Why Garak joined Tain in DS9: "Improbable Cause"

This is a comment reply under "It Doesn't matter I'm Back."

Garak did not play him. Tain implicitly threatened to kill Garak all the time in that scene — these were never just charming words, and this was never an empty threat, as all their previous associates met their maker a bit too soon — and so, Garak was pleading for his life ("I never betrayed you!") by explaining why he was there in the first place.

Tain believed him, and offered Garak a position by his side.

See: after Tain exposed his entire diabolical plan of genocide to Garak and Odo, Garak realised, that he's expendable.

Considering their common past, Garak must have understood, that Tain would never let someone go 'just like that'.

To confirm his fears, he asked, if Tain was concerned, if Garak, on potentially leaving 'just like that', might warn the others ahead of time (who would then attempt thwarting Tain's crusade), and Tain confirmed that he was not, by offering a denial by saying, that it's too late.

Odo deduced just as much, who correctly warned Garak.

Taking that all in, Garak decided to play along to join Tain.

Because the alternative would have been for Tain to order Garak's demise yet again, without the Flaxian perfume this time.

Science fiction and fantasy in Estonian music videos

This began as a comment reply under Wateva's music video, but quickly expanded into something more.

(all dates are upload dates on YouTube, given here in the dd.mm.yyyy format)

As the comment and this blogpost expanded, I noticed roughly two phases of Estonian music video production.

Based on the songs linked in this post alone, the earlier phase spans the years 2014–2017. Its main characteristic is Estonian nature in a romantic setting, often interlinked with various elements of fantasy, as ancient Estonians were once fond of finding a spirit in each item, even a rock.

Estonian Fantasy and Nature

In 2014, Trad.Attack! released a fantasy-themed production Kuukene / Moon (15.07.2014) with the Moon as the main character in the song and video, filled with flying Estonian berries and greenery (and plenty of fan service :).

In 2015, Kõrsikud released "Tähetolm" ("Stardust") (uploaded on 15.05.2015), with space-based lyrics, including a passage of an 'angel's wings'.

In 2016, the Mother Earth theme was introduced in Kerli's "Feral Hearts" (25.02.2016), which contains strong fantasy elements set in beautiful Estonian nature.

Curly Strings also produced a magical video, one of the few having the Estonian winter as the main character: Hommik (09.03.2016)

A year after that, Trad.Attack! released a beautiful and emotionally risible song and video Säde / Spark (02.04.2017). The video depicts a flying golden spehere (a disco ball) in the dark of the night spreading around magical energy and life across the the nature of my country. As it was, Arthur C. Clarke's quote puts it best: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

The same month of that year, Trad.Attack! published Imepuu / Magic Tree (21.04.2017). The pipe sounds are perhaps too imposing at the start. But the video shows the band playing next to a "magical" tree (in Estonia, obv.), with three lights as substitutes for yellow spheres.

In the Summer that followed, Curly Strings dropped "Miks sa murrad mind" (06.07.2017), showing amazing flyover scenes of Estonian nature. No special effects or anything.

Space, science fiction, and fantasy

The second phase presents a generational shift, and so shows productions from people heavily influenced by science fiction. These would be people who got to see the various Star Trek and Star Wars movies and series, Japanese anime, and much more.

This collection totals six Estonian sci-fi music videos, released in what is a very short three-year timespan of November 2018 and September 2021.

• Nublu – tmt (tujud, mitte tunded) (17.11.2018) — the music is the main point, and the lyric video displays a shiny animation of a viewer's point-of-view traversing above the ground of a sphere;
• nublu x Mikael Gabriel – Universum (06.11.2020) — the video (feat. Valdis in a cameo) is shinier than the music, but features both space and a planet suffering various stages of apocalypse;

2021

Alone in the year 2021, Estonian musicians have released four music videos featuring heavy science fiction. (I'm not in any way claiming 'realistic' or 'hard' sci-fi.).

