Finland for Thought
             Politics, current events, culture - In Finland & United States

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I'm an American who's been living in Finland for five years. I started this blog to address some of the political, cultural, and current event issues in Finland and the United States. I am a strong advocate of liberty, individuality, equality, and tolerance. Enjoy!

21.6.2008

Nobody drowned this Juhannus

And I’d say this is a pretty remarkable piece of news. Traditionally the combination of alcohol and boating has resulted in at least half a dozen drownings. The statistics this year weren’t looking good as the thin ice caused a whole lot of fishermen to get into peril. The least drownings during Juhannus was in 2003 when the toll was four.

Otherwise the death toll so far has been 6 people. The most violent incident was in Kouvola, where three army conscripts were stabbed, one fatally and another in critical condition. A middle-aged couple had a beer-fuelled argument and the woman stabbed the man dead in Helsinki. The heavy holiday traffic went relatively safely but with several accidents, two fatal, and the police otherwise has been kept busy by drunk drivers. In Keuruu two men were found in the sauna, one dead and the other unconcious - possibly from cabon monoxide poisoning. Another man was found dead on a beach in Lappeenranta ant the police state they’re not suspecting a crime.

Otherwise the country has been doused with rain and hailstorms, maybe inhibiting the partying a bit. The police has had its share of domestic calls, and a man was shot in the leg while threatening the police with an axe. While the police say the amount of calls has been regular for a midsummer, the Coast Guard has stated it has had approximately half of the amount of calls to assist boaters than usual.

Update: By Sunday the death toll has risen to eight with another stab victim, and of a boating party one man found drowned and another missing - so that makes the inevitable drowning statistics. The Finnish swimming and lifesaving association’s spokesperson says that the bad weather did contribute, but he says he hopes that the downward trend is due to the efforts in public awareness as well. The return traffic is expected to be slightly congested even most people have started their summer vacations.

20.6.2008

They ain’t pikeys, are they?

The Helsingin Sanomat has written about some British & Irish paving labourers who apparently have not had “trouble finding work without speaking any Finnish”. So that proves false the assumption Finns are discriminating xenophobes and racists. Doing a paving job for 3500, sans receipt, when the Finnish quote is 8500-10K and the material cost alone is between 2-3K though might have something to do with the equation. Also the claim that Finnish officials are xenophobes and racists is proven wrong, as if a local Finnish resident would be driving drunk, stealing and doing black labor without paying the social fees and VAT; they’d be in serious trouble. But EU citizens are free to do whatever they effin please. So apparently there is a “need for workers” in Finland indeed and the EU has once again proven to be the source of multiculturalism that enriches the nation. Again three basic theses regarding immigrants in Finland have been proven wrong. I find this quite hilarious, though there’s an owner of a campsite full of complaining Finns (as opposed to whining foreigners) that might not think I am so funny.

Cliff notes: Snatch in Järvenpää

30.4.2008

Board Game Auction 2008

It’s time for my fourth annual summer board game auction, yay!! This time I’ve teamed up with my neighbor and close friend, Saku S., to bring you even MORE great games - here’s how it works…

Below are the starting prices. Simply leave a comment below with your bids. Each bid must be 1 euro higher than the previous. Please include both your name and e-mail address. (if your message doesn’t immediately appear, it may have got caught in my spam guard - I’ll check my spam throughout the day so just wait a few hours and it will show)

I will update this page daily with the highest bids - however, when placing a bid, search through the comments to be sure you are the highest bidder.

I’ll be at Ropecon 2008, so I can bring the games there. If you won’t be at Ropecon, I can meet you in Espoo, or send the games in the Post (at your expense). I’ll accept bank transfer or cash.

The auction begins now (July 30th) and ends on Friday, August 8th at 12:00.

