dixi et animam meam levavi

Chapter X

2008-11-12T20:59:00.004+02:00

"Oh, wait. I'm a cyborg not an android, I have no self-destruct buttons. That also means my limbs are intact, attached and I’m ready for action instead of simply lying about. How silly of me! My mother always told me not to get carried away by the thrill of the moment."

This moment of self-reflection allowed him to think of what to do next. After such a jolly jog a short bout of rationalization was called for.

"I'm a sensible person. A sensible person who has just strangled his ex. I'll do what every sensible person would do in my shoes – head to the nearest public house and get wasted."

And he did; after all Jerry was a sensible person. Somewhere around 4 AM he found that even his technologically enhanced body needed some shut-eye. As a sensible person he ordered one final round, said his goodbyes and stepped out into the cold night oblivious to the dangers it contained. Dangers like muggers, who would relieve him of his change, like aliens who would try to probe him in a way far from sensitive or even large trucks just like the one, which hit him.

Little did he know that his arrival at the local morgue saved the life of an innocent young deer, who would have been hit by the coroner on his way home. Unfortunately she did get hit the next day; however one can only save so many.

What would Jesus do?

2008-10-13T23:04:00.006+03:00

This post is inspired by the death of Jörg Haider. This post is NOT inspired by sympathy for his cause. This post is NOT about any conspiracies. It is rather about an interesting moral dilemma.

Though by now the authorities have stated that the politician mentioned had been speeding and been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the fatal accident, that is irrelevant. Let us forget that part. Let us even forget that persons name. Another Austrian fellow should be the focus of our discussion. Yes, the very same one who sported a rather nasty mustache and loving long walks with torches. Would it be ethical to kill that man before he gains absolute control of his country and forces the world to experience another devastating war? Hitler as baby argument with a twist so to say. We assume for the sake of the argument that this leader is already exhibiting harmful tendencies but is adored by his countrymen. What we are lacking is hindsight, we can only guess whether this person is a raving lunatic.

On the one hand we should not take our chances and act only when it is too late. Every moment wasted is another life lost. Right now, when he is in the opposition, he can be eliminated causing less of a fuss. Besides, it would not present the virulent extremists with a reason to embark on a quest on vengeance. At least on a more limited one. Even if we miss, it would be a single life, the lives and well-beings of billions are at stake. From that point of view it is not way too steep of a price to pay. Though there will be conspiracy theories, they are as relevant as those about aliens probing all the world leaders as a ritual way of welcoming them to their office.

Then again it is not that easy. Who are we to judge that person? There is no basis for us to be competent to establish such a precedence. If bush can do that, why can't Putin? Even the genocidal village elders in South-Eastern Africa will claim themselves to be responsible enough to take on such a burden. There is no institution impartial enough to be able to do something like this. That is not even to touch the subjects of one man's terrorist being another's freedom fighter. We simply cannot have everybody going on killing everybody. Under some categories G. W. Bush can be considered responsible for the deaths of thousands, should he too be taken care of? Not to mention the member of Congress, who voted in favour of attacking scary bearded men. Or the pock-marked dude in Ukraine responsible for dismissing the Parliament? Is he too a tyrant in the making as his opponents suggest? No bad guys have outed themselves as such, at least not voluntarily.

Therefore it is politically and morally wrong to embark on such a path. Then again the pay-off is immense, at the cost of a few lives, the world can be saved from another great war of mass devastation or even a nuclear one. What would Jesus do?

I wasn't there

2008-10-12T22:40:00.004+03:00

Despite being late and not posting for a month I still am capable of thought. To prove that I'd point out a few important ideas spawned by the infamous film.

Instead of discussing the details of the plot all over again, I'd rather scrutinize the final moments. Yesterday was one of those rare days on which I happened to be watching TV. I'm not sure of the channel but I looked up the film I had watched. It was called "Stranger than Fiction" and it presented a rather curious problem. To summarise the plot, it is about a writer trying to finish her book about an especially insignificant man, Harold Crick. For no apparent reason, such a person exists and actually lives through everything the writer typed. This brings about a moral dilemma, should the writer finish the book by killing the protagonist and by that create a masterpiece, or write a mediocre happy end as to save the man's life.

The idea, which i found worth pondering, is too of the ending. As we all now, the finale was one of failure, the boys carted off by the police. As I am still human and suffer from all the side-effects of being attached to the protagonist, I found myself wishing for the boys to make it. On the other hand there is common sense explaining that Rass and others are common criminals nothing else. The emotional and involved side of me is crying for him to be released to live a happy life with his new-found woman. Naturally he would go back to school and eventually become a doctor. Then again, who would believe such a conclusion? It too would be mediocre if not poor, art and intelligence lost for a piece of petty hope. On the other hand it is not a bit more moral to create a character of immense appeal to the audience just to make him miserable. What could one do as a writer, the twin evils of human nature make an intelligent yet emotionally involving piece almost impossible to produce.

Hey guys, I'm special!

2008-09-16T22:26:00.003+03:00

I'm rather surprised that as soon as the results were announced everybody started making up excuses. Is it truly not possible that we actually are satisfied? The notion of students agreeing with school in general or the dreaded perioodõpe in particular, seems so alien that our consciousness simply rejects it. We start searching for actual excuses such as skipping school often or simply having had lunch. The latter is especially dubious as if I am not mistaken, we had this survey during the 7th lesson.

It is rather difficult to make general statements as the data is apparently absent from our fancy new website. Still, I'd like to use this page to make a little statement of my own. I actually am satisfied with the system. If one would take the wonderworld of orkut as an example then everything wrong has something to do with the system. Someone will probably even blame the late arrival of trains to The Hague on perioodõpe. Some teachers enjoy being a pain in one's side regardless of the system. The schedule was messed up in the old days as well. Oh, and what do you know, being absent for long periods of time such as two weeks still messed up your grades, only in all the subjects. Let's no forget that the system is a foreign one and probably devised by a joint committee of Jews, neo-Nazis, communists, Illuminati and the very same aliens who went on a mind-controlling spree in the sixties. Simply put, school is without doubt a little messed up but let's not blame something for everything just because it is new.

That being said, the genuinely nice aspects of balancing a schedule as in having less lessons on the periods leading up to the exams, having intensive studying periods instead of long arduous process consisting of two lessons a week or simply the lovely aspect of not having to attend the not-so-fine lessons every week; are rather enjoyable. Besides, it even feels better when one only has seven weeks to count down instead of more. Even the dreaded idea of having a test every week seems a little less intimidating when taken in perspective. Though the tests will probably be grouped closer together, the material will be as well. This is where the questions comes in, if we take in roughly the same amount of information simply divided on a different timescale, would we rather have the tests on something we learned in the course of last week or enjoy the benefits or having a test on something learned a month ago. Besides, we only have about 8 subjects as opposed to double that number. That naturally means that the number of subjects we can have tests on immediately drops by half. That too is something I cannot object.

The idea of us having a partial perioodõpe and that being the reason behind all our problems is also a little curious of an idea. The only actual part we are apparently missing is the final week as an examination-only week, the idea of which I personally object. Though that will probably be discussed in another post sometime in the future, I'd simply like to point out the obvious. Having a few tests on material studied in the course of a single week in more or less of a continuous stream is a little better. The other option would demand digging up stuff from day one and still remember everything. This is not to mention the extra strain of such a week. Another curious aspect would be the attitude of some. Pointing fingers at a certain someone and a certain post on a light blue website, I'd claim that the opponents of the system are trying to play on both sides of the field at the same time. A person complains about the new system being harsh on absentees and making the last week of the term stressful and then in the very same advocates having all the important tests in the course of a single week. If that's not conflicting then what is? Once more, let's not oppose something just for the hell of it. And if we do, let's try not to contradict ourselves, shall we?

As a final note, let me declare that life would be so much nicer, if we would simply consider the merits of something for its own worth. Just because Anu-demon is promoting it does not mean something to be utterly rotten and bad. Furthermore, don't be afraid to admit that you were wrong. Simply because the original statements were made with limited information (oh, how typical), does not mean that they still have to be defended. I, myself was a vocal critic of this perioodõpe, when it was first mentioned. Now, however, After having experienced it for a year, I am not afraid to stand up and admit that I was wrong in the first place.

Political partisanship anyone?

2008-09-15T00:12:00.005+03:00

While watching TV, something I rarely do, I spotted something odd. The piece itself was called The American President and is of no particular artistic value. However the political or moral values caught my attention. Not the part concerned with bombing Syria nor anything with the French. The stances on environmentalism and gun control stood out.

Though the plot revolved around the feasibility of a First Girlfriend as opposed to serious issues, the stance on those was remarkably familiar. Practically every film brought to us from Ameerikamaa, which even remotely mention the subject, has the same point of view. Global warming not only exists but can be stopped by simply using less gas. In addition to that, gun control is the perfect way to make crime obsolete. The only thing in the way preventing us all to live in a global village called happiness is a strange cabal consisting of pork-barreling republican senators on the pay-roll of various lobby groups. That's it, no sensible character appearing human at least in some part, fights against these ideas.

Now the problem here is not whether the points made are valid or not, I am trying to highlight the political bias behind it. The naturally liberal and free-spirited folks at Hollywood cannot grasp the possibility of mentioning any opposite arguments for a debate. We occasionally like to presume that we have no problems understandig American culture or attitudes, simply because we have seen so much. We are stunned by those who claim Jesus created everything and abortion should be banned on all occasions, those folks appear to be on the fringe. Actually it is not the case. We simply haven't seen any. Though I rather not call the media communists, there is a strong bias present.

A thin red line line or a fat blue one?

2008-09-03T21:15:00.003+03:00

As you all know our lovable neighbour just had a rather unpleasant confrontation with Georgia. Naturally we are rather annoyed in case some of that nasty stuff gets spilled on our own freshly mowed lawn, however there are other troubling events to pay attention to as well. David Cameron and David Miliband and some others not named David recently enjoyed their own bout of sabre-rattling. That is NATO giving Ukraine something of a turbo-membership. Something we should be rather afraid of.

Don't get me wrong, everybody and their grandmother should be given a chance to be free of intervening KGB veterans and all but NATO membership might be one step too many. You see, Ukraine is not a lovely unified country of western values and aspirations but rather a country stuck between two radically different worlds. Without getting bogged down by details, one can view Ukraine as a bipolar country. The nation is roughly split in two along the same lines as on the picture to the left. The western part of the nation can be characterized as pro-European and the eastern or southern, which ever way you like it, part as pro-Russian. This means a seriously messed up country in short. The Estonian equivalent of such a division would not be the Ida-Virumaa versus the rest but rather something along the lines of Estland and Livland. What I wanted to prove with that boring demographic talk was that the country itself is not sure, which way it wants to go. Apparently they are too busy cutting each others throats to see the big bad wolf creeping around the house.

Now imagine NATO getting involved. Apart from the fact that we would be forcing an alliance of serious strategic importance onto people against their wishes (how's that for democracy?), these kind of countries tend to be extremely unstable and impossible to predict. It is like giving a rabid schizophrenic monkey pumped up to the eye-balls on various stimulants a fully armed nuclear football. Oh and just for the heck of it, the monkey lives next door to a megalomaniac mastermind as well as some bloke named Hitler. Even without a smirking Russia poking around where it is not wanted, the mixture is still highly potent. If, at some point, a few oblasts would decide to secede, the odds are that a full blown civil war might erupt. What will NATO do then? Back one ethnically cleansing half of the country over another? Simply ignore the events? Ask the warring sides to simply kiss and make up? Install a meaningless puppet regime tasked to freeze the conflict and hope nobody notices?

