News from Finland
Helsinki Times
Record heat wave kills 10 in Shanghai
http://www.finlandtimes.fi/worldwide/2013/08/01/1888/Record-heat-wave-kills-10-in-Shanghai
Shanghai city now experiences unprecedented heat wave,
killing at east ten people in China’s
commercial and industrial hub, news agency STT reported quoting AFP. On Wednesday, the temperature rose to
nearly 40 degrees, affecting normal life in the city. The heat wave is the hottest in more than
140 years, and temperatures are expected to rise further. In the scorching sun, people were seen
under umbrellas and swimming pools were filled with people cooling themselves. The townspeople fled the streets heat to
air-conditioned shops and the metro.
According to public health by Wednesday at the latest, at least ten
people had died in the heat. Heat is
inspired by the strange happenings. A local television station experimented
with a slice of roast pork with hot cobbled and managed it in ten minutes. -
See more at: http://www.finlandtimes.fi/worldwide/2013/08/01/1888/Record-heat-wave-kills-10-in-Shanghai#sthash.TZ9tMFD9.dpuf
5 Ways to Stay Young and Fit
http://www.stack.com/2013/05/23/stay-young-and-fit/?campaign_id=disqus.stack.1
Unfortunately, staying active is a lifestyle that we as a
population have grown out of. But you can regain this commitment by following
these five rules.
Break a sweat every day
Challenge yourself every day to participate in a physical
activity that causes you to get out of breath or sweat. To change your body,
you must train outside of your comfort zone. If you like your body the way it
is, then don't stress it. But if you want to build strength, get a six-pack or
lose fat, then work hard.
When exercising, you should not be able to carry on a
conversation with your buddy. (Don't get me started on people reading a
magazine on the treadmill.) Next time you're at the gym:
Increase your weights
Hit the incline on your treadmill or run hills
Add a plyometrics workout
Combine strength training with various rounds of
conditioning; for example, perform a Overhead Shoulder Press, then sprint on a
treadmill at nine mph on a six-inch incline for 30 seconds. Rest for 90 seconds
and repeat four times.
Go back to grade school
You did it all when you were younger: jumped rope, climbed
trees, went bike riding and ran sprints around the playground. You couldn't sit
still long enough to stay at a desk or computer like you do now.
Become more active. Go for a walk or jog in the morning
before starting your day. Join a group fitness class, recreational league, swim
club, ski or bowling team.
Use what you have
Look around and take a quick inventory of what's available
to exercise with. Do you have a bike, rope, old tires to flip, chains to pull,
balls to throw, boxes to jump on or paint cans to carry? If you have some of
this stuff and a creative mind, you can put together a great workout. You don't
need a expensive gym membership to look expensive. (Got a rope? Five Reasons to
Go Back to Basics With the Jump Rope.)
Eat clean
By eating as clean as you can, you'll automatically avoid
foods loaded with sugar, trans fat, and saturated fat. Eat foods that display a
variety of colors more frequently, and keep everything in moderation. Plan time
to go to the grocery store so you are not rushed. Also, plan your weekly meals
ahead of time. (See What's Fake and What's Real? The Ultimate Food Survival
Guide and No, Really—Don't Shop When You're Hungry: A Study.)
Rest as hard as you work
There's a fine line between the amount of work you do and
the rest that you allow yourself. Rest can take the form of physical rest, or,
for most of us, mental rest. Exercising, deep breathing, and vacations will
take care of your mental rest. If you feel physically exhausted, try switching
up your workout routine or take a week off. You will come back fresh and ready
to do more. (See Why You Shouldn't Work Out Every Day.)
Happiness in future
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/culture/culture/culture3/6951-happiness-in-future.html
LOOKING to the future is the theme of the Helsinki Art Museum
summer exhibition. Asking such questions as “Where will we go from here?”,
“Will over-consumption result in the planet’s destruction?” and “Will we create
Utopian worlds for ourselves, or will things develop more or less along a
normal course?”, such important musing is considered with lashings of humour,
hope and irony.