Good luck! E-mail me with any questions: phil >>at>> finlandforthought . net

Latest update on the bids: Friday, August 8th at 15:00, Winners updated

Age
of Napoleon / Das Zeitalter Napoleons
, Phalanx
5 EUR, Kalle Miller

WINNER: 10 EUR, Valtteri Pirttilä

German version with printed English rules. Unplayed.
Heart
of Africa / Ins Innere Afrika
, Phalanx
WINNER: 5 EUR, Mika
German version with scanned printed English rules.
Unplayed.
Elasund:
The First City of Catan
, Kosmos
5 EUR

6 EUR, raaf

WINNER: 7 EUR, Mirko

German version with printed English rules. Played maybe
two times.
Quarto!,
Gigamic
5 EUR Good condition.
Marco
Polo Expedition
, Rio Grande
WINNER: 5 EUR, barber
English version. Good condition.
New
England,
Goldsieber
5 EUR, Timo Malvisalo6 EUR, Hessu

9 EUR, Timo Malvisalo

WINNER: 10 EUR, Hessu

Played condition.
Scene
it!,
Screenlife LLC
10 EUR First Edition (2003). Played condition.
Space
Dealer
, Eggert Spiele
10 EUR

15 EUR, Kalle Miller

WINNER: 18 EUR, Valtteri Pirttilä

German version with printed English rules. Good condition.
Die
Weinhändler
, Amigo
2 EUR, Mosse

3 EUR, JoeLamer

5 EUR, Mosse

WINNER: 6 EUR, metsku

German version with printed English rules. Good condition.
Taru
Sormusten Herrasta/Lord of the Rings
, Tactic
5 EUR, Timo Malvisalo

7 EUR, Timo Malvisalo

WINNER: 12 EUR,  Mirko

Finnish version. Unplayed.
Combat
Commander: Volume II - Mediterranean
, GMT Games
15 EUR

WINNER: 30 EUR, Vesa

In shrink. Unopened.
Age
of Empires III: The Age of Discovery
, Tropical Games
15 EUR

21 EUR, Patrik Lervik

WINNER: 33 EUR, Tombad

With the components for extra player shipped with
pre-order, box a bit caved in during shipment.
4 x card games package WINNER: 2 EUR, JoeLamer
Lao Pengh,
Up & Down and Turbo

from Adlung Spiele (all with English rules) + Herzlos from Winning
Moves (German with no English rules)

Amyitis,
Ystari
5 EUR12 EUR, Mosse

13 EUR, Opettaja H.

WINNER: 15 EUR, raaf

Played   3
times, like new. German edition with English rules.
Augusburg
1520
, Alea
5 EUR, Ossessione

9 EUR, Mirko

WINNER: 15 EUR,  Mirko

Played 4 times, like new. German edition with English rules.
Before
the Wind
, Mayfair
3 EUR

WINNER: 9 EUR, Ossessione

Played once, like new. English edition.
Blue
Moon City
, Kosmos
5 EUR

10 EUR, oskari

12 EUR, raaf

WINNER: 13 EUR, Mika

Played several times, like new. German edition with English rules.
Chicago
Poker
, Phalanx
WINNER: 3 EUR, barber
Played several times, like new. English edition.
Darjleeing,
Abacus
5 EUR

8 EUR, Jhua

9 EUR, metsku

WINNER: 10 EUR, Jhua

Played once, like new. English edition.
Double
or Nothing
, Uberplay (Reiner Knizia)
5 EUR Played several times, like new. English edition.
Evergreen,
Goldseiber (Wolfgang Kramer)
WINNER: 2 EUR, Cane
Played once, like new. German edition with English rules.
Great
Wall of China
, Kosmos (Reiner Knizia)
3 EUR

WINNER: 5 EUR, Timo Tikkanen

Played several times, like new. German edition with English rules.
Limits,
Amigo (Uwe Rosenberg)
2 EUR, JoeLamer

WINNER: 3 EUR, Cane

Played once, like new. German edition with English rules.
Lucky
Loop,
Queen
3 EUR Played twice, like new. German edition with English rules.
Rage,
Fundex
2 EUR, barber

WINNER: 3 EUR, Cane

Played once, like new. English edition.
Saludos
Amigos!,
Goldseiber
5 EUR Played once, like new. German edition with English rules.
Sleuth,
Face-2-Face (Sid Sackson)
5 EUR

WINNER: 10 EUR, Timo Tikkanen

Played once, like new. English edition.
Walhalla,
Amigo
5 EUR, Timo Malvisalo

6 EUR, Hessu

9 EUR, Timo Malvisalo

WINNER: 10 EUR, Hessu

Played several times, like new. German edition with
English rules.
Ziegen
Kriegen
, Amigo
2 EUR, JoeLamer

3 EUR, metsku

WINNER: 5 EUR, Cane

Played once, like new. German edition with English rules.
Shogun,
Queen (Dirk Henn)
10 EUR

