Finnish education expert spoke in Marin last week.
Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Center for International Mobility and Cooperation with the Finnish Ministry of Education, will discuss Finnish models of education reform at 4 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Marin County Office of Education.
Sahlberg, who has previously worked with the World Bank and the European Commission as an education policy expert, currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki and as a member of the board of directors of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
His most recent work is "Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?"
The event is being co-sponsored by the Office of Education and the League of Women Voters of Marin County.
To register for the event, or for more information, call 499-5870. The Office of Education is located at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave. in San Rafael.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
MOVIE: Maria Larssons "Eviga Ogonblick" Weds, 6 p.m. B- Dwinelle Hall
Please join us this *Wednesday *evening for a screening of Jan Troell’s latest…
“Sweden, early 1900s. In a time of social change and unrest, war and poverty, a young working class woman, Maria, wins a camera in a lottery. The decision to keep it alters her whole life. The camera grants Maria new eyes with which to see the world, and brings the charming photographer "PiffPaff Puff" into her life. Trouble ensues when Maria's alcoholic, womanizing husband, feels threatened by the young man and his wife's newfound outlook on life.” (IFCFilms)
*Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick *
*(Everlasting Moments, 2008)*
Directed by Jan Troell
2 hrs. 11 minutes.
In Swedish with English subtitles.
*18.00 (**6 pm**)
**FEBRUARY 15, 2012**(WEDNESDAY)
B-4 DWINELLE*
For a look at the trailer check out:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3258712857/
Just to remind you, all screenings (Finnish and Swedish) will take place on*
Wednesday nights at **6pm**in B-4 Dwinelle. *
Thursday, February 9, 2012
new FREE Finnish on line dictionary : sanakirja.org
There's a new free Finnish on line dictionary called: sanakirja.org. If you want the English translation of a strange Finnish word., type in the word into the designated spot and tap "hae" (find). The English equivalent plus that of a number of other languages will come up. On the right will appear a number of synonyms in Finnish of the Finnish word you're translating. If you want the Finnish equivalent of an English language word, on the top, to the right, see "in English". Punch that and it will convert into "webscionary.com". Write in the English word and its equivalent will come up in Finnish as well as in a number of other languages. sanakirja.org is a useful tool. Pass the word.
---> I'll do that.
KIITOS kovasti,
Harri Siitonen!
---> I'll do that.
KIITOS kovasti,
Harri Siitonen!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Kaleva Curtain Call Fundraiser - March 24, 4-9 p.m. - Fine Finnish Music From All Styles & Song-Makin!
Berkeley Lodge 21 would like to invite all Finns in the area to come sample our local Bay Area Finnish Talent as well as help fundraise for new stage curtains for our lodge. Kirsti Bellows has been working really hard to order new stage curtains for our hall. To offset costs, Lodge 21 has arranged a Curtain Call Fundraiser.
Those planning to attend are asked to PLEASE RSVP to Irma Jarvenpaa @ IrmaTJ@aol.com.
WHEN? Saturday, March 24, from 4-9 p.m.
WHERE? 1970 Chestnut St; Berkeley, CA
SCHEDULE:
4 PM Family Concert & Sing-AlongPerformances by Heikki Koskinen's Studio Finland Trio, Helen Tyrrell &
5 PM Dinner with Finnish DJ & Tunes
6 PM Concert & Dancing
Silent Auction
the South Bay Kantele Group, the Horsmas, Kaleva All Stars, Kippis, Solstice, Ralliryhma and more.
TICKET price includes dinner and the program, drinks are extra. Adults $35, Seniors $25, Teens (12-18) $15, Kids (5-12) $5
Those planning to attend are asked to PLEASE RSVP to Irma Jarvenpaa @ IrmaTJ@aol.com.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Niinistö Wins by Wide Margin
Niinistö Wins by Wide Margin.
