Sunday, May 11, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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Kvarken Archipelago: Finland’s unique world heritage site

Published 17 July 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Adjacent to the archipelago is the culturally rich seaside city of Vaasa.

Around the Kvarken Archipelago in Finland you will find both unique nature with its special island life and cozy towns close to culture and history. The archipelago has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its special nature shaped by the last ice age.

Finland has the largest archipelago in the world with more than 80,000 islands. Along the coast there are many beautiful towns, villages, sights and most of all beautiful nature. If you don’t have your own boat, you can easily hop on a (sometimes free) ferry to travel around the islands.

Finland’s scenic archipelago also includes the rocky Kvarken Archipelago, which together with the Swedish High Coast is a World Heritage Site. The Kvarken Archipelago is Finland’s only natural heritage site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and there are numerous sites and tourist destinations to visit.

Experience unique post-glacial nature

The Kvarken Archipelago has a unique nature that has been described as the best place to experience the land uplift of the last Ice Age. In the Kingdom of Stones, you can see labyrinthine landscapes of moraines rising from the sea and forming new foundations over the course of a lifetime. A good starting point is the World Heritage Gate, which offers a free overview of the archipelago. You can also play the escape game Kvarken Sea Animals.

There is a lot to do in the archipelago, and in many cases you can get there by car. It is also possible to get to the islands by boat and there are also opportunities to take a World Heritage cruise to see as much of the unique nature as possible. You can also canoe, bike or walk on the many hiking trails.

Photo: Antonio Caiazzo/CC BY-SA 2.0

The historic city of Vaasa

Nearby is the city of Vaasa, where culture and history mix with activities and entertainment. From the city center you can reach the sea in a few minutes and if you feel adventurous you can rent a kayak or jet ski. Take a ride around town on the Lilliputti city train and for a truly Finnish experience, book a floating sauna boat.

The city has many museums and Old Vaasa offers unique historical sights. It has been determined that the land rose from the sea about a thousand years ago, which is of great importance to the history of the area. The city was founded in 1606 by King Charles IX and developed around his massive stone church.

To get from Vaasa to the Kvarken Archipelago, you can cross Finland’s longest bridge, the Repolot Bridge, which is 1045 meters long.

Svedjehamn from the Saltkaret lookout. Photo: AleGranholm/CC BY 2.0

Summer in the port

If you want to experience the archipelago together with culture, we recommend a visit to Svedjehamn. Here the red boathouses follow the moraine and frame the small port town in an idyllic summer environment. If you want to experience the archipelago on foot, you can follow the 3.5-kilometer-long Bodvattnet nature trail. Visit the Salteriet café in the harbor, built in 1920 and used as a fish salting plant until 1989.

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Bizarre children’s series described as “digital drug”

Cultural revolution in the West

Published yesterday 10:53
– By Editorial Staff
The characters of the children's series Cocomelon with its abnormal proportions.

The children’s series Cocomelon attracts young children around the world with its colorful animations and catchy songs. Despite its enormous popularity, criticism of the series is growing, with some warnings that its extreme editing could have a very negative effect on children’s brains.

More and more parents and experts are questioning the extremely fast pace of Cocomelon and whether the mass-produced style is really good for young minds, or whether it risks overstimulating children and making them restless.

One of the major objections to Cocomelon is its rapid editing technique, where camera angles change every two to three seconds. This is a hectic and exaggerated pace that is unfortunately all too common in modern children’s entertainment, but here it is taken to a new level.

According to a study by PubMed Central (PMC), the executive functions of 4-year-olds, such as self-control and working memory, are at risk of being severely impaired after being exposed to fast-paced clips for too long.

Many parents also report that their children become agitated after watching children’s series such as Cocomelon, and there is plenty of criticism on social media platforms such as X.

Mass-produced aesthetics

Other research also indicates that rapid camera and clip changes can negatively affect young children’s concentration. The fast pace is no accident either. Cocomelon is designed to capture children’s attention, but some argue that it now goes too far.

According to Findmykids.org, the constant impressions can trigger dopamine release, causing children to seek the same quick rewards even outside the screen – something that can make it harder for them to focus on calmer activities such as reading or playing.

In addition to the pace, the series’ aesthetics have also been criticized. Like most animated productions today, the characters have disproportionately large heads and overly cheerful expressions, which some find unpleasant.

For many parents and viewers, it feels like the series is made on an assembly line where quantity takes precedence over quality, resulting in an aesthetic that is more frightening than charming.

Opinions are divided

Unlike traditional cartoons such as Scooby-Doo, Cocomelon is animated in a way that prioritizes quantity over quality, which is evident in the disproportionate characters and the assembly line feel.

Opinions about Cocomelon are divided. Some experts, such as Rebecca Cowan at Walden University, argue that there is insufficient evidence to single out Cocomelon as the problem – instead, it is total screen time that may be harmful.

– Without empirical research on the show Cocomelon, there is no data to substantiate claims that this show is overstimulating due to the pace of the scenes, she says.

But others warn that the series’ pace and overstimulating elements can have a very negative impact on children’s development, especially in terms of concentration and calmness.

Cocomelon may seem like an easy solution for entertaining young children, but it is worth considering what the fast pace and mass-produced style do to young viewers.

Trump wants 100% tariff on foreign films

Donald Trump's USA

Published 9 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff

Donald Trump has announced that he has initiated a process to impose a 100% tariff on all films produced outside the US that are then imported into the country. Critics warn of the consequences and argue that tariffs will worsen the situation for the American film industry.

