Sea of Poltical Madness

I don't know what's happening with the views on this blog. Really, mostly there is just 1-2 people "reading" it, at good times 10 or something around here. Now, then a month or so back and there was a huge spike in about 100 (if I remember correctly) views and then the same 1-2 views in a day until today, when another spikes occur with 50 or something like that views. Is someone binge reading these post? What makes ramblings from an incoherent person that can't keep to one single subject seem so interesting that 50 people (or just one person reading 50 posts) decide to stay? I must do something right, a pity I don't know what that is.

Anyway, since there will be no DnD this weekend either I might just use this time to discuss the current scandal in Swedish politics, SD-gate. Yes, that's what they call it. Watergate ruined all political scandals forever. At least it isn't as bad a name like "nannygate" back in 2006. So what is SD-gate? It's the scandal shaking the newst parliamentary party in Sweden, the Sweden Democrats when one of the major newspaper got it's hand on a video concerning the behavior of 3 of their parliamentarians (with 2 of them being quite high-ranking) shouting racial and sexistic slurs culminating in them picking up iron bars to use against some drunk 2 years ago. If that wasn't enough, when confronted about this they denied the chargers until Expressen posted the video. So as consequence they have at the moment lost their economical and judicial spoke persons and today they kicked out their youth party leader (who, compared to the rest of the parlimentary bransch of the party, is seen as rather radical) from their parlimentary staff when he published a debate article urging the party to rethink their line with one of the parlimentarians. This, of course, shall be seen in the light  that the youth radicals and more ideological bransch are fighting against the progressive/compromising leaders who try to avoid the tarnish of full on racist and nazism outburts within the party. Also, it is a consequence from an earlier statement by the party leader keeping a zero tolerance against inappropriate behavior.

Question is the following, how will this affect the public opinion and the election of 2014? Before the scandal SD was on the verge of becoming the thrid largest party and crawling toward 10 %. Will this stop that? Maybe, it might at least stop them from growing anymore and might push them back from the current (if even correctly) 8 % they have in the polls toward stabilizing around 6 %. So it might have damaged them for 2014, but then again it's 2 years till then, a lot can happen and peoples memory are short. So it doesn't matter, the trends shows that if the underlying problem that this party are nurishing from aren't addressed, they will continue to grow and become a main player, maybe not 2014 after the scandal, but they will probably be a threat for the other parties again in 2018. What is more damaging on the other hand are the internal fight between the radicals and the party leaders in the parliament. It looks like the same that happened in the social democrats are happening here. When one of the two sides take over or tries to stage a coup heads will roll. It also happened with the Christian Democrats. If the radicals feel left out they might leave the party for some more extreme one and that could very well push SD down the 4 % line and let them be kicked out of the parliament. Or they might even win ground and make thenselves impossible for the common man to even think about casting a vote for them. And finally, let not forget, how did the newspaper get their hand on the video? Someone inside the party that felt that their leaders were to weak, someone wanted to climb higher on the ladder by pushing away some competition or someone that felt cheated out in something or another? That's at least the internal strife angle, but it could also be that someone hacked in or stole a computer with the film and released it to the press. The interesting one (for me at least) would be the former. Putting it together with the internal strife speculation and we might yet see another party running toward a political suicide.

American Presidential Election 2012

First of all, I didn't follow the presidential election that close this years more than I got from the news because... I frankly didn't care that much for it. it was just an event "over there". Or it could be due to be not much interesting politics being discused that could hook me. Or it was due to every debate and even the election itself was 4 AM in the morning. ON A FREAKING TUESDAY! (Or more correctly on a wednesday). I'm not made for all-nighters.

So the outcome then? Obama won, but Congress stills in the hand of the republicans while the Senate keeps a small democratic majority. What are my opinions about this? Well, I have not much to say. Mostly leaning toward the Democrats I'm satisfied, wasn't that impressed to be honest, which you might guess. Republicans hardly any alternative due to the social issues, economic issues I might prefer in certain extent, this time nothing like that.

