Finnish Center Association FCA Newsfinnishcenter.org/newsletter/2013-10-FCA newsletter.pdf · 2016....

October 2013

FCA News

Finnish Center Associa t ion

FOR MEMBERS OF THE FINNISH CENTER ASSOCIATION

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SEPTEMBER

15 Sunday Finnish Breakfast 11:30 am–1 pm Reservations by previous Wednesday

Lillian Lehto Presentation at 1:15pm “Copper Country Strike of 1913”

20 Friday Dinner 5-8pm Reservations by previous Wednesday

Fried or baked cod, pulled pork, fried chicken, potato chips, green beans, watermelon

Pasty Prep 10 am

21 Pasty Bake - Pick up between 11 am - 4 pm

25 Monthly Luncheon 12-3 pm Reservations by previous Monday

28 Saturday Silent Auction and Live Auction

29 Open House 1-4 pm

30 Monday Book Club 1-2 pm

OCTOBER

4 Friday Finnish Conversation Group 10 am

Friday Dinner 5-8 pm Reservations by previous Wednesday

Baked or fried cod, Peach chicken, rice, California blend, beef barley soup, garden fresh salad

7-10 Poker

11-12 Flea Market 10 am–4 pm

13 Sunday Brunch 12-1:30 pm

18 Friday Dinner 5-8 pm Reservations by previous Wednesday

Baked or fried cod, goulash, peas and carrots, pumpkin bread, broccoli/cheese soup, deviled eggs

20 General Board Meeting 2 pm


28 Monday Book Club 1-2 pm


NOVEMBER

1 Friday Finnish Conversation Group 10 am

Taste of Finland Dinner 7 pm - Reservations by previous Wednesday (see full details in last months issue)

2 Taste of Finland Samplings 12-10 pm

8 Pasty Prep 10 am

Friday Dinner 5-8 pm Reservations by previous Wednesday

9 Pasty Bake - Pick up between 11 am - 4 pm

10 Sunday Brunch 12-1:30 pm


16 Scandanavian Bazaar 10-4 pm



25 Monday Book Club 12 pm


28 Thanksgiving

RESERVATIONS ARE

REQUIRED ON

DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS

FCA NEWS OCTOBER 2013

E & G Heating

Heating and Cooling Service and Installation

Mostly Residential

(734) 812-6318

Greg Makila

TASTE OF FINLAND

COME TASTE AND LEARN

ABOUT FINNISH CUISINE

Friday, November 1 at 7 pm

Dinner is $35 per person

Saturday, November 2

Noon to 10:00 pm

$1 to $5 per taste

Friday’s dinner will include com-

mentary from Chef Sallanen of

Joensuu, Finland.

Saturday’s tasting of 30-plus bite-

sized items will feature imported

Finnish foods as well as local pro-

duce.

Make your reservations now and

support the FCA. Contact the FCA

at (248) 478-6939.

Reservations should include your

choice of meat, fish or vegetarian

and must be paid in full by Friday,

October 25.

Hyvää ruokahalua!

35200 W. Eight Mile Road

Farmington Hills, MI

48335-5108 Tel: (248) 478-6939

Fax: (248) 478-5671

[email protected]

www.finnishcenter.org

Officers Lois Makee, Chairman

Roger Wanttaja, Vice Chairman

Robert Waissi, Secretary

Marlene Ruuskanen, Treasurer

Board of Trustees 1 Year

Frank Gottberg, Cortland Book,

Lila Ball

2 Year

Carl Aebersold, Olli Lamminen, Marlene Ruuskanen

3 Year

Lois Makee, Roger Wanttaja,

Robert Waissi

Alternates

#1 Paavo Kurvi #2 Terry Ball

Financial Review

Eunice Gould, Hilkka Ketola,

Melissa Biddix-Hill

Committee Chairpersons Building & Grounds

Carl Aebersold

Cultural

Carl Aebersold & Hilkka Ketola Education

Hanna Hall

Finance

Mia Lamminen Gift Shop

Margaret Laurila

Membership

Mia Lamminen Publicity & Publications

Nancy Sannar

Social

Lila Ball

SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING

CORPORATION

Paul C. Hendrickson, Chairman

Tapiola Village

Laura Fultz, Manager

248 471-3802

[email protected]

