We meet the man who
can truly say he loves his job being Father Christmas all year
round. Those apart, Turku has declared the Christmas peace every
year for hundreds of years.
Read more on page 3. ?It would be a
Lower
corporate manager wages
He says that corporate managers
may decide amongst themselves if
lowering wages is a sensible way to
promote a collaborative working atmosphere. The subscription starts on 5 January 2013. 20 DECEMBER . ISSUE 51 (282) . expense cuts and tax
increases, which will most likely be
called for. In 1649, the Declaration
forbade the celebration of Santa
Claus, ?dissolute dancing, unauthorised night walks and selling of
alcohol after seven o?clock.. ?3 . W W W.HELSINKITIMES.FI
The next issue of the paper will
be published on 3 January 2013.
For daily news, please visit our
website at www.helsinkitimes.fi
The opening hours of most
shops will be affected by Christmas and New Year holidays.
For general information about
changes in public transportation
and business hours, see pages 7
and 27.
BUSINESS
2012 a lacklustre
year for Finnish investors
Finnish stocks suffered greatly
in 2012 as the economic downturn hit home. S T T
A N N I K A R A U TA KO U R A . For many Finns, it marks the
true beginning of Christmas and,
A gift
that keeps
coming
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friend or family member for a special price:
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criminal law has not considered
Christmas Peace as an aggravating
circumstance since 1889, but back
in the Middle Ages the meaning of
the declaration was literal.
The justice system and traders
did not work during the holiday period, which meant that people had
free time but nobody would govern them. ?If I were to discuss details, it
would most likely result in all methods being rejected.?
The Prime Minister sees reforms in working life as the biggest problem.
L E H T I K U VA / K I M M O M Ä N T Y L Ä
Helsinki Times
wishes all readers
a Merry Christmas
and
a Happy New Year!
SANNA NIKUL A . He said that the schedule
for carrying out these adjustments
is ?exible.
Katainen warned that Finnish
jobs are at a risk of moving to Sweden, Germany and Estonia, if procedures for increasing competitiveness
are not implemented in time.
?We Finns have to wake up and
not maintain this sense of complacency that deludes us to believe that
everything is ?ne.?
LIFESTYLE
Turku declares traditional Christmas Peace
at least in spirit, protects the holiday silence from wrongdoings and
upheavals, as the declaration advises everyone to celebrate Christmas
with pertinent devotion.
The Christmas Peace carries on
for 20 days, from Christmas Eve until the day of St. How-
HRISTMAS
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Please write ?Christmas gift. The Prime Minister sees
budget cuts as the government?s
only tool in that case. We do have
one, but it is a receding problem.
The biggest problem is to induce
THE
Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen believes that answers to questions relating to reform of working life need to be found in the New Year.
growth and the necessary structural reform for working careers,?
he says.
Katainen was asked if the government is ready to alter retirement
age with legislation if labour market
organisations do not support the
proposals. 2 JANUARY 2013 . in the subject field. The Christmas Peace
was meant to keep people well behaved. We also take a look at the
highlights of the New Year celebrations.
See pages 15 and 16
V IL L E KOSK I
HEL SINK I T IME S
ONE OF the oldest and most respect-
ed traditions of Finnish Christmas is
the declaration of Christmas Peace
by the city of Turku on Christmas
Eve. More than half of
listed Finnish companies, including some of the bigger names,
are down in share price. The offer is valid for new subscriptions within Finland only.
ever, music and free drinks were
served at the event, as a celebration of the peace.
Little by little the seriousness of
the declaration has faded, but the
continuation of the tradition has
been relatively uninterrupted: the
declaration has been skipped only during the Greater Wrath (17141724), in the 1809 unrest, in 1917
and in the Winter War Christmas
of 1939. Katainen believes that
everyone has to do their utmost at
the moment.
The Prime Minister believes that
the spring?s conference has to include the new adjustment procedures, i.e. No one should fool themselves into thinking that the only problem Finland currently faces
is an economic crisis. We take
a look at the best, and worst,
performers of the year.
See page 9
Finland to face big
questions in the spring
pity, because cuts are no way to create new working positions.?
Katainen did not take a stand on
individual proposals, such as the
proposal from the Confederation of
Finnish Industries (EK) to increase
weekly working hours by 2.5 hours
or to lower corporate manager wages. He says that the objective
is to reach a shared understanding
of the Finnish economy?s prospects,
so that solutions for the reform of
working life could be reached.
?Hopefully we can ?nd a shared
understanding of the gravity of our
situation. H T
UPCOMING spring will be
marked by highly important questions in terms of Finland?s future,
says Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen
(NCP) in Yle?s Prime Minister?s radio
interview programme last Sunday.
Answers for these questions will
be sought this week, when Katainen
meets with labour market organisations. Knut, on 13 January,
which marks the end of Christmas.
The declaration mentions that
breaking the peace of Christmas
through illegalities or misbehaviour
will be punished as an aggravated
offence according to the law.
Nowadays the declaration is
more of a gesture than a law, as the
Centuries-old custom
marks the beginning of
the season of goodwill.
Being Santa, 24/7
Timo Alarik Pakkanen has been
playing the role of Santa for over
50 years
You can submit your articles to viewpoint@helsinkitimes.fi.
Articles should be at least 5,000 characters-with-spaces long (maximum length 10,000). People today have the
same need as previous generations to ?nd meaning in
life and existential assurance for the future, but the
established congregations
are often deemed too stale
and old-fashioned.
cle I will re?ect on the Finns
relation to Christmas celebrations with the help of one
of our most beloved Christmas carols, Giv mig ej glans
(Give me no splendour) with
text from Zacharias Topelius and music from Jean
Sibelius.
BUT THE picture is more
multi-faceted than that.
Even though Finnish society has become more secular, and despite the fact that
the multicultural impulses
have grown more in?uential
even in our remote corner of
Europe, surprisingly many
Finns still choose to baptise
their children and bury their
late loved ones in church.
And even though the number
of members in congregations
has fallen, most Finns still
GIVE ME
THE TALE of the birth of baby
Jesus is so familiar to many
of us that, for every year that
passes, it can become more
dif?cult to ?nd anything new
in it. Children often stand at
the centre of Christmas celebrations. I believe, however,
that the Christmas carols, as
well as the Christmas gospel
itself, appeal to us and touch
us year after year because we
recognise something deeply humane in the events they
tell of: the human vulnerability and longing for light in
the darkness. A small
child seeks the reassurance
of its mother or father?s hand
when it takes its ?rst steps,
and when it falls and hurts
itself, it wants to be held and
comforted. When we celebrate
Christmas, we build upon the
Christmases we?ve experienced in the past. 2
VIEWPOINT
20 DECEMBER . The traditions create continuity and
help us feel fellowship with
older generations. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
Viewpoints are commentaries written by experts and authorities about specific topics. Helsinki Times reserves the right to accept or reject submissions, as well as to edit or shorten the text.
The opinions expressed in this section are the writers. Give me a home in my
native land and the light of
God?s word!
Björn Vikström is a Doctor of Theology and the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church?s Bishop of the Swedishspeaking Diocese of Porvoo.
Christmas traditions in a secular time
Christmas is a time
full of expectations,
memories and
dreams.
feels true and real for oneself. A simpler Christmas
does not mean that we need
to leave out all the Christmas greetings, decorations
and gifts, but we could consciously try to ?nd durable
gifts, which give joy and are
actually needed. When
this is allowed to happen, we
realise that the Christmas
gospel is not simply a tale
about a lost time but a testimony of how God interacts
with our world even today.. own and do not represent the official policy of the Helsinki Times.
GIVE me a home in my native land, a tree surrounded
by children, An evening in the
light with the word of the Lord
and darkness all around! Give
me a place to live in peace,
with joyful trust, hope and
faith. In this arti-
in a poor stable stands in
sharp contrast to the luxury found in King Herod?s palace, where according to the
Bible the three wise men ?rst
sought the newborn baby Jesus. The risk is
that the worth of Christmas
is measured by how many
or how expensive the gifts
that we buy our children and
grandchildren are. I
believe it is possible to simplify our Christmas celebrations without upsetting
anyone. This is completely appropriate, as everything
begins with a small child?s
birth in a stable outside Bethlehem. When Jesus was growing up he continued to place children at the
centre. It also does
not mean a Christmas without a Christmas meal, but
we would do well by encouraging each other to moderation during Christmas as well.
It is not the abundance that
spreads the Christmas spirit and makes others merrier,
but instead the notion that
someone has made the effort
and taken the time to carefully prepare the Christmas
meal. They speak of white
Christmases, merry children,
family unity and Christmas
peace, which can feel like daydreams. It speaks of our
own longing for God to interfere in our reality, so that, like
the shepherds, we ourselves
can see God?s love become visible. He told his disciples:
?unless you turn and become
like children, you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven.?
ONE QUALITY that children
might need to teach us adults
is the ability to accept help
when it is needed. Our
postmodern society emphasises individual freedom and
perhaps even the responsibility to form our identity
and view on life ourselves.
The choices of former generations are questioned and instead one is drawn to what
BUT
no splendour, gold
or pomp at blessed Christmastide. Give me God?s glory,
a host of angels, and peace
on all the earth! Give me a
feast that will best please the
King I have invited as guest!
Give me no splendour, gold
or pomp, give me a host of
angels.
verse expresses
one of the biggest paradoxes in our Christmas celebration: the birth of baby Jesus
THE FIRST
Christmas is the same every year,
but our celebrations vary. But the
joy in children?s eyes cannot
be bought and neither can the
right Christmas atmosphere.
It instead comes to life when
people have the time to be together and enjoy each other?s
company without the pressure or the expensive gifts.
If you ask children what they
want most for Christmas, the
answer is often for every-
CHILDREN
body to be together. In the same way there
is an obvious tension between the desire for a simple and peaceful Christmas
as expressed in the song,
and the commercialised
one we ?nd in the shops and
advertisements.
I BELIEVE that one reason
why this song is still beloved today is that the peacefulness it symbolises is needed
as a counterweight for today?s stressful and hectic
lifestyle.
THAT sense of Christmas
peace can in many cases
seem dif?cult to achieve, as
the days before Christmas
are instead ?lled with intense preparations: Christmas cards need to be sent,
gifts must be bought, food
prepared and the house
cleaned.
HERE one can critically assess
whether many Christmas carols actually depict an ideal
that is almost impossible to
live up to. The Christmas
gospel is the same, but our questions
and wishes differ.
think it desirable for schools
to celebrate Christmas and
other holidays by reading the
Bible and singing psalms.
IT SEEMS like Finns today
have a love-hate relationship
with Christian traditions: on
the one hand, people want
to mark their freedom from
them; on the other hand, they
miss the sense of fellowship
and continuity that the traditions help create. The Christmas
gospel is the same, but our
questions and wishes differ.
Christmas promises salvation, joy and peace from God
in both heart and home. According to the Bible, this was an expression of
God?s love: God did not want
to stay distanced in a heaven unreachable for us, and
instead appears here with
a message of salvation and
hope for the future. Jesus thought
that mankind?s relationship
with God should be similar.
are at the same
time objects for the commercialisation that Christmas
has undergone. Recipes of
pastries and meals, as well
as Christmas decorations
and songs, can be passed on
to remind us that there is
something lasting in an everchanging world.
CHRISTMAS
it is no longer self-evident for young people today
to pass on the traditions. But for real change to become possible, we all need to
help out, in the same way that
a good Christmas at home is
only possible if you prepare it
together.
??A TREE surrounded by children.. But on the other hand, it
is not a new revelation that
we want to experience during Christmas, but the joy of
familiarity.
is a time full of
expectations, memories and
dreams. In the more simpli?ed
celebration the unifying love
becomes more visible.
CHRISTMAS is the same every
year, but our Christmas celebrations vary. In a time
when the daily lives of families are often a rush between
school, work and different
hobbies, it becomes more important for Christmas to act
as an exception.
TO HIGH , to low, to rich, to
poor, come, blessed Christmas peace, Come with childlike happiness and warm
heart in the world?s wintertime! You alone, who never
change, come, my Lord and
King! To high, to low, to rich,
to poor, come with happiness
and warm heart.
CHILDLIKE happiness and
warm heart: The simple
Christmas joy is not created
by the diversity of food and
gifts presented, but stems
from fellowship and care
If
anything seems unclear,
an external audit can be
organised.
According to Helsingin
Sanomat, the Foreign Ministry?s monitoring and evaluation process revealed that,
when funds had been misused, the money had most often been spent in a way not
speci?ed in the agreement
or had gone to line someone?s
pocket.
Application period January 7-25, 2013
Guidelines and application form: www.haaga-helia.?/aokk/en
For further information:
HAAGA-HELIA School of Vocational Teacher Education
opehaku@haaga-helia.?
040 488 7521 and 040 488 7520
Ratapihantie 13, 00520 Helsinki
Christmas Peace is declared in the city of Turku . At this stage,
the project may be terminated or the plans changed. After the declaration, one
can quiet down to enjoy the
spirit of Christmas. We can?t
go there every week to check
on things,. Heidi Hautala, however, states that accepting a
certain level of risk is part of
development aid work.