Much of the same energy musically and thematically is cast in their videos: dark undercurrents in music, dystopia, and apocalypse and the Earth (or a random planet) —

• Maarja Nuut & Ruum – Kuud Kuulama (NOËP remix) (01.03.2021)
• Raul Ojamaa – Moonstrk (feat. NOËP) (lyric voyage) (08.03.2021)
• WATEVA ft. Manna - Disposable Society (03.09.2021)

Thematically, "Kuud Kuulama" presents an apocalypse, "Moonstrk" has that same world in a post-apocalyptic setting as a follow-up, and Wateva's "Disposable Society" probably depicts the rebirth of Earth.

And the latest splash:

• 5Miinust – "Koptereid" (24.09.2021) — a dystopian anime cartoon in Japanese style, with car chases, blood and and gore, and a fight between good and evil. Space is probably adjunct to the main themes of the video. I won't link to it due to its adult themes, but it's searchable on YouTube.

In the first three, the dark undercurrents as one of the backing sounds (for fail of knowing a better term) are now characteristic to modern Estonian music, and the use of background undercurrents in contemporary compositions shows the maturity of Estonian-made soundscapes.

I'd noticed a similar trend in 1990s music from mostly the United States, the music of which was then at its very height, and UK and Canadian songs of that same decade, which could have erroneously been construed as having originated in America. So there was a lot of influence to and fro.

Nukitsamehe natuke kaasajastatud variant

Postitatud paar minutit varem siin

Long story short: Õde-venda Iti ja Kusti läksid metsa marjule ja eksisid ära, aga sattusid kurja nõia hurtsikusse, kus kõigil olid sarved peas. 5G antennid, noh.

Nõid ja vanamees olid pereväärtuste suured toetajad, nii et nad olid valmis treinud lausa kolm last: kaks vanemat poega Mõhk ja Tölpa: "Üks laisk, teine loll!!!11" (mõlemad perverdid) ja kolmas oli Nukitsamees, aga tal olid nooruse tõttu veel 2.5G sarved. Õieti sarvekesed.

Omavalitsus, kus mets, polnud see, kust Iti ja Kusti pärit olid. Niisiis selle natuke korrumpeerunud omavalitsuse abil ja mahitusel "adopteeris" nõid Iti ja Kusti, et saada veel rohkem lasteraha.

No ja kui omavalitsuse lastekaitsetädikesed enam ei vaadanud, pani nõid Iti ja Kusti orjatööle ja tegi neile palju haiget.

Iti ja Kusti põgeneda ei saanud, sest ümberringi on hirmus, kõrge mets, mis kubiseb huntidest.

Nukitsamees kiusas ka Itit (tõmbas vist juustest), kuid Kusti kaitses Itit, mille eest Kusti sai Nõialt kõvasti sugeda. Iti suutis kõigest hoolimata väikse Nuktisamehe vastu õrn olla ja Nukitsamehel tekkis kasuvenna ja -õe vastu kiindumus.

Aga järsku avastas keegi suure kullapaja ja kogu pereväärtuste eest seisev pesakond läks ahnelt kullapada välja kaevama. Sarvik vanamees samuti.

Nukitsamees jäeti omapead.

Iti ja Kusti kasutasid võimalust ja põgenesid ära. Nukitsamees põgenes neile järele, mispeale kraaksus vares pereväärtuste eest nii väga seisvale ja suure himuga rahapaja ümber askeldavale nõiaperekonnale, et näe, lapsed on ula peal.

Hakkas suur tagaajamine, kuid Iti, Kusti ja Nukitsamees jõudsid veel õigel ajal metsast välja. Selgus, et nõiaperele päikesevalgus eriti ei meeldinud.

Iti, Kusti ja Nukitsamees jõudsid õnnelikult koju, aga Nukitsamees tundus kõigile väga räpakas. Selge see, et väikelaps ja orb, kuigi sarvedega, oli oma vanas peres väärkoheldud (räpakas, noh).

Laps pesti puhtaks, pandi puhtad riided selga-jalga ja anti korralikult süüa.

Nõialt ja Nõid-vanamehelt võeti vanemlikud õigused ära ja Iti ja Kusti pere ajas adopteerimispaberid korda ja laps jäeti perre.

Aga Nukitsamehe 2.5G sarvekesi kuidagi eemaldada ei saadud. Prooviti igat moodi, viilides ja saagides nukitsad 2G, siis 1G ja siis 0G suuruseks, aga sarved kasvasid kähku tagasi.

