Friday, September 5, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Inside the 2024 Helsinki book fair

Published 14 November 2024
– By Ivana Bratovanova
3 minute read

In the last days of October, Helsinki came alive with the annual book fair at the Expo and Convention Centre, drawing Finnish and international authors for discussions on literature, art, and society. Thousands of visitors streamed in to discover books, vinyl records, decor, and more.

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, speaking at the fair’s opening, noted that “literature builds our identity”, a sentiment that resonated with the spirit of the event.

On a gray, crispy Sunday morning the streets of Helsinki are quiet. Finns have cozied up inside their homes clenching to their beloved cups of coffee or are enjoying the avocado toasts and eggs benedict of their local brunch places. But there is one place in the city that is full of life – the Helsinki Book Fair. Outside the Expo and Convention Centre, people are speed walking to make their way first to the queues. Babies in strollers, elderly with their canes, and youngsters with their hip outfits.

The fair was held at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Center. Photo: Ivana Bratovanova

After a quick scan of the ticket’s QR code I have also made my way inside. I take off my scarf and my coat, fold them neatly in my bag, and prepare for “The Future”, this year’s theme. As I walk towards the exhibition hall, I can already feel the overwhelming twist in my stomach as my eyes open widely to the immense amount of literature, art, music, and so much more than I could have expected.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and interests have gathered together to enjoy the 4-day annual exhibit in Pasila. As I was wondering why is it that Finns choose to spend their Sunday at the book fair, Markus, an attendee, replied:

“The book fair has received an increased popularity over the past few years in media, and that also caught my eye”.

Markus says the thing he was mostly looking forward to at the fair was the vinyl selection.

“I’ve been meaning to update my vinyl selection and I knew that here I could find good jazz LPs”.

Photo: Ivana Bratovanova

The fair attracts not only natives but people from all over the world – more than 30 international authors were present this year. Panel discussions with writers, politicians, and industry professionals stopped people from flipping through the book’s pages and take a seat to listen to what they have to say.

On its opening day, the Helsinki Book Fair welcomed the president of Finland Alexander Stubb. He answered questions from the audience about the importance of literature for the Finnish nation.

”That is everything. Literature builds our identity (…) In our collective thinking Finnishness consists of the interpretation of history and literature around it. Without literature, we would not be”.

Stubb’s reflections on identity set the stage for deeper discussions throughout the fair.

Alexander Stubb spoke about the importance of literature for the Finnish nation.

The most crowded panel I saw during my visit was held by Hanna Ylöstalo, Emma Lamberg, and Inna Perheentupa on Feminism in Economics. Despite the language barrier, the audience’s sharp focus on the discussion showed a strong engagement with what was being shared.

After a quick bite from the Wine and Food corner at the fair, I was already looking forward to next year’s book fair. Until then, I’ll hold onto the inspiration of being surrounded by so many works of art in literary form.

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Stubb’s warning: “We will lose to the global South”

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Finnish President Alexander Stubb warns that the Western world is losing influence to Asia.
3 minute read

As the SCO alliance brings together major powers like India, China and Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb sees how a new world order is taking shape. Finland’s president warns that the West’s response – punitive tariffs and confrontation – only accelerates the historic shift in power.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is calling for a more “dignified” and cooperative foreign policy toward the global South. His message is particularly directed at the US and comes at a sensitive time – amid the harshest trade tensions in years between Washington and New Delhi.

— My message, not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, is that if we don’t derive a more cooperative and dignified foreign policy towards Global South, the likes of India, we are going to lose this game, Stubb said.

The president pointed to the recently held summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated alongside leaders from China and Russia.

— The meeting is a good reminder to all of us in the global west of what is at stake. We’re trying to preserve the remnants of the old order, he stated.

Close ties with Trump

Stubb’s statement carries extra weight because he is considered to have unusually good relations with President Trump, and the two bonded during a seven-hour golf round at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in March.

Trump has called Stubb a “young, powerful man” and said that: “we wanted to have you here because you are somebody that we all respect”.

Jan Hallenberg from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs tells news agency AFP that Stubb’s position is unique:

— Among small countries, there is no equivalent whatsoever. Stubb has gained unique access to Trump that no one else from a smaller European country has ever had.

In August, Stubb accompanied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for talks about the war with Russia.