According to the ministry,
16 cases of suspected misuse of funds came to its attention last year. Despite changes in
the traditions of Christmas,
hundreds of thousands of
Finns still gather round every year at noon 24 December
to hear the declaration.
With the changing times
and traditions and the diminished criminal law aspect, why
do people still pay attention to
the Christmas peace and its
declaration. explains UnderSecretary of State Anne Sipiläinen from the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs.
Teaching good governance methods, such as reporting practices, is part of
development aid. In at least
six of these cases, aid money proved to have been misspent, amounting to a loss
of 415,000 euro. If proper
documentation and receipts
do not exist, further reports
may be requested or local organisations contacted for the
required information.
Heidi Hautala believes that accepting a certain level of risk is part of development aid work.
Monitoring starts
at planning stage
The risks involved in a project are estimated at the planning stage and the conditions
of an agreement or reporting
requirements may be adjusted accordingly. The organisations,
however, deny any misuse of
funds. DOMESTIC
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . Regular visits are also made to locations
to check all the areas of development aid, from the management of ?nances to the
realisation of the project.
?Of course the assumption is that once an agree-
APPLY
7.?25.1.
2013
ment has been made, it will
also be adhered to. a tradition dating back to the time when Turku
was Finland?s capital.. Each
project will also undergo a ?nal evaluation in which adherence to the agreement
and also the realisation of
Continues from page 1
declaration of Christmas Peace in its current form
dates back to 1827, when the
secretary of the register of?ce had to rewrite it from his
memory, because the original had burned in the Great
Fire of Turku. says Sipiläinen.
Halfway through a project, its progress will be evaluated to see that all the goals
are being met. Somalia is consistently
listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Last year in total, Finland
gave just under 1.1 billion euro as development aid.
Hundreds of thousands of
Finns mark Christmas Peace
VILLE KOSKI
HELSINKI TIMES
The HAAGA-HELIA School of Vocational Teacher Education in Helsinki provides pedagogical
education for teachers who work or intend to work in vocational education.
the plans are assessed. The ceremony
itself hasn?t changed at all
since 1885, when the location
of the speech moved from
the town hall to the Old Market Square. Just as the
speech threatens those who
might interrupt the peace, it
also ends with a cheerful wish
for a joyful Christmas. Because of
these malpractices, 65,000
euro of aid money is being
recovered.
The number of misuse
cases also indicates that
monitoring is effective and
the ministry identi?es the
cases when the money is not
used in the way laid out in the
agreement.
All discrepancies in the
use of funds are looked into with the recipient of the
development aid. HT
CASES of development aid
money being misspent are
rarely actual crimes, according to the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs. The newspaper?s information came from
a source in the ministry.
Speaking at a press conference held by the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs, Minister
for International Development Heidi Hautala (Greens)
said the ?gure is the result of
probability calculations and
is not based on any actual
cases.
Sauli Heinimaa, Senior
Auditor from the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs, told the paper
that Finland should be more
vigilant in its monitoring of
development aid in the target
countries. From the Finnish point
of view, this is a breach of
agreement,. Often it
turns out to be a question of
a more lax attitude towards
the terms of agreement than
is expected by the Finnish
authorities.
?The money is put to good
use, but not to the one agreed
on with the Finnish authorities. Musical pieces
A Mighty Fortress, Maamme
and Porilaisten Marssi were
added in 1903 and have been
THE
VOCATIONAL
TEACHER EDUCATION
Basic requirements: In most cases a relevant university or polytechnic degree and a minimum
of three years of work experience in the vocational ?eld corresponding to the degree.
sung at the ceremony ever
since.
The event was broadcast
live on the radio for the ?rst
time in 1935, televised in
1983 and since 2006 it has also been available live on the
Internet. Perhaps it is because even though the content
and meaning of the declara-
tion has changed over the centuries, the values it symbolises
are still as current as ever.
Many of us know that modern Christmas can be a desperately stressful time with
having to buy the right presents, decorate the house and
prepare the food, so the declaration may mark the of?cial
slowing down on Christmas
Eve. And
in the end, that is just what
Christmas is all about, slowing
down and enjoying.
L E H T I K U VA / RO N I L E H T I
IN HAAGA-HELIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
The extent of vocational teacher education is 60 credit points and the 1,5 year long part-time
studies will start in May 2013.
The paper reported that
some organisations of Somali
background have been found
to have shortcomings in their
accounting practices, with
some receipts missing altogether. The most
common reason behind the
misuse of funds is a lack of
knowledge about correct
accounting practices for
example.
Helsingin Sanomat reported last Tuesday that,
based on the monitoring by
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, roughly 10 million euro
worth of aid money is misused annually. 2 JANUARY 2013
3
L E H T I K U VA / RO N I R E KO M A A
Aid Minister clarifies
report?s accusations
Ministry for Foreign Affairs corrects inaccurate information on the
misuse of aid to developing countries.
PÄIVI PIHLAJARINNE ?ST T
NIINA WOOLLEY
?Some
have more money than before, whereas those uncertain of their employment
situation strive to reduce
spending,. Yet, six in
ten of the over 1,000 respondents said their holiday spending will remain
at last year?s levels, while
a quarter voiced the intention to cut spending. known across the
world to adults and children alike.
Pupils at Meri-Rastila elementary school attended multicultural festive celebrations last Saturday morning.
Sitting down together
at one Christmas table
East Helsinki elementary school makes festive celebrations that
welcome all backgrounds.
TA N I A A N D E R S O N
HEL SINKI TIMES
TIS THE season. Sometimes called Saint
Nicholas, or simply Santa, the jovial old man sets off from his
home in Korvatunteri on Christmas Eve and . (Are
there any well-behaved children here?), before distributing gifts
to the children who are present.
Santa Claus has a particularly busy time all year round,
with his post box at his Rovaniemi workshop receiving some
600,000 letters from young children each year. According to
the Danish bank, economic recovery is due in
2014, when also the eurozone economy is expected to rebound. 4
DOMESTIC
20 DECEMBER . and a Finnish school,
even during Christmas.
As such, Kuosmanen and
her staff have chosen to celebrate Christmas together
with their pupils in a non-religious manner.
?You have to decide
whether you want school to
be a religious place or not,?
explains Kuosmanen.
This year, the school
chose the theme ?A Different Christmas. When Santa arrives to Finnish homes on Christmas Eve
he says in his native Finnish ?Onkos täällä kilttejä lapsia?. explains
Kuosmanen.
Last year, Kuosmanen
tells, the traditional nativity play took the form of a story-telling event at the end
of the Christmas presentations, to allow those families who didn?t wish to attend
this part of program to leave
discreetly. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
M E R I - R A S T I L A E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L
COLUMN
Deployment
only at UN?s
request, Haglund
maintains
According to Finland?s
Minister of Defence, Carl
Haglund (SFP), Finland
can only consider the deployment of special forces
to Syria upon the United
Nation?s request. From ?how to celebrate
Christmas alone. visits Finnish children first, before setting out to visit all the other children in the world over the course of a very busy
evening. 60%
M AR T TI K AINUL AINEN
View details and this week?s question at www.helsinkitimes.fi.
Who:
Joulupukki (aka Santa Claus)
From:
Korvatunturi
Known for:
Being the most famous person
from Finland . While most immigrants to Finland come from
Estonia, Russia and Somalia, an increasing number of
Thai, Chinese and Iraqi families and individuals are also ?nding their way to this
northern land.
Director of the national
Parents. he says.. With Christmas soon upon us, many
schools in Finland are questioning the necessity of
holding school Christmas
celebrations that are ?rmly
rooted in Christian ritual, attempting to re?ect the fact
that classrooms are gradually becoming increasingly
ethnically diverse.
In accordance with Finnish law, each school can decide
how to celebrate the seasonal
festivities . Some 57 per cent
of its student population is
of immigrant origin, with 15
mother tongues and a majority of Sunni-Muslim faith,
most of whom are secondgeneration Finnish residents.
Boasting of the establishment?s multicultural features,
school principal Merja Kuosmanen explains that her
school is both an ?intra-cultural. in the
early hours of Christmas morning to rest a little before starting to get ready again for next Christmas.
ings from Luke?s gospel and
the Christmas prayer, are
not part of Meri-Rastila?s
celebration of Christmas, a
church visit continues to be
organised for those who wish
to attend, along with their
parents. At worst, expectations of weak growth and
low interest rates ful?l
themselves, and the dynamism of the economy
deteriorates,. Christmas celebrations heading in a multicultural direction, Kurttila claims
that the issue is not whether
such celebrations are ?right
or wrong?, but rather about
?how to combine cultures in
schools?.
Unlike the populist rhetoric in Finland?s parliamentary elections, which has
tended to see Finland?s growing immigrant population as
a problem to be solved, Kurttila welcomes this phenomenon as a learning experience.
?This is an opportunity
for Finns to learn about other cultures, and for people of
other cultures to learn about
Finland,. says Anu Numminen, a private economist
at Nordea.
HT-STT
Danske foresees
delayed economic
recovery
Danske Bank foresees a
dif?cult year of growing
unemployment, booming
home prices, rising public
debt and current account
de?cit for the Finnish
economy. says chief
economist Pasi Kuoppamäki.
HT-STT
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Meteorologists have forecasted more snow to come.
Does snow bring you more trouble than joy
in your everyday life in Finland?
Yes . ?But everybody
stayed,. Kuosmanen advises.
?We are teaching our children normal decency.?
For Pekka Iivonen, the
Counsellor of Education of
the national Board of Education, the question of how
to celebrate Christmas in
schools ought also to be resolved simply:
?Only by celebrating
Christmas together will we
have the possibility to learn
Some students from the school participating in the show.
to live together in a Christian
country like Finland.?
Iivonen claims that the
biggest problem that might
segregate school children into Christian and non-Christian camps at Christmastime
is the Finnish legal system,
which allows opposing individuals choosing to opt out
of traditional rituals to lay
claim to alternative means of
celebrations.
?The best way would be
for people sit down at one
table during Christmas. ?Unusual ?scal
policy is associated with
risks. So
schools have to organise other events during this period,?
says Iivonen.
According to Statistics
Finland, the country?s immigrant population has been
growing at an annual rate of
5 per cent for the past decade with the arrival of foreigners, refugees and asylum
seekers. But
so many parents say, ?I don?t
want my child to take part
in Christian happenings?. as the basis
for the Christmas festivities. The bank?s
economists believe the
ECB will maintain low
key interest rates in an
attempt to curb Euribor rates. as is tradition in
Finland . or Joulupukki as he?s known in Finland . regarding
schools. 40%
No . Association Tuomas
Kurttila explained that the
question of multiculturalism
is a fairly new one in Finland.
?Finland is a big country and not a very multicultural one. We listen
very carefully to the parents
in such matters,. Kuosmanen pointed out.
?The key is to keep it simple,. A Helsingin Sanomat report on
Monday indicated that
the ministry is preparing
the deployment of an anti-chemical warfare ?eld
laboratory amidst fears
that the con?ict in Syria
might aggravate. This is quite a new
thing in Finland, that we are
learning how to all be involved in the process of integrating all the cultures living
in Finland. After finishing his duties, Santa returns to Korvatunteri
with Rudolph . to ?how
our neighbours might celebrate Christmas?, the children were encouraged to
re?ect upon the different
ways of celebrating Christmas in Finland, and then cocreate a Christmas program
with the staff to be presented last week to their parents.
While many Christianbased rituals, such as read-
M E R I - R A S T I L A E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L
Santa Claus . HT-STT
Nordea predicts
Christmas splurge
Finns are poised to bump
up Christmas spending
by 16 per cent from 2011,
to 573 euros per capita,
suggests a survey commissioned by the ?nancial services group Nordea
in November. Parents are a
large part of this process of
integration.?
Although the Parents. Association ?has not received
much feedback from immigrant parents. No decision on the deployment
has therefore been made,
he maintains. called Petteri Punakuono in Finland . to prepare for his busiest night of the
year. is quite
easily Finland?s most famous citizen. Those children of
non-Christian background
who are curious about the
church service have to get
permission from their parents before attending.
?This is such a delicate
and personal issue. Luckily he has
plenty of help from his wife Joulumuori and his little helpers ?
who are called Tonttu . whether it be in
a non-denominational multicultural fashion, or by holding
separate events for children
of non-Christian faiths while
their Christian counterparts
are ushered off to Lutheran
church-held services.
While the phenomenon of
trimming Christian elements
away from Yuletide celebrations in schools during the
build-up to the Christmas holidays has caused quite a media stir in recent years among
education policy-makers and
politicians, schools have to
take a much more pragmatic
approach to the issue.
At Meri-Rastila Elementary school, bustling and
ebullient corridors contain
happy kids from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Located in Rastila, one
of Helsinki?s poorest North-
eastern suburbs, Meri-Rastila is estimated to be the
most ethnically mixed school
in Finland
HT-STT
5. Helsinki Times are interested in seeing your best, or funniest, shots of everyday life
around Helsinki.
If you would like to share your best snaps with us, please
email them to amanda@helsikitimes.fi.