Sauli Niinistö (National Coalition) defeated Pekka Haavisto (Green League) for the Finnish Presdency in voting concluded on Sun. Feb. 5, 62.6% to 37.4%. The winner received 1,802,400 votes to Haavisto's 1,076.957 votes. With some exceptions, the electoral district percentage results were approximately the same. Niinistö only won in the Helsiniki District by 1300 votes, 50.2 - 49.8%. The most lopsided vote for Niinistö was in the Vaasa District, 72.13 to 27.13%. Haavisto's only victorious district was in Ahvenenmaa (Aaland Islands, 6)-40% In the advance voting the winner was ahead 65-4% to 34.6%. The final percentage of those eligible to vote who did was 68.8 per cent, a drop from 72.8% in the first round two weeks ago. The vote was a considerable drop from six years ago when retiring President Tarja Halonen defeated Niinistö, 73.9 per cent voting in the first round to 77.2% in the run-off. Niinistö will be sworn into office on March 1.
Sauli Niinistö (National Coalition) defeated Pekka Haavisto (Green League) for the Finnish Presdency in voting concluded on Sun. Feb. 5, 62.6% to 37.4%. The winner received 1,802,400 votes to Haavisto's 1,076.957 votes. With some exceptions, the electoral district percentage results were approximately the same. Niinistö only won in the Helsiniki District by 1300 votes, 50.2 - 49.8%. The most lopsided vote for Niinistö was in the Vaasa District, 72.13 to 27.13%. Haavisto's only victorious district was in Ahvenenmaa (Aaland Islands, 6)-40% In the advance voting the winner was ahead 65-4% to 34.6%. The final percentage of those eligible to vote who did was 68.8 per cent, a drop from 72.8% in the first round two weeks ago. The vote was a considerable drop from six years ago when retiring President Tarja Halonen defeated Niinistö, 73.9 per cent voting in the first round to 77.2% in the run-off. Niinistö will be sworn into office on March 1.
Harry Siitonen
NOTES: The final runoff vote for the Finnish presidential election will take place on Sunday at the polls in Finland. The top finalists from the first round are Sauli Niinistö (National Coalition Party) and Pekka Haavisto (Green League). A total of 1,565,987 have already cast their ballots in the early voting in the final , both in Finland and elsewhere in the world. The largest absentee vote in other countries was in Sweden with 11,949 votes. Elsewhere: Spain 8,308, USA 3,568, UK 3,239, Germany 3,096, Thailand 2,678, Belgium, 1,536. A total of 224 voted at the polling place at Berkeley's Kaleva Hall last Saturday. The latest YLE poll indicates that Niinistö has a 62-38% lead over Haavisto, although a lot of voters are still undecided. Haavisto, who represents the smallish Green League, was an upset finalist from the first round, in which 8 candidates vuied for the presidency. Check www.hs.fi Sunday for the results. The winner will succeed President Tarja Halonen who has served for 12 years.
Steam of Life | Feb 19, 2012 2:00pm at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in SF
A wonderful Finnish documentary will be shown in SF on February 19.
http://tickets.ybca.org/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=14650
Steam of Life | Feb 19, 2012 2:00pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 Mission St; San Francisco, CA
Screening Room
By Joonas Berghall & Mika Hotakainen
In the warmth of the sauna, naked Finnish men cleanse themselves both physically and mentally. We meet men of all walks of life in many different saunas, and hear their touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship. Steam of Life reveals the men's naked souls in an
exceptionally personal and poetic way. We’re pleased to present the full and uncut version of this remarkable documentary. (2010, 84 min, digital)
http://tickets.ybca.org/
Steam of Life | Feb 19, 2012 2:00pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 Mission St; San Francisco, CA
Screening Room
By Joonas Berghall & Mika Hotakainen
In the warmth of the sauna, naked Finnish men cleanse themselves both physically and mentally. We meet men of all walks of life in many different saunas, and hear their touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship. Steam of Life reveals the men's naked souls in an
exceptionally personal and poetic way. We’re pleased to present the full and uncut version of this remarkable documentary. (2010, 84 min, digital)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Finnish/Scandinavian Gift Shops in the USA
With the closing of the Gift Chalet store in Auburn, I've created a list of Finnish/Scandinavian Gift Shops in the USA to order from should the need arise for Finnish and Scandinavian items. Note Gift Chalet will continue as a mail order business.
