Superb Finnish Design

Hello,

 

The Finns are so lucky to have such a lot of talented designers and design houses in almost all walks of life. Some designs have 'always' been there with newcomers settling in.

 

The Finnish glass making dates back to 17th century. We have always been good in utilising our natural resources for design purposes. Raiso has given us a margarine, Benecol, which decreases blood cholesterol levels.Birch gives us xylitol sweetener.Nokia has given information technology a powerful boost all over the world. Angry Birds gives us entertainment, fun products.

The Moomins give us a very philosophical views to life. Abloy/Assa gives us security.

 

 Etc Etc

 

It must be our northern location with distinct seasons, powerful nature, which encourages creativity and individuality. As a relatively young nation we can experiment and be a bit crazy, too. That's how we can make our national identity stronger and thriving.

 

Below are only some great Finnish design- and trade names and each should be investigated in depth.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin   

 

 

 

https://www.marimekko.com

 

        

 

                                           https://www.iittala.com   

                                                   

   http://www.pentik.com/en/products/ 

                                                                                                                                         

                                     http://www.fiskars.fi/Kaikki-tuotteet

 

 

      www.abloy.com

 

 

               https://www.angrybirds.com/                       

 

      www.benecol.com/             

 

http://www.lumene.com/special-care

 

 

 

http://www.fazer.fi

 

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joulupukki

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia

 

 

www.aarikka.com/en/

 

 

Xylitol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol    

 

Turn your Airport Transit
Time into RELAX TIME

GoSleep Sleep Pods are truly innovative seating solutions designed to add value to the terminal experience, whilst offering quality rest and relaxation to the passenger, complete customer satisfaction and also a fantastic revenue opportunity for the operator.

http://unisolutions.fi/

 

Sisu postcard series

Hi,

Series of Sisu postcards which amusingly illustrate values of life.

Given by my brother in 1970's

Jari Litmanen, The Finnish King of Fooball-Love letter to Jari by Alyson Rudd / Green Soccer Journal

Hi,

This cannot be missed!

A Love Letter to Jari        

By Alyson Rudd  |  13 Feb 2015           Virginmedia photo

This article first appeared in Issue 6 of The Green Soccer Journal, March 2014

There have been two utterly breathtaking moments in my football viewing life. The first caused me to stop casually supporting Liverpool and become an obsessive fan. It happened when was I was very young and I still wonder if I had not wandered in from the garden to watch, half-halfheartedly, the 1974 FA Cup final would there have been another childhood Damascene moment?
I was drawn to a pair of spindly legs that sprinted with elegance and skipped over the challenges made by hairier, thicker, clumsier legs. It was Stevie Heighway on the wing, as the song now goes, and ping! That was all it took for me to become properly hooked on the beautiful game.
No one would ever come close to supplanting Heighway as my all-time favourite player. And yet…one run-of-the-mill trip to Villa Park 12 years ago caused me to fall in love all over again. I knew I admired Jari Litmanen and had been chuffed when he signed for Liverpool; who wouldn’t want such a classy player at their club? However, I had only seen him on TV. Nothing had prepared me for how I would react to a Litmanen masterclass in the flesh.
A refurbishment of the press seats meant I had to stand on a swaying gantry to watch Gerard Houllierʼs side demolish Aston Villa that day. Such was the manner of Liverpool’s victory that I forgot, briefly, why I was there. I jumped, somewhat unprofessionally, up and down and squealed and swore in astonishment. I was witnessing something ethereal, something magical, something almost frightening in its perfection. Litmanen did not make a single mistake. His every choice was the right choice. His every touch was deft, his every pass accurate.
ʻPah, so what?ʼ you might wonder, lots of players experience games when they can’t put a foot wrong. Ah, but Litmanen managed to make every other Liverpool player on the pitch that day a far better player than they had ever been. He wasn’t playing; he was orchestrating. Every pass was designed with the next pass in mind. He upped the tempo, then he calmed it. He would play a defence-splitting ball and then meander gracefully into position to receive the pass he knew would be the logical progression of the space he had just created.
Perhaps most gorgeous of all was that he did all this quietly, subtly. Liverpool were a collection of balls of wool and he was unraveling, knitting, crocheting it all so that an aesthetically glorious work of art would emerge. He was not flash, he was not selfish, he was like the admirable parent who goes without food so their children might eat.
Yes, yes, this is all rather gushing but I have watched a good deal of football and never, ever been slightly scared at how talented and visionary a player can be—except for this one time.
Michael Owen scored more goals per minute on a pitch with Litmanen than alongside any other player. It was patently obvious why; the Finn could demolish a defence with the shortest of passes. He could not set a striker on his way to goal better if he illuminated a path for him with flashing cones. He did not stay at Liverpool long enough. There were question marks about his work-rate—which of course missed the entire point—and his fitness and I heard that Litmanen would offer advice in training sessions. A manager could either think ‘oh lucky me, I have a genius to help the team mature’ or wonder if he was being undermined in some way. The latter sentiment prevailed it seems.
Of the tiny handful of players that Zlatan Ibrahimovic deems worthy of praise in his quite marvellous autobiography, it did not surprise me at all that Litmanen was among them. Of course he loved him. The Sweden international firstly, is of the belief that most players are selfish and would like to see him fail—and Litmanen is not like that, and secondly,
Litmanen’s ego would never brush up against that of his Ajax teammate. Litmanen enjoyed setting up Ibrahimovic and Ibrahimovic enjoyed tucking away the perfectly weighted and intelligent balls fed to him.
“Litmanen really was a team player,” writes the Swede. “He was the real deal.” And believe me, that counts as mighty complimentary in Zlatan’s world.  After that first Jari revelation I would drop everything if Finland were in a televised game. I forced friends and family to watch and learn. ‘But England are on the other side,’ they might wail—but in vain. Litmanen playing for his country was a sport all on its own as he cajoled, strolled, flitted, sashayed, probed, scored and generally lifted a team of average and below average internationals to reach moments of sublime elegance.
He ended up at Fulham, a club close to my London home, and I screamed at the press officers at Craven Cottage: “You’ve signed JARI LITMANEN.”
“We know that,” they said, amused, and promised that his first interview would be with me. But he left without playing for them amid confusion that he could be fit for his country but not his new club and I was left with just his mobile number. I summoned the courage to call one day. I was fearful of being tongue-tied in awe but he was perfectly pleasant and perfectly obstinate that he would give no one an interview about his career. “I don’t look back,” he said, vaguely perturbed that he was, apparently, speaking to his, officially, biggest fan in England.
It is a classy stance if a slightly annoying one and he has ‘unofficially’ retired now and keeps out of the spotlight to spend time with his family. Which is fine, and reasonable, given he is 42, but I want to know how he did it; did it feel magical and effortless or was it exhausting being a football god?