25 EUR, Mosse

31 EUR, Mirko

WINNER: 40 EUR, Jhua

Played once, like new. German edition with English rules.
Thurn
& Taxis: All Roads Lead to
Rome
, Rio Grande Games (Andreas Seyfarth)
5 EUR

6 EUR, JoeLamer

7 EUR, Hessu

9 EUR, Hessu

WINNER: 11 EUR, Hessu

Played once, like new. English edition.
Buccaneer,
Queen (Stefan Dorra)
5 EUR, Hessu

7 EUR, Hessu

WINNER: 13 EUR, Eikku

Played several times, like new. English edition.
Imperial,
Eggert-Spiele
10 EUR

30 EUR,  Timo Tikkanen

WINNER: 31 EUR, pillar

Played   once,
like new.  English edition.
Canal Mania,
Ragnar Brothers
10 EUR

11 EUR,  Niko

WINNER: 12 EUR, Hessu

Played   once,
like new.  English edition. Signed by the designers!
Eketorp,
Queen (Dirk Henn)
10 EUR

11 EUR, Akseli Pulkkinen

16 EUR, Hessu

20 EUR, Akseli Pulkkinen

WINNER: 22 EUR, Akseli Pulkkinen

Played once,
like new. German edition with English rules

30.1.2008

I hired a Contract RobinHood

This piece of news from the Helsingin Sanomat really rang up high on the bizarrometer.

OK, so we have teenage angst and too much tv:

Police suspect that a 16-year-old Helsinki girl paid a 19-year-old man to kill her mother.

And what was with this “handgun ownership” so rampant in Finland then?

A moment later the woman felt a strong blow to the back of her head… One of the men had shot the woman with a crossbow - the kind that is used to shoot small game, police say.

Kinda… medieval this one.

Police say that the 16-year-old daughter had promised the 19-year-old man a cash payment for the killing. The daughter did not live with the mother at the time of the attack. The man had persuaded two 20-year-old friends to join him. The crime was planned at the Espoo home of a fourth man, who now faces charges of aiding and abetting. The suspects, all native-born Finns, do not have any prior criminal records.

Kids, don’t eat that yellow snow.

24.1.2008

Crow Has a Positive One

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Everything — Author: Hank W.  @ 5:08 pm

Tö vinnis skiink asshosshasson hääs nou komments oon tö keis. Helsingin Sanomat writes:

“According to the information I have received from the IBU, I am under suspicion of a doping offence. These suspicions are unfounded, and I have requested that the matter should be examined further in the normal way. Given the ongoing nature of the process, this matter is not public. I am nevertheless permitted to bring to light the suspicions held against me, and I do so of my own volition.”

So yeah, all athletes are innocent until their B-sample is tested.

23.1.2008

Publication of Tax Records Questioned - FFT bloggers partying as monkeys on bad acid

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Everything, Privacy, Taxes — Author: Hank W.  @ 1:13 pm

Evidently Sirkuspelle’s efforts are finally showing some fruits. From the STT

Publishing individuals’ tax records in the media may in future be completely banned, provincial daily Keskisuomalainen reported on Wednesday. The paper added that the Supreme Administrative Court (KHO) had asked the the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a precedent on the issue. The ECJ will hold a discussion on the topic 12 February and the KHO would make its decision based on this precedent. The issue came to the forefront when Veropörssi, a Satakunta-based company that publishes tax information, listed over a million individuals’ tax records and then sold them to directory services firm Fonecta, which in turn sold the information on to customers via text message. According to Keskisuomalainen, Reijo Aarnio, Finland’s data protection ombudsman, took the issue to court as a breach of journalistic integrity.

The Age of Wonders is here.

1.1.2008

With money comes leftism

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Left-wing, Ring-wing, Taxes — Author: Phil @ 1:34 pm

I’ve been fortunate enough to get a couple generous raises over the past two years and my girlfriend has graduated from school and is working full time, so our household has seen a healthy increase in income. And as I become wealthier, I find myself moving further and further to the left politically. I’d like to say with age and wisdom comes leftism, or maybe five years in the welfare state has brought me closer to the left - but it’s all about the Benjamin$…

Beginning today, the Finnish state has banned discounts on alcohol, significantly increasing the price of 12-packs of beer. And I love beer! So I should be upset, right? But I’m not. I make a decent salary, I can afford it. Now a few years ago I’d be furious, my love of beer remained the same but I was much poorer, so this leftist move would have hurt me much harder.