Please make the effort to support local Finnish Businesses!
- Joyce Hannula
joyceHannula@aol.comUFKBAS Lodge 21 Officers Installment Dinner RESCHEDULED!!!
UFKBAS Lodge 21 Officers Installation Dinner ($10)
at Finnish Brotherhood Hall 1970 Chestnut St. Berkeley, CA
Same time; same place!
- RESCHEDULED for Sunday, January 29, 2 p.m.
at Finnish Brotherhood Hall 1970 Chestnut St. Berkeley, CA
Same time; same place!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Harry Siitonen's "Sports So Far" [January]
FINN WOMEN IN SALIBANDY FINAL. Finland was runner-up in the World Floor-ball ("Salibandy" in Finnish) Championships, losing to Sweden in the final in December, 4-2,. Defeating the Czech Republic in the semis, 6-0, Finnish women attained their first final since 2007. Sweden is now a five-time World Champion, which Finland won in 1998 and 2001. Salibandy is an indoor game.
So far, only three Finns have been named to this coming summer's Olympic team set for London. These include 50-Km racewalkers Jarkko Kinnunen and Antti Kempas, both for the second time. Leena Puotiniemi has been picked to run in the women's marathon.
Kiira Korpi again became Finnish women's national figure skating champion on Dec. 20 in Tampere with 170.98 points. Juulia Turkkila was 2nd in 145.30 and Beata Papp 3rd with 129.20. Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari became the men's champ for the 8th time. with 162.52. Teenagers Mattias Versius and Bela Papp, both 17, made the podium with 161.43 and 152.69.
The Finnish Young Lions' (Nuoret Leijonat) hockey team made the bronze medal round of the junior men's (-20) World Hockey Championships at Calgary in January but was shut out for a medal by Canada, 4-0. The championdship went to Sweden in an extremely tight match with Russia which it won in overtime, 1-0.
In other winter sports, the best result so farfor Finns was in a World Cup snowboarding contest in Kuusamo in December, with Finland's Markus Malin the winner with 94 points. Steve Krigbolder of Holland was second with 88 while the host country's Aleksis Kumpulainen was 3rd with 83.3. Women's champ was Lucile LeFevre of France with 81.3. Eila Sultiala was the top Finn with a 3rd place 67.3. World and Olympic medallist Tanja Poutiainen's World Cup season's best result so far has been a second place in the slalom at Courcheville, France in December, -1.87 seconds behind winner Marlies Schild of Austria. .
Finland didn't do as nearly as well as in other recent seasons in the famous Tour De Ski cross-country series on Europe's slopes which just ended on Jan. 8th. Finnish men were nowhere among ranked athletes, and the women wern't up to the old standards of Virpi Kuitunen who won Tour de Ski twice. This time overall winner was Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk who took thechampionship for a record third time. Finland's best individual results were several fourth place showiings by Krista Lahteenmäki, Aino-Kaisa Saarinen,and Riikka Sarasoja-Lilja.
European junior 100m hurdles champion Nooralotta Neziri scored a 60-meter indoor sprint win in a Loppiainen (Epiphany) meet at Kupittaa on Jan, 7 in her second best time ever in 7.52 seconds (PB 7.47). The same day in Portugal, where numerouis Finnish track athletes are in winter training camp, Finnish hall-marathon record-holder Jussi Utriasinen won a 6.8km street run at Faro, Portugal in 18 minutes 46 seconds. In the women's race Johanna Lehtinen, Finnish women's steeplechase record-holder, was 2nd in 21:28, behind Russia's Martina Kovaljova with 21:15.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Jarkko Mänttäri's Article "The End of the World is Coming But How?" (Verkkolehti, 2011.12.28) English Translation
The End of the World Is Coming But How?
The world will end, of that there is no doubt. But how and when? There are several alternatives.
By Jarkko Mänttäri
Spending his retirement years in Hämeenkyrö (Finland), biologist Jussi Viitala (above right) does not let us off easy. In his book Älykäs Eläin (Intelligent Being) published last year, he avows that we humans are the world ecosystem’s worst violators, basically because we are five billion too many.
