[bulldog]

Originally Posted by Jelena

I think what happened in Sweden is the same that has been happening in many other parts of Europe these last years. People blaming immigration (foremost from countries outside Europe) for everything that's gone wrong. But there are also people who are dissatisfied with their situation and not feeling the established politicians/parties listen to them and then vote for a populistic party as a manifestation of distrust. (or how to put it)

This party: SD, got 20 seats out of 349 in the parliament and a 'tipping point position' I got that expression from tsa's link. I'm not sure if it describes what I want to say, but it sounds like it. The two political blocs are sitting on each side of a seesaw, tilting a bit towards the right wing and the SD has the power to walk in any direction, helping any side they please, as long as they get what they want.

OK, I won't get any more political than that.

Ok Jelena and tsa....... that helps to explain it a little more for me. I still dont quite understand, but I understand much better then I did before you both helped explained.

I don't like to get into political stuff b/c I dont really know how to explain what I'm thinking........ but thank you both for helping me understand.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Bangladeshis who had gone to Sweden for the summer to pick berries found themselves stranded with little or no money.

Dear Blog Thingy,

Migrants’ Plight Touches a Point of Swedish Pride | New York Times

BRACKE, Sweden — This land of tall fir trees and spacious lakes is famed for its wild berries: cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and more.

The problem is, no Swede wants to pick them, except, perhaps, for a couple of handfuls for dessert.

So a few decades ago, the big companies in Sweden that are among the world’s largest berry processors began importing workers for the laborious task of sweeping the rock-strewn woods and climbing the mountains to find and harvest the berries. The practice of bringing in migrants — Chinese, Thais, Vietnamese, Bangladeshis — for the summer berry season seemed to work well, until recent years.

When a cold snap this spring decimated the berry crop, it punished the industry and its workers with a second straight poor harvest.

After last year’s disaster, which sent many of the pickers home weighed down with debt rather than profit, the Swedish authorities required the berry companies to guarantee a minimum wage of about $2,320 for the season. To skirt the law, however, the fruit companies in Sweden hired Asian pickers through recruiting companies in their home countries. Since these companies were not Swedish, they were not bound by Swedish law, and they refused to pay their workers the minimum after the crop failed.

For Sweden, which prides itself on worker-friendly labor legislation — and which sent 20 members of a far-right, anti-immigrant party to Parliament in elections last weekend — the berry pickers quickly became the source of acute national embarrassment, with attention focused particularly on 190 Bangladeshi pickers who arrived in this modest town of pastel wooden homes earlier this year.....

I wonder how some of my fellows here feel about this, particularly those in Sweden. Personally I'm pissed off at those companies that hired these poor men through recruiters and promised to pay them. This is in essence similar to U.S. fruit companies that hire illegal immigrants and work them to the bone for next to nothing.

[UPtimist]

This is a well-noted thing here in Finland, being the neighbouring country and having very strong ties there. However, it's kinda the way the world works. It's wrong, of course, but you can't really do anything about it and with so much bigger issues one can't really get too riled up about it. At least Sweden tried and did everything they could, or if there's still something they can do then they should do it. (Just to be clear: I'm of course very much against it, and it does "anger" me, but basically the world is a sick place)

In regards to the political situation in Sweden - one can only hope (and suppose) that this spreading disgusting situation is only temporary. These things come and luckily they tend to also go. We have a similar party - though much less extreme - in Finland now gaining a lot of support, but most don't expect it to last too long. Luckily it doesn't have the type of decisive situation as the one in Sweden though.

In related Swedish news, I understand that now you also have a nationalist-socialist (or a (neo)nazi) in a communal council (or whatever it's in English) in a small municipality somewhere... Just one, basically just a curiosity, but still. People who two years ago stopped using the swastika and celebrating Hitler's birthday.

Also, apparently there's a whole bunch of votes still uncounted from all sorts of mishaps. Could still affect the result...

How does the electionthing there work, exactly (in a nutshell)? Is the national and communal election in the same, or? I should probably know this (I don't though )

[Jatsie]

Exploitative capitalism makes me horny.

Originally Posted by UPtimist

People who two years ago stopped using the swastika

You Finns can't complain about the swastika, we've all seen your air force!

[rlpw]

Originally Posted by Jatsie

Exploitative capitalism makes me horny.

You just love the idea of hot, sweaty, under payed, half naked people in cramped quarters with there lean half-starved muscles rippling as they toil to make your fifty dollar linen shirts.

[tsa]

FIFTY dollars? That's a lot of money for a shirt.

[bulldog]

*sigh*

I've been at home with my little Jenna b/c she has been sick. Monday and Tuesday she was running a fever. But this morning she was feeling better so I sent her to school, the school called ............ Jenna had passed out. I picked her up and took her to the doctor and he said she was overly tired and a little dehidrated. So at home with me for 2 more days. I just hope that she feels better soon.

[Lee in Limbo]

Dear Aggie,

Well, I'm three days past my soft deadline for having the plot outline of my novel series retyped into the PowerBook so I can work at the library. I hit a snag when I realized two very important plot points are trying to coexist on the same day at the same time, which normally I would just shuffle around a bit, but can't seem to fix this time around. They both end in completely different situations, and yet they both have to happen. I'm struggling to figure out what I did wrong, and am starting to suspect that one of my two plot points has to go, even though I really need them both. *sigh*

In other news, I'm looking for work at a print shop again, as there just isn't enough money coming in from other sources to keep us afloat. It's my fault, really. I'm just not a pragmatic enough man, and I can't manage an efficient budget when I have a wife and two cats to care for. This will most likely affect my plans to get my book into the hands of an agent and/or editor before I hit the big Four-Oh, which makes me sad and anxious and frustrated all at once.

I also have a couple of old paintings I did several years ago that are both in dire need of restoration, and I haven't been in the right frame of mind to take care of them properly. It's hard to do restoration on pieces that you don't feel any real connection to anymore. It's like going back in time to the time and place where you actually believed in what you were doing then, in order to get enough ambition to fix the damage wreaked upon your pieces by witless felines. Even the effort to glue a few pieces back in place, do some remedial touch-up work, and finally hang the bloody things just feels like ten steps backwards into a life you can't live anymore.

Although I do sometimes get the urge to paint again. It's been so long, but it's just not practical right now, and I don't have the time to spare with my other creative pursuits. Focus, I'm told, is key.

On the upside, we're still not living on the street, we're not starving (yet), and our fifth wedding anniversary is on Friday. It will be nice to reach that date while still living together with no immediate plans to separate.

And that's all the news that's fit to print. hope everyone had a brilliant summer, and that you're all settling into the autumn spirit with positive outlooks. This is usually the point in the year when i finish taking care of business, do a lot of writing, and then take the winter off to recharge. Except that it hasn't really worked out that way in the last few years, but anyway, we'll see how it goes this time around.

[Jelena]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

I wonder how some of my fellows here feel about this, particularly those in Sweden.

What can I say, I'm ashamed over the fact that Swedish companies exploit people. It's been going on for years and it apparently is getting worse.

Originally Posted by UPtimist

In regards to the political situation in Sweden - one can only hope (and suppose) that this spreading disgusting situation is only temporary. These things come and luckily they tend to also go. We have a similar party - though much less extreme - in Finland now gaining a lot of support, but most don't expect it to last too long. Luckily it doesn't have the type of decisive situation as the one in Sweden though.

Historically Finland hasn't accepted immigrants to the same extent as many other European countries, but IIRC is now increasing their immigration. Perhaps you'll feel the waves of xenophobia in a few years.

In related Swedish news, I understand that now you also have a nationalist-socialist (or a (neo)nazi) in a communal council (or whatever it's in English) in a small municipality somewhere...

Really? I'd guess that would make the headlines, but I haven't read or heard anything about it. Where did you learn about it?

Also, apparently there's a whole bunch of votes still uncounted from all sorts of mishaps. Could still affect the result...

Those were from people who had pre-voted (expr?) They're now counted and it didn't change the outcome.

How does the electionthing there work, exactly (in a nutshell)? Is the national and communal election in the same, or? I should probably know this (I don't though )

On the election day we vote in three different elections: Election for parliament, municipal assembly and county council.

[UPtimist]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_the_Swedes

In Grästorp. Couldn't find the news article (and it would've been in Finnish anyways), but it's in Wiki too (so it must be true! (seriously this time )), I'm sure you don't mind.

The others in the council aren't too pleased, I read.

(Edit): Aside from the pre-election, there were also ~1000 votes forgotten at one voting site At first they thought they'd gone completely missing.

Originally Posted by Jelena

Historically Finland hasn't accepted immigrants to the same extent as many other European countries, but IIRC is now increasing their immigration. Perhaps you'll feel the waves of xenophobia in a few years.

Oh, it's here already, but things in Finland never really seem to grow into the same proportions as elsewhere. For good and bad. Hope it stays the same with this

[Jelena]

Originally Posted by UPtimist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_the_Swedes
In Grästorp. Couldn't find the news article (and it would've been in Finnish anyways), but it's in Wiki too (so it must be true! (seriously this time )), I'm sure you don't mind.
The others in the council aren't too pleased, I read.

That's even worse than the SD.

[tsa]

Originally Posted by bulldog

*sigh*

I've been at home with my little Jenna b/c she has been sick. Monday and Tuesday she was running a fever. But this morning she was feeling better so I sent her to school, the school called ............ Jenna had passed out. I picked her up and took her to the doctor and he said she was overly tired and a little dehidrated. So at home with me for 2 more days. I just hope that she feels better soon.

Sorry for not reacting sooner Bullsie dear. How is Jenna now?

[bulldog]

Originally Posted by tsa

Sorry for not reacting sooner Bullsie dear. How is Jenna now?

aaaawwww thank you sweetie. She is doing better. She is very tired but I think she will be ok tomorrow. Olivia spiked a temp of 102 last night for what ever reason. But I think she is going be ok to. I dont know what has gotten a hold of the girls but I wish it would go away.

[Fantasysci5]

Aww, Bullsie, I'm sorry about Jenna. I hope she's better, and you too.

I haven't really been on the forums at all lately. I've been stressed with schoolwork, recent events, and having my life eaten away by a soap opera...*hangs head in shame*

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

...and having my life eaten away by a soap opera...*hangs head in shame*

Tell us which soap opera. Then we can determine how much you should be hanging your head in shame.

[UPtimist]

Unless it's actual soaps doing opera, in which case it's quite a phenomenom.

Originally Posted by bulldog

Olivia spiked a temp of 102 last night for what ever reason.

Wow, that's over boiling point!

Spoiler:

Yes, yes, I know.

[Fantasysci5]

"As the World Turns"...*blushes* I don't watch the whole show, but I got hooked on Luke, and now my emotions are all over the place.

[Trunkyo]

And now, back to "As the Stomach Turns" on the same network as "The Young and the Useless" and "One Life to Waste". (I've actually been watching Days of Our Lives for, scarily enough... longer than you have been alive, Fantsie dear. ) I hope you're feeling better too.

(Casey Hughes would be more my type instead of Luke. )

[Jatsie]

I completed Heavy Rain: Move Edition yesterday, it was pretty fun, now I'm contemplating if I should go back and replay some chapters to try to get more trophies.

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

"As the World Turns"...*blushes* I don't watch the whole show, but I got hooked on Luke, and now my emotions are all over the place.

Is he the gay one? We don't get that show over here but I watched some Luke and Noah clips on YouTube a while back, lol.

[bulldog]

Thank you everyone for you thoughts on the girls. We almost made it through the day but no such luck......Olivia teacher call sand said she was sick 102 temop again Well meds all around this weekend