Freedom Square

Jennifer Bridges, Manager

248 442-7250

WETLAND WALKWAY

The Wetland Walkway is the latest

project constructed in Finlandia

Gardens by the Reppanhagen fami-

ly of Livonia Scout Troop 782. The

walkway provides an opportunity to

enter the wetland, sit, and enjoy an

environment set aside from the rest

of Finlandia Gardens. Birds, in-

sects, and other wildlife can be ob-

served. Fortunately, mosquitos are

absent due to the efforts of swal-

lows that nest nearby and dragon

flies that can be seen frequenting

the wetland. A donation of paving

bricks by the Reppenhagens will

soon be used in an additional pro-

ject to provide a walkway from the

woodshop to the entrance of the

wetland. We appreciate the volun-

teer efforts and donations of the

Reppenhagen family of the Eagle

Scouts of Livonia.

FLEA MARKET

October 12 & 13

10 am to 4 pm.

This is a fund-raiser for the Finn-

ish Center, and we would like vol-

unteers to assist us in setting items

on the tables, selling, and closing.


CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

We are still looking for members to give us time in

the office, set-up and take-down tables for rentals,

audio assistance, tend bar, poker nights, library, etc.

Whatever your talent, we can use it, whatever your

interest, we will train you.

As a volunteer organization, we need volunteers now

to keep the doors open. The people working are get-

ting tired and older - how long will they last? What

is going to happen when these volunteers finally say

“I’ve had it!”

Many years ago, Matt Tilley set up a system on the

computer to record all donations and memorials

made to the Finnish Center (FCA). If you do not

send your memorials to the FCA, you will not re-

ceive credit for your donation, nor will the deceased.

Our auditors are looking into this, as we are a busi-

ness and it is illegal to send money elsewhere.

Lois Makee, Chairman

FALL IN THE GARDENS

October in the gardens is truly the start of fall

with leaves fully turned red, yellow, and orange;

hydrangea blooms standing brilliant against the

foliage, and the fragrant smell of sweet autumn

clematis in the air. The swifts, hummingbirds,

and monarchs have finished their migration from

Canada through Michigan and are far to our

south. We are very sorry to see them go as we

have enjoyed their presence this summer.

Our two world-traveling gardeners, Rufus Peo-

ples and David Sharpe, have returned from Eu-

rope so we’re back at full strength for our final

fall cleanup and early spring planting in the new

annual/perennial boxes located outside the vege-

table gardens. Many of us are still harvesting to-

matoes, and plucking raspberries and strawber-

ries in between our chores.

If you come early in the morning and take a stroll

along the new wetland walkway or just sit on the

patio and watch the goldfinch pluck seeds from

the flowers, you are likely to catch a glimpse of

one of the many deer who come to visit in the

wetland. It’s quite serene and anyone is welcome

to come by and utilize the patio. If you happen

by on Monday around 10:30 you will find the

Garden Club during their coffee break and we

usually have an extra cup of coffee for visitors. If

you’d like to lend a hand in the garden, we’d cer-

tainly appreciate the help.

FINLAND TODAY (continued from page 10)

And finally, you know 'Ole Donald Maki, the

Farmer? Well, one morning he was bringing a load

of pigs to the market when he hit a bump in the road

right between the Lutheran Church and the Parson-

age, and one of the pigs falls from the truck and rolls

into the ditch and dies. A few minutes later, Pastor

Kemppainen walks from the Parsonage to the Church

and sees the pig in the ditch.

The Pastor gets on his cell phone and calls Sheriff

Mattila's office and reports the dead pig. Being

about 9:00 am, the dispatcher knows that Sheriff

Mattila is probably having coffee with the other of-

ficers, so she doesn't want to disrupt him. Dispatch-

er, "You know that the Sheriff believes that it is up

to you, the Clergy, to take care the dead”. Pastor

Kemppainen replies, “Well, you know that we be-

lieve it's the Clergy's responsibility to report the dead

to the next of kin."

