Mikko Kortelainen, who served as Niinistö's special aide during the presidential
campaign, will continue in the same capacity in Niinistö's cabinet. Around 3,000 cases of influenza have been confirmed in laboratory tests already this spring, throughout the country, but THL researchers estimate that the actual
number is at least ten times greater. This is a stunning achievement in America for a French-made, black and white, silent movie. The normal duration of the sickness due to the H3N2 virus is between three and seven days. Under the Constitution the length of time in office is limited to two terms, either consecutively or separately. Airline pilots are now saying that overwork is leading to fatigue caused by strenuous workinghours and insufficient rest periods. See this week's movie reviews. In most cases, the best cure is rest, but it's advisable to see a doctor if one's health deteriorates markedly as a result of the infection, if breathing difficulties develop, or if the infection becomes prolonged. Niinistö's legal advisor is Minna Hulkkonen, who before taking up the post headed the international affairs unit at the Ministry of the Interior. Incidences of the influenza strain caused by the B-virus have been rare so far this spring, according to Julkunen. He will be the country's Head of State for at least six years, the length of the term in Finland. Enjoying a level of popularity over the course of a career that has them often touted as the "Cuban Rolling Stones", they have created a sound that blends a rich mix of Cuban and Caribbean rhythms, and dallies with both traditional and modern Cuban influences. The President's head of communications will be Veera Heinonen, director of
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
Sauli Niinistö will be inaugurated as the 12th President of the Republic of Finland today. Tanner, who is currently the director-general of the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take up his new post on 1 April. Investors have been generally optimistic in recent days. ISSUE 9 (240) · 1 7 MARCH 2012 · 3 · W W W.HEL SINKITIMES.FI
DOMESTIC
Violent criminals need monitoring In the aftermath of the shooting dead of an immigrant worker in Oulu, by a previously convicted murderer, Minister for Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson has said there may be the need for increased monitoring of violent criminals after they are released from prison. ian Treasury auctioned five-year bonds for a yield of 4.19 per cent, down significantly from their last auction. The couple will move to the new address in the coming days. The virus, which is of the H3N2 strain, is expected to be highly active nationwide for about two weeks still, the researchers say. Teemu Tanner was last week confirmed as Niinistö's chief of staff. CORD HEL SINK I T IME S
WITH the final plan for Greece's partial
Los Van Van 7 March, 21:00 Tickets 39/45 The Circus Salomonkatu 1-3, Helsinki
debt restructuring in place, the Standard & Poor's rating agency placed the nation in "selective default." As the plan only calls for a default on the obligations to private creditors, who will lose about 70 per cent of their investment, S&P ruled it as "selective." In a related move, the European Central Bank announced Greek debt would temporarily be no longer accepted as collateral. Stock prices are also increasing, with the OMX index up 14 per cent so far this year.
LIFESTYLE
Smoking Influenza strikes Cubans
S T T, H T J A M E S O ' S U L L I VA N HEL SINKI TIMES
THE SEASONAL outbreak of influen-
Zoo animals revel in winter Helsinki Zoo is packed with animals that are well suited to Finland's freezing cold winters. Mikko Hautala has been appointed the new President's foreign policy advisor, to which post he will transfer from the Embassy of Finland in Moscow. MPs have also been discussing ways to improve public finances.
Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen has proposed an additional tax on those earning more than 100,000 euros per year. A new residence for Niinistö's predecessor, Tarja Halonen, has been pre-
pared in Hakaniemi for the former President and her husband, Pentti Arajärvi. Niinistö has previously headed the Justice and Finance ministries, as well as serving as both Deputy Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament.
communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See pages 16.
CULTURE
Cinematic artistry Michel Hazanavicius' silent masterpiece The Artist scooped five Oscars from ten nominations on Sunday night. The ItalL E H T I K U VA / S E P P O S A M U L I
According to Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, Finland's share of the Greek bailout will come to 1.25 billion euros.. What does the future hold for the aviation industry. See page 18.
by renowned bassist Juan Formell, Cuban outfit Los Van Van bring their swinging rhythms to The Circus on Wednesday 7 March. He says it is likely this situation will not change, since many people have an immunity to the Bvirus infection acquired last year. Jean Dujardin's work is said to be one of the greatest Best Actor performances in years. An epidemiascale outbreak of the H3N2 virus last occurred in Finland in 2009. One of the most recognisable post-revolution Cuban bands, the band released their debut album back in 1969, managing to stay relevant by continually adapting its style to the times. He is a veteran of Finnish foreign policy, having worked in the Ministry since 1985. See page 3.
Sauli Niinistö steps to the post
HEL SINK I T IME S
BUSINESS
Airlines hit turbulence Increased fuel prices and the downturn in the global economy have hit airlines heavily. "This is a very regular infection, but for some high-risk patients it can have more virulent effects, which may require hospital care," said THL research director Ilkka Julkunen.
Greece defaults on debts
DAV ID J. Winner of a Latin Grammy in 2000 for Llegó Van Van ("Van Van is Here"), the band arrives in support of their most recent full-length release, last year's La Maquinaria ("The Machine"). Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen says that Finland's share will come to 1.25 billion euros. Finnish yields have also been trending downwards: the tenyear benchmark reached 3 per cent at the end of November, but currently yield only 2.3. See page 8.
THE TWELFTH President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, takes office today, the first of March. From the bactrian camel to the snow leopard, winter is one the best times to see these animals at ease in a climate for which they are well equipped. The band performed for the first time in Finland ten years ago for April Jazz, and has also appeared at Pori Jazz twice, with their most recent show here being a memorable gig at Kulttuuritalo in 2010.
HEADED
za is now at its worst, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos, THL). However, the ECB promised continued funding for affected banks through their emergency liquidity assistance programme, and that they expected to once again take Hellenic Republic bonds as collateral by the middle of March. Funk, synthesizers, drum machines and hip-hop have all been incorporated into the band's diverse range of sounds over the years. In Finland, parliament debated and passed the Greek bailout on Tuesday
With so many of us distrustful of the whole financial system, perhaps it is time to create new forms of money that place it on a more solid footing with the natural world. BRUUN imagined that holding these banknotes would change people's daily relationship with natural things. It features buildings with wide-open windows, gates and entrances. Others show multi-cultural children's faces staring mawkishly at us
IT IS A VERY
· 29 February 2012 was the deadline for exchanging Finnish markka, ten years after the changeover to the euro. Talking to the 85 year-old Bruun at his home and studio on the island of Suomenlinna, I put it to him that these notes look amazingly contemporary. In the case of the 1986 notes, the aim was to introduce a whole new range of security features to the banknotes as well as a fundamental visual redesign. The huge body of design work he has accumulated for more than 60 years is currently experiencing a major resurgence. While some of the designs look similar to the present euro, others depict a Europe from a parallel universe. The notes feature vibrant colours and sharp details, showing iconic modernist buildings as well as nature in the form of birds in mid-flight over forests that blend into spectral abstraction. 2
1 7 MARCH 2012
VIEWPOINT
HELSINKI TIMES
Viewpoints are commentaries written by experts and authorities about specific topics. IF THE EURO survives the current turmoil, there are sure to be dramatic changes. We
the creature. IN 1996, Bruun was commissioned by the Finnish Bank to create a proposal for the future euro. More info at www.pixelache.ac/helsinki/kuvituskilpailu/. How do form and function combine in a banknote?
around an anvil holding sledge hammers whilst smoke belches out of factory buildings and ship funnels in the background. On the back of these banknotes, nature is represented as a series of enormous magical trees covered in stars, which look like illustrations from the Lord of the Rings. And I have always had great faith in them," says Bruun. Erik Bruun believes that by designing new bank notes, we could refocus people on what is important and bring back a respect for nature as a living world as well as an abundant resource.
designer when the Finnish government asked him to be
Banknotes are beautifully crafted artworks that reveal much about our society. Helsinki Times reserves the right to accept or reject submissions, as well as to edit or shorten the text. Initially, his involvement had to be kept secret, since releasing new bank notes was usually a sign of governmental problems and only done to combat severe inflation. Many designs show historical cartoon drawings of medieval faces, grinning like Robin Hood actors from EuroDisney. The opinions expressed in this section are the writers' own and do not represent the official policy of the Helsinki Times.
Christian Nold is a British artist and researcher developing complimentary currency systems and is currently in the process of creating a local currency called the Kuula for the Finnish island of Suomenlinna. Printed on coloured paper and surrounded by an oval neo-rococo decorative border, its cursive text imitates hand writing and promises to pay the bearer in silver. It seems surprising that Bruun's designs were not chosen for the euro. Defining openness and transparency as one's soul seems rather vague and even disingenuous when the Euro is traded via so-called dark pools of liquidity, which allow trades to happen away from public gaze. Bruun had only to look upon his surroundings in order to combine Finnish history with nature and represent it on the bank notes. From a modern perspective, it seems incredibly humble that a currency would celebrate both hydroelectric power and cows. Rather than creating abstract representations of European identity, these designs offer a radical and tactile vision of the living world morphed into a banknote.
EVEN more extraordinary is that two of the notes represent wind turbines and solar cells, which have today become the iconic symbols of our present and future. Holding the drawings in my hand, I am shocked by the vividness of the colours. For the first time, the banknotes featured portraits of popular cultural figures, such as the designer Alvar Aalto and runner Paavo Nurmi, rather than idealised figures.
BRUUN managed to combine graphical hipness with shaping a specific focus on Finland as a unique place. In 1877, an unusual note appears that instead of the value in the centre, shows a small "window" on the world with a realistic etching of an idyllic Finnish countryside. In fact, the buildings represent historical architectural styles rather than depicting any specific building, so as not to offend any of the EU member countries.
THE PRESIDENT of the European Central Bank has said that "banknotes are not only a means of payment, they are also pieces of craftsmanship reflecting the soul of the nations issuing them." Well, the main visual metaphor of the euro is openness and transparency, showing open gates and entrances that are meant to remind us of democratic ideals. While Bruun could not directly transfer the pop aesthetic of his 50's advertising to money, he managed to apply a dramatic colour fade across the banknotes for visual impact, as well as a security feature that made it
odd feeling paging through the catalogue of the euro design competition produced by the European Central Bank. Walking around Helsinki today, one still sees prints of his iconic orange soft drink advertising from the 1950's.
BRUUN was already a famous
harder to copy the watermark. The signature of the Bank Director makes the note look like a personal letter. Yet others look like 1990s computer interfaces with drop-down menus. Nearly every square centimetre of Bruun's studio is covered with sketches of local animals and collections of natural objects which are featured on the banknotes. The im-
part of a group that would design the new money. Finally you reach the design by Robert Kalina which won the competition. LATER
the banknotes designed by Professor Erik Bruun. The deadline to enter designs is 9 March. A river flows into the distance, surrounded by a dense forest of pines. He smiles and waves away the compliment but is obviously pleased. Christian Nold takes a look at the design history of the Finnish national currency along with an interview with designer Erik Bruun, who shows us what a `green' euro might have looked like.
MONEY IS almost invisible. On the reverse of each is a closeup detail of
like advertisements for a charity. The 1000-markka note features the King's Gate, which is a short walk from Bruun's house and the symbol of Suomenlinna. The value of the note takes centre stage. Suomenlinna is a Unesco heritage site, and the world's largest maritime fortress. We use banknotes nearly every day but most people wouldn't remember the person or image on a twentyeuro note. Yet the global banking crisis has really focused people's attention on the mechanics of how the economy functions, and exposed a whole variety of organisations with odd names like Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Standard & Poor's that seem to be running our world. Articles should be at least 5,000 characters-with-spaces long (maximum length 10,000). Read more about the project on www.viapori.net
The secret life of money
What does our money say about us. Let's take a look at the stories that banknotes tell about us.
THE FIRST ever Finnish banknote, the one-markka, emerged in 1860 and looked more like a personal certificate of achievement. Gazing across the sea from his window, I can easily see where his inspiration comes from. How do form and function combine in a banknote. Looking more closely at the waterfall, you can see that it is surrounded by paddle-wheels for generating electricity. At the same time banknotes are beautifully crafted artworks that reveal much about our society. The notes feature groups of classically naked men, women and children holding farming implements, or assembled
dium of exchange that enables relationships between people. · There is a illustration competition for the design of the Kuula banknote. Perhaps it is this idealism which perfectly captures the hope that money would be able to mediate between people, modernity and nature.
IN 1986, the Finnish currency changed dramatically with
Finnish money gains colour, mainly pale pastels, and starts to feature heraldic symbols and classical goddesses. On the "nightingale", the detail is feathers; on other notes, you see intricate fish scales and leaf veins, as if to suggest that you are touching nature by handling the money. People are starting to realise that the value of the money in their pocket is directly linked to the behaviour of these obscure organisations.
SO WHAT is money. He imagined that the fiveeuro note might colloquially become known as the "nightingale", and the ten-euro as the "butterfly" after their illustrations. IN 1922, the design of the money takes a different, neo-classical, direction in a series designed by Eliel Saarinen. You can submit your articles to viewpoint@helsinkitimes.fi. I hadn't known that money could be so colourful. In his proposal for the euro, he offers a persuasive vision of money that represents nature as a living entity as well as an abundant and inexhaustible energy resource. "Solar energy and wind power were already topical in 1996. It's a me-
pression on this 500-markka note is that this is the kind of view you can afford with this high value bank note.
THESE pictorial windows continue on the 1909 notes, but this series is far more down to earth, focusing on a tree, a waterfall and a dairy farm with two cows facing each other. Saarinen's aim was to represent the different occupations and classes of Finnish society working together in socialist harmony. When I asked him if he is disappointed, he diplomatically answers that he thinks he would have a better chance if the competition were to be held again today.
only notice it when we don't have it. I notice that there are no portraits of people, only delicate drawings of birds, butterflies, pine cones, wheat and berries. Bringing together industrial labour and nature was intended to reflect progress and a belief in a bright future for everyone. It has been estimated that over 1 billion markka remains unclaimed. By asking a famous commercial designer of popular brands to redesign the money, the government was branding the Finnish currency with a strong visual identity. After a year of work, he came up with a revolutionary series of banknote designs
There are also volunteer workers, the vast majority of them genuine and caring people, who work with youths who may have been victims of abuse in their homes. The deal is worth the equivalent of 18 million euros. Mirja Salonen, legal officer with the Ministry of Justice, works on drafting legislation in Finland and explains that a working group will be set up for the new legislation this spring. In the past it would appear there was also some confusion as to which government department should deal with this issue; The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, or the Ministry of Culture and Sport from the point of view of the legislation, employment issues and the sports and recreation groups concerned, respectively. There are over a half million volunteer workers in the country at the moment and each week over two million people take part in activities involving volunteer workers activities such as after-school clubs, the scouting movement and sports
clubs. Nuorten Palvelu ry is a youth work organisation, whose aim is to help youths who need extra support many of those who receive care and assistance have come from unstable home situations or may have had issues with substance abuse. "We need this new legislation on child welfare for checking backgrounds of volunteer workers. With our services it is very important that the youths feel they can trust the volunteer, as they are already vulnerable and need some good solid, support. "The EU directive gives each member state two years in which to introduce the new legislation in their own country. He did have a previous record for similar offences," explains Nuotio.
