Blocked, Finland..

..sooo, ..no concealed carry law in Finland?

Called Jätkän Kynttilä (loose transl. Redneck Candle) in Finland.. Never heard of Swedish Torch.

The other great fire for outdoors is Rakovalkea (white crack, yeah it's double entendre), it consists of 2 large logs and the fire is set between them. It'll warm up one camp for a whole Finnish winter night, guaranteed. Same principle, restricted burn.

Ugh. I'm starting to realize I'm susceptible to psychosomatic nausea...

This reminds me in a bad way of the one time I was in anything approaching rough seas. It was a ferry from Finland to Sweden, with winds around 30m/sec. In Stockholm, trams were thrown off their tracks by the wind.

I'd just had dinner when the waves hit and was lying down in my cabin, thinking that might be the easiest way to weather the ship's rocking. It wasn't. Decided to go out on deck to get some fresh air, a task slightly complicated by the way the floor kept falling out from under my feet while I was trying to walk. This on a ship built to transport some 3000 people.

End result, I might as well not have paid for the dinner, plus I self-diagnosed myself with an ear infection that really flared up about the same time. And this is almost an inland sea we're talking about, nothing like an ocean. I think I'll stick to planes for transcontinental travel, thank you very much.

That's not a swing, this is a swing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gI1uus5F5C8

These "village swings" as they were called were quite commong in eastern Finland and Estonia. They could be, and were, swung all the way around as here, only you'd be standing... Couldn't find footage of that, unfortunately.

Nowadays they're somewhat rare, as they're considered dangerous due to the rather great momentum you can achieve with a big swing. Also, as there is nothing to guarantee the swingers actually stay on the swing, you could get mangled pretty badly if things went wrong.

Incidentally, the Baltic countries apparently have a competitive swinging scene, where the objective is to sping as long as swing as possible fully around. The current men's record holder is one Andrus Aasamäe from Estonia, having managed the feat on a swing with a length from the pivot of 702 cm...

Tomorrow be cold indeed... it's Finland, afterall!

Don't know where you live but here in Finland, the whole concept is something you're born with. For most of my adult life i really thought that it is the same for all in the "western" world and once i learned the truth my instinct was "damn that is just wrong". In the 80s, i thought that our concept CAME from USA, not that we should be exporting that concept there. It is the land of the free, ffs. (it came here from Sweden, actually..)

Just the fact that if you get hit by a car or develop cancer, health payments is the least of your worries, just like it should be. Patient can concentrate, stress free, on recovery and you don't need to miss any treatment because you ain't got the money for it. Just the concept that profit should not be a part of health care industry (unless you want to, we got private clinics that are above the universal health care in term of waiting times etc.) that is ingrained to the culture brings comfort and equality. The middle class chooses between the two, the high end goes private and poor get the same quality from general healthcare, there's something very comforting there. Every person i see, i just know that he/she is taken care of. I'm not better or worse than the rest.

In my mind, it's a question of human rights to get the same treatment than the wealthy get. Money should not be a part of that equation. The same principle goes for education, it is a human right to get the same education as the rest will, money should not be a part of that either. We are here because of our culture and wouldn't be able to survive without past generations knowledge. One crucial part of that knowledge is how to treat wounds. Denying that is just sick, demented, plain wrong.

This is how much my life differs from you. I get all the possibilities and it's my freedom to use them or not. And on top of it all, we do it cheaper than you. How is that not implemented everywhere baffles me.. How sick a parent must be to deny his child all the possibilities, how sick you neighbor has to be to deny that from you?

@Trancecoach
ok.fair enough.
the reasons why i was making the religion analogy is due to your bullet form responses.
your outright deflecting when points are made...shifting the goal posts to meet your criteria.
you point to the UE and i counter with sweden and finland,basically i used your own premise and your response? not good enough.move those goal posts!

you know who else argues exactly the same way? religious fundamentalists.
so i was just being a bit cheeky with ya and i assumed (wrongly it appears) that you would take it in the spirit it was meant..busting your balls.

my sadness resided in the slow realization that our conversation was one-sided.

that no matter what idea i put forth would be met with the same tactics and it assumes i wish to change your mind.i dont but i truly did want to understand you.
and your replies have been informative and i have a much better understanding now.
that is something i appreciate.
but you were talking at me,not with me.
and you did ignore my questions in regards to the darker side of capitalism.

so i dont know what you thought i was projecting onto you.i was expressing sadness and that i felt foolish.

with my newfound understanding of our relationship and your willingness to address those questions that were left unanswered.

let us begin:
1.we hear so much about the "producers" of wealth and industry.would you admit that this wealth is not gained alone but is in fact the result of a multitude of people,services and infrastructure?
a.if yes.are you willing to acknowledge that workers who bargain for their services, individually and collectively, are also employing market forces?
b.if no.explain.

