New found respect for NIN - none for MTV

NIN leaves MTV show over Bush image
Monday, May 30, 2005 Posted: 10:52 AM EDT (1452 GMT)


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Nine Inch Nails dropped out of the MTV Movie Awards after clashing with the network over an image of President Bush the band planned as a performance backdrop.

The Bush image was to accompany the song "The Hand That Feeds," which obliquely criticizes the Iraq war. It includes the lyrics: "What if this whole crusade's a charade / And behind it all there's a price to be paid / For the blood on which we dine / Justified in the name of the holy and the divine."

MTV said in a statement to its news division that the network was disappointed the industrial rock band would not perform but had been "uncomfortable with their performance being built around a partisan political statement."

The Foo Fighters will perform in place of the Trent Reznor-led band at the awards being taped June 4 in Los Angeles.

Reznor said in a statement posted on the band's Web site Thursday that the image of the president would have been unaltered and "straightforward."

"Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," he said.

Sorry, 8 AM...

How can it be that at the ripe old age of 18 (17 if your parents will sign the documents), a smartly dressed military recruiter can have you saying adios to your family and off to boot-camp where you will be trained in the use of an M-16 rifle, how to parachute out of a plane into hostile territory, and all the other special training you need to be the next G.I Joe/Jane but you can not drink a beer?

I know there is that whole the "puritants founded the colonies", but one would think with the arrival of the 21st century that a young man or woman who has just signed up for 4 years of hazardous duty with the US Armed Forces can enjoy a nice cold beer before they possibly get their arse blown up or head blown off 10,000 miles from home and country.

There was an article in Newsweek recently discussing something called "Power Hour". It is that magical hour starting at midnight of the 21st birthday when young people are able to get into a bar legally and they consume as much alcohol as possible in that hour. Now, inevitably it leads to worshiping the porcelain god and a severe hangover, but one would think that the newly made 21 year old would already know the outcome before they started. Lets face it folks, I don't really know ANY young person in the States who DIDN'T drink before the magic age of 21. The article states that due to an alcohol overdose during the "Power Hour", a backlash is in effect now. The governor of Minn. is signing into law a bill which prohibits bars from serving alcohol to 21 year olds until 8 a.m. on their 21st birthday.

Come on folks! You can die for your country at the age of 17, you can vote at the age of 18, BUT you have to wait until you are 21 and 8 hours old to legally consume an alcoholic beverage?!?!?

Things that make my eyes bleed....

At the risk of offending my best friend - who happens to be in the entertainement industry in the US (Sorry Beth!) - I have a request: PLEASE NO MORE REALITY TV!!!! Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick could you beat a dead horse any more!?!?!? I am so sick of:

• stranded people trying to achieve their 15 minutes of fame and 1 million dollars
• over and underqualified people trying to work for a billionaire who seriously needs to see a decent barber (come on Donald enough with the comb-over already!!!)
• mediocre singers(and I use the term singer loosely) documenting their first years of marraige
• oh look I want to be a rap star
• oh look I want to be the new Idol
• please can I work for an egotistical hairstylist and be subjected to verbal abuse?

To make matters worse, there are even MORE shows about to flood the US airwaves during the next viewing season. How about these gems of broadcasting:

• "Beauty & the Geek” - As the title suggests, the series takes some socially challenged smart guys and couples them up with dimwitted lookers.



• “Dancing With the Stars” will pair six celebrities, like boxer Evander Holyfield, with professional dancers to compete in a ballroom dancing contest. - I am speechless with this one....WHAT!?!?!?!?!??!?!?



• “Hit Me Baby” exhumes has-been music stars who try to show a live audience they still have what it takes. The Knack, Vanilla Ice, Cameo, Tiffany, Wang Chung, Loverboy and Arrested Development are some of the acts. - Folks I had enough of Tiffany in the 80's and Vanilla Ice can just stay melted please!!!



• “Fire Me ... Please” films two people starting new jobs on the same day doing everything they can to be fired by midday. The person who wins will earn more than he could ever hope for from the job. - Wow..just...wow.



• —“Tommy Lee Goes to College” trails the photogenic rock star as he enrolls in the University of Nebraska — trying out for the marching band and cramming for exams. -um...er..ah...can he even read?

To make matters worse, Finnish TV has begun adapting these "American" TV shows (Idol started in the UK) to Finnish TV: Diili (the Finnish version of the Aprentice), Suomen Robinson (Finnish version of Survivor),Idol,Sillä Silmällä (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), etc. Now to be fair to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" - the US version - , it is downright hilarious to me. Carson is probably the most hilarious queen I have ever seen on TV.

