Sounds and sensations

During my cosmopolitan years, I forgot many of the sounds, odours, and other sensations familiar to Finland. What a great feeling to rediscover them again and the reminiscences they bring to my mind.

In the autumn, it was the wonderful scent of fallen leaves. Wading through the piles of colourful leaves and kicking them in the air, feeling like a child again. All the memories of the starting of the school year came to my mind, something new and exciting. I couldn't stop breathing in the autumnal parfum with long inhales.

In the beginning of the winter, it was the sight from the window of everything being covered in white one morning. The snow made the sounds softer and the city life seemed to decelerate. I had forgotten the ability to balance my walk on the icy street but the skill of guiding a sled downhill hadn't disappeared anywhere.

Now, as the winter is discreetly turning into spring (at least, in my hopes), I'm rediscovering the sound of drops as melting snow is running down the rain pipes. Tip, tip, tip! Every day is longer than the previous one. The forgotten brightness of the sun getting more strength from the icy sea and the snow-coated fields dazzles the eyes.

The snow piles in the shadowy sides of the streets look like everlasting, they will be there for another month probably. They are dirty; the exhaust fumes, city's pollution and sand have been accumulating there for the past two months. The melting snow is creating brown channels in the streets.

Soon, the snow will give way to the spring, to the smell of decomposing organic life. The lovely feeling of first unzipping the winter coat, getting rid off the thick gloves, and the gradual undressing until the Midsummer, a process unfamiliar to the Southern countries where the change is faster and less striking.

No wonder, the Finns are among the happiest people in Europe (after the Danish). Only after the dark, long and cold winter can one appreciate life as we do. The Finnish winter offers us an opportunity for a collective survival. The affordable winter holidays in Thailand must be hampering the social cohesion in Finland...

P.S. The two bears in the Helsinki zoo woke up after their 4 months of winter sleep. Lucky bastards - but oh so cute!

Severe weather warning from Florence

I need to add here this warning I received in my Florentine email account. It fits so well with my previous entries about my problems with the slippery streets in Helsinki. Why didn't anybody warn me about these things in Finland???

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING

Weather forecasts for the next 24 hours report heavy snow falling all over the region of Tuscany, including Florence, and very low temperatures (as low as -10° C), so we recommend:

your utmost attention when walking on slippery and/or icy ground;

driving your car only if equipped with winter tyres or snow chains (as requested by the local authorities);

using the telephone number set up by the Comune di Firenze (Public Safety Service) in case of emergency

The Institute will salt all access roads (both for vehicles and pedestrians) and pavements.

In general, we recommend the utmost caution when driving or walking.

Snow or La donna è mobile

Today, perfect weather for a Sunday walk and yesterday I even went running (exclamation point). Hah, just a day before I had written here about the impossibility of running in the snowy streets. But guess what, it was pretty great and I finally signed up for the half marathon as well. So, at least temporarily, I've won my snow and winter angst (maybe because in three days I'll be in the sun!). This is positive as my current running capacity seems to be 9 km...

Above: My neighbourhood, Eira.

Above: Uunisaari, just off the seaside boulevard, and connected by a little bridge during the winter.

The sea was amazingly beautiful in the pale winter light, so I decided to put here some photos of the snow and ice. (Again acting for the Finnish tourism industry...)

Snow angst gone for the moment but I'm note here yet:

On winter - by B. Jones

Remember when, about four weeks ago, I declared my aim to practice for a half marathon? Well, the snow remains on the ground and it's too cold and dark to run voluntarily if not for a bus. I have tried to minimise my time on the snowy ground in general. And still, I've fallen twice (Italian shoes + lack of practice).

The first time in front of a male friend. He didn't gallop to help me. This lack of gentlemanly behaviour should have signalled me already something more that I grasped at the moment when I tried to get up with my knee hurt. Indeed, this leads me to the conclusion I've reached during the last five months (and my adult life in Finland at large): the Finnish guys just lack all the balanced passion and attention, playful devotion and courage that can inspire me in some guys I've met abroad. Oh yes, on a weekend trip in Paris and a work trip in Brussels I noticed so clearly what I was missing in Finland besides sun. God dammit, how can the French guys be so bloody cute?

The second time in front of an 8 o'clock tram stop busy with people. Left me with a mark on my thigh but less visions about the people in Finland.