The upper floor of the museum is taken over by Russian art
collective AES+F (Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky and
Vladimir Fridkes). Here they continue to merge mythology with harsh
contemporary reality through their photographs, videos and artworks.
Meanwhile, on the museum’s lower floor, nine Finnish and
international artists explore the depths of the human psyche and the chasms
that exist between luxury and everyday life. Consumption hysteria is provoked
via the tombstones of Jani Leinonen, Harri Pälviranta brings viewers
face-to-face with school shooters, human mortality and arrogant greed is
depicted by Timo Wright and 7,000 apologies are uttered by Duncan Butt Juvonen
from the wallpaper. Meanwhile, Kim Simonsson’s sculptures play a game that sees
honesty competing with cunning, Reetta Neittaanmäki explores the boundary
between the public and private sphere in her animation installations and the
Happy Families role models are challenged by Reetta Hiltunen. Cherry/Studio
Killers introduces viewers to the virtual pop singer and restless muse Cherry,
who claims that we are all being misled. Elsewhere, Joksu + Mirror Project Team
toy with our sense of place, with the Mirror immersing viewers in two places
simultaneously. Cherry can also be found making an appearance on occasion here
also.
For those who wish to enjoy their provocative artwork out of
doors, three gigantic glossy black statues by AES+F – Angels-Demons No 3 and 4
and First Rider – greet passers-by in the Kamppi area with their sheer
enormity. Also breaking free of the museum’s confines, Jani Leino-
nen’s installation has found its home at the Kamppi metro
station, taking a stand on our consumer habits. Also, Joksu + Mirror Project
Team’s spatial twin Mirror can be experienced in the new Kaisa House, the main
library of the University
of Helsinki.
Your own library, wherever you go
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/lifestyle/6519-your-own-library-wherever-you-go-2.html
As e-books become more popular around the world, readers
have discovered different ways of experiencing reading.
E-BOOKS are becoming more and more popular all over the
world, and Finland
is no exception. Though many people still go for print, others have started
purchasing electronic books and reading them on tablets, smartphones and
e-readers. On the bus, in the metro, on the plane: reading has never been this
easy or such a personal experience.
E-book sales continue to increase. In the first half of 2012,
e-book sales accounted approximately for 20 per cent of worldwide revenue at
four of the five largest publishers.
The world’s largest general interest trade book publisher,
Random House, for example, saw its e-book sales skyrocket up by 89.1 per cent.
In the company’s international operations, electronic books represented 22 per
cent of sales worldwide and 27 per cent in the US. Despite these numbers, the OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) has reported that
“e-book sales still make up only a small proportion (around 1 per cent for
2010) of book sales in most OECD countries outside the United States”.
While the popularity of e-books has had an impact on print
sales worldwide, e-books have also brought about new business models and
advantages for authors, as well as an innovative user experience.
The book industry seems to be shifting from a wholesale
model to new models. If in the first, typical of the printed book sector,
authors usually get 15 per cent of the total sales, the same percentage for
distributors, 40 per cent for bookshop and the remaining 30 per cent for
publishers. With the launch of e-books, authors might earn, by self-publishing
their books, up to 70 per cent of the total sales.
Mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony and Apple,
as well as online shops like Amazon and book retailer Barnes & Noble, have
released their own versions of e-book readers and tablets. Prices vary
depending on the product’s specifics (tablets are usually more expensive, as
they also include internet and other functions typical of mobile computers),
while the most common format for electronic books are .pdf, .epub and Amazon’s
own .azw.
For consumers, e-books have definitely started to change
reading habits. According to the OECD, 36 per cent of e-books are read on
computers, 22 per cent on mobiles, 21 per cent on e-book readers and the
remaining 21 per cent on mp3 players.
