Finland in 10 Points – for busy readers and the impatient 

. . . only the most extreme conservatively religious will bat an eye when it comes to swearing. Even politicians at very classy gatherings have been known to open the meeting with, “we need to get a grip on this ****** situation.” The word used being that part of the female anatomy Finns like to bandy about when it comes to expressing surprise or disgust or any emotion really. It would come as no surprise to anyone in the congregation if it was uttered in church, from the pulpit by the vicar. 

Triptych: Three Thoughts On the Current Political Climate II – The ones who fulfill all your basic needs

I like my villains visibly bad, because it makes it easier to cast them aside. When they are intelligent and well-spoken and if we have discussed ideas earlier and have established some sort of friendly rapport, it makes it that much more enticing to want to dig deeper beneath the surface to try and determine what (could have) made you that way. And if you changed, what was the inciting incident that made you change.

Beneath the Surface of Sauna, Salmiakki and Santa – intro

Like a celebrity, countries are excellent at putting out an image to the world of how they want to be seen. There’s the brazenly rugged terrain or the soft rolling hills, or the vibrant metropolis. No matter how a country decides to brand itself, there is always an element of truth, wishful thinking, a lie…