During the current U.S. Presidential campaign, socialized healthcare is an important issue to me, I support the left when I say I want every American to have free healthcare - Because I know if I ever return to the states, my employer will fund my private healthcare. Now if I were a poorer man, there’s no way in hell I’d want something as important as my personal health in the hands of some idiot like George W. Bush!

I supported the Nurse’s raise even though taxes will increase even further, cause I got $$. I’m a much bigger environmentalist now that I have more money to afford the higher costs it requires. Go ahead and make the leftist move of raising the prices on such basic necessities as fuel, electricity, bus fare, food, and drink - I live, work, and shop in Espoo, I never have to see the negative effects of poverty in Finland.

You know how much political debate goes on in the lunch rooms and water coolers of my employer? None! We all got $$, these little Mickey Mouse moves by the Finnish politicians hardly affect us. Doubling the price of beer really hurts a poor Finns’ wallet, but does little damage to ours. So why not support the left? It’s much more cool and hip than the right. And that’s what I’m really missing as I get older and wealthier…coolness.

Pictured right, the wise and majestic President of Finland, Ms. Tarja Halonen.

The end of Finnish “Happy Hour”

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Housing & Rent, Law, Taxes — Author: Phil @ 12:45 pm

Happy New Year!! And best wishes from Finnish politicians who’ve rang in the New Year with higher taxes and stricter regulations

- Taxation will pump up the price of gasoline by 5 cents a litre, and diesel by 5 and a half cents. On average, motorists can expect to spend up to 60 euros more on fuel.

- The price of bus tickets is also expected to rise by 5.2 percent, while long-distance train tickets will cost on average 2.9 percent more.

- Sending snail mail will also a bit cost more in the new year. Mailing a package will cost 7 percent more, unless it weighs less than 50 grams

- Prime or base interest rates will rise to 4.75 percent, up from the 4.25 percent level of the last six months.

- Television commercials for alcoholic beverages are now banned from television screens between 7.00 am and 8.00 pm, and are forbidden in cinemas during movies for patrons under the age of 18.

Gee, thanks politicians! And here’s the real kicker, no more discounts on alcohol, a 12-pack will cost the same as if you’re buying 12 individual beers. This means I’ll be buying more imports instead of saving money on shitty Finnish beer…

- Bulk discounts on multiple packs of alcoholic beverages are a thing of the past. The practice of outdoor advertising of other discounted alcoholic drinks such as cheaper drinks offered during a “happy hour” is also against the law.

And what is quite ironic - cold, dreary, suicidal Finland is banning “Happy Hour”. Finnish politicians have taken away a restaurant/pub’s freedom to lower prices of their products in order to compete. We had a couple happy hours per day from 4 to 6, but now it’s unhappiness in Finland 24/7.

Let’s see - the leftist Social Democrats liberalized alcohol under their administration and the right-wing Kokoomus have tightened regulations. I’m definitely a lefty.

24.11.2007

Americans love their Drugs & Prisons

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Law, Privacy — Author: Kristian  @ 8:55 pm

coca.jpgI can’t believe hockey player Jere Karalahti is still in jail on drug charges. I’m not convinced that he’s guilty of anything, and it gets me thinking about drug policy in the Nordics.

What I don’t understand is that professional sports stars, like ones who compete in ice hockey, rugby, football, auto racing, boxing and even ski jumping, can have multiple concussions and other devastating head injuries; yet it’s so natural to think, “It’s OK because those injuries were suffered while playing sports. Carry on fearless warrior!” Nevermind that some of them will no longer be among the sharper pencils in the drawer…not that all of them were to begin with.

Whereas I don’t know anything specific about Jere’s case, when an average Pekka Jääkiekko wants to relax with his buddies and snuffle a few lines of white powder on a Saturday night, many of us are programmed to think, “Oh no, we can’t have THAT!” But sports head injuries are OK.

Of course, I’m being facetious by even remotely suggesting that the normal outcome of playing sports or using drugs results in permanent brain injuries. In either case, the chance is remote. Most sportsmen recover from their injuries, and the vast majority of recreational drug users never have problems in the first place. But why is there such a double standard?