Trump defends the tariffs

The warning from Finland’s president comes as the US has just imposed 50 percent punitive tariffs on Indian imports – half motivated by India’s oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs, which took effect on August 27, particularly impact India’s textile and diamond industries and are defended by Trump himself.

— We get along with India very well, but for many years it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs, the highest in the world, the president said, highlighting how American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson could no longer sell its products in India due to a 200 percent tariff on motorcycles.

— So what happens? Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant. Now they don’t have to pay tariffs.

With India increasingly turning eastward and strengthening ties with China and Russia, Stubb’s warning seems to be about more than just trade volumes but about the West’s future political influence in a world where the balance of power is rapidly shifting.

Out into space with D-A-D’s new album

The Danish rock band D-A-D's newly released cosmic album Speed of Darkness stimulates both the rock nerve and the ears, making you want to travel out into space.

Published 30 August 2025
Swedish rock band D-A-D performed at Sweden Rock Festival this year.
3 minute read

There is something magnificent in D-A-D’s (formerly Disneyland After Dark) way of, on the one hand, creating the compositions, lyrics, and sound, and then performing and recording the material with their choice of rhythm, tempo, keys, vocals, backing vocals, solos, as well as bass and drum lines for the songs included on the CD. It is incredibly musical, moving from infectious to stimulating, and it likely resonates in most Danish kinship veins.

Beyond the fact that the whole album is worth listening to, there are two compositions that stand out in particular and became especially moving since we traveled down to Sweden Rock and experienced music from this newly released masterpiece, performed masterfully by the rock gods themselves. The first melody, track number 3 The Ghost, deserves mention – it carries a beautiful sentimental feeling while still igniting the rock nerve.

The second track is, of course, number 7 Crazy Wings. To round it off into a beautiful trinity within this spiritual rock shimmer, track 9 Strange Terrain must also be mentioned, with its liberatingly gritty guitar riffs and wonderful lift in the choir vocals. It is an extraordinary achievement to be able to write an album this good after already having created gems like the cool, stylish, and fantastic Bad Craziness, Sleeping My Day Away, and Are We Alive Here.

For many of us, myself included, this became the highlight of the festival. With nostalgic thoughts of having seen them 30 years ago at the Palladium in Stockholm, the longing to hear them again soon is strong. This cosmic album – and seeing them live – delivers in the only way Jesper Binzer (vocals, guitar), Jakob Binzer (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Stig Pedersen (bass, vocals), and Laust Sonne (drums) can.

They say people put their whole soul into their performance, but Jesper Binzer goes even deeper – drawing power from the very soil beneath Denmark itself. His artistry is such that from the very first note, you know it’s D-A-D playing.

Supernova

From the album cover, the listener and viewer can feel the power and dynamism expressed through its graphic and photographic design. The artwork radiates the recurring skeletal head imagery, reinforcing D-A-D’s language of wanting to travel into space with its majestic cosmic and divine supernova. In memory, I also recall one of the many different guitar-basses that bassist Stig plays – one of them designed exactly like that: a rocket.

It should also be mentioned that the band generously releases additional versions of Speed of Darkness, including a Japanese edition featuring a bonus track for Japan, Let Myself Out of Love, making it fifteen compositions in total to listen to and enjoy on the CD.

A special edition

Generously, they have also creatively produced something they call an “ear-book”. This combined CD edition includes fourteen tracks, accompanied by a kind of comic book-meets-book filled with illustrations, texts, and an exclusive D-A-D photograph, rounding out this hardback edition. It’s a mix of inner, outer, and surrounding punk-rock art. Its value is sure to grow over time – so thanks to all the artists, graphic creatives, composers, musicians, performers, and more who think freely in an otherwise tightened, gray everyday life.

The drawings that enhance the songs’ bodies, souls, and lyrics in the book are created and designed by Stig Pedersen – so we can guess that D-A-D’s bassist also possesses this golden touch. Many music lovers can thus feel gratitude for all the fun this world contains – offering substance, added value, and an oasis to escape into. Finally, it should be noted that in size, the book resembles an LP record sleeve, making it fit perfectly in a collection or as decoration when placed on a shelf.

So next time we want to listen to this work of art, the CD Speed of Darkness, we can let Jesper’s words from Sweden Rock Festival 2025 echo in our minds:

Now we’re going to have a cozy moment, a really cozy moment, Jesper said, in that uniquely wonderful raspy, rocking, Danish voice of his.

 

Mikael Rasmussen alias Artist Razz

Speed of Darkness is the thirteenth album by Danish band D-A-D and was released in October 2024 by German label AFM Records.

