[Osx-nutters] US - no brains, just sticks and stones

[Mark Smith]

On 04.12.2007, at 18:32, Kevin Callahan wrote:

>
>
> US places 17 of 30 in Science, 24 of 30 in Math
>
> Finland takes number 1 in Science
>
> Finland, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong take top spot in Math

Finland is really going places. I've been there a couple of times  
recently. The young Fins have, on the whole, really got their heads  
screwed on right. They are pouring fortunes into science and  
technology at the national level. Contrary to popular opinion, Nokia  
is not really driving the whole economy itself. It has a vibrance all  
of its own. It will take a while before Helsinki und Tampere reach the  
living standards of cities like Zurich, Oslo and Stockholm, but reach  
them and surpass them, they may well do.

They are friendly folks and good drinkers and have an excellent, if  
terribly difficult to learn language, but they speak English about as  
well as the Dutch which is very well indeed.

Drawbacks:

A strategically disastrous location should the Russians go mental again.

The scenery can't hold a candle to Norway, Scotland, or New Zealand  
unless you like flattish, leafy (or, more accurately needly) sub- 
tundra and lakes so big you can't see the ends of them.

The weather can be depressing.

...but if they had everything we'd all be living there already.