Alyson Rudd is an award-winning sports writer for The Times. 

http://thegreensoccerjournal.com/decider-article/a-love-letter-to-jari/              

The Finnish SISU

What is Finnish SISU? Sisu has almost a magical meaning. It is hard to describe in full and cannot be fully translated.
SISU is a term which  dates back hundreds of years and is described as being integral to understanding Finnish culture. Every Finn knows what it is, it is in our core.

 

SISU means bravery, resilience and perseverance  expressing the self-identified Finnish character.

SISU is taking action against odds. SISU is deciding on a course of action and sticking to that decision although failures may occur repeatedly.
 

SISU is a term for going beyond one's mental and physical capacity.
SISU is described as a psychological key competence which enables extraordinary action to overcome a mentally and physically challenging situation.

 

Finland may have an initial monopoly of SISU  but it is a universal capacity. SISU is a new term in a field of positive psychology.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sisu

 

SISU is ability to sustain courage: what must be done will be done.
SISU is our backbone, having guts.

 
Do not give up, try again, have SISU!

 

 

SISU is also a brandname: there are Sisu armoured vehicles and Icebreaker M/S Sisu and of course Sisu pastilles.

 

               Icebreaker Sisu/photo Arctic  Shipping

The origin of Finland in a nutshell

Hi,

 

History of Finland's origin in a nutshell and a quick look into present day.

 

Where do the Finns come from? Finland's early history is quite fascinating.8000BC tribes from eastern Europe settle our  Arctic cost. Around 8600BC people start moving from south, south-east and south-west Europe towards the Finnish coast. As from 4000BC our ancestors who spoke different forms / dialects of Finnish have been living in Finland. Around 2800BC more Baltic people move to the north and now Finnish language and Sami language separate.

1600BC Central European culture (Germanic) influence starts, some trading with Sweden also starts and from the east, Volga area, textile influence arrives in Finland. This time the Sami population spreads to mid Scandinavian area.

 

400AD - 500AD southern Pohjanmaa is no doubt the richest area at the time and stands out. More Finns from Baltic move over to settle in Finland. The Sami population move more north. It is believed that also more people from central Europe are moving to Finland. Sweden has more influence on western coastal areas.