On Monday, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen (NCP)
and the Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen refused to comment on the
government?s stance on
the loan plea by STX Finland to secure a signi?cant
cruise ship order. A report by
MTV3 on Monday night,
claimed the loan sought
by the company now exceeds the 50 million euros
cited in public, as several
investors are re-considering their commitment to
the project. DOMESTIC
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . Finns currently conduct
some 25 million Google
searches per day. and that the tunnel would
be lackluster without them.
On 1 November a demonstration, organised through
Facebook, took place in Malmi
to show support to the grannies. Elsewhere, Yle
reported of ongoing negotiations with the Minister
of Economic Affairs Jan
Vapaavuori (NCP). ?We are a tightknit community and will help
each other with everything.
We have each other?s back.?
The whole commotion got
started from the old ladies?
simple decision to move indoors from the rain. Others
had set up a ?ea market at the
other end of the tunnel so we
grannies took over this side. To come to
a public place to knit and then
dare to sell the knit work too.
It?s almost like they are thinking ?Oh my, what on earth are
those grannies up to, coming
out of their hiding to the public?,. ?We used
to sell our products in the Malmi market square during the
summer, but when it started
L E H T I K U VA / J A R N O M E L A
E V G E N I E B O G DA N O V,
PA U L A T O I VA N E N
HEL SINKI TIMES
to rain last autumn we decided to take shelter here. Jari Anttila, the company?s chief
operating of?cer, similarly did not respond to
STT enquiries. tale that an illness
subsides after you get a fever,. 2 JANUARY 2013
PA U L A T O I VA N E N
COLUMN
Ministers
coy on STX loan
Eeva Uosukainen, originally from Sotkamo, has been holding a pair of knitting needles since she was a little girl.
Malmi grannies beat bureaucracy
The knitting grannies of Helsinki are back to business as usual
after drawing support from the public in the recent battle over the
location of their upstart businesses.
grannies (Kutojamummot, in Finnish), a group
of entrepreneurial old ladies
who sell their knitting and other handicrafts in the pedestrian tunnel at the Malmi train
station, were recently in the
spotlight due to an attempt to
put an end to their business.
The grannies suspect that
sellers from the nearby market
square were ?ling complaints
to the police and railway authorities in order to have the
grannies removed. says Uosukainen.
Fortunately for the grannies they were not left alone.
The public reacted strongly and their story made the
headlines of national media.
The bulk of comments in social networks underlined that
these old ladies embody the
real Helsinki . not the touristtrap tat seen in the city centre
. The wintry
conditions have promoted
the sales of sports equipments, shoes, clothing and
winter beers for example.
In addition, the federation reminds, Christmas
sales typically do not peak
until the last week before
Christmas.
HT-STT
Laatunen
appointed as EK
labour market
director
After a career spanning ?ve
decades at the Confederation of Finnish Industries
(EK) and its predecessor,
Lasse Laatunen has been
appointed as the new labour market director at
EK, effective immediately.
Elsewhere, EK?s deputy director general Jukka Ahtela
and the director of innovations Timo Kekkonen have
been reassigned to temporary project assignments.
Ahtela played a key role in
last autumn?s negotiations
resulting in the framework agreement, which
has come under heavy criticism.
HT-STT
Robin and fever
rock Google
Zeitgeist charts
Surprisingly, the search
phrase ?how to get a fever?
became one of the most
popular Google search
phrases in Finland in 2012,
indicates Google Zeitgeist,
the annual list of popular
searches and search trends.
?The reason must be the old
wives. Shortly after city of?cials
agreed to let the grannies keep
their spot and even stated that
the grannies bring safety and
liveliness to the city.
?The public have been
great, giving us such positive
feedback. It is not forbidden for
others to come either.?
Yle suspends
programmes
amid dwindling
revenue
Yle has had to put selected
programmes on extended Christmas break due to
dwindling licence fee revenue prior to the adoption
of the Yle tax at the beginning of next year, Ilta-Sanomat and Turun Sanomat
write. speculates Jan Schugk,
the chief medical of?cer at
the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). Uosukainen sees this
as a positive change as people now have more to choose
from and she welcomes everyone to set up shop.
She even welcomes the
ones initially responsible for
the trouble with the authorities, ?Those grannies should
just start knitting and come
here to sell their products,
I say. Elsewhere, however, the sales
meet or even exceed expectations, the federation
highlights. The national broadcasting company will also
borrow 80 million euros
to cope with running expenses. The authorities then accused the grannies
of unlicensed trading and cluttering up the pedestrian area.
Eeva Uosukainen, one of
the grannies, explains that
they are simply old ladies
with a hobby. People passing by
will stop and congratulate us
and I have even gotten a pair of
knitting needles made out of
bamboo as a gift from a fan,?
Uosukainen says with a laugh.
Uosukainen explains that
originally there were three
kutojamumot. Elsewhere, popular queries
include the internet-related terms instagram, paypal, twitter, blog and java.
In the spirit of the time,
the teenage music sensation Robin was the most
searched for Finn, followed
by rapper Petri Nygård and
the Greens. HT-STT
Jimmy Litardo took this picture of a group of women in costumes singing Spanish Christmas carols outside Sörnäinen
metro station.
According to the Federation of Finnish Commerce,
the Christmas sales of
electronic appliances are
lower than anticipated.
The weak sales ?gures are
particularly surprising
in light of the number of
new products unleashed
by smartphone and tablet manufacturers. ?I have been
knitting ever since I?ve been
able to hold a pair of knitting
needles and will continue doing so as long as I am breathing. She also
adds that in other countries
it is quite common to see
women selling their knitting.
?I have traveled quite a
lot, and whenever you go outside of Finland, it is a part of
THE KNITTING
the culture that older women work on their handicrafts
and sell their products on the
streets, but God forbid that a
Finnish granny has the audacity to do the same. It
was as simple as that.?
After the grannies made
their bold move, others
jumped on the bandwagon,
and now you can ?nd everything from Christmas cards
to jewellery being sold in the
tunnel. According to Atte
Jääskeläinen, the director
of news and current affairs at Yle, the need for
belt-tightening was recognised in the summer,
when revenue ?ows from
licence fees began to deteriorate.
HT-STT
Electronics
sales falter
Colourful and expertly knitted woollen socks sold by the grannies at Malmi station.
HELSIKI TIMES
Readers
pictures
In today?s world of camera phones it seems nearly anyone
can be a press photographer. It is my passion.. presidential
candidate Pekka Haavisto
Computer Networks
and Security
. H T
M I A P E LT O L A ,
J A N N E H U U S KO N E N . however . 12 February 2013:
Bachelor?s Degree, daytime studies
. 6
CRIME
20 DECEMBER . The victim was, for example, hit several times, held
under a cold shower for tens of
minutes, yelled at, oppressed
and forced to stay in a con?ned space lined with plastic. They have proven rather forgetful in interrogations, but the course of
events in the shop is quite
clear.?
For the three suspects in
custody, the case will be referred to a prosecutor for
consideration of charges;
the whereabouts of the other
two remain unknown.
Couple face 11 years for cruelty
current violence, which occurred between last year?s
November and this year?s
March. ?These people made every attempt to leave no traces
in Finland. Information Technology
Master?s Degree
. Construction and Real
Estate Management
. The father
of the child was condemned
to 11 years imprisonment
earlier this year.
Both accused were found
guilty of aggravated assault
and aggravated deprivation
of liberty over torture-like re-
Cannonball
members
remain
in police
custody
L E H T I K U VA / K I M M O M Ä N T Y L Ä
ON 11 DECEMBER,
documents indicate. although under 35-yearold women remain the
typical victims of sexual
harassment. H T
J A N N E H U U S KO N E N ,
T O M I O R AVA I N E N . The survey,
conducted by Statistics
Finland, canvassed the
views of 1,587 respondents between January and
March.
HT-HS
Environmental
crooks get off
the hook
Three men robbed a jewellery shop in Malmi in January 2011.
The majority of environmental crimes are never reported to the police,
suggests a recent study.
Moreover, suspicions of environmental crimes seldom
lead to criminal charges
due to legislative ambiguities, states Arto Hankilanoja, the chair of the Police
Administration Unit?s environmental crime group.
Hankilanoja calls for
the inscription of numerical limits to environmental
permits, and the speci?cation of the roles of the environmental authorities
and the police. Health Business Management
. Industrial Management
Studies begin in the autumn 2013
For more information, go to
metropolia.fi/apply
Business, Culture, Health Care and Social Services, Technology
the District Court of Helsinki sentenced a 28-year-old woman
to 11 years. HT-STT
Gender Equality
Barometer charts
Finns. In addition,
the prosecution has requested the extradition of the Es-
Police raided the Cannonball premises in Helsinki on 27 November.
tonian suspects in the case to
Finland.
November?s raids, conducted as part of an investigation into a prior discovery of
amphetamine, led to the seizure of automatic ?rearms.
Jari Räty, the of?cer in charge
of the investigation, however,
refuses to reveal any details
of the operation on grounds
of the ongoing interrogations.
?It is best not to have the details in public knowledge.?. According to
Larkio, the jewellery shop
had been monitored in advance, and the escape route
had been carefully mapped
out. The
Helsinki court issued a brief
statement indicating the
outlines of the case, which
. H T
ST T
FOLLOWING a massive police
operation in late November,
six members of the Cannonball Motorcycle Club remain
in police custody. attitudes
to sex crimes
Nine in ten men and women in Finland consider
penalties for rape lenient,
indicates the Ministry of
Social Affairs and Health?s
Gender Equality Barometer, which charts the development of gender equality
and associated attitudes.
The barometer also ?nds that sexual harassment experienced by
men and over 55-year-old
women is on the increase
. A post mortem determined the cause of death as
a lethal dose of a substance
used to put down animals.
The defendant, Harri Sakari Ruokonen, contested all charges, but his
?ngerprints were discovered on the syringe attached to a cannula in
the victim?s ankle. within only a few minutes . Information Technology
Specialisation Studies /
Non-Degree Programmes
. Emergency and Critical Care Nursing
. Currently,
a court cannot impose a
penalty for emissions, if an
administrative fee has already been ordered by the
authorities.
HT-STT
Three detained for Finland?s
largest jewellery robbery
Two suspects of the sophisticated jewellery heist remain at large.
A L E K S I T E I VA I N E N . imprisonment
for subjecting her 5-year-old
stepdaughter to cruelty, IltaSanomat reports. ?We are under the impression that they
were acting on their own
account. does not shed
light on how it began to unravel or the measures taken
by authorities.
A L E K S I T E I VA I N E N . The suspects, held under suspicions
of amphetamine traf?cking
and ?rearm offences, include
both senior gang members
and new recruits. S T T
THE DISTRICT COURT of Helsinki has detained three men
on suspicion of the largest
jewellery heist in Finnish legal
history, following the conclusion of the police?s preliminary
investigation on 10 December.
International arrest warrants
for an additional two suspects
have also been issued, Jukka
Larkio, the of?cer in charge of
the investigation revealed.
The sophisticated heist
took place in Helsinki on a
Saturday morning in January
2011, when three men in balaclavas barged into a jewellery shop in Malmi.
The trio tied up customers and staff with cable ties,
and . Industrial Management
. That is why the in-
vestigation took such a long
time,. Consequently, both suspects confessed to a number of charges
in court. Business Informatics
. S T T
CLOSER TO WORKING LIFE
Study in English at Metropolia - Act now!
Application period 7 January . Larkio said.
After the robbery, a ?fth
gang member transported the gang through Tornio
to Stockholm, whereon two
suspects embarked on a ship
to Riga and two on a ship to
Tallinn.
Meanwhile, the loot of
nearly 15 kilos of gold rings
and chains suitable for melting remains unaccounted for,
Larkio admits. took roughly three
million euro worth of jewellery before ?eeing the scene
through the back door, leaving behind broken showcases and bruised victims.
In the snow outside, a geta-
way driver was waiting in a
dark grey family saloon, the
tyre tracks of which disappeared in the snow by the
?rst intersection.
The suspects had entered
the country with false travel documents a few days before the heist. According to the court, the
victim was utterly defenceless and dependent on the accused due to her young age.
Evidence against the couple was extracted principally from their own recordings,
with a total running length
of over 61 hours, the court?s
A L E K S I T E I VA I N E N . 10 programmes in Business, Health Care and Social Services, Technology
Application period 4 March - 9 April 2013:
Bachelor?s Degree, evening studies
. He ?ed
the scene soon after her
death with a bottle containing the drugs. A psychological examination requested by the
female defendant found her
fully criminally responsible.
Documents of the trial, which was held behind
closed doors, were sealed
classi?ed for 40 years. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / M A R T T I K A I N U L A I N E N
COLUMN
Man jailed for
girlfriend?s
manslaughter
On Monday, 17 December,
the District Court of Kymenlaakso sentenced a
44-year-old man to eight
years and six months imprisonment for the manslaughter of his girlfriend
in a rented cabin in Iitti,
southern Finland last summer
20 DECEMBER . This change also facilitates nighttime traffic and improves driver safety, as ticket sales and cash handling are
reduced.
At the moment, season tickets are not valid during the
night fare hours, and those
traveling with them also need
to purchase a night fare single ticket or a Travel Card value ticket.
