I am the God of Helsinki, and I bring you...

[NightTrain]

[HEyHEY]

1. Is that; Finland Finland Finland?

The country were I want to be, eating breakfast or dinner, or just watching TV.

Great country but their hockey team sucks! ;-)

[NightTrain]

2. "You're gonna freeeeeeeeeze!"

[HEyHEY]

5. Nah

Before I had lived in Quebec, New Brunswick, and ....especially Alberta....I'd a gree my Van-city boy body would be an ice-pop there. But now, I'd be okay, in Alberta it was -50 one night, I figure it don't get much colder than that. Of course before ALTA I figure after -20 it was all the same...nope!

[AndyTiedye]

4. There IS Something About Finland

Somehow I felt more at-home there than I have in any other foreign country.

But watch out for the elk...


Reuters | AFP | Sky News | Photos

Monday June 21, 01:52 PM

Elk crushes toddler's bed

HELSINKI (Reuters) - An elk jumped through a townhouse window and crashed into a toddler's bed, scratching the cheek of a sleeping two-year-old and wreaking havoc in a Finnish family's home at the weekend, police say.

The toddler's mother was shocked to find the beast in her bed and ran to a neighbour for help.

"(We) were sitting in the living room and all of a sudden we heard a terrible clamour and clatter, as if an earthquake had begun," Mari Lahti told Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat. "We opened the door and saw an elk in our bed."

The elk then jumped on to her son's bed, crushing it but only scratching the boy's cheek with its hoof. It rampaged through the house and fled through another window.

A spokesman for the Kokkola police in western Finland told Reuters that young elks had been wandering in the residential area, which is close to forests.

"These houses have big windows that start low near the ground... It could be that when they see another elk mirrored on the window, the elks go through," inspector Erkki Kerola said
.

[No2W2004]

3. Finland

Finland, Finland, Finland
The country where I want to be
Pony trekking or camping
Or just watching TV
Finland, Finland, Finland
It's the country for me

You're so near to Russia
So far from Japan
Quite a long way from Cairo
Lots of miles from Vietnam

Finland, Finland, Finland
The country where I want to be
Eating breakfast or dinner
Or snack lunch in the hall
Finland, Finland, Finland
Finland has it all

You're so sadly neglected
And often ignored
A poor second to Belgium
When going abroad

Finland, Finland, Finland
The country where I quite want to be
Your mountains so lofty
Your treetops so tall
Finland, Finland, Finland
Finland has it all

Finland, Finland, Finland
The country where I quite want to be
Your mountains so lofty
Your treetops so tall
Finland, Finland, Finland
Finland has it all

Finland has it all

[Rhiannon12866]

6. I love Finland

I have only been there once, on a one-day stop on my way to Moscow, via Helsinki, from Finlandia Airlines. Russian planes were not allowed to land in the U.S. at that time, so that's where we stopped first after Kennedy Airport. What a trip. We were expected to have a tour and lunch while in Helsinki. The Finnish flight attendants were wonderful to me. At first, they assumed I was Finnish, because I must look like I am and spoke to me in that langage. During the flight, I suddenly couldn't breathe, because I was anxious and didn't know then that I was severely anemic, but they were absolutely great to me. I was afraid that I was having a heart attack, though I was then only in my '20s and they told me I was wrong. The flight attendant brought me into a curtained room and stayed with me the whole time, holding my hand and calming me down, except when she had to serve breakfast. Then, the purser sat with me and gave me oxygen. They were lovely to me. They tried to talk me into just staying in Finland. It is an exceptionally beautiful country and I definitely intend to return there someday. The people are absolutely wonderful and were so kind to me. I wish I was really Finnish. :D:

[Anarcho-Socialist]

7. UN considers Finland to be world's most technologically-advanced nation

Not bad for a European social democracy.

[tilsammans]

8. I am the Goddess of Helsinki

So Suomi!

[Guy_Montag]

9. heh heh heh

That actually made me snigger.

Nice one.

[tilsammans]

10. I'm glad somebody "got" that one

I'll buy you a Finlandia!

:toast:

[Guy_Montag]

15. Are you a Fin?

Out of interest?

[Bjornsdotter]

12. Funny!

Hi,

snicker, snicker!

Cheers,
Kim

[tilsammans]

13. And a Finlandia for you too . . .

. . . my fellow Nordic!

:toast:

[Richardo]

14. HA!

Good one, tilsammans.. :D

[tilsammans]

16. Oh, barkeep? Another Finlandia here!

<checking my credit limit>

:toast:

[smirkymonkey]

20. Touche!

:)

[Flaxbee]

11. I LOVE Finland!

Been there several times on the way to and from Russia (the train from Helsinki to St. Pete's is quite nice --- at least, the Finnish train to the border was terrific, then you switched over to the RUssian train which was a little less spiffy...)

My husband and I would move there in an instant if we had enough $$ to do so... (and could afford to take Jan./Feb. in the Mediterranean)!

What a wonderful city Helsinki is -- large enough to have everything you need (including, oddly enough, some of the best Thai food I've had anywhere) but not so big as to be overwhelming.

[chaska]

17. Why all this talk about Finland? Did I miss a memo?

Didn't I hear that they are the most depressed people of any country?

[Richardo]

18. I think that's Sweden

The Finns are doing stuff with technology (esp cel phones) that would make your head spin.

Companies you did not know were Finnish:

Wilson Sporting Goods
Fiskars
Nokia (OK you knew that one)

[chaska]

19. No, Finns have twice the suicide rate of Swedes.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D1D5F784-A15F-4F51-8D60-18C69047294D.htm