 

Around 800AD is Viking period. People from Kainuu ( = Pohjanmaa ) area are known to go on battle trips to Norway robbing and raiding. This is mentioned in Alfred I's Book of World History. Around  mid 1000AD Christianity start taking hold. People start moving towards Carelia. By mid 1150 most of the western Finland is Cristian,  pagan rituals still exist  in mid and northern parts.

 

1042AD Vladimar,  Russian Duke of Novgorod attacks Carelia and 1150AD Anud son of Swedish King Emund attacks western coast. He is beaten and he dies during the attack. Again 1123AD Duke of Novgorod, now Vsevolod attacks Carelia but is beaten. Year 1143AD Novgorod forces attack western Finland but they are beaten.

 

1154AD Arabic scientist Al-Idrisi writes that Finnish  (Fymark) king owns land in Norway.1200AD Saxo Grammaticus, Danish historian, also writes about Finnish kings.1202 the Danes try to invade Finland.

 

Through various crusades, invasions and attacks Finland becomes province of Sweden 1362. 1523 Mikael Agricola  introduces the Lutheran faith from Germany .He translates the Bible and thus forms the basis of the Finnish literary language. Year 1595 25-year old war with Russia ends and eastern border stretches to the Arctic  coast.

 

 

 Beautiful map.

 Antonio Millo:Toto el discoperto in carta marina in piano Venice 1582

British Library Add MS27470

Source:Magnificent Maps ,Power, Propaganda and Art/ Peter Barber & Tom Harper

 

 

Cornelis Claesz /Johannes Janssonius,Europa 

Amsterdam 1617     

 British Library Maps S.T.E

 Source:Magnificent Maps ,Power, Propaganda and Art/ Peter Barber & Tom Harper

 
                                   

1640 Turku University is established. 1714-21 Russia attacks Sweden  and occupies Finland. The Tsar returns much of Finland but keeps  Eastern Carelia. 1807 Tsar Alexander I attacks Finland again and 1809 Finland becomes an autonomous Grand Duchy of Russia.

 

6.12.1917 Finland declares Independence from the new Soviet Union. Mr P. E Svinhufvud is elected Finland's first president.1922 The Aland Islands are ceded to Finland and granted autonomy.

 

1939-1940 There is Winter War between Finland and Russia due to Soviet territorial demands. 1940 Finland is forced to surrender 11% of its territory to the Soviet Union. 1941 the war continues and Hitler begins his Russian campaign. 1944 A peace  treaty is signed and Finland has to give up the Petsamo region.

 

1952 Finland is part of Nordic Council and hosts the Summer Olympics. 1955 Finland  is admitted to the United Nations.1995 Finland joins the European Union. Year 2000 Helsinki celebrates its 450th anniversary, it is also one of nine European Cities of Culture.

Mrs Tarja Halonen becomes the first female president.

 

President  today is Mr Sauli Niinisto who took office in March 2012.There are 5,5 million Finns.75% are Lutheran and 1% Orthodox.89,3% speak Finnish and 5.3% Swedish. 81%have completed upper secondary education and 37% have university qualification which is the highest % in the EU countries.

 

Manufacturing : Metal and engineering 48%, other manufacturing 23% , forest products 15% and food & textiles 14%.

 

Adjusted purchasing power (EUR)

Norway   49,200

Denmark 32,100

Sweden   32,700

Finland    28,700

France     27,800

UK           27,200

Germany  32,000

 

Information from the below sources:

 

http://www.suomalaisuudenliitto.fi/?page_id=27

 

www.Finnair.com Blue Wings January2015

 

www.insightguides.com Finland

 

Magnificent Maps Power, Propaganda and Art /The British Library

Peter Barber and Tom Harper

Future Finnish mathematicians?

Hello,
 

Finnish news -Yle Uutiset 28/02/2014 , good humoured one.

 

I was  reading a piece of (old) news how mathematics lesson is taught in Joensuu normaalikoulu in Finland.

 

The pupils are sitting on exercise balls or standing up.

Teacher Lasse Eronen seems happy. Everybody seems to be happy! This idea has come from a parent.

Different methods, different ideas.

 

Photo by Anu Rummukainen
 

 

Finnish baby care is world class standard

Hi,

 

It is a joy to have a baby and especially in Finland it is well supported.

 

Finnish  women had their right to vote 1906 as the first women in Europe. 70%-80% of women have always worked outside home.Maybe that has contributed to such a good and socially equal children's  welfare. Nowadays, however, men are doing their share in family and domestic life and are active, hands-on, fathers.

They are present at child birth which is actually very much encouraged by healthcare people. Men can be and are looking after a baby at home by taking paternal leave.