What is next for the Finnish adaptation of these shows? I shudder to think that something like this could happen:

• "Kauneuskuningatar ja Surkimus" - beauty queen and geek try to accomplish programming of a new mobile phone device which will suggest which color eye shadow is more appropriate for a specific season in Finland?
• "Tanssiminen Tähtiän Kanssa" - Matti Nykanen, after being released from prison, will team up with other Finnish celebrities from by gone days to teach several immigrants how to do the Finnish Tango - gripping TV folks
• "Iskee Minua Kulta!" - Danny, Kirka, Dingo, Lyijykomppania will all start performing in the central railwaystation to prove they can still draw a crowd. The one with the most money thrown in their hat and the least amount of bodily injury done to them by drunk hooligans will win - prize: a bottle of Koskenkorva and all the coins in their hat - the loosing teams need to give the winner their money and pay for the first round at a bar that will actually allow them in.
• "Saa kenkää..Ole Hyvä!" - 5 people go to work at the Finnish Immigration office and actually process applications as fast and accurately as they can - the one to get fired first wins.
• "Andy McCoy käy Yliopistossa" - Cameras follow Andy McCoy through his attempt at actually finding his way to at least 1 lecture at the university. Hillarity ensues when Andy trys to understand how to work the lift and attempt to join the university pub quiz team.

..I apologize in advance for any conjugation mistakes I made in my translations...

Tote that bale of cotton...er...pail of rocks...

Washington Post Reporter Robert Kaiser is presently doing a 3 week tour of Finland and blogging about it on the washington post website. His second post describes the successful school system used in Finland. He writes:

"Finland finishes first in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams that test 15-year-olds in all of the world's industrial democracies. Finland also finishes at or near the top in many global comparisons of economic competitiveness: Internet usage, environmental practices and more. Finland, where the modern cell phone was largely invented, has more cell phones per capita than any other nation -- nearly 85 per 100 citizens."

Now, today I was browsing the web and came across the following article:

Seven Of 10 Teachers In Missouri District Resign After Colleague Fired For Helping Girl

"EAST LYNNE, Mo. (AP) -- Seven of 10 classroom teachers in a tiny school district resigned after a colleague was fired for helping an 11-year-old girl who was left alone in a playground to pick up rocks as punishment.

The fourth-grader in the East Lynne School District in Cass County was assigned the task last September for refusing to do her schoolwork, but she was unsupervised except for a security camera. The playground was near a road but inside a fence.

The fired teacher, Christa Price, went to the principal, who is also the district superintendent and asked him to reconsider the punishment, but he wouldn't. So on her free period, Price helped the girl pick up rocks. Other teachers watched the girl the next day.
At contract time in March, Superintendent Dan Doerhoff recommended firing Price, a popular teacher who had had good performance evaluations, for insubordination. Seven other teachers then chose not to return their contracts...."

the article contines on to say:

"The girl, whose name was not released, told The Kansas City Star that the assignment "made me feel like a slave."...Doerhoff also refused to sign the certification renewal that Price needs to get another teaching job, saying doing so would have been inconsistent and "could put me in a pickle." "

How can the U.S. ever achieve any sort of improvement in it's public school system when stuff like this happens?? Score: Finland 1 ......... U.S. 0

And just to rub some salt in the wound :

(SOURCES: Statistics Finland, OECD THE WASHINGTON POST)

That's right folks 24th and 15th...Suomi FIRST.

And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply....

I noticed an article on YLE (one of the Finnish state run broadcasting entities) an article titled: "Increase in Staff Recruitment Difficulties" - The crux of the artical states that skilled labour is becoming more and more difficult to find in several of Finland's sectors (construction and technological) due to lack of recruits' experience and professional skills.

One of the things that many immigrants to Finland often lament about, which natives agree with and sometimes promote as one of the main reasons NOT to move to Finland, is the difficulty in finding gainful employment. A major factor sited for this is the need for Finnish language proficiency. In the article however, the difficulty in recruiting does not stem from "language skills", but "experience and professional skills". I find it difficult to believe, that with the number of immigrants presently living and arriving in Finland on a daily basis, that there are not at least some (probably more than a few folks) who are in some way qualified to fill some of these positions which companies need filled.


Finland is a functioning welfare state. The unemployment office offers courses and training for workers to transition into Finnish society and find employment. How is it that Mother Finland and these private sector companies can't work more efficiently together to help place these able and willing individuals into these positions that the companies seem to whine they can't fill?

