Barn Av Vår Tid

It has been nice to relax a bit during the weekend. The cold has gone away and I feel up for another week in the library studying for the statistic test. Of course I should probably take care of the other courses I have as well, but you need to relax sometimes. In my case a lot of Final Fantasy VII. The message in the story is still very updated even though its been 12 years since it came out. Then again, when will the protection of the environment on our planet ever become outdated?

The title of this post is Swedish for "child of our time" and refers to a song by leftist theater/music group called Nationalteatern (or in English "The National Theater"). I might not support the political message in their songs, but even though they wrote these in the late 60's and 70's their view on socciety still exists. For example this song describes how the youth is being misunderstood by their parents that abandons them at societys mercy while the parents is hypnothised by the TV and the children escapes into other worlds (in the song it's mostly drugs). And when the parents fail to raise their children the police is on them which culminates in violent destruction as answer from the youth. To update this song it doesn't take much. Instead of the police just make it the corporate industry or the secret service otherwise it's just as modern today as in the 70's. Especially when we appears to have a lot of needless destruction and violence in some Swedish cities.

I actually don't see the use of that sort of behavior. What the purpose? How does that improve my life? The sad thing about this sort of behavior is that most times this is done by kids from rich families that are "bored" or at least when there is some big events that occurs. That must be the most worthless sign that you have a good life in a stable country. When you demonstrate against society with needless destruction. Examples is the reclaim the streets movement and the riots in Gothemburg 2001. I don't see the purpose as I said before. Maybe that's because I'm so blinded by my (in my eyes) decent upbringing and subconsciously ignore the problems in society because "I have it good enough". Maybe I'm just cold-hearted.

Time Is The Healer

Good news everyone! The cold is loosening its grip over me and will probably be banished from my body tomorrow or something like that. The Exorcism of these ills is finally over. After a week of drowning my body and soul in chocolate and coca-cola I can stop this franticly eating. Should probably stop consuming these products for a while to restore myself to prior strength. And start training again perhaps...when I get in the mode that is (like that would ever happen).

On the school front I'm trying to force the knowledge of statistics into my brain. It's not easy. The formulas we have say one thing, but the answers to earlier exams use a completely other formula TOGETHER with other formulas that we have learnt. So this unfortunately makes me kinda pessimistic about m chances and this view I express outwards. As a result, the younger members of SVIK that haven't seen my overly optimistic attitude toward everything, now believes that I'm always this pessimistic. Compare this to other people who says that they can't work with me cause "it will be solved somehow". And then I freak out anyway some days before a test or whatever.

So when the statistic course is over it will nice. Then I can put all my efforts into the project management and Spanish courses I'm taking this semester. Until the end of October when the project management course is over and I got 2 months left on the Spanish course. With that much free time I should be kinda fluent in Spanish afterwards (if I don't slack of that is, but we hope that doesn't happen).

Strong Arm Of The Law

So we once again turn into the depths of Swedish politics as next year is election year. Lines are being drawn in the sand between the parties and the only thing that actually differs the two sides is that the red-green want to heighten the taxes while the blue ons want to lower them. *Enter Sarcasm mode* This means there will be a really inspiring debate *exit sarcasm mode*. Seriously, that's what next year big issue gonna be? The problem is that I have a hard time buying the Social democrats idea that we need to heighten taxes to secure our welfare and not become a "low-tax country" like everyone else (it's unfortunately in Swedish, I might update it if I get my hands on an English version). We still pays the 2nd highest taxes in the world just after Denmark (excluding the two countries I've never heard of and seems to have taxes between 90% and above 100% however that's possible in the long run). I wonder where all the money goes to. Frankly I believe much goes to feed a bureaucratic tower of Babel and we could possible save in some money before increasing taxes. On the other hand there's a big chance that somewhere in that tower my workplace will be so I wouldn't like to shoot myself in the foot on this one. And just to remind everyone, I still believe that we shall heighten taxes if it's necessary and try to keep a budget stable, but this crisis changes the rule.

