Finally finished reading the book-long document (also a summary here). In short it recommends that to enhance the country brand of Finland, its people should focus on 3 strengths based around the idea of sharing Finnish practicality and problem-solving worldwide:
The most functional country in the world. Functionality: Finland to be developed into a Silicon Valley of social innovations
Drink Finland. Nature: Let’s make the lakes drinkable and serve organic food
Teachers without borders. Education: Finnish teaching protection force in peace work
One of the most interesting and exciting aspects about the whole report for me was, to be frank, how action-oriented it is. While it does have a significant current state analysis study behind it, most of its recommendations are actionable now, and they encourage public discussion of their findings and recommendations at their website.
Would definitely love to see this approach taken up by more countries. I can think of at least a couple that need a little bit of polish.
This time of the year it is very common to get foggy days in southern Finland. I find them very interesting because the combination of setting with metheorological phenomenon brings to my mind images of Viking longships raiding the marshes and woods of the lands of the Fenni.
A friend of mine did share a story of Vikings rading a warehouse full of precious animal furs near the town of Nokia, which is where it takes is name from (noki being “soot” and sable being as black as it). Somehow drunken barbarians warriors attacking a town for its pelts sounds pretty funny to me.
This brings me to another point: every once in a while I feel like the Arab guy in The 13th Warrior. Par for the course for a southerner living in these northern lands 😉
The September Equinox marks the start of the big changes for autumn and the point at which days become shorter the fastest here in Finland. This far north, for every day we lose 5 minutes of daylight, which is quite a noticeable difference.
If you haven’t bought a bright light lamp yet and you live hereabouts, you should.