Is this another example of the often stated view by non-Finns that Finland is a homogeneous and xenophobic country and if you are not a Finn you are less than equal to your neighbor Mr. Suomalainen? Or is it truly such, for example, that a friend of mine who is educated and has several years of professional experience in the technology sector working for the big M and who even speaks decent Finnish, is underqualified for even a junior level position? It became so depressing for her that she almost went back to the UK to work during the week and was going to commute back to Finland on the weekends to see her husband and teenaged son. Luckily, after 17 months of sending out CVs and gaining her TEFL certificate she found employment and is now happily griping about the amount of money she has to pay the tax man from her salary every month. Dignity restored.

When I was looking for a job in Finland (after the teaching gig I had became less than what was promised to me - so much for Finnish honesty on THAT experience), the most disheartening thing for me was the lack of response to my emails and phone calls. I am educated and qualified and it was as if a giant black hole swallowed up my CV after hitting the send button.

Eventually I found employment after 4 months. According to my Finnish friends, that was "extremely quick for a foreigner". How was I supposed to take that comment? My Finnish is passable and I even get comments on how well I speak after only living here for 18 months - trust me folks Finnish is one MOTHER of a toughg language. I am continually taking Finnish Language courses (albeit not in the summer damn it!) to improve my proficiency. I am educated and posess a long work history with clear advancement in my skills and positions within highly respectable firms. I shower regularly, dress neatly, and have respectable table manners (thanks mom!). So, how can it be viewed that my job search resulted in employment "extremely quickly for a foreigner". Why does being a foreigner have anything to do with it? Shouldn't I have been evaluated on my skills, education, work history and willingness to work rather than on my status as an ulkomaalainen?

The article on YLE went on to say:

"The Confederation's labour policy expert Riitta Wärn says the findings are very worrying and feels difficulties in recruitment will get worse as a large portion of the working population nears retirement age. She adds that one major challenge is to recruit unemployed people to meet the demands of jobs available."

Foreigners anyone? I am sure there have to be SOME foreingers who have gone thru the 10 month intensive language course offered by the Työvoimatoimisto who are qualified in some way to swing a hammer and in some cases even how to work a computer.

A job goes a long way to restoring someone's dignity and producing a feeling of usefullness to society. I am very thankful I was able to obtain a job (even if it was quick for a foreigner). I am happily paying my taxes to Mother Finland. Sick I know, but where I come from the tax monies I paid got me jack squat in services compared to this country. So I am not complaining about my free health care and educational options, the state run daycare facilities (in the event I ever spawn), etc etc etc. So how about those 4800 companies take a look at the foreigner population to help fill those recruitment needs huh?

File Under - HUH?!?!

Man leaps from speeding car in pursuit of a puff
Drunk went out window after cigarette blew away, Ark. police say

The Associated Press
Updated: 11:35 a.m. ET May 24, 2005

FOREMAN, Ark. - A leap of faith proved hazardous for a smoker in need of a cigarette fix after a night on the town.

Jeff Foran suffered trauma to his nose, eyes and chin after jumping from a car traveling 55-60 mph. Authorities said he was trying to retrieve a cigarette blown out of the passenger-side window.

Foran, 38, took the leap Saturday night, state police Trooper Jamie Gravier said.

The driver of the car, Jerry Glenn Nelson, said Foran had asked him earlier in the evening to be a designated driver after a night of drinking.

"Nelson said Foran was smoking a cigarette when it blew out the window and Foran jumped out the window to retrieve the cigarette. Nelson said he was driving between 55 and 60 mph when Foran jumped out," the trooper said.

“Foran did the right thing and asked his buddy to drive him home,” Gravier said. “It was obvious he was extremely intoxicated.”
Gravier added: “If anything could make him stop smoking, this should be it. The man is lucky to be alive.”

Sisters are doin it for themselves...

Thank you Title IX :)

From SI's website:

OAKFIELD, N.Y. (AP) -- Katie Brownell is a shy 11-year-old girl of few words. But when she gets on the baseball field, she lets her pitching do the talking.
Brownell is the only girl in the Oakfield-Alabama Little League baseball program in this community about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester. On Saturday, that didn't stop her from accomplishing something league officials can't remember anybody -- boy or girl -- ever doing.She threw a perfect game for the Dodgers in an 11-0 victory over the Yankees.

.

Dem...

I like Patti Davis. There I said it. Me, the lifelong Dem; the bleeding heart liberal likes (gasp) a Reagan.