Markku Kettola

[email protected]

Photo by David Sharpe

If you have any ques-

tions or comments or

items to donate please

contact me at (734)

546-5190 or gaylegul-

[email protected]

Gayle Gullen,

Finlandia Garden

Club

mailto:[email protected]



TRUE GREATNESS

It is not our Christian tradition to eulogize a person. (To speak or write in high praise: to extol, praise and

laud). But here is a man that is good to remember and how much he gave to make our lives better.

In over fifty years of ministry and some eleven hundred funerals I never met a man like Roy Jurva. In a

family of thirteen brothers and sisters, he served as a servant and minister to anyone who had a need. I re-

member when I first met him, some seventy-five years ago, with the conclusion, “He was always there.”

When a brother or a sister were facing a problem, he was there to help. There is an old proverb, “You can-

not measure a tree until you cut it down.”

Roy Jurva was born March 2, 1933 in Onnela, near Houghton, Michigan. He was the son of the late August

and Hildur (Moilanen) Jurva. As a child, the family moved to Chassell and he graduated from Chassell

High School in 1951. He often reminded us that he was in the top ten percent (There were sixteen in the

class, ten boys and six girls).

Roy served in the United States Army stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. He attended Suomi College, and

graduated from Michigan Technological University with a degree in Industrial Management.

On June 6, 1959, he was united in marriage to Ruth Maki, whom he dearly loved and looked after. They

resided in Redford, Michigan, where Roy was first employed by his brother-in-law in the heating and cool-

ing business. Later he worked for Ford Motor Company until his retirement 30 years later. In retirement,

Roy and Ruth returned to spend their summers in the Copper Country and wintered in Arizona, Florida,

Georgia, and California.

They were members of the Apostolic Lutheran church of Southfield, Gloria Dei Lutheran in Hancock and

the First Apostolic Lutheran church in Houghton. Roy was an active member of many organizations such as

the Redford JCs. He was a Life member of the Finnish Center Association in Farmington Hills, member of

the Moose Lodge, VFW Men’s Auxiliary Post 6507 of Chassell. He was also active with the Alzheimer’s

Association and locally was a captain with the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk.

Roy loved sports and enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren compete in different events as well

as cheering on the MTU Huskies in all their sports. He especially enjoyed baseball, and at the age of 70 he

was able to earn an official Tiger uniform and played ball at the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp. He said

pitching from the mound at Comerica Park was worth ending up on the disabled list with a bum knee.

Roy was called home early Monday morning August 26, 2013, at the age of 80 years, after a short illness at

Portage Health in Hancock, Michigan.

Elmer R. Liimatta

Roy Jurva

March 2, 1933-August 26, 2013

MEMORIALS

When making a memorial donation, you may di-

rect it toward a specific fund.

The funds available are: FCA General Fund, Li-

brary, Scholarship, Hoijakat Folk Dancers, Drama

Club, Finn Weavers, Garden Club, Soittoniekat/

FinnFolk Musicians and Finnish American Sing-

ers.

If a donation is undesignated, it goes to the General

Fund for expenses of the Center.

The family of the deceased may direct undesignat-

ed donations toward a specific fund (up to one year

after date of death).

Please make your check out to the Finnish Center

Association and send donations to: FCA, 35200

West Eight Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI

48335. Donations received by the 5th of each

month will be published in the next month’s news-

letter.

You may also direct your donation toward the El-

ders’ Housing, but then your check must be made

out to FCA Senior Housing Corp.

Please include full name (with middle initial), ad-

dress, dates of death and birth of the deceased as

well as the name and address of the next of kin to

whom the acknowledgement card is to be mailed.

If you know of a member, parent or child of a

member who has passed away, please call the FCA

at (248) 478-6939.

FCA life member Roy Jurva (8/26/13) donations

were made by Lillian Hakala, Peggy Puuri, Pearl &

Ray Wanttaja.

FCA life member Robert “Bob” Salo (7/21/13) do-

nations have bee made by Delores Bedell, Jim &

Jan Sandison, Tara & Jeff Aznavorian, Todd &

Betty Salo, Lois Makee, Eunice Gould, David

Ursem, Emily Simon, Jack Salo and Mille Harju.