Of course, it's pretty outside. But in the back of my mind I hope that the snow will melt during my trip to the Philippines. And yes, this blog is turning into a Bridget Jones Diary...

Tuloerojen kasvusta ja superrikkaista

(Except for the video, this time I'm writing in Finnish about income inequality and the super rich!)

Helsingin Sanomien suomalaista luokkayhteiskuntaa käsittelevän sarjan artikkeli muutama viikko sitten käsitteli tuloerojen kasvua ja etenkin kaikkein rikkaimpien tulojen suoranaista paisumista. Sen tilastot eivät hämmästyttäneet aiheeseen vihkiytyneitä asiantuntijoita, mutta niille, jotka ovat tuudittautuneet uskomaan Suomen olevan tasa-arvon edelläkävijä muiden pohjoismaisten hyvinvointivaltioiden kanssa, sen sisältö saattoi olla yllättävä. Kuitenkin jo vuoden 2008 OECD:n julkaisu “Growing Unequal?” osoitti Suomen olevan yksi niistä maista, joissa tuloerot kasvoivat 1990-luvun jälkeen kaikkein voimakkaimmin. Vaikka Ruotsissa ja Norjassa trendi oli samansuuntainen, huomasin omassa väitöskirjassani, että Suomi on jäämässä jälkeen naapurimaistamme taistelussa eriarvoisuutta vastaan.

Euroopan komission tuore julkaisu ”Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2011” nostaa eriarvoisuuden ja tuloerojen kasvun yhdeksi suurimmista haasteista myös talouskriisin syövereissä painiskellessamme – tai ehkä etenkin tässä taloustilanteessa. Osa maailman rikkaimmista ihmisistä on jo itsekin huomannut, että heidän verotuksensa on kaukana oikeudenmukaisesta ja taloudellisesti tehokkaasta. Niin Ranskassa, Saksassa kuin jopa Yhdysvalloissa miljardöörit ovat vaatineet hallituksia verottamaan heitä tiukemmin. Esimerkiksi Ranskan rikkaimmat henkilöt, kuten L’Oréalin perijätär ja Air Francen toimitusjohtaja ovat Ranskassa allekirjoittaneet vetoomuksen asian puolesta. Siinä haluttiin kannattaa sitä ranskalaista järjestelmää ja eurooppalaista ympäristöä, jotka ovat hyödyttäneet heitä monipuolisesti rikkauksien kartuttamisessa.

Yksi maailman rikkaimmista henkilöistä Warren Buffet kirjoitti The New York Timesin mielipidesivulla otsikolla ”Stop Coddling the Super Rich”, ettei häntä ja hänen mega-rikkaita ystäviään pidä suojella, kun tehdään yhteisiä uhrauksia talouden kuntoon panemiseksi. Ei yhtään ihme, että Espanjassa kansa on suuttunut rikkaiden – ja aiemmin ehkä myös rakkaiden – jalkapalloilijoiden veroetuuksista, kun keskiluokkaa ja köyhiä kuritetaan tiukalla valtiontaloudella. Superrikkaiden korkeampaa verotusta on kannattanut myös esimerkiksi näyttelijä Matt Damon (juuri se, jonka hölkkätyyliä olen saanut itse New Yorkin Central Parkissa läheltä ihailla). Samaa osviittaa antoi HS-artikkelin pieni otos suomalaismiljonääreistä, jotka eivät vastustaneet korkeampia veroja. Tässä mielessä valtiovarainministeriön epäily roiman verotuksen poliittisesta mahdottomuudesta ei pidä täysin paikkaansa. Päinvastoin, tehokkaat toimenpiteet kasvavien tuloerojen kitkemiseksi ovat tässä taloudellisessa tilanteessa myös symbolinen viesti äänestäjille ja finanssikaduilla mieltään osoittaville, joilta luottamus poliittista eliittiä kohtaan on kadonnut.