Viitala’s latest publication Miten maailma loppuu (How the World Will End) bypasses the speculation whether the world will end or not. In Viitala’s mind it is absolutely certain that the world’s end will come, but when and how is subject to various viewpoints. These Viitala presents in his book in a quite comprehensible manner.
The most likely threat to humanity he sees as the population explosion, since we are already entirely too many. “Now we have surpassed all limits and we see no end to population growth.” Viitala believes the problems created by population growth will get worse for decades to come.
Previously employed by the University of Jyväskylä’s Biology and Environmental Studies Department, Viitala contends that the root of that population growth lies in the behavior of people themselves. If it cannot be curbed, all efforts to prevent climate change, the exhaustion of natural resources, pollution, and the disappearance of other species to extinction, are only puttering around to ease the conscience.
There Is Still Hope
The reason for us being on such a course is no accident, according to Viitala.
“It was originally a political choice, that we went on this neo-liberal line, which is proving to be one of the earth’s greatest tragedies. . Surely, little by little, the loss of hope creeps into our minds.”
Viitala does not want his book to create a hopelessness or panic in people, but to get them to think about these matters. But with all these (potential) disasters, is there any basis to retain hope?
“As long as there is life there is hope. One possibility could be a global consumers’ movement which through boycotts could bring any multinational firm to its knees.”
Viitala does not place too much hope in politicians.
“Governments and politicians appear to be married to big capital, so there is no hope for influence through these means. Thus, it has to start on the grassroots level. But the problem with this is, is it already too late?”
(This article appeared on the Verkkolehti, the web edition of the Finnish newspaper Kansan Uutiset on Dec. 28, 2011. A longer version also appeared in Viikkolehti, the weekend print edition of Kansan Uutiset. The English language translation of the above article is by Harry Siitonen, Berkeley, CA).
The world will end, of that there is no doubt. But how and when? There are several alternatives.
By Jarkko Mänttäri
Spending his retirement years in Hämeenkyrö (Finland), biologist Jussi Viitala (above right) does not let us off easy. In his book Älykäs Eläin (Intelligent Being) published last year, he avows that we humans are the world ecosystem’s worst violators, basically because we are five billion too many.
Viitala’s latest publication Miten maailma loppuu (How the World Will End) bypasses the speculation whether the world will end or not. In Viitala’s mind it is absolutely certain that the world’s end will come, but when and how is subject to various viewpoints. These Viitala presents in his book in a quite comprehensible manner.
The most likely threat to humanity he sees as the population explosion, since we are already entirely too many. “Now we have surpassed all limits and we see no end to population growth.” Viitala believes the problems created by population growth will get worse for decades to come.
Previously employed by the University of Jyväskylä’s Biology and Environmental Studies Department, Viitala contends that the root of that population growth lies in the behavior of people themselves. If it cannot be curbed, all efforts to prevent climate change, the exhaustion of natural resources, pollution, and the disappearance of other species to extinction, are only puttering around to ease the conscience.
There Is Still Hope
The reason for us being on such a course is no accident, according to Viitala.
“It was originally a political choice, that we went on this neo-liberal line, which is proving to be one of the earth’s greatest tragedies. . Surely, little by little, the loss of hope creeps into our minds.”
Viitala does not want his book to create a hopelessness or panic in people, but to get them to think about these matters. But with all these (potential) disasters, is there any basis to retain hope?
“As long as there is life there is hope. One possibility could be a global consumers’ movement which through boycotts could bring any multinational firm to its knees.”
Viitala does not place too much hope in politicians.
“Governments and politicians appear to be married to big capital, so there is no hope for influence through these means. Thus, it has to start on the grassroots level. But the problem with this is, is it already too late?”
(This article appeared on the Verkkolehti, the web edition of the Finnish newspaper Kansan Uutiset on Dec. 28, 2011. A longer version also appeared in Viikkolehti, the weekend print edition of Kansan Uutiset. The English language translation of the above article is by Harry Siitonen, Berkeley, CA).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)