FCA life member Virginia Timonen (7/8/13) dona-

tions have been made by Millie Harju, Elvi & Ra-

fael Saviniemi.

PAGE 5 FCA NEWS OCTOBER 2013

Neil J. Lehto ________________________________________________________________________________________

Attorney and Counselor At Law

[email protected]

4051 Wakefield Road

Berkley, Michigan 48072

(248) 545-1753 (Phone & Fax)

FCA life member Eleanor Hakola (12/5/12) a do-

nation has been made by Millie Harju.

FCA life member Norma Vuolle Aittama (5/2/13)

donations have been made by Millie Harju, Elvi &

Rafael Saviniemi.

FCA life member Harry Niemi (5/3/13) a donation

has been made by Nina Ranta.

The FCA also wishes to extend condolences to the

family and friends of:

FCA life member Margaret Robertson (12/22/12)

FCA life member Donald Robertson (8/4/13)

FCA life member Roy Jurva (8/26/13)

MEMBERSHIP

If you have changed your email address, please noti-

fy us. We are in the process of getting the newsletter

out to everyone by email or mailed in January 2014.

This will eliminate the $30 subscription fee and all

members will have a newsletter.

All of this is time-consuming, so we need infor-

mation from you as soon as possible. Don’t forget to

let us know if you would like a new directory.


SUNSHINE

LADY

Sending get-well cards, thinking-of-you cards and

words-of-encouragement cards to FCA members.

This little known function has been around for many

years, and can only be accomplished when I am no-

tified that someone needs a card. Send or call your

card requests to the attention of the “Sunshine La-

dy” at the FCA.

Thank you, Eunice Potti Gould

GOING PLACES

Westview Orchards, Octagon House and Leader Dogs for the Blind, Tuesday, October 8, $69. First we

tour the Westview Orchards where you can pick your own apples to take home. Next, to Washington,

Michigan to tour the Octagon House and have lunch. Finally we go to Rochester to tour the Leader Dogs

for the Blind facilities to learn how these dogs are trained. Combo with Nardineers on 11 Mile Rd. Depart

at 8:00 am and return about 6:30 pm.

Cornwell’s Turkeyville, Thursday, December 5, $71. The play “Two Guys and a Christmas Tree” should

get us into the Christmas spirit. Includes all-you-can-eat turkey buffet. Combo with Nardineers on 11 Mile

Rd. Depart at 9:30 am and return about 6:30 pm.

Holiday Glitz in Rochester, Tuesday, December 17, $68. We will tour the Meadow Brook Hall with all its

beautiful Christmas decorations. Next we will have dinner at 4:30 pm at the Rochester Mills Beer Co.

which is the former historic Western Knitting Mill. Lastly we will have a driving tour of The Big Bright

Light Show in downtown Rochester. This holiday display is unlike any in the Midwest. The buildings in

downtown Rochester will be covered with more than 1.5 million lights. Combo with Nardineers. Depart

1:00 pm and return about 8:30 pm.

If you leave your car at the FCA while on a trip, please park at the north end of the property. If you park

near the main or lounge entrances you are using spaces needed for other functions.

Pearl Wanttaja (248) 541-0054

POKER NIGHTS

Vision Bowling Lanes

38250 Ford Rd., Westland

October 7,8,9 and 10

Please contact Gene Belttari (734) 416-8644

Email- [email protected]


FCA NEWS OCTOBER 2013 PAGE 7

FROM THE FCA LIBRARY

October 10 is both Aleksis Kivi Day and Finnish Litera-

ture Day in Finland. Although it is not one of the days

decreed as an official flag-flying day, the flag is usually

flown.

Aleksis Kivi was born on October 10, 1824 in Nur-

mijärvi, Finland, to the family of a tailor named Erik

Stenvall. Aleksis began using the pen name Kivi in

1860 when he publlished his play Kullervo. (The Swe-

dish word stenvall means “stone bank” and kivi is

“stone” in Finnish.) The family had four sons, of whom

Aleksis was the youngest, one daughter, and a foster

son. He learned to read at age six, and at age 12 was

sent to school in Helsinki, which is what many boys

from the countryside did. In 1859 he was accepted into

the University of Helsinki but financial difficulties

plagued him; the father of a fellow student, Julius

Krohn, paid for his studies because Krohn asked his

father to do so. Kivi suffered from poverty throughout

his life. Some of his student years were spent in his

brother’s house because he could not afford to live on

his own.

