CURRENTS February 2016 Vol 29 | Page 7

Currents February 2016 Looking to buy, sell or rent, I can fulfill all your needs with the extra attention & expertise you would expect from a professional. MY NAME IS JOE WEINSTEIN & I LIVE IN PALM AIRE. Globetrotter By: Max Edwards NEW APARTMENT LISTINGS FOR SALE: Finland-Majestic Civility Finns have a cultural affinity for avoiding small talk and braggadocio. Best of all, cell phone conversations, in the land of Nokia, are conducted privately. “Quiet as a Finn” holds true. But Finland is more than respite from noise and self-hype: Its 5 million citizens enjoy top-tier living standards. One-third of Finland lies above the Arctic Circle, but Baltic Sea and Gulf Stream currents moderate the climate. The land, 86% of which is forested, holds 188,000 lakes. Wildlife abounds, with 60 species of mammals, 70 species of freshwater fish, and hundreds of species of birds. Finland is young, becoming a nation only in 1917, after 700 years of Swedish rule. “Complex” best describes Finland's World War II history. Germany provided weapons to the Finns to ward off Russia, to the east. Finland's Jewish citizens were protected from persecution, and those fighting on the Eastern Front had access to a field synagogue. However, in northern Lapland, Finland fought against Germany. Finland received no foreign aid after WWII, and was the sole nation to repay its war debts to the United States. To Russia, the Finns ceded land and paid heavy war reparations. Today, Finland exports technology,