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This Brilliant Graphic Shows You Which Country Discovered Every Element In The Periodic Table Alex Heber, Business Insider Australia April 28, 2014 When it comes to discovering elements the United Kingdom is at the top of the table. This periodic table graphic was posted by Google Science Fair on Sunday and shows which nations discovered each element on the periodic table. Leading the charge, the UK has discovered 24 elements, closely followed by the US with 21, Sweden with 20 and Germany with 19. A number of old favorites including gold, mercury and copper are listed as “ancient discovery” and...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is so easy to dislike because he really is a bad guy and there are few things more pleasurable than contemplating his fall from power. It is reasonably clear that might just happen. Even though he continues to be widely popular in his own country, there are several reasons why he could be brought down. The principle ones are the fall in oil prices and the financial crisis brought on by the sanctions imposed by the West. There are many others: a 40 percent decline in the value of Russian currency; an impending recession; the cost...

As many as 7,800 people have resigned from the Lutheran Church in Finland since the parliament approved a law legalizing same-sex marriages on Friday, which was backed by Kari Mäkinen, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland. Mäkinen reportedly said that he was "rejoiced" by the passage of the law, YLE News reported on Sunday. "I know how much this day means for rainbow people, their loved ones and many others. I rejoice with my whole heart for them and with them," the Archbishop said. "We are in the same situation as our neighboring Nordic churches: our concept of marriage needs...

Thousands of people have resigned from the Lutheran Church in Finland, after the nation’s parliament approved a same-sex marriage law and the church’s archbishop expressed support for the vote, Finland’s Yle News reported.By late Saturday, around 7,800 people had officially resigned from the state-supported Lutheran Church via an online service, which was specifically created to ease the registration process. The resignation frees the individuals from obligatory church membership taxes, which is where the majority of the Lutheran Church’s income comes from. By the end of 2013, some 75 percent of Finns – 4.1 million people – were listed as members...

As military tensions with Russia continue to run high, northern European nations pledged to boost cooperation against Moscow. Defense ministers from 8 countries met in Oslo for talks. Norwegen Russland Kampfflugzeug Su-34 Eight northern European nations have pledged closer cooperation in an effort to counter a recent increase in Russian military activity in the region. The defense ministers from the Baltic and Nordic states, as well as Britain are holding military talks in the Norwegian capital of Oslo Thursday and Friday. They agreed to improve intelligence sharing and broaden cross-border air force training in the Nordic territories. The meeting comes...

Balance Of Power: As Vladimir Putin tops the Forbes list of powerful men, Russia targets NATO with air incursions and moves missiles toward Ukraine. As it does, Finland warns Europe is "at the gates of a new kind of cold war." President Obama may soon have more to worry about than what brand of Kentucky bourbon he'll share when he meets with new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Considering the recent actions of Russia's president, a round of vodka might be in order, a Finnish brand while it's still available. Forbes says its rankings are based on "an evaluation of...

You’re probably surprised by the title of this post. You may even be wondering if President Obama had an epiphany on the road to Greece?I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but the leader we’re talking about isn’t the President of the United States.Instead, we’re talking about the Prime Minister of Finland and he deserves praise and recognition for providing one of the most insightful and profound statements ever uttered by a politician.He explained that the emperor of Keynesian economicshas no clothes.As reported by Le Monde (and translated by Open Europe), here’s what Alexander Stubb said when asked whether European...

The maker of hit mobile video game Angry Birds, Rovio, will lay off 130 staff, it announced on Thursday. The job cuts in Finland, which account for 16% of its workforce, will happen "sooner rather than later," said chief executive Mikael Hed on its website. "We have been building our team on assumptions of faster growth than have materialised," he added. Angry Birds is the number one paid mobile application of all time, according to Rovio. The company has expanded the brand into a TV series, toys, clothing and an animated movie, which is expected to premiere in cinemas in...

Tuesday's climate summit at the U.N. may well mark a turning point in the long-running talks as the reality sinks in that they are heading nowhere. For sure, the rhetoric is unchanged. Recently appointed U.N. peace messenger Leonardo DiCaprio is the show’s newest star, telling the meeting that it was "humankind’s greatest challenge." But the older acts sounded stale. Former Vice President Al Gore demonstrated his green credentials when he said that political will was "a renewable resource," recycling a line he’d first used at the 2007 Bali climate conference. For small countries, the U.N. climate change talks provide an...

