Finland?s
SixDegrees
english language magazine
Cheating
Easier than ever?
Page 12
June
Hyde
Life?s but a stage
Page 6
Freerunning
& parkour
Hitting the streets
Page 8
Issue 09/2013 www.6d.fi 24.10.?04.12.2013
Maternity
services for all
A
total of 6,407 children were born in Helsinki last year. The group of mothers
in Helsinki is truly a global one. The majority of foreign mothers here are from
European countries, with the second largest group comes from the African
continent, with, mothers also coming from such distant lands as Iran, Australia, Brazil.
Meeting this need, a range of services is available for mothers and their children in
the City of Helsinki.
?Maternity guidance clinics aim to ensure the health of the expectant mother, foetus
and the new-born,? explains Hanna Viitala, Director of Family Services at the City of
Helsinki?s Social and Health Services, ?This promotes and maintains the health and
well-being of the entire family.?
Visits to the maternity guidance clinic are carried out in accordance with a scheduled
check-up programme. However, the individual needs and wishes of the mother and
the family, ultimately, determine the number of clinic and home visits.
Furthermore, a public health nurse and a physician monitor the progress of the
health of the expectant mother and the foetus through scheduled check-ups, which
are followed up by a post-birth check up.
?Visits to the maternity guidance clinic also provide the mother with advice and
guidance on issues related to the pregnancy, childbirth and taking care of the baby,?
Viitala adds.
Also, if the expectant mother so wishes, in the early stages of the pregnancy, the
maternity guidance clinic can also provide a referral for prenatal screenings, which will
be conducted at the maternity hospital. Prenatal screenings carried out in the early
stages of the pregnancy can reveal many developmental disorders. All examinations
are voluntary.
Families expecting their first child can also take part in family coaching. If they
choose to do so, three family coaching sessions will be held during the pregnancy,
and additional sessions will be carried out after childbirth.
Maternity guidance services are voluntary. However, some benefits, such as the
maternity grant, require the customer to undergo a medical check-up at a doctor?s
clinic or a maternity guidance clinic before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy.
www.hel.fi/sote/en ? Service index ? Maternity Guidance
Starters
4
Issue 09 2013
Top 5
things on our
mind this month...
Ourvision
it?s a
Moral obligations vs. the law
As this goes to print, a young Finnish woman is
sitting in a jail cell in northern Russia waiting for
a pending court handling for her actions aimed at
nature protection. The case in its entirety makes
us think about many things, for which we owe
gratitude to her and her fellow activists. Who has
the right to do what and where?
Municipal job protection
Municipal workers in Finland have had good job
security; in a municipal merger, their jobs have
been safe for five years, guaranteed by law. Many
private businesses do not even last that long,
even though their owners go to work sick or try
and get by without any holiday or so much as a
weekend off.
Showing how it?s done
Many of us dream about a care-free life. Speaking
of which, check out the recent news on the Finnish game developer Supercell and how they cashed
in big by selling a stake in their business, not just
the main owners but also many of the employees. If
they are well-off now, it?s for a good reason.
From the bin to the mantle-piece
If you?re a collector of old stuff that has little practical value left but may have collector value, you
will feast upon The Rubbish Theory, a 1970s
book by Michael Thompson on how these values
are transformed. Read it and understand where
the value of old stuff comes from.
Racing cerebral engines need work
?My mind is like a racing engine.? Who actually
said that, I mean in reality? Well, no-one, just a
fiction character, the sleuth Sherlock Holmes.
But he had a point, which was reiterated by the
Finnish business guru Jari Sarasvuo. If your mind
lacks proper challenges to deal with, at some
point it will probably start coming up with less
proper ones on its own. Why not put it to some
kind of useful work instead? Just use your head?
Mika Oksanen
Word on the
street
Tell us about a small thing
that makes you happy...
Having homemade burritos with friends. Cause
food and friends is always a happy combination!
And burritos are much tastier when shared!
Marta (26)
2013
winner!
The annual international
singing contest continues
to grow in popularity.
Yuko Takeda took the cake at this year?s Ourvision.
Tania Nathan
W
ITH the Grande Finale staged back in early October, the
Ourvision Song Context has proven once again that
immigrants in Finland do have a voice, and it?s not a bad
one to boot. Established by Caisa, Helsinki?s international cultural
center, Ourvision is billed as ?a Eurovision ? but for everyone?.
From humble beginnings the contest has evolved into a slick show
with serious contenders that match their singing capabilities with
a cultural diversity that is very much Helsinki today.
Now in its fifth year, the 10 finalists hailed from far and wide as
Bulgaria to Cuba. The atmosphere at the Helsinki?s Savoy Theatre
was electric and, despite the many cultures present, in full solidarity.
An evening full of surprises combined with an incredible variety of
talent, the night showcased just how far Ourvision has really come
from its humble beginnings.
Influences were worn proudly on the sleeves of contestants. A
broad range of styles from reggae, to R&B to ?80s pop (Paula Abdul,
anybody?) were revealed as performers were really put to their vocal
paces with some clear favorites emerging early on in the contest.
As the night went on, the Best Performance was taken home by
Daniel Barro and Best Band by Anna Dantchev. The Best Original
Song went to OB Phrase and the Best Voice accolade went to Sam
Moudden. With Culture and Sports Minister Paavo Arhinmäki on
hand to distribute the prizes, third place overall went to Barro and
second to Mouddem.
First place was taken by the incomparable Japanese singer Yuko
Takeda. Yuko won a cash prize as well as the chance to record an
original track with the help of Vesa Matara, so, we can look forward
to hearing great things from her in the future.
Now, we just have to wait till 2014 to enjoy the next round of
global talent.
Taking the time to think
Local company brainstorming the way to global change.
Thomas Poole
A
product of long-term co-operation between the City
of Helsinki and Helsinki University, Helsinki Think
Company is a meeting place for a new kind of international
entrepreneurship and networking where students, researchers
and entrepreneurial minds alike can gather to brainstorm, build
networks and watch new ideas grow into groundbreaking, world
changing innovative initiatives.
As proof of this, the group recently played host to the week-long
?Think Africa Week?, where participants were presented with new
insights on what is currently happening in the African continent
and why it is imperative to take interest in the developing world.
Speakers included the director of the Nordic Africa Institute; Iina
Soiri, Member of Parliament and Special Representative of the
Foreign Minister of Finland in African crises Pekka Haavisto.
Startup-guru and coach at Start Up Sauna Aape Pohjavirta,
Docent of African History at the University of Helsinki, Risto
Marjomaa, and many more.
But it?s not stopping there. The group aims at hosting many
more similar events, hoping to bring about global social and
economic change in the process.
www.helsinkithinkcompany.fi
Finnish After Dark
Learning the Finnish they don?t teach in school
David Brown and
Mimmu Takalo
Pretty faces, clean code, consistent logic,
physics, alcohol, porn and motor boats.
Paavo (34)
Finnish: Kanuuna
Getting to the bus stop at the same time than
the bus itself, finding a really good discount
when shopping (especially in the IT section)
and coming back to Spain to visit my family and
friends in summer and Christmas.
Raúl (24)
There are hangovers, and then there are hangovers. The kind that starts with the bird-cage mouth and only gets worse. Raging
thirst. Nausea. An urgent need to do things to a toilet that ceramics aren?t designed for. But worst of all, the insane pounding in the
forehead, like a DJ pounding out mad tunes from somewhere along the optic nerve. The kind of hangover that cannot and will not
get any better. Forget drinking water, juice, eating fried eggs or even the hair of the dog. Just hide under the bed and wait for Monday.
Having a barbeque with relatives and friends,
dancing salsa and merengue all day/night long.
Nathaly (24)
Compiled by Eva Blanco.
English: Canon (literal) hangover
?
?
?
?
Kaamee kanuuna!
Oma vikas! Nyt ylös sieltä sängystä! Kello on jo neljä iltapäivällä.
Eiku mä jään vielä nukkuun.
Etkä jää! Mun vanhemmat on täällä hetkellä minä hyvänsä ja kirkkokonsertti alkaa viideltä.
?
?
?
?
What a hangover!
It?s your own fault! Get out of bed! It?s four in the afternoon!
Can?t I just sleep a bit more?
No, you can?t! I?m in my parents? good books right now, and the church concert starts at five!
Starters
5
SixDegrees
Changing its
face
You know you?ve
been a student
Steve Snodgrass
in Lapland too
long when...
Vibor Trava?
1.
A recent study
has found
that one in
ten residents
here between
the ages of 25
and 34 are of
foreign origin.
2.
3.
4.
5.
James O?Sullivan
W
HILE the inevitable movement of people
around the globe is enough to make
your average member of the Finns Party
quiver in their boots, the fact of the matter is,
either way you look at it, Finland is gradually
becoming multicultural.
So much so, in fact, that nearly ten per cent of
the population of 26-34 year-olds now is made
up of people with foreign backgrounds. Recent
statistics released by Statistics Finland reveal
the changes that the nation has undergone in
recent years. A closer look at the Greater Helsinki
region, sees nearly one-fifth of residents in the
same age group with roots from abroad.
The majority of the foreign-born live in the
Uusimaa region of the country and in Åland,
where almost half of those with non-Finnish
roots had a Swedish background. Those with
foreign origins about 60 per cent have a European
background, about a quarter had an Asian
background and 12 per cent had an African
background.
However, those who like their Finland more
homogenous can breathe a little easier, when
looking at Finland as a whole. By the end of
last year, there were 279,616 persons with
foreign origin living permanently nationwide,
rounding out the number to around 5.2 per cent
nationwide.
How well do you know about father?s
day in Finnish?
1
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
2
3
13.
4
5
14.
You have to explain to
people that Lapland is
a real place and not
something you invented.
You ride your bike more
on snow than any other
surface combined.
It is completely normal
for you to ski during
nighttime, because it?s
constantly night.
You understand that 6
pm is a valid time to
start a party and you are
surprised the playlist in
a club has more than
12 songs.
You saw your professors
drunk on the streets
when going out on the
weekend.
You know you have to
walk to university for a
class even though it?s
-35°C outside.
A -5°C in the winter is a
hot winter, so you know
the joy of seeing sun in
January.
You need a thermometer
outside your window
because even though
yesterday was -5°C,
today it can be -25°C
You know a safari
tour includes riding
a snowmobile and
meeting Santa Claus.
You and Santa have a
secret handshake.
You laugh at a tourist
for wearing a jacket on
a warm and sunny day
(-10°C).
Reindeer pass next to
your home, and you
are not excited about
seeing huge white
rabbits jumping in front
of you.
You drive carefully,
because you know
reindeer won?t move
when they see you
driving towards them.
You have kissed a
reindeer.
Tell me about your
city...
?
k
s
d
o
v
a
z
o
r
t
Pe
Victoria Kulyabkina
In 1703 tsar Petr I commanded to
build a factory, and call it Petrovskii.
Around this factory the city of
Petrozavodsk was built and is the
capital of Karelia. The city extends
along the Onega Lake about 2,177
kilometres; the total area is 113
square kilometres. The population
at this moment is 271,000 people, including more than 50
different nationalities, but for the most part Russians and Karelians.
The city is known for a significant amount of industrial factories,
such as mechanical, engineering, metal, manufacturing of vehicles
and equipment, food, energy and forest industry. Also the Onega
tractor plant, Foundry, shipbuilding plant ?Avangard?, the Karelian
meat-processing plant, Petrozavodsk alcoholic beverage plant,
Severyanka Garment factory. The existence of a large number of
plants also brings about the city name: Petrozavodsk means a
?factory land? when translated from Russian.
In Petrozavodsk, it?s not all industry, however. There are a lot
of educational institutions, such as Petrozavodsk State University
(which is known as the most prestigious and large university in the
north of the country), the Karelian State Pedagogical University,
and State Conservatory. More than 40 institutions of general
education are successfully functioning in the city.
Since 1998, Petrozavodsk organises the international winter
festival every year under the name of ?Giperborey?s?, called so
in honour of Ancient Greek God of Boreas. Sculptors compete in
the skill of creation of figures from snow and ice. Fans of winter
swimming and skiers also compete among themselves. Every
day it is saturated with events and visitors: exhibitions, festive
concerts, conferences and cultural events, which are devoted to
life in the north, attract the interest of Russians, as well as the
citizens of Europe. The city is interesting not only in winter, but
also in summer time.
For music lovers there are numerous summer festivals organised
nearby: Vozduh, Ilossaarirock and Woodstock, to name a few.
Huge numbers of people descend upon these shows every year,
housed in a number of hotels in the city. But the main sightseeing
of my city is still Onega lake, which is one of the largest and most
beautiful lakes in the world, in my opinion.
Welcome to my city, tourists!
6
7
S
A
CHRIS T M
8
9
1. bathrobe
4. father
7. poem
2. sing
5. present
8. family
3. tie
6. card
9. Sunday
warmr
indoo
arena
ACT ION
PART Y?
Come to play
paintball in the
Paintball Bunker!
Read more:
Father?s Day is celebrated on 10 November.
Test your knowledge of Finnish vocabulary by using the
local equivalent.