Kivi first started writing in the 1840‘s, and from 1863

onwards, devoted all his time to it. Although he was

fluent in Swedish, everything he wrote was in Finnish,

which caused no end of consternation among the liter-

ary elite. Literature at this time was written mainly in

Swedish; Finnish had no official status. He wrote poems

and short stories while he was studying. Altogether he

published 14 books: 12 plays, one collection of poems

and one novel. In 1860 his play Kullervo (based on a

character from The Kalevala), was awarded a prize by

the Finnish Literature Society. His most famous play,

Nummisuutarit (“Cobblers of the Heath”), won a state

prize in 1865 and is still performed in Finnish theaters.

Kivi is mostly noted for his novel Seven Brothers, on

which he worked for about ten years. It is the story of

Juhani, Aapo, Tuomas, Simeoni, Timo, Lauri and Eero,

who lived on a farm named Jukola. Orphaned, and after

an unsuccessful attempt at learning to read, which was

necessary to succeed in their society, they decided to

abandon the farm and move to Impivaara meadow,

where they built themselves a house and lived free of

society’s restrictions. Finally they decided to change

their ways, abandon Impivaara and return to their vil-

lage where they did all learn to read. All of them mar-

ried except Simeoni. It is the story of the brothers’

growth from disobedient rascals to respectable citizens.

Although the committee to whom Kivi presented Seven

Brothers to be published said it would be a great shame

for Finnish literature if it were not published, its release

caused an uproar in the Finnish Literary world. It was

atttacked, especially by the prominent critic August

Ahlqvist, as being “rude” and “crude” for its depiction of

not-so-virtuous rural life, and, of course, because it was in

Finnish. Ahlqvist wanted to make sure that Kivi’s lan-

guage did not become commonly used in Finnish litera-

ture. In a review he wrote “The book is unfortunately

foolish and a disgrace to Finnish literature.”

The less-than-enthusiastic reception of his books took a

toll on Kivi. He began drinking heavily and his health

deteriorated. Among other things, he suffered from schiz-

ophrenia, suspectedly caused by advanced borreliosis

(Lyme disease), which is highly possible since he spent a

great amount of time in the woods as a young man. His

illness began at age twenty. At first his symptoms were a

headache, skin rash and heart palpitations. There were

times when he felt perfectly well; it was during these

times when his writing took place. However his condition

worsened so that he was taken to a clinic in 1871. After

ten months his condition was considered hopeless and he

was taken to his brother’s residence in Tuusula, where he

celebrated Christmas with them, ill as he was. He died six

days later, on New Year’s Eve, 1872. He was 38 years

old.

A friend spoke at Kivi’s grave, saying Finland will keep

his memory alive. He said Finland is proud to have given

birth to such a man and will forever hold him in

high honor. Would that Kivi knew the status in which his

work is now held. Seven Brothers has become one of the

most significant works of Finnish literature, a national

classic, equalled only by The Kalevala. He has become

known as the Finnish national writer.There is a statue of

Aleksis Kivi in front of the Finnish National Theatre in

Helsinki, and other statues of him in Nurmijärvi, Tuusula

and Tampere. An Aleksis Kivi Society was founded in

1941 to uphold interest in Kivi and valuation for his work.

We have several works of Kivi in

our library, including English trans-

lations. You will find them in the

800’s in the Dewey section, be-

cause although they are fiction, we

place them in the section for classi-

cal literature.

Lillian Lehto, Librarian

OCTOBER 2013 FCA NEWS PAGE 8

SCANDINAVIAN BAZAAR

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2013

10 am – 4 pm

Finnish Center Association

35200 W. Eight Mile Road

Farmington Hills, MI 48335

(248) 478-6939 or (734) 834-6085

$1 Donation at the door

Enjoy good Scandinavian food, good music while strolling through

our many crafters and vendors, including hand-woven rugs, Scandinavian imports,

ethnic foods and much more…..

