All Points North talks to Finnish-Canadian comedian James MacDonald, going behind the scenes on his politically loaded routines which have made light of the Neo-Nazi Soldiers of Odin by comparing them to a boy band. MacDonald, who is transgender, also talks about his journey transitioning from a woman to a gay man in Finland.
This week's show weighs in on the decorated hero of the Turku stabbing attack admitting to benefits fraud and the perceived dangers of certain dog breeds.
In our dose of weekly news we take a look at Finnish President Sauli Niinistö's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, a citizens' initiative proposing that Finland ban microplastics and the state-sponsored Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church calling for a total ban on marriage before the age of 18.
On the health front, Finnish residents will now be able to test themselves for HIV in the privacy of their own homes. We also learned that drought-hit farmers will not receive agricultural crisis aid as a result of this summer's extended dry spell, while garrison canteens across the country will begin offering vegetarian-only meals on a weekly basis.
In sports news, The Finnish Athletics Federation SUL has asked disabled athletes competing in the ongoing World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin to contribute 900 euros a head towards competition expenses.
Our audience feedback portion of the week ponders whether micro apartments will really help solve the lack of affordable housing in the capital city area.
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The All Points North podcast is a weekly look at what's going on in Finland. Subscribe via iTunes (and leave a review!), listen on Spotify and Yle Areena or find it on your favourite podcatching app or via our RSS feed.
This week's show was presented by Denise Wall and Mark B. Odom with guest James MacDonald. The show's producer was Zena Iovino, and this week's sound technician was Tuomas Vauhkonen.