There is a good network of Neuvolat - Baby /Toddler clinics. Baby's welfare is continually followed by a monthly visits to clinics: they are measured, injected, weighted. At the same time mothers and fathers can be monitored, they can ask questions and get help in varied matters if necessary. Before giving a birth mothers visit regularly maternity clinics for check-ups and are referred to a hospital if needed.

 

The below is taken from the official site of Kela.

http://www.kela.fi

 

Maternal leave

You can start your maternity leave 30 days before an estimated time of baby's arrival. Minimum maternal pay is 24.02 euros a day. For example  If your earnings were 13000 euros  a year you will get daily 30.33 euros maternal payment until your child is 9 months old.

 

 Paternal leave

The father can take the following leave after the child is born:

• paternity leave for a maximum 54 working days
• parental leave after the mother's maternity leave (the leave can also be shared with the mother, but you cannot take it at the same time).
• child care leave after parental leave.
• part-time child care leave if you return to work part time.

Parental leave can be taken by the mother or the father. The parents can also alternate the leave, but not take it at the same time (with the exception of multiple birth families). If the parents share the leave they can each take up to 2 periods of leave divided between them as they wish.  

 

 http://www.kela.fi

 

 After parental leave

The child is about 9 months old when the parental leave ends. After the leave

• the father can take paternity leave and receive an allowance from Kela.
• the mother, father or another carer may stay at home to look after a child under 3 years of age and receive child home care allowance. Kela will not pay an allowance for the home care of a child over 3 years of age unless there are younger siblings under 3 years of age in the family.
• the child may be cared for by a private child care provider, in which case the family may claim private day care allowance.
• the family may hire a carer alone or together with other families and receive child home care allowance or private day care allowance, depending on the age of the child.
• the family with one 3 years old child may work no more than 30 hours per week and recieve flexible care allowance.
• the child may attend municipal day care.

 

Maternity package

 

The maternity package contains children's clothes and other necessary items, such as bedding, cloth nappies, gauze towels and child-care products.

The maternity package is not a commercial product and therefore Kela cannot sell it. The items it contains are sourced through a competitive bidding process complying with EU law. Expectant mothers, covered by the Finnish social security scheme, can apply for the package either online on eServices (only in Finnish or Swedish) or through a Kela office.

Maternity package 2014

Pictures: Annika Söderblom © Kela. Not for commercial use.Snowsuit 68-74 cm. Insulated mittens and bootees.

Sleeping bag / quilt 95 x 95 cm.

Light quilted suit 70 cm.Knitted overall 70 cm.Knitted hat 44 / 48 cm.Hat 60 cm.

Balaclava hat 60 cm.

Tights 62-68 cm. Socks and mittens 19-21.

Body and romper suit 50 cm.

Body and romper suit 60 cm.

Body 70 cm.

Romper suit 60 cm.

Body 50 cm.

Romper suit 50 cm.

Body 60 cm.

Romper suit 70 cm.

Body 60-70 cm.

Body 70 cm.

Footed leggings 50 cm and 60 cm.

Leggings 70 cm and 60 cm.

Stretchsuit 70 c

Stretchsuit 60 cm.

Mattress 70 x 42,8 x 4 cm. Mattress cover 45 x 73 cm. Undersheet 90 x 150 cm. Blanket 80 x 120 cm. Duvet cover 85 x 130 cm.

Bath towel 85 x 85 cm. Hairbrush. Toothbrush. Bath thermometer. Cream 100 ml. Nail scissors.

1 set of reusable nappies (cover and 2 fitted nappies) 3-8 kg. 2 cloth nappies 70 x 70 cm. Bra pads. 10 sanitary towels. 6 condoms.

Feeding bib.

Drooling bib.

Book titled "Loruttele sylitellen".

 

 

http://www.kela.fi

 

When the child is 3 years old

 

Child home care allowance stops when the child reaches the age of three. The allowance will continue only if there are other children under 3 years of age in the family. In such a case, Kela will pay child home care allowance until the youngest child reaches the age of three. You can calculate the amount of allowance with the calculator (in Finnish).

If you have a new baby, the mother will receive maternity allowance again. In such a case, the family will usually not qualify for child home care allowance as well. You can see how other benefits have an impact on child home care allowance. If your older child is under 3 years of age on the day of your baby's estimated date of delivery, you may qualify for parental allowance on the basis of the same income as for your older child (see Amount).

The child may be looked after in a private day care centre of by a private care provider, in which case Kela will pay private day care allowance. The family may hire a nanny alone or together with other families. The family may also opt for municipal day care, in which case Kela will not pay an allowance.