Lõppu ma hästi ei mäleta, aga Nukitsamees sai sarvedest mingi ime läbi lahti (ta sai juhuslikult haiget ja nuttis esimest korda siiralt).

No ja nii elasid kõik õnnelikult elupäevade lõpuni.

Epiloog:

Mis nõiast sai, ei ole täpselt teada, aga nähtavasti viidi kogu laste väärkohtlemise asi politseisse, mille tagajärjel mõisteti Nõid laste orjastamises ja väärkohtlemises süüdi ja kohus andis jälle liiga leebe karistuse. Nõial oli palju tegemist vangiminekuga ja ta puksis vastu. Aga lõpuks läks.

Nõid-vanamees viidi nõukogude atmosfääri ning kurjade ja õelate hooldajatega haisvasse hooldushaiglasse (mõistagi surema).

Mõhk ja Tölpa said kaasosalistena kahepeale paar kuud + tingimisi. Tsoonist väljudes viidi nad sotsiaalkorterisse ja ühiskondlikult kasulikule tööle. Sest Tallinn aitab. Kasu nendest midagi ei olnud, nii et kõik saadeti sunniviisiliselt hullumajja.

Kuna nõiapere hoidmine oli kulukas, kuulutati nõrgamõistuslikkuse diagnoos valeks ja nad saadeti kõik nõiamajja tagasi.

Aga ahned bürokraatiast mitte väga kaugel olevad kelmitädikesed kuskilt naabermetsast nihverdasid vahepeal nõiapere ID-kaardid endale. Järsku toimus nõiamajas tulekahju. Kuna vingu- ja suitsuandurit majas polnud, põlesid kõik maha, aga mets imekombel pääses. (maja oli lagendikul, tulekahju talvel)

Tulekahjust ja surmadest teatasid kelmidest tädikesed alles peale seda kui olid jõudnud nihverdada surnud nõiapere ID-kaartidega korrumpeerunud notari juures ära nõiapere kõigi liikmete testamendid endale; tädikesed olevat olnud "nõiapere kauaaegsed sõbrannad" ja lausa "ainsad pärijad". Loomulikult lasid nad nõiapere surnukehad kremeerida.

Nii sahkerdasid nõiapere ID-kaartidega kelmitädikesed nõiapere varanduse endale ja müüsid metsa metsafirmale maha, et see saaks harvesteridega lageraiet teha.

Mis rahapajast sai, ei ole teada, sest keegi sellest Muinsuskaitseametile ei hinganud.

Food on the cheap in Tallinn, Estonia (May, 2021)

Inspired by a video under which I wrote a comment.
This post applies, when one is on a very, very tight budget.

The Grossi store in Tallinn has the "Säästusai" white bread (sai) for 18 cents/220g. Maxima and Grossi have cheap pasta (macaroni) for 20 cents per 400g pack. Grossi has some kind of a tomato paste at 54 or so cents for a tiny jar. Tin cans of beans or chickpeas can be between 55 cents (on a good day in Maxima), but usually hover around 65–75 cents. Grossi has one or two kinds of ground tea that's below one euro/pack, too. If memory serves, cooking oil can be around 1€ or so. Prisma has the best prices for a pack of broth / bullion cubes (puljongikuubikud).

Prisma has the best big-store prices, while Selver is the most expensive. Prisma has the best website, which also has an English-language section. All products available at Prisma are searchable.

For comfort food at affordable prices, Prisma has "Xtra" crisps (potato chips) that are at 1.10€, with the best price-to-weight ratio. Maxima has the cheapest 100g slates of chocolate (45 cents), and both Grossi and Maxima have the cheapest lemonades (fizzy sugary drinks). Grossi usually has the most affordable ice creams, though Prisma can sometimes have really good sales for certain ice creams.

Survey company gift certificate

OTOH, Norstatpanel, which is a survey company, offers only Selver gift certificates ("Partner kinkekaart") for completed surveys.

Norstatpanel is free to sign up with, and the survey company needs to know the participant's name, phone number, and home address in Estonia. This is likely meant to prevent fraud, and verify a person's identity.

