Skinny Backpacker -

Entries in Finland (6)

Wednesday

Nov092011

My 7 Links - A Quick Look at the Archives

Summit morning on Mt Kinabalu

I was recently (or months ago, but who's counting) nominated by Annie of Wayward Traveler and Dave of What's Dave Doing to take part in the "My 7 Links" project. The brainchild of the fine folks @ Tripbase, it's a neat way to look back at what is coming close to two years here at Skinny Backpacker.

1. My Most Beautiful Post: Underworld Live Redux

I'll be honest, I don't know what my most beautiful post is. Maybe you can pick for me instead. These days, I'm listening to a lot of Underworld, and I really like this photo I shot so let's go with that.

2. My Most Popular Post: Unreal Antarctica

My first collection of photos from the least inhabited continent on the planet, Unreal Antartica. Who knew that pictures of ice, snow, and penguins pooing would be so popular?

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November 9, 2011 by

Dustin Main in

Articles |

Politics on the Streets of Helsinki

It wasn't until I reached Helsinki on my birthday that I first found out how much of a hot topic immigration is shaping up to be in the Europe, especially the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark). Fears over diluting culture and straining social programs have lead to far right-wing parties gaining a foothold in what are typically left-leaning countries.

7 months later, and the Finnish elections have given the "True Finns" party 19% of the seats compared with only 4% in 2007. Compared to the Tea Party (albeit only in some ways) making headlines in the USA after their last election, immigration is one of their main policies set for change.

From a recent BBC Article:

"They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children. That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology."

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April 22, 2011 by