Puzzle by Eva Peltonen. Solutions on page 23.
www.paintballsissos.fi/6d
Paintball Bunker / Paintball Sissos Oy
Itäinen vaihdekuja 8 | 00220 HELSINKI
tel. +358(0)10-3877880 | helsinki@sissos.com | www.paintballsissos.fi
6
We Met
Issue 09 2013
A stage
for life
June Hyde draws on her bilingual upbringing
to inform a kaleidoscope of performances.
James O?Sullivan
s
tanding with her toes at the edge of the stage, June
Hyde turns to ask the lighting operator in Finnish if
we could have more illumination. A brief pause, before
gentle light fades the rows of seats into focus, and we
commence her photo shoot. Here, at the focal point of
Helsinki City Theatre, she is at home. Hyde effortlessly
switches back to English, with her perfect British accent giving
little away of the fact she has lived the overwhelming majority of
her life in Finland.
Born into a bilingual family in England, Hyde was three when
her Finnish mother and English father decided to move here. With
a childhood spent alternating between translating what was going
on around her to her father and honing her love of performing, as
she neared the end of her teens, she soon found herself in London
learning the acting craft at drama school. Jobs as a receptionist,
cleaner and doing market research, soon followed, as she waited
for her big break amidst the occasional acting job in advertising
and on stage.
That was to come. But not in the place she may have imagined.
An offer from Joensuu City Theatre drew her back to Finland. She
moved back to Helsinki and soon was being broadcast to households
around the country, starring in the television soap, Salutat elämät.
From here, things quickly escalated for her, as her career began to
take off on stages locally, and in Spain and Germany.
SixDegrees sat down with the actor to hear about what it was
growing up in a bilingual home, why the local acting scene could
do with some cultural spices and the difficulties of attempting to
speak English with a Finnish accent.
What drew you to acting in the first place?
It was my grandmother in England. I travelled with my dad quite
a lot to see her. Together we watched a lot of 1930s and ?40s shows
and films. I would eat custard and apple pie and watch them with
her. Actors like Katherine Hepburn who had a quick, witty way
of delivering lines, was sassy but classy with lots of independence
and self irony. The first time I learned how to express myself was
without language, piano playing. I started singing when I entered
a TV singing competition. They asked me to sing in Finnish, as it
was a children?s show. I sang Putting On the Ritz and Love Potion
Number Nine in English. Katri Helena was presenting it. She was
very friendly and nice, and in the end they let me do it in English.
That was how I first started. Then as a teenager I started my own
multicultural theatre group called ?Pimeyden Nauriit?. It gave me
a direction, a place to feel good about myself, a way to focus my
teenage angst into creativity. My mother became the director of the
theatre company which retrospectively has been a very important
factor in both of our lives. It was clever of her to participate in
my hobby because it allowed us to get closer at a ?dangerous age?
of 17 an on. It?s amazing how many of her youngsters went into
professional theatre in different capacities, directing, acting, stage
design.
There was no way I was every going to do anything else. I feel
really lucky that I knew what I wanted to do at such an early age.
I don?t think I am particularly ambitious with my career. I guess I
shouldn?t really say that. This is the only thing I want to do. Even
when I hate it I love it.
When was the last time performed in English?
I sing in English and do a lot of voice work in English. I still do use it.
What kind of voice work do you do?
[immediately breaking into strikingly professional voice without
missing a beat] Welcome to Finnair.
Ha! How does it feel when you board a plane and hear your
own voice, do you feel you are welcomed to Finnair?
Yeah. [laughs]
Your father, Leslie Hyde, is known for his work in the 1980s
with the English Theatre Company. Was being surrounded by
artistic types a source of inspiration growing up?
Yeah, certainly. Growing up in O?Malley?s and Molly Malone?s
where my father performed, it was quite different there, and still
is from the Finnish bars. If the Finnish daddies hang out in bars
it doesn?t quite have the same? obviously they drank, sometimes
more than others. But I don?t really remember that. It was great as a
kid getting to hang out in bars and watch them do shows.
What was the response like?
It was good. It wasn?t that recognised, as it was usually the same
people who went to see them, along with the regular customers.
There wasn?t that much stand-up in the ?80s. Actually, there weren?t
that many foreigners in the ?80s. If they did it now, it would be
different. There were some really good sketches and writing.
How was it growing up in a bilingual family?
I felt very different. We always had foreigners in the house where we
lived. We would go to the shop and my dad back then couldn?t speak
any Finnish and I would translate. I was four or five years old. I became
very aware of that. It stayed with me still today when I?m acting. It?s
interesting that I have grown up in a bilingual family and I am acting
in a bilingual community ? Finnish and Swedish; a bilingual audience.
Were there times you didn?t want to translate, or translated
incorrectly for your father?
Yeah. I could be hugely embarrassed by him, I mean his ?otherness?.
I can be quite shy and so I blush several times a day. I think it
has something to do with that time of being different somehow.
Because I look Finnish, I wouldn?t carry my identity in my skin.
Sometime people would say something to me in Finnish and I
wouldn?t know what they were talking about, as I had been living
in England. ?How come you don?t know this show or that show on
telly?? That still happens now.
Back when I was younger, my parents still hadn?t made a choice
to stay here in Finland and so they didn?t commit to being here. So,
I wouldn?t say I have had a particularly Finnish upbringing, though
my mum is Finnish. Somehow they were always going to leave.
It?s so important to be happy where you are and each country you
are in. If you are not, then find a way to be happy where you are,
because curiosity can heal. It?s very important to be curious about
the culture you are living in.
Where has curiosity led you?
Um. [long pause] To a lot of foolish things. But I have achieved a lot
of good thing as well. It has helped me understand me a lot and to
take risks. I can?t really be more specific than that.
Is this something you take to the stage: taking risks?
That?s interesting. I?m just learning to do that now. I think I have
been very obedient. Only now I am starting to own the right to my
art and own ideas. It probably has something to do with my age.
It must be a nice feeling to come from a time where you
are being told how to act, to then doing things that people
respond to; quite empowering.
Yes, absolutely.
What goes through your mind onstage?
A thousand things?
Date and place of birth: 11 February 1976,
Colchester.
Family: Husband and two daughters.
When I was young I?liked to tap dance.
Language is?fun, but it?s just a form
When I?m on stage I?feel at home.
Something I haven?t done yet is?go to Africa.
Like, ?Darn, I forgot to buy the milk??
No. [laughs] Regarding space, audience, their energy, how I am
going to deliver the next line. At the same time I?m observing how
the next person is dropping their line, anticipating what is going
to be the next scene; what is the main part of the story. What is
important here and now. Sometimes it?s all blurred by, ?They hate
me, and they also hate me.? Other times it?s pure bliss and you are
empty and just there and it?s the best. Sometimes if I am tired, or
upset about something, it is fantastic to come to work and put on
lovely clean clothes that somebody?s made for you. Somebody does
your hair, and you?ve just got two hours where you know exactly
what you?ll be thinking about, which is just the lines someone has
written for you, or you have written yourself. It?s a really, really
great experience.
Is there a role that you have really identified with and found
easy to step into?
I have found that comedy comes quite naturally. Also, playing Juliet
in Romeo and Juliet was quite fantastic ? to die every night and to
love and be loved so much.
Have you had roles that you have struggled with?
Yeah. It?s usually been to do with the group, what the director
wants and wondering what we are going to do with this play; how
We Met
7
SixDegrees
Tomas Whitehouse
is it going to work? I love tempo. It might have something to do
with the European way of acting. I have watched a lot of theatre
in Germany and France. I?m going back to England in two weeks
to see performances. I find my inner rhythm is quite fast onstage.
Do you wish to instil acting into your children?
No. It?s nice they can come here to the theatre and visit, but, no.
You?re willing to just let them be?
Yeah, but it?s not looking good. [laughs] Everyday one of them asks
to be in an English show or something. Actually, I speak English
with my kids, as I want to give them the gift of speaking English. It?s
great, when we go back to England that they can play with others
in the park. It?s good now when they are little. But when they grow
up it is going to be hard.
Would you like to live abroad with them?
I would, but it?s really difficult with kids. You have to have more
money than just being able to eat chocolate and bread, as you can
when you are on your own.
I suppose also that there?s fact that the system for looking
after children here and educating them is so good?
Well, I?ve always hated school. I detest school. I think it?s really sad
that I have to place my children there. I know that people say it?s the
best system here and it?s fantastic, but bullshit is what I say.
But Finland is regularly ranked number one in education, they
are exporting education models aboard?
And the suicide rate is what here? [long pause] No, I?m not here to
slag off the country. As I said you have to find happiness wherever
you are.
What are you up to now?
I am doing a French comedy called Hotelli Paradiso at the Helsinki
City Theatre with Santeri Kinnunen, a very good Finnish comic
actor. I?m also doing something called Metsäperkele, directed by
Kari Heiskanen. It?s an interesting project about Finnish industrial
history set in the 1800s. It?s done in a very vibrant way where
the ensemble change characters in a second. I get to play about
10 different people in it. I must say I enjoy the arrogant man in a
top hat the most. Next, I will be working on a Jane Austen play.
Basically I work at Helsinki City Theatre and have a contract here.
It?s a big theatre where you get to do all sorts of different projects
from drama to comedy, dance and children?s theatre. However, I
don?t get to use my English. I?d really love to do a theatre group
where everyone who worked there was from a different country, or
with a different culture or something.
I find it a lovely plus when you work with people from
different backgrounds. That would be also a good thing to do to
be able to employ people who don?t necessarily speak Finnish.
Then you could do dance, or music or theatre in Finnish or
in English. Or perhaps some other language. There are lots
of Russians and Somalis here, for example. It is something I?d
love to do.
How different is this idea to that of theatre companies such
as the FinnBrits?
There?s the professional aspect there that I am interested in, and
having your own space. I have met many professional writers and
people through my work.
Are there many international thespians here in Finland?
No, I think the traditional theatre here is very white and language
orientated. I miss that because I went to an international high
school and living in London, I really notice it here. It?s very?
Finnish. Let?s see what happens. Now, there is a lot of circus and
modern theatre and art, and it is changing.
It?s actually funny that I can?t do a proper Finnish accent when
speaking English. They always asks me to lessen my English
accent, and speak more with a Finnish delivery. [attempts a frankly
hilarious stereotypical delivery] I can?t do it.
Lifestyle
8
Issue 09 2013
Freerunning Finns
finding
their feet.
Parkour alive and well in
the land of ice and snow.
Text and photos Thomas Poole
I
t?s 11:00 am on an icy autumn morning when I meet up
with Joona Saloranta, Winston Spennert and the boys from
Parkourkeskus in the car park of Helsinki?s Pasila Railway Station.
The sun is shining and in the distance Valtteri Luomanaho, a
16-year-old local parkour prodigy, lands a 540 spinning back flip
off a concrete parking bollard in the centre of the parking lot.
?You must be the boys I?m looking for,? I say, as I approach the
group, just as Saloranta, owner and manager of Parkourkeskus
Vantaa runs over to shake my hand. As we stand there chatting
about the photoshoot, Spennert lands a 12-foot gap jump between
a once functioning water feature and an old park bench.
I soon discover that despite its remote location, general lack
of urban landscapes and otherwise traditionally uninhabitable
Nordic tundra, Finland is becoming increasingly renowned in the
international arena of the traditionally urban art of parkour, aka
freerunning, and I?m determined to find out more.
On the run
Parkour is traditionally known as a way to train one?s body and mind
to move fluidly using only the obstacles found in a traditionally
urban environment. Originally called l?art du déplacement, it was
based on the methods used by French military to navigate obstacle
courses. From here, artist David Belle was the first to practice what
we today know as parkour in the late 1980s.
Fast-forward to 2003 and freerunning offered a more personalised
interpretation of parkour. Borne out of the childhood games of
Sébastien Foucan and his friends in the Parisian suburb of Lice,
the activity received a big boost when Foucan found himself being
chased by Daniel Craig in the 2006 James Bond flick Casino
Royale. But, according to Spennert and the boys, they were doing
parkour well before anyone gave it a name. Spennert recalls how
he and his friends would climb buildings, jump gaps and look for
new ways of navigating their urban surroundings well before it was
widely known under the moniker of parkour.
?Parkour is a way of life,? explains Jukka Tarvainen. ?Just seeing
the possibilities of movement through an urban environment can
be a metaphor for moving through life.?
But freerunning seems to be much more than just a bunch of slick
moves put together for high-end advertising campaigns and James
Bond movies. According to this crew, it is a discipline designed to
help one both mentally and physically clear all obstacles in one?s
path. It?s a discipline dedicated to being free in the towns and cities
designed to contain them, and with Finland increasingly becoming
a centre for expats from all over the world, the popularity and
prominence of the sport continues to rise.
Other than for the thrill,
why parkour?
Parkour improves physical condition very diversely
compared to sports like football and running, which focus
on localised muscle groups or stamina. Stamina, strength,
speed, flexibility and agility are trained when practised
correctly. On a mental level one must face many challenges,
fears and know their limits very well in life, and parkour is
perfect for showing you where those limits lie.