Direct debit season tickets
and free tickets are an exception, and are also valid during
the night fare hours.
The Culture Tram is going out
The Culture Tram service is terminating. The
bus departs from the Postitalo
stop in Postikatu (on the Sokos
side) every 20 minutes from
10.40am to 4pm. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
The night fare will no
longer apply to those
traveling on a season ticket
Next year, HSL?s loyal customers, i.e. The
customer service number 09
4766 4000 will provide information on public transport routes,
timetables and fares. The price
of a single ticket purchased
from the driver will increase by
10 cents, to 2.80 euro.
Starting from the beginning of 2013, season tickets
will also be valid during the
night fare hours, from 2am to
4.30am. The loyal customers
of public transport will therefore be able to travel on the
same ticket at any time of
day. The minibus service
24X will operate between the
Central Railway Station Square
and Hietaniemi cemetery. After Christmas, the
tram service number 5 will no
longer operate. You can also enquire regarding a lost Travel Card from this number.
The customer service number will operate Mon?Fri 7am to
7pm and Sat?Sun 9am to 5pm.
The old info service in number
0100 111 will be discontinued.
Tram service 6T
starts operating
to the West Terminal
Changes in the
routes for bus
services 16 and 55
Starting January 12th, the West
Terminal can be reached by tram
6T on weekends. Most public transport fares will rise slightly
in the beginning of the year.
Transport
services over Christmas
On Christmas Eve, HSL will operate on Saturday schedules until about 4pm, after which all the
services will terminate. those using a
season ticket, will no longer have to pay a separate
night fare. The
new route goes through Liisankatu,
Pohjoisranta and Hakaniemen silta.
The departure times for both services will remain the same, but the
stop-speci?c timetables will see
minor changes.
7. After this there will again be a direct
service from Koskela to Hakaniemi.
After the change, the bus service 55/55K will operate through
Hakaniemi and Merihaka, on the
route
Unioninkatu?Pitkäsilta?Siltasaarenkatu?Hakaniemenranta?
Haapaniemenkatu.
The bus service 16 will begin operating through Kruununhaka. The service will
operate from Arabia on the tram 6
route, via the Railway Station and
Bulevardi to Hietalahti, from which
it continues towards Jätkäsaari on
the tram 9 route.
The tram 6T will be operating
during ship arrival and departure
times on Saturdays, from about
4pm to 8pm, and on Sundays, from
about 4.30pm to 10pm.
When the new service starts, the
additional service 9X, which has
been operating since November,
will terminate. The West Terminal
can also still be reached with the
tram 9, which operates from ItäPasila to the Central Railway Station and via Kamppi to the terminal.
Starting from the beginning of next
year, there will be changes in the
routes of bus services 55/55K and
16 between the Central Railway
Station and Sörnäisten rantatie. Detailed information regarding transport services over
Christmas: www.hsl.?
After the turn of the year, the
internal 30-day ticket will cost
a little under two euros more,
a total of 45.90 euro. The Culture
Tram car can no longer continue, as it is inefficient and constantly slows down other tram
services.
In addition, a number of malfunctions have turned up in
the old car, and performances have had to be canceled
when the vehicle has been under maintenance.
One number for all telephone services
Starting on 7 January, HSL?s
phone services will be combined under one number. The Suomenlinna
ferry, however, will already start
operating in the morning. The
Suomenlinna ferry will operate
the entire day, until the last departures in the night.
Additional services to cemeteries will be operating on Christmas Eve. The commuter train services will, however, operate at a reduced frequency until about 5.30pm. Commuter trains operate at reduced
intervals before 11am.
The nighttime departures of
commuter trains will be operated
on the night following Christmas
Day. On Christmas
Eve, the bus service 24 will not
operate via Hietaniemi, but directly along Mechelininkatu.
On Christmas Day, the services start at 11am and follow Sunday schedules
2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
T R A N S L AT E D B Y A N N I K A R A U TA KO U R A
L E H T I K U VA / V E S A M O I L A N E N
ILTASANOMAT 10 December
Thus Russians park
their cars . ?One can?t always
succeed.. This is due to the fact
that only information on the
severest crimes is entered
into a criminal record and
old information is removed
from the record. It is not enough to park a
car in a parking spot for the disabled, for example, but it is also parked on the central line.
The blog contains several similar cases.
A Russian-registered 4-wheel drive Volvo parked across two
spaces in a Lappeenranta parking lot.
HELSINGIN SANOMAT 16 December
Fin n i s h fo r Fo re i gne r s
Russia?s enthusiasm
for espionage increasing
?THE INTELLIGENCE agencies
of Finland, Sweden and Estonia are concerned with Russia?s Federal Security Service
FSB?s increasing interest in
tempting citizens of other
countries as spies.
A few years back Herman
Simm, former Chief of Estonia?s Defence Ministry?s Security Department in charge
of Estonia?s Nato secrets, was
seized in Estonia. He had conveyed secrets to Russia?s Foreign Intelligence Service SVR
for twelve years.
When the Soviet Union?s
legendary national security
agency KGB was divided as
the country disintegrated,
foreign intelligence was intended to remain solely within the hands of SVR.
Finland, Sweden and Estonia?s security services
have observed that of?cials
and business men have been
recruited by FSB, and the
recruits travel to Russia. Head Director of KaPo
Raivo Aeg says, but does not
reveal ?gures.
Supo has entries in two
annual reports of Finnish of?cials and business men being victim of ?increasingly
aggressive. This basically refers to Russia.
KaPo tells of its own employees having been tempted likewise, but neither Supo
nor Säpo con?rm or deny
this. He soon received several assistants for
the blog, as friends and random readers began to send
their own observations for
inspection.?
?A LAPPEENRANTA-BASED com-
TURUN SANOMAT 16 December
One in two has been a suspect of crime
?ALMOST half of all thirtyyear-olds have been a suspect in a crime. Finnish
blog became a hit
with the Eastern
neighbour
It all began when Jesse
Mäkinen, a programme engineer from Lappeenranta got
fed up with Russian drivers
parking their cars randomly
in his home town. 8
FROM FINNISH PRESS
20 DECEMBER . This is why
the study looks at entries on
criminal suspicion, which are
extensively fed into the electronic police register.
Criminal suspicion does
not deal with third-degree
traf?c violations. Based on
previous surveys, the most
common crimes are property
crimes and traf?c violations.
?Our material covers a wide
range of property crimes,
from shoplifting to economic
crimes,. The
study con?rms that crime is
predominantly a male phenomenon: only a third of
women have been suspects
in crime, while the corresponding ?gure for men is
over 60 per cent.
The study is part of an entity run by Professor of Children?s Psychiatry André
Sourander from the University of Turku.?
N J E T PA R K E R I N G
Robberies from stores . According to Estonia?s Security
Police (KaPo) FDB has targeted also KaPo?s employees
who work against espionage.
Apparently this also includes
the Finnish and Swedish Security Services. like this one in Helsinki . This is revealed by a
study the University of Turku.
?Most deeds have been relatively minor, but they have
all lead to contact with the police, Postdoctoral Researcher
Henrik Elonheimo points out.
Respondents include almost
6,000 women and men born
in 1981. Their data regarding
criminal suspicions have been
collected until age 30.
Information on verdicts
has not been used, and they
are not easily attained in any
case. would be among the more serious crimes that younger people may have been suspected of.
puter programme engineer
got sick of Russian drivers
who randomly park cars in his
home town. says Director-General and Chief of Säpo, Anders
Thornberg.?. In their annual reports
and information events they
speak of FSB?s recruitment
activities in general, but
Finnish and Swedish intelligence services have most
likely also been targets for
FSB.
?The role of FSB is disconcerting, for it has grown.
Security police are of interest to FSB, but we don?t
want to comment on any recruitment activity by FSB in
Säpo,. Elonheimo says.
Most become suspects in
crime just once, and a small
number of people commit
most crimes recorded. Mäkinen
started to take photos of the
Russian cars with his camera
and gave them a blog named
Njet Parkering. This year we have
uncovered over 30 per cent
more attempts of approach
when compared with last
year,. f i
Institute of Adult Education in Helsink i
Helsingin aikuisopisto
Tö ö l ö nt u l l i n k at u 8 , 0 0 2 5 0 H e l s i n k i
Employees of the Finnish Security Service have reportedly been
approached by the Russian Federal Security Service.
Säpo respectively) employees. This is the motto in
a Finnish car blog, whose photo strip is dedicated to different
parking solutions in Lappeenranta. intelligence operations abroad. FSB has targeted diplomats and of?cials working
for Nato and EU in Brussels in
particular.
?Aggressiveness has increased. 44 per cent
of those born in 1981 hold entries for being criminal suspects. (Supo and
L E H T I K U VA / P E K K A S A K K I
Co m e a n d e nj oy
l ea rn i n g t h e e a s i e s t
language in the world!
S ee ou r vast an d abso lutely f abulous
co u r s e p ro g ra m m e !
h e l a o
Recent-
Finland?s worst performers
Glaston ??. We need
to encourage labour mobility and have increased ?scal
transfers from richer states to poorer. The company has been
bashed by plunging sales,
disappearing pro?ts, credit
rating downgrades and lukewarm reviews of its Lumia
line of smart devices. +358-9-616 621
info@hotelanna.fi
www.hotelanna.fi
Losers
The mining company Talvivaara has the worst-performing stock on the Helsinki
market this year. The best way to do this,
I think, is to link the of?cial retirement age with life
expectancy.
our capital markets. because there is
only one Crisis in Europe. The share
price grew strongly at the
start of the year, until it became clear expectations
might not be met as quickly
as some had hoped. The more individuals save, the less they will be dependent upon the
public retirement system.
8) ROOT out corruption. ?46.3%
Ruukki ??. For a country with ?no. So much depends
on capital, and our capital markets are dying. Consider it as
a suggested list of resolutions for our MPs.
PARLIAMENTARIANS
1) INTERVENE in collective bargaining. House ?44.4%
Outokumpu ?.. Entrepreneurs complain about the domestic venture capital market, and the Helsinki Stock Exchange seems to
be comatose. If they are too frightened
of the costs of adding staff, they won?t. Recently, nothing has worried me
more than seeing how our international competitiveness has been completely eroded by increasing labour
costs compared to our competitors.
2) OPEN up the labour markets. BUSINESS
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . The software ?rm
SSH Communications (formerly Tectia) is up 150 per
cent, while the automotive and wireless technology company Elektrobit has
climbed almost 74 per cent.
The Finnish icon Marimekko, a clothing and textiles
company, had the third highest return, at 65.3 per cent.
Marimekko has been expanding aggressively overseas, especially in Japan and
the United States. perceived corruption, we seem to have a lot of it. We have to do it at
some point, and it is better to do it now than wait until
we are staring into the ?nancial abyss. The best way to do this is to simplify tax
laws and lower tax rates for investors.
6) IMPROVE
7) ENCOURAGE private saving and investing via tax
law changes. But we could use the
money raised from their sale.
10) CUT wasteful spending. To do
this, we have to ?x the structural imbalances. Currently the company is trading for the probable value of
its patent portfolio, meaning
investors consider the rest of
the company worthless.
The telecommunications
?rm Elisa is the second most
popular company with about
204,000 Finnish households
owning shares. It will cost
suggestions for
us money, and we have to
our most pressing
get used to it.
economic problems
for our legislators.
sure we don?t
have another Crisis. There are simply too many favours being passed around in smoky rooms.
Returns through 26.11.2012
Cosy hotel in the heart of Helsinki
Annankatu 1, 00120 Helsinki
tel. Björn Wahlroos. I?ll use a capital ?C,. There is no other way around it, if we want
to keep the grand European experiment working. +62.4%
are on their long Christmas holiday, but soon they will be back and raring to go to work.
As I have done in previous years, I have put together a
list of some of our most pressing problems for the new
year and how I think they should be ?xed. ?44.4%
Trainers. ?rm
had a 28.5 per cent increase
in share price, helped in part
by Sampo?s one-?fth ownership in Nordea Bank. For the third
quarter, Elisa announced
pro?t little changed from a
year earlier. That?s right. The
ratings agency Standards &
Poors explains how their year
is progressing: ?In our view,
adverse industry conditions
have weakened Finnish power
generation company Fortum?s
pro?tability and operating
cash ?ow generation.?
The forestry conglomerate UPM Kymmene is the
fourth most commonly-held
stock, and it is down 1.7 per
cent this year. This will take a forgiveness
of Greek debt, and maybe the debt of other countries.
No one wants to admit
this, but this is the only
I have a few
way forward. In the next
round of national collective bargaining agreements,
we have to make sure wage increases are at or below
the in?ation rate. Since then it has
been able to claw upwards,
but year-to-date the index is
only up 5.2 per cent.
Most popular stocks
According to the Finnish
Foundation for Share Promotion, the most widely-held
Finnish company is the mobile phone manufacturer
Nokia. Over the past ?ve
years its earnings per share
has grown over 20 per cent
annually, and its stock has
climbed 133 per cent.
ly, it was especially hurt by a
leak of toxic materials which
shut down operations and
will prove extremely expensive to clean up.
