäki pushed back and was very vocal against the True Finns who tooted their horn about supposedly being the only party that was opposing cabinet policies.

I admit that neither SDP nor the Left Alliance stand for good old-fashioned socialism anymore. SDP especially has lost it's touch over the last couple of decades. The Left Alliance with their Green Socialism are the best that Finland still has to offer that's a viable political force.

In current economical times, with Greece and Ireland and Portugal facing bankruptcy despite aid from other EU nations, the need for socialist ideals is even greater than before. Finland has as much loan that it can't pay back as Portugal and it will only get worse if it keeps spewing money to relieve countries just for the money to end up in the hands of British, German and American banks.
What we need right now is to remove nations from the reach of banks and corporations. In these current times, money is drastically undermining the sovereignty of nation states. Common currencies, countries acting according to their customs despite international treaties, disregarding EU policies and the common disregard for the EU founding document which specifically says no to any involvement in aiding countries with economic difficulties. Globalization, the European Union and the economic crisis that started from American banks is not the problem - it's the result. It's the result of weakened national integrities in the face of conglomerates and moneyhungry businessmen.

I'm not saying that there's a conspiracy. It's far from that. If there were a conspiracy of some sort, the economic situation would be much more stable and foreseeable than it is. The facts are that banks have been for decades been churning out loans that they know cannot be paid back. They hold individual people in just as much of a stranglehold as they do countries such as Iceland, Greece, Ireland and Portugal. It's not that they are being malicious or wish to dominate the globe, not at all. It's all because of good business practices. You give someone a loan, you tend to wish for it to come back your way with interest; it's how banks roll. Unfortunately for the banks, they are plenty and all of them have been financing utterly ludicrous national projects that have benefited nobody but the few upper echelons of the social structure. The world is once more becoming polarised and subsidies to banks and large businesses will not aid in preventing that.

What is needed is for banks to be responsible for their actions. They have knowingly lent money they would not get back. There must be a system to watch over banks and corporations for wrongdoings and business practices that would in the end lead to situations such as the one in Greece. There must be a system where people can decide where their money goes off to, not one where the decider is some banker with a new quarter million dollar car on the parking lot of his private luxury residence.
But the blame doesn't reside wholly on banks. Governments must realize that the money they get isn't a luxury for them to use up into private salaries and benefits. They must use the money to benefit the people of their nations. They must build infrastructure, provide job opportunities, give healthcare to those who need it, enable the growth of their economy by investing in their own citizens.
If governments do not realize that the people are the ones they should serve, then the future will look very bleak. The current situation will continue in one way or another until it sparks a revolution against the established policies. And one thing we do not want is for a vengeful mob rule.

Homo unius libri

I have a couple of things that have been bothering me lately. I'll start in entirely reverse chronological order, since I'm more pissed off about this particular news story.

As seems to be the case, according to a leaked memo from the Copyright Council of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, there is a process for introducing new legislation which would censor any website which includes pirated material. This includes many many websites, but one site that has been held up in the limelights is, as one can expect, The Pirate Bay.

Now a few years ago I would've laughed in my naivete and trusted that our nation, which has been ranked for years amongst the most free and uncorrupt nations in the world, would never go through with this kind of notion. That it would be thrown out of parliament like a rat out of a five star kitchen. But now I'm not entirely sure anymore. The fact of the matter is that in the last eight years, Finland has moved away from independence and freedom, only to become a lobbyist-infested pro-nuclear powerhouse for mad schemes and utter disregard for personal rights and freedoms.

I wouldn't perhaps be so angry about this, had I not read the comments of a certain copyright group lobbyist who stated that legal alternatives cannot be put out and developed if piracy is still on the internet.
WRONG!
As we saw with Spotify and Voddler, simple easy-to-use alternatives that are cost-effective and still bring certain royalties to artists is the way to go. They cut down drastically the amount of music and movies pirated off P2P networks. They are cheap and good alternatives for laggy and buggy websites with a shitload of advertisement and exploitative prices. And who knows how much of that money really would go to artists.

The solution to piracy is not to try and ban it or put up flimsy obstructions. Even the average internet user can find out how they get around blocks in e.g. China and Iran. The solution to piracy is to win hearts and minds. Smear campaigns, warnings, fines and blocks will not avail those dastardly flames of Udûn.
If the money currently being spent on tracking down and making life miserable for pirates of the world would be used into developing a good, reliable and cheap alternative to P2P networking, there would be no problem for the big corporations. A lot of people find pirating stuff annoying and if there is a good alternative that is within legal confines, they will gravitate towards it.

But that would mean corporations and governments listening to the masses and relinquishing their notion about how evil piracy and pirates are. Forget terrorists, pirates seem to be the real problem of the world. And why wouldn't they be? They cost corporate America more money annually than a few suicide bombers hitting a subway station.