Though I strongly support all attempts to help Ukraine deal with it's nasty neighbour, NATO membership is no silver bullet. Until it's ready, and by that I mean dealt with it's internal issues, there should be no further talk on the subject. Right now we would simply be trying to douse the flames with gasoline. Not only would be fuel further conflict but put ourselves on the line. This, my friends, is contrary to the golden rule of helping someone out: make sure you do not put yourself in danger. Nobody needs another would-be helper crying for rescue.

It's happening

2008-08-04T11:29:00.002+03:00

Ehk läheb õnneks. See video ja tark jutt. Nautige.

Obama, schmobama

2008-07-28T00:24:00.003+03:00

Novembrini on aega ehk jama Ameerikas kestab veel. Obama on muidugi jätkuvalt hitt. Ta on jätkuvalt lootuse ja puhtuse kehastus. Neid, kes loodavad temast midagi uut, midagi süsteemivälist, on palju. Siiski, mul on tunne, et maania on ehk lahtumas. Ükskord peab see juhtuma, ise küsimus on millal.

Lootust ju on. Mitte, et üks 70 vanake suudaks imesid teha. Pigem võiks loota, et ta teeb vähem lollusi. 18 kuuga sõjavägi Iraagist väla on lausa kuritegelik. Lääne sõdurite elude hinnaga hoitakse eri grupeeringuid üksteisele kõrri kargamast. Kui väed välja viia kaotaks kõige rohkem just tavaline tsiviilisik, kelle elu väärtus just langes kolinal. Siiski, teemasse. Ehk jahtub see fanaatiline usk enne kui liiga hilja. Ehk leidub neid, kes suudavad näha säravate sõnadega taga seisvat tühjust. Ehk tuleb neid veel.

Võibolla olen ma loll ja pime, aga ma vähemalt loodan veel.

Vaata aknast välja

2008-07-27T16:16:00.002+03:00

Ma ei mõista. Nii vähe kui meil seda tõelist suve siin ongi ja me magame selle lihtsalt maha. Igaühele ei pea meeldima kaheksast kaheksani päikesepõletuse püüdmine, kuid veidi päikest poleks ju ometi liig. Vihma, pilvi ja muid vabandusi leidub ju veel augustis, aga nädalat ilma ühegi pilveraasuta ehk mitte. Paluks mitte olla pidurid.

I've been thinking

2008-07-14T11:14:00.004+03:00

Paavo ütles kunagi, et meie mõttemaailm on talle võõras. Ta ütles, et meil polevat seda mässumeelsust ega soovi ega soovi väikeseks stick it to the Maniks. Milleig pärast on see mõttekild kuskile sügavalt sisse jäänud ja ma olen hiljem sellele korduvalt oma mõttejõudu koondanud. Mis kõige hämmastavam on, Paavol oli tuliõigus.

Meie rahulikus ei tule sissesöödud kemikaalidest või ropust tarbimisühiskonnast. Lihtsalt pole vajadust süsteemiga sõtta minna. Miks? Meie olemegi süsteem. Meist saab see vana kaardivägi, keda järgmine põlvkond kõigest hingest kiruma hakkab. Me ei lärma, sest sõja kuulutamine praeguse elukorralduse vastu tähendaks sõda iseendaga. Väikeste mööndustega oleme praeguse elukorraldusega rahul.

Miks jumala pärast ma üldse nii arvan? Kahel lihtsal põhjusel.

Esiteks enne meid tulid suured lammutajad, kes juba eksisteeriva olukorra pea peale pöörasid. Enne meid oli tühimik. Me oleme uue tekkinud süsteemi lapsed ja meie usul pole piire. Kas süsteem on meie nägu või meie süsteemi nägu, omab minimaalsest tähendust. Pigem on oluline harjumine olukorraga ning lausa rahulolu. Inimesed, kel kõht täis katus pea kohal ja tulevik silme ees, ei jookse leegitsevate tõrvikutega ja hangude märatsedes ringi. Lihtsalt pole põhjust. Kui siis vaid äärmise igavuse peletamiseks, kuid ka see meelelahutus kipub ära tüütama.

Teine lihtne põhjus on ühiskonna tsüklilisus. Igale lõhkujate põlvkonnale järgneb ehitajate põlvkond. Igale reaktsioonile järgneb ja kõik muud uhked väljendid. Elu lihtsalt käib nii. Kuna enne meid tulid isikud, kel hinges põles hele leek ja selge eesmärk maailma muuta seisis silme ees, siis meie oleme paratamatult stabiilsuse poole pürgijad. Elu lihtsalt käib sedaviisi. Meie elu saabki olema süsteem.

See kõik tuleviku kohta lubatu kehtib eeldusel, et üldpoliiitiline ja majanduslik olukord hetkega kardinaalselt ei muutu. Ehk see idee ei kindlusta ida sõpruse või lõuna põgenike vastu.

I think this might qualify as an epiphany.

Maal ära

2008-06-25T13:23:00.003+03:00

Tegelikult pole mind üldse Tallinnas, teile vaid tundub nii, kõigest 150 kilomeetrit vales suunas. Naudin kohaliku raamatukogu vaba netti.

Iseenesest pole midagi vaimustavamat kui võimalus olla kõige toimuvaga kursis igal suvalisel hetkel igas suvalises kohas. Need ajad, kus elu jäi tegijatest linna maha on ammu möödas. Ärme grilliajastu möödudes unusta, et ka mobiiltelefonid pole ulme. Kõik see kokku viibki mu sogase jutu kuldse ivani. Nimelt, elu maal on päris mõnus. Pole kära, pole saasta, pole vaja karta aeda jäetu pärast, pole muret Savisaare sõiduradade pärast - isn't life grand out there?

Kõikidele, kes muretsevad mu vaimse seisundi, Ida-Viru juttude või värske statementi pärast, võin lubada, et olen pühapäevaks tagasi. Eeldusel, et plaanid ei muutu ja see hobuvanker, mis linna läheb, tulemata jää.

Time of Your Life

2008-06-21T16:38:00.002+03:00

Kolm päeva lõpetamisi ühel pool. Kes, mida pole oluline aga peaasi, et lõpetamine. Pühalikust lipumarsist kuni kittuseni abivalmi käitumise eest; kõike sai nähtud.

Kõik see kokku pani mõtlema. Aastake veel ja siis ise. Kes, mis, mida, kellele, kellelt; kõik see on teadmata. Pole ju seegi veel kindel, kes suvega ära kaovad. Aasta veel vahel, palju veel teha. Ometigi terendab ta juba silme ees. Oh kooliaeg, oh kooliaeg oled juba läinud, pole aegagi märgata kui juba siin.

Ei oska meist keeegi aega seisma panna, isegi mitte filmis.

The decision

2008-05-30T11:34:00.002+03:00

I'd vouch for Aksel.

I came upon this decision after a thorough review of our current blogosphere. I noticed that everybody else the deep analytical posts about current issues, the higly articulate language and simply the number of posts. There never was such an intellectually prominent blogger as dear Mr. Erik.

Highway Robbery

2008-05-21T23:39:00.004+03:00

Firstly, I'd like to state my ultimate disgust for the phone companies for pulling of all these stunts. Because of an episode of "Pealtnägija", I managed to catch a glimpse of, this post has sprung out of my glorious mind and onto my blog.
Asking money for services not provides is called fraud. Our laws state that up to three years in prison are granted for people committing fraud although companies can only suffer from a fine. Having said that, I would further distress how disappointed I am with this. I should not be charged for services with I have neither ordered nor received. It makes as much sense as your local supermarket charging you for yogurt, if you milk happens to go bad. To be perfectly honest, it
puzzles me, why should they do it anyway. Though I too saw the figures explaining how a phone can blast a little less than 200 000 EEK of a hole in one's wallet, how many people actually pay these bills? Not only are these cases rare but what's more, they also help to build up massive amounts of negative publicity. Nevertheless, everybody seems to be content with sitting on their hands and waiting for some miracle to happen. As a result we, the ordinary folks, have to be increasingly vary of these deceitful companies, hence we are less inclined to look further into various new services provided. Not only leaves this course of actions the consumers dissatisfied but it also is bad for business in general. Thus, I am left puzzling on the motivations of keeping this circus going.

Primaries are stupid

2008-05-10T21:04:00.002+03:00

Why? Because they pit candidates mostly on person appeal not merits or policies. The major issues in the democrat campaign have been whether Obama really can understand poor gun-loving folks and whether Hillary is actually a machine. The republican issues, if one still remembers them were quite a lot about how god created earth and how religious one is. This amounts to the idea of us having elections and the main debate would be whether Edgar's eyebrows are pointy enough. There are absolutely no discussions about policy whatsoever. Are the candidates really so similar or the Americans so dumb for them not to realise that? You can count this as another reason why I'm glad I live in Estonia.

Hi, my name is Hillary

2008-05-10T20:17:00.002+03:00

Curious, isn't it? Despite the fact that she has snowball's chance in hell to become the nominee yet she is one with the strongest hand. The odds are that if there will be no joint ballot, then Obama will be liquidated. If she chooses to accept his offer, she has a quite definite Vice-Presidential position. If she chooses to decline, the odds are that like Gerard Baker, from Times Online, pointed out :" [She'll be] ready to pick up the baton again in 2012, armed with the most powerful “I told you so” argument in the history of politics". It would be quite hard for Obama to find someone else on the ticket, who would have as much clout as a Clinton. But then again, could he find one?

Another Dilemma

2008-05-05T20:32:00.002+03:00

An interesting question caught my eye, the case of Bolivia, or to be more exact, the case of Santa Cruz region holding a referendum demanding for more autonomy. An interesting two pronged problems becomes apparent.

First of all, there will always be differences between regions. One is not supposed to call for autonomy or independence simply because one has to pay more than the neighbour. Can you imagine Harjumaa declaring it's autonomy, because it has to pay for all those poor regions in Ida Virumaa? Could you accept that? I guess not. Moreover, such important decisions should be motivated by a grand irreconsileable differences between ideologies or cultural differences not because of greed.

Then again, if one is forced to endure a maniac for President against one's will, what else is there to do? I'm quite sure that the people living in the suburbs are not too fond of the idea of Greater Tallinn. After all, their votes would be pitted against the entire Savisaar-adoring Lasnamäe. In Bolivia, it is even worse. One the one hand, the history is a lot more complex, but then again wouldn't you want to get out , if there is a deranged socialist coca-lover on the loose?

Another one up for McCain

2008-05-04T21:23:00.002+03:00

Hillary and Obama are still at each others throats, but there is something one might easily miss regards to the current situation. Both campaigns are going over and over about the importance of the current primaries and how a win hre or there is crucial to their cause. Actually the battles waged now do not really matter in long run. Why don't they matter, you might ask. I'll tell you why, beacuse they are fought in republican heartlands. The states currently contested such as Indiana and North Carolina are established republican strongholds and there is little reason to believe that they would capitulate especially with the elections appearing to be quite a close match.

Election day, Yay

2008-05-04T20:43:00.004+03:00

It seems to be a jolly start for a jolly new chapter in English politics. Labour was obliterated in almost every aspect there is. In the capital, London, the incumbent, Ken Livingstone, was defeated by a man widely known for being a stooge rather than anything else. There was a lot more devastation elsewhere. The Tories achieved more than they had been expecting in but a few constituencies. The conservative Party managed to grab 44% of overall vote, with Labour achieving only a meagre 24%, even losing out to the Liberal Democrats. Though this was more about Gordon Brown U-turns than Tory leadership, this still is a promising start of a brand new era.