THOSE
TS: VRGroup to consider suing whistleblowing website
The Turun Sanomat reported on Monday that the state-owned passenger rail operator VRGroup is considering taking court action against the internet whistleblowing website VRLeaks, which has accused the company of maintaining its monopoly through illegal means. HT
Previously, children have been targeted due to this legislative failure regarding volunteer workers.
A new EU directive on child sexual abuse forces government to face the issue of criminal background checks for volunteer workers, which politicians and youth workers have been requesting for years.
DAV I D DU N N E HEL SINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / A N T T I A I M O - KO I V I S T O
Uusi Suomi: Finns Party members involved in racist Facebook group
EU directive to protect children
the devastation that can be caused when a paedophile infiltrates youth work. Therefore, it is ensured that the records of criminal convictions can be obtained as easily as possible, electronically and free of charge," continued Kaikkonen. The law could be drafted similarly to the law regarding people who work [fulltime] with children that we enacted few years ago. 4
1 7 MARCH 2012
DOMESTIC NEWS
HELSINKI TIMES
COLUMN KSML: The Finns Party to check candidates' backgrounds before local elections
According to the Keskisuomalainen, the Finns Party will conduct background checks on all those who wish to be candidates for the party in the autumn's local elections. VRLeaks, for its part, says it has filed criminal charges against the company concerning the alleged register. Van Wonterghem is currently awaiting trial for incitement to ethnic or racial hatred for his comments on his Uusi Suomi blog in February 2011. A number of members of Parliament share the concerns of Kaikkonen. Unfortunately it has previously been possible for paedophiles to take advantage of this situation we have with volunteer workers," says Peltonen. One positive aspect may be that every time a Muslim girl is killed, it's one extra potential producer of more Muslims that's out of the game.' Van Wonterghem's comments were defended by two fellow Finns Party politicians who are now Members of Parliament: James Hirvisaari, who has been convicted and fined by Kouvola District Court for the same offence, and Juho Eerola, who has stated his approval of his parliamentary assistant Ulla Pyysalo's membership in a Finnish neo-Nazi party. According to the Finnish company, the plant will come into operation during 2014. `Since last December this website has been making false and unfounded allegations about VRGroup, and the claims are becoming increasingly egregious. The act also covers work performed in practical training or during a work tryout; family care provided by a family carer; providers of private social services and private healthcare services; and services of morning and afternoon activities as referred to in the Basic Education Act. Professional workers must have police clearance, but volunteers have not been required to have this check." "We couldn't manage without volunteer workers, be they regular caring people or students who study social or youth work. Party secretary Ossi Sandvik says the checks will not be confined to criminal registers, but will also include interviews with prospective candidates. HT
Kauppalehti: Finnish ecoenergy company secures major deal in Sweden
Kauppalehti reported on Tuesday that the Finnish environmental technology manufacturer BMH Technology has signed a contract with the Swedish electricity producer Mälarenergi AB for the construction of a plant to produce fuel from recycled materials. The party decided on these measures following the outrage over the recent comments by a Finns Party politician in Satakunta, Tommi Rautio. We have been forced to seriously consider taking the matter to court,' the company's senior vice president and director of Corporate Relations and the Environment Otto Lehtipuu told the paper. We are delighted with this change finally. However, an oversight in the drafting of the legislation meant that those working on a voluntary basis were exempt from this check. He is currently serving a prison sentence for his offences, but this tragedy could have been avoided were backgrounds checks available. Jaakko Nuotio, Executive Director of Nuorten Palvelu ry, understands all too well
Drafting legislation "It is not so much an issue in smaller towns, or areas where people all know each other, but in bigger cities or in bigger organisations, who really knows what somebody's background is. Tuula Peltonen (SDP) also feels that a change is legislation is necessary. The directive covers many areas of child sexual abuse: from child pornography and sex tourism, to background checks for those working with children and minimum sentencing for offences, so there is a great deal of work involved," explains Salonen. The Facility is now rated `negative' rather than `developing'. The other party member involved in the latest in the steadily growing list of murky goings-on by Finns Party members is Freddy van Wonterghem, a member of Kotka Town Council. One of the two, local politician Jani Viinikainen from Kangasala, has already had a warning from the party for starting an anti-homosexual Facebook group late last year. Since 2002, those working fulltime with children were required to have their criminal backgrounds checked. HT
working with children, whether in a fulltime or voluntary capacity, will soon have their criminal backgrounds checked as part of a new EU directive on child abuse brought in by European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström. The agency said the change was decided upon because the long-term loans that have already been issued by the EFSF `are no longer exclusively supported by guarantees from the EFSF guarantor members rated `AAA' by Standard & Poor's or `AAA' rated liquid securities.' HT
The Uusi Suomi news website reported on Tuesday that at least two Finns Party members are involved in an anti-Roma group. "Very sadly we had a case where an individual who was doing volunteer work got close to children and was an abuser. The glaring omission in this piece of legislation has been the situation in which an individual who does volunteer work with children unpaid, where a regular work contract is not required may not legally have their criminal background checked, and this has been an unsatisfactory situation, according to youth workL E H T I K U VA / S A R I GU S TA F S S O N
ers and members of Finnish parliament. The current legislative act on criminal background checks from 2002 refers to "work performed in employment and civil service", i.e. HT
Eurozone stability fund downgraded by credit ratings agency
The credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's announced on Monday evening that it was downgrading the credit rating given to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), the temporary crisis fund that has been set up by the eurozone countries. My colleagues and I have been looking for this for years," says Nuotio. This is the first time in Finland that it will be possible to check the criminal background of volunteer workers. Presenting criminal records at the request of the employer would be desirable."
Antti Kaikkonen, a Centre Party Member of Parliament.
Criminal convictions The last time this was raised in Parliament, in 2010 by Kaikkonen, the question was put to then Minister for Culture and Sport Stefan Wallin (SFP) who claimed that, "Stricter control and a police records requirement as part of Finnish voluntary activities could result in a significant reduction in voluntary activities", suggesting that fewer people might do voluntary work. Rautio proposed that the Finnish man who murdered a Moroccan worker in a pizzeria in Oulu on 18 February should be given a medal of honour for his part in the "war" between natives and immigrants. Tragically, in the past, paedophiles have actually targeted this legal loophole to get closer to their victims. fulltime contract, or limited contract work, and those doing civil service in place of military service. He remarked on a news item about the flogging to death of a girl in Saudi Arabia: `As far as I'm concerned the Saudis can do what they want in their own country, it's not our business. BMH Technology currently employs a total of 125 staff in Finland, Sweden, and Poland, in Rauma, Enköping, and Wroclaw respectively. "The important thing is that voluntary activities are not burdened with extra red tape, any more than necessary. He was very calculated in the way he approached things, and his lies and cover story were very convincing. VRLeaks' latest allegation is that the company currently maintains an illegal employee register. MP Antti Kaikkonen (Centre) says, "The vast majority of those acting as volunteer workers are good citizens, but the safety of children and young people is a particularly sensitive area. We expect to start work on this very soon. Wallin also claimed that the procedure would be too difficult to complete. None of the ministries seemed able to explain satisfactorily why it had taken an EU directive in late 2011 to reconcile the issue.
Thanks to the win, Karlsson will be Finland's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest, which this year will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. · If overlong days become a regular feature of a person's working life, some degree of depression and disillusionment with work can easily result. "It's not a very good sign of things if people are sending work-related emails in the middle of the night."
"It's not a crime to want to become a parent, but the motive behind human trafficking is very clearly different," the Ombudsman for Minorities says.
PE TR A SNECK S T T HT
L E H T I K U VA / K I M M O M Ä N T Y L Ä
The state and industrial sectors are the most common exploiters of unpaid work, a recent survey indicates.
According to the study, the reasons for unpaid overtime are manifold: in many cases it may be voluntary, when ambitious workers simply want to work harder to get ahead. Do you agree with the current plans to reduce the blood alcohol content limit for drivers from .05% to .02%?
Yes 58.7 % No 41.3 %
View details and this week's question at www.helsinkitimes.fi.
Cutbacks leave students homeless
DAV I D DU N N E HEL SINKI TIMES
STUDENT residents of the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) dormitories have been told to vacate their homes by next month, with no alternative accommodation being provided for the 130 current residents. The baby has been placed in a care unit in Helsinki. Giving one's child away is certainly not in good accord with Finnish law, but it's a different thing than human trafficking." Both the legislation on human trafficking and on illegal adoption are due to changed soon. In addition to singing, Karlsson plays handball with the Finland-Swedish club Sjundeå IF. · Serious health problems are also more likely to develop than among those who keep to healthier working hours. Now, this sum is being transferred to scholarships and the funding is now insufficient to keep the dormitories open," said Deputy Director of CIMO Samu Seitsalo. Men are more likely to do unpaid overtime than women, and the amount of such work done shows a clear correlation with age: the older the employee, the more he or she is unlikely to be doing work for free. A study jointly conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the University of London suggests that there may be a positive correlation between long working days and heart trouble. Some of the residents have their accommodation paid through grants, and universities contribute too. From Finland the baby had been taken to Estonia, from where two social workers from the City of Helsinki brought it back with the help of Finnish and Estonian police. The title of the petition is Against the closure of CIMOs dormitory in Finland.
L E H T I K U VA / M I K KO S T I G
Who: Pernilla Karlsson From: Siuntio Famous for: representing Finland in this year's Eurovision.
Pernilla Karlsson, 22, won the popular vote in Yle's New Music Competition with a song called "När jag blundar" (When I close my eyes). · The study also showed that those doing longer than 10-hour working days are likely to be males in high-level professional positions. Pernilla Karlsson gives Jonas full credit for the win. From July onwards, it will be a criminal offence
to give a child up for adoption for money. Biaudet points out that the criteria for human trafficking would be met only if a third party had brought the baby to Finland for financial gain. The changes to the Finnish law on human trafficking, meanwhile, will be aimed at tackling a variety of present difficulties, such as the problem of identifying instances of human trafficking. · Self-esteem can also suffer. Karlsson received over 50 per cent of viewers' votes. Life outside of work suffers, from tiredness, stress, and lack of time. "This raises the question of where this workload is coming from. According to Biaudet, trafficking in children is already criminalised under the law as it currently stands. "It might turn out that both parties have acted in good faith, so to speak. The state has supported the dormitory operation to the sum 144,000 euros annually. Fiftyseven per cent of respondents to the survey said that the overtime work they do at home goes unpaid.
Many symptoms of overwork
· Excessively long working days produce a wide variety of symptoms, the most common of which are stress and fatigue. 1,200 regularly employed people participated in the survey part of the study, which was carried out last autumn.
R I K U RO S L U N D S T T HT
ACCORDING
to a survey of working conditions just published by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, over one-fifth of all employees in Finland do unpaid overtime work from home at least occasionally. For example, HOAS had up to 5,000 applicants in the beginning of December alone." "Continuation of residential services would ensure that the metropolitan area attracts international experts in the future as well. "The halls of residence are not suitable for current demands. The dormitories, which have hosted foreign students, and visiting researchers and teachers, for over two decades, are being closed as the funding which supports it is being cut. In Biaudet's view, coming to Finland to give birth is so expensive that "no instance of human trafficking would work that way."
Legal changes Police are not investigating the matter, because it fits no existing criminal category. HELSINKI TIMES
DOMESTIC NEWS
1 7 MARCH 2012
5
Ombudsman rebuts Unpaid overtime a fact of life for many trafficking speculation
The state and industrial sectors are the most common exploiters of unpaid work, the survey found. The closure is based on the findings of an Education and Culture Ministry's report and comes at a time when student groups say there
is already a chronic shortage of student accommodation and, ironically, in the wake Minister of Education Jukka Gustafsson (SDP) recent statement that Finland should attract yet more foreign students. Work should not be organised so that it must be done continuously outside of working time also. "Too many employees say that they can only concentrate properly on their work at home or after four in the afternoon. The fact that the child's mother is a Romanian Roma cruelly suggests that she just didn't have the means to raise her child herself. Repeatedly long working days are a very clear drain on working efficiency, Hakanen says. The song, which is only Finland's second Swedish-language Eurovision entry, was written and arranged by her brother, Jonas Karlsson, and is about their mother, for whose 50th birthday it was composed. "The relation between human trafficking and illegal adoption is a matter for discussion, but I don't see a problem there. The mother of the child is only sixteen, and is believed to have already returned to Romania. Many in this category exhibit psychological symptoms, smoke, drink heavily, and get less sleep than others.
The average amount of overtime done at home is two hours a week, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Cause for concern Paid or not, the average amount of overtime done at home is two hours a week, which according to specialists in health and wellbeing at work does not yet present cause for concern. Ten hours a week, however, is the threshold beyond which alarm bells should start to ring. Students are organising an online petition to keep the CIMO dormitory functioning in Antti Korpin tie street, which is the largest of the CIMO houses with a 102 beds. "That somebody has had a child for the purposes of adoption does not constitute human trafficking, even if money has changed hands in the process," Biaudet said in response to the controversy which developed after the Helsingin Sanomat reported the incident on Sunday. It's not a crime to want to become a parent, but the motive behind human trafficking is very clearly different," Biaudet adds.
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
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Some Finnish authorities suggest that the blood alcohol content limit for drivers should be lowered. It may well be that no criminal activity is involved, Biaudet believes. Only about two per cent of survey respondents said they do this much or more overtime every week on average. In these cases, the health-related risks of excessively long working days are voluntarily taken.
in Roma baby case
The Ombudsman for Minorities, Eva Biaudet.