Wilkinsonin ja Pickettin loistavassa teoksessa ”The Spirit Level” (2009) tuloerojen yhteys useisiin sosiaalisiin ongelmiin niin yksilö- kuin yhteiskuntatasolla sai The Guardianin otsikoimaan kirja-arvionsa nimellä ”Inequality, the Mother of All Evils”. Kun perussuomalaiset samaan aikaan kuuluttavat EU:n tai monikulttuurisuuden olevan piru kaikkien ongelmiemme taustalla, köyhyyden ja tuloerojen tutkijat toivoisivat tämän poliittisen agendan kaappauksen jo päätyvän, että voisimme vihdoin keskittyä niihin oikeisiin ongelmiin, jotka vaikuttavat sosiaaliseen koheesioon, kilpailukykyyn ja ennen kaikkea jokaisen suomalaisen hyvinvointiin.

Vaikka suomalaiset miljonäärit mielellään piileskelevätkin arkisten harrastustensa takana eikä tuloerojen kasvua ole aina helppo huomata, niin varallisuuden keskittyminen johtaa huolestuttaviin eroihin poliittisessa osallistumisessa, terveydessä ja koulumenestyksessä. Samalla kun perinteisen suomalaisen tasa-arvon rooli arvoissamme murenee, katoaa luottamus kanssaihmisiin ja demokratiaan antaen sijaa ääriliikkeille ja suvaitsemattomuudelle, mikä on Suomessa lähiaikoina näkynyt selvästi. Toivottavasti kansanedustajilla olisi alkaneena vuonna rohkeutta puuttua näihin todellisiin ongelmiin ja medialla älykkyyttä ja osaamista keskittyä yhteiskuntaamme muokkaaviin tekijöihin eikä vain poliitikkojen möläytyksiin.

Let it snow!

First of all, happy New Year 2012! Let us face it with tolerance and adventurous mind and without prejudices.
Secondly, let's start complaining...

So far it has been a very grey winter and it hasn't snowed at all in Helsinki. People were unhappy. I, on the other hand, considered the +4 °C temperature perfect, especially because I could still use my autumn coat (of the style that, I only now discovered, was basically the symbol of bourgeoisie in France).

It started snowing today. Big white flakes outside of my office window, but I didn't feel at all excited. Immediately, there were responses on Facebook: "Snow :)" or "S-N-O-W" and maybe three exclamation points.

I expected that my Italian leather shoes would be destroyed and I would need to walk in a weird position in order to avoid slipping or to veer around the melted snow. When outside, I didn't dare to use the umbrella. First, because it didn't seem to snow that much or that wet. And second, because I didn't know the appropriate umbrella convention any more: was it OK to use umbrella in the snow or would I look like someone who doesn't enjoy the first snow and spoils other people's excitement? Normally, I don't care that much about what strangers think of me but somehow umbrella use is one of my weak points. The social custom in the streets seemed divided but I made my own decision, the next time I'll be using an umbrella!

I went to buy new running shoes. I doubt now that I will use them soon if the weather continues like this. However, I was inspired by my sister's decision to run a half marathon in May. Even though the lower early bird fee didn't apply any longer (of course I had missed it by a day), I was also considering of finally doing it. I should mention that this has been my plan ever since the summer 2006 when I started practising in Paris under the dictation of my professor. I bought my Asics then...

God dammit, someone wrote on Facebook about going to run in the snow with the Arctic jogging shoes. I had seen those in the sport shop just before. They have iron spikes! It can't be normal to want to run that much that you start wearing iron spikes in your shoes. Haven't these people heard of port wine, candle light and a good book??

Anyway, I got my new pair of Asics (not the Arctic ones, obviously) and went to Musiikkitalo, the new Music house of Helsinki, to get the free tickets they distribute in the beginning of the month to a chamber music concert (it's not that I don't want to pay, but this is the only occasion they play chamber music). Through the wet snow and wind. And god dammit, there were no more tickets even if this was the first day of the distribution and I had thought this would be a nice thing to do with a guy I like. They had run out of tickets already at noon. Little old ladies being pretty active, huh? Yes, the girl replied.

I went to Ruohonjuuri, the eco-fair trade shop, to get some comfort food. Mascara running down on my cheeks, I was offered a free bite of hemp tofu. I was at the same time trying to blow my nose (another annoying side-effect of this weather, though: "Boogers are a sign that your nose is working the way it should". Great!) and listening how to use tofu in a dessert (I completely missed the recipe as I was trying to look civilized with my combined mascara, sweat and booger problem, but it should be on www.soya.fi). I bought some hemp tofu and run for the bus in this stupid "oh, falling down, oups, missing the bus" -way. I got it and wondered if I looked cute like I would be looking in a Hollywood film under the same circumstances (at home I discovered that I had seen better days and mascara definitely looked better on my eye lashes).

I got home and was a bit disappointed that there were no more Facebook status updates on snow, it would have been useful for this blog entry. The snow does seem like a minor thing now that I'm inside and drinking the leftovers of the New Year's Eve prosecco (you see the excellent flow in the writing; it's the prosecchino!).

Anyway, a third point should be made. Even though I hate to disappoint my family who laugh of the idea that I regard myself as a quite positive person, I understood a couple of days ago that year 2011 had been pretty excellent and there's no way I can complain about my life in Helsinki. Most things in my life had fallen in right spots after all; the magic was to not yield to the temptation of existentialist analysis and the allure of cynicism (hey, maybe we all have something to learn from the presidential candidate Paavo Väyrynen!). So, I think I'll just lay on the sofa now, have some port wine, put on some candles and read a good book (alternatively watch an episode of the West Wing with my pet (soft toy) rat laying on my chest).

Questions & answers and how I took a step towards veganism

My sister called me on Sunday: "I would like to give you some communication advice." I shut down my iPod and tried to concentrate while the three babies in front of me in the tram started all crying at once. I had an uncomfortable feeling, this didn't sound like she was prepping me to become a great orator just for fun. And indeed, my sister was thinking of me defending my vegetarian stance at my niece's 5th birthday party the day before. I had apparently justified so badly my position that she was still troubled and felt compelled to become my personal communication adviser as if I was running for some political post or was the head of the Vegan Association.

Obviously, I had myself noted that I hadn't defended my position in a very eloquent way, but, at the same time, I felt bored with a coversation about vegetarianism with people who try to accuse me of doing something at all. "But you do eat cheese and other dairy products? And what about those leather shoes???" The general prosecutor asked me when I had refused to eat some organic Swedish sausages (which, by the way, wasn't any kind of problem for me, there was plenty of delicious veggie food available).

Here we go again, and I wished I had been playing with the air balloons. This reminded me of the excellent "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer (mentioned already in this blog for a few times). He writes: "I can't count the times that upon telling someone I am vegetarian, he or she responded by pointing out the inconsistency in my lifestyle or trying to find a flaw in an argument I never made." I couldn't agree more with the author. Here I am, trying to do my best to contribute to the saving of the world and I'm accused of not going all the way to living in a forest like the radical ecologist Pentti Linkola, while the people around the table eating their little sausages can smirk at my inconsistency. People are not consistent with their life; who hasn't lied while being otherwise a morally considerate person, who hasn't said at some point in the wee hours "let's have tequilas" while knowing it's the worst idea?

So, I just got annoyed by the comment, said something about hating comments like that and went to play with the air balloons. Indeed, a PhD gives me a plethora of ways to back my opinions but when pushed in a corner by a person who doesn't seem to care what I respond, I think it's better to leave the situation. In a best case scenario this should happen a bit before I get upset and raise my voice (which might have happened before turning to the balloons).

In any case, my personal coach of PR issues suggested that I should prepare a battery of FAQs so I could give witty and persuasive answers to my harasser. I had't thought of this that much before because usually I spend my time with people who more or less agree with me on the vegetarianism issue or are at least intelligent enough to understand all the arguments presented, so they don't say: "But if we were all vegetarians, would there be enough food for everyone?" (Argh, information hasn't apparently reached every one after all; this is precisely the original reason why I even became vegetarian before the ethics kicked in.) Honestly, this misinformation reminds me of the Helsinki city hall discussion on adding one veggie day to the school weekly menus. One council member said: "If the kids eat beans, they will fart more, and we need to keep the windows open and thus lose energy by heating more - is this what the vegetarians want, to increase our energy consumption?" (Sad but true, this is a real citation!) Considering that factory farming is the biggest source of co2 emissions in the world this argument is not only ridiciulous but ill-founded, instead think of this: if all Americans had a meat-free day once a week, 1.4 billion animals would be saved annually!

So the Q & A session, I have to think of it. I should probably do something similar with my PhD thesis, what's my relationship with my ex boyfriend, why do I travel alone, why I think Christina Aguilera's video is demeaning to women and why I don't like toilet paper coming from the side of the wall.