The saddest thing is that I actually miss being there when it happens. The enthusiasm, the joy, the emotions. And that it was over at midnight and could wake up like normal. Really, the best way to experience this would be gathering some friends, get snacks, food and drinks for an all nighter... but then the problem is that it's on the night between tuesday and wednesday. It's a freaking workday for godness sake. Think about us political scientist, put it on a friday or saturday (ignoring that we in Sweden has our election days on sundays). It would be deeply appreciated on this side of the pond. You have 4 years to fix this so are we clear?

Pot Of Gold

So I got rid of the auto-correction, thank god! Makes it so much easier to use. Of course anything good needs to be balanced out with something bad so of course my earbuds has to go. How long have I had these? Almost a year so they hold on much better than the others I've had before which usually lasted for 6 months so maybe they were living on borrowed time.

Anyway, it's this time of the week where I summerize the latest DnD session. So after having rested up yet again after last times encounter with goblins and spiders we continued the mission into the catacombs. We entered another corridor and found two handaxes hanging on the wall.  A bit weary after the trap before everyone is on their toes... and still we all end up on a trap-door in the middle of the corridor. Lucky for us the trap-door only can be opened by the hand-axes so we peak in and find a stair down into the darkness. So we close it and continues down the corridor stumbling upon a door with a lion emblem. So our psionic elf goes forward and tries the knob... getting his hand pierced by spikes. Next up goes the bard and open the door which shows us... nothing. It's pitch dark and all we here is metall being draged on the floor. Feeling that there is something nasty inside the bard just sneaks in with the rest of us following as fast as possible. We can sense that there is something big in the room, but we just stay near the wall until we reach a door which the bard opens up and enter with a couple of seconds thinking about blocking the door, locking the rest of the party with this... thing.

Of course this doesn't happen so we all enter the room blocking the door almost missing the dying soldier in the room who reads through some scrolls. After some failed first aid from my side he is saved by our sword-mage rabbit. As thanks we are given instructions to a treasure and a key, plus that I picked up a couple of robes which we thought would satisfy Lord Neverember in his quest to restart the Order of the Nine.  Now the problem was getting out, until we found a secret passageway behind a bookshelf which lead us to a graveyard which we emerged from. Quick visit to the Lord giving him two of the robes and then sitting in the tavern... all of us except the bard who charmed himself into the castle believing he knew where the treasure were. He found it, but he couldn't understand the clue so he was pretty much forced to find us ask for our help. So after a stealth mission into the castle we enter the room and locks it behind us and then sloweky opens the treasure chest. Containing platinum pieces, lots of platinum pieces. Another chest had scrolls written in draconian (what dragon associated speaks) that no one of us could read when there was a knock onthe door.

The rabbit goes forward and opens the door and lo and behold, a dragonborn that is lost in the castle who the rabbit more or less tells to buzz of since we are in the middle of a private meeting. Anyway, that was pretty much this session since our last plan was just to get the money out of the castle without anyone knowing about it. So next time is shopping spree time, sadly who knows when that is since next sunday is father's day, and then our DM is going to the US and then it's more or less christmas. Wonder what I shall write about in the meantime?

Interview With A Computer

Was at an interview yesterday and it went so and so. Nothing like "oh, I definetley got the job", more like that they got to see me and hopefully will think of me if a more suitable job comes along. Then afterwards it was education time with the muncipallity. Time to learn absolut the latest in technology: an iPad crash-course. So that's what I've been doing for the last day. It's a bit better than the computer since it's faster and more reliable. The downside is that it has some auto-correction that is making it hard to write this (yes, this is written on the iPad). Why do I have to be top of the game? Because all the others think I'm some kind of technical wizard since, well, I'm young and didn't have much trouble configuering the iPad when we got them. The curse of succes (HAH)!

Anything Can Happen On Halloween

To understand the title of this post take a couple of minutes of your time and watch this clip:

Catchy is it not? The reason for this clip and title? Well, as the lyrics go, anything can happen on Halloween, even me getting a job interview. Yes, it's moving alright. Maybe this eternal (well, one and a half year) nightmare will finally end. To stand up once again, free of the shackles of poverty and uselessness I can once again continue the journey of self-discovery and self-sufficiency. If I don't blow it or other unknown circumstances works against me. You can always hope as that is the last thing that is said to leave the human spirit. Anyway, Happy Halloween everyone and scary Nightmares to you all bwahahahaha!.