The metals companies Ruukki and Outokumpu, which
specialise in chrome and
stainless steel respectively,
are both off more than 40 per
cent. ?48.3%
Talvivaara ?.. They are
forecasting strong sales and
pro?t growth this year.
Kone, the elevator manufacturer, has seen its share
price climb 40 per cent this
year. It is perhaps not
a coincidence that the share
price for Elisa is also little
changed for the year, being
up only a fraction of a per
cent.
The utility Fortum?s equity
price is down 16.5 per cent so
far this year, hurt by the overall economic situation. Finally, we need concrete assurances over member states?
budgets.
4) MAKE
5) INCREASE the retirement age. +65.3%
Konecranes?.. ?49.9%
Returns through 26.11.2012
9) SELL unnecessary state-owned companies. Jari Sarasvuo relinquished the CEO
position almost two years
ago, but still owns almost 30
per cent of the company.
Although this year has
not been stellar for most
share issues, it is still an improvement from 2011, when
the market was down 35
per cent. This will cost us
money, too. Why do
we need to own retail stores, airlines and insurance
companies. It surprised
investors with an unexpected fall in third quarter profit and announced that it may
be forced to close more paper
mills in Europe.
The insurance and investment company Sampo?s
77,000 Finnish owners are
probably more satis?ed with
2012. 2 JANUARY 2013
L E H T I K U VA / K I M M O M Ä N T Y L Ä
David J. We don?t need to subsidise
farmers to the extent we do, nor do we need to make
heavy-handed interventions in speci?c protected industries to subsidise them. In this era of uncertainty, we have to give them incentives to take risks.
3) FIX the Crisis. It is down
almost 50 per cent. The
market then began to decline into the summer, hitting its low point at about 10
per cent down from its January opening. They need to compete on
the global marketplace just like everyone else.
9. Cord david@helsinkitimes.fi
The writer is a journalist and columnist for Helsinki Times.
He is also a private investor with over ten years of experience.
New Year?s Resolutions 2013
Two technology companies were the best performers on the Helsinki stock exchange this year, SSH Communications (formerly Tectia) and Elektrobit.
2012 a lacklustre year
for Finnish investors
The Helsinki stock exchange showed no clear direction this year,
underlining a period of economic uncertainty.
DAV I D J . Slightly more
than half of listed companies
are down in share price, including the most widely-held
corporations.
The OMX Helsinki index started the year strong,
climbing about 16 per cent
until early in spring. +150%
Elektrobit ??. +73.7%
Marimekko ?. I suggest
appointing an independent investigator to look at ties
between politicians, political parties, organisations
and companies. We don?t. C O R D
HEL SINKI TIMES
INVESTORS in
Finnish stocks
are likely to experience an
insipid 2012. Outokumpu had a weaker third quarter than expected, but it plans to go ahead
with the major purchase of
ThyssenKrupp?s Inoxum unit,
which they optimistically
hope will yield cost savings.
The technology training
company Trainers House continues to struggle, being down
over 44 per cent for 2012 and
about 90 per cent since its
high-pro?le 2007 merger with
Satama Interactive. +64.9%
Metsä Board?.. Nordea?s stock is up over 17 per
cent so far this year.
Winners
Two technology companies
were the best performers on
the Helsinki stock exchange
this year. Companies need to have
more ?exibility to hire and ?re. Some 226,000 households held the stock at the end
of June, and they have had to
suffer through a 28.7 per cent
decline in the share price this
year. The company, led by
CEO Matti Alahuhta, has
enjoyed enormous success
in recent years, especially in the booming Far East
markets. This is best for the individuals, and it is
best for our groaning pension system. Also, many Finnish
companies have impressive
dividend yields, so investors
in those companies enjoyed
higher returns than what
share prices indicate.
National
stock market returns
China ????
Finland ???.
Germany ??..
Greece ???.
India ????
Japan ????
Spain ????
Sweden ???
UK ?????
US ?????
?9.5%
+5.2%
+24.2%
+23%
+21.9%
+11.4%
?7.3%
+12.5%
+4.3%
11.9%
Returns through 26.11.2012
Finland?s
best performers
SSH Comm?s ?. ?44.6%
Tecnotree ?. Our population
is aging, and we have to make our retirement system
sustainable over the long term
The
current order books will experience a major decrease
starting next year.
In terms of tonnage,
slightly more old vessels
were taken out of operation
than during the ?nancial crisis in the mid-1980s. Early in the year,
shipyards delivered a record
number of new ships to clients while receiving fewer
new orders than ever before
during the past decade.
Sea freight seems to be
slowly recovering from the
?nancial crisis and the explosive growth of the number of commercial vessels.
The recovery of sea freight
is supported by the continuing growth of the world trade
and the fact that the fast increase in transport capacity has exceptionally quickly
balanced out.
The Baltic Dry Index that
monitors sea freight level
started to rise from its record
low in September. In the
course of three years, shipyards scrapped more than
72 million GRT of old vessels. This would
mean a year-on-year increase
of around 4 per cent which is
close to the average growth
rate of the past decade.
Speeded up by globalisation of trade and the increased wealth of the
emerging economies, marine
transport has grown by almost 50 per cent in ten years.
Globally, the marine transport volume has more than
doubled in twenty years.
Fast economic growth
combined with the fact that
raw material prices and the
sea freight volume reached
unprecedented levels overheated the shipbuilding industry before the ?nancial crisis.
In 2007, a whopping 169
million gross register tons
(GRT) of new vessels ?
amounting to 5,400 ships ?
were ordered and the order
books still reached 88 million GRT in 2008. The former
dominating triumvirate will
soon be replaced by the duo
of China and South Korea.
At the end of June, China?s
share of the combined order
books of all the shipyards in
the world amounted to a little less than 39 per cent while
South Korea held a little less
than 34 per cent of the orders. This may
be a sign that the economy is
starting to recover. Record-breaking transport ?gures were experienced for
the third year in a row.
A Viking Line cruise ship under construction at STX?s Turku shipyard in August this year.
Shipbuilding industry catching up
Order books of shipyards did not fill up early in the year.
H E I K K I K A R K KO L A I N E N . Japan?s share decreased
to 16 per cent of all orders.
Shipyards still have
more than 6,200 new vessels amounting to 186 million GRT in their order books.
The new sustainable level of
demand for ships will be determined once the balance of
the markets is restored. H T
increase of sea
freight a sign of a slight turn
of the economy for the better?
The global shipbuilding
industry and shipping companies are still trying to
cope with the impact of the
IS THE PRICE
huge number of orders they
received before the ?nancial crisis. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / S A R I GU S TA F S S O N
rate of the past decade. Baltic Dry
is considered a good indicator
of future business cycles.
The overcapacity caused
by the growing number of
commercial vessels may still
distort the index, however.
In any case, sea transport
has now reached the growth
Shipping experiencing
moderate growth
Market researchers have forecasted an increase of marine
transport to 9,300-9,400 metric tonnes this year. 21 million GRT or one
third of the maximum volume reached in 1983 were in
long-term storage at the end
of last year.. S T T
TA RU L A I H O . It wasn?t
until in 2009 that the order
books experienced a fast decrease to slightly over 33 million GRT.
Japan lost some
of its market share
The volume of new orders
in shipyards remained at 17
million GRT early in the year,
which means the same level as during the lowest point
of the business cycle in 2009.
The builders. 10
BUSINESS
20 DECEMBER . market will be
normalised in the years to
come when new ships are ?nished, but freight and the demand for new ships will still
continue to lag behind.
The ?nancial crisis impaired Japan?s position in
shipbuilding
C O R D
THERE is a reason the phrase
?it?s not brain surgery. ?In patients diagnosed with brain
tumours or epilepsy, NBS
can be used for creating a
map of the brain?s vital functions, revealing which parts
of the brain are critical for
the control of movement and
speech.?
NBS uses magnetic resonance image guidance and
unique electric ?eld modelling
to produce maps of the cortex
as accurate as those obtained
using surgery and direct stimulation. The information can
then be used to decide between various treatment options. Early on,
many of its investors were
Finnish, but as the company
has grown and developed an
extensive intellectual property portfolio it has gained international investors.
In 2001 the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra invested in Nexstim, and in 2007
and 2009 Sitra was joined
by Finnish Industry Investment, Olli Riikkala, the
Dutch powerhouse Life Science Partners, and the Swedish group HealthCap. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
HELSINKI Business Hub
11
Nexstim: getting into peoples. Huhtala points
out. ?The
technological foundations of
the NBS system were laid in
the various research projects
that were carried out at Helsinki University.?
He explains that southern
Finland has a wealth of companies in medical technology and biotechnology that
makes it easy to ?nd partners. heads
A Finnish company is changing the way
doctors understand and treat the brain.
DAV I D J . For the
physicians, Nexstim?s technology and technique allows
perspicacity in a notoriously
opaque environment.
International investors
With such an important product and service, Nexstim has
attracted the attention of a
variety of investors. ?In the USA, interest has
been especially high in paediatric neurosurgery, with
three paediatric centres having purchased and installed
our systems recently.?
Finnish benefits
Huhtala is enthusiastic about
Nexstim being based in Fin-
www.helsinkibusinesshub.?
This page is provided by Greater Helsinki Promotion.
land. expertise in life
sciences,. ?Nexstim will
also soon be releasing exciting news about extending its
product line to include a system speci?cally designed for
therapy applications, including depression and stroke
therapies.?
Nexstim now has approximately 100 NBS installations
around the world. is a
common idiom. ?In depression treatment, stimulation is targeted to a region
of the brain, which is known
to have reduced activity in people suffering from
depression.?
For the patient, Navigated Brain Stimulation is noninvasive, painless, and fast:
Some of the
equipment
used by
Nexstim.
Did you know?
Nexstim will be featured on an episode of Health Heroes on
the Discovery Channel early in 2013. In addition, the Finnish
education system has produced an abundance of skilled
and innovative engineers.
Looking back at his time
with Nexstim, Huhtala ?nds
many memories that stick
out. 20 DECEMBER . Last
year the investment group
became more diversi?ed,
with the Finnish insurance
group Ilmarinen, Capricorn
from Belgium and Lundbeckfonden hailing from Sweden.
The last round raised a significant sum, 13.4 million euro.
?Through its investors,
Nexstim has gained a considerable amount of valuable
connections and visibility,
and has bene?ted from the
investors. explains Nexstim?s
CEO Janne Huhtala. He mentions approvals
by national regulators and
peer-reviewed articles proving the effectiveness of their
technology and techniques.
?It is very encouraging
that NBS has been endorsed
by neurosurgical societies
and key opinion leaders,
but what is truly satisfying
is the enormous amount of
feedback we have received
from the users on how our
technology has changed
their approach to neurosurgery and the way that they
can now give patients and
Nexstim?s
CEO Janne Huhtala.
Nexstim
Founded:
2000
Founder:
Risto Ilmoniemi
Described as:
?the leader in navigated
stimulation of the brain.?
Funding
rounds (disclosed):
?8 million in 2007
?6 million in 2009
?13 million in 2011
Staff:
30
Headquarters:
Helsinki
Website:
www.nexstim.com
their relatives the information crucial for selecting the
most appropriate course of
treatment in very dif?cult
circumstances.?. Yet the
Finnish company Nexstim
has developed technology
to make understanding and
treating the brain easier.
Navigated Brain
Stimulation
?In Navigated Brain Stimulation (NBS), magnetic pulses applied over a patient?s
head leads to activation of
underlying brain cells by
the induction of electric
?elds,. NexSpeech was cleared by American regulators for use in
pre-surgical mapping of el-
The Navigated Brain Stimulation system used by Nexstim.
oquent speech areas of the
brain in conjunction with the
Navigated Brain Stimulation
system.
?Applications for reimbursement codes for navigated transcranial magnetic
stimulation in cortical mapping and surgery planning
have been granted in the
USA and Germany, supported by the neurosurgical associations in both countries,?
Huhtala says. ?For
example, Lundbeckfonden,
as the main owner of the international pharmaceutical
company Lundbeck, has provided Nexstim with insight
on the central nervous system diseases and helped to
lay the path towards therapy
indications and markets.?
After the last ?nancing
round, the company has added to the sales force, stepped
up their marketing efforts,
developed the ?rst version of
a system dedicated for use in
therapy, and launched NexSpeech, a technique to map
eloquent speech areas of the
brain.
US FDA clearance
With the aid of the last ?nancing round, Nexstim has
enjoyed a superb 2012. The show will also be
available for on-demand viewing over the internet.
a session can be over in thirty to forty minutes. He cites the advantages
of Finnish funding agencies,
three of which have invested
in the company. he says. In Germany, it is used by nine of the
largest and most advanced
neurosurgery departments.
?In North America, NBS is
currently used in six centres
for neurosurgical planning,
including the world-leading cancer and neurosurgery
centres MD Anderson and
UCSF. If surgery is necessary,
the information helps the
neurosurgeon to preserve the
vital areas of the brain while
removing diseased tissue. Compared
to brain surgery, almost anything is easy. Yet
NBS can do more than diagnostic mapping.
?For depressed patients,
NBS offers a non-systemic treatment option, lacking
the side-effects of drugs or
electroconvulsive therapy,?
