Soldiers!

I have assembled the Army to announce that a preliminary peace agreement was concluded on the 17th of September between the Swedish and Russian powers.

This peace treaty brings an end to all the misfortunes of a devastating war. It should surely be a joyful message, especially since Sweden's exhausted resources no longer permit the continuation of a struggle begun through political error, and which for two entire years has drained all her strength.

But Finland is separated from Sweden. The national frontier is the Torne River!

Finns! By this peace, one third of the territory of the Swedish Crown is lost. Sweden loses the proud Finnish nation, her strongest support. Nor is that all: the Swedish Army loses its core and the greater part of its military strength. The Motherland is crushed, sunk in grief and mourning over irreparable sacrifices. But wise Providence has determined our fate; it must be accepted with patience—with submission.

Soldiers! Comrades! Brothers!

You who, during the war just concluded, with such loyalty and courage, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy armies, defeated your foes through the strength of your arms at Siikajoki, Revolax, Pulkkila, Lapua, Kauhajoki, Alavo, Lappfjärd, Ähtäri, Nummijärvi, Juthas, and Idensalmi, among many other places.

You who, on your own, reconquered half of Finland. You who, in the end, were forced to surrender the Finnish frontier, and who thereafter fought steadfastly for the Swedish soil of the Motherland.

You who are here—you are precious remnants of the proud Finnish nation and of its brave warriors. It is to you that I must, and shall, with a deeply moved heart, proclaim the sincere gratitude of the King, of the Estates of the Realm, of the Swedish people, of the Swedish Army, of my comrades in arms, and of myself—indeed, of us all.

The King's gracious favor, the tender goodwill of the Estates of the Realm, the admiration of the Swedish people, the affectionate esteem of the Swedish Army, the gratitude of my comrades, and my own devotion to you—this is the tribute that is offered to you and presented by me.

Finns! Brothers!

Your achievements are great, and the gratitude I proclaim to you on behalf of us all is equal to them. To give adequate expression to this would require all the powers of an eloquent speaker.

But I am a soldier.

A soldier! What a proud title—when I bear that title because of you, for you, and together with you!

Receive, then, the unadorned thoughts of a deeply moved heart. And you, Swedish troops, who are present on this solemn and sorrowful occasion, be living witnesses to the Swedish Motherland's boundless gratitude.

Swedes! Be proud that you have seen these Finnish remnants. Remember them! Honor them! Look upon their wasted bodies, their pale faces; they bear the marks of their faithful, though ultimately fruitless, efforts during the past year.

And you, Finns! When you return to your homeland, carry the gratitude of the Swedish people to your nation.

Know that you return with worn-out clothing, with maimed or bullet-pierced limbs, but that you carry with you the visible adornment of a true soldier's soul.

You can never become enemies of the Swedish Motherland—I am certain of that. Remain her friends forever! Should the power of your new rulers prevent you from acting upon your wishes and desires, then let blessings be bestowed upon the Motherland in the silent language of your hearts and thoughts.

Remind your children of this. We shall, from generation to generation, bless you and honor you.

There is one thing I ask of you.

When you once again pass through the places where we defeated our enemies, and when you see there the wretched mounds of sand covering our fallen comrades, give their remains a sigh of blessing. They died as heroes, and their ashes are guarded by the spirits of honor.

You know the many changes of the human heart, its tendency to quickly choose new objects which it believes it will never forget. Yet scarcely have a few weeks passed before fickleness has made another choice. Time changes everything—with time, everything is forgotten.

But I assure you, and you yourselves shall discover it, that the bond between soldiers, forged through battle, danger, blood, and death, is never dissolved.

Thus you and we may be certain of one another's love. The brotherhood of soldiers lasts for the length of a lifetime, and the gratitude that I have proclaimed to you, and now proclaim once more, is inseparably joined to this bond between us.

Finns! Brothers!

Could my words be sealed with tears of blood from my eyes, they would flow, and every drop would assure you of my reverence and my friendship!

- Lieutenant General, Carl Von Döbeln, 1758 - 1820.

https://www.svenskatal.se/tal/georg-carl-von-dobeln-avskedstal-till-de-finska-trupperna

Translated with Chat GPT from swedish.

This is a Sunday shitpost, but I hate these noodle ads so much. They’re ugly and gross, and even worse when they come up as a video ad with the slurping noises 🤢 it’s pretty much guaranteed that I will never buy their instant noodles.

Ad in the comments for context, I didn’t want to give them a billboard in the sub and bother people who don’t want to see it on their feeds

I am obviously talking about Data Centers. I read a lot of criticisms, concerns, opposition, frustration, and unfairness, but somehow I did not manage to read anywhere a call to action/what to do for addressing the problem. Can you share initiatives/committees you are aware of who are organising to achieve more transparency and maybe even a stop of these projects?

