02-07-2003 11:58									#31
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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.

	02-07-2003 12:27									#33
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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.

	02-07-2003 13:23									#34
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quote: 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.

	02-07-2003 13:25									#35
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Finland hardly maintains herself at a level. It has grown impressively, people are living a nice wealthy life, and they have Nokia Oy.

	02-07-2003 13:40									#36
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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 .

	02-07-2003 13:42									#37
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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.

	02-07-2003 13:44									#38
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quote: 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!

	02-07-2003 13:45									#39
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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.

	02-07-2003 13:47									#40
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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 *******.

	02-07-2003 13:49									#41
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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.

	02-07-2003 13:54									#42
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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

	02-07-2003 13:57									#43
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Estonia used to grow very fast before, but they ran out of steam. Lithuania is the baltic tiger for a while.

	02-07-2003 14:03									#44
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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!

	02-07-2003 14:08									#45
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quote: 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.

	02-07-2003 14:12									#46
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Pekka, so Nokia is a lonely evil capitalist shark in your otherwise socialistic society.

quote: Originally posted by Pekka 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.

This is what I essentially meant in my post.

	02-07-2003 15:52									#47
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The free-fall of the Israeli education system goes on. Once, we were No.1, and in the top 3 or 5.

Now, we're 33rd.

	02-07-2003 16:00									#48
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quote: Originally posted by Saras Nokia Oy.

Lamer Lithuanian. It's Nokia Oyj, and Nokia Ltd. in English for that matter.

	02-07-2003 16:34									#49
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Ok, now expand my horizons - isn't Oy = Plc (UK) = AG (Ger) and Oyj = Ltd (UK) = GmbH (Ger)?

	02-07-2003 16:54									#50
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quote: Originally posted by Dissident congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 in a few more millenia, you will be as smart as I am

and several thousand millenia after that, they will be as smart as I am

	02-07-2003 17:07									#51
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And a frooglepoopillion millennia afer that you will be able to converse as an equal with me!

Attachment: frooglepoopillion.gif
This has been downloaded 50 time(s).

	02-07-2003 17:49									#52
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This one was even better:

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This has been downloaded 44 time(s).

	02-07-2003 18:03									#53
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Have you seen the most recent one with accounting trolls? Hilarious!

	02-07-2003 19:07									#54
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Its freezing in Finland for half the year. Of course they are good at reading.

	02-07-2003 19:22									#55
	Re: Fear The Finns! Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Pekka FEAR OUR INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORITY!

During the few summer months when the sun makes it over the horizon and the Finns stop their depressed drinking and fighting, they are awesome.