Hyvää päivää/Good day! The “virtual” spring session of Finnish language classes will start on Monday, March 30, at 6 PM and will run for consecutive Mondays, ending on May 18. Email Lorna for details.
Classes are held on line w/ZOOM software.
To register, please contact Lorna Sulin at LDSULIN@verizon.net or 978 407-9690, FCSP, PO Box 30, Fitchburg, MA 01420.
Kiitos/Thank you! and Stay Safe!
Finland has a new government, headed by Social Democratic Party vice chair, Sanna Marin. The administration is Finland’s 76th.
At just 34 years old, Marin, the former Minister for Transport and Communications, is now the world’s youngest premier. Her cabinet consists of 12 women and seven men. All leaders of the five-party government coalition are women.
President Sauli Niinistö appointed the new administration shortly after 3pm on Tuesday, at the same time accepting the resignation of the previous government led by SDP chair Antti Rinne.
Rinne had been premier for just six months before tendering his resignation over his mishandling of a labour dispute between postal workers and their state-owned employer, national mail carrier Posti. Rinne and his government continued in a caretaker capacity until Marin’s formal appointment on Tuesday.
TITLE: The Finnish Long Drink_
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_SHOOT LOCATION: Talent’s location. Matt @ Stuart Stone Casting
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Finnish classes in Spring 2024
FINNISH LESSONS AT SAIMA PARK FITCHBURG MA starts on Monday 4/1 and continue until 6/10. Every Monday except Memorial Day, 2 groups 4-6PM and 6:15-8:15 PM.
Come to Saima to learn Finnish! Instructor Saija Laurla engages students in a fun, encouraging atmosphere.
The spring session of Finnish language classes will be held on ten Mondays from April 1 through June 10, with no classes on Memorial Day, May 27. Advanced students will meet from 4:00-6:00pm, and Beginners from 6:15-8:15pm.
Textbooks for both classes are available at Amazon.com and at Ruslania.com. Beginners will use Suomen Mestari 1 by Sonja Gehring and Sanni Heinzmann; Advanced students will use Suomen Mestari 2. Additional resources will be provided.
Tuition for the 10-week course is $75 for members of FCSP and $80 for others. Minors younger than 18 years may attend for half tuition. To register, email finnishcenter @yahoo.com, or call 978- 407-9690 and leave a message. Please leave your name, contact info, and whether you are interested in the Beginner or Advanced classes. Payment may be made by cash or check at the first class.
Dwight Swanson is doing research on Finnish-American home movies and films for a presentation at Finnfest this summer, and one of the centerpieces is going to be the films of George Bergroth. Dwight writes: “I saw them in the documentary that Judith Lindstedt did about Bergroth, and they are the best that I have found anywhere. I have been trying to find out where the original films have ended up, since Judith only ever had VHS copies. I would like to find the films to help get them preserved or at least digitized in a higher resolution, if possible. I have been in touch with Marita Cauthen, Charlie Huse, and Marian Flinkstrom, but so far keep running into dead ends, since none of them seem to know where the films might be.
If ANYONE has any leads about the location of the films (or at least the video copies, since I haven’t seen all of those), I would greatly appreciate it.”
Sincerely,
Dwight Swanson 804-320-1217
The Viipuri Library, one of the great early masterpieces by architect Alvar Aalto, used to be in Finland. Since 1940, it has been in Russia. The library didn’t move; the border did….
Ten specially-trained dogs are starting work at Helsinki Airport, using their noses to sniff out passengers with Covid-19.
It’s part of the City of Vantaa’s efforts to test new ways to reduce the spread of the virus, with the canine coronavirus detectors able to smell the virus with almost 100% accuracy during tests conducted by the University of Helsinki.
“We are among the pioneers. As far as we know no other airport has attempted to use canine scent detection on such a large scale against Covid-19” says Airport Director Ulla Lettijeff from Finavia. More at https://newsnowfinland.fi/domestic/covid-19-sniffer-dogs-start-work-at-helsinki-airport
US women now have universal suffrage Tennessee legislature has ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution - - Conservatives are trying to prevent ratification Nashville, Tenn. Aug. 19th - The Tennessee House yesterday opted to join, with 50 votes in favor, 46 against, the Senate’s Friday decision of 25 votes in favor and 14 against to ratify the proposed 19th Amendment to the US Constitution. Tennessee is the 36th state that has ratified the amendment granting American women universal suffrage. The amendment becomes the law once Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby officially declares it ratified. The Democrat and Republican votes of the Tennessee House were as follows: In favor: 35 Democrats and 15 Republicans; against 34 Democrats and 12 Republicans. Absent were one Democrat and two Republicans. In the Senate, 18 Democrats and 7 Republicans voted in favor; against three Democrats and one Republican. An effort to repeal the ratification The Speaker of the House Walker, who is one of the most vehement opponents of women’s suffrage, at last moment changed his vote from a “nay” to a “yes” to make it possible, according to Parliamentary rules, to readdress the ratification, and if possible to repeal it. He has two days to present his proposal. The proponents of women’s suffrage are determined to be present to prevent all repeal efforts. The proponents have only a two-vote majority, thus the opponents are hoping to get a couple of the supporters to miss the session or to get a couple of the absentees to join them. The proponents of women’s suffrage say they are certain that there will be nothing to prevent millions of American women to cast their ballots in the Nov. 4th elections. The opponents no doubt will try to filibuster the enactment with lawsuits, but the general opinion strongly supports universal suffrage, and according to the suffragettes they will be nullified. Translated by Marita Cauthen 15.08.2020 https://www.raivaaja.org/RAIVAAJA_PDFS/1920-08-23r.pdf
The Three Smiths Statue in Helsinki, Finland, wore masks last week amid the coronavirus pandemic. The country has tapped into its stockpiles to fight the outbreak. Credit…Kimmo Brandt/EPA, via Shutterstock
STOCKHOLM — As some nations scramble to find protective gear to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Finland is sitting on an enviable stockpile of personal protective equipment like surgical masks, putting it ahead of less-prepared Nordic neighbors.
The stockpile, considered one of Europe’s best and built up over years, includes not only medical supplies, but also oil, grains, agricultural tools and raw materials to make ammunition. Norway, Sweden and Denmark had also amassed large stockpiles of medical and military equipment, fuel and food during the Cold War era. Later, most all but abandoned those stockpiles.
But not Finland. Its preparedness has cast a spotlight on national stockpiles and exposed the vulnerability of other Nordic nations.
When the coronavirus hit, the Finnish government tapped into its supply of medical equipment for the first time since World War II.
“Finland is the prepper nation of the Nordics, always ready for a major catastrophe or a World War III,” said Magnus Hakenstad, a scholar at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies.
Though year after year Finland has ranked high on the list of happiest nations, its location and historical lessons have taught the nation of 5.5 million to prepare for the worst, Tomi Lounema, the chief executive of Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency, said on Saturday. More at https://dnyuz.com/2020/04/05/finland-prepper-nation-of-the-nordics-isnt-worried-about-masks/