A jolly cup of war please?

2008-04-21T22:40:00.003+03:00

What is this? A plane, a missile, destruction. Without any further comments or propaganda, the point becomes only too clear.

Does anyone want to guess the Russian reaction? What plane? Where? Why should we have any planes there? At least that was the case according to Times Online.

It is one of those rare occasions, where i have got nothing more too add but simply look dumbfound, simply staring blankly at the screen.

The time, a concept thougt of as arcane or at least unreal.

2008-04-16T14:26:00.002+03:00

This extraordinary tale took place somewhere well within the acknowledged path of time, something the general public calls history. A conscious mind would sooner or later find the forced concept of an evenly distributed and uniform flow rather appalling and constricting the normal flow of ideas. However, for obvious reason, that aspect will be ignored as most of the readers are probably not educated enough to delve deeper into how our universe actually works.
It concerns the foundation and the first activities of our most beloved defensive alliance on this side of the galaxy, NATO. The more enlightened ones around have probably also pondered upon the reasons behind forming such a great establishment. I mean, why should some sovereign countries subject their underfunded, understaffed and under equipped armies to some committee who is probably far more interested in Realpolitik than in actual causes which matter. The reason is extra-terrestrial visits. It is not simply possible to defend this tiny blue planet from all those space-beasts, when we refuse to cooperate. it would be all too easy for them to skip from one country to another, while the neighbours a re calmly standing by if not cheering the ruffians on. Simply by refusing crossborders cooperation, our cause is doomed to fail under the onslaught of those pesky newcomers. Claiming that USpotentially devastating attack on not only everything we believe in but also on the species itself. There is no reason for us to expect that some Reticulans would care even a little bit for the survival our our meager kind. That is the reason why we need top grade weapons systems ASAP. All those who dare to try to enter our glorious atmosphere must be set ablaze using various hi-tech means possible. A combo consisting of a few missiles, followed by a few million rounds from an average mini gun and finally toping it off with a touch of napalm, would be desirable.A would be able to handle such an event is a clear underestimation of the powers harnessed by all kinds of galactic monsters. I mean, that it would be stupid to stand alone against such a

Is there a place for Zimbabwe?

2008-03-30T23:08:00.003+03:00

Another country somewhere, none of you would find without using a map. Another place turned into a wretched hellhole by a maniacal dictator with far too many complexes to count. Another popular challenger promising to bring peace, prosperity and even more importantly, provisions to the country.

I'm not saying that change is bad. I'm not saying that all those dumb old men should be kept in power till death finally makes them catch up with the reality. Let's just wait a moment before declaring that the world order has been reborn.Though in this case something might actually change.

Unlike many other examples, in Zimbabwe there is a fifth column in the lines of the ruling party. Simply by relying on popular momentum, it is quite hard to get rid of a dug in police state. It is simply far too easy to crush all those pesky dissidents with cold, hard pieces of lead usually called bullets. However, right now, there is dissatisfaction among the ruling party and even an outright challenger accepted by the rank and file members of the party. That, my friends, is the recipe for taking down oppressive regimes.

The deranged leader might keep on yelling all those slogans, but they become empty if there are no means by which to provide the promised retribution. In essence if the police and the army change sides, the fight is quite settled.

All Hail Public Transportation

2008-03-30T22:23:00.002+03:00

I know all of you are constantly passing time by whining over shitty public transportation. Sure, there might be a few odd blokes here and there or the serious lack of complementary coctails, but that takes away attention from the main point.

The bus to Tartu has everything but those cocktails. It's comfortable, fast, it's student-friendly AND it's laptop-friendly. Not only Wifi, which is basically a human right, one can even enjoy it when the batterylife is about half an hour. One can just plug oneself in, connect to the network and just make perfect use of ones time. No matter if it's msn, orkut or even plain old work, there is something for everyone.

Now that we have achieved this coveted status for the buses heading for and from Tartu, there is little room left for improvement. We might just one day fit all the buses with the same essential gear. Now that's E-stonia.

Free Tibet

2008-03-26T20:31:00.002+02:00

Why should we even care about something taking place so far away? It is not like we have closer ties to them than any random bloke from Kismayo. Nor is it reasonable to expect that just because a few Estonians China will be willing to back off.

Still, sometimes one has to do what is right despite the futility. We did not regain our independence just because a few guys were picketing outside some embassy in Australia. But when we eventually did get what we wanted, those same picketers became useful. They helped to keep the flame of freedom from being completely squashed by the Soviet Union. They still reminded the world that we did and still do exist. So when the time came, we were recognized and treated properly. In addition to moral support during those troubled times.

It is similar about Tibet. If, by chance, the locals would manage to reinstate their rule, they would be welcomed and understood. In law as well as popular opinion, there is a significant difference between a separatist province or an occupied country. Besides, we appreciate that our cause was not forgotten during those terrible decades. I'm sure the tibetans are not any different.

You infidels

2008-03-24T17:57:00.002+02:00

It seems the muslims are once more expressing their utter disgust and resenment towards us. And this time, it does not even have anything to do with insolent cartoons and whether it is moral for us to break Islamic laws and ignore their customs.

Apparently His Holiness, Benedict XVI, the current pope residing in Rome, Italy, has insulted the muslims by baptising a muslim. And no, not tule ja mõõgaga. Hey guys, I understand that your religion forbids anyone to renounce their faith but as far as I know, I does not order one to switch off ones brain. The Pope, with all due respect, is the head of another religious movement. Another religious movement, which too believes in enlarging the number of its followers. If he would not do so, then who else would? What is the Pope without religion? Just an Old German fellow. Running a rival religion is all he is about. It is his job to convert others. How can you accept the fact that he exists without accepting the fact that he does the utmost to spread his version of God and friends.

War - how bad it really is?

2008-03-24T17:25:00.003+02:00

As you all know by now, 4000th soldier was killed on Sunday. That's 4000 young men have met their untimely death during the now 5 years of war. Can you imagine 4000 coffins in a row somewhere? In order to prevent further casualties the only sensible option is to pull out. War, what is it good for? For security, obviously. By fighting all those militant types in some desert country we keep the fight off our very own green lawn. And that, my friends, is something one can not deny. In other words, their sacrifices keep us safe.

How great are the costs anyway? When one starts to think about, then it seems not really significant. Though every single life is valuable and I know what misery and sadness accompany death, if one looks at it from a larger perspective, there really is no major effect. Do you know how many people get hurt in normal everyday traffic? There were 271 017 casualties reported in 2005 in the UK alone. That is about 743 casualties every single day. Yet nobody advocates banning cars. Now think about it. It is a big sacrifice to the individual who has to cope with his own death, or the loss of a loved one, but is it really that much to ask from the general society? If we are not ready to contribute that to our security, then who is supposed to do it for us?

PS.
This post is about whether it is sensible to withdraw our forces from Iraq right now. This post is NOT about whether we should have been there in the first place.

Winter Darkness

2008-02-02T23:55:00.000+02:00

It just did not happen. We are not sending those clown to that competition and acknowledging that they are from Estonia.
I do not care that you are an avid fan or Kivipallur and friends, this is madness. Yes, I am aware that this is not the end of the world or even a really important occasion however, building up an image is more than fancy parades and PR folks. It is about small events which are memorable. Do we really want that thing to the first thing that pops into someone's mind when hearing the phrase Estonia?
I just hope that I'm like the only one who watches this filth. That's the best I can do

Good Gracious

2008-01-31T22:52:00.000+02:00

Somebody is feeling hurt once more. Some blokes are kept out of Europe. Why? Because they cause trouble here. It's not only our issue of someone standing next to Kaarli Church, rather an universal problem of foreign infiltration, especially the kind that is hostile towards our sovereignity. They are somewhere between your ordinary spy and a crook. There is no reason to lety either of them enter. Sabotage, hostile propaganda and plain old crime are nothing to be too fond of. In order to keep those un-savoury characters from causing any harm, we simply do lot let them enter the country. It's is exactly the same as if you rather not have those people coming to your house, one do not let them in. But wait, it's not right to do so. Your neighbour calls you a fascist, imperialist and accuses you of ignoring human rights. Don't you remember them saying that your neighbour is the one to choose everything for you, including the people allowed to enter your house? it is the exact same thing only on a bigger scale. But that does obviously bother them.

Naked ladies, my favourite

2008-01-29T20:20:00.001+02:00

This post is devoted to everyone's favourite artist who just happens to like painting naked ladies.
Despite being as ancient as it gets, the old man sure does know, what’s left to enjoy in life. The true and simple magnificence of the female form as well as the same irresistibility are something the exhibition had a plenty. The ürgvägi emanating from those female bodies is simply something hard to grasp. The beauty in those figures, whether stretched out or in natural poses is enhanced by the atmosphere surrounding them. The female figure was the central and frankly only object in most of those scenes, which curiously enhanced the surreal energies emanating from the pictures in further.

I did not bother to read the interpretations offered there and on purpose. I just let the art flow through me and do its magic by itself. So all that text is purely based on me and my very own emotional state, not a rephrased text from some art magazine. So that is the cause of the lack of references to the pigeons as the free spirit being mauled by age and women. From my perspective, they were just some birds. One cannot only draw naked women, sometimes one needs to relax as well.

King of the World

2007-12-11T00:42:00.000+02:00

So, We are different. We will shape the world around Us. Sure, why not. We have got plenty of ambition. We have greater access to knowledge than anyone has ever had before Us. We are far better informed than anyone has ever been before. Last but not least, We have more issues to deal with than anyone has ever had before. Sounds grand, does it not? Hopefully We’ll be able to actually become active in world affairs. Hopefully the prospect of making the world a better place will not be ruined by some crazy warlord with some missiles. Hopefully We’ll still hold on to our views when We get the chance to implant them. Hopefully this time it will be possible to avoid the usual pit-falls.

All Hail, the King of Romanticism

2007-12-10T16:44:00.000+02:00

Though Keats truly is a great poet and all, characterising him till half past 3 really is not my kind of entertainment. Furthermore, trying to be productive with something like 3 hours of sleep is also somewhat of a challenge. The best thing is that the only time to rid myself of the sleep deficit is during the weekend or during the lessons. Thanks to MEP, I’ve managed to get myself quite a big pile of work left to do before the period ends. This included the achievement paper as well as the big German test, some poetry for Merka and I haven’t even mentioned Russian yet. AND I am quite willing to murder anyone, who is going to lecture about time management.

Who's who?

2007-12-06T23:49:00.000+02:00

It's disturbing that some mayor wants to have his own foreign policy. It's truly despicable, if that policy is directed against his own country.

It is completely normal for mayors to be active in all kinds of events taking place in their jurisdiction. The problem is the nature of those event. As we all know too well, there is no separation of powers in Russia. There even is very little separation between the state and business. So, just to keep it simple, every Russian of even little importance should be treated as an envoy of the state. At least till proven otherwise. Taking that into consideration, all care should be taken when meeting those people. One should be especially careful of all perceived endorsements of the regime.

Taking that into account, meeting those, in this case quite obvious, envoys, should be done by diplomats following normal protocol. Meeting them in the guise of charity is definitely not the way to do it.

Revolutionize me II

2007-12-04T22:44:00.000+02:00

So. Some South American country decides with a minuscule margin, not to let it's president run for another time in the office. But does this really change the way we see world around us? Though I definitely support the notions of liberty and democracy, every election is not a major turning point. International recognition is something opposition parties crave under all totalitarian regimes. One success along the way is not really that groundbreaking. Crying freedom and prosperity every time makes those same notions appear less valuable. It might be the man bites dog effect but it makes the next event seem less important.

The Eternal City

2007-12-02T21:21:00.001+02:00

There are no rules regulating transportations. Traffic lights, driving lanes and good conduct are just for tourists.The only limiting factor around there is the lack of imagination.

Time exists but clocks don't. Don't be suprised if the clocks used by the locals are 20 minutes off. Even then there is no assurance that the locals will arrive in an hour of the time originally set.

Pasta is a must. The local dinner consists of at least 3 courses. The first is naturally under-cooked pasta with something derived from plants. That is twice as large as the usual dinner in Estonia. In addition to that, there is the main course consisting of somekind of meat. Before being able to leave the table, another course of desert is brought in. That amounts up to four normal dinners. Apparently the old roman customs are still held dear.

Taking off their shoes is for wussies. Italians wear these around the house. This was the paragraph dedicated to Läll.

Nobody knows what a carpet is. The joy of waking up in the morning and placing one's gentle feet on the ice-cold tiles is one of the highlights.

In order to find a bar, you must follow two crazy Austrians and an Estonian while they circle the block two times. Then some local spots them and show them to a bar.

A bar is a place where they sell piss for 5 Euros and call it beer. A bar is a place where all the fat and ugly teenagers gather and get drunk. A bar is a place where those same teenagers shake booty to annoyingly loud pop hits.

The 2007 International MEP Session in Rome

2007-12-02T20:16:00.000+02:00

I'm glad to announce that the Estonian delegation has returned home. A week of hard work and lots of compromises behind us, results are finally in. We were represented in five committes: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs , Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection and last but not least Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. All those committes worked hard for two days to produce solution to their problems. The General Assembly was confronted with 10 resolutions. Five of them had had our little hands tinkering. Out of those five 3 passed, one with flying colours. In addition to that an amendment proposed by yours truly found support among the delegates. In other words, it was a success.

Saviralli

2007-11-23T15:18:00.000+02:00

This is already ridiculous. This however is outrageous.

Rahvarinne as in Popular Front is a general term, which cannot be owned by anyone. Just like one can't reserve the right to words such as milk, cow and meadow.

The other even more important point is the lack of moral decency. There are somethings, which should not be toyed around with. Like it would not be enough to shit all over the existing order but to also relieve themselves all over our history is just something I cannot tolerate. Though poor JüriVilms was a socialist, there is no reason to use his name to enhance the credibility of their propaganda. One should build up a reputation of their own instead of trying to achieve popularity by using other people as a cover. The idea of switching them frequently as they get soiled is too despicable.

Maybe it's the idea that if I made something, then I can destroy too? Taking into account the major contributions towards our independence, maybe we should be looking forward to Mr Savisaar having the sole right to use phrases such as Estonia, Eesti, Eesti Vabariik etc. Oh wait, he can't do that. He doesn't own Estonia. But then why Rahvarinne? It's not like it had only consisted of himself.

Coco the Clown for President?

2007-11-18T20:52:00.000+02:00

What with the number 18 anyhow? What makes me a better drinker? What makes a better driver? Am I not reasonable now?

I am highly skeptical whether at the instant I turn eighteen, some previously wall crumbles and I can see a thoroughly different world out there. By all expectations, I'll just as dumb or smart as I was before. Well, my reasoning might be rather different from someone aged 70 but since when is being young and idealistic a crime? I support lowering all those ages to 16. If you aren't responsible for your actions by that time, then when will you ever be? And as a special offer to all our conservative friends out there, you can relax, the number of these newly franchised youth will be to small to upset the current balance too much. However, it will be just enough for a nice gesture to invite the youth to the daily business of running the state.

The Tinfoil Hour

2007-11-16T17:48:00.001+02:00

Conspiracy theories are for some fat ugly men who don't know how to bathe? I haven't done anything bad so I've got nothing to worry about. The police and the secret services are all about catching bad guys. If all those apply to you, here's something. Though I wouldn't consider myself libertarian, there still are somethings, which worry me. So like an ugly fatso I am, I'll just try to convert you. If some guys wearing gray coats and shades take me along for a chat, you might consider this my will.

Oh, feel free to pay no attention to the commercial announcement in the beginning. Apparently, this is just necessary evil.

and my vote goes to...

2007-11-12T22:43:00.000+02:00

Guess what happened.

Though I may agree on that notion, I am quite sure that the result holds practically no value. Mr Savisaar would probably have been chosen even if the press enemy would be substituted for public enemy or any other title with a negative connotation. If you manage to amass 100 000 signatures on some petition to recall you, it is beyond doubt that you are toast. If one compares the e-votes, e-polls, orkut communities and naturally delfi kommentaarid, one might be able to spot a pattern there. So the competition has to put in shedloads of extra hours to catch up.

Though the method is unreliable, the result is beyond doubt. How many others do you know who make a living by claiming that the press is partisan and hates him? The only exception is his own oh-so-very-independent party paper, which is known for being the shiniest example of good journalism in this god-forsaken country. Oh yeah, using municipal papers, that is our own tax money, to spam us is also notable.

This did just not happen right now

2007-11-12T17:43:00.000+02:00

I was like wow. She just had me speechless. Twice. Like what the fork was that? I could greet her without getting yelled at. Like that would not be amazing enough, she even was a little nice towards me later on. I wonder whether this continues, that sure would be nice. Though makes me wonder about the cause. Did she, too, get a new play-thingy in the weekend? Something better? If not then this could as well as be the sart of a new epoch, the one without the plõksomeeter. I’d be more than happy to see that, though it would take time to get used to.

Hmm... I got kind of used to him, let's keep him.

2007-11-07T16:57:00.000+02:00

Does Mr. Lang really have nothing better to do?

What is the purpose of jailing anyone? Besides the utterly theoretical option of re-education it is detention. " Because you have been such a bad boy, you are not allowed to go out and play." A completely normal approach, though the actions might have been prevented that is a another story entirely. For someone has committed something they should not have and will be removed from the society for some time. That IS the punishment. After one has endured the full length of the punishment, one is released. Keeping someone in a cell beyond that point is punishing one once more. That by the way, is unlawful. One can only be punished once for one's crimes.

The idea of keeping us safe is undoubtedly a good one, no question about it. However if the problems are caused by criminals released early, that should be addressed. The number of suspended sentences should be cut considerably, if that seems to be the key. Might be that the number of people paroled needs to be minimized. In case of the mostly likely cause, the lack of support or supervision and almost non-existent rehabilitation program, those issues should be dealt with instead of keeping people jailed indefinitely just because some official want to.

Besides the fact that it's a non-issue as well as the unlawfulness, it also creates a dangerous precedent. If the concept of jailing some people indefinitely despite the verdict becomes acceptable, it would be just too easy to add dissidents and political rivals to the list of people punished by these measures. One has to constantly keep guard to remain free. Every step, which could potentially limit one's freedom should be opposed by all means as the creeping beasts of tyranny are ever so vigilant.

Urgent attention required! By the order of...

2007-11-04T19:57:00.000+02:00

The newest and biggest issue facing our people at this time. Unless solutions are found soon, the outlook is grimmer than ever. The lack of attention to this grave issue is unprecedented. The ones responsible ahju. Fortunately for us someone has finally got a hold of the situation and urgent improvements are a matter of time. Unless those imperialistic fascist snakes try to get in the way of the will of the working people of this poor country. We should all stand united against this common threat and try to fight for the benefit of the glorious cause of the workers all over the world. Death to the agressive capitalist pigs and their imperialistic fascist minions! Workers of the world, unite!

Lucky us

2007-10-23T20:39:00.000+03:00

What if Ida - Virumaa would have declared itself independent during the restoration of our independence? What would it have been like then? Would we have accepted it as a way to get rid of our minority issues? Would we have claimed it to be an integral part of Estonia and use every measure available to reassert our influence? Would we have accepted it by now?

Just something that popped into my mind after reading about Northern Ireland. It is basically the same as Ida-Virumaa for Estonia. Populated by migrants loyal to another regime and still clinging to that regime with the support of the imperialistic neighbour. Would there be an ERA (Estonian Republican Army) operating covertly? The threat of secession was not out of the picture even 15 years ago. Would the idea of an independent Estonia even be feasible with another chip of it's meager area?

heureka

2007-10-19T00:22:00.000+03:00

Just something I stumbled upon.

Politicians use every opportunity they get to say something. They do it so often that nobody really even pays attention anymore. This is something of an exception. It may be the cream of crop or may it just sticks out. Whatever the case, this is the rare occurrence when the talk matters. Basically this speech is the gist our foreign policy. The way we view the world and ourselves is directly influence by the ideas expressed during this speech. Though probably not the first nor the last person to point it out, the Nordic image became our identity. As it is written in 1999, it is a little outdated but interesting to read nonetheless. To all of you who might be fond of a little pice of history and identity.

Terrorism for a cause?

2007-10-14T17:01:00.000+03:00

I stumbled upon this clip back on Metacafe. like all normal civilised person I felt disgusted by the attack on defenceless civilians. All the perpetrators and their accomplices should be tracked down and punished. But then again, why this this happen in the first place. While the west pays no attention to similar or even worse events on a much grander scale in Chechnya, nobody could ignore this one. The loss of life is sad but the fact that it is the only option left for the combatants is even worse. This is no way to fight for one's freedom, this is an act of desperation. What would you do if you were a Chechen who cares about his or her country?

Well done Al

2007-10-12T23:31:00.000+03:00

As we all known already, Mr Gore is the co-recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Though he is only known for his popular film explaining the risks of climate change, it has done more to arouse public interest than all the other efforts combined. I strongly support the decision as the climate change is something that probably will not affect us personally, but our offspring most probably. Like Mr Gore pointed out, the idea of what would happen if the world's most densely populated areas are to be flooded is terrifying. The exodus of all those chinese and indians will probably have the same effect on our society as the exodus of the huns had on the Roman one. I am as sure as you get, that the most probable safe haven the refuges aim for, is Europe. There is not much we could do about it. Actually there is nothing we can do about it but prevent it from happening. Unfortuanately that is not an option as long as there are people denying the obvious around.

Fahrenheit 451

2007-10-10T22:09:00.000+03:00

A 1966 film by Francois Truffaut. Based on the book by Ray Bradbury. Based on a dystopian future society, where video killed the book star. The story is based on the life of Guy Montag (Oscar Werner), a fireman. It's his duty to search and destroy books as they are forbidden for some unknown reason. He has a nice house, a lovely wife Linda (Julie Christie) and in addition to that, he is boss' pet. All that is turned up-side-down, when he is approached by Clarisse (also Julie Christie).

I usually do not watch films, which are more than 40 years old, but this is an exception. I haven't seen something that good in quite a while. It basically makes one think about things considered natural. What would it be like when life would really be so messed up? What would I do if life were really that messed up? Would we really be noble and determined and willing to die for what we believe in or passively curse the system? I have a soft spot for books and movies portraying the fight against a totalitarian system and this film exploits this soft spot mercilessly.

I'd recommend it to anyone who has ever thought about the issues of censorship and totalitarianism. The idea of banning if not burning books, may I remind you, is still an issue. Even if not interested in philosophy or civil liberties, the film will still probably be found entertaining. Enjoy yourselves.

11 out of 10

PS. Does anyone have the book? I'd like to borrow a copy.