On their website, you'll need to reach at least 83 points to order a 5€ gift certificate. This takes filling several surveys, which are usually in Estonian or Russian. They also have a mobile app, though some surveys must be filled in desktop computers.

The Partnerkaart gift certificate is a printable PDF via e-mail that is sent within three weeks of ordering. You can get a different gift certificate for Circle-K, or a bookstore, but Partnerkaart is the only one that a person can use in a grocery store, which happens to be Selver.

The Partnerkaart gift certificate for Selver (the store in the chain that sells groceries) is reusable for as long there is money left on it. One can check how much money a gift certificate has, at the Partnerkaart website (Estonian or Russian only). For that, you'll need an ID card, Mobile ID, or SmartID to sign in and verify your identity. These authentication services obviously requires a valid Estonian residency.

Return bottles, get cash

Returnable bottles of water, fizzy drinks, tonics, and beers (but not wine and vodka) can get one a small paper cheque from reverse vending machines, with a sum printed on it. Cashiers in a nearby store exchange that for cash (they get the cheque and you the cash), or one can use that cheque to buy stuff in a shop, and/or get a price reduced from the total with money purchases.

Each bottle or can is 10 cents, so two returned bottles can get one pack of pasta for 20 cents, for example. If you've bought less than the sum on the cheque, the cashier will return the unused difference in cash (usually coins). Banknotes are given in exchange only, if the unused sum on the reverse vending machine cheque is greater than five euros; all depends on how many bottles have been returned.

The reverse vending machine bottle cheque can be good from 30 days to 3 months, I think, and is valid only in the store near which the bottles were returned to. Beware the terrible smell near some reverse vending machines. The reverse vending machine sections near Prisma stores are some of the cleanest.

Best prices on medicines

For the best deal on medicines, check out raviminfo.ee. It's only in Estonian, but if there is something specific you need from a pharmacy, you can make a search (otsing), and limit that to the big city or county you live in. If you have a favourite pharmacy that serves you in English (still good to know Estonian), then ask for generic drugs, if a doctor has only specified the type of medicine in your prescription, and not its brand name.

Miks esoteerika on Eestis nii popp

minu Redditi-postitusest

Disclaimer/Lahtiütlus: UFO-teema kuulub tänapäevani suuremalt jaolt esoteerika ja konspiratsiooniteooritate valdkonda. Palun ärge uskuge kõike, mis teile sel ja teistel uhhuu-teemadel jahutakse, iseäranis anonüümseid postitusi.

Soovitan tõsiselt lugeda, vaadata ja kuulata tõsiseltvõetavaid ja respektaableid väljaandeid (ERR, Postimees) ja mõelda oma peaga, ning mitte pimesi uskuda (anonüümseid) postitusi ning inimesi (sh poliitikuid, millistest suurem hulk on äärmuslike vaadetega), kes vandeseltslaslikult ja/või salapärasel hääletoonil räägivad asjadest "mida nemad teile ei räägi, ega taha, et teie teaksite...", ning kes avalikult pröökavad "süVaRiiGiSt".

Niisiis...

Eesti raamatupoodides on alati olnud väga kirev esoteerikasektsioon.

Üleminekuajal, peaaegu et vahetult enne iseseisvuse taastamist olid esoteerika-teemalised eestikeelsed ajakirjad ja ajalehed putkades laialdaselt müügil, ning nad oli tolle aja kohta väga huvitava sisuga.

Vähe sellest: rohkelt UFO-jutte oli samal ajal nii "Horisondis" (tõsine teadusajakiri) kui "Põhjanaelas" (noorteajakiri, mis keskendus ulmele ja fantastikale).

Head seletust eestlaste konkreetselt UFO-huvile ei ole. Üleminekuperiood Eestis tekkis XX sajandi kaheksakümnendate lõpul, kui oli glasnost, mis kehtis Nõukogude perioodil Gorbatšovi ajal: kõigest rääkida veel ei saanud, aga osadest asjadest juba sai.

Seega Eesti vabaks-saamine oli perioodikas (ajalehed-ajakirjad) tundlik teema, sest iseseisvus polnud veel saavutatud ja Nõukogude väed veel sees, aga UFOdest sai kirjutada küll ja veel.

