The status of post-conflict diaspora language

This was initially written as a response to a comment under a Reddit post in a thread that discussed the tender relationship between the diaspora big-minority Russian language, and the indigenous majority-status Estonian language in Estonia.

I think it will take a while for Estonians as a group to disassociate the Russian language from the titular people in Russia, from the titular state, and the regime that runs it.

In my view, the Russian language as such is not guilty of any crimes.

But it has long been used as an instrument of oppression, colonization, and foreign machinations; it's been the titular language of oppressive dictatorships, and has been spoken by a great many people who have advanced, and continue to advance the policies of said regimes. — All this dismays me quite a bit.

As a consequence of having been used as an instrument of colonisation, the countries in which russification took place, naturally gravitate towards undoing said acts of colonisation and their many outcomes, which have had an effect on a number of majority-status indigenous cultures that have come to fear the loss of their native language.

This uncompromising undoing, as it were, of the results of occupation and colonisation is done perhaps as a measure to reduce the chances of their indigenous language(s) — with not too many speakers on a world scale — from becoming endangered sometime in the future.

And so, this creates the externality of the Russian language suffering the fate of collateral damage as a somewhat self-inflicted result of several conflicts and wars started by the Russian state.

Yet the Russian language itself is not in any way in danger.

But how the many Russian diasporae are to develop a culture in each of their respective host countries, which culture would be immune to foreign (Russian) influence measures and meddling, is something that requires a lot of care and nurture.

It's important to note, that in Russia proper, several indigenous non-Russian languages remain endagered, or are under the threat of extinction. Their speakers are discriminated against, and their sons have been thrown into the meat-grinder that is the Russian-initiated war in Ukraine.

There, in Russia, several indigenous non-Russian languages have already become extinct. As such, their extinction is always a major harm and irreparable loss to humanity.

15 aastaga viie rikkama riigi hulka

Ühelt poolt avaldas Reformierakond oma lubaduse 2. novembril 2006, pidades ilmselt silmas kriteeriumina sisemajanduse kogutoodangut inimese kohta (nominaalne või PPP, sõltuvalt sellest kumb number peale jääb).

Praeguseks on mööda läinud 15 aastat (2007–2021, k.a.) ja veel natuke.

Et lubadus on "Viime...", tähendab see seda, et 'Reformierakond viib', aga sellisel juhul, kui juhib valitsust.

See ongi selles mõttes tinglik, et Reformierakond ei ole kogu selle viieteist aasta jooksul valitsust juhtinud, nii et Reformi juhtimiseta valitsusperioodid tuleb maha lahutada.

2. novembrist 2006 – 2. novembrini 2021 on täpselt viisteist aastat ehk 5479 päeva.

Seega kui me lahutame 5479-st päevast Jüri Ratase (Kesk) kaks valitsusperioodi (888 + 638 = 1526 päeva; vahesaldo 3953 päeva), ja liidame Kaja Kallase valitsuse 406 päeva (08.03.2022 seisuga), jääb 5479-st päevast alles vaid täidetud 4359 päeva. — Mis tähendab seda, et Reformierakonna valimislubaduse täitmiseni on päevi veel 1120, seisuga 08.03.2022.

Seega oodata tuleb 3 aastat, 3 nädalat ja 3 päeva kuni 1. aprillini 2025, kui Reformierakond on kogu selle perioodi jooksul juhtinud valitsust (ja koalitsiooni).

---

Reformierakonna valimisloosungi kallal vingujate agenda ja motivatsioon on teada, kuid selle suhtes mõistmist (ehk toetust) avaldada ei oleks inimlikult sünnis.

Eesti 2022. aasta riigieelarve on keskmiselt 13,38 miljardit eurot; eelarve on enam-vähem tasakaalus, sest tulude ja kulude vahe on vaid 0.5 miljonit eurot.

See on lähedal nominaalsele, aga mitte tingimata struktuursele eelarvetasakaalule. Viimaseni jõudmise nimel töötatakse.