Leave me alone, please do

2007-10-07T13:35:00.000+03:00

The lovely film by Man Ray, filmed in 1926, France.

I have always wanted to be sophisticated and cultured. Enjoying art at it's finest is an integral part of it. But here's the catch, something are NOT art. Getting high and covering the canvas with one's excrement is not art. Dumping molten glass into cold water is not art. Combining random images and effects is not art. But if put next to a sign which says art, people will be more than eager to dish out ridiculous sums of money to see it. Then they will claim to have seen the meaning or experienced enlightenment. Sorry, just because you saw something you didn't understand anything doesn't make you neither sophisticated nor smart. Just because it does not make sense and has not been done before, does not mean it's art.

I am not sure about the rating but unfortunately this piece cannot be graded. It is not a film, it's a cinepoeme. I am not sure what should you watch next in case you liked this film. I am sure however if it looked familiar to real life, you really need to go to rehab.

Early bird gets the worm?

2007-10-04T03:14:00.000+03:00

Not that I would really have something important to say, I'd just like to point out that I just finished both my English and German. Odds are that I might even be able to catch some good 3 hours of sleep tonight. Merka is going to have me drawn and quartered if she catches me asleep once more. Hopefully I'll be able to get some shuteye during the German lessons. If I'm lucky then during the debate too. If no then no biggie, uni on nõrkadele anyhow. Probably going to need a strong cup of joe to get up, like I would drink the stuff at normal conditions. 3 hours and 20 minutes left. I should probably go.

Revolutionize me.

2007-10-01T20:16:00.000+03:00

Another day, another uprising. Some crazy people down somewhere like Burma, thinking they could really make a difference by shouting slogans and marching along peacefully. Even crazier folks back here, who think this actually might have worked. Some of them even called it the Saffron Revolution in the spirit of the coloured revolutions

Firstly there is no such thing as a coloured revolution. The only one that actually can be classified as such was the one in Ukraine. Others are forcefully made to fit the mold. Well yeah, it has all been about the students demanding democracy more freedom and whatever else that comes into mind but since when haven't civil insurgencies been like that. The other common factor is that they all were financed by Mr Soros and the USA. Did I burst your bubble?

Secondly even if there actually were those things called spontaneous demonstrations of will, every authoritarian government on this god-forsaken planet should by now be well prepared to deal with them. It might work once or even twice but then reality catches up. The position of an ongoing colour revolution is basically jinxed. Since Ukraine, there has been not a single non-violent colour revolution, which has not been squashed by the authorities.

I strongly support all kinds of pro-freedom movement but calling every damned riot a miracle and a fabulous revolution is silly if nothing worse.

Greetings from Inner Space

2007-10-01T01:40:00.000+03:00

I'd like to thank you all for this oppourtunity. It is truly a pleasure to be here today. Despite all the nasty obstacles that line my way, I have succeeded. It is not every day that i can honestly exclaim my utter lack of motivation of all kinds. It is that time of year once more, when normal busy minded folks just like me, get a little too bored to do what we should. Instead of doing homework or anything else even remotely constructive, the idea of watching Lord of the Rings yet another time, felt too tempting too resist. Another day, antoher chance to promise myself to get back to the routine.

Sometimes they don't care. Sometimes we don't care. Usually we don't dare. I've made up my mind, I'll go for it. I'm still not sure when or how, but I will. I couldn't forgive myself if i let this fade away. How's that for a decision?

Nashism

2007-09-26T20:23:00.000+03:00

Arnold Rüütel should be hanged. He has done nothing but supported and distributed (!) fascism. In addition to those horrible crimes he is also responsible for spawning racial (!) intolerance not to mention his crimes against humanity.

This comes from guys who can't even spell the thing they are fighting against. Has poor old Mr Rüütel ever promoted anything other than kepikõnd? What has our president done to deserve such a fate? I am offering a prize to everyone, who is able to produce a solid text wtritten by Mr Rüütel, which supports racial intolerance. I am quite sure you will not even find any about those nasty tiblas. Last but not least, the only crimes aginst humanity are his public speeches.

Please, correct me if I am wrong.

Oh please, we need you.

2007-09-24T19:53:00.000+03:00

Our beloved President recently came up with the idea of gathering up our long lost brethren, the väliseestlased, and bringing them back to our fold. Why not, we need to stick together, otherwise we will be overrun by bigger and badder peoples. There is just one problem, the audience and old and frail, their children have been assimilated and the invitations repeated annually. Despite being a noble cause, I can't help but to be reminded of this. Too bad that our meager resources are spent on lost causes. All those, who wanted to return have already done so during the last 15 years or so.

Besides, if history takes another nasty turn, we could use the support of our emigre community. If we all stay here, it would be easy to take charge. Shouldn't it be a good idea to build up a supportive community overseas while we still can? Instead of recalling them, we should send more people down there, to keep the flame alive.

Alkoholi piirangud nüüd ja praegu.

2007-09-13T23:24:00.000+03:00

Meie lugupeetud valitsus on võtnud pähe astuda samme alkoholismi vähendamiseks. Samme, mille ajendiks on Tallinna linna initsiatiiv. Iseenest on probleem olemas. Eestlased tarbivad 13 liitrit absoluutset alkoholi aastas inimese kohta, üle 6 liitri peetakse genofondile kahjulikuks. Julgen tähelepanu juhtida sellele, et turistide osa on sealjuures tühine. On tänuväärne, et valitsus võtab vastu meetmeid taolise probleemi ohjeldamiseks. Taaskord tuleb kiita ka üleriigilise ühtse lähenemise eest, kuid sellega kiitus ka lõppeb.

Alkohol on kahtlemata probleemiks, kuid müügi piiramine pole lahenduseks. Keskerakondlik linnavalitsus väitis härra Vitsuti suu läbi, et kella 20-8 piirang ei toimi ning on vaja veel karmistada meetmeid. Samas on meediast läbi käinud väited (Vilja Savisaar, kui ma ei eksi) nagu vähendanuks kõige uuem piirang müüki kuni 20%. Kummaline, kus müüjate jutt (inimesed, kes reaalselt teavad palju alkoholi pooest ära viiakse) on kardinaalselt erinev poliitilisest paanitsemisest. Väikses lisamärkusena tahaksin juhtida tähelepanu ka sellele, et rahvaküsitlused, mis toetavat karmimaid meetmeid, pärinevad aastatist 2005 ja 2006. Julgen öelda, et praegusel hetkel ei ole adekvaatseid andmeid kui suur hulk inimesi pooldab värskelt väljapakutud samme.

Ma tahaksin taaskord rõhutada, et alkoholism ja eriti noorte seas, on tõepoolest probleem. Ometi tegeletakse tagajärgede varjamisega. Joomarlusel on sügavad sotsiaalsed põhjused nagu näiteks tööpuudus, stress ja ka lihtlabane tegevusetus. Probleemi lahendaks põhjustega tegelemine. Tõepoolest on paratamatult meie seas ka neid, kes tõepoolest ei taha ega suuda midagi teha, kuid valdavat enamust annab päästa viinakuradi käest. Kui riik aitaks inimestel leida taaskord tööd, võimalusi vaba aja sisustamiseks laheneks probleem iseenesest. Paljud uputavad oma mured pudelisse ja just sellesama murekoorma vähendamine võimaldaks uuesti jalule saada.

Ka noortega tuleks tegeleda. Palju on räägitud huviringide vähesusest ja alarahastatusest. Tuleb ära mainida, et viimastel aastatel on olukord märgatavalt paranenud, kuid siiski on veel pikk tee käia. Üks lihtsamaid näited on korv- ja jalgpalli väljakute vilets seisukord või lausa puudumine. võrgud kaovad esimeste päevadega, korvid ja raamid nädalatega. Noored kogunevad välja nii kui nii. Selle asemel, et sporti teha aga kukutakse jooma. Klaastaara muidugi pillutakse sinna samasse platsile katki, mis muudab ettenähtud tegevused veelgi võimatumaks. Paljude värskelt üles pandud platsi hooldajad kurdavad, et kambad kipuvad laamendama. Samas täiesti korras ja hästi valgustatud kohta vandaalid ei kipu. Samas on pisimgi märk hooletusest küll, et tekitada mulje, et nii kui nii keegi ei kasutata ega valva ning võib laamendada. Iga natukese aja tagant kerget hooldust läbiviia ja võrke vahetada on tunduvalt odavam ja mõistlikum, kui kolme aasta pärast tulla kohale, vaadelda midagi, mis jääb prügimäe ja tühermaa vahepeale, ning netida, et tahtsime head aga välja kukkus nagu alati.

Ehk siis alkoholiprobleemiga tuleb kahtlemata tegeleda, kuid kahjuks ei pöörata tähelepanu probleemi põhjustele. Meie lõunanaabrid läksid sama teed, mis meie, kuid said oma veast aru ning kärbivad piiranguid. Kas tõesti ei suuda me teiste vigadest õppima ja peame tuimalt sama reha otsa marssima? Või lihtsalt juhitakse avalikkuse tähelepanu kõrvale milleltki oluliselt?

Kujukesesõda vol 2

2007-08-30T21:17:00.000+03:00

Et siis teise poole puuslik seekord. Meie kauaoodatud, - igatsetud Vabaduse sammas valiti lõpuks välja. See sammuke, milleni vana Wabariigi ajal ei jõutudki. Iseasi on loomulikult see, kas praegune valik on põhjustatud aprilli järelloksumistest, elu loomulikust arengust või kellegi suvast. Olgu tegemist millega tahes, pean tunnistama, et mõttes ohkan minagi ja ütlen : "Oli ka viimane aeg".

Et siis meie vabaks saamine ja vabana olemise tähise välimus on nagu ta on. Rist mõjub hauatähisena ja leina sümbolina. Rist oli see, mille nimel sajandeid tagasi meie esiisade vabadus võeti. Vabadusrist on varem kasutatud ning igav. Vabadusrist sümboliseerib vaid Vabadussõda.

Ometigi on tegemist täiesti tõsiselt võetava kavandiga. Konservatiivne ja tagasihoidlik ja seega ei tekita võõristust. Mis veelgi olulisem, ei ole tegemist modernse monstrumiga. Lillede asetamiseks ja pildi tegemiseks sobib palju paremini kui mõni nurgeline klaaskuubik. Ei maksa unustada ka meie viimase asja tippsaavutusi metallitöö ja betoonivalamise aladelt. Kuigi tõepoolest, erilisi tundeid ta just ei tekita. On siis tegemist pigem kohaga, langenuid ja kaotatud mäle(s)tada, kui võidu sümboliga? See ei ole tänapäeva moodses maailmas sugugi vastuvõetamatu idee.

Ainuke vastuvõetamatu detail on risti sees asuv Eesti kontuur. Nimelt, kas see pole mitte Eesti eest langenud meeste mõnitamine, kui kujutada köndistatud riiki? Kui on tegemist peamiselt Vabadussõjaga temaatikaga, kas siis poleks mitte õigem kujutada piiri sellisena nagu ta välja võideldi? Tartu rahu on jätkuvalt see, millest me oma riikluse algust loeme. Aga milleks üldse riigi kontuur? Mida see sümboliseerib? Ühe variandi järgi kardetavat tagurlust ja rahvusromantilist versiooni ajaloost. Teine pakub välja oma olemuse unustamise ja minevikule sülitamise.