2.in a free market with no regulation,how would society keep the financial industry in check?

3.do you believe in democracy? if so,then what is wrong with regulations?

4.since we both know the vast corporate wealth we have been witnessing is due to corporations influencing government policy.should these corporations be dissolved completely?or is it government that needs to be expunged? and what would be your solution to fill that void?

5.in a free market intellectual property is an oxymoron,as is copyright.how do you suggest to rid us of those things?

6.isnt democracy a form of free market?

@enoch, if I sound evangelical, it's because I have an allergic reaction to misinformation and a deep aversion to disinformation...

Here are my comments, interspersed:

> and how come all your examples are the european countries that got fucked
> in the ass by corrupt currency and derivative speculators?"

By corrupt currency, do you mean the Euro? These are a big percentage of the so-called "1st world countries."

> are you working for goldman sachs?
> whats the deal man?

Are these borderline ad hominem, or did I miss something...

> denmark? finland?

Is that it, do you want to limit the evidence to the scandinavian countries? Fine, list for me the countries you want me to address and compare to the US or more free market economies and we will proceed from there.

> but its apparent you dont know shit about socialism.
> socialism-communism=not the same.

Personal attacks aside, communism is a type of socialism in the Marxist sense. But to clarify, please define 'socialism' as you think it should be defined, if something other than public control over the means of production.

> and no free market carny barker never seems to want to talk about.

Are you getting upset about something, or are you not calling me a "free market carny barker"?

> 1.how do you fix the currency issue with its pyramid scheme?

What is the currency issue? The central bank's monopoly in currency? You get rid of legal tender laws and let people decide what currency they want to use and accept.

> 2.how do create a level playing field for the wage slave? or debt slave?

You have to be more specific as to what "level playing field means in practice" so that I can answer this.

> 3.or can you outright buy people?

Do you mean slaves? No, that goes against free-market non-aggression and self-ownership principles.

> 4.since nothing is communal and there is no regulation.is there anything that
> cannot be commodified?

Again, please be more specific about what you mean by "commodified." Do you mean are you free to buy and sell anything as long as you don't violate self and property rights? Not clear what you mean here but I'm sure with some clarification I can address it.

> look man.i get it.lots of good things can happen with a free market. but so can
> a lot of bad. eyes open my man.

Sure, but please tell me, what specifically bad can happen in a free market that cannot happen as bad or worse in a non-free market?

> reminds me of the scientist who came up with game theory.
> from the rand institute i think. the whole cold war was set up on this dudes
> principles of self-interest. did a bunch of testing on dudes and the data
> seemed conclusive...until he did the same experiment with secretaries. turns
> but they were unwilling to dick each other over and were more prone to co-
> operate with each other.

How is this relevant? People like to cooperate. That's the basis for the voluntary free market and why it works.

> well how about them apples.co-operation as a way on interacting. ya dont
> say? very interesting.

I agree. Voluntary interaction equals cooperation. That is the free market. Coercion is the non-free market. Is there disagreement here, because I don't see it.

> i know we both agree that what we have now is a clusterfuck.
> and i agree that the free market should have a place,that its even vital. but
> unrestricted free markets? naw..no thanks.

I still don't know the specifics of how exactly you want to "restrict it" and how specifically you want to restrict it. You must forgive me if I don't think you are as competent to restrict me and my life and my business and I myself am. The same with your life and business, I am not qualified to restrict it.
Who is then? Specifically, "who" do you want to restrict you, and your freedom to engage in free trade?

@Trancecoach
you are starting to sound damn near evangelical about this free market lovefest you are having.
and this:
"Socialism promotes equality: "it's only virtue is equal misery for all" (with the exception of the rulers, of course)"

thats a beaut.

and how come all your examples are the european countries that got fucked in the ass by corrupt currency and derivative speculators? are you working for goldman sachs?
whats the deal man?

how about throwing out some countries are doing pretty damn ok?
denmark?finland?

ill give ya props for knowing capitalism and all the positive bennies that can go with it but its apparent you dont know shit about socialism.
socialism-communism=not the same.

so while we are at it lets discuss some things that are from the dark side of capitalism and no free market carny barker never seems to want to talk about.

