“So many bikes!” was the first thought that came to my mind when I arrived in Groningen, the biggest city in the north of the Netherlands. I had known about Dutch bike-affection before going there for my Master’s studies, but I didn’t guess that cyclists would be everywhere – turning left, right, behind and in front of you no matter where you go.

Schools to teaching typing instead of longhand.

REMEMBER fussing endlessly over the neatness of your handwriting? Did your teacher or your parents constantly look over your shoulder, rapping you on the knuckles with a ruler when you forgot to cross the Ts and dot the Is, as it were?

Ever wondered about words that just don’t exist in the English language?

Every language has them: an expression that describes minute aspects of life that are impossible to summarise succinctly or with a single word in English.

Aside from swearing and slang, there are many really useful phrases that English could do with some borrowing from. Luckily, website Cracked.com is on hand with a handful of choice suggestions, under the title of “9 Foreign Words the English Language Desperately Needs”.

Crowdfunding gathers steam here in Finland.

GOT a great idea for starting a play, journalistic project or a company but lack the necessary fundage? Well, the recent rapid development of crowdfunding websites in Finland might just provide a solution.

Let’s take a look of how and where to crowdfund and looked at some cases that people have used it for.

A quick glance at Aberdeen can paint a bleak picture. Stuart MacBride, an Aberdonian author, once called Aberdeen schizophrenic. The mood of the people, he said, reflects the weather, and both can change dramatically in an instant. True, he is famous for his morbid murder stories, but the observation holds some veracity. When the sun is out, Aberdeen is a gem in the North-east of Scotland, living up to its name as the Silver City; but when it rains, it resembles its less appealing nickname, the Granite City.