SOCIAL

Our August monthly luncheon was a very pleasant

event. We appreciate the continued support to the FCA

by all those who attend. Remember the next luncheon

on September 25 is $10 unless you have signed up be-

fore Wednesday, September 26.

Many events are being planned for the near future, so I

encourage you to check your newsletter calendar.

The Silent and Live Auction on Saturday, September

28, still needs good used and new items. We have a

truck available for large items. Your donation could be

your personal input for financial support.

Silent Auction is from 11 am - 3:30 pm, with the Live

Auction from 3 - 4 pm. Our own Auctioneer, Freddie

Liimatta gives us much enjoyment and many laughs!

Food will be available from 11 am to 3 pm, a good time

to see all the items and make your choices. Call Lila at

(248) 682-6792 for information.

Lila and Terry Ball

OCTOBER

GIFT SHOP SALE

Come in and check the

uadvertised fall specials.

Hours of operation:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

10 am to 4 pm

POKER ALL STARS

Thank you to the following volunteers at our success-

ful poker nights held at Vision Bowling Lanes,

Westland September 1-5.

Aliisa Hatten, Bruce Mikko, Charlette Lytikainen,

Cortland Book, David Sharpe, Frank Gottberg, Helena

Hatten, John Saarinen, Lois Makee, Mark Rikkonen,

Marlene Ruuskanen, Nancy Sannar, Neil Manley,

Norbert Leppanen and Paul Rajala.

There will be another poker event on October 7-10.

We need more FCA member volunteers for these fund

raising events.

Gene Belttari (734) 416-8644

email [email protected]



FINNISH AMERICAN SINGERS

October resumes introductions to individual FASM singers with alto Nancy Kashani as the focus.

Nancy grew up in Livonia, attending public schools, taking particular advantage of their instrumental

and vocal music programs. Singing in choirs from 4th grade on, at Frost Middle School she was a

member of the Tudor Singers under the direction of FASM’s current director, Hank Naasko, and in

the Select Choir at Bentley High for 2 years. At 4 years, piano lessons initiated her instrumental ex-

periences, but soon she was “bored” with the “baby” music and wouldn’t practice! In 5th grade clari-

net was the instrument she chose, switching to bass clarinet in 7th and contra alto clarinet in 9th grade.

High school stage band added another reed instrument – tenor sax, with the bass clarinet for march-

ing band.

After high school, Nancy said she “sang at Koster’s, a bar on 8 Mile near Telegraph, with an old pi-

ano player named Jimmy. "I did requests for the patrons and he got good tips that way. I just loved

singing!” She also sang with a wedding band the first year after she was married and sang and

played hand bells at her church in Royal Oak before she moved to Plymouth. Nancy owns 2 guitars,

a piano, 2 clarinets, a tenor sax, bass clarinet, soprano, alto and tenor recorders, as well as a “host” of

harmonicas. She is a generous supporter for the tenor through soprano voices in FASM with a special

musical ability and willingness to help where needed.

Despite such facility in both vocal and instrumental music, Nancy’s educational focus in high school

and college was languages. She got a personal chance to practice her fluency in Spanish when she

was chosen at age 15 to represent the Girl Scouts for the Midwest Region at a Caban᷉a in Mexico

with scouts from around the world. She went to San Antonio, Texas, first for orientation and to meet

her “group”, then on to Mexico and 2 days with a Mexican host family. Due to schedule conflicts in

her senior year at Bentley, she had to abandon music to take French and the advanced Spanish class,

winning the Spanish award that year. Her mother was ill frequently that period as well, so her only

“outside “activity was her job at Alfred Noble Library. Attending Marygrove College, she earned an

associate’s degree in Spanish and French, receiving American Translator Association certificates for

both along with being inducted into a Spanish Honor Society. At age 40, German beckoned, and she

found that although she could read it, her ability to verbalize and respond was slow. She thought

maybe her short-term memory had gotten “too short!”

Another talent of Nancy’s is her ability to fix thing and figure out problems with mechanical objects.