 

 As from the birth your baby will have a monthly child benefit of 97.75 euros.

 

 

 

Reflector - great Finnish invention and life saver

Hi,

In 50's Mr.Arvi Lehti made a remarkable invention - he glued two pieces of reflective material together, added a safety pin and alas! a reflector was born.

Later his son Mr.Taisto Lehti designed a famous Finnish snowflake reflector. These reflectors were given to school children, customers at banks, in supermarkets, in offices, workplaces etc. There was an extensive TO BE SEEN IN DARK Tv- coverage to promote reflectors. Every household must have had one.



Using reflector tags
When using roads in the dark, pedestrians must wear an appropriate reflector tag. Reflector tags must be CE certified. Despite the legal requirement to use them, only half of all pedestrians wear reflector tags, in both densely and sparsely populated areas.
A driver with long-range headlights on will see a pedestrian without a reflector tag from a distance of approximately 100 metres, depending on the pedestrian’s clothing.

If the pedestrian wears a reflector tag, the driver will see him or her from a distance of 300 metres.

A high-quality reflector vest, lead, collar or harness helps protect dogs and other pets accompanying pedestrians in dark conditions. A dog wearing a reflector vest or tag also helps its owner be seen from a greater distance.



https://www.liikenneturva.fi/en/road-safety/pedestrians/reflector

It has become a general habit to wear one and now this habit is more common than ever.

In autumn when days are getting shorter we need to attach our reflectors to be seen in dark. We have reflectors  in prams, push chairs, bikes, bags, rug sacks you name it we have it hanging.

 A reflector has become a design object. There is such a variety of models and designs but you can simply just attach a reflecting strip on your garment.

 

By wearing one you can keep yourself  and your kids and dog safe. This very Finnish and Nordic custom  would benefit other countries, too.


http://www.kodinkuvalehti.fi/artikkeli/hyva_mieli/hyva_olo/tiesitko_etta_heijastimen_keksi_suomalainen_arvi

Finnish sauna - what a bliss!

Hello,

In Finland there are 3.3 million saunas. The most in the world in fact. The Finnish sauna is an institution just like having coffee. These two items somehow weave our Finnish feelings, togetherness, well being : the Finnishness. I have never come across anybody in Finland who has not got a sauna or experienced it.
Your sauna  can be in your garden, in a basement, built inside your house or it can be a communal sauna for a block of flats, gym sauna, office sauna etc. There are hundreds of thousands summer cottage saunas which are used sometimes all year not just during summertime. In Helsinki there are still old communal saunas which have been used tens of years with loyal customers of all ages.

In 50's and  60's  Saturday was the sauna day. It could take hours to  heat a wood  burning stoves and  hot  water. The electric stoves were marketed  from  the  40's onwards and it made sauna heating faster and more convenient. 

Sometimes the men had sauna first, then the women and the children. It is quite common that the whole family has sauna together. I remember my first childhood sauna was black inside, had a sweet smell of soap and smoke, it was truly hot and my hair was always squeaky clean after a good rub. That sauna was in our garden and in the winter you ran fast to the house through a snowy path. My next sauna was a more modern one: a part of a multi-purpose building and still very nice but the not so atmospheric as the old one.

http://www.helsinki.fi/kemia/opettaja/aineistot/saippua/saippuan_historia.htm

During the sauna session you were supposed to behave quietly, no swearing, shouting or loud noises were allowed. It is a spiritual occasion: time for yourself to relax and concentrate on your wellbeing: both body and mind. Never mind the sweating.

In historical times sauna buildings were used for different purposes like smoking meat and sausages, babies were born in them and the dead members of family were washed and dressed there. Naturally it all happened as saunas were clean places in households.

The Finns have been very clean people since 1700s due to sauna, lots of water has been used as well as healthy steaming. We  did  not need to cover bad odour with perfumes or powders then and certainly not now.

Nowadays you can have sauna just pressing a button to relax and refresh yourself. There are after-jogging saunas in many blocks of flats as well as after skiing/cycling/swimming etc.
saunas. Sometimes separately for men and women.

Many sauna owners have installed Jacuzzis in their homes to enjoy sauna moments even more. But you can have a cupboard sauna for one or two persons if you are short of space.

During summer you can jump in a lake, in winter you can go through a hole in the ice or roll in snow and go back to sauna heat over and over again.

BLISS! And have that glass of cold  beer afterwards.

http://www.finland.or.kr/public/default.aspx?contentid=136667&nodeid=35145&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI

http://www.sauna.fi/in-english/the-finnish-sauna-society/welcome/





http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna