Ilta-Sanomat has a double page spread on Finns' attitudes towards the police and the army. The paper has used Eurobarometer figures to compare Finland to other European countries, and found that, according to the poll, round these parts there is overwhelming trust in those asked to uphold law and order and defend the country.
The poll suggests that 94 percent of Finns trust the police, and 91 percent trust the army. That puts Finland top of the rankings for trust in these two institutions, well clear of the European average of 73 percent trust in the army and 71 percent in the police.
Bulgaria came bottom with just 44 percent of respondents saying they trusted the army and a paltry 39 percent trusting the police.
IS asked historian Laura Kolbe and Defence Forces communications chief Eero Karhuvaara why Finns are so trusting, and both cited military service as one crucial component of Finns relationship with authority. Kolbe, however, said there were some drawbacks to this generally positive phenomenon.
"Maybe we trust a little bit too much that the authorities know what is right and wrong," said Kolbe. "People's own welfare is outsourced to others."
Petrol station meat controversy
Anyone who's travelled on Finland's roads will be familiar with the ABC chain of service stations. Their signs can be a beacon to hungry travellers, those looking for a rest, and people who just want to stretch their legs and use the toilet during a long car journey.
Their food, however, enjoys a certain reputation. With a captive market standards might not be what they could be, and at least one hockey player has complained bitterly at having to eat there.
Still, when you order a steak you expect to get a steak. Lauri Heinimaa had a different experience this weekend, however, when he stopped in Raisio for some refreshments. He ordered the 14.90 euro minute steak, and was surprised to find it was actually made of minced meat. He asked at the counter and they confirmed that yes, that's what ABC serves up.
He got a free pulla bun as compensation, but Iltalehti followed up with the national chain. Apparently that's not company policy, and the Turku region's ABC branches had erred in serving up the wrong product.
Football hooliganism fears
Helsinki's football derbies have been a big event in the capital, offering sell-out crowds a fiercely contested battle on and off the pitch. The fans are part of the attraction, as club football in Finland has rarely before captured the imagination of so many people so enthused about their teams.
Sometimes, though, things go too far. There have been fights between rival fans, and flares inside the stadium--and that's a serious offence in the Finnish football league.
So ahead of the next derby representatives from HIFK and HJK, the league, the Football association, the fire service and the police held a seminar on safety at football matches. Even legendary retired talisman Jari Litmanen turned up to offer some perspective to say that he's not seen flares in the biggest leagues in Europe.
The message from the authorities was simple. Flares are dangerous, at previous derbies fans have caused disturbances, and the event itself is a wonderful thing. Ilta-Sanomat reported that Filip Lundberg from the Swedish club Djurgården presented his work in bringing fans groups, police, clubs and authorities together for dialogue.
Neither IS nor Helsingin Sanomat, though, had any quotes from fans in their stories on the seminar. If dialogue is the way forward, there's still some way to go. The next derby is due to be played on 10 August.