Having spent an entire decade in Croatia, I understand thieves and whores pretty well. I can spot the worst among them in a jiffy, too. I understand them in America and Britain, as well. After some three decades in these two countries, they are hardly a secret. Although somewhat better off than most thieves and whores around the world, they still come across quite clearly. Similarly, I understand their kind in Africa, South America, and Asia. Well, I think I understand all crooked humans no matter where they live, for this is how they have evolved. But, as my beloved pointed out yesterday evening, I cannot fathom the thieves and whores in Northwestern Europe, and Scandinavia in particular. As soon as she brought them up in conversation, for they do so well in surveys of crooked practices around the world, I admitted that I was stumped. If all humans are born crooked, what is wrong with Scandinavians? That is, what is wrong with thieving and whoring among them? Again, I have no idea. Perhaps the only thing that comes to my mind is that humans have never been meant to live so far from their cradle. In the absence of sunlight and warmth, perhaps Scandinavians are too miserable to do anything at all, let alone engage in thieving and whoring like their southern brethren. To the credit of this simple theory, global warming will serve as a simple test.