Keskseks siduvaks sümboliks võiks pigem olla Vabadusristilt tuntuks saanud soomuskäsi ja E täht. Minu pisikese isikliku arvamuse kohaselt sümboliseeriks võitlusi selle ülima eest kõige paremini just seesama tuntud lahendus. Oma riigi, rahva ja vabaduse eest on alati oldud valmis võitlema, miks ei võiks olla see kujutatud ka sambal? Ühendaks ometigi ju enam kui tükike kaarti.

7. päev

2007-08-07T23:33:00.000+03:00

Et siis Brüssel. Arhitektuur on imeline. Üks maja kenam kui teine. Majad on tänavate kaupa kaetud erinevate pühakute kujukeste ja kullatud vappidega. Seda ilu jätkub ka tavalise turisti teelt kõrvale jäävatele tänavatele. Loomulikult sai ära vaadatud ka kuulus poeglapse kujuke ning selle ümber kilavad Hiina turistid. Samas on linn kohutavalt räpane. Olgu põhjuseks kas 27 kraadine välisõhk või immigrantide hordid, ei ole ma veel nõnda jubedas linnas veel käinud. Teeks laotud munakivide vahe paksult konidega täidetud, kaks sammu Groote Marktist eemal tappev uriinihais on mõned väljapaistavamad näited. Peale 15 minutilist jalutamist tekkis juba tugev soov end pesta. Brüsseli vanalinna julgen soovitada kui ühte kenamat mida eales näinud olen, kuid üldiselt ei tekita linn minus eriliselt kuumi tundeid. Kui sinna lisada eelmises postituses kiidetud tänavate süsteem, siis soovitan hoiduda möödasõitmisest vaid piltilusa vanalinna tõttu.

Pigem soovitan külastada Brugget. Sobiv linn paari tunniseks jalutuskäiguks. Ega linna ilugi väga Brüsselile alla jää. Kelle pakuvad huvi vanad naised must-valgetes kostüümides oskan soovitada kohalikku nunnakloostrit. Hoolimata turistide massist ja olematust kanalisatsioonist on tegemist täiesti töökorras asutusega. Ka ei saa jätta mainimata kohalikku kirikut, mida ma julgeks nimetada reformatsiooni üle elanud gooti stiilis kirikuks. Et siis päris palju ilusaid värvilisi pilte. Ja sealsamas meeldiv pisike poeke, kust meeneid osta. Millegi pärast tuli mulle meelde see, mida Jeesuke ise poodnikega tegi. Välja reklaamitud Põhjamaade Veneetsiaga (üks paljudest) tegu küll olnud aga muidu meeldiv koht. Sealt veidi edasi jääb juba Põhjameri oma võimsate tõusude ja mõõnadega.

Üldiselt on Belgia üsna kena koht ning soovitan teistelgi siia tulla. Lisaks kohalikule ilule ei jää kaugele ka Holland ja Prantsusmaa ning kui juba aega liiga palju ei jää ka La Manche alune tunnel kaugele. Kuid mind võib homme juba leida Gdanskist või vähemalt Berliini lähedalt. Kõik väiksemad ja suuremad fännid võivad heal juhul juba reede õhtuks end linna piirele rivistada koos plakatite ja muu vajalikuga.

Brussels calling...

2007-08-05T10:55:00.000+03:00

Nagu lubatud raporteeriks järjekordsetest edusammudest sel tohutul teekonnal. Nimelt jääb minu praeguse asukoha ja Poola vahele veel üks riik. Saksamaa piiri märkis, sarnaselt varem mainitule, kilomeetrite pikkune järjekord. Kummaline, kuidas selline transiidimaa nagu seda on Poola ei suuda leida mõistlikke piirivalvureid. Ometi on neil piisavalt ressurssi, et pidada üleval tasulisi teid.

Julgeks veel ära märkida, et Poola piiriga kaovad tee äärest ristid, ikoonikapid ja kirevad surnuaiad aga mitte mais. Kas nüüd just tänu geenimuundamiseimedele või veidi lõunapoolsemale laiusele on just nimelt maisipõllud muutunud domineerivaks maastikuvormiks. Kuigi jah, kiirteelt ei pruugi saada just eriti adekvaatset ülevaadet riigist.

Neither last, nor least Berliin. Ma võtan sõnad tagasi ülesehitatud linnade toreduse koha pealt. Nimelt on tegemist üsna mõttetu linnaga. Vastavalt Mihkli soovitusele sai läbitud Kurfürstendamm ning lahkutud kahe särgi võrra rikkama, kuid sellega saavutused enamvähem piirdusid. Võite pakkuda, mis pood need mulle müüs. Brandenburgi väravad on mõtetetult overrated. Samuti Riigipäevahoone. Tegemist on linnaga, mida on mõtet vaadata vaid läbi autoakna. Ei ole mõtet veeta linnas tervet päeva, kuna lihtsalt ei ole midagi vaadata ning vaid poodlemine ei kõla peale esimest tundi enam nõnda ahvatlevalt.

Järgmiseks sihtmärgiks oli Brüssel. Kuna Berliinis oli parajasti mingi võidusõit/jooks ning kesklinn kinni ja kell veidi 9 läbi, tuli geniaalne mõte pikemalt peatumata Belgia poole teele asuda. Mõeldud, tehtud. Öine autobahn autoga, millega üle 130 ei taha sõita, ei vastanud päris täpselt ootustele. Algselt planeeritud mõne tunni asemel võis kuldset Grand Vitarat Brüsseli lähistel näha alles 7 ajal hommikul. Sinna võiks veel lisada kaks (!) tundi, mis kulusid linnapiirilt sihtkohta jõudmisele (vahemaa vaevalt mõni kilomeeter). Nimelt ei ole siinsed tänavad eriti turisti sõbralikud, kui silmas pidada tänavasiltide haruldust. Lisaks sellele on kohalikel komme peale igat ristmikku tänavale uus nimi anda. Ja, et igav ei hakkaks, on tegemist kakskeelse linnaga, ehk igal teelõigul on kaks kohati täiesti erinevat nime.

Lõpetuseks tahaksin tänada kõiki kaasaelajaid, kes on mulle andnud jõudu edasi tungida. Ma ei suudaks seda kõike teha, kui te mind pidevalt hea sõnaga ei meenutaks või ei tuletaks rahvale meelde mu tegusid. Tagasi jõudes kavatsen ma teid, mu ustavad jüngrid, austada sellega, et luban ka teid koos minuga pildile. Kuid nüüd olen sunnitud lõpetama, et lubada endale mu edasi lükatud uni.

Tervitusi Poolast.

2007-08-03T11:14:00.000+03:00

Cześć!

Lõpetades oma meeldiva suvise blogivaikuse reportaažiga Varssavist.

Olen sunnitud tunnistama, et Läti, Leedu ei erine maastiku ega arhitektuuri poolest Eestist ning Via Baltica muudab läbisõidu mugavaks ja kahtlemata ka igavaks. Aga elamused algavad peale umbes 20 kilomeetrit enne Poolat algava elava järjekorraga. Selleks, et mõista kujutage ette suvalist kahe realist maanteed. Seejärel täitke üks sõidurida seisvate veokitega. Järgmisena lisada teises suunas liikuvad autoraamid. Nende kahe suuna vahele on surutud tavaliiklus. Ja et igav ei hakkaks lisama veel möödasõidud. Lõpetuseks võiks meenutada, et tegemist on kaherealise teega.

Kerge episood piiril vehkiva Poola naispiirivalvuri ja eessõitvate Leedu kandiliste vahel möödas ongi Rzeczpospolita Polska. Kui riigipiiri maha magate, saate aru võimsatest kuppelmaastikest, lokkavatest maisipõldudest ning iga mõne kilomeetri järel olevatest ristidest. If everything else fails, aitab sõber arhitektuur. Nimelt armastavad poolakad kuubikujulisi maju. Muidugi ei saa jäta mainimata liikluskultuuri, eriti kaugsõidujuhtide oma.

Kui vahepeal ei ole ära tüdinenud on Varssav piirist umbes 360 kilomeetri kaugusel. Tegemist on 2,6 miljoni elanikuga linnaga, kuhu nädala sees koguneb teist samapalju inimesi juurde. Vaadates linnas ringi tekib kohati tunne, et natside lammutustöö on lausa positiivne. Nimelt on tegemist tõeliselt ilusa ja avara linnaga nagu paljud teised, mida on planeeritult (üles)ehitatud. Ka parke on palju ning need kenad.

Kellele sellest on vähe oskan soovitada kohalikku sõjaajaloomuuseumi. Sealt leiab mõõku, raudrüüsid ja kindralite pilte piisaval hulgal, et vähematel võtab jalust nõrgaks. Neile võib turgutuseks pakkuda parajat doosi poodlemist. Seda võib harrastada kasvõi jalakäijate tunnelis. Tallinnas ei ole enam aastaid sellisel kujul tänavakaubandust kui siin. Võib leida kõike, alustades päikeseprillidega ja lõpedades triiksärkidega. Kui peaks juhtuma, et meeldivat olemist kipub segama sugutung on ka sellele abi. Nimelt on tänavad ühtlaselt kaetud flaieritega, millel figureerib eriti meelas Kaja ning ta aasia sõbranna Aga.

Üldiselt on tegemist üsnagi meeldiva linnaga, mille külastamine ei tohiks sugugi väga kaela murdev olla. Soovitan küll tulla.

Kui on piisavalt püsivust ning internetti siis võib siit üks hetk leida lühikokkuvõte Berliinist ja selle ümbrusest. Ehk siiski mitte nõnda mahukalt.

Na razie!

Raha, raha, raha ...

2007-05-31T13:29:00.000+03:00

Maksuraha on meie endi raha, mille anname riigile kasutamiseks. Kas ei kõla mitte loogiliselt, et maksumaksja tahab teada, kuhu ja kuidas ta raha kulub. Ometigi leiab meie selgelt alamakstud parlament, et see on alandav. See, mida inimesed teevad oma palgaga on selgelt nende isiklik asi. Samas kui küsida lisaks hüvitust tekkinud kulude katmiseks on normaalne, et avalikkusel on võimalik välja uurida kuhu raha läheb. Eestis on alampalgaks 4050 krooni, riigikogulase palk on 41000 krooni. Meie vaesed rahvaesindajad saavad naeruväärselt väikest palka, millest jääb ilmselgelt väheseks, et ära elada. Lisaks sellele saab küsida tagasi kulunud raha kõigest 30% ulatuses palgast. Nagu vähe oleks, selleks , et lisaraha küsida, tuleb tõestada kulutusi.

Korruptsiooni võidukäik jätkub. Lisaks meie riigikogulaste üksmeelsele toetusele oma palkade tõstmise suhtes, ei saa mainimata jätta ka Tallinnas toimuvat. See, kuidas ametnikud meie kõigi vara omastavad, on Eesti riigis muutunud nende isiklikuks eluks, mille privaatsust kaitsevad seadused. Teame väga hästi, et teiste rahakoti vahele ei ole viisakas piiluda, kuid üldiselt ei lasta iseenda vara ärastada. Veelgi enam lasta korruptantidel Eesti riiki laiali tassida on kurjast. Ma loodan, et tegemist on kollektiivse poliitilise päikesepistega, mis paraneb mõne aja pärast.

Paraadile, kõik paraadile.

2007-05-27T22:16:00.000+03:00

Meie seas on erinevate seksuaalsete huvidega isikuid. Olgu, igaühe orientatsioon on tema enda isiklik asi. Kuid kas seda peab tervele maailma kuulutama? Tehku inimesed oma magamistubades mida tahes, seda ei pea minule teatama. Kas tõepoolest lihtsalt peab mööda linna ringi marssima ja tegelema kõlvatustega? Mulle ei meeldi, kui keegi oma arvamust peale surub. Mulle ei meeldi, kui keegi oma usku peale surub. Mulle ei meeldi kui keegi oma orientatsiooni peale surub.

