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    paranoid_shiksa_feministaLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:47am

    Ok guys, seriously, is there ANYTHING that Finland isn't awesome at? Like, what exactly is stopping me from teaching myself Finnish and hopping on a plane... anything? Anyone?

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      Candychelleparanoid_shiksa_feminista
      6/05/13 11:03am

      It's cold?

      It's expensive to visit; don't know if that means it just has a very high cost of living.

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      paranoid_shiksa_feministaparanoid_shiksa_feminista
      6/05/13 11:04am

      So I think I've decided and I'm off to get my Rosetta Stone on. I assume I'll see you all in Finland.

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    WillaCatheterLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:04am

    But... SOCIALISM!

    Americans demand the freedom of a higher infant mortality rate!!

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      kaisermacheadWillaCatheter
      6/05/13 10:07am

      "Come on now, lemme hear that dirty word..."

      GIF
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      jezziebezzieWillaCatheter
      6/05/13 10:40am

      Ooooh, Socialism! Do ya actually know what it is & how it impacts your world? I live in that scary, desolate place up above you ... Nah, not heaven, but we kinda like it. Canada.

      Socialism means I pay more at the gas pump. It means they tax the hell outta cigarettes & liquor. But it means that when I have a baby I get a YEAR off & my job is guaranteed to be there when I return. It means if I become disabled or when I'm retired there's a government pension for me & I don't just hav to rely on an employer. It means when I am sick there is always healthcare.

      And many have the wrong idea about our healthcare. When we go to the hospital, it does not cost us anything. At all. The only charge we'd get would be if we wanted a TV or access to a bedside phone. We don't get billed later for incidentals like aspirin or band-aids. There are no costs for non-cosmetic procedures. (The government doesn't pay for boob jobs!) We don't have extreme wait times. (Lots of naysayers try to say we do.) And yes, upon occasion we do send patients to the US for tests/procedures - not 'cause we can't handle them or don't have the expertise, but because we're keeping the wait times adequate.

      Not to mention the added Canadian benefit of no guns!

      So yeah! Socialism! C'mon for a visit & check it out. We're hardly standing in lines for turnips up here!

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    Kat Callahan (鮎川きお)Laura Beck
    6/05/13 10:09am

    Finland also has the best educational system in the world. Here in Japan we've started taking a few ideas from Finland, and in my opinion, they're best changes to the Japanese school system in decades.

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      Ginger, get the popcorn!Kat Callahan (鮎川きお)
      6/05/13 10:56am

      Hey, can you elaborate a bit more, or point me to some articles? I don't know much about the Finnish system, but if the Japanese are adopting some aspects of it, it must be pretty awesome (since the Japanese system itself is so highly rated globally).

      Does it incorporate more critical thinking skills in the curriculum? I know that's one of the more prominent criticisms of some of the East Asian school systems that lead the pack in global test scores.

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      Jax1010Ginger, get the popcorn!
      6/05/13 11:11am

      Their system (I have family there) is based on equality rather than competition. They recognize that not all children learn the same way and all children, regardless, are treated equally and as individuals. Also, they don't start school until they are 7 years old. Teachers are required to have a masters before even being considered to teach and the competition is fierce. It is considered an honour to be a teacher in Finland. It's a very highly-respected profession. What a concept!

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    TyrannosaurusBataarLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:10am

    I'm dead serious about wanting to move to Finland one day for good, for a variety of reasons. I need to figure out how to do it, though.

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      ChiminyCherooTyrannosaurusBataar
      6/05/13 10:14am

      Take me with you? Finnish is such an absurdly beautiful language.

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      Jackie_Jormp_JompTyrannosaurusBataar
      6/05/13 10:42am

      That's how I feel about Sweden. Seriously, how can we make our Scandinavian dreams come true?!

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    Flm3454Laura Beck
    6/05/13 10:16am

    I thought this article was very interesting. However, I'm curious if the results could be repeated in other countries. I think a lot of the infant mortality had to do with mothers or families not being able to afford a crib, so the baby slept in the bed with the parent(s). This is obviously dangerous because of things like SIDS, and as of the last few decades, SIDS awareness had become well known (I had a friend who's baby brother died from it, but this was in the mid 1980's). I thought about the other items they recieve, like clothes and such. I'm not sure how these items would help promote longevity and life other than serving basic needs like protection from the elements, basic hygiene, etc. I wonder how much of the healthcare system improvement has to do with the numbers compared to this "gift" from the government for expecting mothers?

    Regardless, pretty cool.

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      LaComtesseFlm3454
      6/05/13 10:36am

      Just an FYI—SIDS isn't the same as smothering. SIDS is basically an unexpected, unexplained infant death. Unsafe co-sleeping increases the chances of suffocation, but not SIDS.

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      twentysixLaComtesse
      6/05/13 11:02am

      Sort of. There is increasing evidence that SIDS is actually caused by a congenital neurological disorder (which unfortunately is undetectable prior to autopsy) that prevents some babies' breathing from restarting when it's been disrupted. Blankets/pillows/drunk parents' limbs/etc. might temporarily obstruct airflow in a neurologically typical infant, but would likely cause that infant to turn/gasp/struggle to free itself - if said infant is unsuccessful, this results in smothering/suffocation. But an infant predisposed to SIDS doesn't have that reflex to fight for air - breathing doesn't restart and thus it's a SIDS death, not a suffocation. Since it's impossible to tell which kids are predisposed to SIDS, being vigilant about safe sleeping practices and reduction of other risk factors (smoking in the home, etc.) is important for all kids.

      But yes, I do think SIDS deaths are often conflated with suffocation deaths, and reporting in the media makes it difficult to tell which is which.

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    odette1Laura Beck
    6/05/13 11:00am

    What we need is Finland, but on a tropical island.

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      stevebrtodette1
      6/05/13 11:44am

      Well climate change should sort that out for you if your willing to wait

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      odette1stevebrt
      6/05/13 11:48am

      Sadly true.

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    peasandriceLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:16am

    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!

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      RuthSlayderGinsburgpeasandrice
      6/05/13 10:20am

      You're so near to Russia

      So far from Japan

      Quite a long way from Cairo

      Lots of miles from Vietnam

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      ProfPedanticRuthSlayderGinsburg
      6/05/13 10:35am

      2nd only to Belgium,

      When going abroad...

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    Crash CometLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:10am

    The clothes... are always super fashionable because hello! You're in Finland!

    Is... this a thing?

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      kiisseliCrash Comet
      6/05/13 12:15pm

      Finns aren't fashionable the same way French people are...but they're definitely always put together.

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      littleoliveCrash Comet
      6/05/13 1:41pm

      I was looking at a bunch of these baby boxes because I was really intrigued...the Fins seem to have a way with leaf-inspired patterns and gender-neutral color palettes. I kinda want to sleep in the baby box with the tree pattern!

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    Yog-Sothoth is the GateLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:17am

    Plus they've got Finntroll

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      NaomrutYog-Sothoth is the Gate
      6/05/13 1:21pm

      Uh, Moomintroll is where it's at.

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      YoanaNaomrut
      6/05/13 4:56pm

      A MILLION TIMES YES. And there's a Moomin museum in Turku :) Seriously. I'm reading these threads and remembering my time in Finland and it just has the best stuff on earth. The best of it. I miss it so much.

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    imaginaryfriendLaura Beck
    6/05/13 10:17am

    I wish I lived in a civilized country; where I live, we spend like $750 billion every year on our war machine. D:

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