Eurole üleminekuaja kursi järgi (15,6466 krooni euro eest) oleks see 209 392 885 433 krooni ja 70 senti — kakssada üheksa miljardit kolmsada üheksakümmend kaks miljonit kaheksasada kaheksakümmend viis tuhat nelisada kolmkümmend kolm krooni ja seitsekümmend senti.

Rublades oleks see 1992. aasta raharefomi "üks kroon kümne rubla eest" kursiga kaks triljonit 93 miljardit 928 miljonit 854 tuhat 337 rubla. (!)

Eesti 2022. aasta sisemajanduse kogutoodang elaniku kohta aastas (PPP) on U.S. $44.853,00 ($3737,75/kuus), nominaalne kogutoodang elaniku kohta aastas U.S. $29.735,00 ($2477/kuus). Avaliku sektori laenukoormus on Euroopa väiksemaid, aga seda tuleks vähendada veelgi.

Eesti on juba praegu suuteline iseseisvalt kompenseerima välispoliitilistest turukõikumistest tingitud hiiglasuured energia-arved kehvemalt elavatele elanikele.

1.32-miljonilise rahvaarvuga Eesti annab 41-miljonilise rahvaarvuga Euroopa riigile Ukrainale märkimisväärset sõjatoetust, ning avastas, et on suuteline vastu võtma 10.000 Ukraina sõjapõgenikku (29.05.2022 seisuga 40.178 põgenikku).

Eesti on maailma üks kõige vabama majandusega riikidest; me oleme digiriik, kellest võetakse eeskuju; ning Eesti on mitmes majandus- ja inimarengu-indeksis väga paljudest Euroopa ja Põhja-Ameerika arenenud riikidest ees, samal ajal kui supervõim Ameerika Ühendriigid on meist paljude näitajate poolest päris palju maas.

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.

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 Eestis perearsti juurde ei saa, ning miks perearsti juures ei käida

Perearstide kättesaadavus on kehv, kuna nad ei ole motiveeritud haigeid visiiditasuta vastu võtma, ning seetõttu on kõik tasuta ajad umbes.

Tasulised ajad on seevastu kohe järgmine päev saadaval, ning vähem kannatlikud, kui ka vähem maksuvõimelised patsiendid on selle ahne skeemi lihtsalt läbi näinud ja lähevad otse EMOsse, kus visiiditasu on väiksem kui visiiditasu ahne perearsti juurde, ning patsient võib suhteliselt kindel olla selle peale, et ta tõsisema häda puhul samal päeval läbi vaadatakse.

Eraldi vajab äramärkimist ka see, et EMOsse pöörduvad pigem ravikindlustuseta inimesed, kellele perearsti visiiditasu nagunii üle jõu käib. Kui see grupp inimesi saaks automaatselt ja igasugu lisatingimusteta^* teistega võrdse ravikindlustuse ja igasugustest visiiditasudest vabastuse, väheneks EMOsse pöördumine tunduvalt. (Loodame, et nii läheb, kui näiteks seadusandja kunagi selle reegli vastu võtab.)

Teine probleem on nõue saada saatekiri eriarsti juurde, mis osaliselt ajabki umbe perearstide vabad ajad.

Kolmas probleem on see, et tasuta vabad ajad ajavad umbe pensionärid. Nii neid kui ka noori ja tööealisi patsiente silmas pidades tuleks teha kõikide EMOde läheduses olevad eraldi 24/7 tervisekeskused, kuhu pöördudes saaks inimene (vanusest sõltumata) kohe läbi vaadatud ja hinnatud, et millist ravi on tarvis, ning et kas on tarvis viia haiglasse. Niimoodi lahendataks ära EMO-arstide ülekoormatus.

Neljas probleem on tõenäoliselt pearaha. Õigem on mistahes Haigekassast tulev raha siduda patsiendi visiidiga, et arst oleks motiveeritud võtma vastu patsiente, kes tasulisel visiidil käia ei saa.

^* lisatingimused — nagu praegu kehtiv töö otsimise nõue registreerimata töötutele. Võeh. Kuidas nad siis tööle saavad minna, kui nad haiged on, aga abi ei saa, sest nad on töötud, ning ei saa "aktiivselt tööd otsida", kuna nad on haiged??