Fear The Finns!

[Pekka]

Hey I have no problems giving it to others as well. everyone knows Russia is the place of genius math guys, the best aviation knowledge, chess masters etc. No problem.

[The Vagabond]

[Saras]

Having a uniformly higher level of education pays the bills and advances the country much better than 100 geniuses for a huge nation filled with under average "dvoishniki".

You can of course be very proud of the 100 geniuses.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Saras
Having a uniformly higher level of education pays the bills and advances the country much better than 100 geniuses for a huge nation filled with under average "dvoishniki".

For small countries, which simply try to maintain themselves at the level, you are definitely right. However, for big countries, that pretend to something bigger than that, that determine the progress of mankind, the geniuses become more important.

[Saras]

Finland hardly maintains herself at a level. It has grown impressively, people are living a nice wealthy life, and they have Nokia Oy.

[Pekka]

Saras, sure, but it's a tricky situation. If Nokia decides to leave Finland for good and look for better taxing, we're in deep trouble. We wouldn't bankrupt, but it would show for sure. We're trying to come up with new good companies, because depedancy on one is not exactly what we would call stabilized situation. Comparing to to other countries I guess you could say we're wealthy as in people are doing good... but there are downsides to socialism as well, and it needs whole lots of luck to work, or else it's going down hard.

Saras, about that booze thing though, we're now lowering the taxing of booze, because Estonia becomes EU member and we can't afford loosing all that money to Estonia. I think we were looking at 25% cut, that's huge in here. At the end local alcohol markets won't lose and tax money won't be smaller because people just buy more. It'll be nightmare.

But in general northern Europe is doing good and according to all polls, we should be the happiest nations in the world. It'll be interesting, I don't know how it has been developing in Latvia and Lithuania, but Estonia is growing really fast, you can see changes every year literally when you go there. I remember ten years ago you couldn't get anything from stores. Empty shelves, crappy stuff. But now you can get anything, every place is looking nicer and growing very fast. I hope it's the same with Lithuania and Latvia too. And future is looking pretty good so.. wealth is starting to spread.

But like the greedy bastard I am, I'm looking to get out of this communist country .

[The Vagabond]

Finland is certainly a cool country (in all possible senses ), and its successes are impressive. However, it is simply too small to determine the progress of humanity. Nokia is great, but it's a kind of perfectionist endevour. It's not something revolutionarily new.

[Saras]

Originally posted by Pekka
I don't know how it has been developing in Latvia and Lithuania, but Estonia is growing really fast, you can see changes every year literally when you go there. I remember ten years ago you couldn't get anything from stores. Empty shelves, crappy stuff. But now you can get anything, every place is looking nicer and growing very fast. I hope it's the same with Lithuania and Latvia too. And future is looking pretty good so.. wealth is starting to spread.

Estonai growing... Bah. Our GDP grew by 9.4% Q1 2003. Match that!

[Eli]

Israel was part of that survey too.

Let's just say that the Ministry of "Education"(ha!) decided that there will be no surveys anymore.

[Cruddy]

We fear the Finns. We fear they will kidnap Father Christmas/Santa Claus/Papa Noel and hold him to ransom...

Well, the CHILDREN fear the Finns. The parents hope they execute the old *******.

[Pekka]

Vagabond, I'm undetermined how I see Nokia. It is succesfull sure but.. I have a friend who is in serious burn out after working there, and all the stories I heard.. not cool. Super competetive 'you can't do this? Fine, we'll find someone else to do it then' .. but he had to do so much I can't believe he made it for so long. Little humanity would be in order when people are seriously being burned and you don't have to wonder why after you hear what some of them have to do in higher places.
So, it's a cold cash mashine and that's all there is to it. I'm not sure if I want to work for them. I'm undetermined. And surely it's not revolutionary. They've been lucky getting better deals than most rivals and spreading all over, and at the end dominating some markets. Normal business I guess. I don't find their products any better than their rivals.

And we are small, and will not come with something that would change the lives of everyone else. But then again I think we don't want that.. we just want to be little isolated country that no one has problems with so we can go on with everyday business. We'll never amount to anything really great, but then again we're not looking for any sudden collapsing.

As for Russia, it's also starting to grow but it's so big that it'll take time.. we'll have to wait and see how it goes. I don't know how big it will once again grow, but it will grow that's for sure.

[Pekka]

Saras, that's impressive! I only know about Estonia because I've been there many times. But I'll take you word for it and that's good to hear

[Saras]

Estonia used to grow very fast before, but they ran out of steam. Lithuania is the baltic tiger for a while.

[Pekka]

But that's also the thing I don't like about us. We don't take great risks. We don't have any influence, and we're not going to get it if we don't risk it. We're just the quiet bystander.. and I don't like that. And that's why we don't grow, and never come anything special. It's good because we have our little safe lives, but at the end.. that's just boring. We need to step up. We need to boost our military!

We're slowly becoming a country that does not oppose the president of the EU, or anything else EU says. We just want to behave good. That's BS. I hate it, but we're slowly going into EU that France and Germany leads alone and decides our futures. I hate it. But our leaders are too afraid that we'll be left out of something and can't get back. So what! I don't want to be lead by Chirac or Schroeder, or better yet their double team!
We lack balls in political scene and I hate it. We need to say what we want, and not just settle what is left. Or then get out. I prefer getting out.. we're just the country in far north no one has ever heard of, so who cares anyway, right? There are so much sissies in here right now, so I don't think it will change.. so I just need to go to a place that offers me the opportunities I'm looking for, and in return I can contribute there to that society.
Yahooooo!

[aaglo]

Originally posted by Pekka
It makes perfect sense now. If you look at the world map, you see europe at the center.. then when you look up, you see us. That means we're on the top at the center of the world. Now try to remember all those organisation 'maps'. The leader is always presented the same way.