THE OMBUDSMAN
for Minorities, Eva Biaudet (Swedish People's Party), says there are no grounds for thinking that human trafficking is involved in the decision by a Romanian Roma woman to leave her newborn baby in Finland, after leaving the country herself. The next day, they typically find it hard to get going. If saving Antti Korpin tie dormitory is not possible, we ask that the Ministry of Education and Culture, CIMO and Senate Properties at least to ensure that CIMOs accom-
modation time in Antti Korpin tie 4 dormitory would be extended until end of the school year, at the end of May," explains Metso. Miika Metso, Chairman of Antti Korpin tie 4 Student Dormitory Residents Council, says "Although CIMO has informed the inhabitants about the situation in a timely fashion, there are still many inhabitants who would
need more time to locate new accommodation." "The housing situation in the Helsinki area is less than satisfactory and institutional housing providers, like HOAS, are overwhelmed and underfunded. It's a sign of bad management and a bad working culture, and carries large risks," according to senior researcher Jari Hakanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. This year's Eurovision semifinals will be held on 22 and 24 May, and the final on the 26th.. If you wish to support the campaign, go to thepetitionsite.com and search for Antti Korpin. At its best, working from home can offer increased flexibility, Hakanen says, but only if strict limits are imposed and maintained. This can very easily mark the beginning of a vicious circle." According to Hakanen, statistics show that many workers in Finland who do longer than a 50-hour working week exhibit clear signs of fatigue
Every third 50-yearold has it. can't be hidden with financial trickery. As a result of the study, from now on prisoners will be placed in prisons in a more appropriate way. 6
1 7 MARCH 2012
FROM THE FINNISH PRESS
T R A NSL AT IONS B Y A INO B A IN
HELSINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / M I K KO S T I G
TURUN SANOMAT 25 February
Conflict of interest claims haunt prosecutors
"ACCORDING
to the state prosecutor Jukka Rappe of the Office of the Prosecutor General, prosecutors nowadays are being confronted with a growing amount of accusations that their judgement is compromised by a conflict of interest. In this unique Finnish study, all Finnish prisons and prisoners were put in four categories based on the dangerousness of the prisoners
Welcome to the French School Jules Verne
Kindergarten from 2,5 years old and up to Secondary school. The bank notes that the upturn in the market in recent weeks is, above all, a consequence of the ECB's funding operation. In other
words, the financial outlook in European countries hasn't changed for the better. Additionally, the biggest earners of all, those who earn over 100,000 euros, should be given a new, temporary tax bracket. `This kind of negative trend is becoming more common, unfortunately,' he continues. The prosecutor then calls me to tell me about it. The Italian economy hasn't grown in 10 years. Such a solidarity tax is one of our goals in the framework negotiations,' Urpilainen stated."
is warning investors that the upturn in the stock market that started at the end of last year isn't sustainable. Therefore, he doesn't think there is a need to start a programme of mass screening men for the disease." as well as the intensity of the monitoring at a given prison. `The predicament in which we find ourselves won't be overcome by saving. `The problems of the real economy ... The mood on the markets shouldn't be interpreted as sensationally good,' writes Nordea in its statement. Downtown Helsinki: Ratakatu 6
Enrolment for August 2012 until May 15th.
Currently, there are hundreds of non-dangerous prisoners incarcerated in high-security prisons.. Clear differences emerged both in terms of the level of prison security and the dangerousness of the prisoners. I don't know if that's a mistake or not,' comments the Nordea analyst Rickard Hellman to Dagens Industri. However, few men know of their illness, and there isn't even a need to diagnose them all.
`Up to 90 per cent of prostate cancers don't cause any symptoms and don't require treatment. `During a court case, or even before it, claims are made in informal discussions about the connection of the prosecutor
to a person or detail relevant to the case. Nordea points out that the decision the Europe-
an Central Bank (ECB) took in December to fund European banks for three years by lending them around 500 billion euros has brought a great amount of additional money to markets. Helsinki Times reserves the right to accept or reject submissions, and to edit and shorten all submissions chosen for publication.
Finnish men have prostate cancer. KIRSI HANTULA
The market is mistaken, says Nordea
"NORDEA
Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen.
VERKKOUUTISET 25 February. This may lead to guiding principles on prisoner placement having to be changed. Writers should include their name, address and possible daytime telephone number. Pseudonyms will be accepted only in exceptional cases. At the moment, the aim is to place prisoners in prisons close to their homes, but in the future they may be placed in prisons on the other side of the country if this better corresponds to the danger they pose."
L E H T I K U VA / P E K K A S A K K I
KALEVA 26 February
Study questions prisoner placement method
"THE LEVEL
Comments can be sent by e-mail to: info@helsinkitimes.fi
Tel.(09)5651926 info@ecolejulesverne.fi www.ecolejulesverne.fi
of security at Finnish prisons doesn't correlate with the dangerousness of their prisoners. In about 10 per cent of cases, patients notice symptoms and the cancer starts
spreading,' says Urologist Patrik Ehnström from Vaasa Central Hospital. `Usually it worries the prose-
cutor involved in the case. Helsinki Times will not give the information to third parties. For example, at the Helsinki stock exchange the OMX Helsinki index has gone up by over a fifth in the space of three months. ILKKA AHTOKIVI
Urpilainen wants new tax bracket for big earners
"LEADER
of the Social Democrats (SDP), Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen is looking to return some fairness to Finnish society by proposing a new tax bracket for those earning over 100,000 euros a year. `It's emergency action. `The market is mistaken. A lot of time was wasted investigating members of the court and the prosecutor, but the process continued and nine people were sentenced."
KAUPPALEHTI 25 February. The level of unemployment in Spain is 23 per cent and youth unemployment stands at 50 per cent,' Nordea points out in its statement. Sometimes the claim is even turned into something akin to a conspiracy theory. I often console them by telling them not to worry too much and to not disqualify themselves because of a conflict of interests, as these claims rarely lead to anything more serious.' The best-known attempt in Finland to disqualify a prosecutor was made last year in the Helsinki Court of Appeal in a case relating to the internet company Jippii. The matter in itself may be insignificant, but it slows down the court process. According to Urpilainen, the direction of economic policy must be assessed during the government's framework negotiations at the beginning of next month.
She thinks that Finland will only survive with the help of economic growth. As such, it means the problem doesn't have to be dealt with at this moment in time. Roughly estimated, in highsecurity prisons, there are currently hundreds of prisoners who are unlikely to commit a new crime. At the same time, in closed prisons there are convicts who aren't
dangerous enough to be surrounded by prison walls. Also, private consumption will remain weak."
ILKKA 26 February
Many men unaware they have prostate cancer
"FOUR out of fi ve 80-year-old
READER'S LETTERS
Helsinki Times wants your views on current issues and comments on news articles as well as anything of interest from a multicultural perspective.
Comments should be no longer than 2,000 characters with spaces. This is taken seriously and investigated every time,' says Rappe. According to a recent study by the Criminal Sanctions Agency, in Finnish open prisons there are prisoners who should, on account of the danger they pose, be in a closed prison. Rather, too severe saving would only make the situation worse,' Urpilainen remarked during her speech at an SDP event in Vantaa on Saturday." The SDP leader says that society's tax burden should be based on the ability to pay.
`It's justified to get those people who earn a lot and have an abundance of wealth to take a more active role in the common effort than they currently do. Official French curriculum with teaching of Finnish and English. The issue was first reported by the Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri. Nordea predicts that the macro economy will grow slightly in Europe but that the situation in the public sector looks bad
Oxfam is demanding that the international community radically shift its approach in order to effectively brighten Somalia's future. Paul has denied any interest in running as an independent and it is too late to get on ballots in many states as such but has left the door open. They are interested in politics, and actually vote. Media pundits continue to speculate that Republican candidate Ron Paul may decide to run as an independent. actions in Somalia have never improved the humanitarian situation," he said. Six months after the United Nations declared a famine in the country, more than 325, 000 children are still suffering from acute malnutrition. "What's changed from 20 per cent to 40 per cent is the
IN HIS BOOK
Pirate Party While it is technically a political party, Dalton points to the rise of the Pirate Party in Germany and Sweden as evidence younger generations
Green Party Because the Green Party has not obtained ballot access in every US state, some of its primaries are conducted by other means. "What we need right now is an inclusive, Somali-led peace process. If they get their base to vote, they're still 15 per cent short of a majority," Dalton added. "The last twenty years have seen numerous military interventions in Somalia," Aydris Daar, CEO of the Wajir South Development Association (WASDA) in Juba, Somalia, said. While technically a Republican, Paul is basically a Libertarian; he opposes
sis away from anti-piracy and security concerns and taking practical steps towards an inclusive political process must be at the top of Europe's agenda if it is serious about bringing long-term peace and security to ordinary Somalis and the region," Natalia Alonso, Head of Oxfam's EU office in Brussels, stated in a press release on Wednesday. "Whenever they occurred, they led to an increase of conflicts inside the country. "Illinois had an online Primary. HELSINKI TIMES
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1 7 MARCH 2012
7
L E H T I K U VA / A F P P H O T O / S A U L L O E B
US voters increasingly alienated by two major parties
A new book shows there are now more US voters who identify as independent than as Democrats or Republicans, despite the fact that the two major parties maintain their virtual stranglehold on US politics and, so far, on the 2012 presidential election process.
growth among young, educated, politically engaged people who are turned off by political parties. They won't vote out of loyalty, but out of issues. And when conflicts increase, regular people do not have time to attend to their daily work, children cannot go to school and there is no time or space to do business, which affects the economic situation. Ohio had a statewide meeting. Barr is a famous populist actress with significant name recognition for her television programme, Roseanne, which featured a realistic, as opposed to a picture-perfect, portrayal of a working class family in the 1990s. If you look
L E H T I K U VA / A F P P H O T O / M AT T DU N H A M / P O O L
Many US Democrats fear their party has been moving to the right, while many Republicans, in turn, are afraid their party won't nominate a candidate strong enough to challenge Obama.
most US military activities overseas and opposes the socalled "war on drugs," but also wants to end most welfare programmes and even many federal agencies. "The most dramatic thing is the Democratic Party is addicted to corporate money, the donations from corporate PACs (political action committees)," McLarty said. "I think people are afraid the Republican Party is going to nominate someone who is inadequate. "International action should not lead to further suffering in Somalia," Aydris Daar explained, "The solution must come from within, but before that can happen, we need support: funding for Somalia must be long term, so it can go beyond relief into recovery and development. "Our goal is to get our nominees on at least 46 (out of 50) of the state ballots." With the Democratic Party in the US having moved farther and farther toward the centre even what in many countries would be considered centre-right the distinctions between the Green and Democratic parties continue to grow. "What we had hoped for was a recognition that twenty years of internationally imposed solutions have failed. However, what we've seen once again were externally driven solutions that haven't worked, aren't working and will not work," Barbara Stocking from Oxfam International said in a press release on Thursday. "Setting out a new approach by shifting the empha-
British Prime Minister David Cameron leads delegates at the Somalia Conference as they pose for an official photograph at Lancaster House in London on 23 February.. Stein, on the other hand, appears to be the frontrunner for the Green nomination. That's what injected volatility into the [presidential] campaign," he said. "In the past, Independents used to attract people at the margins of politics, less educated, less interested, who wouldn't vote, people at the periphery," Dalton explains. Somalis themselves should have a say in the solution the international community is outlining. Her campaign says it has won primary contests in Illinois, Maine, Minnesota and Ohio.
ATLANTA GEORGIA, US
MAT THE W C ARDINALE IPS
The Apartisan American, Russell Dalton, a professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine, reviews survey trends like the American National Election Studies (ANES), which show the share of US citizens who consider themselves independent has nearly doubled, from 23 per cent in 1952 to 40 per cent in 2008. In its new report `Putting the Interests of Somali People First', the organisation states that although responsibility for Somalia's crisis lies foremost with factions inside the country, international engagement has at times made matters worse.
BRUSSELS BELGIUM
DA AN BAUWENS IPS
SOMALIA
has still not recovered from its last humanitarian crisis. Talks about the country will resume at the European Union Foreign Affairs meeting starting next Monday in Brussels. This is what is fuelling conflicts in Somalia."
NGOs urge `solution from within' for Somalia
While the international community discusses Somalia's future in London and Brussels, European and Somali non-governmental organisations are calling for a radical shift from a military to a humanitarian approach as the only solution to the country's war-torn condition.
During the London Somalia Conference last Thursday, world leaders reached an agreement on seven key areas to put an end to Somalia's precarious situation, including security, piracy, terrorism, humanitarian assistance, local stability, the reinstallment of the political process and international cooperation. They want someone high-quality, thoughtful, and intelligent in the race, other than the current president, Obama," Winger said. "It's a bunch of liberal Republicans who won't abide with the Republican parat the conferences that are taking place right now, you can clearly see there are not enough Somali voices taking part in the decision-making." Oxfam's standpoint is reflected on the ground in Somalia itself. Military
ty," Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News and one of the nation's leading experts on ballot access, explains. Maine is having caucuses around the state," Scott McLarty, national spokesman for the Green Party, explained. "The unpredictability of elections, and the willingness of people to shift parties has increased; that's the first whammy. This trend is not limited to the US, but extends to all major Western democracies where long-term polling data is available, even in countries where it is easier for minor political parties to gain representation in the legislative branch. The Libertarian Party of the US is likely to gain ballot access in all 50 states and to nominate Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico and the Constitution Party of the US is likely to gain ballot access in about 40 states, and former congressman Virgil Goode is seeking the nomination, Winger said. The Green Party, for example, is currently in the process of selecting its presidential nominee. Yet she entered the race late, does not have an organised campaign, and has not gained ballot access as widely as Mesplay or Stein. There are in fact a multitude of political parties in the US other than the Democratic and Republican parties, although they differ in the level to which they have obtained ballot access in order to run candidates for various offices on the ballots in those states. Yet there is another possibility for him or another candidate this year: a mysterious, well-funded group called Americans Elect is working to gain ballot access in all 50 states and is spending about 10 million dollars to do it. Although NGOs applaud the international community's initiative and effort to help Somalia, the proposed seven key areas were received with mixed feelings. They have their base that wants red meat party rhetoric to get them to vote. According to WASDA, any solution for Somalia's wartorn condition should be fully grounded in a humanitarian principle. of citizens are eschewing uncritical party deference. Most of the shift appears to be among people who considered themselves Democrats, to those who now consider themselves independent. The second whammy creates difficulties for candidates. Though last summer's response from the international community and civil society did succeed in saving many lives, expulsions of aid agencies and internationally backed military operations still impede humanitarian assistance from reaching those who are most in need.
Security and stability For many governments involved in Somalia, military action is seen as a means of providing security and stability, but reports from inside tell a different story. "For more than twenty years foreign armies have been coming in and going out of Somalia, without any success," Tidhar Wald, Oxfam's EU humanitarian policy advisor explained. Candidates include Roseanne Barr, Kent Mesplay, and Jill Stein. Seventy percent of the people in Somalia are younger than 35; it is their poverty and unemployment that is pushing them to take sides in the conflicts
Yet its financial situation became worse. The Hungarian national airline Malev collapsed at the beginning of February. As airlines can't control the price of oil, they focus on the costs they can influence, such as personnel expenses. Apple is so astonish-
mid-year it became obvious that the company has to carry out a significant structural change in order to end its loss-making cycle and build a Finnair for the future."
ingly profitable that it THIS is the problem: is piling up cash faster Apple needs to do than it knows what to something with all this money. "Our turnover increased in line with our expectations by 11.6 per cent year-on-year, and we also progressed in our cost savings programme as anticipated," says Finnair CEO Mika Vehviläinen. Nokia, in contrast, has about three months of total expenses in cash.
THE GLOBAL
airline industry is facing another period of troubles. Apple does what it can to put its cash to work, investing in money markets, government bonds, commercial paper or other safe assets. He is also a private investor with over ten years of experience.
How much cash is too much cash?
THERE
is an old saying: "You can never be too rich or too thin." This statement is frequently challenged, and with good reason. The coming months might be bright for this segment, too. Apple is so astonishingly profitable that it is piling up cash faster than it knows what to do with it. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that premium traffic grew 8.4 per cent last year between Europe and the Far East. C O R D HEL SINKI TIMES
cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Cord david@helsinkitimes.fi The writer is a journalist and columnist for Helsinki Times. It was unable to do so, and declared bankruptcy. It is already investing in new business ideas it had some $758 million in R&D expenses in the fourth quarter but there is a limit on how much you can spend here, too. AS OF THE end of 2011, the company had $98 billion in
Airline industry hits more turbulence
Higher oil prices and an economic downturn threaten struggling airlines.
DAV I D J . But the returns are paltry. Long, strenuous working hours and insufficient rest periods between flights is a dangerous combination. So it is left with the option of buying other businesses, drastically expanding into new products, or returning the money to the owners of the company.
IT IS CONCEIVABLE that some of this cash could be put to use in acquisitions, but I doubt if Apple could find enough worthwhile targets. Finnair's main growth market is between Europe and Asia. This increased by about $16 billion in three months. For European carriers it is even worse: with the changing exchange rate the price per barrel in euros has increased 42 per cent over that time. The Finnish Pilots' Association (FPA) issued a worried statement in mid-February, saying that pilots are being pushed so hard that it is impacting safety. If we cut out non-cash expenditures, Apple generated 38 cents in operating cash for every dollar in sales. Governments around the world, including China, India and the US, have protested. To put this mountain of money into perspective, at current market prices Apple could buy Fortum, KONE, Nokia and Nordea only using its cash. The European Commission ordered it to repay state aid it had received from 2007 2010. It can't just let do with it.
it grow indefinitely. Having too much money must be a nice problem to have.
American Airlines passenger planes sit on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport on 1 February. The company's Finnish website promises that the flights will resume on 15 June.
Cosy hotel in the heart of Helsinki
Annankatu, 00120 Helsinki tel. But we shouldn't feel too sorry for Apple's dilemma. +358-9-616 621, info@hotelanna.fi
www.hotelanna.fi
Business travellers Airlines are worried about developments in Europe, as the EU has a new law forcing them to pay for their emissions. Higher fuel costs and a looming recession threaten profits, while some pilots say they have been pushed so hard as to render flying unsafe. This means a steep reduction in the number of flights." American Airlines declared bankruptcy during November and announced that it intends to eliminate about 13,000 jobs. "The money will not be invested, most probably, and airBaltic will adopt the Estonian Air model. The Latvian national carrier airBaltic might be experiencing its own problems. Since early October, oil has increased 38 per cent to 105.05 US dollars per barrel. "Unfortunately, the increased fuel price and global uncertainties more than offset our progress in cost savings. American Airlines declared bankruptcy in November and announced that it intends to eliminate about 13,000 jobs.
Oil and labour costs Airlines profits are heavily dependent upon the price of oil. Latvia owns the majority of the airline, and it is in no mood to make huge investments in the company. Instead, I think they should either reinstate quarterly dividends, or maybe have a large one-time dividend. MOST likely, I think, is returning some of this money to the shareholders, either via dividends or stock buybacks. Apple's choices are limited, though. The oneworld alliance, which includes Finnair, decided at the beginning of February that Kingfisher was in no position to join. "A leading indicator of premium travel growth the purchasing managers' index of business confidence signals an optimistic outlook for premium travel markets in coming months," the IATA says.. In mid-February a group of 26 nations met in Moscow to debate possible retaliation, risking a trade war. It is more than enough for a rainy day, having accumulated the equivalent of almost nine months of total expenses in cash. At
L E H T I K U VA / K E V O R K DJ A N S E Z I A N
COMPANIES should deploy their assets in the most profitable manner possible. It has had to cancel
numerous flights, blaming bird strikes, "unexpected events," and, more recently, the Indian tax office freezing bank accounts. is, in fact, too rich.
Finnair CEO Mika Vehviläinen has had his share of troubles lately, with questions being asked about the city centre property which he sold and pays no rent on whilst still living there.
THE PROBLEM is that Apple is simply too profitable. 8
1 7 MARCH 2012
BUSINESS
HELSINKI TIMES
L E H T I K U VA / P E K K A S A K K I
David J. "The state will take no risky steps," airBaltic council member Edmunds Krastins explained. "The latest evidence of this alarming trend is the recent SAS flight incident, where a pilot fell asleep alone in the cockpit when his colleagues briefly left. Keeping assets in cash is not profitable. In the three months ending 31 December, the company made 28 cents in profit for every dollar in sales. AT THE annual general meeting, CEO Tim Cook recognised the problem, saying that Apple had "a lot" of cash that was "more than we need to run the company." UNDER the best-case scenario, a company will reinvest
profits in its businesses. During the summer, American Airlines fly a nonstop route between Helsinki and Chicago. Apple recognised a 0.08% profit rate on these instruments in the fourth quarter. The Indian carrier Kingfisher has also been in difficulties. During the last fiscal year, the company's return on equity was 45%. I don't think Apple is undervalued, so purchasing its own shares should be off the table. One hint of good news comes regarding the profitable business travellers. Last year Finnair had higher turnover, more passengers, higher cargo vol-
umes and more flights. It could pay off some 80% of Finnish government debt. Yes, you read that correctly. It could have almost paid for the entire Portugal bailout by itself. The markets for smart phones, digital music players and computers are only so big. Recently much of the investing world has been suggesting that Apple, Inc. "Fatigue is a real threat," says FPA's Lasse Lehtonen in the release. Statistically, 15-20 per cent of human error in air transport is caused by fatigue." Bankruptcy and frozen accounts Despite cost-cutting measures, a number of airlines have run into trouble recently
That's not the case now, because we don't have the necessary capacity," according to Stina Bergström, a Green
Party Member of Parliament. "Perhaps not throughout the entire country or all year round, but there are promising niches in the market. Under the terms of the same contract, VR's monopoly on local train services remains in force until the end of 2017.
COMMENTARY The writer has worked in the airline industry for over 10 years.
Rotting from the head down
HEIDI WELLINGER
"THE EASIEST way to become a millionaire is to start out a billionaire then go into the airline business," is one of the best-known quotes of Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic. Nyman made the charge to news agency STT in mid-January.
T I M O J A A KO N A H O
not always brought more affordable travel, especially when long-distance lines are operated by more than one company. Our national airline is feeling out of sorts with the changed market situation. The industry has been facing major challenges since the first Gulf war and many airlines have gone bankrupt since. Joking aside, there are only emotional or political arguments against privatisation in Finnair's case. HELSINKI TIMES
BUSINESS
1 7 MARCH 2012
9
Swedish lessons for Finland's rail system
Since the monopoly on passenger rail services was lifted in Sweden, there are only two real competitors to the wholly state-owned Statens Järnvägar.
TA N E L I M Ä N N I K KÖ S T T HT
IT HAS BEEN around fi ve years
since Sweden's first privately-owned passenger rail companies began to challenge Statens Järnvägar (SJ) after the wholly state-owned company's monopoly was lifted. In 2009
the southwester province of Västergötland cost the Department the equivalent of almost 15 million euros. Claes Nilsson, who travelled with Veolia from Malmö to Stockholm, says he is not in principle in favour of competitive rail services. Last autumn the country's government promised additional funding to upgrade rail infrastructure, but in Bergström's view much of the additional funds are wasted on disputes and compensation. The medication for
the aviation crisis that started with the first Gulf War has been alliance-building and privatisation. In 2009, the Ministry of Transport and Communications granted VR exclusive
rights to the operation of long-distance passenger rail services until the end of 2019. Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, was asked whom he considered the best airline boss. Whether Finnair's current management will be capable of reforming the company, will show. The recent opening of the most heavily used long-distance lines to competition has been carried out incrementally, and since the start of this year now covered the whole country. Finnair's CEO Mika Vehviläinen has shown some talent in organising his private housing. Nevertheless the average unit cost is still too high considering the company's poor results in the last years.
Among other `classic' airlines Finnair has been powerless against the low cost carriers' increasing market shares. Which is good, in case one does not prefer sponsoring management housing with taxpayers' money.. The average profit margin is only 3 per cent. Then the airline rented the apartment for Vehviläinen. A good example is Alitalia whose balances have been in deficit for decades. The process of opening the system to competition has not gone smoothly, however. The opening of track maintenance to competition is the responsibility of the Finnish Transport Agency, which currently buys the services from VR Track, which is a subsidiary of VR Group, and Destia, a state-owned road and rail maintenance contractor. Private fish may rot too, but they are more likely to be profitable. Some of them have a tradition of functioning as the escape fleet for local politicians in case of a rebellion. Even if Vehviläinen's apartment arrangement is legally defensible, its moral aspect isn't. Under the terms of the same contract, VR's monopoly on local train services remains in force until the end of 2017. "There needs to be more and better cooperation between different operators, but that goes against the basic idea of competition," he says. "The trains are a bit older and the trip was a bit shaky, but otherwise I have no complaints. According to Bergström, however, competition has VR Group invested around 40 million euros in track repairs, claiming that this was necessary because state funding were seriously lacking. As in Sweden, there have been complaints for many years that rail track maintenance in Finland is seriously underfunded. It is significant to point out that non-profitable stateowned airlines cause major market distortion. Mismanagement and shortterm profit maximisation led to several mishaps, fatal accidents and eventually to bankruptcy in 2002. Jarmo Aaltonen from Helsingin Sanomat makes a sarcastic reference to African state-owned airlines. For example, the dissolution of the contract with the private operator Balfour Beatty Rail for track maintenance in operating. Mika now lives rent-free. Two freight competitors are on the however, Pieksämäki-based Proxio and Imatra-based Ratarahti. There has so far been no rush to enter the market, however, with only two competitors to SJ on the Stockholm-Gothenberg and Stockholm-Malmö lines.
According to Marco Andersson, who heads Veolia, one of the competing companies, there is room for further competition. He answered that they were all bad. The Germans say `a fish always rots from the head down'. But there are advantages to competition too. The lower prices are the main thing, of course," he says. Opening the system to competition is likely to meet fierce resistance from VR, and there are worries also
that provision of rail services to more isolated areas could suffer, or be cut off altogether, if VR is forced to compete with other providers on the busiest and most lucrative routes. Yet, `good' is always relative. In his opinion good managers would not be working for an airline. "If there were better infrastructure, with plenty of room for several different sorts of trains, having a free-market rail system in this country might work. Either way a company never profits from image damage. Even Antti Potila, the company's former CEO, went pro after he had left the company in the late 90s.
Privatisation as such is not a virtue, especially when done badly as in the case of British Rail in the mid-90s. Finnair is not Alitalia, but similar tendencies can be identified.
Every reform starts in the leadership. At the same time he is trying to convince his employees of the significance of giving up benefits. The struggle with the problems of comparatively high production costs has included, for example, the outsourcing of ground handling. Trafikverket, Sweden's department of transport, estimated in a recent study that getting the country's overall transport network into proper shape within a decade will cost the equivalent of over four billion euros.
Rail competition still a far-off possibility in Finland
PASSENGER rail services in Finland are currently entirely in the hands of VR Group, but there are persistent calls for ending the monopoly. The prices went up, the quality down. Sweden's Greens are currently in opposition. The bottom line is that airline business is not very profitable. Inefficient solutions have also been costly for the country's Department of Transport and Infrastructure. We've been operating from Malmö to Stockholm and Åre for five years already, and our focus is on firmly establishing our own place in certain sectors of the market, catering to a specific clientele," Andersson says.
Poor maintenance Track maintenance has been open to competition for several years already, but last winter's heavy snowfall in particular has made it abundantly clear that there are severe problems with upkeep of the tracks.
L E H T I K U VA / TA N E L I M Ä N N I K K Ä
L E H T I K U VA / TA N E L I M Ä N N I K K Ä
Claes Nilsson waiting for the Stockholm train in Malmö.
A long-distance train arriving at the station in Solna, Sweden.
The opposition parties have demanded that the government introduce a moratorium on further competition until such time as the infrastructure and track maintenance systems have been adequately modernised and upgraded. A study on the prospects for opening the system to competition is due to be completed later this year. Finnair took the former pill but has so far been rejecting the latter. At the same time it has been merrily operating and occupying market share. If the management fails to set an example, there is a good chance that its reform strategy will fail. He sold his apartment to the insurance company Ilmarinen, whose CEO is the chair-
man of Finnair's board. VR's monopoly on freight transportation was lifted in 2007, but the first competitors have not yet began
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has granted VR exclusive rights to the operation of long-distance passenger rail services until the end of 2019. But some critics such as Mikko Nyman, the founder of the internet whistleblowing website VRLeaks, claim that the company made the massive investment in order to buy itself a continuation of its monopoly over the entire rail network in Finland for another ten years
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`This is not only hurtful for a patriotic man such as myself, but also dangerous hate speech to be likened to a murdered man,' Rehn, a former Finnish lawmaker, said in a statement..."