But it's not healthy!
Vegetarians are more rarely obese or over-weight than others (look at my slender shape). In addition, I'm basically never ill. (Mum says: "But your skin looks terrible." Indeed, I think that's the combination of chocolate, stress and this conversation). And most importantly: do you think that farm factories or animals pumped full of antibiotics are healthy (remember swine flu...)?

Why do you eat cheese?
Well, first of all, we would need to go through the reasons why I am or anybody is vegetarian. There are plenty of those reasons; ethical, environmental, economic, health, political. Some of these are more important than others for me or for other vegetarians. If I think that killing animals is the problem, cheese would be ok. If I think that the food production system in general is the problem, I could probably still eat organic cheese (as I do with most food I buy in any case). Obviously, I should stop eating cheese and using other dairy products, I should be vegan. I am not, but I try to compensate this with other eco-friendly action. How about you, dear general prosecutor, why do you eat pork and beef and not dog? In Vietnam, I heard that puppy meat is really tasty. What's the difference between a puppy and a baby lamb? (JSF writes on this last issue very nicely.)

I think the general prosecutor feels some kind of shame of eating meat, why would it otherwise be so important for him/her that I don't eat it? Why do I feel that meat eaters try to convince me to become a carnivore and not the other way around? They must acknowledge the moral superiority of my action even if it's spiced with some camembert or chevre. It's funny because I would be immensely happy if even the idea of Meatless Monday would expand to be a standard for carnivore life (see also the short Meatless Monday video). I don't believe in fundamentalism in anything, even if above-mentioned reactions push me towards it. If the general prosecutor initiates Meatless Monday in his/her life, I will take the challenge and have a vegan Sunday. In fact, all I want is that people acknowledge what they are eating and where their food comes from. Not like my other sister who hushed me when I said to her daughter that "I don't eat pigs" when she was having bacon and offered me some. That's an attitude I don't accept!

By the way, today is the international vegan day. Did you know that Bill Clinton is a vegan? I take the challenge, I'll reduce the amount of dairy products in my life and have a vegan Sunday! How about that? I'll stick to Italian leather shoes and bags but I will stop using milk products (well, the reduction of 5 dl per week is not likely to change the world, but if you'd do it as well...).

As you might notice, I am a bit annoyed while writing all this down and I'm done with the FAQs - bloody hell, can't we have some respect for the choices we make and for our principles in life if they don't harm anybody, quite the contrary. This makes me think of this video:



By the way, if you're interested in starting a life with less meat or knowing how eating/producing meat impacts on your health and nature or on the animals themselves, here's a good spot to start: PETA's vegetarian starter kit. Interesting videos, facts, etc. I just calculated my "meat footprint": during my four years of vegetarianism I have already saved more than 1120 animals!

From Brussels to Eira

Plans change. Mine for sure did! Instead of trying to learn some Flemish in Antwerp, as indicated in my last entry, I have now quit the academia for the time being and I'm living in Helsinki. Surprise, surprise!

New life, new city. Returning back to Finland after 4 and half years was bizarre but Helsinki turned out to be really fantastic - except for the outrageously priced espressos. I'm actually pretty excited about the place that seems to have changed quite a lot during the last couple of years. Moreover, I live in the most beautiful neighbourhood of the city, Eira, in the South by the sea. It is known for its foreign consulates and the Swedish-speaking elite though my friend keeps on mentioning about "the two doctors in Eira", the other one being the infamous True Finn MP Dr. Halla-aho who has shocked with his racist commentaries. (However, his dissertation was about historical nominal morphology of old church Slavonic, so does it really count?)

Yesterday I watched the obligatory reference for Eira, Aki Kaurismäki's wonderfully ironic film Calamari Union from 1985. In the film, fifteen guys named Frank and one called Pekka try to find their way from Kallio to Eira. The mental distance between Kallio, known for its social problems at the time (and still today, though it's more bohemian bourgeois nowadays), and Eira, described as the heavenly part of the city, is depicted in a great way. The taxi driver comments: "I don't drive as far as Eira". Finally, most of the guys die on this long way, some deviate from the route because of other reasons and two of them start rowing to Estonia instead. My mental and actual trip from Brussels to Eira was somewhat easier.

The first scene of the film is brilliant:

P.S. I figured out that I should update this blog before I forgot my password...