Arenenud maailm on tänapäeval üllatavalt tolerantne, peetakse heaks tooniks mitte arvustada kaaskodanike olemust. Millist kahju teeb vabade inimeste liikumine läbi linna? Kui juba lubame riigivastaseid seda teha, miks mitte vikerkaarerahval. Ja me peame lubama kuna elame sõna -, usu- ja veel paljude muude vabaduste maal. Samas keelamisega või laiali peksmisega istume samal oksal meie idanaabriga.

Päästke vaalad.

2007-05-22T18:39:00.000+03:00

Tunnistan, et olen teinud surmapatu, söönud vaala. Päris hea maitses teine, üsna lehma moodi. Kas pole tore, suur lehm, kellest jätkub üsna kauaks. Ei vaja teine väärtuslikku maad ega midagi, mine vaid ja too merest ära. Kahju, et nad meil kalda ääres ei kasva. Siiski, meil pole ka keskkonnaterroriste ega tohutuid kampaaniaid.Mis sellest kui sööme mõne liigi välja, peaasi, et endal kõht täisoleks. Pealegi pidevalt surevad vanad liigid välja ja tekivad uued. Inimkond nälgib ja mingid tulevad rääkima, et vaalu ei tohi püüda.

Elagu rahvaste vaheline sõprus.

2007-05-16T20:07:00.000+03:00

Naši poolt jagatav brošüür.

Lihtsalt masendav. Kurjad fašistid ja imperialistidest ameeriklased. Kes ütles, et ajas rändamine pole võimalik. Mul on küll tunne nagu loeks viimasest ilmasõjast pärinevat poliitilist kirjandust. Uskumatu, kuidas praegusel ajal tohutu hulk inimesi usubki selliseid üllitisi. Arvestades vaba ajakirjanduse olukorda Venemaal pole ka ime, et inimesed tõsimeeli peavad kommunistliku hirmuvalitsuse hukku katastroofiks ja Aljoša ümberpaigutamist pühaduse teotuseks. Me võime end lohutada vaid sellega, et praegu veel oleme siin pool müüri.

Kas vaid minule tundub või on Vene propagandamasin üsna terava huumorisoonega? Kõikjalt leitakse imperialistide agente samas ise saadatakse tohutu hulk aktiviste välisriikidesse kaasmaalasi aitama. Süüdistatakse maailma fašismis samas omatakse kõige kiiremini kasvavat neonatside kogukonda maailmas. Süüdistatakse meid inimõiguste rikkumises (keeleseaduse pärast, mitte ainult marodöörid) samas on olukord Tšetšeenias lihtsalt kirjeldamatu.

Siinkohal tahan taaskord rõhutada oma tänulikust kõikide nende suhtes, kelle teod võimaldasid meil pääseda sellest luupainajalikust olukorrast.

Mis meil siis täna mureks?

2007-05-14T22:26:00.000+03:00

Kahe päeva jooksul käisid üle meie imekauni riigi pealinna vandaalid ja meie, seadusekuulekad kodanikud, muretsesime ja kurtsime viletsa elu üle. Samas loeme täna taaskordse vaherahu läbikukkumisest kaugel Palestiinamaal või mässust Pakistanis või isegi immigrantide voolust Hispaaniasse. Rääkimata küberrünnakute, NATO ja Venemaa kohta käivast ärplemisest. Küll on meil ikka vilets elu.

Enam-vähem samasse väravasse, mul on vaja järele teha kõigest 10 tööd ja aega tervelt nädalake. Selle nädala sisse kuuluvad veel lisaks tavalistele kodutöödele ka veel filmiprojekt, saksa tunnikontroll, Decline and Fall ning matemaatika töö. Ainukeseks lohutuseks on see, et vähemalt pooled nendest on kirjatükid, mida tehakse kodus arvuti taga. Teeb keegi mind üle?

Veidi väitlushuvilistele, kes pole veel kapist välja tulnud. Nimelt õpetajate ja õpilaste väitlus 16. mail on aina suuremaks muutuva küsimärgi all ja TIKi võistkond võitis põhikoolide meistrivõistlused.

Rahu majas.

2007-05-10T19:12:00.000+03:00

Seal ta siis nüüd seisabki. Venelased saavad rahulikult lilli viia ja mälestada. Rahulik koht kesklinnast eemal, kus jagada õhupalle, juua viina ja pidada diskot. Miks ka mitte? Näete, meie ka hoolime surnutest. See siiski ei takista Vene meedial pasundamast olematutest inimõiguste rikkumisest ja kurjast Eesti politseist, kes peksab ilmsüütuid lapsukesi. Siiski meie võitsime.

Oleks viimane aeg oma sammas püsti ajada. Viimati sai meil oma riik otsa napilt enne ühe sellise ehitamist. Kus on praegu koht, kuhu võiks tuua lilli ja pärgi? Kas Reaalkooli ees seisev kuju või Admrial Pitka mälestusmärk? Kui nii mõelda, kas meil on üldse seda vaja? Oleme ometigi eestlased, kes ei vaja puuslike, et mäletada. Me elame vabas riigis, meil pole vaja suurt metallkuju, et sellest aru saada. Monument vabadusele asub igaühe peas. Vabariigi aastapäeval vaatame paraadi, võidupühal teeme tuld ja Edgaripäeval naudime suve. Kas pole mitte ratsionaalne rahvas?

Kui jumal annab, võib lähiajal näha arvutiekraanidel meie läheduses uutmoodi õppefilmi. Pühendusega kõikidele nendele, kes kannatavad masenduste ja tujukõikumiste all. Eriesineja on safarimütsiga Jack. Kes julgeb see küsigu.

Aitäh!

2007-05-08T21:26:00.000+03:00

Aitäh Leedu. Aitäh Läti. Meie sõbrad mõistavad ja toetavad meid.

Palju see ausus meil tänapäeval kah maksab?

2007-05-08T20:30:00.000+03:00

Olla aus pidi olema kõige olulisem omadus siin ilmas. Samas hindame me kõik kavalust ning oskust soovimatutest olukordadest pea püsti väljuda. Kas on õigem minna järeltöösse tühja peaga ning näha veebipäevikus 2/1 või pettusega saada 5?

Mina õpin tööks ja näen vaeva ning saan mõne näpuvea pärast nelja või, taevas hoia, kolme. Minust mõni pink tagapool istuv õpilane kopeerib kogu teksti oma iPodi ning saab 5. Raske töö ja vaev ei tasu ära samas pettusega saab kõike ja palju kergemini. Kas ei ole mitte ülekohtune? Hoolimata materjali vastumeelsusest töötan läbi, õpin ära. Kaasõpilane ei vaevugi, aga hinnete poolest oleme samal pulgal.

Järjekordne järeltöö. Läheb vaja imet, et jõuda kogu materjal pähe ajada. Tööd edasi lükata ka ei anna, seda juba tehtud viimased kuu aega. Õpetaja ei vaata, teen maha, saan oma linnukese kirja. Teiste hindeid see ei muuda, minu oma päästab. Ma nii kui nii ei kavatse seda ainet edasi õppima minna, milleks ma pean mõtetult pingutama? Palju lihtsam on teha kuskilt maha, hinne kätte saada ning asi unustada.

Et Hannes ei saaks öelda, et temast juttu polnud, tuletan talle meelde, et mõttetu sõimamine ei vii edasi.

Vaba maa?

2007-05-07T20:11:00.000+03:00

Mida igaüks iseendaga teeb on tema enda asi ja teistel pole õigust seda ette kirjutada. Või siiski? Suitsetamine on üks tervisele kahjulik tegevus. Lisaks on see veel kole. Ometigi on tohutu hulk inimesi, kes seda tubakat ühel või teisel teel tarvitavad. Erinevad vähid, mis tekivad, on inimese enda asi hoolimata sellest, et me kõik nende samade ravi eest otseselt või kaudselt maksame. Igal inimesel on seega õigus oma tervist rikkuda. Aga teiste oma? Kellel meist on julgust käratada mõnele auväärt härrasele, et kustutagu suits ära? See selleks, on hullemaidki probleeme. Tavaline inimene võib endale kõike lubada, aga kuulsused? Silmakirjalik on esitada neile rangemaid moraalinorme, kui teistele inimestele. Ometigi, kui iidol suitsetab ja nimme rõhutab seda suitsetamise vastasel päeval? Kas me peaksime hukka mõistma kuulsuse vastutustundetuse või omaenda topeltmoraali?

Sõber

2007-05-01T19:19:00.000+03:00

Kes ikkagi on su sõber? See, et sõpradega tülli minnakse on täiesti tavaline. See, et hiljem ära lepitakse samuti. Teinekord on nii, et pole põhjust ära leppida. Kas siis, kui teine kasutab ära iga võimalust sinu alandamiseks, on põhjust ära leppida. Kutsud sõbra külla, üritad lepitada ja tema vaid sõimab sind. Üritad olla viisakas, aga teine nõuab vaid täielikku allumist. Räägid oma mõtetest ja soovidest ning tema vaid levitab alatuid valesid sinu kohta. Ometigi on ta suurem, tugevam ja, mis kõige olulisem, populaarsem. Kas on õigem alistuda, et lõppeks see piin ja sõda? Või jätkata tülitsemist kuna alla andmisega kaotad oma näo ning jäädki teise jooksu/peksupoisiks?

Kõik arvamused on oodatud.

Elagu poliitblog

2007-04-29T21:26:00.000+03:00

Edgar Savisaar Eestist välja! Tõepoolest ainuke poliitik, kes pole veel Eesti poolele üle tulnud.

Kus oli Edgar kui provokaatorid Tõnismäel lipukestega vehkisid? Kus oli Edgar Savisaar siis kui Eesti lippu rünnati? Kus oli Edgar Savisaar siis kui tänavatel märatseti? Kus on Edgar Savisaar siis kui Eesti saatkonda rünnatakse?

Selle asemel, et talitseda oma valijaskonda istus härra Hundisilmal ja oli vait. Nüüd võtab sõna ja räägib, et tehakse liiga vaestele marodööridele ja, et Ansip teeb sõda. Millal oli viimane kord, kui Edgar Savisaar tegi midagi Eesti heaks? Riigireeturid lastakse tavaliselt maha, aga arvestades härra suuri teeneid Eesti Vabariigi ees, on asjakohane saata ta ilusa suure rongi mööda oma vabastatud raudteed ida poole. Arvestades oma sala- ja mitte-nii-salaleppeid Vene võimudega ei tohiks see sugugi väga ebameeldiv olla. Valdav osa Keskerakonnast võiks talle järgmise rongiga kaasa saata. Repsidest Sõtnikuteni välja.

Tõnismäele ausammas Jeltsinile? Ausammas Venemaa presidendile iseseisva Eesti riigi pealinnas? Meil ei ole ikka veel Vabaduse monumenti ega midagi mälestamaks taasiseseisvunud riigi esimest presidenti. Võibolla eksis linnapea-härra nimega ja tahtis sammast oma leivaisale Moskvas? Kuigi Tõnismäele sobiks oivaliselt Vabastaja monument. Vabastaja leiad siit

Ja tegidki ära

2007-04-27T17:39:00.000+03:00

Valitsus võttis kätte ja tegi seda, mis ta ülesanne. Provokaatorid võtsid kätte ja tegid. mis nende ülesanne. Isegi Eesti politsei tegi seda mis ta ülesanne. Kas see kõik oli see, mida kartsime? Süütud kannatasid 20 miljoni krooni eest ja üks märatseja lahkus meie seast. Kes siis võitis?