1.how do you fix the currency issue with its pyramid scheme?
2.how do create a level playing field for the wage slave? or debt slave?
3.or can you outright buy people?
4.since nothing is communal and there is no regulation.is there anything that cannot be commodified?

look man.i get it.lots of good things can happen with a free market.
but so can a lot of bad.
eyes open my man.

reminds me of the scientist who came up with game theory.
from the rand institute i think.
the whole cold war was set up on this dudes principles of self-interest.
did a bunch of testing on dudes and the data seemed conclusive...
until he did the same experiment with secretaries.
turns out they were unwilling to dick each other over and were more prone to co-operate with each other.

well how about them apples.co-operation as a way on interacting.
ya dont say?
very interesting.

the scientist later recanted and dismissed his own study(years later though).

i know we both agree that what we have now is a clusterfuck.
and i agree that the free market should have a place,that its even vital.
but unrestricted free markets?
naw..no thanks.

@VoodooV
dont be too harsh on our boy @blankfist at least he has us talking about some pretty important issues.

if we do not discuss the hard issues and deal with truths and only hold onto our own biased ideology,then nothing gets accomplished.

i do not subscribe to blankies capitalistic unrestricted free market position.
i have been learning much about the free market and it does have some substantial strengths in many regards.

the problems arise,in my opinion,in regards to societal responsibility.
unrestricted capitalism makes everything a commodity.
and some things should NEVER be considered a commodity.

so i am against the privatization of schools and commodifying children.
and for those of you who wish to berate me for my position allow me to point to our current prison system:prisoners=commodity

now by me saying this does NOT automatically mean i am in support of our current education system.
i am not.

the system we have now is a bloated and stagnating beast which does little to educate and everything to indocrinate and create obedient workers.

and who is blamed for all this?
the teachers!
of course!
bind their hands,gag their mouths,stifle their creativity and crush their imagination.

and THEN turn around and say "there...theres your problem.the teachers".

so @ blankfist is not entirely off the mark when he infers or implies that it is government that is at fault.

because they are.

the real question is why?
now i am wading into postulation waters here but this is what i suspect.
1.the american government nor corporations wish to have a truly educated and informed citizenry with critical thinking skills and the ability to consume data and form rational conclusions.
people with those abilities will always challenge power.

they would rather have a docile and submissive public that does not question authority.
best get em while they are young.

so it doesnt matter if the schools are privatized or publicly funded.
they BOTH seek the same results and will BOTH be/are equally corrupt.

and most likely BOTH will blame the teachers for a perceived failure.

because BOTH will ignore,either knowingly or unknowingly,the systematic failure of HOW they teach children.

no longer is art taught.
nor civics (at least not where i live),
nor the humanities.
they are teaching these kids to be systems managers,not free-thinkers.

i believe that education all the way up and through to higher education should be a public responsibility.the investment will pay dividends greater than anything put IN to the system.
i am not going to list them all,just think about what a well educated citizen can bring to table.
see:finland

because at its heart,its essence,is not society a collective practice in community?
there are some things that should never be socialized.
education is not one of them.

money is not the problem.
teachers are not the problem.
its the SYSTEM and how it teaches,that is the problem.

remove the politicians and the special interest from the equation and allow the actual educators to do their jobs.

instead we have turned teachers into baby-sitters and schools into factories of the banal.

what a disgrace.

I know dude, before I only imagined the torture now I can never un-see this!
Blankfist, you bastard!

Whoa, someone shipped an El Camino to Finland....Niiiiice!

Dry. Finnish, born and raised. They say the people inhabiting Finland originally came from somewhere around modern day Mongolia, which may lend support to your Asian theory. OTOH, that would have been some time around the last ice age, or shortly thereafter, with significant mixing with other, European, elements up to this day.

Sounds fine except for ":new forms of Nuclear research-Nuclear energy should be completely mothballed or the planet should get to cracking on maybe a plan to dump the shit into that hole they're digging in Finland.

It's 2013 and we're still burning shitty fuels and are connected to the grid by ABOVE-GROUND WIRES (the latter being one of the most retarded aspects of modern life), and the worst, we're still letting assholes teach new generations of consumers how to kill their free-will and creativity through mass communications.

First thing first, drag these people keeping the world to themselves and hold public crucifixions for themselves and their heirs and offspring.

Finland. It's really crazy and awesome.