Pinball / Oil or peak oil / Gas / Has China already won the USA? / Salaries / Spring /…

Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle. Lewis Carroll

Pinball

Soon, I will walk to the Kinopalatsi movie theater, where they still keep a few pinball machines. Ville and Lemmy will came there and we will have a very friendly mini-tournament.

Oil or peak oil

A short article this week told us that the OPEC is not able to increase production. Of course, this has sent prices soaring. Have we now reached the peak of oil production, after which supply will fall ever behind demand and prices will stay up? It may well be, and the nuclear posturing of USA and Iran, will certainly make for even higher prices. A wise administration, in any country, would do its utmost for curbing the demand and for finding new sources of energy, alternatives to oil. But not, not even in Finland. Here the government, lead by the agrarian party, decided to reduce taxes on oil used in agriculture. Such morons we have elected!

Gas

I read somewhere, that every person in Texas consumes 10.2 gallons (37 liters) of gasoline every week. For a family of four, it makes 148 liters, which should be enough for driving 1500 kilometers. What a waste of energy and time! Or, with an SUV, just waste of energy, for a SUV does not go far, nor for a long time, with 148 liters.

Has China already won the USA?

Leon Hardar has an interesting comment at Antiwar.com. He claims that China has won the war on terror, that while the USA is wasting all its attention and resources on minor things (Iraq, Iran), China is becoming stronger and stronger. Who knows? But the current US administration is clearly working against long term interests of US citizen. Poor them, for they will pay the depts for long and their social contract is about to break down.

Salaries

Lately, nurses have staged demonstrations and demanded higher salaries. A nurse earns 2350 euros per month. Not much, but rather close to the median salary in Finland. A professor, according to a job advertisement in todays newspaper, earns A28-class salary, or 3210 euros a month. I would claim that 1000 euros a month is not a too large compensation for a 10 or more years of additional studies. (It also seems that a professor in class A28 (in the Technical University of Tampere) will never earn as much as a systems architect in any decent corporation. So, the greedy of us are not meant to become professors).
In general, salaries are very low in Finland. I have never really realized this before. Is it time to take some action, just the way the nurses do?

Spring

Spring has come to Finland, finally. Today and yesterday have been very nice days: sunny, clear skies, 10C, no wind to mention. Just prefect days for having walks, visiting the Harjutorin sauna, drinking in smoky bars, idling.
A pair of swans were grooming themselves in the Töölönlahti bay. They are not as flexible as cats and cannot groom they necks. They are not as social as monkeys, as they do not groom each other. Very cute they are, anyway.

Professors in sauna

Yesterday, we celebrated the birth of a person, who may get christened as D. A. Rönkkö. Or then he may not. But it was time for old friends to celebrate well. Present were at least Max, Petri, Marko, Tuomas, Tuomas, Markus, Peik, Jussi, Teivo, Heikki, and maybe someone else. Three of them are professors. My recollections are a bit vague, for there were some bottles of Spanish brandy, packs of Cuban cigars, and some beer. Later in the evening, in an Indian restaurant/bar, the professors were telling really bad jokes. Pity their students! Except one professor, who left early. A considerate man.
One professor claimed that he knows how to solve the conflict in Uruguay, where UPM and other Finnish companies are building a new paper mill. He said, that the Finnish businessmen just have not considered the fact that Uruguay is not China, that one has to negotiate with the locals before building factories or the locals will have they say anyway. Let's hope the businesses will listen to the professor in the future.

Idling

On Thursday and Friday, I just just idling. I visited the office, had lunch there, and did things one is supposed to do there. Then, I came back home and was essentially doing nothing but reading. At least I suppose so, for I do not remember anything. If something extraordinary would have happened, I would remember it. So, days are ordinary, which is not good.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs March to June 2006".