ALTHOUGH many consider the Finns taciturn and reserved, and we generally don't take the initiative in a conversation, we are good at listening, and at giving a straight answer when we're asked. Although equality undoubtedly concerns weightier things than saunas and the hunting and fishing practices of old, these things are still integral to Finnish culture for a very large number of Finns. Although my next example of Finnish equality in action, namely the sauna culture, might seem a bit weird, closer consideration shows it to be less so. First and foremost among those values is equality. The man, so the theory goes, would be the core of the family, providing food and security. We're happy to discuss and negotiate in a variety of fora, including the sauna. HELSINKI TIMES
FINLAND IN THE WORLD PRESS
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INVESTINEU.COM 20 February
Finland's biggest wood construction project to start in Espoo
"ESPOO
Tuomo Puumala is a Centre Party Member of Parliament from Kokkola.
Napa's Juha Heikinheimo is confident of gaining customers in India.
THEHINDUBUSINESSLINE.COM 26 February
Finland firm looking at joint ventures for ship design, operation software
"THE Finland-based ship design software company Napa is looking for joint ventures and business partnerships from Indian en-
gineering companies to provide basic services in ship design and ship operation software in the country. But the underlying idea is that everyone is equal in the sauna, no matter how differently matters might stand outside. Whereas in the past it used to be said that all the country's important political decisions were made in the sauna, nowadays it's often thought that politics and religion are a no-no, especially in a public sauna.
Olli Rehn has insisted Timo Soini apologise for his comment.
AS FOR what is appropriate for a bunch of strangers to
BLOOMBERG 23 February
in competing at the event at such an early age. `It's much faster and more physical here in Canada,' says Määttä, an Ontario Hockey League rookie who was taken first overall by the London Knights in the 2011 CHL Import Draft. Those are revisions from estimates last autumn of 3.1 per cent and 1.4 per cent, respectively..."
IN MY VIEW,
THE TORONTO STAR 27 February
NHL prospect: London Knights D-man beyond his years
"FINNISH defenceman Olli Määttä is among pretty select company. Over a century later, 86 of the country's 200 Members of Parliament are women, the highest proportion ever. Women's and men's lots are still not equal however, which is readily seen in salary discrepancies and in the business sector.
I HAVE often
NASDAQ.COM 24 February
EU Commission Cuts Finland `12 GDP Forecast To 0.8% From 1.4%
"FINLAND'S economic outlook has deteriorated since the autumn, on a significant slowdown in activity in the last quarter of 2011, the European Commission said in its latest economic outlook Thursday.
wondered at how, in spite of the historical odds against it, a remote little country in the North could become one of the world's brightest beacons for equality. THIS IS
nothing new here, since Finland has a longstanding egalitarian tradition. Our commitment to equality is conveyed into the wider world through, amongst other channels, the office of President: it is his or her job to represent Finland and Finnish culture at the highest international levels.
I WISH our
new Head of State well in the vital role for which he has been chosen: to communicate and safeguard Finnish values at home and abroad, in summits and in the sauna.. Newcomers to Finland sometimes have trouble with understanding how people whom may be entirely unknown to each other can strip and enter a steaming hut together for a chat. Finland's Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Aalto University and the City of Espoo have signed a cooperation agreement that will provide a major boost to wood construction and the whole wood products sector in the country. talk about when sitting together in the nude, there are different views on that. But even in that now-distant era, the role of women in the community is a very influential one.
Finland's export-fueled economy is forecast to grow 2.7 per cent in 2011 and 0.8 per cent in 2012, the commission said. `I call on developers and construction companies, together with all the actors in the wood sector, to join this housing and urban development project from the very beginning,' says Jyri Häkämies, Minister of Economic Affairs..."
L E H T I K U VA / G E O R G E S C O B E T
In the buff, and on the level
QUESTIONS about equality came strongly to the fore in the recent presidential elections. After all, one might be forgiven for assuming that in comparison to more "cultured" countries, a population that had long lived off the land and by hunting would be emphatically male-dominated. Määttä suited up at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship, a tournament typically dominated by 18 and 19-year-olds, when he was just 16 and joins the likes of Canadians Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza and Sidney Crosby
it is in this historical context that we can best appreciate the development of egalitarianism in Finland. `That's why I came here. After all, everyone agrees that entering the sauna everyone leaves their titles and other adornments outside. I wanted to play Canadian-style hockey..."
Rehn Tells Euro-Skeptic Soini to Retract Czarist Thug Remark
"EUROPEAN Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn has told Timo Soini, the leader of Finland's euro-skeptic party, to apologise for likening him to an assassinated Czarist-era ruler in a spat that coincid-
ed with the nation's vote on a second Greek bailout. Mr Juha Heikinheimo,
President of the Napa group, says, `There is a growing marine industry in India and we have a lot of potential customers..."
will become a showcase for wood construction and know-how, utilising the latest research from Aalto University. All the candidates and their campaign teams did their best to show openness and inclusiveness, and respect for difference. NOW OUR country has a new President, Sauli Niinistö,
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Olli Määttä leads London Knights' defencemen in scoring.
whose job is to listen and represent the country, in all its variety and with all our society's values. Evidence of this can be found from many quarters, for instance in the fact that Finland was one of the first in the world to allow women the vote and the right of participation in politics, 1906
Then swing your arms back as you return to a standing position. 12 1 1 7 MARCH 2012 12 -7 MARCH 2012
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HELSINKI TIMES
With your finger on the trigger
Hot spots!
Places where trigger points are likely to develop, and which reward a bit of attention: · At the back of the head, where the base of the skull joins the neck. You can choose your own general practitioner or specialist doctor and book appointments flexibly, without queues. · At the top edge of the gluteus muscles, where the buttocks join the back. It becomes irritated, and will twitch painfully when pressed. The rewards are a less painful and much healthier existence!
Having a stretch may temporarily relieve the symptoms of trigger point pain, but it results in imbalances in the body and misalignment of the skeleton in the long run.. · In the arch of the foot.
The human musculoskeletal system is complex and variable, so there are many potential trigger points.
Trigger Point Therapy can help relieve chronic aches and pains.
K E N N E T H QU E K HEL SINKI TIMES
STAND UP,
close your eyes and take a deep breath. Most people will try to move around to find a comfortable position where the pain lessens. · In the trapezius muscles where the neck joins the shoulder. · In the corner between the lowest rib and the spine. It's possible to take things a little further than that, though, and in the case of minor aches and pains it is worth the while to learn how to treat them yourself.
Our versatile medical centre in southern Helsinki offers you medical services in several care areas. There are many good sources of information on trigger point therapy on the internet just remember to take things slow and easy, be careful, and listen to what your body is telling you. Raise your hands above your head, reach for the ceiling, and circle them forward and down as you bend over to touch your toes. No referral is required. There are also issues inherent to the long-term use of pain relief medications, such as dependency and kidney damage. For the layman, these mysterious painful knots can be utterly baffling, and often result in responses that prove worse than the initial problem. Travell, who began her research into musculoskeletal pain around 1940, and published more than 40 papers on the subject. Physicians from different medical traditions have known for millennia that there are certain spots in the body that are prone to developing aches and pains,
What to do. We offer also surgical, medical and geriatric ward services, physiotherapy and occupational health.
Do not hesitate to contact us. A trigger point in the trapezius muscle, which connects the neck and shoulder, can express itself as a blinding headache, or alternatively as pain or weakness in the arm. Most adults will feel a twinge or ache somewhere or other.
mally and formed a hardened nodule or knot. As you get more comfortable, you can increase the amount of pressure you use. In itself, the trigger point is an uncomfortable beast, but what makes it really awful is that it can affect other muscles as well, a phenomenon known as referred pain. One of the most common complaints around is wrist and elbow pain, which is no surprise given how much time most of us spend on the computer. Janet G. These are only temporary measures, of course; once the medicine wears off, the pain returns. One very common cause of long-term muscle pain is the trigger point: a location in a muscle where the muscle fibres have contracted abnor-
How do we know this. Ergonomic designs of workplace furniture help tremendously, as does a regular regime of mobilisation exercises during breaks from work. Medication is another common response. Just a few centimeters from the elbow, to-
wards the wrist, press firmly into the muscle. It's best to start slow, five or ten minutes at a time, and then increase in duration and intensity as you gain more experience and confidence.
Moving on Once trigger points have been treated, they can be kept in check with proper exercise and postural improvement. Start gently: the initial pain should fade with some time, leaving tingling sensations and a sense of relief as the muscles gradually release. Could you do that simple set of motions without any pain or discomfort anywhere. These problems tend to get diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome or "tennis elbow", but often, they are actually associated with trigger points in the forearm. The most effective approach is multifaceted: it begins with alleviating the worst of the symptoms, then moves on to treating the cause, and finally supports prevention of reoccurrence.
A good therapist understands that most patients don't have the time or money to have a treatment every day, so they will teach you simple exercises to keep things in order between visits. But we can have a look at one which is generally useful, and safe and easy to practice on. She became the leading authority on trigger points and even became the first female Personal Physician to the President, in part due to her treatment of President John F. Also laboratory and X-ray services are available. A lot of analgesics, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, are consumed in order to relieve the discomfort. In the Western tradition of medicine, however, the key figure for trigger point therapy was Dr. A common spot for trigger points to develop is where the muscles of your forearm converge, near the outside of your elbow. orthopedics, eye laser surgery, plastic surgery and gynecology. This is not in
itself a bad thing, but in the long run it results in imbalances in the body, misalignment of the skeleton and the development of other trigger points as the pain radiates and irritates other muscles. Under the same roof you can find a wide range of surgical services in i.a. You can work at it by firmly rubbing and kneading the knot or band. If you could, congratulations: you're somewhat unusual and fortunate. There are certain key trigger points which can activate satellite trigger points that go on to produce symptoms of their own.
and they have developed sophisticated ways of treating those pains. Appointments (09) 1620 570. You can also learn more by consulting a professional therapist, or simply by reading up. Kennedy's chronic back pain.
How does it happen. If you've got a trigger point there, you'll know: it will announce its presence, and you might well let out a little yelp as you hit it! You will probably feel a hard lump, or perhaps a tight band, which is where the muscle has contracted and locked up. That's not all: they can reproduce. Once you've been under the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, you will learn how much pressure to exert where, and how it should feel when you're doing it right.
Do it yourself The human musculoskeletal system is complex and variable, so there are many potential trigger points far too many to cover in an article like this. www.eirahospital.fi
EIRA Laivurinkatu 29, 00150 Helsinki
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WELCOME TO EIRA MEDICAL CENTRE WITH INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE
The professionals It is useful to consult a physiotherapist or massage therapist to begin with, as these professionals will best know how to find and identify your trigger points. Let it out slowly, feeling your body move as the air flows out of your lungs
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Coxa offers a new chance to find the joy of movement
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in the world. Private Consultation and more information:
www.sydankeskus.fi. Our multidisciplinary heart team provides a fast-access and high-value care in cardiology as well as in cardiac and thoracic surgery. Coxa is a hospital specialized in joint replacements. Included are nappies, a blanket, towel, sleeping bag, mattress, hairbrush, nail scissors, a teething toy, picture book and a host of other useful items. Download the free app from the app store today.
tion, run by Kela and the only one of its kind in the world, of which the nation can be truly proud. Likewise, the snowsuit, and boots and
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Kela's maternity package contains clothes for the baby, nappies, a blanket and many other useful items.
mittens, are 52 per cent recycled polyester. The contents also change in response to the feedback that Kela gets from the recipients. HELSINKI TIMES
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1 -7 MARCH 2012 2012 1 7 MARCH
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A baby shower gift from the state
HEL SINKI TIMES
THERE IS one Finnish institu-
Start your weekend with news in English
Why not add Helsinki Times to your morning coffee! Now you can read helsinki times on your ipad just as it was printed. This autumn's newlook package will be designed by a competition-winning student from Aalto University School of Art and Design. Our service is individual and friendly. Contact us by email subscribe@helsinkitimes.fi or by phone 03 424 65340. The package has become more eco-friendly over the years and the padding of the sleeping bag/quilt is now 85 per cent recycled. In the hard post-war times, when many families had lost a husband and father at the front, or lost their land to Russian occupation, the scheme was extended to all mothers.
St i f Stay informed about news and current affairs in Finland by subscribing to Helsinki Times. The box itself doubles as a bed many Finns will tell you
they slept in the same type of box for their first few months. The maternity package (äitiyspakkaus) has a history going back to the 1930s, and is given to each expectant mother in Finland who is covered by the Finnish social security system. The clothes designs change annually and lean towards no particular gender, making them suitable for both girls and boys. Around 400 packages are sold yearly, mainly to customers outside Finland. There is an option to receive a tax-free benefit of 140 euros instead, but the majority of first-time mums choose the package, which can also be purchased separately at a price of 274.15 euros plus delivery. There are an incredible 33 items of clothing: ranging from hats and socks to bodysuits and leggings, and a snowsuit - complete with insulated bootees and mittens. The maternity package contains clothes for the baby and other useful items. Please contact us for more information: www.coxa.fi
Suspecting symptoms of a heart disease?
Contact our full-service, nationwide cardiac care center. The idea came from the Maternity Grants Act of the late 1930s and was originally intended for lower income fami-
lies. We take good care of our patients
It is indeed the responsibility of primary healthcare doctors to recognise suspicious skin mutations and completely remove them so that not more than a few millimetres of healthy skin is removed. In the follow-up, it is worth remembering that a melanoma patient has about a ten-fold risk of developing a new skin melanoma, Koskivuo says. The health risks to adults who have been overweight since childhood are many times higher than for the rest of the population, Jounala says. It also takes a stricter stance on solarium use. According to adjunct professor Markus Juonala of the University of Turku, who was involved in the study, there is a need for further research in the case of children and teenagers whose parents or grandparents had artery trouble at a young age.
L E H T I K U VA / P E K K A S A K K I
More conservative treatment for melanoma
A stricter stand on solarium use.
A N N U K K A KO S K E L A S T T HT
that all removed pigmented moles need to be examined and sent to a pathologist to be analysed.
THE UPDATED
Children who spend more time outdoors getting exercise are less at risk of arterial disease, while obese children who attain a healthy weight before adulthood also see the risk diminish.
A N N U K K A KO S K E L A S T T HT
ACCORDING
Sweden has priciest medicines in Nordic region
ST T
ALONG WITH Norway, Finland offers the cheapest prescription medicines in the Nordic region, according to a study carried out in Sweden. HIV-test result is ready in 15 minutes.
Private OB/GYN in city center
High-quality infertility treatments. Strokes and coronary thromboses are often connected with arteriosclerosis, which can go undetected for a long time. "Using a solarium is not recommended for persons under 18 or for those with sensitive skin, which means that we now share the same view as Nordic radiation protection authorities," says Ilkka Koskivuo, consultant plastic surgeon from the Turku University Hospital and the chair of the guideline's working group. Doing so brings the risk of thromboses, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes down to the same level as those who were a healthy weight in their childhood and teenage years. The guideline emphasises the prevention of melanoma, which means avoidance of sunburns and excessive sunbathing. According to Koskivuo, promising new drug therapies are being developed as well, but their effectiveness has not yet been established.. It identifies those patients with a high risk of recurrence, who comprise approximately a fifth of all melanoma patients. The bulk of the list was comprised of new patented medicines that came on the
Swedish market between 2007 and 2011. Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The age range turned out to be between 9 and 18 years. This does not include medicines included in the price-reference system that is, the system by which the price, usually the reimbursable price, are referenced to the price of the same product in different countries. The detection of suspected melanoma is initiated in primary healthcare with the removal and microscopic examination of a suspicious skin mutation, such as an altered mole. In the center of Helsinki.
www.felicitas.fi
Helping nature succeed
Urho Kekkosen katu 46 A, 00100 Helsinki, Tel. Thus, the need for skin grafting decreases and ever more patients can be treated in outpatient surgery. Koskivuo comments
The risk of recurrence is high Surgical treatment of diagnosed melanoma or its removal scar is centralised in those hospitals in which sentinel lymph node biopsy is possible. 14 1 1 7 MARCH 2012 14 -7 MARCH 2012
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Childhood obesity a possible indicator of arterial disease
ies on risk factors in children above the age of 9 provide useful information on the likelihood of arterial disease later in life. In the light of international studies, surgical margins smaller than those in current practice are sufficient. Monitoring of pregnancy by midwife and a specialist. Medication and radiotherapy are mostly used in cases in which melanoma has spread. The monitoring of high-risk patients is left to special healthcare, while the others can be monitored within the primary healthcare system. "School health services should place greater emphasis on helping children who have or are clearly developing weight problems, since they form the highest-risk group." A healthy diet and regular exercise from childhood onwards are the best insurance against arterial trouble.
Current Care Guideline for melanoma, a type of skin cancer, states that while it always requires an operation, its treatment should be more moderate than at present. The problems can manifest themselves in several forms, including strokes,
coronary artery blockages, and type 2 diabetes. The researchers concluded that the findings of stud-
Weight loss reduces risk The study also showed that the risks of arterial disease in overweight children and youth are significantly reduced if they can bring their weight down to normal level before reaching adulthood. The study compared the prices of the hundred highest-selling medicines in Sweden to the prices in the other Nordic countries, and found that prices in Finland are over ten per cent lower on average. The study also determined the age at which obesity and high blood pressure can be reliable indicators of thickening of the external carotid arterial wall in adulthood. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the most important examination revealing the spread and the prognosis of the cancer. In Finland, there has for some time been discussion
about whether to lower the prices of non-price-references medicines, but the suggestion is strongly opposed by Pharma Industry Finland. In particular, obesity, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure in children were found to be likely indicators of artery disease in young adults. This was the method used in the study, and the results showed that the thickness of the external carotid wall was greatest in adults who exhibited one or more
of a number of risk factors in their teenage years. (09) 612 2750
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to a study carried out at the University of Turku, susceptibility to arterial disease may begin in childhood. The study, which covered pharmacies' purchase prices for 2012, found that Denmark had the most expensive pre-
scription medication in the region. The test can be taken three months after the possible transmission. The central lobbying organisation for the pharmaceuticals industry claims the move would have the effect of reducing the variety of medicines on the market in Finland.
Using a solarium is not recommended for persons under 18 or for those with sensitive skin.
HIV ONLY A TEST CAN TELL
Anonymous and free of charge HIV test in Finnish Aids Council
12.3.2012 at 14:00-18:00 in Helsinki
Unioninkatu 45 K No time-booking. Excessive body weight and high blood pressure between the ages of 3 and 6 were found to be unreliable indicators of the problem. The state of progression of arteriosclerosis can be estimated from the thickness of the external carotid artery wall
Also, confusion about probiotics' role in health must be cleared up so they are viewed as aids, not cures or preventive pharmaceuticals.
Probiotics are gut-friendly microbes, such as Lactobacillis and Bifidobacterium, that flourish by feeding on non-digestible fibre.
Have your say
· What did you think of the topics discussed in this health themed issue. "That is the challenge with putting the claim on the product, because it varies so much between consumers," Salminen says.
Yoghurt consumption has increased in regions that have traditionally avoided fermented foods, such as yoghurt and sauerkraut.
Boosting health and profits A positive health claim can boost a food product's bottom line even more profoundly than consumers' health. Konttinen urges that the role and effects of psychological factors should be given more emphasis in weight-loss programmes. HELSINKI TIMES
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Living yoghurt
Billions of food microbes can help some, not all.
ELIOT BAKER HEL SINKI TIMES
THE PROBIOTICS
industry's health claims for their yoghurt, tablets and fruit drinks fortified with billions of supposedly healthpromoting microorganisms have not passed scientific review boards' muster, but some experts say that certain products still might be worth a try if you're suffering an upset stomach. While it's been established that a balanced intestinal ecosystem of microbes is necessary for healthy digestion and immune function, the claims that probiotic foods can cure or prevent digestive issues and other illnesses have not been upheld by official review bodies such as the EU's European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) or the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
consumption has increased in regions that have traditionally avoided fermented foods, such as yoghurt and sauerkraut. "So in many ways I think the trial and error way is necessary. This is one of the findings of a doctoral thesis in the social sci-
ences that was defended last Friday by Hanna Konttinen at the University of Helsinki. Still, there are credible studies which indicate that certain probiotics, such as Lactobacillus GG, common in Finnish dairy products, might boost digestion and perhaps fight common illnesses in children. Those who identify themselves as comfort eaters and depressed people more generally eat more high-salt and
high-energy foods than others, according to Konttinen's findings. "We grew up on dairy products here in Northern Europe. You have to find the product that fits your particular microbiota and your particular intestinal environment." As scientific review boards continue to weigh evidence, Salminen noted that experiments will have to be broadened to encompass healthy individuals in addition to those suffering ill-
ness, who dominate today's study populations. And of course if you are healthy you never think about that but if you have a problem you notice it immediately." A cure for what ails One common stomach ailment traditionally targeted
by probiotics ad campaigns is Irritable Bowel Syndrom, or IBS, a non-specific cluster of symptoms suffered by 10-0 per cent of people in Western populations. But claims that probiotics boosted immune function were one of ten rejected outright by the EFSA. · Do you have a suggestion for a topic that you would like to see featured in the upcoming issues?
Please send any feedback or suggestions you have to info@helsinkitimes.fi
Comfort eating a notable cause of obesity among the depressed
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THE USE
of food to control or compensate for negative emotions is more common among those with weight problems than among those of normal weight. While the probiotics manufacturers' health claims were found to be inapplicable for the entire EU population, certain products may still boost certain individuals' digestive health. The eradication of microorganisms in food over the past few decades has probably had a detrimental effect on our collective digestive health. Probiotics are also advertised to fight diarrhea following the taking of antibiotics, which can kill both helpful and harmful intestinal microbes. Salminen stresses that consumers with an upset stomach must use trial and error to find the product that will best help them, if one even exists.
"To recommend something for the general population is very difficult because of the individuality of us," he says. The study was based on data on 5,000 participants in the National FINRISK Health Study conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), which compiles data on the risk factors of major chronic diseases affecting the Finnish population.. Salminen notes that proving consumer health claims is inherently challenging because each person's ideal balance of intestinal microbes differs, and each product's effects will vary between consumers. "The problem is that it's very individual. · Could we have done better. While ingesting some healthy microorganisms isn't a bad idea, Finns and Northern Europeans probably don't need to spend the extra money on products containing an added pinch of microbes. The theme of Konttinen's PhD thesis was the role of the emotions in eating behaviour and weight control. After the EFSA's negative findings, many manufacturers have amended their print and television advertisements to be even more vague, simply saying that they help ease stomach issues. It's almost like a fingerprint for each of us . "We have about oneand-a-half kilos of microbes inside of us," says Salminen. "All the pasteurising, sterilising, and other treat-
ments trying to get all the microbes out of our food, that also created an imbalance in our food," Salminen notes. "However, no health claims yet have been awarded to the manufacturers of the probiotic products." Ten of the 180 claims of gut, heart and overall health benefits made by manufacturers of yogurt and probiotics-infused foods were rejected outright and the rest were dismissed due to insufficient scientific evidence by the European Food Safety Authority in 2009, and in continued reviews in the years since. Additionally, depressed people typically have a weaker than average belief in their ability to stick to a sporting hobby or exercise regime. . . After all, it's possible to experience the full spectrum of human emotion within the span of one yogurt commercial, from disgust at learning that the digestive tract is lined with trillions of microbes, to surprise that they are necessary for healthy digestion and immune function, coalescing into longing for the sun-gilded probiotic product displayed in the advertisement. So in those terms I think that all of the fermented foods are basically good." Probiotic yoghurts are not a magic bullet against poor health. Those suffering from depression are regularly overweight, and Konttinen argues that comfort
eating is one of the contributors to this. Characterised by bloating, cramping and constipation or diarrhea, IBS is two to three times more likely to occur in women, which is notable as women feature prominently in probiotic food advertisements. "We are not exposed to all of the microbes that we are used to being exposed to. It's more a matter of perhaps a slight change in the profile of the products than an increase in yoghurt consumption" at stake with probiotics health claims, says Salminen, noting the waxing and waning popularity of dairy foods such as viili (fermented milk) and piimä (buttermilk).
Claims tests "The science is very difficult, especially for something in this area," says Professor Seppo Salminen, director of the Functional Foods Forum at the University of Turku. Consumers' resulting trips to the yoghurt aisle for products like Activia and Yakult have collectively yielded a multi-billion euro industry worldwide. Probiotics are gut-friendly microbes, such as Lactobacillis and Bifidobacterium, that flourish by feeding on non-digestible fibre, called prebiotics, derived from foods such as fruits, beans and whole grains. Consumers' current embracing of microorganisms comes after a global microbial witch hunt fueled by a microbe-phobic public. Probiotic products common in Finland include Danone's Activia yogurt and Valio's Gefilus fruit juice. Pomegranates, cranberries, wheat grass, acai, olive oil, nuts, margarine and even butter are all examples of foods whose global sales have spiked and plummeted along with their touted health claims. Meanwhile, yoghurt
Hype and truth However, many in Finland have still been drawn into the super-yoghurt hype that's swept the planet over the last five years. The trouble is that there are many strains of each microbe, and each person will react differently to each strain
Snow leopards like meaty dishes. "When it's cold, they
sometimes wrap their tail around their mouth to warm the air as they breathe," says Pynnönen-Oudman. It originally carried the Swedish name St. In the wild, most of them live in Mongolia where temperatures can go as low as -40 °C.
The beauty and the beast The adorable musk ox would also make a great model for the Helsinki Zoo in winter. On its way it takes in significant historical sites, such as the Old Church and the Old Church Park, which is more colloquially known by the morbid name of Ruttopuisto, "Plague Park." Nowadays it's a busy corridor from western Helsinki and Espoo, making it an exceptionally busy and traffic-heavy street. Even a garden hose. Andre gatan, after both the apostle Andrew and the Russian Order of Saint Andrew. The camel's diet is high in fibre and low in calories. · Kartanonkoski has the following recreation areas and amenities close by; Vantaa River waterfront areas and Ruutinkoski, Haltiala domestic animal farm, Tammisto Nature Reserve, Krakanojan ·Nature Reserve, Backas Manor and Helsinki parish church and the village Church of St. The double humped or domestic bactrian camel would
Five winter hits at Helsinki Zoo
Musk oxen · irresistible, reserved hairy monsters. · A male visited them a while back but did he do his job properly. The male is a real brute, weighing in at around 260 kilos. Snow leopards · Mother and daughter are unbelievably beautiful: a must-see! Kulans or wild asses · The pen holds two ladies, a younger one and an older one over 35 years of age. Like all other animals at the zoo, they have a shelter which protects them against the elements but they prefer the outdoors, even in winter. · The area takes its name from the once-vast Backaksen Kartano (Backas Manor) which dates from the 17th century. On the day of our visit, the animals were munching on twigs, their humps covered in snow. They are obviously very much in love. Neo-classicism greatly influences Kartanonkoski's style of architecture.
Madhu Bhattacharya is a 34-year-old IT Professional from India.
Down by the river
Where do you live. The street was built in 1820, and has gone through several name changes. The amur leopard is near extinction. Last but not the least there are excellent bus connections to the city centre as buses 615T & 650 have frequent schedules plus from Tammisto side there are several other bus options as well. Hearing us approach their enclosure, the male springs up from a mound of snow and begins to snort angrily. I live in Kartanonkoski, in Vantaa. 16
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LIFESTYLE
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HELSINKI TIMES
A potted history of Helsinki's major streets Lönnrotinkatu
Lönnrotinkatu, or Lönkka as some call it, begins in the city centre from Mannerheimintie and runs through Kamppi to the shore at Ruoholahti. The female daintily tiptoes along beside the male and strokes her neck against his horn. The camels themselves are not very picky about what they eat. I will recommend those readers to think about moving to
Kartanonkoski
my neighbourhood who want a mix of both suburbs and city as the place has so many suburban benefits plus it's close to the city.. One of them is glaring at us from its cage. What do you like about your neighbourhood. The street carries the dubious honour of having been the first to be bombed in the Winter War, with bombs falling at the intersection with Abrahaminkatu on the night of 20 November 1939. I like the apartment buildings which are very modern. Explore different areas of Helsinki with a local guide!
Did you know. How long have you lived there. The answers to these questions are yes and no, respectively. While the camels and the musk oxen have a certain
comic appeal to them, the snow leopards emanate pride and self-awareness. I will recommend Haltiala farm which is right next to Vantaa River and also has a restaurant Wanha Pehtoori
which is open every day and has home-cooked breakfast and lunch buffet facilities. Please recommend one shop or service in your neighbourhood that you would like to promote. Twenty people were killed.
Street View
Helsinki Zoo's musk ox couple cuddling.
Snow leopards are at home in alpine habitats.
See animals at Helsinki Zoo even in the depths of winter
E E VA N I K K I L Ä - K I I P U L A S T T HT
VISITING Helsinki Zoo in the winter, when the temperature is well below freezing, there's snow halfway up your leg and more falling from the sky does
not sound very appealing. A Finnish translation, Antinkatu, was proposed in 1908, and the street carried that title unofficially until 1928. · The 2008 movie Risto Räppääjä (or Ricky Rapper) was shot in Kartankoski. · The Amur leopard has been included in a conservation programme of European zoos.
be the perfect image for the zoo in the winter. It's a very peaceful place to live and there is no noise pollu-
tion like you experience living in the city centre. Their menu includes rabbits, rats and leftovers from slaughterhouses. Is the younger lady expecting. In summer 2007, the male camel bit a troublesome Mongolian wild ass to death. "They enjoy this weather. In that year it was renamed Lönnrotinkatu, in order of the doctor, philologist and folklorist Elias Lönnrot, the compiler of the national folk epic The Kalevala. They don't need protection against anything," says Kirsi Pynnönen-Oudman, the General Curator of the Zoo. Other things you would like HT readers to know about your neighbourhood. It's a suburban area. · The manor was sold to the Elanto Co-operative in 1916 and supplied Helsinki with huge amounts of farm produce from the 1920s through to the 1940s when a large chunk of the land was bought for the construction of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Area has beautiful surroundings with Vantaa River flowing nearby and a nice walking trail next to it. Kartanonkoski area was developed in year 2000 and the concept was taken from British city planners of the 1890s.
The buildings were not square or rectangular, but shaped instead like half-moons, or curves. Looking at the musk ox couple, the beauty and the beast comparison immediately springs to mind. During summer there is a terrace and the place also organises special events and family functions. The farm has many domestic animals such as cows, sheep, pigs and chickens and even playground for kids. "We hope to have a calf in maybe 18 months' time," Pynnönen-Oudman says. Will there be anything to see or are all the animals indoors, where its warm and cosy. Plus the neighbourhood has all the required facilities like schools, library, shopping mall and movie theatre at the Jumbo Shopping centre and a 24/7 convenience store. Lawrence. What kind of neighbourhood is it. Which has happened," says Pynnönen-Oudman. It then strikes a pose with its long and thick-haired tail in display. What is special about your neighbourhood. Despite its name, we found out that the musk ox is not actually an ox; this hairy beast that lives in the arctic is, in fact, more closely related to a goat. The carbohydrate-rich diet is copied at the zoo because it is good for the camels. The musk ox has the longest hair of any animal in the world, sometimes reaching 1.5 metres in length. The camels do not have a limit when it comes to temperatures. The hairy tail is very useful on the slopes of the Himalayas, their natural habitat. "They'll eat anything. Double-humped camels · the father of one of the camels was a famous ass-killer. With their long and thick coats, the couple clearly enjoys the snow and freezing temperatures. Altogether I've lived there for 3 years and 10 months now. Next to him, his missus is a petite 100 kilos. Amur leopard · Today, there are some 40 Amur leopards left in the wild along the Sino-Russian border. The meat must always be served hair and all.
HEL SINK I T I M E S
In this fortnightly series, Helsinki Times has a chat with different people about the places they live in, and how they find life there
The stable does not offer horse riding classes as such, but guided crosscountry riding is provided for beginners.
"Most of our customers ride independently. There are, of course, many more places to go riding in the wider Helsinki region. All horses at Fageräng are Icelandic: they are the size of ponies, but thanks to their robust build they are suitable for adults, too, up to a certain weight. Some want a goaloriented skilled rider who will also improve the horse. In Finland, horseback riding has increased in popularity in recent years. She adds that children from 18 months up can go lead-line riding. There are stables all over the country and in fact a few major riding schools in Helsinki: Keskustalli in Ruskeasuo, Tuomarinkylän Ratsastuskoulu in Tuomarinkylä and Husön Ratsastuskeskus in East Helsinki. Most of their classes are full. Money from renting a horse can cover part of the cost of keeping one. It organises competitions and develops training and teaching in Finland. "In winter we are usually full at the weekends because it's too dark to go riding in the evenings after work," Mäkinen says. For more info, visit www.ratsastus.fi/ (also in English)
HORSEBACK
L E H T I K U VA / J A R N O M E L A
Horse riding classes near the city centre Horse riding teacher Maija Pakarinen at Keskustalli in Ruskeasuo says that they, too, have noticed the growth in popularity. Others just want someone to take the horse out for gentle cross-country runs once a week. The young ones especially often want to take part in competitions whereas adult riders are in it just for fun, with the most active ones coming three or four times a week. According to the Equestrian Federation of Finland, their membership and the number of horseback riders in general has nearly doubled in the last ten years. As a hobby, riding is more expensive than sports in general: in the Helsinki region, an hour of horse riding can often cost more than 40 euros, even if you buy a serial ticket. To join the federation, riders join one of the member associations, of which there are over four hundred all over Finland. So what else are horse riders paying for other than teaching. According to Pakarinen, some of their customers have very definite goals as riders. The membership fee includes accident insurance. Some stables also organise longer treks and horse riding for stag and hen nights, and companies.
Horseback riding is a popular hobby among young girls.. The thing to remember is that renting requires a bigger commitment than tak-
ing classes because the horse will need exercise whatever the weather. There are more openings in the summer, though," Pakarinen says. Some come weekly, but most come less regularly." At Fageräng, a guided session costs just over 30 euros. Because of the full schedule, Keskustalli can offer only limited beginner courses for adults. Espoo and Vantaa both have a number of stables of various sizes offering various horse riding options.
Pakarinen adds that they also offer teaching in others language besides Finnish: "We organise classes in Finnish and Swedish and also English and French, according to demand." Pakarinen says that most of the newcomers are young people. The rents vary but in the Helsinki region, owners usually charge 15-25 euros for one riding session. There are other stables offering independent riding and lessons on Icelandic horses in the Helsinki region and the neighbouring towns. Mäkinen says that the Icelandic horses are
Helsinki Horse Fair 3-4 March Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre
quite calm so they are great for new riders and children. In Espoo and Vantaa, classes can cost as little as 25 euros, but then you cannot usually ride indoors and public transport connections are poor. Icelandic horses are a great alternative for riders who like cross-country riding in addition to riding in an arena but cannot, or do not want to, rent a horse regularly. With the growing popularity of riding, the number of privately-owned horses is also on the rise and the new owners often seek people who will regularly rent their horse without needing supervision. The Federation is an interest group for both top athletes and fitness riders and seeks to promote riding as a sport and a hobby. In addition to newcomers, many former stable girls and some stable boys are getting back in the saddle as adults after a break of many years. "Parents can walk with the lead and in this way spend time outdoors with their child and a horse at the same time," Mäkinen says. At the Fageräng stables in Espoo's Kauklahti, the owner Maria Mäkinen says that they have always had plenty of customers and the number is steadily growing. "Well, the cost of keeping the horses, which is pretty high, and rents," says Pakarinen. "Most of the riders are regulars and there is usually no room for people just looking for an hour of riding here and there. Independent riders pay less and a serial ticket is even cheaper per hour. Rental costs are partly the reason why horse riding is generally more expensive in the Helsinki region than elsewhere in Finland.
Get away from it all in the countryside If you want to save on costs or ride more independently, you can always look for a privately-owned horse. HELSINKI TIMES
LIFESTYLE
1 7 MARCH 2012
17
L E H T I K U VA / M A R K K U U L A N D E R
Three riders taking their horses out from the stables on snowy winter day. "We have new riders and people who are taking up riding again after a long break," she says.
One of the ponies which you can ride at the stables.
L E H T I K U VA / M A R K K U U L A N D E R
riding is a versatile sport that can improve fitness and balance, among other things, and the fact that it involves a living creature with a will of its own adds to the challenge. She adds that they have the best countryside for horse riding in the Helsinki region. The nearest bus stop is a few kilometres away so you really need a car to get here. Riding stables often require regular riders to become members. There is often more availability in stables during the winter months compared to summertime.
Get on a horse in Helsinki
Horse riders have a variety of horseback riding options to choose from in the Helsinki region, from serious training to relaxed cross-country riding.
M A R J O M AT I L A I N E N HEL SINKI TIMES
The Equestrian Federation of Finland
The Equestrian Federation of Finland is the central Finnish organisation for equestrian sports and was founded in 1920. What you can do with the horse is up to the owner
Finally, French comedy Kuudennen Kerroksen Naiset follows the adventures of a Blondie and The Cars, the group was originally formed in Helsingborg in 1999. But don't despair if you can't make it this weekend, as a new Tavastia gig in March has just been announced.
The Sounds 2-3 March, Tickets 37-350 Cable Factory Tallberginkatu 1, Helsinki
SEEKING a change to greet the arrival of 2012, the performer once known as Mos Def has reinvented himself under the moniker of Yasiin Bey. All is fun and mischievous, however, until one begins to reveal his darker tendencies. More familiar faces such as John Goodman and Penelope Ann Miller, are present for the supporting roles, along with a show stealing turn from an ever-faithful canine pal. And so, upon receiving an email from her partner announcing his desire to break up with her, French artist Sophie Calle continued a technique that has inspired a
great many of her works: she set about explicitly blurring the lines between moments of her life and art. The following evening sees a solo performance from singer-songwriter
Tuomari Nurmio, bringing his sizeable talents to the stage once again. How will they resolve their obvious attraction to one another. The band will be joined on both nights by a stellar lineup that includes American outfits Kids at the Bar and The Limousines. With Ludovic Bource's score ensuring that events hit the appropriate emotionIN AN AGE
al beats, director Michel Hazanavicius utilises dialogue cards to ensure that any potential gaps in the audiences' comprehension of the narrative are smoothly, and often hilariously, filled. After growing up in Brooklyn as Dante Terrell Smith, the rapper broke through onto the scene in the late 1990s with a fresh approach that highlighted his socially conscious voice. Fronted by the unique stylings of Maja Ivarsson, the band went on to release their debut album Living in America in 2002, making them a household name in their homeland as well as making waves in the States. Jordan, Dane DeHaan
Tähtitaivas talon yllä (K7) Release Date: 2 March Director: Saara Cantell Starring: Irina Björklund, Meri Nenonen Kuudennen Kerroksen Naiset (Les femmes du 6ème étage) (S) Release Date: 2 March Director: Philippe Le Guay Starring: Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain
conservative couple in 1960s Paris, whose lives are turned upside down by two Spanish maids. The arrival of talking pictures sees George's career begin to fade into oblivion, and Peppy's star begin to rise concurrently. A. Subsequent albums built on the success of this impressive debut, with their latest, last year's self-produced Something To Die For, embracing an electronic feel, with house and synthpop influences edging out their rockier tendencies.
The Artist (K7) Release Date: 2 March Director: Michel Hazanavicius Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo
Chronicle (K12) Release Date: 2 March Director: Josh Trank Starring: Michael B. A. The Artist is rousing, heartbreaking and downright charming. Drawing on a New Wave revivalist style that has been compared to the likes of
A classical ensemble
J A M E S O ' S U L L I VA N HEL SINKI TIMES
INVITING
Rapper Yasiin Bey will be giving his first ever solo performance in Finland this Thursday.
people off the mainland to make their way over to Suomenlinna, Viapori Winter Blues festival will be filling the small islands with all manner of blues sounds between 7 and 11 March. The events continue on Friday evening, with harmonica ensemble Sväng kicking proceedings off, before Honey B & T-Bones featuring local legend M. 18
1 7 MARCH 2012
CULTURE
HELSINKI TIMES
Cinematic artistry
J A M E S O ' S U L L I VA N HEL SINKI TIMES
Artist Sophie Calle.
Making it public
J A M E S O ' S U L L I VA N HEL SINKI TIMES
WHILE the dissolution of a romantic relationship is undoubtedly a painful experience, history has shown us time and time again that it often makes for great artistic fodder. In a sterling performance, Dujardin's Oscar-winning performance provides the heart and soul of the picture, backed up by the utterly fetching Bejo. Numminen welcome the weekend in memorable fashion. With the exhibition entitled Take Care of Yourself, Calle took the final sentence of the letter she received and distributed it to 107 women of various professions, skills and talents for interpretation, analysis and performance in an effort to help understand her ex-partner's parting words: "take care of yourself."
With the original French exhibition Prenez Soi de Vous initially presented at the Venice Biennale in 2007, the works on display at EMMA between 2 March and 10 June present many of the responses that Calle received, with the range of photos and videos offering both humorous and touching ways to take care of themselves.
Sophie Calle Take Care of Yourself 2 March 10 June EMMA The WeeGee Exhibition Centre Ahertajantie 5 Tapiola, Espoo
The name of the game
HEL SINKI TIMES
when filmmakers resort to increasingly excessive bells and whistles in order to keep audiences' attention, it comes as a refreshing change to sit down and spend a little over an hourand-a-half with The Artist. Later in the evening we get appearances at 8 pm from duo The Munsons and the traditional blues of Blue Piano Band, along with renowned singersongwriter Dave Lindholm.
The one and only M. If it's teenage adventures that you are looking for this week, then Chronicle should well suffice. However, for those who choose to remain in their seats, rest assured you will be privy to one of the most moving cinema experiences in a long time. 1998's Black Star laid down the gauntlet for being one of the most impressive debuts in the genre, teaming up with Talib Kweli and pro-
ducer Hi-Tek to successfully wrestle the art form of rap back from the deluge of gansta and playa caricatures that had saturated the market. Saturday afternoon at 2 pm sees something for the youngsters at Tenalji von Fersen hall with the Suomenlinna Elementary School. Elsewhere, Irina Björklund leads the cast of local film Tähtitaivas talon yllä, depicting the events occurring between three women born into three generations of the same family from the 1920s until the present day. Coming at you with the distinct narrative approach favoured by the likes of The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Cloverfield (2008), in which it appears as if you are watching amateur video footage, here three high schoolers discover they each have gained telekinetic powers after encountering a mysterious object. Numminen.
Finally, this year's festival wraps up at the church on Sunday evening with a performance from organist Kalevi Kiviniemi commencing at 6 pm.
Viapori Winter Blues 7-11 March Tickets 5-20 Suomenlinna. Staged for the seventh occasion, this year's celebrations expand upon the two-day festival that was held last year, offering a number of events spread out across numerous days. His returning to the mic for 2004's The New Danger was met with a more muted response, and subsequent releases have seen him juggle
his career as a vocalist with that of acting. Sophomore release Black on Both Sides the following year saw him standing solo, as the accolades continued to rain down. Appearing at last year's Pori Jazz festival as a guest of Robert Glasper Experiment, this performance on 1 March sees his first ever solo performance in Finland. Cinematic bliss. However, in the midst of such success he turned his back on music to focus on his acting career, appearing in a number of films and on Broadway. After scooping the Academy Awards earlier this week, this French film also arrives amidst stories of cinema owners overseas giving refunds to disgruntled audience members who perhaps were anticipating something more modern in appearance than a black and white silent film presented in the traditional aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Kicking things off this year are Cristal and the Esa Kuloniemi duo on Wednesday 7 March. Here we find ourselves in Hollywood, 1927, leading up to the fateful moment where silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and young dancer Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) cross paths and their lives change forever. Advance word has been very positive. Note that the venue has changed from its original location of The Cable Factory. These performances make up the last two gigs of their current European tour. Support comes from fellow US rapper Pharoahe Monch.
Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def 1 March, 21:00 Tickets 35-55 Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8 Helsinki
Sounds of success
HEL SINKI TIMES
THIS forthcoming weekend is officially The Sounds Weekend in Helsinki, with the Swedish indie rockers able at the Cable Factory for performances on Friday and Saturday nights
They had to choose places that welcomed kids. KITCHEN 12-24 SUN 12-24 . At the restaurant, we always spend several hours together," she says. 09 6981225, helsinki1@vapiano.fi, www.vapiano.fi MON-THU 11-24 . "Families with children are a big chalhome. She and her celebrityhusband Simo Frangén have a five-year-old son named Frans. In the two decades since then, this has dropped by 50 per cent. The growing number of fast food restaurants in the 1980s created a generation that eats out often," she says. Also, eating at someone else's home has become more common, especially among the under 30s. KITCHEN 11-24 SAT 12-02 . The National Consumer Research Centre surveyed restaurant habits based on Statistics Finland's studies on how people spend their time and on consumption, and on the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa's survey on consumer restaurant trends. Eating out has become a habit because she is the only one of them who can cook. And when we're finished, everyone goes off to do their own thing. In fact, families often eat at fast food restaurants. f i. They must also have highchairs. When Frans was born, Meriläinen and Frangén couldn't keep going to all their favour-
All in all, Finns eat at restaurants more often and this is mostly at weekends. Meriläinen says that nowadays eating out is not that expensive. At restaurants everyone can eat what they like," she says. 010 832 2600 | email. Varjonen believes this is the result of individualisation: we eat when we want to.
them more time together. When Finns eat at someone else's house, it is most often at their parents' house or with friends. (09) 611 217 Mon-Tue 10.30-23.00 Wed-Sat 10.30-24.00 Sun 12.00-23.00
H E L S I N K I · L A H T I
Forum Mannerheimintie 20 tel. Children can be disruptive and don't have the patience to wait for their food," says Varjonen.
PARENTS with small children take their children to restaurants increasingly often. Johanna Varjonen, Senior Researcher at the Research Centre, claims that these two findings are linked.
"Nowadays, when a couple has children, they may not want to give up what they've grown accustomed to and they will keep going to restaurants just as before. You can now pick up pretty good dinners at the supermarket," Varjonen says. One goes to read a book somewhere, another sits down at the computer and the third watches TV. Dinner times have also changed. "Besides, we like different things. The ready-meals industry has developed in leaps and bounds since the late 1980s. She also believes that the cafés and fast food restaurants in shopping centres attract families with children who are doing their shopping. cafe@flada13.fi Kalevankatu 13, Helsinki | www.flada13.fi
½ pint
WESTON'S ORIGINAL 2,50 SANTA ANA WINES
Welcome!
12 cl Eco Malbec or Eco torrontes
2,50
BEST STEAKS IN TOWN Welcome!
w w w . (09) 694 4207 Mon-Fri 10.30-21.00 Sat 10.30-19.00 Sun 11.00-19.00
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Come and check it out!
MONTHU 1121 FRISAT 1124 SUN 1120 RESERVATIONS: tel. m a n h a t t a n s t e a k h o u s e . There are no longer set times for lunch or dinner, especially at weekends. Not all restaurants understand this." "If they really don't want children, they should just say so instead of turning up their noses and driving families away."
Eating out is something we do together
S T T, H T
ROSA MERILÄINEN, a former member of the Finnish Parliament, eats out with her family more often than at
AFTER WORK
MON-FRI 16-19
PILSNER URQUELL 2,50
0,3 l
Eteläesplanadi 24 tel. What matters more is that the atmosphere is welcoming, and that they consider children as their customers." "The restaurant must have a children's menu and enough room for prams. According to Meriläinen, eating out also gives
Cooking with friends In the late 1980s, singles under 45 still consumed a lot of restaurant food. HELSINKI TIMES
EAT & DRINK
1 7 MARCH 2012
19
L E H T I K U VA / M A I J A S A A R I
FIRST VAPIANO IN HELSINKI IS NOW OPEN! COME AND ENJOY!
FRESH DELICIOUS HEALTHY
VAPIANO HELSINKI MIKONKATU 15 tel. "That does not mean just having a play corner. "In this segment, people may have started eating ready meals instead. In the Helsinki region, people go to restaurants twice as often as in the rest of the country. They often eat at ethnic restaurants where a dish may cost just over ten euros. KITCHEN 12-23
FREE WIFI
HELSINKI STOCKHOLM BERLIN NEW YORK PARIS LONDON WIEN TALLINN
Rosa Meriläinen, a former member of the Finnish Parliament, with her five-year-old son Frans at the restaurant Harald.
Young families with children eating out more often
A generation used to eating in restaurants won't let children keep them away.
M I N N A K A R K KO L A S T T HT
lenge for restaurants. It is now as common as eating out at restaurants. It is the easy and economical option. "On those rare occasions when we do eat at home, I'm stuck in the kitchen. They spend time together and chat at the restaurant. According to a recent report by the National Consumer Research Centre, over the last 20 years, families with small children, in particular, have started to eat out at weekends more and more, although typical restaurant-goers are still childless couples under 45. KITCHEN 11-23 FRI 11-02 . ite restaurants
This is versatile stuff that goes as well with a spicy Indian fish curry as a caramel pie. "Hopped to hell, then dry-hopped to hell too." It's actually available at Alko. This is a great pizza wine and something that could be served without wondering what your guests would think of you.
Now for all those Pinot Noir lovers, here's one from the Limari Valley of Chile that is truly seductive. We had the pleasure of Scandinavia's Top Dog's company at Viisi Penniä, one of Mannerheimintie's oldest establishments. How about something from Portugal. The twist on this one. Lucas Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Malbec 2010 from Argentina at 6.81. Once a week maybe, at 19.43. 20
1 7 MARCH 2012
EAT & DRINK
RESTAURANTS · PUBS · BARS
HELSINKI TIMES
Swirl, sniff, swill and swallow
A L KO. Book your table tel. This was an outstanding vintage for the Bordeaux region and this wine is everything you ask for in a red. Swirl, sniff, swill and swallow with care and always with enjoyment.
Nepalese Restaurant
The biggest Nepalese Restaurant in Helsinki · Suitable for group parties · Fully licensed · Delicious food with tandoor
Welcome to Satkar
Fredrikinkatu 46 (Kamppi, Autotalo). From a wine-drinker's point of view, this is totally, mind-alteringly satisfying to
drink at any time, even with your corn flakes if the desire so takes you. Sadly, however, it seems that Punk IPA no longer finds itself on the shelves of most Alko shops (only available at Arcadia as a `special selection'). Puh. (09) 647 551, mob 040 7347 638 www.himalaya.fi
YA
Take a walk on the wild side
V I O L E T TA T E E T O R HEL SINKI TIMES
FROM the moment he opens his mouth, you know this is going to be an off-the-wall tasting: wacky, weird and definitely pushing the envelope. The nose gives you pineapple, citrus and hints of granadilla exploding on the palate, with a spicy character and a
long, elegant finish. Hardcore IPA has its story to tell, containing 2,204 Maris Otter malt grains, 6 hop cones and millions of yeast cells, all labouring together resulting in a delightful mixture of hops and bitterness to keep you gasping for more. According to Darren, the founders, James Watt and Martin Dickie and
a dog called Bracken, simply got sick of tasteless, bland, commercially produced beer and set up a brewery in Scotland with the sole purpose of creating progressive, hardcore (their adjective) products to give a new meaning to the name of this universally consumed liquid. His name is Darren Packman and before you can, he's already made fun of the pun. One really good example is Top Dog's Zeitgeist, which, on its own, felt like liquid metal pouring down your throat and stopping somewhere in the middle. It's got enough body
to carry it through any meal of veal in a mushroom cream sauce. From the well-known cellars of Tabali comes Tabali Talinay Salala Pinot Noir 2009. Lucas Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (left) is cheap at 6.81.
The new selection at Alko won't let you down.
V I O L E T TA T E E T O R HEL SINKI TIMES
THERE were no wine tastings
in January, so when I walked into the tasting room at 9 am on a Friday in February, I was expecting a marathon session. There was a total of 25 wines, 15 of them reds not too bad. With a piece of
blue cheese, it's remarkable how it transforms into something a lot more palatable. Well, no one can dictate what you ought or ought not to like, but it's a good idea to pair the more bitter beers with stronger meat dishes. But the one that takes the biscuit is South African, hailing from the Wellington region and made with the gentle feminine touch of Corlea Fourie. Still on the white wine trail, El Bar Argentino Viognier Chardonnay Chenin Blanc is a lovely surprise. To be found at Kaisla, Rotterdam, Kitty's and Siltanen: beers made by people selfish enough to satisfy their own wants and desires and generous enough to allow us to share. Here's to you, Brewdogs!
Salomonkatu 19, Helsinki Tel. It's hard to imagine that at such a price you could find something with a jammy nose, actually holding its own with some plum and blackberry, ending in a nottoo-shabby finish. The new selection of reds at Alko doesn't disappoint either. Full of tropical fruit flavours which come from the New Zealand hops, this masterpiece is balanced very nicely. There are plenty more newbies out there so keep your eye open and get the Alko staff to help you choose. Fruity images of Sauvignon Blanc immediately spring to mind on tasting this beer. +358 9 611 077, +358 40 707 1140 www.satkar.fi
Ravintola Martta
"like my mother cooks" Lapinlahdenkatu 3, 00180 Helsinki
Finnish Cuisine
Das Lokal mit der besonderen Note
Neben Spezialitäten aus den verschiedenen Regionen servieren wir Ihnen Deutsche Biere und Weine
SU B B O T I N / D R E A M S T I M E .CO M
HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN
Meritullinkatu 25, 00170 Helsinki. Hence, a rich, smoky porter will be hugely complemented by a cheese ready to run off the plate, or a chocolate torte to carry those chocolate/coffee tastes. It's quite tannic but that doesn't overpower the cranberry input. 09 694 0750 Mon-Fri 11-23, Sat 12-23, Sun 12-22
www.ravintolatandoor.net. It's rare to find an offering from the Pfalz region in Germany that is both cheap and palatable, but I would venture to say that Anselmann Weisburgunder Trocken at 9.58 won't break the bank. A satisfying wine indeed but a little more than you would want to pay for everyday sipping. A steal at 11.76, and you'll be happy to know that the workers on this farm have a share in the Fair Trade business. It's Bosman Family Vineyards Adama and consists of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier. A white wine with Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) as the grape varietal, it makes for a mouthful of fruity, floral and mineral flavours with some decided hints of pineapple. This one is great value for money at 6.88. Much as with wine, find some flavour in the beverage that makes you think of a particular ingredient and try these together. Each one has its own particular variety of hop and malt and has obviously been treated like a child; you love them
all with their own unique characteristics. The rules for combining food and beer. A bit of advice: drink one bottle yourself immediately and treat yourself to one every year on your birthday, just to see how it develops. This gentlyoaked wine is medium-bodied and has an almost sour cherry nose with a palate of berries and a decent finish. It is dry, not lacking in acidity, with fruitiness to be found on the palate including hints of gooseberry jam and then a certain spiciness on the finish. Cortello Aragonez 2009 (9.40), as its name suggests, is 100% Aragonez. And certainly not too bad as far as the variety and quality were concerned. From Alpha Dog through Punk IPA, Hardcore IPA, Zeitgeist, and Bitch Please, you get the idea that these guys know what they're doing when it comes to marketing, and it's no less so when it comes to taste. 00100 Helsinki, Finland Tel. Send your suggestions to info@helsinkitimes.fi
HI
L MA A
Nepalese Cuisine
Since 1993
The Oldest Nepalese Restaurant in Finland
Open Mon-Fri 11-23, weekends 12-23, Lunch: Mon-Fri 11-15 Contact Ratakatu 1B, 00120 Helsinki. In keeping with all this craziness come the stars of the show: the beer. Beer needn't only go with the common curry it can easily be paired with cheese, desserts and a variety of meat dishes. If you've got a cellar and a few extra euros to spare, do buy at least a case of Château Grange-Neuve 2009, a Pomerol with the distinctive Merlot varietal. You could easily throw this one back. 135 4148 www.kolumbus.fi/zinnkeller
Happy with Helsinki Times Eat & Drink topics. F I
The delicious St. Speaking of which, it's becoming trendy these days to serve beer with food as an alternative to wine. Let's begin with the cheapest: St. It's full-bodied, has gorgeous dark red fruit and berries on the nose and leaves you with the sensation that now you've tasted a full-blood. If you haven't guessed it, it's no less than Brewdog