Huhtala continues. In addition, it is used
in more than ten other sites
in research or therapy applications,. The human
brain is a strange, magni?cent and little-understood
organ, and when brain surgery is necessary it can be
a complicated and daunting
undertaking.
A key problem is that each
brain is unique, in that the organisation of areas controlling movement, sensation
and language is different for
each person and can be signi?cantly more so in patients
with brain disease. He also points
to the cluster of companies
and education institutions in
the medical ?eld as an asset.
?Since the beginning,
Nexstim has bene?ted from
being close to a world-renowned centre of expertise
in biomagnetism and medical imaging,. says Huhtala
0400 348 111
Hietalahti shop
Lönnrotinkatu 45,
tel. has ironically contributed to greater uncertainty, turbulence,
and belligerence vis-à-vis the festering maritime disputes in Asia.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
RICHARD HE YDARIAN
IPS
L E H T I K U VA / A F P P H O T O/ TA N G C H H I N S O T H Y
WITH newly re-elected President Barack Obama having chosen Southeast Asia as
his ?rst foreign destination,
where he also attended the
much-anticipated pan-Pacific East Asia Summit, the US
has underscored its commitment to its so-called strategic ?pivot. Huang Xing, Ambassador of China, during his presentation at the Chinese Embassy in Helsinki on 7 December, 2012.
China?s leadership
transformation
The National Congress of the Communist
Party of China . purportedly to reinforce the United States. Elections
and the congress, along with
their background processes,
are surrounded by a high level of secrecy concerning decisions that would otherwise
be public in democratic western countries.
Even though China is one
of the most powerful countries, with one of the most
dynamic developments, the
leadership still have to face
burning issues that should
not be ignored whatsoever. 050 501 4869
www.kierratyskeskus.?/in_english
VANTAA
Koivukylä shop
Hosantie 2,
tel. Mr. Most
importantly, those who got
elected and are granted power in China?s freshly changed
government will determine
and shape China?s and its
role in their development
both globally and on their
own national level. indirectly testing America?s resolve to uphold its strategic
commitments.
In a recent op-ed for the
Singapore-based daily The
Straits Times, Barry Desker, the dean of the Singapore-based S. This represents an increase of 57
delegates and two constituencies from the 17th Congress. According to economic analysts,
China?s leadership must seek
a new economic model, increase internal consumption
and strengthen their private
sector. According to him,
improving urbanisation and
the expansion of science and
technology in China are other goals they will not neglect.. Obama was set to defy Beijing?s protests and use a summit to raise concerns over South China Sea rows that have sent
diplomatic and trade shockwaves across the region.
will play a larger and longterm role in shaping this region and its future.?
However, more than two
years into the so-called US
pivot, many strategic commentators across the Paci?c
have raised major questions
as to its real intentions, actual impact, and practicability, given the United States?
deep ?scal constraints ahead
of scheduled defence-spending cuts.
Reacting to lingering uncertainties over the US strategy, China, which views the
pivot as an act of provocation, as well as other countries in the region such as
Vietnam, Philippines, and
Japan, have stepped up
their territorial claims in
the Western Paci?c . They also have to ?nd
the panacea for the increasing level of social inequality,
as the gap between the rich
and the poor is the biggest in
China.
According to H.E. Mr.
Huang Xing, Ambassador of
China to Finland, China is on
the right track of increasing
their private sector. During
the congress, seven out of
the country?s nine top leaders stepped down, including President Hu Jintao and
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
All but two of the Politburo standing committee,
the country?s top political
body, stepped down. 050 501 4870
sions, while contending that
all parties are ?guilty of occupying uninhabited islands
and land features.?
The pivot can be traced
as far back as the 2010 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in
Hanoi, where Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton injected the US into the centre of
decades-long territorial disputes in the South China Sea
by announcing that her country had a ?national interest?
in the freedom of navigation
across the Western Pacific, including the South China Sea.
As a result, allies such as
Japan and the Philippines
have repeatedly sought US
re-assurance vis-à-vis existing bilateral mutual defence
treaties, especially in the
event of military confrontation with China over disputed maritime features in the
Western Paci?c.
The Philippines and Vietnam are mired in bitter maritime disputes with
China over a whole host of
features in the Spratly and
Paracel chains of islands in
the South China Sea, while
Japan is contesting China?s
claim to the Senkaku/Diaoyu chain of islands in the
East China Sea.
Meanwhile, Washington?s
allies in Northeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, are
locked in a separate territorial dispute over the Takeshima/Dokdo islands in the Sea
of Japan.
China?s new passport design, incorporating disputed territories in the South
China Sea under the country?s of?cial map, has also
sparked renewed concerns
among some of its southern
neighbours.
In the face of what it sees
as Chinese provocations,
however, a deeply divided
ASEAN has failed to make
any meaningful progress in
crafting a legally-binding regional Code of Conduct to resolve disputes, as strongly
urged by Washington.
While the Vietnamese
have stepped up their energy exploration projects in
disputed territories, and the
Japanese government decided to purchase from its
private owner one of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea,
the Philippines has pushed to
upgrade its military ties with
the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea to defend its own claims.
How Washington will react to these kinds of pressures, particularly given its
own ?scal challenges that
have already resulted in
nearly 500 billion dollars in
cuts to its projected military
budgets over the next ten
years, adds yet another level
of uncertainty to the calculations of the contending parties in the region.
H.E. 0400 348 113
pick-up service
tel. to the Asia-Paci?c
region.
Months after the 2011 US
military withdrawal from Iraq,
President Obama signalled the
formal launch of the pivot in a
November speech to the Australian parliament: ?As a Paci?c nation, the United States
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and US President Barack
Obama. change in the leadership
drew great attention, as it sets the country?s
political scene for the following decade.
HELSINKI, FINLAND
HEL SINKI TIMES
JUST after a few days after
the US elections, The 18th
National Congress of the
Communist Party of China began on 8 November in
Beijing, resulting in a tremendous change in China?s
leadership line-up. 0400 348 114
pick-up service
tel. With the appearance of
the economic crisis and the
paralysis of European markets, the speed of the growth
of the heavily export-based
Chinese market encountered a slow-down. However, while in Western countries elections are held with
vast social participation and
publicity; in China, the situation is different. 12
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
20 DECEMBER . 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
HEL SINK I TIMES / EMIL CHALHOUB
US pivot heightens Asian disputes
The pivot . in the Pacific . he explained during a brie?ng and
discussion at the Chinese
Embassy in Helsinki. by all disputing littoral states to ?diffuse. role as an ?anchor of stability and
prosperity. ?One
of our main goals is to double the GDP, not only in numbers, but in quality as well,?
he added. Six other delegations represent:
Taiwan, the People?s Liberation Army, The Central Party Organisation, The Central
Government Ministries and
Commissions, Central State
Owned Enterprises, and Central Banks and Financial
Institutions.
This event drew significant amount of attention
due to several factors. A total of 31 of these
constituencies
represent
China?s province-level Provinces, Autonomous Regions,
and Municipalities. We also
pick up items free of
charge.
Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre
HELSINKI
Kyläsaari shop
K
Kyläsaarenkatu 8,
tel. ?While
the non-public sector constituted 55 per cent of the GDP,
it increased by 11 per cent
by the year of 2011,. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS), called for ?mutual
restraint. ten-
One
more
round
A great selection
of books, clothes,
furniture, dishes, records etc. 045 636 6307
ESPOO
Matinkylä shop
Matinpurontie 3 and 8,
tel. About
two-thirds of positions in the
other key leadership organs
and the Central Committee
changed hands during the
congress.
The 18th National Congress gathered 2270 delegates selected from 40
constituencies. 0400 348 112
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tel. 050 501 4858
tel
The girls,
who are eventually selected as Lucia and her entourage,
are sent to visit places that could feel shattering to some,
such as emergency rooms. Lucia was born into a noble
family in Sicily in 283AD, and became a martyr for confessing the Christian faith in the late Roman Empire.
The first records of celebrating Lucia in Finland date
back to 19th-century Porvoo. Lucia?s mission is also to bring joy and
caring. On 13 December, Saint Lucia of Finland
is then crowned in the Helsinki Cathedral, traditionally
touring the city centre with her procession afterwards.
The history of the tradition
The Saint Lucia feast day originally derives from the
Catholic calendar of saints. It?s also very
moving to us?, Kytö says.
Essential part of the culture
Despite the wide recognition and media attention revolving around Saint Lucia of Finland, even many Finns
are unaware of the people working behind the scenes,
people like Kytö and Ölander.
Kytö and Ölander work as Lucia-mammor, Luciamothers. During the visits she, alongside her choir, sing songs, sell
Lucia-cards with her signature on them and, depending on the schedule, socialise with people. Both the women agree that despite being quite laborious at times, their work as volunteers has always given them more than it has taken. At the moment, Kytö
and Ölander are the only Lucia-mammor alongside
two Lucia-pappor or Lucia-fathers.
Ölander has been working as a volunteer for seven
years and Kytö for two. Nowadays Yle Fem
and Radio Vega also co-operate.
The candidates to run for Saint Lucia of Finland are
selected, based on applications, by a jury, which in recent years has decided to read written introductions
first and only then see the pictures of the applicants.
This way the inner beauty of the girls is prioritised before the outer.
To be selected as a candidate, the applicant must be
emphatic and nurturing, and also to get along with elderly people and children with special needs. After the
event a nurse came to me and said that this particular
lady hadn?t spoken a single word in years.?
This year?s Lucia, the 18-year-old high school student Julia Hanhikoski from Kokkola, is set to visit hospitals, nurseries, rest homes and orphanages. The Finnish-speaking population
has lately also started to embrace the celebration, and
many cities and schools have their own Lucias.
The highlight of the year
Lucia is the patron saint for the blind, so she is usually seen carrying a candle in her hands to bring light to
the darkness. sometimes they even have
tears in their eyes from pure emotion. It?s hard to explain, but in some way it?s just so essential. The anticipation no less
Saint Lucia of Finland sets out to tour the city
centre with her procession after the coronation
ceremony at the Helsinki Cathedral.
than radiates from them . HELSINKI TIMES
This page is sponsored by Magma
20 DECEMBER . If there wasn?t a Lucia or this tradition, it would
feel terribly empty.?. However, it was not un-
til 1919 that the celebration landed in Finland for good
from Sweden.
After a number of large Swedish festivals arrived
in Finland in the thirties, the Swedish-speaking community in Finland adopted the celebration of Lucia in
a showier manner. When Lucia and the other girls started
to sing, one lady joined them to sing along. 2 JANUARY 2013
13
Text By ANNI RAJASTO
Photo By JIMMY LITARDO
Helsinki Times
Magma is
a Finland-Swedish
think-tank
www.magma.fi
This year?s Lucia, Julia Hanhikoski greets viewers at Senate Square.
LEHTIKUVA / SEPPO SAMULI
Saint Lucia brings
light and joy to Finland
There is a long history and great meaning behind the annual tradition
of Saint Lucia, primarily nurtured by the Finnish-Swedish community.
SINCE 1950, Samfundet Folkhälsan, a non-governmental organisation advocating social welfare and health
care for the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, and
the Swedish-language newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet
have elected the Saint Lucia of Finland from among
the Swedish-speaking community. Both
these Finnish-Swedish women also see the tradition as
an important annual milestone for the Finnish-Swedish
community.
?When Lucia is crowned, Christmastime truly begins. Babbe Ölander, a pensioner and a volunteer
working behind the scenes of the election, knows the
importance of Lucia and has a striking story to tell.
?One time we were visiting patients with dementia in a hospital. Pia Kytö, a
pensioner and a volunteer as well, tells of the meaning
of Lucia?s visit.
?Lucia?s visit is a great and highly anticipated event;
it?s the highlight of the year. Hanhikoski has been described as musical, mature, emphatic
and warm: a perfect fit for her job as Lucia.
As Lucia, Hanhikoski will visit around 70 places. Their job is to watch over things to go the
way as planned, for example to secure Lucia and her
entourage to be in the right place at the right time, and
to shop for and order the necessary outfits, dresses, accessories and props for the girls. That?s why the girls can?t be
the easily-shaken type. The girls also have to have experience in performing on stage and a good singing voice.
After the panel has chosen 10 girls for the election,
people get to vote for their favourite, who is then selected as Lucia
LIFESTYLE
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . Pakkanen says.
Timo Alarik Pakkanen, in his office showing a picture of him in a sauna which appears his autobiography, Travelling
with the real Santa.
He can often be seen outside Helsinki?s stone church,
giving advice to tourists on
where to go or handing out
brochures along the city?s
main street. Pakkanen continues. No matter what you decide to do,
spending Christmas in an alternative manner can be a
great experience.
L E H T I K U VA / M A R K K U U L A N D E R
EMIL CHALHOUB
HEL SINKI TIMES
humane character found in
Helsinki, Father Christmas
?lls the air with wonder and
leaves everybody enchanted
by the true Christmas spirit.
For almost a year, Finnish photographer Touko Hu-
TUE, THU, FRI 11AM-6PM,
WED 11AM-8PM, SAT, SUN 11AM-5PM
AHERTAJANTIE 5, TAPIOLA
TEL. The charming and
Alternative Christmas
few days to a country you?ve
never been before. 2 JANUARY 2013
15
J I M M Y L I TA R D O
Being Santa, 24/7
Father Christmas is
a fulltime job.
