The Baltic model for fiscal responsibility

The Washington Post made a nice example of  Estonia (and Latvia) to the United States. Obviously it is very difficult to implement everything done in tiny Estonia in the USA, but maybe a few tips could be useful after all.

The Baltic model for fiscal responsibility

Estonian exceptionalism

Good news - Estonia is doing well considering via Economist.

Estonia?

What do you know about Estonia?

Saaremaa

Saaremaa - the biggest island of Estonia.

Quite good reading material about Estonians (free)

On the Estonian institute webpage there are several booklets about Estonia and Estonians. Some of them are hilarious and some are purely beautful. And the good thing about them is that they in English and free! I would like to point out two them that I really enjoyed:

1) Hilarious Estonia - "A scientific study of Estonians’ daily life. What do they do and how they do it, what do they like and what do they dislike? What do they look like and what do they eat? How can they surprise one another?"
2) A dozen quetions about Estonia - "We offer answers to a dozen questions that a foreigner might want to know about Estonia. At least in our opinion."

Estophiles

Ernest Hemingway has written that in every port in the world, at least one Estonian can be found. 

Estonia has had difficult times and many Estonians have gone away from Estonia. I know some foreign Estonians, who can speak Estonian thanks to their parents and grandparents. Some of them now have come back to Estonia. But I also know some estophiles, who seem to have an interest in learning Estonian and they speak it really well (poor people, they had to learn 14 cases).

Here's one really good blog from an estophile Justin Petrone (also author of the books "My Estonia 1" and "My Estonia 2"):

http://palun.blogspot.com/.

I guess he knows even more about Estonia than we do.

Winter in Estonia

Although it is the beginning of the summer in Estonia I am putting up these pictures of the winter of 2011 with heavy snow and -30 degrees. These pictures are taken in Kadrina or nearby, but with a smartphone, so the quality is not the best. Enjoy nevertheless!