Regiooniti oli UFOdest kirjutav perioodika kaootiline, sest näiteks Tallinna putkades ei saanud seda materjali, mida Tartus või Põlvas, ning vastupidi.

Eestlaste esoteerika-huvi algas tegelikult vist juba palju varem, ilmselt vanade eesti muinasjuttudega — igast "Ennemuistsed lood", kus paranormaalsed ja hauatagused ilmingud olid väga levinud.

1980ndatel (sh. 1980ndate lõpp — 1990ndate algus) levisid kvaliteetsed raamatuseeriad eri rahvaste muinasjuttudest. Üks seeria oli väiksematele kooliealistele lastele, kus pealkirjad olid Eesti kalligraafi Villu Tootsi joonistatud. Teine seeria oli siis väiksemas formaadis ja kõlbas lugemiseks vanematele lastele. Kummagi seeria nime ma kahjuks ei mäleta.

"Põhjanaelas" oli mingil perioodil üldse erakordselt hea sisu, kus Eesti noorte enda tehtud Väga Head™ koomiksid maavälisest elust.

Üks koomiks oli puhta värviline ja väga tõsine, ning rääkis tulnukate tsivilisatsioonist Kuu sees (!) ja maalaste katsetest Kuu ära vallutada, ilmselt, et krabada endale sealne tehnoloogia, ning et töösturid saaksid pururikkaks. Sellest tuleks nii hea ideega teha mingi animafilm vms.

Teine koomiks oli mustvalge ja huumor, aga mitte halvem: üks Eesti jõmm saab tulnukaga suureks semuks ja suurem osa ajast möödub (mõlemal) purjus peaga mööda ilmaruumi tuulates; nad teevad pummelungi ja kooserdavad oma laevukesega ringi, kuni ufo-politsei nad ebamäärase lennutrajektoori eest vahele võtab. Lõpuks kui mees koju jõuab, on Eesti jõmmi jaoks paaripäevasest ringuitamisest Maa enda peal möödunud vahepeal mitu aastat (kui mitte paar aastakümmet). Mingi ime läbi oli tal naine ikka veel sama.

Lastele mõeldud perioodika ja ajalehed ei jäänud ka maha: ühes, näiteks, oli Disney koomiksiseeria "Must Auk" (põhines Disney' filmil "The Black Hole"), mis oli täitsa hea.

Süvariigi- ja vandenõude-teema avas hoopis fiktivine telesari "Salatoimikud", mis 1990ndatel oli üks vaadatuimaid telesarju nii Eestis kui ka mujal.

Nõidade kultuse otsa tõmbas lahti TV3 saade "Eesti Nõiad", mis oli täitsa tore. Seejärel tekkis "Nõidade tuleproov" (välismaiste "tõsielu"-meelelahutuse eeskujul).

Siis tuli "Halloo, Kosmos!", mis oma formaadilt oli tegelikult väga professionaalne. Intervjueeritavaid oli nii palju, et sinna sattus ka mõni väga kahtlane tegelane.

Why Spock used the Vulcan proverb about Nixon in Star Trek VI

This is a reply in a comment thread to a YouTube video.

I've meant to offer a reverse interpretation re Nixon for two or so years since this comment (or another one like it), but only now got myself to write it.

Spock's Vulcan reference to Nixon suggests, that after the devastating accident on the Klingon moon Praxis, Klingon Chancellor Gorkon as a politician was suddenly on precarious ground. Nixon might have felt his re-election efforts to be like that, when he sought a second term in office.

(Nixon's China visit was throughout 21–28 Frebruary 1972, the break-in at the Watergate hotel was on June 17 of that year, and plans to wiretap the Watergate complex were drawn up in January by Nixon re-election officials.)

Spock then suggests, that if the peace overture is not accepted by the Federation, the Klingons might seek to acquire Federation technology through force.

As it was, Chancellor Gorkon would have none of it, and that would further set the stage for his toppling. — Think a Bat'leth fight by a challenger to the throne.

Aware of this, Gorkon then went to the Federation in a last-ditch effort to prop up his position and maybe save his life, in the hopes, that there would not be any co-conspirators onboard the Enterprise, and then later on Earth.