American fighters intercepted the Russian warplanes over Alaska United States officials have attributed the provocation in the sky with the visit of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko US fighters intercepted six Russian military aircraft in the area of ​​Alaska. About it on his Twitter said CNN journalist Jim Skuitto. "Russian planes stormed the US airspace larger group than usual: Two fighters, two bombers and two tanker" - wrote the correspondent. Skuitto reported that the Americans intercepted the Russians. According to him, officials of the United States associated with the arrival of a provocation President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko States. On...

pic: facebook (Miss Suomi official) More/video at Reaganite Republican...

The Russian Orthodox Church has cancelled an official doctrinal dialogue with the Finnish Lutheran Church over the Lutheran stance on homosexuality. The Orthodox side wanted to pre-approve a communique before the meeting, but talks broke down over the Finns’ refusal to condemn homosexuality.Finnish and Russian attitudes to gay rights are poles apart, and that’s helping to derail doctrinal dialogues between the two countries’ largest religions. Archbishop Kari Mäkinen says that he was forced to cancel planned ecumenical dialogues when he met the Russia Patriarch Kiril in Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church wanted to agree a statement in advance, as the...

Finland and Sweden plan to work more closely with Nato by signing a pact that allows assistance from alliance troops in the Nordic countries in emergency situations, officials said on Wednesday. The move comes as Nato prepares for a summit next week in Wales amid heightened tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. Finland shares a 1,300km (800-mile) border with Russia. The Finnish government said the host nation support agreement applies to situations which include "disasters, disruptions and threats to security". It also enables joint training exercises and military cooperation. Finnish defence ministry senior adviser Mika Varvikko said Finland...

(Reuters) - Sweden put its top military staff on higher alert on Friday as a result of the situation in Ukraine, the armed forces said. It is already participating in international maneuvers in Finland, which borders Russia, and has moved its quick-response fighter jets to the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, off Sweden's southeast coast.

(Reuters) - Russia's defense ministry has denied that a Russian aircraft entered Finnish airspace, local media quoted the ministry as saying on Sunday. Finland's defense ministry said a day ago it suspected a Russian state aircraft briefly entered its airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on Saturday afternoon.

Finnish defence forces announced on Saturday that they are to conduct an unusually large-scale military exercise close to the Russian border next summer. Up to 8,000 reservist troops from all regiments will take part in training in the border district of Pielinen Karelia in June 2015. Major Markku Vääntänen said military exercises on this scale are only organised in the region about once every ten years. The training will be the defence forces' principal exercise event next year.

Dozens of warships have arrived at Turku harbour today Friday for Nato’s annual Northern Coasts war exercise, organised since 2007 and which Finland is hosting this year for the second time. The appearance of the impressive military hardware raises mixed emotions in Turku residents. Part of the populace welcomes the ships and their crews with open arms, but especially younger citizens say they are troubled by the grey battleships. Sign language student Salla Haapaporras said the ships make her feel threatened. ”It’s a pretty scary thought, they’re right there when they’re usually in another part of the world,” Haapaporras described...

This handout picture from the Finnish Air Force taken Thursday shows a Russian AN-72 transport plane, taken by a Finnish aircraft pilot. Finland's Defense Ministry said it suspects a Russian military aircraft on Thursday violated Finnish airspace — the third such incident in six days. Ministry spokesman Max Arhippainen told The Associated Press that a Russian AN-72 transport plane is believed to have crossed into the Nordic country's airspace over the Gulf of Finland for a few minutes. (Finnish Air Force/Lehtikuva via AP) Finland's Defense Ministry said it suspects a Russian military aircraft on Thursday violated Finnish airspace — the...

US, Russia held secret Ukraine meeting on Finnish island: Helsinki AFP | Aug 27, 2014, 03.20 AM IST HELSINKI: The United States and Russia met on a small Finnish island in June for confidential talks on the Ukraine crisis, the Nordic nation's foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry said the meeting was held on the island of Boistoe off the southern coast of Finland, but did not divulge who participated or at what level, and also did not disclose what was discussed. "The foreign ministry confirms that the meeting was organised and the ministry helped at the request of...

The Finnish foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that back in June the United States and Russia held secret talks over Ukraine on Boisto Island in Finland. This startling announcement and synchronised information about the result – a ‘24-Step Plan to Resolve the Ukraine Crisis’ - were clearly timed to coincide with the meeting in Minsk between, among others Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. There were a number of crucial differences between the peace initiatives and one key similarity. Despite the Finnish report, the Boisto meeting, albeit sponsored by Finland’s foreign ministry, was between Russian and US...

New rules about to come into force could put an end to recycling discarded car tyres. The changes mean environmental specialists are now racing to find other ways to save thousands of tonnes of scrap rubber from going to waste. One potential deployment for the unused tyres could be water purification, with a technique that is currently being tested in Kitee, Eastern Finland. Every year, some 50,000 tonnes worth of used car tyres are withdrawn and sent to scrapyards -- where they are in fact put to good use. The rubber in the tyres is almost 100 percent recyclable, finding...

Finland could face an economic crisis because of European Union sanctions against Russia and Helsinki will seek financial compensation from the EU if it is disproportionately hit by the measures, its prime minister said on Wednesday (6 August). Last week, the EU imposed tough sanctions targeting Russia's banking, oil and defence sectors over Moscow's stance in the Ukraine crisis. The West accuses Moscow of actively backing pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine and blames them for downing a Malaysian airliner last month. Russia denies the charges. Russia is Finland's third largest export market, accounting for about 10% of total Finnish sales...

This might help you recover from the long weekend.

Most of the world’s media have dedicated themselves to a narrative fiction that innocent Gazans are being cruelly slaughtered by callous Israelis. When information leaks out that challenges this narrative, they respond with anger, often attempting to cover-up the disclosures.Some of this may be due to fear of retaliation from Hamas, but some, no doubt, is motivated by anti-Semitism, and peer pressure, as well as editorial policies handed down from the top of their organizations. Consider the case of Finnish television correspondent Aishi Zidan. William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection reports: We reported on the Finnish reporter who disclosed that there...

By comparing the residues found in the walls of cooking pots from two separate eras and cultures, dating to circa 3900 BC to 3300 BC and circa 2500 BC, the more recent pottery fragments showed evidence of milk fats. This coincided with the transition from a culture of hunting and fishing – relying mainly on marine foods – to the arrival of ‘Corded Ware’ settlements which we now know saw the introduction of animal domestication. Lead author Dr Lucy Cramp, from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University, said: “This is remarkable evidence which proves that four and...

A Finnish couple has narrowly won the 19th World Wife Carrying Championships - a quirky competition in which men race to be the fastest while carrying a female teammate. Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman cleared the grueling 253.5 meter (278-yard) obstacle course in 63.75 seconds, less than a second ahead of Britain's Rich Blake Smith and Anna Marguerite Smith. The rules stipulate that the woman must be over 17 years of age and weigh at least 49 kilograms (108 lb). Organizers say male contestants could "borrow a neighbor's wife" if they didn't have a female companion.

The highest human rights court in Europe shattered hopes that it would judicially impose same-sex marriage when it told a male to female transsexual and his wife that a civil union should be good enough for them. European human rights law does not require countries to “grant access to marriage to same-sex couples,” according to a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in a case that tests the remote boundaries of possibility in law and fact. The parties to the litigation and supporters of same-sex marriage acknowledge the result was predictable. Nevertheless the judgment has a devastating effect...

More than 1,000 people took part, Thursday, in a pro-Israel rally in front of the Finnish parliament building in Helsinki.

President Barack Obama has nominated a lawyer who raised campaign money for him in the 2008 and 2012 elections as ambassador to Finland. The lawyer, Charles C. Adams Jr., is the managing partner at the Geneva office of the international law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. He was among a group of Obama fundraisers in 2008 that raised between $50,000 and $100,000 for the campaign. In 2012, he was among Obama's top fundraisers, bringing a minimum of $500,000 to the president's re-election effort.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014Dr James Thompson Renée Zellweger cropped.jpg Cold Winter theory is very simple: warm blooded, warm climate adapted humans drifted North in search of game, and perished unless they could hunt, cope with the climate, and plan wisely so as to live from one winter to the next. Hence, survivors had more forethought, more behavioural restraint regarding immediate gratification, and a whole lot of other changes to help them adapt to hunting and later farming in cold climates. If any of this is true, people living in the far North should be very bright. All the short-term-ist, happy...

A Finnish citizen who wanted the state to recognize her new gender after surgery and remain legally married to woman at the same time lost her case at the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday (16 July). Heil Hamalainen underwent male-to-female gender reassignment surgery in 2009, years after she married her partner. But Finnish law does not recognize same-sex marriages. State authorities said that for Hamalainen to have her new gender recognized, she would need to turn the marriage into a civil partnership or get a divorce—something the couple refused. …

Archaeologists in Finland are celebrating the discovery of a number of artefacts in Lapland, northern Finland. A series of surveys by the forestry watchdog Metsähallitus has unearthed hundreds of hunting pits, several prehistoric habitations, pottery shards and a stone spearhead. The most exceptional part of the archaeological find was a stone spear tip or a possible prehistoric knife, which was discovered close to the Norwegian border. The stone implement has been uncovered by high winds as it lay in a sand pit. Experts estimate that the rough blade had been used during the Stone Age or the early metal age,...

A coalition of religious activists in Finland using MassResistance materials has blocked a “gay marriage” move in the Finnish Parliament, overcoming a well-funded and well-organized push by the homosexual lobby. On June 25 the Finnish Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee voted 10-6 to reject the "gay marriage" bill. The vote followed lobbying by coalition members and the distribution of MassResistance materials to all members of Parliament. In addition, the MassResistance video “What 'gay marriage' did to Massachusetts” was broadcast on national TV in May. This represents a serious setback for efforts to bring “gay marriage” to Finland any time soon. The...

Twelve EU countries have warned investors not to do business with Israeli settler entities, amid a security crisis in Israel and Palestine. The group includes: Austria; Belgium; Croatia; Denmark; Finland; Greece; Ireland; Luxembourg; Malta; Portugal; Slovakia; and Slovenia. Portugal published its statement on Wednesday (2 July) and the others came out on Thursday. France, Italy, and Spain put out similar communiques earlier this week. Germany and the UK already did it months ago. Poland is expected to publish a warning shortly. The Irish foreign ministry said the action “has been coordinated at EU level”. …

Deacon Anders Hamberg being ordained by Bishop Teemu Sippo at Saint Henry's Cathedral in Helsinki (Photo courtesy of Saint Henry's Cathedral: henrik.katolinen.fi) Among the recent positive developments of Catholicism in the Northern countries, Deacon Anders Hamberg was ordained a priest on Saturday, June 7th, as only the sixth Finnish-born Catholic priest since the Reformation. The ordination took place in Saint Henry’s Cathedral in Helsinki, in both Swedish, the mother tongue of Fr. Hamberg, and Latin, and was celebrated by the Bishop of Helsinki, Msgr. Teemu Sippo S.C.I. Father Hamberg had been ordained a deacon by Bishop Sippo on September...

Finland should seriously consider joining NATO because of Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine and could hold a referendum on the issue some time after its 2015 election, its defense minister told Reuters. Opinion polls show only one fifth of Finns favor joining the Atlantic alliance but Carl Haglund said he expected that to change if Finland, which shares a 1,300 kilometer border with Russia, had an honest and open debate about NATO membership. "I think the grounds for NATO membership are stronger than ever," Haglund said in an interview scheduled for publication on Wednesday. "It shouldn't come as a surprise...

Alexander Stubb is set to become Finland’s next prime minister, and he said he wants the country to join NATO. This could cause problems since Russia has “warned” Finland, along with Sweden, over a relationship with NATO and even told NATO that Moscow will respond if the organization builds near Russia’s borders.  .... "We have to aim at maximising [sic] Finland's national security and being part of decision-making, and that happens best as a NATO member," Stubb told Reuters. .... Finland borders Russia, and due to Moscow’s aggression towards Ukraine, the country is concerned with national security. Russia issued a stern warning at...

(Reuters) - Finland's EU minister Alexander Stubb, who wants to cut taxes and take his neutral country into NATO, won the leadership of his ruling conservative party on Saturday, putting him on track to become prime minister later this month.

HS: Officers see growing threat from Russia 26.4.2014 10:24 | updated 26.4.2014 10:28 The results also indicate an increase in support for NATO membership, with nearly two in three saying this would be the best security option for Finland. An officer preps soldiers ahead of an exercise at Helsinki's Santahamina military base. Finnish military officers are concerned about Russia’s intentions, according to a survey published in the leading newspaper Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday. Four out of five officers who responded to a poll by the daily believe that the military threat from Russia has increased.A majority of those interviewed said...

Do Finland want to start World War III? It's something to think about if Finland wants to join NATO, warns Russian President Vladimir Putin's personal envoy Sergei Markov. Enlarge Do Finland want to start World War III? It's something to think about if Finland wants to join NATO, warns Russian President Vladimir Putin's personal envoy Sergei Markov. It's not Russian hatred against Finland, but if Finland joins NATO, it shows that the country has a Russia-complex, said Markov, who is a political scientist, to the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet. - If Finland wants to join NATO, they should think first . Will...

At the start of morning assembly in the state-of-the-art Viikki School here, students’ smartphones disappear. In math class, the teacher shuts off the Smartboard and begins drafting perfect circles on a chalkboard. The students — some of the highest-achieving in the world — cut up graphing paper while solving equations using their clunky plastic calculators. Finnish students and teachers didn’t need laptops and iPads to get to the top of international education rankings, said Krista Kiuru, minister of education and science at the Finnish Parliament. And officials say they aren’t interested in using them to stay there. That’s in stark...

Cynics are three times more likely to develop dementia than those who have faith in humanity, a study has shown. Believing that others are motivated by selfishness, or that they lie to get what they want, appears to radically increase the risk of cognitive decline in later life.It could mean that grumpy old men and women should be screened more closely for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Cynicism has previously been linked to health problems such as heart disease, but this is the first time it has been associated with dementia.“These results add to the evidence that people’s view on life...

Finland’s Ministry of Defence Carl Haglund says he believes Russia’s actions in Ukraine have brought Finland and Sweden closer to NATO now than they ever were in the past. During his party’s conference in the southern coastal city of Hanko on Saturday, the Swedish People’s Party (RKP) Chair Carl Haglund spoke of the Ukraine crisis and its ramifications, defending Ukraine’s right to sovereignty and self-determination. “In a free Europe, every country is free to decide on its own development, without an army situated behind the border threatening to barge in,” said Haglund. Haglund says he is of the opinion that...

Gdansk, Poland If only Ronald Reagan -and Pope John Paul- were here to see what freedom and prosperity their little project has brought the Polish people over the last quarter-century now... but I think they're looking down with a smile. Small wonder the Poles are more than ready to fight in order to defend their hard-won liberty (and booming economy) from the Russians... and why the Ukrainians have now said "Hey!- that's what we should have been doing for the last two lost decades..." Photo presentation at Reaganite Republican-

Euronazis: Who Supports Putin in the West? 26.04.2014 | 22:33S.Parkhomenko, T.Stezhar Full list of foreign observers to a Crimean pseudo-referendum has become public. Names of “friends of Putin� (who doesn’t stop claiming that there has been a “fascist coup� in Ukraine) will make you consider very carefully, who should be called a fascist. Names of “friends of Putin� will make you consider very carefully who should be called a fascist. / REUTERS Back in early March of 2014, two weeks ahead of the pseudo-referendum and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, in one of the Russian newspapers, a prominent historian and religious...

The last time the Russian "Doomsday Plane" was seen in the air doing its trademark loops at 27,000 feet telegraphing Vladimir Putin was somewhere nearby, was on March 31, just days after the formerly Ukrainian region was annexed by the Kremlin. Until today, when over the past 4 hours, the Tu-214 has been quietly circling in position just shy of Finland and the Baltics, where as it is known, NATO has been depositing hundreds of western soldiers in a "defensive" build up.

Medieval slave trade routes in Eastern Europe extended from Finland and the Baltic Countries to Central Asia April 15, 2014 University of Eastern Finland Summary: The routes of slave trade in Eastern Europe in the medieval and pre-modern period extended all the way to the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. A recent study suggests that persons captured during raids into areas which today constitute parts of Finland, the Russian Karelia and the Baltic Countries ended up being sold on these remote trade routes. The routes of slave trade in Eastern Europe in the medieval and pre-modern period extended all the...

The West’s standoff with Russia over Ukraine is triggering debate over the adequacy of defence spending and cooperation to confront a more assertive Russia across Europe. In Finland and Sweden, an important element in this debate is whether the two countries should join NATO, STRATFOR reported. While the events in Ukraine strengthen the argument for NATO membership, general support for the idea is still lacking in both countries — such a step would represent a big shift from Finland’s and Sweden’s strategy of avoiding too strong a military alignment with the West in order to prevent any conflict with Russia....

There is no large Russian military presence in East Ukraine, head of EU intelligence, Commodore Georgij Alafuzoff, has said. The spy chief has dismissed multiple accusations from the West alleging Russian involvement in the unrest in the region. In an interview with Finnish national news broadcaster, Yle, Alafuzoff said the Russian military had nothing to do with the seizing of government buildings in eastern Ukraine. “In my opinion, it’s mostly people who live in the region who are not satisfied with the current state of affairs,” said Alafuzoff, referring to the situation in East Ukraine. He went on to say...

An Israeli hacker team published on Tuesday images and personal details of members of the Anonymous hacker collective who participated in the OpIsrael attack against Israeli sites earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 2 reported. Israeli Elite Force gained access to the computers of 16 Anonymous members and was able to capture screenshots and photos of the anti-Israel hackers with their own webcams. The Israeli team published the information in a Dropbox document via their Facebook page, saying, “Anonymous, next time do not mess with us.” The file includes the names of the attackers, their countries of origin, and usernames and...