C ARINA CHEL A
HEL SINKI TIMES
ALARIK PAKKANEN,
alias Father Christmas,
knocked on a door for the
?rst time bearing gifts, a red
suit and a white beard when
he was only 17 years of age.
?It was so much fun I simply
started doing it every Christmas. says Pista Szimhar, a
Hungarian student who usually spends the holiday in alternative ways.
Longing for something
more tranquil. However, not everyone has the chance
to celebrate Christmas the traditional way. Since 2000 Pakkanen
(whose surname means Frost
in Finnish) has visited Japan
every year as Finland?s Father Christmas.
?In Japan, Father Christmas is almost a saint. He visits them
and listens to their survival
stories. Then just
drop into a nearby restaurant or pub with your friends
and celebrate Christmas by
The holiday season is traditionally time spent with family, but there
are plenty of alternatives too.
holiday season
is ?nally here and people are
thinking about Christmas and
the family programme. Also, don?t
forget to relax and release
your stress in a sauna during
your stay.
In case you like getting to
know new cultures and traditions, go on a vacation for a
janen followed Pakkanen
in Finland and in Japan. He understood that it was a turning
point. The
photographs are displayed
at TR1 Kunsthalle 15.12.10.2.2013 in Tampere and are
part of a collective exhibition
called Finland.
How to help during Christmas?
If you don?t wish to participate in the more traditional, commercial Christmas, helping the less fortunate is a good way
to spend the holidays. It?s a great
opportunity for you to enjoy some sun in the wintertime and get away from your
stressful life. A third of Pakkanen?s
royalties from his autobiography, Travelling with the real Santa, goes to the Miyagi
prefecture in Japan, which
was badly hit by the tsunami.
It may be dif?cult to imagine, but Father Christmas is
fully booked even during the
summer months. Do some research and
?nd out more about charity
services in your area in case
you?d like to do something
useful this year, be it distributing soup for the homeless or doing other tasks at
shelters.
If you?re into outdoor activities but you don?t have
your family around during
Christmas, you may con-
14.11.2012-27.1.2013
JAUME PLENSA /
IN THE MIDST OF DREAMS /
NO SMOKE, NO DIRT, NO WORK /
LITHOGRAPHIC POSTERS
FROM GREAT BRITAIN 1890?1940 /
sider renting a cottage with
your friends near Helsinki. And so
has his business.
Pakkanen, who often uses
a red shirt and matching red
shoes during the off-season,
has his of?ce in downtown
Helsinki. With today?s
budget airlines, travelling
is an increasingly popular
Christmas option.
If you don?t wish to travel, try going to a concert with
your friends. Pakkanen
says with a warm smile.
As Pakkanen?s popularity
grew, he caught the attention
of Finnair and subsequently he became the airline?s of?cial Father Christmas in
Japan. Pakkanen is a
great asset to the Finnish
Tourist Board since many visitors travel to Finland just to
get a glimpse at the true Father Christmas.
Whether he lives in Lapland or Helsinki is not a dilemma. And
I always have sweets hidden
away for them!. Should you be fed
up with the commercialisation
of Christmas or have other reasons not to participate in it,
there are still alternative ways
to tide over the season.
Christmas gives you a
great opportunity to help
THE WINTER
others. They
know him very well!. I still think being Father
Christmas is the best job anybody can have!. ?Since then the beard
has been growing.. ?Children
TIMO
from the neighbourhood always come to greet me. Not only does it refresh
your mind, it also helps you
also escape your everyday
problems.
Cross-country skiing or
an excursion to the nearby forests is a great way to
spend some quality time
with your friends. ?People are willing
to share their experiences
quite openly,. The
victims of the 2011 tsunami
have a special place in Pakkanen?s heart. He sits at his desk
all year round, from Monday
to Friday, updating his website and planning Christmas
events and visits. A live band
can make you feel connected to their music. ?There are
so many tourists who are willing to touch my beard in summer as well! You know, it gives
good luck!. No matter where you decide to go
from November till the end
of the year, you come across
an overabundance of Christmas songs. explains
Pakkanen, who nowadays
has a real white beard.
One morning, back in
1967, Pakkanen?s Remington shaver broke down, but
he has never bought another one after that. Here?s couple of ways to volunteer
and help creating Christmas spirit for the less fortunate.
Salvation Army
www.pelastusarmeija.fi
Helping many people down on their luck, including elderly,
youngsters and homeless.
Veikko Hursti
www.hurstinapu.net
Continuing the work of his father Veikko Hursti, Heikki Hursti
keep offering food and clothing and also hosts the traditional
Independence day and Christmas parties for the poor.
Suurella sydämellä
www.suurellasydamella.fi
Numerous different voluntary activities.
The Finnish Association for Mental Health
www.mielenterveysseura.fi/en/voluntary_work
Multiple ways to volunteer in mental health work.
recalling the good old days
you spent together. Pakkanen proudly explains. Doing volunteer work
to help those in need is gratifying, especially because it?s
sel?ess and makes both the
helper and the helped feel
good. +358 (0)9 8165 7512
WWW.EMMA.MUSEUM
BUSES 106 AND 110 FROM KAMPPI
Veikko Hursti?s traditional Christmas meal for the poor is one of the more popular voluntary events.. ?Going to a concert helps you escape these
overplayed seasonal songs,
since you can hear what you
like,
He also became
Finland?s sixth president
during the brief period of
1944-46, when he handled
the peace negotiations.
As Mannerheim was busy
defending the country by
arms, Finland-Swedish author and artist Tove Jansson,
decided to tackle the horrors
of war by creating something
innocent and naïve, and in
1945 the ?rst children?s book
about the beloved Moomin trolls was published. It
was initially common mainly
among upper social classes,
but spread amongst others in
the 1800s. The
Whites were led to victory
over the Reds by Swedishspeaking Finn Carl Gustav
Mannerheim . They are mostly
?red at midnight, as the year
changes. It is
an ancient harvest celebration that takes place between
Michaelmas (29 September)
and All Saints. could be found in a famous circle made up of young
nationalistic intellectuals in
the 19th century, while Finland was still a part of Russia.
Two prominent Swedishspeakers in this circle were
Johan Vilhelm Snellman
and Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
Snellman who became a senator, was the main instigator of the ?language strife?
taking place in the decades
commencing independence.
He demanded that Finnish (spoken by the majority of the population) should
become an equal and of?cial language of Finland with
the previously dominant
Swedish.
Runeberg on the other hand, is the national poet
of Finland. Tin (or tin shoe)
casting is also an important
aspect of the Finnish New
Year. ?I don?t
have plans yet, but I would
like to spend New Year with
my boyfriend and friends. His most famous
work is Fänrik Ståls sägner
(The Tales of Ensign Stål) with
the ?rst poem Vårt Land (Our
Land) later becoming Finland?s national anthem. 16
LIFESTYLE
20 DECEMBER . Whether the year changes
while in rural or urban settings,
the year is most likely kicked
off with frost and ?reworks.
L E H T I K U VA / S O I L E K A L L I O
New Year?s fireworks explode over Töölönlahti in Helsinki.
SWEDISH-SPEAKING
Finns
may be few in numbers, with
only around 300,000 of them
found in Finland at this time,
but their in?uence on Finnish
culture throughout its history far surpasses their tiny
margins.
Some of the most well
known Swedish-speaking
Finns played a big part in the
creation of this nation, which
celebrated its 95th year of independence on 6 December.
Many of these ?nation-builders. Tulitemestarit, the
Finnish Champions of ?reworks, will put together a
?rework show. She
later became the most read
Finnish author abroad.
In?uential
Finland
Swedes today, include people
such as Linus Torvalds, the
man behind the world wide
Linux Kernel operative system, who won the 2012 Millenium Technology Prize and
former Under Secretary General of the UN and prominent
human rights advocate Elisabeth Rehn.
And it?s with the help
of institutions such as the
Swedish Cultural Foundation
in Finland, and the Swedish-speaking section of YLE
that Swedish-speaking Finns
continue to make their voices heard in Finland?s public sphere, even though the
time of Mannerheim and
Runeberg is over.
Under General Secretary of the UN and Human Rights activist
Elisabeth Rehn is a prominent member of the Swedish-speaking
Finnish community.. This was
also a time for predicting the
weather.
Current Finnish New Year
traditions include ?reworks,
naturally. The tradition of the new year beginning on 1 January dates back
to the Romans. Typical meanings include a ship (travelling), animals (a pet) and so forth.
Many spend the New Year
with their family and friends,
while some like to attend parties at bars or concerts. Day (Saturday between 31 October and
6 November), depending on
each year?s autumn activities. The
melted metal is cast into a
bucket that is ?lled with water, and as the metal cools,
it sets into random shapes.
The set items are inspected,
usually by candle light, and
their meanings are made up
according to shadows they
cast. Traditions
included throwing a birch
branch (vihta) on the sauna?s roof, and the position the
branch landed supposedly indicated what the following
year would bring. It is a continuation
of the tradition of predicting
the New Year?s events.
The New Year tin shoes
are bought from stores
and are usually shaped like
horseshoes. who later became titled the Marshal of
Finland and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish army during the Second
World War. On
5 February, Finns across the
country can be found munching on Runeberg?s tarts, a pastry he is supposed to have
eaten for breakfast every day.
Another Swedish-speaking Finn whose work helped
create a national identity
was Jean Sibelius, who was
a very famous Finnish composer. The celebration has been a tradition for
Helsinki citizens since 1932.
It is broadcast via television,
internet and radio.
Concerts include PMMP at
Virgin Oil and Tavastia?s New
Year featuring Jukka Poika &
Sound Explosion Band, Asa
and DJs V.g. & Andor. 2 JANUARY 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / S A R I GU S TA F S S O N
The culture
of Swedish speaking Finns
Influential
Swedishspeaking
Finns
R A SMUS HE TEM ÄKI
HEL SINKI TIMES
New Year kicks in
The last day of the year is upon us, and it is
greeted with traditions that go way back.
A N N I K A R A U TA KO U R A
HEL SINKI TIMES
day of the year is a
cause for celebration around
the world, and Finland is no
exception. This is a tradition that
came to Finland from Sweden and Central Europe. New Year?s was a time
of looking at omens for the
following year. In Finland the
year originally changed during
the autumn, when agricultural activities had taken care of.
Newly hardened tin is ?read. New Year?s Eve
takes place on 31 December,
L E H T I K U VA / M A R T T I K A I N U L A I N E N
THE LAST
and the following day, New
Year?s Day, is a holiday. Rebecca, 23, usually spends quite
a low-key New Year?s Eve with
close friends or family. The shoe is melted on a ladle, in a ?replace
or, more commonly in urban settings, on a stove. This year
New Year?s Eve takes place on
a Monday, making the following Tuesday a national holiday. The
more the merrier, but I have
usually spent it with a smaller
group of people, either friends
or family.?
The Senate Square will
see a grand celebration of
the changing of the year, as
tens of thousands of people
gather at the square from ten
o?clock. Since 2011, a ?ag day
is held in his memory on 8
December, his birthday, now
called ?the day of Finnish
music?.
Their work towards an
independent Finland ?nally
bared fruit in 1917, but civil war soon followed. The programme features an orchestra, including
Michael Monroe, and Sanna
Stellan and Sami Hedberg
will host. to predict what the New Year holds.
The Finns have celebrated Kekri for a long time
2 JANUARY 2013
17
L E H T I K U VA / RO N I R E KO M A A
Film
Forest, food and
a tiger to end the
cinematic year
V I L L E KO S K I
HEL SINKI TIMES
though the very last
weeks of the year are at hand
and people are already drawing up lists of best ?lms of
the year and eagerly awaiting next year?s blockbusters
such as Les Miserables and
Lincoln, the last two weeks
of 2012 still promise some
good premieres in Helsinki.
The critically-acclaimed The
Life of Pi opens Friday 21 December, directed by Academy Award-winning Ang Lee.
It?s a magical story of a young
Indian boy who gets stranded at sea in a small boat with
an irate Bengal tiger. Three new
Finnish ?lms open and the
brightest gem of those would
de?nitely be Metsän tarina,
The Forest Story. Fronted by
the musician and producer
Hiili Hiilesmaa, it has also
made a respectable career
starting from the mid 90?s.
Sleep of Monsters will also perform in Helldone.
The band was founded by
HIM?s former drummer Juhana ?Pätkä. Along with
the Asiatic lions, came a Girl
Elf some years ago who set up
a home in the Amazonia and
Africasia building. After two decades,
the band is still going strong
and successful.
Kerava-based rock band
The Skreppers has rocked
alongside HIM as the supporting act in all four Helldone festivals that the band
has attended. The Festival will
be held 28-31 December.
HIM is one of the most
internationally
successful Finnish bands. They include Guatemalan
and Hungarian blouses, Japanese kimonos, Mordovan
and Mari shirts and Livonian women?s headdresses and
an out?t for the Plains Indian woman. The magical wonders of nature are captured during all four seasons
and different environmental conditions proving that
forests truly hold more than
meets the eye for all ages.
