Month: June 2007

I was shocked to read that all except one of the Republican candidates vying for the White House in 2008 wouldn’t rule out nuking Iran. The only brave one to oppose such an attack was Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. If one looks at the damage that this administration has caused on US institutions and…

Nature has imagination. It houses many exotic plants and creatures. When I lived in California, the matter I missed most about Finland was summer. For a country with a strong migrant past, summer is a ritual where relatives get together from distant lands after many months, possibly years, of separation. Like many children, I also…

There is nothing more devastating than a farewell that implies a long and painful separation. For a people like the Finns, who were once a nomadic tribe that ended up settling this lonely yet magical corner of Europe, the ritual of saying goodbye still forms an important part of our cultural heritage.

Note: This story appeared on Suomen Kuvalehti’s website. It was published shortly after the US-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003. All you needed back then was common sense to understand that the invasion of Iraq was a huge and costly lie. As U.S.-led coalition military forces continue to pound Iraqi army positions and the…

If a person asked me to say what is one of the most important pillars of Finnish culture, I’d respond: the sauna. The sauna is more than a room where people bathe and sweat naked in 80-100 Celsius (176-212 Fahrenheit) temperatures. It’s a way of life for some Finns – so much so, in fact,…

If there ever existed a near-perfect republic, what would it be like? Would its economy be one of the most competitive in the world? Would technological innovation be king within its borders? Would its education system be at the top of the world class? Would it be one of the least corrupt countries around? Some…

My parents taught me such good manners: I always sleep with a tuxedo; bow to women in dreams, dance wonderful waltzes and emphatically agree with everything you say. Such good manners my parents taught me that I even thanked my executioner for chopping my head off: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I said sounding…

Si tienes algún cuento interesante sobre tu experencia como extranjero, sería interesante discutirlo en este blog.

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Asian nation to do more to defeat a global terrorist threat. One of the most remarkable statements he made at the annual Shangri-la conference on international security in Singapore was that enough isn’t being done to address the causes of terrorism. Gates couldn’t say whether the cause of terrorism was…