On the other hand the Alliance is not the perfect ruling platform that I would wholeheartedly support. Mostly because I have some issues with some of the parties in it. Especially the Christ Democrats, religion has nothing to do in politics and shall not be used to shove morals down your throat. So the Swedish Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask and a Kd member have today announced a new law where the citizens have to act if someone is in need (Swedish again). Now this probably make me sound cold-hearted but the consequences of this law could be really dire. It states that after everyones possibilities we must act if we seen someone in need. Many questions pop up like how do you judge if someone did to little for another person? What is the consequences if you break the law and how can a court judge if someone did to little? Also, is a civilian with limited understanding of the dangers associetad with intercepting some mischief really right person to risk his/her own life/health and others around them? Picture this scenario: Two people suddenly attack one lonely person. What should you do?Which side should you take? With this law you are obligated to help that one person as that's the one in need. But what happens if those two others were polices incognito? What happens then? And don't say it's highly unlikely, it actually happened to Ozzy Osbourne in his early career. He spent one night in jail for that, but with conflicting laws, which is more important? Some comments said that it should be better to foster us to believe in those values which I believe is wrong in another way as the state shouldn't force it's morals upon the people *cough* like the church *cough*.

Also, if the state can't protect us, do we get lower taxes? See, one of the states prime obligation is to protect it's citizens and therefore we pay taxes to uphold the law, but if it gets the citiziens responsibilities, then we should not pay so high taxes. We only pay for what we get. Of course, the good thing is that is should spring a very timid nation to action, but I don't think that the law will become reality if they make a thoroughly check upon the consequences. It smells just like a law to make Kd happy before the election so it seems like they actually have anything to say in the government. Where can I get a button "Vote Kd out of the Riksdag 2010"?

Healer

Feeling the cold spreading through my body. After finally have vanquished the pains after the weekend my health dwindle again and yesterday my throat began to hurt. No reason, it just happened. And then I woke up and the nose is clogged, the head hurts and I feel just miserable. A good day indeed. Nothing else to do then go to school and sit at the library the whole day and study the damb statistic course (even my writing is effected by this cold...I know it's kinda pathetic with that attempt of a joke, but still). God I hate to redo the statistic course, everything I learnt back then is gone after just 3 weeks. This probably says a lot about my study efficiency during the summer. Even worse is that yesterday I found a function on my computer that made it easier to calculate some of the things in the test...3 f***ing weeks to late. That could have been the difference of the 6 points I missed. This feels like it's gonna be 3 long weeks.

So, as usual when I feel a cold or a bit sick I stick to my usual medication. No physical exercises, a lot of chocolate and coca-cola. The best things in the world and with my new PS3 I can watch some movies on the TV...if I had any interesting to see. At the moment there is only Alien, Aliens, Terminator 1-2, Predator 1-2, Die Another Day, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, For A Few Dollars more, Young Frankenstein and The History Of The Worlds. Also some TV-series like Faulty Towers, Black Adder and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Somehow none of these thrills my interest to watch at the moment. Pity this could not have happened a few weeks from now, when I expect an old TV-series from the late 70's. I have only seen the first pilot movie so it shall be interesting to see the whole series. The series is Thundersub if anyone wondered.

Every Breath You Take

Not being a technical god I actually fond out how many that has been on my blog (I think that's what the numbers mean, but I could be wrong) and it points at 98 visits. Of course that could be since August 2008, but still, around 100 people reading it. Thanks for that you read my sometimes misspelled inputs and my constant ramblings of my points of view.

More rambling then. My body still hurts after the Saturday freshman day. So the idea to wake up at 7 and be at the library between 8-10 and then have class till 15 and then continue study was out of the question. Instead I decided to heal my body with some chocolate and coca-cola. I am so weak. But every muscle screams in anguish when I move, every breath I take sends pains thru the body and don't tell me about the sneezes. Although I should probably start getting a routine over my studies as the redo test for the statistic course is in 3 weeks and I shall probably start reading my project management books and learn some Spanish.

