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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: June 23rd, 2025

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  • Actually, Russia has vast natural resources, but much of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of oligarchs. The post-communist period in Russia was marked by violent power struggles between oligarchs, often involving private militias or hired hitmen targeting rival businessmen. Perhaps it just wasn’t as visible in the US.

    BTW, do not forget that most rich men in the US (Elon, Mark, Jeff) are rich on paper (stock market, company shares), while Russian millionaires have real physical control over resources or industries (eg Vladimir Potanin - rare earth elements, Vagit Alekperov - oil, Leonid Mikhelson - gas).





  • Finns are like „hold my beer”: Neighbours stand at the same bus stop for years on the way to work without exchanging a single word.

    I remember also being in Tromsø and getting a little book about the do’s and don’ts in Norway. One piece of advice in it stuck with me: only speak when you actually have something worth saying.

    Love the North and the Nordics.












  • I think the key issue is secularization. Many European countries went through long historical periods where religion dominated politics and public life, followed by centuries of conflict, reform, and eventually stronger separation between religion and state. Modern secular democracies in Europe are partly the result of learning from that history.

    Not all religious traditions or societies went through the same process. In some places, religion still plays a central role in law, politics, and daily life, hence it is treated not just as personal belief, but as the basis for governing society.

    That does not mean religion itself is uniquely bad or that every religious society behaves the same way. There are also belief systems deeply tied to culture, philosophy, or nature - for example Aborigines or certain Buddhist traditions - that historically were less focused on universal expansion or religious conquest.

    The point is not „religion should disappear”, but that societies require separation between religious authority and state power. BTW, Jesus wasn’t a capitalist. If you would be like Jesus, you would be broke today.

    Edit: removed redundant text from previous version.