Or what would be the best way for communities to turn this frustration, concern and criticism into action? Is the legal way the best option (lawyer up/class action)? Is it pressuring local politicians/administration entities/decision makers? What is the practice in such cases in Finland?

hi everyone!

we have friends that recently had a baby, and they invited us over. i think their baby is around 3-5 months old. i was wondering what is the etiquette to visiting new parents, this is also their first child.

i was thinking a home cooked meal, like lasagna maybe? my husband makes amazing lasagna. and for a gift i was thinking of crocheting a soft, cute baby safety blanket with the cute animal head kind, from cotton. i’m thinking it’s soft enough. or is there a better option?

i’m not very knowledgeable about the etiquette of visiting new parents, but id assume they’re tired and that we should focus on spending time together, not them hosting us.

any kind of tips or advice would be appreciated, thank you! ♥️

I've come to realise that in many countries across the world, there is a strong LinkedIn culture where the candidates applying for any internship or full time job need to have an active LinkedIn profile in order to even make it to the interview. A lot of people also get offered jobs via the reach there. is this culture also relevant in Finland? do recruiters reject you if you don't have a LinkedIn profile at all?

I’m at Viking Line‘s 20:30 ferry and it‘s delayed for more than 1:30. they say the authorities closed the chanel. Anyone has info on the reasons?

Hi everyone,

So I have two five month kittens (male and female) that I brought with me when I moved to Turku. They very soon need castration and sterilisation, so does anyone have recommendations for a good clinic that's reasonably priced. I know vet stuff is quite expensive here and I was prepared for that, I just don't want to go to the most unnecessary expensive clinic.

I am just a tourist, obviously I don't speak any of the local language, but I've seen a carton of juice before so I got this. Why is it so thick, and why is it called a soup? What is it and how do you use it? Can I just... drink it straight from a glass? Thank you! 😄

I was walking along the shore at Suomenlinna and saw something swimming near the rocks. At first I thought it might be a seal, but then it surfaced holding a fish in its front paws and started eating it. Pretty sure it was a Eurasian otter!
The photos are a bit far away (it was quick and kept diving), but I also got some video. Has anyone else seen otters around Suomenlinna or elsewhere in Helsinki? I had no idea they were around here.

Moved into a Lumo flat about two months ago. Ever since day one, there has been a heavy, sharp chemical odor right by the entrance/hallway.

At first we figured it was just fresh paint or industrial cleaning supplies from the turnover, but it hasn't faded at all. Every time we step inside from outdoors it hits us immediately, until our noses adapt a minute later. Airing the place out does nothing?as soon as the windows close, the stench builds right back up. I'm filing a maintenance request with Lumo today. But they are too slow to act like replacing a light holder left wires open by previous tenant took them over a month.

Has anyone run into something similar? Also, if Lumo delays, what's the best way to investigate the cause myself?

I have been trying to search for vending machines but cant find them being sold anywhere. Are there any in Finland being sold second hand or new. If not, is there anywhere outside of Finland without crazy shipping fees

How do you use the self-service car wash machines effectively to get your car as clean as possible without leaving water marks? Any tips for getting the best results in one cycle?

After Suomenlinna, I wanted to see another island.

At the Market Square, the crowds rushed onto the ferry for Suomenlinna. I went the other way, and boarded a smaller boat to Vallisaari with maybe five other people. It was still early on a Thursday morning. We had the place more or less to ourselves.

At first, Vallisaari felt somehow confined. You stick to the marked trails, and for good reason; this was a military island for generations, and apparently old explosives still turn up. The old batteries and fortifications scattered through the woods mostly date from the Russian era, when the island was heavily fortified after the Crimean War.

But the longer I walked, the less confined it felt, and the island opened up. Forest, sea, old stones, overgrown bunkers and long empty paths. Really quiet. The summer season was clearly over. Cafés and terraces were all closed, with several signs promising ‘See you in 2027!’, it felt slightly surreal while standing there in early September.

No crowds. No queues (and no coffee...). Wonderful walking, and great views across the water. It felt like somewhere I’d accidentally been allowed into after everyone else had gone home.

like really, don't tell me i am the only one who catches it happening everyday

This was surprisingly really good, especially with the ice and lemon. Brought back the can as a souvenir since it was so pretty and also no pantti anyways.

Since Monday, I tried to get help with my symptoms, which do feel like a kidney stone. My body has unfortunately made some in the past as well and I already had a full blown kidney colic in the past. I have been at the doctor on Wednesday, made tests, they come all back okay, nothing wrong. Yet, I have pain, stinging sensation, pressure, on the left side of my abdomen. All I get is the usual, "Take paracetamol". I have tried to get a referral, at least to an ultrasound, but no. If I want that, I would need to pay for it and that's expensive.

Sure, I could go to Acuta (Tampere), to only hear, "Your case is not severe enough to get in", as I have heard in the past when I had problems breathing. All I see is, that they all wait until it's bad enough. And exactly of this I am afraid of. I have called 116 117 already, but answer is: Just wait until Terveysasema opens again. If it's sever and you get fever or bleeding, you can go to Acuta. But that is also the same as Terveysasema says.

I am so exhausted and tired of this and also about feeling that stinging sensation in my left side of the abdomen all the time. I can't really sleep since Sunday because of it. My appetite has drastically dropped as well.
Isn't there any other way of actually getting help, before this gets worse? It's already bad imo, but it seems like I can only get help, if I am losing conciousness already or something like that.

The title says it all. I am wondering why Finland has been so slow to incorporate usb c in their public transport. I have been using all sorts of buses and trams in Helsinki region and always struggled. Given their notorious HSL rules, I thought they should give more budget to technology. Does it annoy anyone as much as it does me or am I being too optimistic about Finland being a modern nordic country?