The world is a corrupt place. There's no such thing as a democracy any longer. People put their faith in parties who then do what they will after securing enough seats of a stupid fucking parliament. The world's full of fucked up oligarchies which in turn are puppeted around by special interest groups.

But alas, democracy does not build consensus - it enforces consensus.

Fait accompli

So, Obama got Osama. Or rather Navy Seal Team Six did.

...

So what?

The war against terror is a war of terror waged against civilians and counterrevolutionaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan. What Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups stand for is of course well out of order, but it is not our place to go in there and tell them so. The efforts of countless western countries to establish pro-western democracies in the Middle-East has failed time and time again. Our laws and our ways are not the ways of Iran or Afghanistan or Iraq. For change to matter, it must come from within. Even if it's crushed, like the efforts in Syria are currently being crushed without international outcry, it does not make the change any less true. History books are full of crushed attempts at change; every single crushed revolution means another one in the future.

Revolutions will always provoke counterrevolution. When the change is being implemented by a foreign power, the people will get a patriotic reason to stand up against it even if it were a better way. Sovereignty of nations relies on this principal that the people in a nation are responsible for themselves and that no other nation may barge in to say what should be done next. Unfortunately, this utopistic view on things has never been factual. Nations that actively avoid intervening in other nations' internal affairs are sidelined as unimportant.
If the people themselves rise up and call for change, it will be much more focused and it will reveal the true colours of the government and civil servants. No matter how it ends up, the seed has been planted. This can be seen in the republican revolutions that started off the French Revolution, the American war of independence, the socialist revolutions across the globe after the February and October Revolutions of Russia, the wave of independence in former colonies, the dissolution of apartheid, and to no small part in the Fascist movement in Italy, Austrian and Germany.
If the people are unhappy, they will show it and join together when you push them too hard.

Never has the killing of one person ended a powerstruggle. Julius Caesar was murdered in an effort to save Rome from becoming an autocracy, only to be followed by Emperor Augustus crowning himself to head Rome.
We can expect only few changes to how Al-Qaida and the Taleban conduct themselves in the near future. Why? Because Osama has not been in tight control for years. He has been hiding, unable to operate due to the manhunt. The true power lies elsewhere and this power remains unchanged. The only thing to change is the whitewash of the inability to locate Osama sooner and the declared martyrdom of Osama.

What's done is done. There is no way to change that.

Thanks, I'm fine

This week's been weird. I can already see the effect that vacations usually have on me in that weekdays get mixed up. It hasn't even been a week since I put the papers in, but it feels like I would've said my goodbyes to the teacher and councillor a month ago.
In any case, I've had time to think during this week. So I wish to address a few points in this blog post.

First of all, the boring issue of politics. The election results came in Sunday night and the following turmoil over the True Finn surge into the third largest party could be seen everywhere. In all honesty, it could be expected and I was prepared to face the annoyance of it when it came. Their policies and how they act in the public eyes remind me of the teabaggers of the United States. It's not healthy politics what they advocate, but the spotlights being on them force people to recognize faults in the system. Populism tends to do that; raise problems to public knowledge and not do much towards fixing a broken system.
What annoyed and angered me most about the elections was the National Coalition Party standing as the biggest party. They are the worst possible choice and their prime minister candidate is furthest from what Finland needs right now. It's not fair or right. The ideal situation would have had the Social Democrats and Left Alliance form a coalition government with the True Finns and topple the unsatisfactory EU policies that have been set up during the last four years of economic uncertainty.


Second thing I wish to raise up from my last week or so is that there's been a lot of confusion about what I should now do. Since I dropped out to take a break from everything, nobody really seems to know what to expect from me. My advice is to expect nothing. That way there's no further disappointment and I can take a break from the pressure and stress of trying to do something too significant in a limited time frame.


On a third point, I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately. I have to admit the unfortunate fact that there has been nobody significant in my life for a good year now (I've stopped counting how long it's been, so that's been an improvement) and it's really starting to feel like it as well. I mean, sure the feeling's there when you're in a long-distance - in retrospect "relationship" may be the wrong word to use - thing with someone, but at least then you maintain connection via IM and text message and whatnot else.
The Finnish phrase "Vanha suola janottaa" comes to mind, which basically means a wish to get back together with someone from your past. I'm sure I'll get flak from certain people just for brooding over the past, and I realize I'm doing that. I recognize the problem myself. Love's a hell of a thing, something you'll never get rid of once you've experienced it towards someone. And the fact of the matter is, no matter how much this person loathed you or disliked your personality or even shunned you, you can't let go without leaving a bunch of yourself behind. Don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned relationships aren't something to bounce in and out of like the other persons in the relationship wouldn't matter. You can't go into a relationship just because you can. There has to be something there for it to work. For my perhaps not so unique personal experience, didn't quite work out like that no matter how much energy and money I invested or wished to invest. I can wear my promise ring again without feeling any nostalgia or loss.