Also the Swedish politicians start to put up the positions for next years election. Of course I support the Alliance this time as the red-green parties needs to take some time up and really think thru what they want and how they are supposed to get there. They need a vision (I know there ideological utopias, but how are they gonna get there and don't pull the raise tax and everything gets better). Yes, Swedish people will probably let the politicians raise taxes if it's necessary but then we want transparency so we see where it goes. How large does the Swedish budget need to be to support our welfare system's and a couple of side things that need to financed? I don't support the Alliance view that lowering taxes just for the sake of lowering taxes is a good thing, but I don't see the fears the opposition states that we are turning into a low-tax society like any other. We are still the second highest taxpaying country in the world with Denmark above us. That would need a lot of tax cuts and no party would survive that as that would cripple our welfare system. The only possible reason for that to happened would be if we found some large oil well that could pay for the tax cuts and the possibility for that is really slim, even with these green parties on both sides (Mp and C).

The Final Sacrifaice

The Freshman weeks are over for SVIK and it's time to begin studying for real now. Friday didn't have the best of news as the result for my statistic course came out and I failed by 6 points. Of course I did not have high hopes, but 6 points feels like a slap in the face. At least I got the chance to get a VG on the test in 3 weeks. Really, if I got 34 points with just 3 days of study, then 3 weeks shouldn't be a problem. Also all the books to my current courses arrived. So it just to take the bull by its horn and establish my presence as the sole '06 beginner on plan 4.

Saturday as the final day of the freshman activities for SVIK and it was really fun. New faces (a lot of new faces) and a couple of old ones that it was fun to see again (after 3 weeks, but still fun to see). Lots of fun games, but for some reason I had to be the one showing everyone how they done. The explanation they gave me is that the freshman that joined SVIK in '07 wanted revenge what we did put them up with. And they take it out on me! The nicest one of faddrarna. At least it was soon over although I had to crawl in the mud more then once (this organization lies on self sacrifice) and then it was dinner time, then party till after midnight. And of course when I woke up my body was stiff and ached like hell. So the day was spent playing thru Final Fantasy VII to the Playstation. Now I finally might clear the game, but it will probably have to wait till after the Statistic course is over. It was 6 points for god's sake!

Also, our efforts in the raft race last wednesday was mentioned in the local newspaper in the second pharagraph. The same happened 2007, but of course it never happens because we won the race, no, we stand out in some completly different way, and we didn't lose either.

The Last In Line

The cocktail party was a success I think. I came in more or less last of everyone that was there. I was so late they actually called for me wondering where I was. That's kinda funny. Never happened before. They expected me to be their first of all, but as I ended my lessons at 17:00 I needed some time to get ready. And then we have the always problematic collective traffic never going when you want them to. Except on my way home when it pulls up right beside me when I left the party. That's service.

Tuesday some Swedish Ghostball tournament (very similar to dodgeball but not entirely) and then Wednesday and the big raft race across the "mighty" Klarälven. SVIK:s raft was the best one I seen in many years. Two barrels tied together with rope and sticks. It looked really good, until it hit the water and the two raftsmen jumped on and it rolled over. Yeah, it rolled over another time before they decided to leave it that way, but then they had lost one of the oars. With one oar one had to jump of the raft and act as an outboard motor. We ended 3-4, but where probably disqualified as the rules states that you have to be on the raft. Unlike in my days when I jumped of and walked on the bottom pushing it till 2nd place until the depth became to deep and we lost.

Of course the only reasonable action to take was to party. Drain our sorrows and move on. A fun day all and all. Except that it was cut short when class stared 8:15 the day after. Need my 8 hour sleep. As a side note I got one of the new Playstation 3 slim. So finally I can see movies on my TV I bought 2 years ago. And play my Final Fantasy Collection 1,2,4-9. Unfortunatly I have to replay all games as it doesn't take old memory cards. And what the hell am I supposed to do with all PS2 games that don't work on the PS3? I knew they didn't work, but why? PS1 works, why doesn't PS2 work?