Lifestyle
9
SixDegrees
Running into history
According to Perttu Pihlaja (aka Spidey), General Director and
founder of Parkour Akatemia (Finnish Parkour Academy), parkour
in Finland was first documented in a television series about weird
urban sports back in the spring of 2003, and from there the first
formal practitioners started training.
Shot in Paris, the documentary was more about the phenomenon
in general, and didn?t focus on the budding scene in Finland.
However, after seeing the documentary on TV, a handful of groups
of young guys in Finland started practising the sport, seeking out
more information and connections with other practitioners.
Freerunning, by association
?Finland is the promised land of associations,? proclaims Jaakko
Junttila, Executive Director and co-founder of Parkour Akatemia
Finland. By the autumn of 2003 the Parkour Association of Finland
(SPY) had been established to spread information about the
sport and bring freerunners together. SPY was founded by a few
practitioners from Helsinki in the autumn of 2003 and very soon
guys from Jyväskylä and Oulu joined in. By 2005 the discipline had
gained more and more popularity, and events such as Flow Finland
helped the sport evolve into what it is today.
Nowadays Parkour is practised in both guided and non-guided
sessions all across Finland and has given children a new alternative
to competitive sports, while still helping them to develop both
mentally, physically and spiritually. ?It is a discipline that one
can practice without competitions, thus giving people a chance
to creatively develop and express themselves by creating new
movements and ways of moving through their environment,?
Pihlaja declares.
The Finnish Parkour Academy is, according to Pihlaja, currently
the World?s biggest parkour coaching organisation, providing
parkour lessons for various age groups and skill levels across the
country. The Parkour Academy currently delivers over 100 weekly
classes in seven different cities, with over 2,000 participants from
Helsinki to Lapland. The sport?s role in positive social development
is being recognised more and more by students and teachers alike.
Parkour is increasingly being seen as a much healthier alternative
to many other sub cultural activities.
?You will never see a true parkour practitioner drinking or
getting involved with many of the ?unsavoury? elements associated
with many other suburban sports and activities,? Spennert states.
?Parkour is a lifestyle; it?s about eating healthy food, healthy
moving, training and more importantly, the social side, meeting up
with friends and other?s who do and think alike.?
Finland has hosted many international events and is in this
way bringing people together from all countries across not only
Europe, but the whole world. The most recent international
event was the tongue-twisting ?The Most Apocalyptic Supreme
Parkour Armageddon: Nuclear Lightning Storm? which was held
in Jyväskylä in December 2012 and did great things for global
perceptions of the scene here. There are currently more that 10 fulltime parkour professionals who teach, perform, organise activities
and design parkour equipment for areas such as Parkourkeskus
threw out the country.
Taking it indoors
According to Pihlaja, one does not need anything to practice
parkour, except perhaps a curious mind and an able body. One
does not need any gear or equipment and can practise Parkour
practically anywhere and anytime, even outdoors in the Finnish
winter, says Spennert.
Establishments such as Parkourkeskus give people an opportunity
to practice around experienced individuals. Not only does
Parkourkeskus provide a safe and controlled environment to train
in, but it is also used as a refuge for outdoor parkour enthusiasts
during the winter months.
?It is a great healthy environment for kids to come and express
themselves? says Saloranta, adding that children who attend
Parkourkeskus as opposed to going directly home after schools
have reportedly experienced higher concentration levels and
improved strength and stamina both in the classroom and during
other school and social activities.
And with that the crew sets off to continue their free run around
the city.
www.parkourakatemia.fi
www.parkourkeskus.fi
Nipping down to the shops is never simply a straight forward affair.
Trend
Month
I N T E G R AT I O N
The 5:2 diet
Valérie Brun
E
ach season brings with it a new dieting fad, as the
collective wobble of post-summer padding starts to
detract from one?s postive sense of self. This year has seen
an increasing number of Finns embracing the 5:2 diet.
Now, the general idea behind this couple of numbers
separated by a colon is a calorie restriction for two nonconsecutive days a week and then eating normally for five
days. Basically, it?s intermittent fasting, in a nutshell.
The two days of fasting require keeping your intake below a
setline of calories: 500 for women, 600 for men. The normal
average daily intake of calories is about 2000; this means
scaling back the calories by about 1/4 on the two fasting days.
For example, a hard-boiled egg is around 77 calories, a can
of Coke is 150 calories, and a medium-sized banana is 105
calories. The obvious part of getting on this diet is to plan
your meals to ensure you stay below the daily calorie count.
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting? According to
the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre in Manchester
a study shows that dieters who fast two days a week, lose an
average of 7.7 kg over six months by eating up to 650 calories
two days a week. Meanwhile, other dieters who restrict their
calorie intake on a daily basis, lose 1.4 kg less over the same
amount of time.
Research has also shown that while losing body fat reduces
risks of different cancers and heart disease, the process of
fasting seems to deliver these health benefits at a faster rate.
By fasting twice a week, research has also proved that there is
a 25 per cent greater improvement on insulin function, which
reduces the risk of acquiring Type 2 diabetes, a very common
weight-related disease.
Luckan Integration
t *OGPSNBUJPO BOE DPVOTFMJOH GPS JNNJHSBOUT
t *OGPSNBUJPO BCPVU JOUFHSBUJOH JO 4XFEJTI
JO UIF $BQJUBM 3FHJPO
t .FOUPSJOH QSPHSBNNF
t $PVSTFT BOE FWFOUT
Events in October and November
English- Swedish Family Café at Luckan
19th November, 3-5 p.m.
Welcome to the monthly English-Swedish Family Café at Luckan.
Sing along with Daniela Fogelholm. Welcome!
Swedish Language Café
4th November 5-7 p.m. in Luckan, Simonkatu 8
A great way to both activate and improve your Swedish!
Information session: How to start up a business in Finland?
30th October , 3-5 p.m.
Are you planning on starting your own business? Elie El-Khouri,
Enterprise Helsinki, will give you information on entrepreneurship.
CV Clinic with Manpower
13th November, 3-5 p.m.
Is your CV up to date? Manpower gives you tips on how to write
a CV for the Finnish job market.
Helsinki region?s joint service centre
for startups and acting entrepreneurs
?Become an Entrepreneur in Finland? ? project organizes:
Information sessions about
how to start your own business
Information sessions held in English
- 14.11 and 12.12
Free of charge, but sign up first.
Business Counselling
Counselling is confidential and free of charge,
but only by appointment.
Possible in Finnish, English, Swedish, Russian,
Estonian, German, French or Arabic.
Before counselling please attend
information session first.
Evening courses for acting entrepreneurs
Schedule of popular evening courses
available on our website.
Food Hygiene ? training and testing (40 ?)
18th and 21st November, 5-8.45 p.m.
This course consists of two parts, the training course which covers all
subject areas of food hygiene proficiency and the hygiene test.
Venue: Arbis, Dagmarinkatu 3, Helsinki. You can register
through www. Hel.fi/arbis or by phone 09 310 49494.
The course is organized by Arbis (Swedish Adult Education
Center of Helsinki) and Luckan.
Register by e-mail to integration@luckan.fi!
All events are held in Luckan, Simonkatu 8 in Helsinki
and are free of charge, if not mentioned
otherwise in the event description.
Would you like to sign up for our electronic
newsletters with upcoming events?
Please e-mail integration@luckan.fi
Courses are also free, but sign up first.
You can find us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LuckanIntegration
Growth Business Services
For innovative starting companies
with an interest and potential for high growth.
Welcome!
Call 09-310 36360
yrityshelsinki@hel.fi
Schedule for info sessions and courses in
www.enterprisehelsinki.fi
LUCKAN
Simonkatu 8, 00100 Helsinki
Contact: bridge@luckan.fi / 040 485 9636 / bridge.luckan.fi
Society
10
Issue 09 2013
Column
Drifting
It?s unreal:
clouds
Reality TV invents
celebrities
According to my TV guide, there are at least five
programmes showing on TV this week that feature Finnish
celebrities, and another six featuring those from the USA.
No doubt you have seen a couple of these shows ? so-called
celebrities cooking dinners for each other, ice skating,
diving into swimming pools or even cleaning up someone?s
summer cottage.
They are sad, desperate television from producers devoid
of either the money or imagination to make anything more
inspired.
Finland aspires to host a growing
number of cloud services. What
Many of these concepts come from countries where
celebrities abound, and where the programmes benefit
from some kind of star power as a result. A list of American
Idol judges includes names like Jennifer Lopez, Mariah
Carey and Aerosmith?s Steve Tyler. Finland?s version has
featured Kim Kuusi, who wrote the 1975 Finnish entry
to the Eurovision Song Contest, and Tommi Liimatainen,
band manager to several acts I?ve never heard of.
makes Finland a good location for
their data centres? And are there
benefits for local users?
?F
inland needs to develop its own
TV concepts, and be more than
a little cautious about blindly
swallowing whatever format is
being sold elsewhere.
It gets worse. Most of the Finnish reality shows feature people
famous only for being in reality shows. The likes of Teuvo
Loman and Janne Kataja boasted CVs rich in modelling
gigs and local theatre productions before suddenly finding
the glittering world of television needed them.
The reason Finnish TV needs D-list celebrities is because
there are only about 12 A-list celebrities in Finland, and
none of them are desperate enough to accept money for
judging a skating contest. A diving contest having an exstylist as a judge is almost as odd as Idol having judges who
cannot sing, something that happens so often in Finland
that it seems to be deliberate irony.
The nadir of reality TV was reached this year when assorted
nobodies gathered for a talkoot, or working bee. To be fair,
most of the participants grimaced through their 15 minutes
of infamy with expressions usually seen only by dentists,
banked their pay checks and relaxed in the knowledge that
no one at all was watching.
And then there is Vain Elämä, in which fading pop stars
sob ecstatically as other fading pop stars torture their songs
within an inch of their lives.
This is not Finland?s problem alone ? the same pattern
is repeated in all small countries, where there simply are
not enough ?real? celebrities to go around. New Zealand?s
version of Top Model was hosted by a ?supermodel? whose
career amounted to a series of soap powder commercials.
It would be nice to think that Finland is far enough from
the bright lights of London and LA to safely ignore the TV
trends of elsewhere, or at least to recognise that what works
in the US cannot always be replicated here. Finland needs
to develop its own TV concepts, and be more than a little
cautious about blindly swallowing whatever format is being
sold elsewhere.
Given the only possible reason to watch most reality TV
is to experience the sickening sense of horror that comes
with witnessing a car accident, surely most people have
something better to do?
Well, in winter, perhaps we don?t.
David Brown is a language consultant and journalist, regularly
covering stories in Africa, Asia & the Middle East. He has lived
in Finland for over 10 years.
Teemu Henriksson
I
F YOU wanted to find a symbol for some of the most significant
changes that the Finnish economy has seen in the recent times,
you could do worse than settling on Google?s data centre that
is located in Hamina. As paper manufacturing has progressively
left Finland, the old paper mill that the Internet giant bought from
Stora Enso now hosts one of its data centres.
Google?s 200 million-euro investment is not just a one-off, as
more and more cloud service providers are looking at Finland as
a place where to set up their data centres. Moreover, Finland is
actively marketing itself as a suitable location to such companies.
This work is already bearing fruit: the Russian Yandex, the fourth
biggest search engine in the world, is building its new data centre
in Mäntsälä. Also Google will continue to invest in its Hamina site
with 150 million euros more, which will double the centre in size
and make it the biggest data centre in the Nordic countries. And
when Microsoft announced its purchase of Nokia?s mobile phone
operations, it also said it would build a 190 million-euro data
centre in Finland.
At home in the cold
Having such big players in the cloud computing space as Google
and Microsoft choose Finland is significant also from the point
of view that often smaller companies follow the example of major
ones, explains Timo Antikainen, Vice President of Invest in
Finland, a government agency that promotes foreign investments
into Finland. The choice also reflects the fact that in addition to
political and seismological stability, which are crucial, Finland as a
location offers certain benefits to companies running data centres.
First, there is the weather. Data centres typically are electricity
intensive facilities already for the reason that the rows and rows of
servers require extensive cooling ? in an old data centre, cooling
alone amounted up to more than a half of total electricity costs
(today?s centres have somewhat more effective cooling systems).
But with a free cooling system, which uses cool outside air and can
be used almost throughout the year in Finland, these costs can be
driven down. Also cold water can sometimes be put to use: when
Google chose Hamina as the site of its data centre, it said that one
attraction was the access to sea water, which the centre uses as part
of its cooling system that already existed at the paper mill.
Then, there is the reliable electrical grid and relatively low price
of electricity. Antikainen says that Finland is one of the cheapest
countries for energy, which accounts for a major part of the overall
costs of running a data centre. And largely to meet the demands
of the wood and paper industry, the Finnish power grid is very
robust ? Antikainen estimates that it is one of the most reliable
ones in the world.
?For example, the industrial area of Kajaani, where two data
centres are located, hasn?t experienced a power cut for dozens of
years. In fact, my understanding is that there is no backup power
generator on Kajaani, that?s how reliable the grid is.?
Paper production is also an energy intensive industry, and as a
lot of production has been transferred outside the country in the
recent past, this has freed some of the power grid?s capacity, says
Antikainen. Existing power connections are another reason why
deserted paper mills make for good data centres. ?The power
consumption of a paper mill is about 100 megawatts, which
happens to correspond with the consumption of a major data
centre.? He also points out that thanks to the substantial use of
free cooling systems, data centres in Finland use less electricity
than those in Central Europe, meaning that the average carbon
footprint of a data centre is also smaller here.