In reading her writings for Newsweek and other various publications, I have come to admire this woman. I just read an article dated May 17th on msnbc.com authored by Ms. Davis and the contrast between her and her father (who never acknowledged the existence AIDS during his entire presidency) is amazing. Here the daughter of one of the most conservative modern presidents the US has known believes marriage should be about love and not gender , stem cell research should be encouraged (obviously her father's passing from such a devestating disease as Alzheimer's is a factor in her support), and the ANWR should be protected. If you get a chance, take a gander at her column on msnbc.com.

To go back to the liberal thing. I am unashamed of being one. I wear it proudly and have no problems saying I am a liberal. It has become so common in the US, thanks to a MASTERFUL campaign run by Mr. Rove who deserves full credit and cudos (if only the Dem's had you) to make liberal into a swear word. My blood starts to boil when I hear it spat out like an epithet of the worst calliber. There is nothing wrong with being liberal. There is nothing wrong with voting for a Democrat and judging from some very recent polls, more states may be turning blue.

..and yes..I voted for the other guy....

What!?!?!

The Top 3 questions asked of me by the natives when it is discovered that I am not from Finland:

1.) Where are you from?
you mean the really nasally accented english missing the letter "r" where it should be and placed in words where it doesn't belong doesn't give it away?? I would have thought the random shouting of "Go BoSox" would have given it away. Ladies and gents, the news of my beloved Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series even made the news here in the land of lakes, reindeer, cross country skiing and Santa.

2.) What brought you to Finland?
Sarcastic answer: A plane. No really. Actually it is a long story, but I am here and I like it.

3.) WHY!?!?!
Now this question is usually a result of my answer to question 2. For some odd reason I have noticed that the Finns I meet tend to be shocked that I like their country. I am not making sweeping generalizations or anything here folks; so put down the torches and pitchforks. I am merely giving you MY experiences with the lovely Finnish people who have crossed my path.

One of the things that Finns will tell you is that Finnish is easy. Well for Finns it is. I am not trying to sound "brassy", as some here would say, but give an honest assessment of the Finnish language from a person who speaks several other languages (all 3 are romance languages thank you very much). The Finnish language is like nothing you have ever experienced. As my very good friend Kristin pointed out one evening when she visited "HOLY(insert explicative here)! how many letters ARE there in that word!?!?!?" Before you get your nickers in a twist and start commenting on my possible prudishness by not writing the explicative she she uttered in the above anecdote, my family is going to be reading this stuff buck-o so just calm yourself right down and have another moccachino or whatever the heck it is you drink!

Right, where was I?....Oh yeah the Finnish language or "Holy Hell Somebody Shove Bamboo Shoots Under My Fingernails It Would Hurt Less". No, seriously. I have been taking Finnish classes and sometimes my friend's 2 year old daughter speaks better Finnish than I do. Honestly. I am baffled at times. To make it even more fun, my great new Finnish friends have adopted the "sink or swim" philosophy with me. Most of the time it is quite enjoyable. They don't laugh at my ability to confuse words and conjugate the past tense of the verb "to see" into the past tense of another verb..you know the one I mean. Aww come on!..I can't type it here (my aforementioned family would be very disappointed in me). For my part, I don't laugh at their inability to correctly use pronouns :) Him, Her, She, He - all very difficult for Finns as the language has no gender. Honestly! No REALLY..I am not making this stuff up! One word for all of those: Hän. Finnish also has unbelievably long words. You want proof? The longest word in Finnish is: Epäjärjestelmällisyydellistyttämättömyydellänsäkäänköhän
Say THAT one 3 times fast. Go on, I tripple dog dare you!

Right...so I was thinking...

Okay, so I finally did it. I caved into the incredible pressure of my peers and big family and finally got around to making my presence available (okay not availble in THAT sense!) on the web. I am honestly of the opinion that blogs can be interesting, fun, thought provoking and also as boring as a 4 day cricket match. Really, who the hell watches that sport and why in the world would someone invent a "sport"(note: I use that term loosely) that can last for 1.)years and 2.) have a score of 43940689045646 wickety thingers or whatever they are called. Sports..Sqaush is a sport (and a lovely root vegetable..can't diss the veggies), Tennis is a sport, Mountain Biking is a sport; but CRICKET?!?!? Okay..where was I? Right, boredom. The purpose of this exercise in humiliation is simply to jot down my random silly thoughts and musings. I won't delude myself into thinking my observations on life are even REMOTELY interesting to anyone but myself (somewhat like cricket),; so if you have feedback or comments , feel free to give them and I will dutifully ignore them if they vary in the slightest bit from my all consuming powerful view of the universe as ruled by ME.