The exhibition, scripted
by Ildikó Lehtinen and implemented by Lehtinen, Ulla Kostiainen and Kristiina
Karinko, focuses on the value of clothes. The path
goes through the zoo and lets
the visitor have a glimpse of
the Stable Elf?s life, read some
notes that he has written
about the animals over the
years and even see his home,
sauna and workshop.
The Stable Elf doesn?t live
alone, however. performances and its ability to create a
thick, thrilling mood of double-cross and deceit.
On the following week,
on Friday 28 open the last
?lms of the year. exhibition
21 March 2012-6 January 2013
Tennis Palace
Rautatiekatu 8
Helsinki
Stable Elves in Korkeasaari
V I L L E KO S K I
HEL SINKI TIME
FOR 124 years, a Stable Elf has
lived hidden somewhere in
the Korkeasaari Zoo, usually wondering silently among
the animals during the dusk
and night, so only a few have
actually seen the little man.
Now, however, some evidence
of this little elf has been gathered and displayed in Korkeasaari, at the Stable Elf?s
Christmas path. Today?s clothing
market is characterised by the
paradox of low-cost mass production and expensive brands,
sometimes even referred to as
investments. Rantala with
guitarist Sami Hassinen,
known from Blake and United Underworld, after they
successfully lured Ike Vil,
the lead vocalist from Babylon Whores, to accompany
them.
Helldone Festival 2012:
HIM and friends
28-31 December
Tickets ?35
Club Tavastia
Urho Kekkosen katu 6
Helsinki
A merry baroque Christmas
rector, Finnish Aapo Häkkinen, has held his position since
2003, and the Italian soloist
and concertmaster Riccardo Minansi started as a main
visitor six years later.
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra has made remarkable
appearances on international
as well as Finnish stages, for
example in one of the world?s
leading international recital
venues, the Wigmore Hall in
London, and the Washington
Library of Congress.
The Orchestra has also released several albums start-
ing from 2004 for labels such
as Alba Records, Naxos and
AEOLUS, including symphonies, German orchestral music and Johann Sebastian
Bach?s cembalo concertos
with creditable success.
Considering the
importance of water
beginning of the 20th century, early 2000s Tanzania and
modern-day Ethiopia. This year,
the two elves also have a visitor all the way from Mongolia,
bringing the horses, donkeys
and camels some news from
their original home habitats.
The Mongolian Elf also was
A Helldone of a
New Year?s party
jolly enough to help the elves
at Korkeasaari in their Christmas decorations by creating
some Mongolian spirit in the
Korkeasaari Yurt. When
the rains don?t come today,
it?s explained by the climate
change, but the hunger and
thirst are still the same.
The exhibition at the
museum of Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission
Kumbukumbu, When The
Rain Didn?t Come, revolves
around the importance and
vitality of water. Les Saveurs
du Palais is a French comedy about French president
François Mitterrand?s private chef, celebrating French
cuisine with amazing shots
of beautiful food. 5/ 2,5/ 1
Kumbukumbu, Finnish
Evangelical Lutheran
Mission Museum
Tähtitorninkatu 18
Helsinki. A story
of hope and understanding,
the ?lm has gained good reviews and praise for inspiring its viewers.
For comedy lovers, Playing for Keeps is a traditional romantic comedy starring
Gerard Butler and Jessica
Biel, telling the story of an
ex-footballer who tries to be
a better father to his kid and
prevent a divorce with his
wife.
Another opening on the
same day is Shadow Dancer,
a thriller set in 1993 Belfast,
in which a young woman is
arrested by British IntelliEVEN
Discussing
the value
of clothes
ANNI R A JA S TO
HEL SINKI TIMES
Paikka Paikan Päällä
(Things Mended and Patched)
exhibition will be displayed
until 6 January at the Helsinki Museum of Cultures.
The exhibition premiered
last March, and those who
haven?t had the opportunity
to see it still have a chance.
THE
gence for being an IRA sympathiser and forced to work
as a mole against the IRA.
Starring Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, and directed
by the acclaimed documentary maker James Marsh,
the ?lm has gained praise
for its actors. She now
rules both of the buildings,
and her urban herb farm and
herb kitchen can be found in
there by the path. A nature
documentary that took four
years to shoot puts the Finnish forests into the limelight
with beautiful cinematography and extraordinary wildlife shots that will de?nitely
enchant everyone. The band
launched a whole new genre,
lovemetal, in the 90?s, hitting the charts with singles
such as When Love And Death
Embrace, Your Sweet 666 and
Join Me. So if you
hear some small steps while
strolling around Korkeasaari this Christmas season,
it may just be the Stable Elf
making notes on the animal
behaviour.
The Stable Elf?s
Christmas Path
Until 6.1.2013
Korkeasaari Zoo
Mustikkamaanpolku 12
Helsinki
CLUB TAVASTIA in Helsinki
will once again host the Helldone Festival to salute the
upcoming year. The festival
gathers up the bands HIM,
The Skreppers and Sleep of
Monsters. CULTURE
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . The
unpredictability of the rainy
season exposes the eastern
parts of Africa to hardships,
but with proper irrigation,
the growing seasons may be
lengthened.
ANNI R A JA S TO
HEL SINKI TIMES
THE HELSINKI Baroque Orchestra will perform music
from the composers Dario
Castello, Giovanni Legrenzi and Antonio Vivaldi in a
Christmas concert held at
the Old Church of Helsinki 20
December. For everyone everywhere, water
means wellbeing and continuity of life, which is the
thesis the exhibition follows
in three different countries
and times; Namibia in the
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra?s
Christmas Concert
20 December
19:00
Tickets ?25/22/15
The Old Church of Helsinki
Lönnrotinkatu 6
Helsinki
When The Rain Didn?t Come
Until 9 June 2013
Tickets . The concert will
be conducted by the visiting
Italian violinist and conductor Enrico Onofri.
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra was founded in 1997.
The orchestra?s artistic di-
V I L L E KO S K I
HEL SINKI TIME
WHEN the usual rains didn?t
come on time to Northern
Namibia in 1911, the village
elders thought about making a visit to the rainmaker
to get an explanation. Also, a coatee
patched by the artist Outi
Heiskanen is on display.
Paikka Paikan
Päällä . The exhibition
asks what kind of value these
clothes have, and what kind
of value the clothes manufactured a hundred years ago have.
The exhibition gathers
elaborate evening gowns
and patched and worn-out
clothes from all around the
world, which aren?t just piec-
Playing for Keeps
Release Date: 21 December
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Gerard Butler
Jessica Biel.
Shadow Dancer
Release Date: 21 December
Director: James Marsh
Starring: Andrea Riasenborough
Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson
Les Saveurs du Palais
Release Date: 28 December
Director: Christian Vincent
Starring: Catherine Frot,
Jean d?Ormesson,
Hippolyte Girardot
Ville Valo, lead singer of HIM, plays Tavastia during the Helldone Festival.
The Life of Pi
Release Date: 21 December
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan
Khan, Tabu, Gérard Depardieu
ANNI R A JA S TO
HEL SINKI TIMES
Metsän Tarina
Release Date: 28 December
Director: Ville Suhonen,
Kim Saarniluoto.
Starring: lynx, bear, owl
and stately pines
es of fabric sewed together,
but demonstrations of survival, creativity and ingenuity
www.lappires.com
Mon-Fri 12-22.30 . Tel +358 9 651 939
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Mon-Fri 11:00-23:00
Sat-Sun 13:00-23:00
????. +358 9 635 732
www.juuri.fi
Transforming Finnish
gifts of nature in an
innovative manner to
suit modern tastes.
Eteläesplanadi 24
tel. ; . 2 JANUARY 2013
RESTAURANTS . 2LZR\ZRH[\ /LSZPURP ;
. taste & enjoy!
PUB GASELLI
Aleksanterinkatu 46
(courtyard)
www.rafla.fi
COZY FAMILY STYLE
RESTAURANT
LA FAMIGLIA
^^^ YHÅH Ä
. KITCHEN 11-23
FRI 11-02
t XXX SBýB å
If you are after something
a bit bigger, there is a variety of cakes and colourfully
tasty macaroons laid out like
a rainbow.
A smaller branch of the
mother store in Fiskars,
Petris Chocolate Rooms has it all from
handmade truffles to cakes and macaroons.
New hope for
curing peanut
allergies
The Organic Association in
Finland (Luomuliitto) has
awarded the Organic Company of the Year award to
Topi?s Farm Shop. Other parents said
that Lidl would ruin the
Christmas magic for their
children by selling reindeer meat.
However, Lidl defended its decision by saying
that the response to reindeer meat had been very
positive in 2010, and that
they are trying to help
their customers try different tastes.
A variety of cakes and macaroons are also available.
A piece of chocolate heaven
BE TH MORTON
HEL SINKI TIMES
According to new research
done by the National Jewish Health in Denver, there
is new hope for people allergic to peanuts. said Jukka Lassila, chairman of the Organic Association. Another special treat, available
in Fiskars, just 90 kilometres
west of Helsinki, is a handson experience of chocolate
tasting where you can also learn about the history
of cocoa and the origins of
manufacture.
J I M M Y L I TA R D O
this place says class, down to
the delicate china cups and
saucers from which you can
enjoy tea or their own tailormade, medium roast coffee.
Of course, the main attraction at Petris Chocolate Rooms is the selection
of handmade specialist truf?es. EAT & DRINK
HELSINKI TIMES
20 DECEMBER . The
truf?es are sold by the piece,
although to have just one
would take strong willpower. However, according to new research by
the Royal Botanical Garden,
coffee lovers may have to
say goodbye to their favourite drink by 2080.
This is because a plant
species called Coffea Arabica (Arabica Coffee) could
be totally wiped out from
Earth by 2080 due to climate changes. 2 JANUARY 2013
19
Rudolph the
Christmas
Dinner
Getting into the Christmas spirit, German supermarket chain Lidl has
expanded its Christmasdelicacy section by adding
reindeer meat products
such as patties made from
reindeer legs.
This has enraged many
parents in Britain, who
don?t see eye-to-eye with
Lidl?s decision to package
Rudolph and his friends.
Andrew Stevens, one of
the disapproving parents,
said that his daughter
would be very sad if she
saw the patties made from
reindeer-legs.
?She will be sad that
the reindeer can?t bring
her any presents, as they
don?t have legs anymore,?
he said. The small
shop fronts lure you inside
with their charming display
of truf?es winking at you
from behind the window.
One of Helsinki?s hidden chocolate treasures is
the luxurious Petris Choco-
late Rooms, tucked away on
Museokatu in Töölö. Everything about
Töölö?s Petris offers an array of pre-made delicious gift
boxes and also invites you to
create your own, which will
be beautifully wrapped. ?We want
to award their long-term
efforts to develop organic
farming.?
???
Farewell to Coffee
In the past years, coffee has
become the second most
consumed commodity in the
world, after oil. Topi?s
Farm Shop, which is located in Muurvesi, PohjoisSavo, was founded in 1999
and expanded in 2012. From champagne to
Baileys, balsmico to chilli, I
challenge anyone to walk in
and not be enchanted. This plant,
which is indigenous to Ethiopia, accounts for around
60 per cent of the world?s
coffee production. closed
Museokatu 11,
00100 Helsinki
Finland
J I M M Y L I TA R D O
WHETHER or not you have
your chocolate radar tuned
in, you will have noticed at
least one of the quaint chocolate shops that seem to be becoming more popular in and
around Helsinki. If the
Coffea Arabica is wiped
out, the consequences
could be more serious than
forgoing that morning cup
of coffee, as many people
depend on the production
of coffee for survival and
generating income.
Compiled by Sruthi Vydyula
J I M M Y L I TA R D O
Petris Chocolate Rooms has its mother store in Fiskars village,
where you can participate in chocolate tasting.
Tom Yam will end
its operation in Kulmavuorenkatu.
Thanks you and happy new yea to all.
We will open later in a new location.
There are pre-made gift boxes but you can also create your own one.
Petris Chocolate Rooms is one of town?s hidden chocolate treasures.. Everyone, from experienced chocoholics to the passing public,
will ?nd themselves something to indulge in here as
they are enticed by premium chocolates in upscale
surroundings.
From the moment you
step inside the door, you are
greeted by the plush and
quirky decor of comfortable pink armchairs and giant
?uffy lampshades, encouraging you to stay and spoil
yourself. The
shop has around 2,000
products for sale, and they
opened an online shop this
summer.
?Topi?s farm shop provides a memorable experience for tourists, and it is
an important part of the
region,. While
doing the research, it was
discovered that a mouse
that was allergic to peanuts had a high amount
of an enzyme called Pim 1.
When the amount of Pim 1
was inhibited, the mouse
showed less of a reaction
to peanuts than before.
Erwin Gelfand, part of the
research team, said that
the results were promising and that they had
given rise to new opportunities to ?nd a cure for
peanut allergies, and possibly other food allergies.
Topi?s Farmshop
is the organic
company of
the year
Petris Chocolate Rooms
Open:
Tue-Fri 11.00-18.00
Sat-11.00-15.00
Sun & Mon