The decision, which was announced on May 4, is intended, according to Trump, to protect the American film industry, which he believes is on the verge of “a very fast death”, reports industry publication Variety.

– This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.

Trump said he has instructed the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative to quickly begin the process of imposing the tariffs.

Exact details on how the tariffs will be implemented, such as whether they will also cover streaming services or how the size of the tariffs will be calculated, have not yet been announced.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has confirmed that the authorities are working on the issue.

“Incredibly stupid”

Many American productions are currently filmed in several countries that offer financial incentives for film production, including Canada, the UK, and Australia, and industry representatives are now concerned about how the tariffs would affect ongoing projects and collaborations.

The chair of the Swedish Film and TV Producers Association, Eva Hamilton, called the proposal “incredibly stupid” and warned that it could isolate the US culturally and economically.

It just sounds incredibly stupid, and I find it hard to see how it could be implemented. He’s right that Hollywood hasn’t kept up, but stopping all foreign expertise sounds like shooting yourself in the foot, Eva Hamilton said in an interview with Schibsted owned TV4.

Trump has previously singled out Hollywood as a “very problematic place” and, in early 2025, appointed actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as ambassadors to promote American film production.

The American film industry has already been affected by Trump’s trade war, and China, among others, has reduced its quota for American films allowed to be shown in response to the new American tariffs on the country.

Record number of Swedes read books last year

Published 8 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Two thirds of Swedes read or listened to a book at least once a week last year.

In 2024, a record number of Swedes read or listened to books, a new survey shows. This is the highest level measured so far in the 21st century.

More than half, 51 percent, of Swedes between the ages of nine and 87 read or listened to a book on a typical day, according to the 2024 Media Barometer from Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg. A full 66 percent read weekly.

– This is the highest figure we have seen in the Media Barometer since the measurements started in the late 1970s, says Jonas Ohlsson, media researcher and director at Nordicom in a press release.

The printed book is still the most common format, with 38% using it daily. In comparison, audiobooks reach 15 percent and e-books only seven percent.

In terms of books sold last year, print books also remained at the top of the list, although sales declined. Audio books are also becoming more common to buy and listen to.

Older, highly educated women read the most

The Swedes who read the most, especially printed books, are highly educated women over 65. At the same time, reading is weakest among men without a university education. As a rule, women read more than men, but the gaps are not as great when it comes to listening to audio books.

– These patterns are not the same for audiobooks, however. The possibility to listen to books seems to lower the threshold to literature, which means that the audiobook reduces the socio-economic gaps that we see in traditional book reading, says Ohlsson.

The survey was conducted on 6000 randomly selected people aged nine to 85.

Swedish criminologist fired after linking genetics and ethnicity to crime on state TV

organized crime

Published 2 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Leif GW Persson in a discussion with the Liberals' Johan Pehrson.

Recently, Swedish criminologist Leif GW Persson stated that there is a very clear link between genetics, ethnic factors, and crime – a link that researchers and authorities have deliberately silenced.

Now he is suddenly being forced to leave the state television program Veckan – which is also being shut down completely without further explanation.

In an episode of SVT’s Veckan med Camilla och Leif GW (The Week with Camilla and Leif GW) just over a month ago, Persson caused quite a stir when he presented a not entirely politically correct explanation for the spiraling crime rate in Sweden – factors that the authorities choose to ignore completely.

– There is one factor that has been studiously avoided, or rather two. One is the genetic link, which is actually stronger than the social links. So what about genetics if you trace this young criminal back through his family?

– That’s one thing. The other is the ethnic factor. They have avoided that, he continued, describing the link between ethnicity and crime as “very strong when it comes to serious organized crime in marginalized suburbs”.

According to Persson, these explanatory models are something “people don’t like to talk about” – and he argued that researchers are well aware of the importance of genetics and ethnicity, but that they have avoided focusing on these factors for purely political reasons.

– Criminological research can, with some justification, be accused of not really aiming at the target. The reason for this is not because people have been unaware, but because they want to avoid anything that could cause problems for them.

“At any cost, I had to be here”

The criminologist also expressed harsh criticism of politicians and other people in power, saying that they have failed completely in building a functioning police organization, among other things.

The TV personality’s comments caused an uproar among left-wing activists and liberals on social media, and he has now been fired from the tax-funded channel.

– It came as a surprise when SVT called and said they were cancelling the program. I have a clear idea of why that is, he told Bonnier-owned Amelia.

– I was actually a bit surprised because they were very eager to get me here. And that was just about a year ago. At any cost, I had to be here. Then it turned out that it was basically just to do 20 programs, Persson continues.

He does not want to confirm at this time that it was his comments about ethnicity, genetics, and crime that led to his dismissal, but he promises to comment further on the matter at a later date.

“That’s for SVT’s managers to answer”

Persson also points out that the program had good ratings, was inexpensive to produce, and received positive feedback, but that SVT’s managers nevertheless chose to cancel it. Program host Camilla Kvartoft also declined to comment on why the program was suddenly canceled.

– That’s for SVT’s managers to answer, but we’ve had two really great seasons with very high viewership, and I’m proud of our programs, she says.

Sofia Dahlström, who is the “acting commissioner for society, documentaries, and minorities” at SVT, states that it was decided from the beginning that there would only be two seasons – something Leif GW Persson does not recognize.

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