Woody Allen added to Ukrainian “kill list”

The war in Ukraine

Published 29 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Woody Allen, 89.
2 minute read

American director and actor Woody Allen has been added to Ukraine’s controversial Mirotvorets list. The reason is said to be his video appearance at a film festival in Moscow.

Woody Allen, 89, has been placed on Ukraine’s disputed Mirotvorets database – also known as the “kill list”. The list describes Allen as an “enemy of Ukraine” and accuses him of participating in “a Russian propaganda event”.

The background is that Allen recently participated via video link in Moscow International Film Week. There he spoke primarily about his long career and his personal experiences as a filmmaker.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned his participation and described it as “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers”.

Allen: “Putin is wrong”

As a consequence, the Lviv National Academic Theatre in western Ukraine has canceled planned productions of Allen’s musical Bullets Over Broadway.

The Oscar-winning director has defended his participation and emphasizes that his appearance was not political.

I believe strongly that Putin is totally in the wrong, Allen said, but stressed that artistic conversations should be able to continue.

Mirotvorets has existed since 2014 and lists people considered to threaten Ukraine’s security or participate in Russian propaganda. The site has long been criticized internationally, as several people added to the list have been subjected to threats, violence and even killed.

Banned from Hollywood

Woody Allen has been the subject of allegations of sexual abuse against his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, which her mother Mia Farrow claims occurred in 1992.

The alleged abuse was investigated at the time by social services and police, but the case was dropped without charges due to lack of evidence.

In connection with the controversial #MeToo movement, the allegations gained new life and sparked extensive debate, although again without any actual legal proceedings taking place.

Allen has since been effectively banned from Hollywood, but has continued to release films internationally, including Rifkin’s Festival (2020) and Coup de chance (2023).

Fact: Mirotvorets "death list"

Mirotvorets, which roughly translates to "peacemaker" or "peacekeeper" in English, is a Ukrainian database that publishes names of individuals considered to threaten Ukraine's security or participate in Russian propaganda. The list was started in 2014 and is highly controversial, criticized for lack of transparency and linked to threats and violence against listed individuals.

Among examples of confirmed and notable names on the list are:

  • Alexander Ovechkin, Russian hockey player, listed for his support of Putin.
  • Roger Waters, musician and activist, after statements supporting Russia's position on Crimea.
  • Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, listed for "pro-Russian" statements.
  • Viktor Orbán, Hungary's prime minister, placed on the list in 2022.
  • Zoran Milanović, Croatia's president, added for "pro-Russian" comments.
  • Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxers, listed after participating in Russian projects.
  • Anatolij Shariy, Ukrainian opposition politician and journalist.

Sources: Wikipedia ("Myrotvorets"), UNIAN, OSCE, Human Rights Watch.

Finnish horses will soon be required to have a companion

Published 27 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Horses need muzzle-to-muzzle contact.
2 minute read

Finnish horses will soon be required to have larger stalls and a companion present in the stable, according to a new regulation. The companion can be another horse, mule, or donkey.

Finland has decided to promote horse welfare with a new regulation. Horses should, for example, have better opportunities to move around in larger areas and have daily outdoor time. In newly built stables, the paddock must be at least 300 square meters.

Stalls must also be expanded for horses with a withers height over 170 centimeters, and stables must have natural light. Water must always be available and during winter it must be changed every six hours. Horses may not be without hay for more than six hours.

New requirements also stipulate that horses must have a companion on site that they can see, hear, and feel daily. Horses are herd animals and loneliness can negatively affect their health.

Particularly the fact that it is now clearly prescribed that equines may not be kept alone is, in my opinion, one of the most important reforms for improving equine welfare”, writes Terhi Simonen-Jokinen, a specialist expert at Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in an email to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Muzzle contact

The horse’s companion must be either another horse, donkey, or mule. However, donkeys must have another donkey as company in the stable. One detail included in the regulation is that horses must be able to have daily muzzle-to-muzzle interaction, something that horse owner Anna Tujulin, who owns 22 horses herself, considers particularly important.

There is research showing that this is even more important than them seeing each other. I have also seen stallions that during periods haven’t received that touch and they can quite quickly develop even aggressive behavior, she says.

The regulation also states that foals may not be weaned before six months of age, and that young horses under two years old must be allowed to live in herds.

The changes will take effect at the turn of the year.

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