She parlayed that into a bachelor’s degree at Oakland Community College in business and computers

with additional classes at Schoolcraft College and New Horizons in computers and computer

graphics. Her current job is in the computer field. When asked about her extra-curricular activities,

Nancy said she was very active in Girl Scouts, both as a scout and as a leader. She worked on the

school newspaper for a couple of semesters. Now, in addition to singing with the FASM along with

her sister Karen Gasinski, she is our primary music librarian, and “gets her band on” by playing bass

clarinet with the Plymouth Community Band and the Belleville Community Band.

Thank you for letting us get to know you a little better, Nancy.

Readers, join Nancy and the rest of FASM Monday evenings at 7 pm. There's always room for new

singers! (You do not have to be experienced to contribute to the group.)

Katy Koskela, Singers’ Scribe


FINLAND TODAY

First, Microsoft buys Nokia. The U.S. software giant, Microsoft, has bought the cell phone manu-

facturing and services division of Finland's Nokia for about $7.5 billion. That also means that 32,000 Nokia

workers woldwide, including 4,700 in Finland, will become Microsoft employees. Under the terms of the

deal, Microsoft will get the "Asha" and "Lumia" brand names that Nokia has used on its intermediate and

smart phones. Nokia will retain the "Nokia" name, but will license its use on the handsets for the next ten

years. Nokia will retain its infrastructure manufacturing (NSN), its "HERE" mapping divisions, and the Ad-

vanced Research division. When Stephen Elop, a former Microsoft executive, took over the CEO job at

Nokia in September of 2010, I predicted that Nokia is going to be bought by Microsoft. Then in January of

2011, when Elop announced that Nokia is going to dump its Sympian operating system and replace it with

the Microsoft system, I thought the take-over would happen within a year. But, it took two and a half

years. The sale of Nokia's handset division was hard for many Finns to believe. Four years ago, Nokia was

the largest cellphone manufacturer in the world. The saying was "as goes Nokia, so goes Finland." It's a sad

day for the Finns to have to acknowledge that the once-mighty Nokia and its widespread handset business is

no more. Perhaps a quote by Antti Vilpponen, the general manager of a cloud hosting company, Upcloud,

says it best: "Nokia's catastrophe may be a good opportunity for Finland-we're a nation that tends to get

stronger the heavier we're kicked between the legs."

The World Economic Forum has again published its annual Global Competitive Index. Finland is in a famil-

iar spot, third place. In the top spot is again Switzerland, for the 5th year in a row, followed by Singa-

pore. Following Finland in 4th place is Germany, the U.S. in 5th, followed by Sweden, Hong Kong, Nether-

lands, Japan, and in 10th place, the United Kingdom. Among the items that the Forum looks at is: transpar-

ency of institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomics, health and education, labor market efficiency, innova-

tion, and technological readiness. Finland was the top country in transparency of public institutions, health,

and in primary and secondary education. The report says of Finland that the "country boasts well-functioning

and highly transparent public institutions and seems to be among the best-run and most ethical in the world.

The report also praises Finland's workforce by saying that, "Finland has a workforce with skills needed to

adapt rapidly to a changing environment and has laid the groundwork for high levels of innova-

tion, allowing Finland to become a highly competitive economy." This year there were 148 countries in the

report.

The Finnish elevator and escalator company, Kone, has won the contract to build 108 elevators and 57 esca-

lators at Dazhongli, a luxury mixed-use development in Shanghai, China. Dazhongli is expected to become a

landmark business, leisure, and entertainment venue in China's most populous city. Says Peter Johnson, Ex-

ecutive Vice President for Kone in Greater China: "We are excited to deliver our People Flow Solutions to

this major project in the heart of Shanghai's commercial and cultural hub. The smooth flow of people will be

of great importance at this busy new site, and our solutions will enable it to be as eco-efficient as possible."

Is there straw in dat der diesel? Well, I don't know of straw in the diesel, but the diesel could be made from

straw. Neste Oil and Raisioagro are investigating the potential of using straw as a raw material for producing

renewable diesel fuel. The project will study the practical questions involved in collecting straw under differ-

ent conditions, how efficiently it can be done, and various quality-related issues. Says Lars Peter Lind-

fors, