Riot

Watching the Police Academy film, nr 1 and even though it's very amusing, I have a hard time to figure out why the people rioted in the end. Maybe I'm just naive and completely formed by the society I live in, but I have a hard time understanding the need for rioting or to destroy property just for kicks. Of course we have riots here as well, mostly political demonstrations that gets out of hands, most infamously the 2001 Gothemburg Riots. There is recently some social unrest riots in different parts of Sweden, but some of them is instigated by political minority groups of bored rich kids who doesn't have anything else to do. Yes, I despise those people as much as those they are fighting against.

Of course it's not only in these situations I have a hard time to understand why people goes that far. During the beginning of the financial crisis there was some French labor unions that locked in the small CEO:s of the local factories and demanded the HQ to not stop production. I might not be the sharpest economies in the world, but I don't think that's how it works. And don't get me started on the "French farmers" phenomena lately when the farmers demonstrates with blocking roads and dumping all there goods in the street. Me and my friends have a huge dislike for this behavior. We DON'T get it! Once when we discussed global warming and mentioned that Sweden would be very favorable as the farming and forest growth would rise compared to everything southern of Sweden as that would whiter and die in the heat one of my friend uttered that "we then at least got rid of the French farmers" (I humbly apologize to any French farmer reading this, but then we would at least not need to spend money on the subsidiaries on farming).

Also it's the spookiest time of the year which we imported from the Catholics first and then on top of that an American custom that they imported from the Irish Celts. Back home we used to watch the Bugs Bunny special on VHS. Or some thriller/horror movie just to get in the mood (and then a couple of years my sister had a Halloween party for her classmates). But the best Halloween themed film/series/episode to see is the Charlie Brown episode. The idea of the Great pumpkin and lines like "I got a rock" are forever memorable. Unfortunately there is not much to see on the TV at the moment with only one channel sending a horror movie (which I believe was reviewed somewhere and mocked rather hard), and getting to classics after midnight with movies like Omen (I hope it's that one and not the other)but I'm not a fan of being up that late. Otherwise it's just comedies. Which means that I have to get my kicks on my own by taking a trip to the dark side.

Mother Gaia

Today has been kinda funny, if you don't count the fact that I spent most of the day in the library studying for the damn statistic test next week. Besides that, I had a funny experience while bored watching out of the windows. I got hungry so I thought what sort of food I would serve myself during the weekend. Tacos sounded nice I thought, but I thought on cutting down on the cola as you can't eat tacos without cola so pushed the decision on to the future and decided to go and eat at the cafeteria. And what do they serve today? Tacos. The probability for that can't be that high. So that solved my problem, except that I need to think of something else to fix together. And I really need to cut the chocolate.

Apparently someone has chartered the candy consumption in Sweden and declared that we eat roughly 17 kilos compared to the European average of 7 kilos. Thanks a lot for giving all the Swedes bad feelings for tomorrow when it's Halloween. Of course there is always them who either say that statistics can't be trusted as the Norwegians have a tendencies to cross the border for some cheap candy (I don't now about this, I'm just paraphrasing) and then those who claim that we shall put candy under monopoly. Even I who support most of the current monopolies don't think that's a very good idea.

Oh, and I remember the thing I forget last time. I did a "home-run" on my Ipod! What do you mean I wasted your time for two days? That doesn't happen that often, not with almost 4000 songs on them, in short consisting of 13 days of non-stop music. Usually I just have to reload the Ipod after 1600 songs and then the count is broken and I have to restart, but now I skipped most of the songs and reached the end and began a new cycle. Yes, I could have used the time the library to study instead of shuffle through my Ipod, why do you ask?

And lastly, I watched the news on SVT1 when they talked about Global Warming and that Russia is 15 years behind us in the discussion or something like that, and then they mention Siberia. Apparently there are huge areas of gas frozen under the permafrost there and as the Russian scientist said is a ticking bomb if it gets warmer. Is that not coincidental with today marking the anniversary of the Tsar Bomba test? The Russians sure must show that they have the biggest guns after US testing the biggest conventional bomb in history, but do they stop there? No, the Russians take it up to 11 by getting the largest "natural" bomb ever created without the help of human (some would probably say we indirectly did it). Nature hate us so much.

Memory

There something I forgot yesterday to write down and now it's gone from my mind. No, it wasn't about chocolate. Hmm...anyway the test is now over and it feels good. 100 % sure that I don't have to redo this, but a bit unsure about the fact if it is G or VG. It will be stumbling on the VG line and that will be the only interesting thing for a while now. Except the statistic test next week, boy I hate that. Let us pray for a better result this time.

Was it about politics? No, can't remember. And what happens around the political arena? Nothing. Same boring parties without any vision more then jobs. Seriously, we need a vision to go for. The vision justifies the means or something like that. Other things is that the youth (which I probably belong to, I'm not entirely sure) wants more influence and the old ones is hogging it up and look down on "the 80's generation" and say that we are lazy and self-absorbed and such. Excuse me for asking but how can they already define us as a group when people like me haven't even proven themself for being locked in the educational system? How can they judge us like that? Of course, even I have those stereotypes on some of the 80's but still. Haven't I talked about this before? Memories getting short it seems.

Megalomania

Test tomorrow, and hopefully it goes better then the statistic course that happens to have a test next week. Yeah, how fun. What have I gotten myself into. It's so much more fun dealing with political science. Speaking of which, a political scientist (in this article referred to as a historian for some reason) has proposed the idea that the 5 Nordic Countries should join together as a federation/confederation to be a heavier voice in the world. It somehow sound familiar, I can't put my finger on it...oh, now I remember. I wrote about it some time ago. Of course mine was a bit more undemocratic and meant something like the total subjugation of the Nordic Countries and it's neighbors with the capital being Stockholm. Just for fun of course, I'm to nice to actually be a dictator/emperor/king and rule over some people (some would say to weak, but I like to see it positively). Then on the other hand, power corrupts.

What would I do with such powers? I don't know? Which country is the best chocolate producers? Belgium, Switzerland and France? Alright then, we invade them and get a steady supply of chocolate, a healthy economy based on war industries and no unemployment. And the best part is that I get all chocolate. Mmm...Marabou. I guess that company would be my crown-jewel and be the only one to produce its products. Of course I probably would end up like Charles X Gustaf in size and most likely die by the same age of 37. It's not a very glorious end, and there will probably not be a lot of imperial regalia left like the Romanov eggs and such. Mine would be of chocolate and melt away. As you see, I would be passed into the history books as one of the weirdest rulers in the history of mankind, probably dubbed the chocolate king. And I would probably smile in my grave for that, or make that a tomb so I fit in a sarcophagus.

Do You Know

So it's one more day before the test in project management. All well so far. The old tests feels not impossible and I might as well make it pretty good. Of course I have said it before like in the statistic course (bloody *******). On the other hand I think I know what the problem might be, I don't describe enough why I use the calculation that answers the question. Of course this is a constant problem seen in other tests as well where I might be satisfied with 1 sentence as an answer to a question. It's enough but I surely miss out on those small details that awards you with extra point. I guess it's from the fact that I prefer large brushes of information that small nitpicking touches on a painting. The advantage is that I have a vast knowledge about many things and can use it in association with other areas.

Of course it's deeply flawed in a debate with someone that really knows his/her stuff around this, but seen by the latest "wikipedia knowledge" around todays people I think I might go far. And you can always fake a higher degree of knowing. Yes, I can do that sometimes, until someone challenges me. Then I get really confused and don't know in our out and then the illusion falls and the magician is brought out into the light to be judged. And usually I'm at fault here. Somehow I once got confused over who was who in Led Zeppelin. And that's Led Zeppelin with just 4-5 members, compared to Black Sabbath with 25. Hope that doesn' affect my ability to write the test on Wednesday.

No, I'm not high on chocolate while writing this, why do you ask? Actually that's a funny story as last Friday we had a discussion if it was called a chocolate or an chocolate (in Swedish of course meaning if it was "ett choklad eller en choklad"). What do you mean I could have spent my time better in the library then discussing chocolate for 2 hours? Don't say it like that! I need some chocolate and...they close at 9 p.m and it's 10 p.m now? Damn you. I just have to start with coffee again.

Culture Killed The Native

Funny thing when I went to the store, they had redecorated it. It shocked me a bit actually and...why do you want to know what I bought there? That's none of your business! Alright, alright, I bought some chocolate, are you happy now? I know I'm weak, okey *sob*. I have a hard time with all the tests and whatnot, and it's f***ing dark here and overall depressing. *Sob*

Ahem, we move on. The last couple of days have seemed to stir a hornets nest with the Sd article I mentioned last time. Red shirts from their party seems to have overrun the news sites and commenting on all articles with any hint to further there goals. Those often proves there lack of knowledge in many fields. There was some debate about foreign aid and the usual Sd supporters show up claiming that Sweden made it from a poor back-ward economy in the 1870 to one of the top 10 richest in 1970 (before the oil-crisis I believe) without a single cent/pence/öre from anyone. No matter that the early 1900-centuary meant food-relief aid from Argentina and that we were participant in the marshall aid from the US after WW2 without being directly involved in the war. Now I get a smug face on me for more or less trashing that argument (yeah, I can be quite a jerk in these kind of situations). Would our politicians be able to answer that in a live discussion? I hope so, otherwise I will be very freightened.

Coincidence of the day is that I stumbled upon a debate about owning guns and now they are showing a film about a case against guns or whatever. Of course I'm very biased in this question for being European and Swede foremost. I don't see the need for owning a gun or weapon of any kind (unless for sport and hunting as I can accept). Some would probably call me naive as people can't always be trusted. And I swallow the argument that if you restrict the amount and availability of guns you decline the violence in society. Now for the most theoretical and philosophical answer to way this is. The need for owning a gun only exist if you feel unsafe. In the old contracts theories only one force in society was allowed to own weapons, the state so it could protect it's citizens from themselves and other states, particular in Hobbes ideas of the state, kinda fascist but some of them makes sense. Being a follower of more democratic ideas that have been inspired by Hobbes like Locke, I prefer that guns only lies in the hand of the state.

Of course no American can believe this, but that's because we have different cultures. As described to me the Americans have built there whole country on the idea that governments can't be trusted by experience of the colonial rule of England and that most settlers fled from oppressing regimes back in Europe, therefore the 2nd amendment to own guns so that they could defend themselves once again. In Sweden we trust our government out of experience of the King in the old days ruling with the support of the farmers and the low-aristocracy against the high-aristocracy, saving them from serfdom and from enemies like catholics, Polish, Danish and Russians (supported by the fact that the "evil" aristocracy was kinda idiotic and sellouts for money) and then during our democratic state it took care of us in the welfare systems and kept us out of wars in almost 200 years. That trust is diminishing now to some healthy level of questioning if there is no other way than the way of the state, but we are far from the open distrust shown in the American society.

Of course there are nut cases here as well like some conspiracy theorist that believe the Swedish government is out to get us, you know like in the American movies where the state kill anyone against it (*irony on* I blame the American culture for spreading state distrust out in the world *irony off*). Especially in these flu times, where we are gonna be injected with mercury that kill us, which is equal to the amount we get from a portion of fish from the Baltic. Have I taken it? No, I wait until I'm being summoned...when it finally gets here, in this pace the flu will be over until we get the damn vaccine over here.

Starbucks Is Coming To Town

In the age of wonder it finally happens. Starbucks is on its way to Sweden! It's time for a cafe mocha with whipped-cream and some nice bakery and/or breakfast. I haven't had a Starbucks coffee since last year and I really misses it. I had some complaining about it not being in Sweden (the link is written in Swedish) when I was in Washington. More specifically Sweden, Norway and Finland, the heaviest coffee drinker nations don't have Starbucks. Russia and Romania has it, but not most of the Nordic countries (Denmark doesn't cont). Of course the victory is a small one as it is limited to the largest Swedish Airport in Stockholm, Arlanda, which is 30 European miles from Stockholm, so I will probably not spend most of my time there. Maybe I shall move to Stockholm after graduating like everyone else around me?

Oh, you want to know the political landscape in Sweden at the moment? I didn't think so, but you get it anyway. The small extreme right-wing party has published an article claiming that Muslims is the greatest threat since the 2nd WW (and I guess he means from Sweden's point of view). Yeah, the war which we stayed out with by selling ore to Germany and creating a political government consisting of all political parties except the communist (the left party, for being to close to the Soviets) and more or less caving in to the demands from the different sides depending on how the war went. Good analogy there. Especially since that what we are doing now according to him Yeah, great knowledge there. And I don't want any Sd supporters spaming me now since I frankly don't care what you think. Especially since none of you has proven to stand on equal grounds with education. In particular that person who first says "I'm an Sd supporter, but I'm not a racist" and then says that they are supporting a culture exchange and gives the example of "what Sweden has contributed to the world" (or something like that).

*Sarcasm mode on* Really good example, very good. Culture imperialism from Sweden. Great. *Sarcasm mode of*. As most people can see, I don't fancy these people. Mostly because they don't fulfill my standard of a minimum education and once again I say any person with some standard education should be able to debate with them and sink them to the floor. And as usual the politicians lay down flat before them giving walk-over. Why don't I take the fight you might ask? I'm a notorious coward and have some compulsion disorder of some kind and prefer to surf thru life. And I'm proud of it! I need a Starbucks coffee.