Olgem ausad, pingete tekitamise eest maksis Venemaa. Olgem ausad, pingest võitis kõige enam Venemaa. Olgem ausad, märatsemisest kaotas kõige enam Venemaa. Mõne tunniga muutusid "vabastaja" kaitsjad marodöörideks. Pasundagu Vene meedia palju tahes, tõde on meie poolel. Eesti politsei ei rünnanud rahumeelset rahva massi, politsei ei kasutanud liigset jõudu kriminaalide vastu ega tekitanud inimohvreid. Samas asusid venelased kohe peale Tõnismäelt lahkumist laamendama. Keda see avalik arvamus siis toetab? Kas tegelasi, kes lärmavad, lõhuvad ja varastavad? Mida tegid poed marodööridele.

Mina usun politseisse. Suudeti hoida bandiite monumendist eemal, rahvas laiali ajada, kord taastada ja pronkssõdur ära viia. Mina usun, et pätid püütakse kinni ja saavad karistatud. Eesti seadused lubavad neile anda kuni 5 aastat vangistust. Mina usun, et ei ole vaja minna oma meelsust avaladama ega venelasi õrritama. Meie ju võitsime. Kaitsjatest said kaabakad. Ja need pannakse vangi. Näidakem maailma, et me suudame elada ilma karistusaktsioonideta. Nii täna, homme, 9. mail kui ka edaspidi.

Paanitseme siis

2007-04-24T20:35:00.000+03:00

Pealinna tänavatel on liikvel tavaliselt MÄRGATAVALT suurem hulk korrakaitsjaid. Provokaatorid ja paanikakülvajad levitavad jutte vägivallaohust ja sõjast. Riigi president peab paremaks riigist lahkuda. Kaitseminister jätab ära viisiidi välisriiki. Piirivalve juht raporteerib piirikontrolli tõhustamisest. Naaberriigi parlament ja valitsus avaldavad muret riigi poliitilise olukorra üle. Kui ma ei teaks paremini arvaksin, et tegemist on riigipöörde eelse olukorraga mõnes Aafrika vabariigis. Kummaline, mida kõike võib välja lugeda faktidest. Kummaline, mida kõike võib välja lugeda, kui esitada fakte erapooliku vaatenurga alt.

Kas Aljoša viiakse tõepoolest minema või on tegemist vaid võimu näitamisega?

Seal ta siis läks.

2007-04-23T20:10:00.000+03:00

Boriss Jeltsin. Kommunist, kes peale liiga julget suu pruukimist vallandati ja seejärel hävitas kommunistliku impeeriumi. Demokraat, kes saatis tankid parlamendi vastu. Väikeriikide sõber, kes alustas sõda pisikese tsetseeni rahva vastu. Vene joodik, kes võimaldas Balti riikidel iseseisvuda minimaalsete ohvritega.

Tõenäoliselt on vähe teisi, kes satuvad olema nii õigel ajal, nii õiges kohas. Ilma selle mehe toetuseta ei pruugiks meil olla Eesti Vabariiki vaid jätkuvalt suur nõukogude kodumaa. Samas hilisemal ajal ei olnud sugugi tegemist nõnda sõbraliku suhtumisega. Anda hinnangut keerulise iseloomu ja veelgi keerulisema hingeeluga inimesele käib meile üle jõu. Mõnekümne aasta pärast võime ajalooraamatutest selle kohta lugeda. Üks on kindel, neis raamatutes on ta sees.

Teistel rinnetel. Täna 664 aastat tagasi üritasid vanad eestlased taastada muistset iseseisvust. Ometi neil see ei õnnestunud ordu reetlikuse, vähese toetuse ja lihtlabase ebaõnne tõttu. Lõpptulemuseks oli muutumine vabast rahvast orjadeks. Võime ainult ettekujutada, kui radikaalselt erinev oleks olnud ajalugu eestlaste võidu korral. Samas võime täna uhkusega nautida vabadust, sedasama mille nimel meie esivanemad langesid. See on üks nendest teemadest, mil tasub aegajalt mõtelda. Mida olen mina teinud, et seda ära teenida?

Teeme ühe pisikese sõja

2007-04-19T19:08:00.000+03:00

Vene riigiduuma saadik nimega Dmitri Rogožin pakub välja teha pisike sõjaline erioperatsioon. Nimelt on sel auväärt härrasel idee tulla ja päästa vabastajate jäänused. Mis ajast on ühel suveräänsel riigil õigust sekkuda teise suveräänse riigi siseasjadesse? Ahjaa, meelde tuli. Sellest ajast kui Ameerika Ühendriigid sama teevad. See selleks, aga sõjalised operatsioonid NATO liikmesriigi pinnal? Ma loodan, et kõik meie Lääne sõbrad on Põhja - Atlandi lepingu 5. artiklis sama kinni kui meie poliitikud. Needsamad poliitikud, kes räägivad venemaaga suhete parandamisest, ajateenistuse kaotamisest või kirjutasid alla maamiinide keelustamise leppele.

Selle kõige peale räägime tänapäeva maailmast kui ohutust ega võta ette mitte midagi julgeoleku kindlustamiseks. Oleks viimane aeg hakata kaevama kaevikuid ja ettevalmistama tankitõkkeid. Silda üle Narva jõe tuleks hakata mitte parandama vaid lammutama. Jääb üle vaid loota, et vabastajad ei tule enne, kui nende tulekuks on ettevalmistutud. Aga loota, et Eesti poliitikud midagi asjalikku ära teevad...

Tüdimus

2007-04-17T22:22:00.000+03:00

Inimestele ei meeldi kui nendega manipuleeritakse. Ootamatult sajab kaela midagi liiga head, et see tõsi oleks. Ühel heal päeval ilmub ootamatult otse näo ette maiuspala. Pikemal vaatamisel pasitab selle küljes mingi pisike tamiilijupike olevat. Kas neelata hõrgutis alla ja loota parimat või lasta võimalus käest ja näha kuidas keegi teine naudib maiust ning kiruda ennast liigse ettevaatlikuse eest? Kes ei riski ei saavuta midagi. Ometigi ka kaotuskibedus võib vahel magus olla. Ussike võib ju hea olla aga konksuke vaevalt sama meeldiv on. Kas suvalise tuttava, kui inimese keda reaalselt ei tunne, pakkumine lühikese ajaga teenida suur summa on üldse kaalumist väärt? Inimeste kõige suurem nõrkus on loomupärane ahnus. Kas kui keegi spetsiaalselt sellele iseloomujoonele suunatud ideega välja tuleb, ei ole mitte tegemist kõige ilmsema petuskeemiga. Idee võib ahvatlev olla aga tagajärjed ei pruugi.

Ei suuda vastu panna

2007-04-14T16:22:00.000+03:00

Zoofiilia ei ole teema.

Härra Gore mainis, et kahtlus on tekitatud peamiselt tabloidide ja mainstream media poolt.
Peerreviwed scientific journalites avaldatud artiklid on üksmeelsed probleemi olemuse kohta. Alī ibn Abī Tālib ütles kunagi ühe targa lause ja järgnev on selle inglisekeelne vaste: There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance.

Philip Stott is Britain's leading climate-change denier and has built a career on criticising environmentalists. Professor emeritus of biogeography at the University of London, he has no climate-science qualifications.

Hoolimata erimeelsustest jäägem viisakaks.

Me kõik elame ühes kollases allveelaevas

2007-04-13T16:36:00.000+03:00

Maa on meil üks ja ainus. Pisikese tähe juures asuv tükike kärbsemusta on kogu meie olemus, miks mitte seda hoida? Lühidalt öeldes An Inconvenient Truth. Kes pole näinud vaadake, võin jagada.
Probleem on Ameeriklased, kõik kes kaitsevad loodust on narkomaanid, rohelise mõtteviisiga inimestel on ajuvähk.
Üsna huvitav on mõtelda mis võib olla selle negatiivsuse taga? Juhid ei nori tüli ega sõimle pidevalt. Inimene, kes seda teeb, on nõrk. Inimene, kes seda teeb tunneb vajadust elada teiste peal välja oma pingeid. Olgu põhjuseks nii vähene võimekus kui seiklused harjaga. Kumbagi pidi ei ole võimalik midagi võita.
Teistel teemadel. Kust läheb piir sõbra ja enam kui sõbra vahel? Kas klassikaaslane on lubatud liik? Kahe inimese vahelised suhted peaks olema nedesamade kahe inimese enda asi. Ometigi ei ole see seda. Igal sammul on kritiseerijaid, hindajaid ja niisama kommenteerijaid. Kas midagi ilusat tuleb ära visata lihtsalt sellepärast, et avalik arvamus nõuab? Või on sõprus liiga väärtuslik, et sellega riskida? Vastamata küsimused. Tüüpiline olemuslik arutlus ehk pikk, vaevanõudev ja kasutu. Tegelikult on otsus ju nii lihtne: üritada või mitte. Hakkab juba vaikselt kohale jõudma, miks hea eluoluga riikides iive negatiivne on.

Oh seda tänapäeva tehnoloogiat.

2007-04-10T21:48:00.000+03:00

Oh seda tänapäeva tehnoloogiat.

Interneti ja veebipäevikute imemaailm esitleb end üsnagi kummalisel kujul.

Esiteks saadetakse autor lehele, mis esitab pika ja keerulise ülevaate suudluse olemusest. Üsnagi intrigeeriv, on suutnud koguda kaks arvamust. Tasub tähele panna, et tegemist on kõige vanema seni aktiivselt täiendatava blogiga, samuti on tegemist vaieldamatu liidriga kommentaarida arvu poolest. Üks vähestest, mis kasutab hyperlinki nimelist keerulist tehnoloogiat.

Seejärel üsnagi mahukas ülevaade toimunud sündmustest ja järjekordne kujunduslik ümberkorraldus. Sisaldab arvestataval hulgal solvanguid paljude osapoolte arvel. Spekulatsioone ja praktiliselt sõimu sisaldav sissekanne, mis on kohati äärmiselt detailne samas jäädes häguseks autori olulisemate tegevuste koha pealt. Üsnagi julge arvestades lugejate väidetavat suurt hulka samas äärmiselt konspiratiivne arvestades lugejate sotsiaalset positsiooni.

Kõrvalepõige poliitikasse ehk sotsid on Eesti mõistlikeim erakond. Partei, mille liikmena on kõige lihtsam midagi saavutada. Olevat lisaks kõigele märksa paindlikum kui teised ja ainuke alternatiiv konservatiivsetele ja liberaalsetele olles valgetest vasakpoolseim.

Lõpetuseks keskmise pikkusega postitus, kus on olulisel kohal vastus kriitikale. Kummaline olukord, kus erinevad autorid üritavad üksteisele pidevalt ära panna. Ometigi ei saa öelda, et taoline tahtlus ei tooks välja värvikaid seiku tuntud isikute elust. Paljudele lugejatele jääksid need olukorrad ning tsitaadid tundmatuks, kui poleks väsimatult töötavaid reportereid. Üllatavalt on postitusse ära mahtunud ka ülevaade kirjutaja päevastest tegevustest ehk blogis on lugeda ka neil, keda jätavad külmaks inimeste vahelised suhted.

Kõik, kes tunnevad, et neile on liiga tehtud, võivad võtta sõna kommentaaride nurgas.