Finally, Finland has the best telecommunications link from
Europe to Russia, which makes Finland appealing to those cloud
service provides that operate in the country. And if the government?s
plans to build a new submarine cable that would connect Finland
to Germany and improve data transfer rates to continental Europe
proceed as scheduled, this will make Finland?s position between
Europe and Russia even more favourable.
Pros and cons of cloud computing
The geographical location of a data centre does not only define
the surrounding weather conditions and infrastructure. What
is perhaps less known is that where data is physically stored also
determines the legislation applied to the data. For example, data
saved in Finland is subject to Finnish legislation. Yet figuring out
where your data is stored may require some extra efforts from the
user, or at least some careful reading of the service provider?s terms
and conditions.
How seriously one should look into this depends on what the
service is used for, says Harri Ruusinen, Information Security
Expert at F-Secure. ?If my Facebook account disappeared, for
example, personally it wouldn?t that tragic even if I wouldn?t be able
to get it back. But if I stored all my photos on a cloud service, and
they would disappear, that would be a huge thing as it would like
wiping many years away from my life.?
On the other hand, if the data is well protected and backed up
by the cloud service provider, storing it in their servers might be
more secure than having it only on a computer?s hard drive, which
is prone to breaking. And if the service provider decentralises the
data it host into several geographical locations, it guarantees an
even bigger protection from an accident at one of its sites. ?All in
all, you should look at the positive and negative sides of using a
cloud service, and take into consideration what data you want to
save and for what purpose,? says Ruusinen.
Moreover, although cloud services are often cheaper than
traditional computing solutions, or entirely free, there may be a
flip side. ?For instance Facebook makes money out of their users?
information by using it to target ads better. So in that sense there is
always a price,? says Ruusinen. He notes, however, that this doesn?t
necessarily mean that such services should be avoided, as long as
you are aware of their conditions and take them into account when
using them. ?You should consider what you write on Facebook, or
what you save in the cloud.?
If your sensitive to the idea of unwanted eyes looking at your
Society
11
SixDegrees
Kamil PorembiÅ?ski
Minority Report
Legal Immigrants
SixDegrees takes a look at the ethnic
6D gets to know what it?s like to be a
minorities here in Finland.
regular immigrant in Finland.
The French
Valérie Brun
akakumo
?W
hether the data
centre industry will
reach similar importance
as that of the forest
industry?s in its heyday
remains to be seen.?
data, one particular angle to consider is the fact that due to the
Patriot Act legislation, which the United States passed in October
2001, US officials have the right to investigate foreigners? data that
is stored in a server in the US, or if the service provider?s ownership
is in the US. ?If you think of the big players ? Apple?s iCloud,
Amazon?s Cloud Drive, Microsoft?s SkyDrive ? they all tend to be
US companies,? Ruusinen says.
?For a consumer this might not be that significant. If I save food
recipes on Google?s servers, it doesn?t really make a difference to
me if they are accessible to others. But for firms it is a completely
different matter. Few companies want to give access to and right to
copy information and designs of upcoming products, for example.?
If you are seriously concerned about the security of your data, one
option is to look into encrypting it, he says. Sometimes the service
provider can do this at their end, or you can look into encrypting
the data yourself, which at least in theory would prevent anyone
else from being able to access your files.
From pulp and paper to bits and bytes
Finland is not alone in trying to entice large online players ? in fact,
all Nordic countries are marketing themselves to potential data
centre investors. Although the countries are competing against
each other, they all also benefit from the overall interest in the
region. For example, when potential constructors visit sites in one
of the countries, they often visit also others during the same trip,
according to Antikainen.
He says that Invest in Finland?s message of Finland as a good
location for data centres has been well received. What helps
is the Finnish government?s commitment to the same goal, as
evidenced by the fact that the government wants to lower the
energy tax rate for data centres.
Moreover, the government?s decision to drop the corporate
Geographically, more than 2,000 kilometres is the
distance that separates Helsinki from Paris, but that doesn?t
stop the French and Finnish communities from growing
closer together; French culture, education and cuisine
continue to expand here, particularly in the Helsinki area.
In keeping with the number of kilometres seperating the
two countries, a minority of about 2,000 French people
currently live in Finland (from which 65 per cent live in
the capital), but what is worth emphasising is the way the
French culture and language has managed to settle in this
foreign country where everything is so different to what
they know, to say the least.
The French language, for one, has gained a particular
importance as part of school education. we can name
Ecole Française Jules Verne, a private school supported
by the French Embassy and which maintains the French
education system, the Lycée Franco-Finlandais, a public
and Bilingual Finnish-French school maintained by the
National Education Ministry as well as the Primary School
Eläin-tarha Ala-Aste, a regular Finnish primary school that
includes an optional bilingual program teaching five hours
of French a week.
Aside from education, one can find over 140 French
enterprise branches; including Crédit Agricole, one of the
main banks in France, present in Finland since 1982.
French culture spreads consistently around Helsinki as
well: The Centre Culturel Français (French Cultural Centre)
organises visual arts exhibitions six times a year around
the city; not to mention the many French organisations
that offer french courses like the French Institute, the
France-Finlande Association, whose mission is to promote
the friendship between the two countries by organising
interesting events such as conferences, excursions and fun
nights out motivating Finns to mingle by practising their
french skills!
We all know French cuisine speaks for itself; internationally
known and greatly appreciated around the globe, Finland,
too, has welcomed it with open arms; we can find over
twenty French bistros and restaurants in the Helsinki area
alone, each and everyone of them benefit of great reviews
and loyal returning customers.
So, forget about the climate and culture shock normally
known as the common symptoms immigrants experience
when they first settle in this cold country of ours; French
people move up here and practically bring the Eiffel Tower
in their suitcase, but we like it!
tax by 4.5 per cent to 20 per cent has also been noticed. ?These
measures ensure that Finland is on the radar screen of potential
companies.?
Whether the data centre industry will reach similar importance
as that of the forest industry?s in its heyday remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, Antikainen says that the goal is to create a significant
concentration of data centres in Finland, which has notable
consequences also for the surrounding economy.
?When you consider the building of these centres, and the
logistics and maintenance of running them, the total employment
that they bring could be in the thousands,? Antikainen says.
Also Ruusinen sees the development in a positive light, and not
only in terms of economy. ?It could also result in more powerful
internet connections from Finland to abroad, and for a Finnish
user, it would ensure that genuinely Finnish cloud services could
be produced, and Finnish legislation applied to the services.?
Although data centres may not solve all of the issues of Finland?s
economy, they could prove to be an important piece of the puzzle.
At the very least, they would offer a meaningful second life to some
of those derelict paper mills.
Sarrah Kassem
RIVA SANDHIAJAYA moved here
from Indonesia over ten years
ago for his graduate studies,
which have now motivated him
to help improve the education
system in Indonesia.
What do you do here in
Finland?
I am currently running a small
company with some friends to
promote educational cooperation between Indonesia and
Finland (www.necs.fi). We are still in a very early stage, but
we have clear goals on what has to be done to improve the
quality of the Indonesian education system by learning from
Finland?s expertise and experience.
When and how did you end up here?
I still remember the day I arrived, 1 September 2001. I
came to get my master?s degree in political science from the
University of Tampere. I have had really good experience
with the Finnish education system since the early start. I
also recently graduated from Hanken from an Executive
MBA program.
What attracts you about the Finnish culture?
Discipline! Finns respect the law and this is something that I
wish could happen everywhere else in the world.
What culture shocks did you experience when coming
to Finland?
I have never seen so many drunk people in one place. It was
my first vappu.
Have you been able to settle and integrate into Finnish
society?
I will always look different of course, but putting that to the
side, Finnish people quickly open up and accept me pretty
fast. Each time two different cultures meet, it will take some
adjustment, willingness to learn and tolerance to accept
each other?s differences.
What are/were your worries?
I was worried that my English wasn?t good enough, and
now my English is still as bad but it seems that I was able
to survive.
What are your future hopes and wishes for your life
here?
Pretty simple actually, I hope our economic situation
will improve soon. Lately I feel that people are a bit over
stressed by the economic crisis, etc. These worries affected
society that is now a bit tense and not as calm and relaxed
as it used to be.
What is your favorite Finnish word?
Dallaspulla (I am a big fan of Finnish pastry).
Contact james@6d.fi if you?d like to
share your thoughts for a future issue.
Criminal case?
If you are on a low
income, you may get
free trial.
We offer a wide range of legal services. Our legal specialities
include immigration law, criminal justice and family law.
Contact: Attorney-At-Law Asianajotoimisto Streng Ky
Lapinlahdenkatu 27, 00180 Helsinki
Tel (09) 7269 6730, mob 040 565 8146
joonia.streng@icon.fi, www.strenglaki.fi
12
Feature
Issue 09 2013
Infidelity, a fruit of
In an age when an affair is possible at the click of
a mouse, how has this affected the frequency that
people are choosing to stray?
Feature
13
SixDegrees
T
Mika Oksanen
hose who read the Bible may remember Uriah
from the Old Testament. The story of this Israelite
military officer serves to show how drastic things
may get when passion overrides reason. A passionate
relationship evolved between King David of Israel and
Uriah?s wife Bathsheba, and after she inadvertently
got royally pregnant, the desperate King resolved the
predicament by dispatching poor Uriah to the war front, not only
to do his job but to be posted to the front lines, where he indeed
got killed in action.
The events are said to have taken place circa 1000 B.C. Whether
or not you believe the story to be true, you can hardly dispute one
thing in particular that it highlights: infidelity in relationships is
not a contemporary concept, but is something that has always
been. It did not evolve with modern communications technology
such as the Internet ? it would therefore appear pointless to blame
online dating channels, for example, for ruining relationships in
the current age.
Surely not many people in our culture ever set out to get
married or start cohabiting with their partner with the idea of
seeing someone on the side at some point.
In a recent documentary about the Finnish ice hockey great
Teemu Selänne, the ?Finnish Flash? brings forward an astute
point about his own, visibly happy and successful marriage by
saying that ?another person can never come between two people,
if there is no space between them for it?.
But such squeezing-in does happen. Everyone is coming from
and going to a different direction (for further information you
may want to check out the Wikipedia entries on monogamy and
polygamy), all relationships are different and only those in them
may be able to see the big picture. So, each example is special, and
we are all emotional and passionate.
Backdoor affairs and private member accounts
Because the subject matter is intimate, delicate and very much
personal, by far the best way to talk about it is from behind a
complete shield of anonymity. SixDegrees spoke recently to a
married person who had been looking for something extra online
and also found it.
Having been with the same person for more than 12 years, our
interviewee had endured the typical variety of good and bad
periods that most long-term relationships undergo throughout
their duration.
?At one stage I was going through a rough patch in our
relationship; some people in their late 30s start feeling like
their life no longer is as exciting as it used to be, which is what
happened in our marriage. Obviously it doesn?t mean that you
don?t love the other person anymore, but as individuals we
need our own space, since we all have our own needs. I needed
attention and love from my partner at that time, and he clearly
didn?t even realise this. Then I started to look for a solution and
began to browse the web like we all do nowadays. This is how I
found VictoriaMilan.?
Now, this may sound like a woman?s name, but in actuality, it refers
to an online service for people who are in a relationship but are also
looking for some extra excitement and romance in their lives, just
like our interviewee was. So it clearly is a service that meets existing
needs, which oftentimes spells success for the provider.
?Browsing the Internet a couple of years ago, I encountered an
article describing some Scandinavian dating web site and was
amazed by the general idea: to create a friendly environment for
people to meet in and maybe extend it further into real life,? Sigurd
Vegal, CEO of VictoriaMilan, explains. ?I started researching
more about the topic and ended up being registered on more
than 80 dating sites across different countries. Not long after this
VictoriaMilan was built and started in Scandinavia.?
After the service began to attract an increasing number of
members, it commenced pushing into different markets ? the UK,
Germany, France or Italy, to name just a few. Currently present in
about 25 countries around the globe, they are looking for more
expansion to follow.
First knock on the backdoor
For our anonymous interviewee there wasn?t a big threshold for
signing up with VictoriaMilan. Did they find it difficult to become
active with the service?
?No, personally I don?t take infidelity as a bad thing ? I used
to, but it changed when that special thing between us in the
relationship faded,? the interviewee states. ?But my partner
does, and this is why I am using VictoriaMilan. Seeing other
people can be positive for me as a person and lead to something
positive for my relationship as well. So there was no hesitation
because I already decided that something had to change.
VictoriaMilan turned out to be a perfect solution. I quickly
received loads of messages and started chatting with several
men. Finally I chose one of them, because we got along really
well from the beginning.?
The interviewee?s situation is not one that is unique. Vegal points
out that the fading passion of a relationship can be dealt with in
three ways:
?One is to keep on living that way, which really is not a way out.
Second option is a divorce, which brings a lot of pain and trouble,
especially when you have kids and also own things together.
The third way is trying to fix it, trying to rediscover the passion.
This can be done through an affair, which gives people all the
psychological ? and physical as may be required ? benefits that
you get in the early stages of a relationship.?
Vegal then states that most VictoriaMilan users flirt with each
other and go back to their families happier, with a strong will to
carry on and lead a fabulous life.
This is a great point. Does the fact that you see your spouse
joyously hugging a friend with laughter mean he or she is looking
to change address? It?s more about revitalisation, getting a break
from the daily grind; just loving life ? the fact that he or she does
actually share an address with you in the first place is already
saying something, is it not?
?T
he fading passion
of a relationship
can be dealt with in
three ways: ?One is to
keep on living that way,
which really is not a way
out. Second option is a
divorce, which brings a
lot of pain and trouble,
especially when you
have kids and also own
things together. The
third way is trying to fix
it, trying to rediscover
the passion.??
Paths of secrecy and keeping them a secret
Why then does our anonymous interviewee prefer an online
platform over, say, going to the bar to look for company?
?When you are talking to someone at a bar, it may not be so
easy to back out, whereas on an online chat, it?s so easy to say
bye. This is how come I was able to choose a candidate that
really felt exactly right for me. I guess in real life you?d need
to go to the bar every night for a month for the same result.
Another thing is that while at the bar, you can easily be spotted
by a friend, and your partner also knows that you are out and
away somewhere.?
Vegal explains about discretion on VictoriaMilan.
?We help our customers keep their affairs discreet with 100 per
cent anonymous profiles, the photo blur feature or advice from our
online experts on how not to get caught. We have features such as
the ?panic button? that quickly redirects you to YouTube if someone
enters the room.?
In the same vein, has our interviewee managed to keep the
extramarital stuff a secret, and what would happen if the other one
found out?
?So far I haven?t been caught, because discreet use of VictoriaMilan
requires only a little attention. My partner does not know anything,
but if he did, I think it might hurt him. Perhaps it would make him
think about the reasons for my behaviour. But I?m not sure about it,
so I don?t want to find out. Life seems better right now, and I want
to keep it that way.?
Invisible lines drawn on the air
In an effort to boost its familiarity in Finland, VictoriaMilan
recently contacted Radio Nova, a countrywide commercial radio
channel. Under most circumstances, any advertiser would keep
one hand on the phone and shift the other one towards the cash
register handle ? but this is not what happened here.
?When we set the channel up, we built up the brand from a longterm point of view, with the basic idea of making the day better for
Finnish people, and have built up our offering in view of our target
audience?, says Petri Manninen, Managing Director at Radio Nova.
?For us, our decision to refrain from airing VictoriaMilan
commercials is just a single example, not only relating to their
service but based on a larger scheme that actually forms the very
foundation for the existence of our radio channel.?
Manninen points to another example of a similar phenomenon
? one where the radio station?s decision caused amazement among
some financially minded external parties. In the late 1990s, when
there was a big boom of sex phone lines in Finland, the station stuck
to its own ideas and values, and thus turned down the possibility of
running these commercials as well.?
?The long haul and continuity are two key points in brand
construction,? Manninen explains. ?You have to know who you are
and what you do, because you cannot be something to everyone.?
The radio man also approaches the matter of context-specific talk
from another important angle.
?The fact that you define your message does not mean that you
cannot leave from your editorial comfort zone when developing
stories, but if you do, you have to make a safe return to the comfort
zone while within the story, so that your story has a point in the
context.?
The following astute point by Manninen makes for a verbal
ear rinse:
?As a communication medium, radio is the most intimate one. You
hardly have a telly in your bathroom, do you? Radio can get under
your skin. Because of this emotional potential, content providers
must know their responsibility for what they offer, and all successful
brands have a very clear brand strategy or content strategy and a
value set where the moral ideas stem from, and these must genuinely
embrace the individual listener. You?re not broadcasting to a mass of
150,000; your audience everywhere consists of an individual person,
every time. And this is exactly why these long-term ideologies and
core values are key for our successful operation.?
Sigurd Vegal,
CEO of VictoriaMilan
Family counsellors familiar with heartbreak
Infidelity can wreak havoc. The downs and outs can often be seen, for
example, at the family counselling centre of the Evangelical-Lutheran
Parish of Jyväskylä ? not as often as some time before, though.
?We compile annual statistics on the reasons that bring couples
here, and infidelity as the primary cause has decreased from the
early 2000s, and you can truly notice it,? says manager Sirpa
Salo, also quoting Finnish researcher Osmo Kontula, whose
research (?Between Sexual Desire and Reality?) indicates that
the younger generations relate more strictly to infidelity than
their predecessors.
?Currently, interaction problems are the number one reason for
couples to come here. There may be infidelity in the background,
having occurred a long time ago, but nevertheless causing the
interaction to become skewed,? says Merja Kangas from the parish.
What has caused the drop in infidelity frequency?
?Kontula suggests that the increasing load caused to people by
society and the related excessive rationalism has been countered
by the new rise of romance; people are primarily seeking
romantic and emotional satisfaction from their relationships,?
says parish member Pekka Puukko. ?One could draw a
conclusion that the counter-movement against infidelity arises
out of the deep experience of insult that the other person feels
because of it.?
Salo continues her colleague?s thought: ?Life here is so fragmented
and hectic, so people are seeking something permanent in their
lives by hoping to think they have found just the right person.?
Has the function of intimate relationships changed along with
societal development?
?In a family, maintaining the standard of living and similar
tasks are in a smaller role than a century ago. Couples today are
looking for emotional aspects in their relationships, which also
makes relationships more fragile than before,? Puukko says and
adds: ?Listening to our clients, the idea of playful side-stepping
sounds rather strange when you see the long-term devastation
that infidelity causes in a relationship.?
Anonymous and free of charge
Take the First Steps in Finland
Hae maahanmuuttajan peruskouluun nyt!
Eiran aikuislukiossa toimii
First Steps in Finland -ohjelma eli maahanmuuttajan
peruskoulu. Päiväopiskelu on
tarkoitettu 17?25-vuotiaille.
Kaikilla hakijoilla tulee olla
jatkuva oleskelulupa. Opinnot voi aloittaa, vaikka ei osaa
suomea.
Tule Eiran aikuislukion toimistoon täyttämään hakemus.Peruskoulun hakuaika
on käynnissä nyt ja loppuu
11.11. Opiskelu alkaa 9. 12.
First Steps in Finland is a lower secondary program developed for immigrants by
Eira High School for Adults.
It is for immigrants between
17 and 25 years old and who
have a current residence
permit. Studies are day time.
Come and fill in the application form in the school office.
The application period ends
on November 11. Studies begin on December 9.
n:
ormatio
f
in
r
e
h
t
Fur
koulu
i > perus
.f
a
ir
.e
www
innot
tajan op
t
u
u
m
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a
> maah
AUGUST
UARY
FEBR
MAY
11.2. 25.5.
26.8.
OCTOBER
DECE
MBER
21.10. 2.12.
HIV-TUKIKESKUS
Unioninkatu 45 K
00170 Helsinki
tel. 0207 465 705
test result in
15 minutes
Eiran aikuislukio ? Laivurinkatu 3 ? 00150 Helsinki
www.eira.fi
Birger KaiPiainen /
aesthete
extraordinaire /
19 Jun 2013 - 12 Jan 2014
another sPace /
six PersPectives on
contemPorary Painting /
25 seP 2013 - 12 Jan 2014
eggert Pétursson, untitled (nordurland tröllaskagi), 2011.
miika nyyssönen, Breda 49, 2012.
Birger Kaipiainen, Paratiisi, 1969.
Espoo musEum of modErn art
Tue, Thu, fri 11?18, wed 11?20, saT, sun 11?17
aherTa janTie 5, Tapiol a, espoo, finl and
Tel. +358 (0)9 8165 7512
w w w.emma.museum
buses 106 and 110 from K amppi, helsinKi
events in nature /
saastamoinen
art collection /
until 26 mar 2015
Tastebuds
15
SixDegrees
Spanish
sensation
Owner Mika Kavekari (centre) represents
the fourth generation of owners for that
have been bringing Spansish cuisine
to diners in the Capital Region for four
decades.
Local stalwart soon celebrating 40 years of serving
tastes a la Española.
Text Valérie Brun, photos Eva Blanco.
L
a Parrilla Española has offered exquisite Spanish quality food
in Helsinki since 1973. This fruitful family business has been
delighting palates for four generations. The story began when
current owner Mika Kavekari?s grandfather owned Hotel Torni
up until 1972. His pioneering spirit and ideas made him establish,
among other restaurants, the very first Spanish restaurant in
Finland, Paella Española de Torni. After HOK Elanto bought the
hotel he decided to open a new Spanish restaurant in the city. Thus
La Parrilla Española, situated in Eerikinkatu, was born.
A step inside
Red is the colour of Spain and La Parrilla is a faithful representation
of Spanish culture. Its snow-white painted walls, clay tile floors and
bright red paintings immediately transport us to the south of this
bullfighting country.
As we walk in, co-owner (and Mika?s mother) Katriina Kavekari
welcomes us with a warm smile. The dining area is divided into
cubicles, giving a great sense of comfort and intimacy, and soon
photographer Eva and I are seated in a cosy corner.
?Buen Provecho?
Mother and son soon set about offering us a three-course meal that
delighted and satisfied. I was amazed at the quality of food that was
brought to us, with its variety and freshness.
The entrée consists of a Tapas platter (?24.00) mainly with
Spanish chorizo, Mancheco cheese (brought directly from the city
La Mancha), Serrano ham and delicious white bread garnished
with finely chopped tomatoes and onions.
Never having tasted Spanish gastronomy before, I trust Eva?s
opinion and she, being of Spanish origin herself, assured me that
the flavours transported her back to Spain. ?This comes from
Galicia,? she observes while tasting our chorizo.
Our main course was the star of our meal. The amazing Solomillo
Santanderina (?29.00), such exquisite and tender beef fillet, melts
in my mouth, combined with a slightly spiced pepper sauce and
garnished with sautéed potatoes and vegetables. While I enjoy
my luxurious Solomillo, Eva tucks into a gorgeous Pikeperch fish
a la Vasca (?24.00), garnished with shrimps, mussels and sautéed
vegetables.
Last but not least, two different desserts, starting with a rich
Catalan Cream (?9.00). As the name suggests, originally from
the Catalan region, this sweet delicacy could be considered crème
brûlée?s twin sister, although slightly different in flavour due to
the added cinnamon and a slightly thicker consistency; a custardlike base and caramelised crisp sugar topping delivering a strong
vanilla scent. A delicate mint leaf gives a extra touch to the palate.
Second-up is the Dream Chocolate (?10.00), a gorgeous chocolate
fondant, accompanied with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream
and a few dots of deep red raspberry sauce that gave a wonderful
colour touch to the plate and a unique extra fresh punch to the
flavour.
Tradition become legendary
After this fantastic feast, Mika joins us for a quick chat. Having
studied restaurant management for two years, he?s the fourth
generation following his family business and doesn?t see himself
doing anything else but being part of this traditional and cosy
restaurant that has been his home for 20 years, now.
One of the two head chefs, Kari Mämmilä, is the king of the
kitchen cooking today at this wonderful and genuine Spanish
restaurant. Having worked at La Parrilla since 1977, this Finnish
cook really knows how to capture Spanish flavours to the core; he
was taught and mentored by three Spanish chefs who used to work
at the restaurant, during the third generation back in the day, and,
needless to mention, Mämmilä learned well.
This being my first experience tasting Spanish gastronomy, I
recommend a visit to La Parrilla Española restaurant and try the
Solomillo Santanderina with pepper sauce, the highlight of my
meal. If you ask Mika, however, he might suggest a Solomillo with
red wine sauce and garlic potatoes, which he confesses to be closest
to his heart ? or stomach, if you will.
Bottom line is, no matter what you order, you will not be
disappointed.
So? Buen Provecho y Olé!
La Parrilla Española
Eerikinkatu 4
Helsinki
Tel. (09) 603 305
Mon-Fri 11.30 - 23:00
Sat 17:00 - 23.30
www.parrillaespanola.fi
What Finns
are eating
this month
Something
from your
local eatery
Restaurant Day returns again, on 16 November, offering
the chance for newcomers and old stalwarts to try their
hand at serving it up for the people around the country.
Neatly sidestepping the compulsory hygiene pass
needed by any established culinary business across the
land, punters flock to a variety of parks, windowsills and
makeshift tables by the side of the road to determine
who?s got the chops.
See what you find ? there are some great undiscovered
chefs in this country!
Cultitude
16
Issue 09 2013
Breathing and embracing
tradition
Turkish folk band Nefes has been performing
ancestral rhythms in Helsinki for over 20 years now.
What are the main differences between folk music and other
styles?
Folk music is created by regular people, not educated musicians.
Music is an innate part of human beings, people sing about
everything related to their daily lives, their bigger emotions and
the happenings on their village. They also have dances telling about
all these stories. Most of the pieces are anonymous, and the music
is not very complicated. Turkish classical music is mostly created
by skilled composers who try to imagine pieces of artistic value.
On the other hand, gypsy music, though not present in our latest
album, is a kind of folk music as well, most popular in the area of
the Balkans. Finally, there is also Sufi music, which can follow two
different traditions: one uses classical music instruments ? such as
ney, ud and Kudum, and then there is another trend that uses folk
instruments.
I have seen you perform in a special ?showtime outfit?, what
does it consist of?
We have different kinds of outfits. One of our custumes comes
from the Trakia region, the western and most European part of
Turkey. It looks pretty much like the Greek or Bulgarian custumes.
The vest is 100 years-old now, it belonged to my grandmother
and its embroidery has been hand-made. Because of the Ottoman
Empire, Turkey has a very rich mix of cultures, so almost every
village has their own different garments, with many particular
styles depending on the region.
The eight members of Nefes. In the foreground the
two vocalist Özen Erdinç (left) and Yonca Ermutlu.
In the background (from the left): John Millar, Kai
Olander, Pekka Nylund, Christer Hackman, Murat
Ermutlu and Panu Helke.
Eva Blanco
W
hile Turkish food has made itself known through the
widespread abundance of kebararies and eateries around
the country, what about the rest of the original, authentic
Turkish experience? Offering this is Nefes, a group of eight
professional and amateur musicians who joined forces a long time
ago to delight Finland?s inhabitants with the hypnotising melodies
of the country where the Oriental and Occidental worlds melt
together.
Made up of a mix of Finns and Turks, as well as a New Zealander
thrown in for good measure, Nefes continue to serve up the sounds
of Turkey across the country. Evolving from a four-piece that got
together to perform at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival some
20 years ago, the band soon grew to incorporate gypsy, Sufi and
classical to its Turkish folk template. As the line-up evolved over
the years, the band has collaborated with musicians from Turkey
and Africa to create a winning hybrid of rhythms and influences.
With the recent launch of their new album, Kehribar Meripihka,
SixDegrees sat down with co-founder, vocalist and university
administrator, Yonca Ermutlu to hear about the memories
accumulated onstage over the past two decades, the modest
influence of ethnic music in Finland and the future projects for
the band itself; a deep conversation that will take us to previously
undiscovered corners of musical and cultural imagery.
What does ?Nefes? mean?
Nefes means ?breathing?, and the word is also related to the name
wind instruments are given in Turkish. The idea for it came during
the time we were learning Sufi music, the mystic music of Islam. In
this style the composer doesn?t try to make a piece of art, and the
lyrics are rather more important than the melody itself. The songs
talk about the love for the creator ? whichever name you give to it.
They almost always involve humanism and good morality. Some
of them are also rebellious against the existing governance systems
and critical towards all kinds of injustice. The pieces can date back
to 1100, even earlier in Azerbaijan and Persia.
What can you tell us about the creation of your new album
Kehribar Meripihka?
The Global Music Centre, a non-governmental organisation that
supports ethnic music, is the organism behind the production and
distribution of the album. They have been organising the Etnosoi
festival for more than 20 years now. In order to be produced, the
CD requires an investment of between 10,000 to 15,000 euros,
because you have to rent the studio and the sound technician for
a couple of days to do the recording, and then you have to rent it
again to do the mastering. You also have to pay for the graphic
design and then the cost of printing the actual CD. None of the
Nefes people got paid for this, all the work force we have put into
this was for free. Furthermore, the money we get from album sales
goes back to our shared budget and is invested in inviting new
musicians to perform with us.
The big difference between Western and Oriental music is that
the latter has a wider range of micro-intervals, so the pieces for
this album have been selected according to their suitability to be
played by the Finnish instruments we were planning to use (kantele
and jouhikko). The reason why Oriental music has richer melodies
is because it imitates the human voice, which has no limitation.
Western music, meanwhile, has richer harmonies, as there are
different voices involved: first voice, second voice etc. In Turkish
music everybody plays on the same tune, because the melody is
already rich enough.
?W
e always try to shape
ourselves to the Finnish
audience because we want our
music to be meaningful for them.
Are some of your scores and lyrics original creations?
Nefes is an ethnic music group, and we mostly play authentic and
composed Turkish music. We interpret what has been already
created and belongs to the Turkish folk music tradition. For
instance, in the new album we have a piece whose lyrics are from
the 1500s. We don?t try to give a modern touch to it, we take the
tune and play it as well as we can. We are an acoustic group, there
are no electronics involved. We only do small arrangements. Some
critics would say that the music should be modern and relevant so
that the youth of today can also feel more tempted to listen to it,
but we don?t carry such concerns. If a piece of music is good it can
be good for over thousands of years.
Which kind of surprises are waiting for us on your new CD?
For the recording of the new album we invited four other
professional musicians, two Finnish (Timo Väänänen and
Ilkaa Heinonen) and two Turkish (Göksel Baktagir and Neva
Özgen). The idea was to bring two countries closer through
the similar instruments they share and find out if they can
play together. On the one hand, there is the idea of rhythmic
resemblance and even to a certain level melodic resemblance
in some the pieces. So, it proves that it is possible to make very
catchy and original combinations melting Finnish and Turkish
music together. Both styles have been successfully integrated,
and I think that can be a good surprise! Then, in every piece the
musicians make improvisations, like in jazz, in the middle of
the melody one of the musicians starts making tunes of his own
and the others support him. Those are like micro-creations of
that moment; originally they were unique, they couldn?t be remade. That it?s why concerts are very important, because during
a life performance the musician gets a lot of energy from the
audience and that gets reflected on the improvisations. So this
kind of music is not suitable for massive concerts but rather
to be played in cafés for small-scale audiences that become
engaged, dance and sing along to the music.
I know little about Turkey, but I?ve tasted high quality baklava
and I have met some of its people - both experiences being
extremely sweet. Finland, on the other hand, likes salmiakki
and salted liquorice, and is renowned for being reserved and
direct. How do you deal with the contrast in cultures?
In Turkish music you start playing and you continue for two or
three hours, and there aren?t many breaks: you combine the songs
one after each other. In Finland, on the contrary, we had to change
the structure of the music so that it makes sense to an audience
that doesn?t understand the meaning of the lyrics. Now we stop
after each song and tell a few words to introduce the following
composition. That way it?s easy to connect with the audience.
However, it is difficult for people here to show any kind of emotion,
even if they enjoyed the performance. When the show ends, they
clap and then they leave. When there are Turkish people in the
audience, especially some friends that I recognise, I ask them to
sing along with me and also I ask some people to come and dance.
We always try to shape ourselves to the Finnish audience because
we want our music to be meaningful for them.
Kehribar Meripihka is out now.
Cultitude
17
SixDegrees
Fullsteam
Things are gonna get jazzy in Tampere
Held for the 32nd occasion, the various jazzy sounds range from
pop jazz to a more experimental avant-garde, with fresh sounds,
jazz legends and four world premieres
Q&A tossed in for good measure.
21 ? 27 FEBRUARY 2013
Leading drummer Manu Katché and his quartet appears on
Saturday night, with the maestro Jack DeJohnette and his group
rounding things off in style on Sunday. Elsewhere, Dane Stefan
Pasborg rolls out Free Moby Dick, reinventing rock classics with
his skilful jazz band in the process.
Colombian Edmar Castaneda sets out to mesmerise on the harp,
Dutchman Ernst Reijseger continues to expand the possibilities of
the cello, and Malian Bassekou Kouyaté asks audiences to buckle
up, as they will be transported to another world with his ngoni
playing echoing the sounds of a lute.
And what jazz festival would be complete without some New
Orleans brass, with the Hot 8 Brass Band kicking up some stomping
sounds from the Bayou swamps.
Outfits including the Verneri
James O?Sullivan
Not every Finnish girl dreams of living
in Ethiopia,
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31
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RAWING on sounds from five continents,
annual
Tampere
Johanna
got to crisscross
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? with occasional
periods in Finland in
Saari Republic,
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Camping
Jazz Happening offers a swag ofgramme,
goings-on
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31 October
www.tampere.fi/jazz
between. On the publication of her memoir, My Jasmine Years, David Brown sat down for a chat with her.
Septet and Tenors of Kalma.
and 3 November.
2
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and known Sàmi artist. Celebrating the science fiction and action flicks
Aslak
Valkeapää,
the
worldwide
memories
came back
was in
very
upset
when
? manyto
of me
themso
notstrongto be seen
artist
sound,
poetry
and this
pictures,hood
both Finnish
and Norwegian
wasn?t
allowed!
And at that
on Finnish
screens otherwise.
joik
singers
and musicians
are performing
the concert,
ly: theatsights
andwhich
sounds,
the feeling
of sun
time
differences
Top
additions
to
this
year?s
will
bethe
staged
in Inari aswere
well so
as in Helsinki.
on my skin.
big ? there was no email or
Furthermore,
eight of
stars
from the Nordic countries will be joining programme include Filth,
texting
or Skype,
course,
based
Welsh?s
novel,
forces
in the
New Nordic
authentic
and even
making
a phoneNative
call Tour
ied concert,
here, butoffering
I always
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abouton
theIrvine
history
or culture.
and
Joseph
sounds
fromdif?
Iran,
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Finland.
was very
cult
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that and
I would
go Meanwhile,
back, and
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peopleGordon-Levitt?s
from other
much-lauded
porn
accordion
artist
Kalaniemi, then
will be
celebrating
her
30-year
expensive.
So Maria
the distances
when
I was 26
I got
the
countries were
just addiction
as bad,
felt very
big,
andatyou
chance to go to Tanzania and
but the Don
Finns
were so blunt
comedy
Jon.
career
as an
artist
thiscouldn?t
year?s festival.
just
or go
backreaching
for short
out research
for my
? especially when they were
The call
festival
is also
out tocarry
other territories,
with Etnosoi!
doctoral
dissertation
there.
drunk. peckish?
invisits.
Tampere serving up the India flavours
of trio
Sitar Heroes.
New Feeling
I?d been
for 15 years,
Cannibalism rears its head for
Nordic Native Tour will also be appearing
on 7 away
November.
But was it a good experience
and was now in East AfriHow did your son feel about
this
edition,
Jim Mickle?s
Meanwhile,
exhibition
Suohpanterror
offers
range
of familiarfor
a young Finnish
girl?
ca for
the a?rst
time,
but my
growing
up with
in Ethiopia
and
We
Are
What
We
Are arriving
looking
propaganda
posters
about
Sápmi,
the
land
of
the
Sámi
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getstime
its chompers
treatment
of thedecision
Sámi, these
Etnosoi!
was the best
they
sights
and sounds, the feelcountriesalso
by the
he was
ever of
made
as parents!
I exing
ofNovember
sun on my skin. Africa
12. He aadapted
very
well
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around
fair share
of its
fellow
busts
colour
on display
at
6-10
perienced
new
iswww.globalmusic.fi/en/
such an overwhelming exour life
Ethiopia
when
he
man,
withindirector
Ricky
Wood
Kirjasto
10 many
remindtotally
viewers
of
things, local
and really
to
perience.
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was present
small, but
as asomewhat
teenagetnosoi-frontpage
also
at the
ongoing
ethnic started
struggles.
er he got quite fed up with
all the travelling, and didn?t
want to move to any more
countries. I had to respect
that, so we are here now, but
I hope that as an adult he will
look back on it and ?nd that it
has been great for him.
The images we see of Africa
on TV always seem to be war
and poverty. How do you feel
about that?
We only hear about war and
famine, and those issues are
intriguing Night
Visions
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important,
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countries
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ing
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an eye out
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saw
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ise
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huge
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NIGHT VISIONS
languages
and cultures.
Bring on the Night
T
F
Maximum Halloween 3013
There?s
been aNovember
lot of talk re30 October-3
cently
about Mali and the rise
www.nightvisions.info
HELSINKI TIMES
Icelandic
chill
of Islamic extremism ? what
so much easier!? but really it
are your thoughts on that?
is the people that I miss when
Of course there are elements
I?m away. On the other hand,
we should be concerned about
living outside your own coun? like Al Qaeda. But when I
try, you also learn to apprecithink of Tunisia, the people
ate things like the education
that I knew there were mainand healthcare systems, the
ly very moderate and tolerant.
status of women and the soMany have family in Europe,
cial welfare system.
and they are familiar with the
I?m always hoping that I
Western way of life. It?s hard
can settle more permanentto imagine that the majority
ly in Africa, and perhaps afcould ever become extremists.
ter my son graduates I?ll look
The biggest
problem eveinto that again.
James
O?Sullivan
rywhere is young men, who
are often well-educated but
What do you think Finland
a memorable perfromance
at Ilosaarirock,
can?t ?ollowing
nd work. Particularly
could learn from
Africa?
fans ofwhere
Icelandic
outfit
Rós towards
have had to
in countries
theypostrock
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Their Sigur
attitude
life
fivecorruption
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their return.
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headlining their
clearly wait
see the
and their
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theown
wealth
being
controlled
Finns
myself included
? so
gig for
the first
time here, they
are?appearing
at Hartwall
by one
or clan,30
asNovember.
hapoften seem to get upset about
arenafamily
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pened
withfilling
Ben Ali
incavernous
Tunisia. arena
littlemay
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the
initially
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inhaven?t
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fact things
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How did you come
something. In Africa I so often
wider the
publicity
actually
beingneighbours;
transformedso
to write
book?here, the venue is
had
such great
into
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as
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fit
the
visual
ambitions
the
I think I?ve always wanted to
kind, and helping us inofmany
they are
takingevaroundways.
EuropeThere
in November.
tellspectacle
people about
Africa,
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theirchildhood.
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learn
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as NME?s
the Week
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ple have
littleofreal
very modest
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turn
thecontact
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saw them
supporting
with Africa. Of course people
Radiohead
on
a
few
dates
before
the
raw
sound
of for
their third
have heard of Kenya and TanAnd what is next
album,
(
),
scaled
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zania, but they know very lityou after The JasmineofYears?
and propelledI?ve
them
into thestarted
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tle previous
about releases,
French-speaking
already
markets.
Africa
and North Africa. So
my next book, about great
far the
only comments
haveseenEthiopian
womenwith
from
the
Subsequent
years have
them tinkering
their
been
positive,
which
is lovely. tighter
Queenarrangements
of Sheba through
sound,
offering
occasionally
and popto
modern
businesswomen.
Ininfluences. Released earlier this
year, their
seventh album,
Where
is home
you?
Kveikur,
saw for
them
upsetting creasingly, women there are
Even living away from Finbecoming entrepreneurs and
thesoapple
cart
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Sigur Rós
land
much
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models, and it?s an interaggressive
direction
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30 November,
ly miss the country as such.
esting
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knows what
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?Oh,
FinlandAreena.
this would be
next book.
at in
Hartwall
F
You?ll love
the way we print it
www.iprint.fi
Reviews
18
Issue 09 2013
Forthcoming flicks
Making their
move
Giannina Urmenata Ottiker
Sandra Bullock comes to terms with the laws of Gravity in the latest from director Alfonso Cuarón.
James O?Sullivan
Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa
Just in case you were wondering if the Jackass crew had fallen off the face of the Earth since their
3D flick a couple of years back, here they serve up a hefty helping of mischievous octogenarian
Irving Zisman (prankster Johnny Knoxville, in heavy make-up). An old hand from the Jackass
stable having appeared in the previous films and TV series, Zisman and his eight-year-old
grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) head out on a road trip across America. Male strippers and
rowdy bikers are on hand through the American heartland, along with a children?s beautypageant performance that riffs on the classic scene in Little Miss Sunshine. Throw subtlety to the
wind and enjoy!
Premieres 25 October
Don Jon
Joseph Gordon-Levitt steps behind the camera for his feature directorial debut, revolving around
a womaniser by name of Jon Martello. However, no doubt in order to attract financiers, GordonLevitt also takes the lead role as our muscle-bound protagonist who literally charms the pants of a
bevy of beauties, but can?t quite shake his addiction to Internet porn. Having received high praise
at this year?s Sundance Festival, the film has recently come under fire from the Italian American
One Voice Coalition, who claim that the flick is but a glut of Italian-American stereotypes.
Premieres 1 November
Gravity
While the idea of finding Sandra Bullock and George Clooney adrift in space might not seem
the most intriguing of concepts, throw in director Alfonso Cuarón and more than one eyebrow
is bound to be cocked. Stranded on a space station after a disastrous accident wipes out the crew
and most of the structure, our two astronaut protagonists set about finding a way to survive. With
events captured in 3D, early word has it that this is the most impressive use of the technology
seen thus far (not counting the slow motion projectile vomiting of Jackass 3D, I?m thinking).
Premieres 8 November
The Counselor
And if it?s serious star wattage you are looking for, then this Ridley Scott directed number
promises to serve it up by the bulbful. Here author Cormac McCarthy pens the screenplay of
the tale of Michael Fassbender?s lawyer dabbling in a little drug running. Aside from lining his
coffers, our lawman also opens a door that?s difficult to close when the proverbial mess hits the
fan. Joined by the likes of Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, and Cameron Diaz, this one promises to
be interesting, to say the very least from the legendary filmmaker. But we also said that about
yawnfest Body of Lies a few years ago, too. Fingers crossed.
Premieres 15 November
Ula Sickle: Light Solos offers some ilumination as the November gloom kicks off.
James O?Sullivan
T
HE oldest and most significant
contemporary dance festival in the
Helsinki area, Moving in November
makes its way to the Capital Region from
1-9 November. With the events being
staged in Kiasma Theatre, Stoa, Zodiak ?
Center for New Dance, Mediakeskus Lume
and Espoon kulttuurikeskus, Louhisali, the
festival proclaims its mission to present
interesting contemporary works and artists to
the metropolitan audience.
Kicking things off, Olga de Soto takes a
plunge into history. Tracing the history of
Kurt Jooss? Green Table, a piece of art created
a few months before Hitler rose to power in
Germany, de Soto draws on interviews staged
with artists, spectators and researchers, to
create an image of a artists? group whose
journey is intriguing and inspirational to
witness.
Meanwhile, Jérôme Bel?s teams up with a
crew of actors with mental disabilities from
the Zürich-based Theater Hora for Disabled
Theater. Having sparked both debate and
praise across Europe, the performance
challenges and reconfigures its audience?s
relationship toward otherness created by
disability.
Setting light and visuality as its starting
points, Pierre Droulers? Soleils makes it?s
home at the festival, with the choreographer
and dancer appearing at the festival for the
second time.
In a similar vein, being as it is November,
the topic of light features prominently during
the festival, with Meg Stuart?s Violet and Ula
Sickle?s Light Solos also embracing our urgent
need for illumination this time of year.
Elina Pirinen?s Personal Symphonic
Moment is this year?s Finnish premiere, in
co-production with Zodiak ? Center for
New Dance, offering a meeting point of
personal sensitivity and the symphonic roar
of Shostakovich.
Meanwhile, Swiss dancer Thomas Hauert
will be conducting a workshop during the
week, with a festival club bringing things to a
close on 9 November at Bar Sandro.
Michael Bause
Moving in November
1-9 November
movinginnovember.fi
Yuji Oshima
Pierre Droulers: Soleils.
Jérôme Bel: Disabled Theater.
10
24 ? 30 OCTOBER 2013
Customer service points
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Monthly review
HELSINKI TIMES
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Advice on public transport routes,
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PO BOX 100, 00077 HSL
www.hsl.fi
Passengers satisfied with public transport
In HSL?s customer survey last spring,
over 80 per cent of the respondents
gave public transport services either a
good or a very good grade.
Passengers gave public transport
services an overall grade of almost 4
on a scale of 1 to 5, which was slightly higher than in spring 2012.
Some 25,000 passengers responded to the survey, which was
conducted from mid-January to the
end of May on weekdays on buses,
metro, commuter trains and trams.
Satisfaction with
commuter trains on the rise
Passenger satisfaction with commuter train services has improved
in leaps and bounds over the past
two years. In spring 2011, only some
17 per cent of the respondents were
satisfied with the services while in
spring 2012 the figure was almost 70
per cent and this year already 80 per
cent.
The reliability of train services
has also clearly improved in the respondents? opinion. In spring 2012,
41 per cent of the respondents were
satisfied with the reliability while this
spring the figure was 60 per cent.
Passenger satisfaction with the reliability of tram services has also im-
Metro operating
hours to be
extended by two
hours on weekends
Platforms for A,
M and L trains
change on 27
October
The Metro will operate until 1.30 am
on Friday/Saturday and Saturday/
Sunday nights starting from Friday 15 November with the service
running every 20 minutes on both
lines. This means that there will be
a metro train between Ruoholahti
and Itäkeskus every 10 minutes.
During the extended operating
hours there will be no separate feeder services. When going farther than a
walking distance from a Metro station,
the N bus services from Rautatientori are a good option. The buses 90N,
92N, 94N, 96N and 97N serving East
Helsinki will not operate all the services on Friday and Saturday nights during the extended metro services.
The extended operating hours are
a trial that will run until June 2014.
The number of guards on the weekend night trains will be increased
and ticket inspectors will also be
patrolling on them.
The A, M and L trains will switch from
right-hand side traffic to left-hand
side traffic on 27 October. The switch
will cause some changes to the trains?
arrival and departure platforms.
The change is caused by the new
Ring Rail Line, due to open in summer
2015. As the line will connect the main
line with the Vantaankoski line, trains
must run on the same side on both
lines. At the moment, the trains on the
main line from Helsinki to Kerava run
on the left-hand side while commuter
trains on the Vantaankoski line run on
the right.
At stations with a central platform,
trains will change to running on the
left side of the platform when facing the direction the train is travelling.
Passengers should pay attention to
the change at stations where tracks
run in the middle, making sure they
opt for the right platform already before entering the platform area.
proved from spring 2012. The improved satisfaction with the rail
services is due to the smooth operation of the services last winter. Passenger satisfaction with tram and
commuter train services was higher
particularly in January and February
compared with spring 2012.
The Metro has repeatedly received the best grades. The share
of satisfied Metro passengers was
about 90 per cent, which was higher
than the figures for buses, trams and
commuter trains.
However, there is a slight downward trend in some of the grades. In
spring 2012, over 90 per cent of the
respondents considered the Metro
to be reliable while this spring the
figure was 83 per cent. The share
of passengers satisfied with the
smoothness of travel fell from 98 to
94 per cent.
The decreased satisfaction is
partly explained by problems in the
introduction of new platform displays. The satisfaction with them
reached a low point around the New
Year, but has crept up since.
Employer-subsidized
commuter ticket encourages
the of use public transport
The popularity of employer-subsidized commuter tickets is steadily growing in the HSL area. In 2012,
some 65,000 people used an employer-subsidized commuter ticket in the HSL area, an increase of
10 per cent from 2011. At the moment, over 1,300 employers are offering the benefit to their employees. In the HSL area, the tickets are
already more popular than company cars used by around 36,000
people last year.
The employer-subsidized commuter ticket is a substantial benefit to the user. Under the reform
that came into effect at the beginning of 2010, the tickets are a
tax-free up to EUR 300. This applies to both season tickets and
value loaded on personal Travel
Cards.
According to a recent study by
HSL, users of employer-subsidized commuter tickets are content with the system and the ticket has clearly increased their use
of public transport.
More information on employer-subsidized commuter tickets
is available on the HSL website
www.hsl.fi/en.
Out&See
SixDegrees
Greater Helsinki
20
Issue 09 2013
Music _ Clubs
24 Oct. Elina Mäkiranta // Jazz. Koko
Jazz Club, Hämeentie 3. Tickets
?11.50/16.50. www.kokojazz.fi
24 Oct. NOVUS I: Majical Cloudz
(CAN) // Dreamy synths and mellow
electro rhythms. Kuudes Linja,
Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?13.50/14.
www.kuudeslinja.com
25 Oct. Berlin Nun // Female
funk/pop group. Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?8.50.
www.semifinal.fi
25 Oct. Poisonblack // Metal. Virgin
Oil Co., Mannerheimintie 5. Tickets
?13.50. www.virginoil.fi
25 Oct. Tule Sellaisena Kuin Oot //
Julius Karlsson & Samat Nimet and
Phenomenal Creature live. Kuudes
Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?6.
www.kuudeslinja.com
26 Oct. Ruger Hauer, Musta Barbaari,
Tuuttimörkö // Rap. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?11.50/12. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
26 Oct. Point Break - B2B // Orkidea
& Milla Lehto etc. Venue, Pohjoinen
Rautatiekatu 21. Tickets ?9.50.
www.clubvenue.fi
26 Oct. Sólstafir (ISL) // Post rock/
black metal/gothic rock. Nosturi,
Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?19.50.
www.elmu.fi
26 Oct. The King´s Singers // The Great
American Songbook. Music Centre,
Concert Hall. Mannerheimintie
13. Tickets ?35.50-56.50. www.
musiikkitalo.fi
26 Oct. Egotrippi // Pop. Sello Hall,
Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?32.50/33. www.sellosali.fi
27 Oct. David Murray Infinity Quartet
(USA) // World-renowned saxophonist.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1 A.
Tickets ?27.50/28. www.sellosali.fi
27 Oct. Les Arts Florissants
// William Christie & Jardin des
Voix. Music Centre, Concert Hall.
Mannerheimintie 13. Tickets ?2879. www.musiikkitalo.fi
27 Oct. Ensemble Al-Kindi & Sheikh
Hamed Daoud // Classical Arab
music. Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu
46-48. Tickets ?35/38. www.
savoyteatteri.fi
29 Oct. Eddy ?The Chief? Clearwater
// Blues/rock. Savoy Theatre,
Kasarmikatu
46-48.
Tickets
?32/34. www.savoyteatteri.fi
29 Oct. Alexander Abreu (CUB) //
Salsa. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?4954.50. www.korjaamo.fi
29 Oct. No Age (USA) // Punk/pop/
noise rock. Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie
13. Tickets ?21.50/22. www.
kuudeslinja.com
30 Oct. Amália Tribute - Kirsi
Poutanen // Finnish fadista. Savoy
Theatre,
Kasarmikatu
46-48.
Tickets ?23/26. www.savoyteatteri.
fi
31 Oct. The Other Europeans //
Klezmer and lautari musicians from
seven countries. Savoy Theatre,
Kasarmikatu 46-48. Tickets ?29.
www.savoyteatteri.fi
31 Oct. NOVUS II: Waxahatchee (US),
Swearin? (US), Delay Trees // Lo-fi
indie pop. Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie
13. Tickets ?13.50/14. www.
kuudeslinja.com
31 Oct. The National (USA) //
Melancholic indie rock. Helsinki
Ice Hall, Nordenskiöldinkatu 11-13.
Tickets ?42-56.
1 Nov. Lighthouse Project, Kuudes
Silmä // Punk/rock. Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?8.50.
www.semifinal.fi
1 Nov. Dark Tranquillity (SWE),
Omnium Gatherum // Death metal.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu
4-6. Tickets ?26.50/27. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
1 Nov. Tusovka: Etnosoi! 2013 Kickoff club // Jargoslavia & Nayekhovichi
(RUS). Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?10.5012. www.korjaamo.fi
1 Nov. The View (UK) // Indie rock
from Scotland. Kuudes Linja,
Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?11.50.
www.kuudeslinja.com
1 Nov. Airbourne (AUS), Black
Spiders (UK), Corroded (SWE) // Hard
rock. The Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3.
Tickets ?39/40. www.thecircus.fi
2 Nov. Nina Mya With Henri Mäntylä
Quartet: Tribute To Carmen McRae
// Jazz. Koko Jazz Club, Hämeentie
3. Tickets ?11.50-16.50. www.
By Anna-Maija Lappi
kokojazz.fi
2 Nov. Risto, Muuan Mies // Pop/
rock. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?10.50/12.
www.korjaamo.fi
2 Nov. Halloween in HEL // The
69 Eyes, Sleep Of Monsters, Neu
Zaum, DJ Matt Groom (UK). Nosturi,
Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?17.50. www.
elmu.fi
2 Nov. Anna von Hausswolff (SWE)
// Interesting singer-songwriter.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu
4-6. Tickets ?16.50/17. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
2 Nov. Hurts (UK) // Synth pop.
Helsinki Ice Hall, Nordenskiöldinkatu
11-13. Tickets ?47.
3 Nov. Crematorium (RUS) // Folk/
rock. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu
4-6. Tickets ?19.50/20. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
4 Nov. Helsinki Eye and Ear Control
Vol. 5 // Borbetomagus (USA), Bill
Orcutt (USA), Janne Westerlund.
Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets
?16.50. www.kuudeslinja.com
5 Nov. Kadavar (GER) // Psychedelic
rock. Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets
?16.50. www.elmu.fi
6 Nov. Anna Puu Unplugged // Pop.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A.
Tickets ?24.50/25. www.sellosali.fi
6 Nov. Jari Rättyä & Käärmekeitto,
Haywalkers // Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?6.50.
www.semifinal.fi
6 Nov. Russian Circles (USA),
Chelsea Wolfe (USA) // Industrial/
gothic folk. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?19.50/20. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
6 Nov. Annihilator (CAN), The
Generals (SWE) // Metal. Nosturi,
Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?28. www.
elmu.fi
6-10 Nov. Etnosoi! // Music ?from the
Arctic Ocean to the English Romany
trail.? Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu
46-48. Tickets ?17-25. www.
savoyteatteri.fi
7 Nov. Kari Ikonen & Karikko //
Jazz. Koko Jazz Club, Hämeentie
3. Tickets ?11.50/16.50. www.
kokojazz.fi
7 Nov. James Ferraro (USA), Prisma
(Jaakko Eino Kalevi & Slow Angel)
// ?Avantgardist electro.? Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?12.50-14. www.korjaamo.fi
7 Nov. Dregen (SWE) // Rock. The
Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets
?23.50. www.thecircus.fi
7 Nov. Wire (UK) // New wave/postpunk. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?25/28. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
7 Nov. Kamelot (USA), ReVamp
(NLD), Tellus Requiem (NOR) // Metal.
Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?27.
www.elmu.fi
8 Nov. Antti Tuisku // Pop. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?29.50/32. www.sellosali.fi
8 Nov. Emilia & The Soulmates, Half
Past Never Band // Soul/funk/jazz/
blues. Semifinal, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?7.50. www.
semifinal.fi
8 Nov. Moss (UK) // Doom metal.
Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets
?13.50. www.kuudeslinja.com
8 Nov. Satellite Stories // Indie pop.
Le Bonk, Yrjönkatu 24. Tickets
?9.50. www.lebonk.fi
8 Nov. Jonna Tervomaa // Pop.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu
4-6. Tickets ?19.50/20. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
8 Nov. Biffy Clyro (UK) // Alt rock from
Scotland. The Circus, Salomonkatu
1-3. Tickets ?39. www.thecircus.fi
8 Nov. Karnivool (AUS) // Progressive
rock. Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets
?23.50. www.elmu.fi
9 Nov. Jätkäjätkät, Gasellit // Rap.
Virgin Oil Co., Mannerheimintie 5.
Tickets ?13.50. www.virginoil.fi
9 Nov. WÖYH! // Rock. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?13.50/15. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
9 Nov. Big Wave Riders, Madame De
C*** // Indie rock/pop. Semifinal,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?7.50. www.semifinal.fi
9 Nov. Arabia Maskerad 2013: From
Tsernobyl with Love // The biggest
masquerade in Helsinki, celebrated
with a different theme each year.
Ääniwalli, Pälkäneentie 13. Tickets
?14.50/15. www.arabiamaskerad.
com
9 Nov. Nieminen & Litmanen //
Energetic duo. Bar Loose, Annankatu
21. Tickets ?7.50. www.barloose.
com
9 Nov. Jenni Vartiainen // Pop. The
Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets
?23.50. www.thecircus.fi
9 Nov. Olavi Uusivirta // Pop/rock.
Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?14.
www.elmu.fi
9 Nov. Vuokko Hovatta // Pop. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?19.50/20. www.sellosali.fi
11 Nov. Honningbarna (NOR) // Punk.
Bar Loose, Annankatu 21. Tickets
?9.50/10. www.barloose.com
12 Nov. Limp Bizkit (USA) // Nu
metal/rap core. Nosturi, Telakkakatu
8. Tickets ?41. www.elmu.fi
12 Nov. Lissie (USA) // Indie folk. The
Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets
?23.50/25 www.thecircus.fi
14 Nov. Arttu Takalo Group:
Songsforsadpeople // Jazz. Koko
Jazz Club, Hämeentie 3. Tickets
?11.50/16.50. www.kokojazz.fi
14 Nov. NOVUS III: Telepathe (USA) //
Electronic. Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie
13. Tickets ?15.50/16. www.
kuudeslinja.com
14 Nov. Blaze Bayley (UK), Paul
Di?Anno (UK) // Rock musicians
known from Iron Maiden. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?21.50/23. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
14 Nov. Helsinki Universal Guitar
Festival: Antonio Rey // One of the
most sensational flamenco players of
today. Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu
46-48. Tickets ?28/36. www.
savoyteatteri.fi
15 Nov. Soul Sides 10 Years
Anniversary Party // Myron & E (USA)
with The Soul Investigators. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?13.50/14. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
15 Nov. Barbe-Q-Barbies // Rock. On
The Rocks, Mikonkatu 15. Tickets
?7.50/8. www.ontherocks.fi
15 Nov. Image-klubi // Astrid
Swan. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?8.50-10.
www.korjaamo.fi
15 Nov. UJO-Bileet: Musta Köksä,
Neverzillos, Håndspröjte // Rock.
Semifinal, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?7.50. www.semifinal.fi
15 & 16 Nov. Black Flames Of
Blasphemy IV // Metal festival.
Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?4069. www.elmu.fi
16 Nov. Viljami Kukkonen //
Singer-songwriter. Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?7.50.
www.semifinal.fi
16 Nov. Black Star Riders (USA) //
Rock in the spirit of Thin Lizzy.
Virgin Oil Co., Mannerheimintie 5.
Tickets ?44. www.virginoil.fi
16 Nov. J. Karjalainen // One of
the
most
beloved
Finnish
singer-songwriters. The Circus,
Salomonkatu
1-3.
Tickets
?23.50/25. www.thecircus.fi
16 Nov. Yo La Tengo (USA) // Indie
legends. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?29-32.
www.korjaamo.fi
17 Nov. Fuck Buttons (UK) // Electronic
duo. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu
4-6. Tickets ?23.50/24. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
17 Nov. Helsinki Universal Guitar
Festival: Tolonen // Virtuosic
Finnish guitarist. Savoy Theatre,
Kasarmikatu
46-48.
Tickets
?28/36. www.savoyteatteri.fi
18 Nov. Betraying The Martyrs (FRA),
Adept (SWE), Circle Of Contempt
(FIN), Constrain (SWE), Normandie
(SWE) // Metal/hardcore. On The
Rocks, Mikonkatu 15. Tickets
?14.50. www.ontherocks.fi
18 Nov. Marcus Miller (USA) //
Legendary jazz musician. Savoy
Theatre,
Kasarmikatu
46-48.
Tickets
?38.50/40.50.
www.
savoyteatteri.fi
20 Nov. Dead Meadow (USA) //
Stoner/psychedelic rock. Kuudes
Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets
?19.50. www.kuudeslinja.com
20 Nov. M.A. Numminen &
Uusrahvaanomainen jatsiorkesteri
// Timeless jazz songs. Sello Hall,
Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?19/21. www.sellosali.fi
20 Nov. Juuri & Juuri // Traditional
Finnish music. Music Centre,
Camerata. Mannerheimintie 13.
Tickets ?5/10/15. www.musiikkitalo.
fi
21 Nov. NOVUS IV: oOoOO (USA) &
Butterclock (GER) // Experimental/
electro /pop.
Kuudes
Linja,
Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?14.50/15.
www.kuudeslinja.com
21 Nov. Fantasia Andaluza //
Petri Kumela, classical guitar,
Joonas Widenius, flamenco guitar
& Emilia Aho, dance. Sello Hall,
Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?14.50/15. www.sellosali.fi
22 Nov. Notkea Rotta Allstars VS.
SMC Lähiörotat // Rap. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?15.50/16. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
22 Nov. Oranssi Pazuzu, Speedtrap
// Metal. Bar Loose, Annankatu 21.
Tickets ?8.50/9. www.barloose.com
22 Nov. Mindless Self Indulgence
(USA) // Punk. Nosturi, Telakkakatu
8. Tickets ?24. www.elmu.fi
22 Nov. Hoedown & KaartamoKettunen-Kuustonen // Sello Hall,
Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?22.50-27. www.sellosali.fi
23 Nov. Poets of the Fall - 10th
Anniversary Tour // Pop/rock/metal.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A.
Tickets ?22.50/23. www.sellosali.fi
23 Nov. Neko Case (USA) // Folk
rock/Americana/indie rock. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?26.50/28. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
23 Nov. UMO & Jamie Davis (USA)
// Broadway classics and jazz in
American style. Korjaamo Culture
Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets
?16.50-32. www.korjaamo.fi
23 Nov. Rotting Christ (GRC) // Metal.
Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets
?19.50. www.elmu.fi
25 Nov. Oneohtrix Point Never (USA)
// Modern electronic. Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?15-16.50. www.korjaamo.fi
25 Nov. Antti Sarpila Swing Band
& Annimaria Rinne // Swinging
Christmas 2013. Music Centre,
Concert Hall. Mannerheimintie
13. Tickets ?22/32/35. www.
musiikkitalo.fi
26 Nov. Steven Wilson and band
(UK) // Progressive rock. The Circus,
Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets ?38/42.
www.thecircus.fi
26 Nov. Black Veil Brides (USA) //
Hardrock from California. Nosturi,
Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?25. www.
elmu.fi
Fulsteam
4-6 Dec. The Sounds (SWE) // Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?44/45. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
The Sounds (SWE)
Having performed at Provinssirock and Ruisrock last summer,
the Swedish indie rock group The Sounds will have a mini-tour in
Finland at the beginning of December. The band, led by the charismatic frontwoman Maja Ivarsson, will be performing at Tavastia
on 4, 5 and 6 December.
The Sounds, whose music has been compared to new wave
acts such as Blondie and Missing Persons, was formed in 1999
and consists of Maja Ivarsson (vocals), Félix Rodríguez (guitar)
Johan Bengtsson (bass), Fredrik Blond (drums) and Jesper Anderberg (keyboards, piano, guitar).
Since the release of their debut album Living in America in
2002, the group has played hundreds of gigs and toured with
bands such as No Doubt, The Strokes, Foo Fighters and Paramore, and established itself as one of Sweden´s most famous
rock bands. Their fifth studio album Weekend is about to be released soon.
26 Nov. Larry Graham & Graham
Central Station (USA) // Legendary
bass player. Savoy Theatre,
Kasarmikatu
46-48.
Tickets
?40/42. www.savoyteatteri.fi
26 & 27 Nov. Silent but loud //
Silent black-and-white comedies
accompanied by Cleaning Women.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A.
Tickets ?7-10.50. www.sellosali.fi
27 Nov. Dead by April (SWE) // Metal
core. The Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3.
Tickets ?37. www.thecircus.fi
28 Nov. Forest Swords (UK), The
Haxan Cloak (UK), Pharmakon (USA)
// Interesting electronic artists.
Koulutuksia
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