We in Europe can learn from the follies of the United States, which has been using anti-drug propaganda for several decades now to justify its War on Drugs, a sustained effort to fund the prison industry. There are more people in US jails than in Russia and China combined. It’s a real human rights mess. That’s not to say we don’t have our own embarrassing practices here—albeit unrelated to prisons and drugs—but at least we’re not on the verge of needing to colonize the moon to secure more prison real estate.
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bush.jpg
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Most amazingly, American workers even prostitute themselves by offering bodily fluid samples for their corporate bosses to inspect. And the US sports industry is on the warpath with ridiculous testing regiments of its own for athletes. It’s such an embarrassing and unnecessary procedure for participants. The politically connected drug testing industry doesn’t seem to mind though.

Yet by all observations, these measures aren’t stopping anyone from doing illegal drugs. In fact, Americans love drugs more than ever! The passion spans all socio-economic strata, professions and age groups. It seems to abide well with the American work hard & play hard ethic. The sad part is that, whereas most people’s lives aren’t being harmed by the drugs themselves, they are instead impeded by the prison sentences, interrupted careers and other legal troubles associated with drug policies.

Now, none of this is meant to imply that drugs are wonderful. The above-mentioned powders have addiction rates and cause destructive illnesses just like alcohol; the chances of being afflicted are small but exist nonetheless. But let’s remember, there’s also a chance of suffering debilitating injuries while riding a bicycle—those little Styrofoam helmets might be concrete-resistant, but they’re not concrete-proof—or parachuting, hang gliding or cliff climbing for that matter. Life is full of risk choices.

The biggest danger that I see, aside from the legal troubles, is the possibility of ingesting a mixture containing something found in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. You just never know what some unscrupulous dealer might have used to dilute the product. Maybe he was short on baking flour, but too lazy to run to the store? Out comes the carpet cleanser. The chance of impurity is probably more harmful than the drug itself.

Given this pitfall, and the fact that keeping drugs illegal only raises profits and encourages more sales and usage (it’s probably the biggest business in America), why not follow the Swiss example of providing those with serious drug ‘desires’ a rationed assortment of whatever makes them happiest—after all, isn’t life about being happy? Surely it can’t only be about punishing each other for our differing preferences.

So to really seal our place in history as being part of the enlightened Nordics, let’s take the entire drug market away from greedy criminals and put it where it belongs: The government.

We can begin by opening a sister-monopoly to the famous Alko, Finland’s governmental alcohol pusher. The new enterprise can be named Narko; hence, together they’ll form the Alko-Narko Alliance. The new monopoly can have the same high prices, narrow selection and limited opening hours as its older sibling. Naturally, it will also have government workers who’ll occasionally strike for higher pay. Rest assured, we can even continue to enjoy the long cues before holidays.

And best yet: when the European Commission again censures Finland for its anti-competitive practices, we can defensively retort: “We need Narko to control drug addiction!” But this time, it might actually be an honest statement.

You said it Elvis!

2.4.2007

Alko, Alkoholi and the Fleecing of Finland

Tags: Drugs & Alcohol, Standard of Living, Taxes — Author: Kristian  @ 2:23 pm

Once again, it looks like the Finnish government, in cohorts with the state-owned alcohol racket, Alko, is about to play the age-old trick of fleecing Finns out of their hard-earned money. Yes, the issue of raising alcohol taxes has resurfaced here in a country that already has among the highest alcohol prices in Europe.

Not surprisingly, Finland also has a high incidence of alcohol-related problems due to binge drinking; a commonality among countries that try to influence drinking behavior via raising alcohol prices. Will Finland ever develop a mature, central European drinking culture?

That remains to be seen.

But in the meantime, would you like to see how much this ploy costs the Finnish consumer? Consider that in Germany, .5L bottles of high quality beer cost about 55ct each at the supermarket. That’s 1.10 per-Liter. And wine is about half-price in Germany compared to Finland.

So, it’s not hard to imagine that the Finn overpays by at least 10€ each week, on average, even if he only enjoys drinks at home with dinner. Naturally, the overpayment would be much greater if he’d drink at Finland’s many overpriced pubs and restaurants. To place things in perspective, let’s consider the Time Value of Money.

Suppose he’d have the option to purchase alcohol in Germany (as I normally do) and could invest that 10€ each week in a Stock Fund that yields 10% growth-per-annum. In 25-years, he’d have over 55,000€ saved!

Wow! The Finnish alcohol ripoff has cost the price of a luxury automobile! It’s no wonder that Finns are among the poorest people in western Europe. By the way, would you like to see how Autovero will cost the price of a new flat?










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