General Discussion Thread

[Fimbulvarg]

These darn search engines are too smart nowadays. Now the SSSS page is full of ads for Smyril Line ferry trips to Iceland.

[Emil]

Gah! Went to bed early only to wake up two hours later! Can't go back to sleep again, surely browsing the internet must help!

Blehhh

[ParanormalAndroid]

Gah! Went to bed early only to wake up two hours later! Can't go back to sleep again, surely browsing the internet must help!

Blehhh

We all understand.

[Daéa Reina]

We can but hope so.  I don't know how it is in Brazil, but if you are looking for something to tide you over until you can get a better job, bar work normally isn't that difficult to find.  At least it hasn't been for me, but I have been working the bar since I was old enough so maybe I have an advantage there.

Yeah, I don't think that would work for me... My hope was to get an administrative job, like secretary or something.

[Ana Nymus]

Gah! Went to bed early only to wake up two hours later!

This morning, way too early, two crows decided to start arguing outside my window. That, or they were flirting. With crows it's hard to tell 

[Eich]

Back from my beach trip.  Now that I have an actual internet connection again and can load pages for more than 30 seconds, I can do things again!  \o/ 

The trip was amazing.  My whole family from my mom's side was there, including my young step-cousins, so we had some 7 year olds running around the house, tearing things up.  I got to play guitar on the shore, which was really cool, and also finally got to play with my cousin and show her some guitar tricks!  Also went to the arcade, and I beat a challenge run of a game I've been doing for a few months.  Most importantly, my itty-bity niece was there, and for whatever reason, every time she saw me she'd start smiling and laughing!    It made me really happy.  Then my brother-in-law's sister came over and brought her baby, and the two babies were together, and... two babies, so cute, oh gosh. 
Also, I have some pictures! 

Spoiler: show

First off, the view from the main room, and some pictures of the house, because I've never been in such a swanky place before and I'm a little flabbergasted:
[spoiler]

Spoiler: There was an elevator in this house • show

Spoiler: Art Sink • show

I also got to play with my niece today before I left. 
Look how chubby she is!  Where are the knees?  SO CUTE.  ARRGH.

Spoiler: show

[/spoiler]

[Pessi]

Our new government programme has been published. For the first time in my life I'm at least halway seriously considering the possibility of moving to somewhere else.

Our government combination of Center Party, Basic Finns and National Coalition has decided to cut from education (about 600 000 000 euro), social benefits (study support, unemployment benefit, health benefits, child benefit etc. etc.), development cooperation, environmental protection and about everything else that makes this a good and secure land to live in. The things they want to give more money to are the army and the police. Our new minister of health seems to be an anti-vax idiot, our new minister of justice has no schooling or experience for the job, our new foreign minister is a nationalistic EU-hater and our Prime Minister is from an ultra conservative religious sect and seems to be concerned only about the problems of the countryside. There goes the famous welfare state...

[Sunflower]

How often does Finland's national government change hands, Pessi?  Is it like the U.S., where things only change at Presidential elections every 4 years?  (Ignoring Congressional elections every 2 years.)

Or like the U.K. and other parliamentary countries, where "snap" elections can happen more often? 

What I'm asking is, are you stuck with this government for a fixed period?  Or could it change sooner, especially if there's a lot of public discontent?


One other thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the best way to discredit a bad political movement in the long run is to let it take office in the short run.  If its policies don't bear fruit, or its backers turn out to be incompetent/corrupt/bizarre, etc., the voters will notice and reject them.  (This is assuming the undesirables aren't so corrupt as to change the rules once they get in so that they can't be voted out.)

[Noodles]

[political DOOOOOOOOOOM]

Ugh, that does not sound ideal.
Maybe someone else will get elected next time once everybody sees that these people screwed things up?

[Laufey]

These darn search engines are too smart nowadays. Now the SSSS page is full of ads for Smyril Line ferry trips to Iceland.

Maybe something is trying to drop you a hint.

Gah! Went to bed early only to wake up two hours later! Can't go back to sleep again, surely browsing the internet must help!

You made one mistake there but then again who am I to blame you for it...

Eich: awesome photos and an awesome place, and yup, looks about the swankiest place possible! I'd probably stare at that sink for hours.

Pessi: Looks like things are going to be rough on students. And the ill, disabled, elderly, children, low income families, the jobless, the... well, basically anyone who isn't wealthy enough...

[Mélusine]

Back from my beach trip. (...) Also, I have some pictures! 

The sea is SO close ! You were lucky !

Annoying of the morning : my former boyfriend just announced he'll be at the same place as me for three days. I'm considering switching "I'm not always sociable when there is a lot of persons and might end in a corner somewhere at a moment or an other" to "I might push him in the river" (Considering depth 100 cm at this place and my temper, it's more a "Please please please let me be lucky enough to avoid him as much as possible"). Only good point : determination not letting him to ruin my week-end.

[Koeshi]

Yeah, I don't think that would work for me... My hope was to get an administrative job, like secretary or something.

Fair enough, just a thought of something easy to do while waiting for something better.  (Easy to get, not easy work, oh no)

Our government combination of Center Party, Basic Finns and National Coalition has decided to cut from education (about 600 000 000 euro), social benefits (study support, unemployment benefit, health benefits, child benefit etc. etc.), development cooperation, environmental protection and about everything else that makes this a good and secure land to live in. The things they want to give more money to are the army and the police. Our new minister of health seems to be an anti-vax idiot, our new minister of justice has no schooling or experience for the job, our new foreign minister is a nationalistic EU-hater and our Prime Minister is from an ultra conservative religious sect and seems to be concerned only about the problems of the countryside. There goes the famous welfare state...

Some good and some bad in there.  If that is what the people chose you have to live with it or move somewhere where the people don't get a choice and you can't complain about the decisions they make.  That isn't to say you can't b**** about it though, gods know I would have been grumpy if Labour had won our election.  (still am grumpy about the amount of power the SNP has but nevermind)

[Fimbulvarg]

Basic Finns

Basic Finns, enemies of the Acidic Finns. What a strange party name.

Maybe something is trying to drop you a hint.

It knows exactly what kind of hints to drop on the SSSS page: hiking gear, knitwear and Iceland trips. It used to suggest black leather boots and stuff too.

[Pessi]

If that is what the people chose

This isn't what people choose - or at least what they thought they choose. Before the elections our new prime minister and minister of finance (among many other politicians) made a so called "koulutuslupaus", education promise, and posed very visibly in social media with school kids and students carrying plaques with the text "koulutuksesta ei leikata", "no cuts from education". Now that they've won they've serenely forgotten they've promised anything at all on this sector, and Basic Finns seem to have as serenely forgotten how they promised to make sure the well-being of The People (in their language this means the native Finns - with the possible exeption of those who have wrong kind of political opinions) will be advanced. What will be advanced with this kind of politics is mental illness, suicides, violence, crimes and general insecurity and unhappiness. Plus an environmental catastrophe.

Sunflower, it's four years of this if the government doesn't end up quarrelling so badly among it's own people that the parties forming it decide to end co-operation. Or if the parliament decides to give the government a non-confidence motion, but this is so rare it probably won't happen.

[Koeshi]

I fail to see in there how the Basic Finns have broken their promise already.  They promised well-being in line with their ideology, and people voted for that, you not agreeing with what they believe is an improvement of well-being is not the same as them breaking (or forgetting) promises.