Celebrating Helsinki
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/lifestyle/6515-celebrating-helsinki-2.html
Helsinki Week and Helsinki Day bring plenty of free events.
AFTER the success of previous years, Helsinki Week will be
back 7-15 June, invading the streets of the city with an entertaining
atmosphere. Dancing to the rhythm of samba, whistling and stomping feet with
catchy blues tunes, arts exhibitions and a custom-motorcycle show are only a
few of the free happenings that, combined with the summer weather, will bring
together people for days of parties all around Helsinki.
Grown around Helsingin Päivä, a day of celebration for Helsinki, the event has
now expanded its range, presenting a week filled with concerts, exhibitions,
arts and culinary shows. Helsinki Day has a history that dates back to the
1950s. The first edition, based on the idea of then mayor Lauri Aho and
secretary of the Helsinki Society Jorma Waronen, was celebrated in 1959 on the
409th anniversary of the day King Gustav I of Sweden
founded Helsinki at the mouth of the Vantaa River
in 1550.
By the early 1960s, the number of attendees had already
exceeded ten thousand and, also because of this, a more diverse
entertainment-oriented focus was given to the event. In the following decade,
the association of neighbourhood societies aimed at expanding the celebration
to a full Helsinki Week, but the city council denied permission, despite the
popularity the happening had gained up to that moment. However, the situation
has changed since then, and the celebration of Helsinki has eventually been extended,
officially becoming a one-week event.
This year, the Helsinki Week will be from 7 to 15 June,
bringing eight days of celebration into the city. Starting off will be the
Helsinki Samba Carnaval, a fresh breeze from Brazil
that will blow over streets of Helsinki.
Families and friends will have a chance to watch and even dance to the rhythm
of percussions and whistles, as samba dance schools compete, in a joyful and
friendly atmosphere, for the Finnish championship in a carnival-style samba
march.
On 8 June it will be time for the Helsinki Bike Show, where
the best of Finnish custom motorbikes are showcased to fans of roaring engines.
With the exhibition featuring “battles” to win awards in categories like
Chopper, Streetfighter, Sportbike, People’s Choice and Best Paint, fun is
guaranteed.
During the rest of the week there will be plenty of
entertaining things to do and see, especially on Helsinki Day, the heart of
Helsinki Week.
The festival on Wednesday 12 June will begin in front of the
City Museum and in the courtyard of the City
Hall at 09:00, as tradition dictates. After Mayor Jussi Pajunen’s opening
speech, musical entertainment will start and coffee will be served.
... A fishing paradise
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/lifestyle/6595-a-fishing-paradise-2.html
Two gulfs, the Baltic Sea, a hundred rivers and thousands of
lakes makes Finland
a very popular destination among fishermen.
BECAUSE of its clean and pure waters, Finland is a very popular country for fishermen
looking for the catch of their lives in the Baltic Sea,
or in one of the thousands of lakes and hundreds of rivers throughout the
country. Locals are very active fishermen too, as about 40 per cent of Finns
take part in fishing trips or events at least once a year.
There are plenty of places for fishing aficionados: from
Lapland to the Southern Coast, from Central Finland
to the Western shores. It is quite easy to find a spot for angling, jigging or
even ice-fishing, three different styles one can use, without having any
particular licence, almost everywhere in the country. In fact, according to the
traditional Finnish legal concept of “everyman’s rights”, everyone – local or
foreigner – has the right to freely access the land and waterways and has also
the right to collect natural products like berries and mushrooms.
Celebrating summer
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/lifestyle/6683-celebrating-summer-2.html
Midsummer marks the beginning of warm weather among saunas,
barbecues and parties.
JUNE has been unusually warm, as a heat wave has seen Finland register some of the highest
temperatures in Europe. While Midsummer
(juhannus in Finnish) approaches, people all over the country are planning
their own celebration filled with saunas, swims under the moonlight and
bonfires.
Spending summer in Finland is a very popular choice
for tourists visiting the country to experience the almost endless summer days.
In fact, not many places around the world give people the opportunity to have a
stroll at midnight while the sun is still shining.
In mid-June, locals welcome the summer with Midsummer, a
celebration that is often seen as the beginning of warm weather, as well as the
day on which many start their summer.
Traditions of the past and the present
Originally born as a celebration of the summer solstice –
the day with the longest period of daylight in the year – Midsummer is one of
the main national holidays in Finland.
In the 1300s, the summer solstice was called Ukon juhla (Ukko’s celebration)
after Ukko, the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder in Finnish
mythology. Known as Ukko-kokko (the bonfire of Ukko) in the Karelian tradition,
the festivity was subsequently Christianised and became known as juhannus,
after John the Baptist. Since 1955, the celebration has always been on a
Saturday, between 20 and 26 June, while before that it was always on 24 June.
Nowadays, Midsummer features a series of habits and popular
beliefs, which have their roots deep in the past. Bonfires, for example, were
already present before the Christianisation of the celebration, in the Karelian
tradition. Today, they are still one of the most iconic symbols of Midsummer,
as there are bonfires lit by lakes and on beaches by the sea. In folk magic,
juhannus was believed to be a very powerful night, a time for rituals and an
opportunity for maidens to look for suitors and ensure their fertility. It has
remained so to this day, as Midsummer is a very popular date for weddings.
In addition to lighting bonfires, enjoying a sauna is a
Midsummer Eve tradition. Family and friends come together to relax in the
sauna, while having a chat and sharing a cold drink in between sauna sessions.
In more recent years, barbecuing, fishing and boating have become standard
Midsummer pastimes, while enjoying the cottage life.
Finland
and Slovakia – the little
big countries of Europe
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/columns/columns/viewpoint/7073-finland-and-slovakia-the-little-big-countries-of-europe-2.html
Slovakia,
a puny scrap of land at the edge of Central Europe or – depending on one’s
point of view – a courageous little-big country in the heart of Europe? Believe it or not, but Slovakia and Finland have
more in common than one would guess at first thought - in addition to a
population of almost five and a half million and the love for hockey.
Most Finns remember the 2011 IIHF World Championships held
in Slovakia.
The Finnish “Lions” returned home as winners of the world ice hockey title!
Just like Finns, Slovaks have hockey running through their
veins. Last year in Helsinki,
the country won the silver medal at the World Championship. Quid pro quo.
Kosice, Slovakia’s second largest city is
the European Capital of Culture this year. Located in the easternmost part of Slovakia near the borders of Hungary and Ukraine,
Kosice is perceived as being no further from the
“mainland” Europe than Turku,
the former EU Culture Capital.
Yet, can we truly speak about Slovakia
in the same sentence with Finland?
Slovakia,
who joined the European Union in 2004, is still recovering from the Cold War
era in which it was under the yoke of Communism. No such hardship ever faced Finland,
even if the Finns often want to exaggerate the Soviet times.
Unlike Finland,
the Slovakian path to EU membership was long and rocky. Even if steps towards
membership were already taken soon after the independence in 1993 when the
country signed an Association Agreement with the EU, the EU membership did not
come easy. Only after the 1998 parliamentary elections did the EU recognise the
reforms and results obtained by the country.
In 2014, when Finland
celebrates 1 May, Slovakia
celebrates the tenth anniversary of its EU membership.
It shows particular national guts – or as we call it sisu –
that Slovakia
has been able to become a democratic country with a functioning market economy
and to establish trustworthy rule of law in such a short time. The same cannot
be said about all Eastern European EU member states. Although corruption is
still deeply rooted in the Slovakian society, countries such as Romania and Bulgaria are still like from
another planet in comparison.
Rivalry between Finns and Swedes is similar to the one in Central Eastern Europe. The bickering between Slovakia and Hungary gets the adrenaline running
too much and too often. The countries have resorted to settle their relations
even at the Hague International Court of Justice!
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