Global world In the future, nations will turn into vague provinces; distant cities will become suburbs of a vast metropolis called Earth. Traveler A traveler feels a special type of contentedness and freedom at airports, harbors and railway stations because he’s in a land of nowhere — in a transit hall with a sense of…
Latin America’s lost opportunity
It wasn’t too long ago when energy companies from Europe, United States and Canada came in droves to invest in countries like Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil and others. Some of these countries were at the time opening up their economies to outside investment through schemes like deregulation and privatization. The reasoning was pretty simple: In…
A letter to Arthur Thesleff: Colonia Finlandesa’s founder
Dear Arthur, May I call you by your first name? Even if we never met, because I wasn’t born when you lived in 1871-1920, I feel I somehow know you. You left a lot of clues about who you were: There’s the study on the Kaale Roma (Finnish Gypsies) and the travels you made, imaginary…
Becoming a terrorist
Often when I hear President George W. Bush speak about his so-called war-on-terror crusade, it’s like returning to some of the darkest periods of Argentinean history, when a ruthless military regime ruled the country in 1976-83. Many of the barbaric interrogation techniques that the Argentinean security forces used in the ill-fated fight against “atheist” terrorism…
Does Finland and Europe need more nuke capacity?
The creation of Fennovoima, a new consortium comprising of Boliden , E.ON, Katternö, Outokumpu, and Rauma Energia, aims to build within ten years a 1-1.8GW nuclear plant that would produce cheap power mainly for industry. Being a hydrocarbons poor country, it’s understandable that Finland wants to lessen as much dependence as possible on foreign energy…
Good grammar or good taste
Language is a beautiful tool that one can use to express him/herself. Learning how to master such a tool is a lifetime process. Those that are more into important matters like syntax and grammar may forget to mention the most important matter about writing: yourself. Here’s a saying that expresses that situation and challenge eloquently:…
Where have all the forests gone?
Finland’s beautiful old-growth forests are becoming extremely rare these days. In the Etelä-Savo region where I live, such forests account for under 10% of all forests. In southern Finland such untouched forests are becoming increasingly rare. While forest companies are destroying and planting forests that look like wheat fields, one should ask how planted forests…
What’s in a Sub-Arctic sunset?
Ever since I was a child, I have always held a deep fascination for sunsets. I visited Northwest Territories last year and had the opportunity to witness a midnight sunset in Canada’s north. I was driving along Ingraham Trail behind Yellowknife I witnessed some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in a long time….
Mistaken identity
We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. Anaïs Niin The date and year is not important, but it is a weekday, not too long ago. Spring has announced its arrival and spreads its magic to these Sub-Arctic latitudes after a long slumber. Leaves are budding everywhere; trees are stretching…
The neighborhood of Flores and my Argentine uncle
There is a neighborhood in northern Buenos Aires called Flores. A number of my relatives used to live there. It is amid those early-20th-century Parisian-style houses and oaks hugging the cobblestone streets where you’ll find everything that went right and wrong in Argentina. The majority of the residents of Flores despise time because they say…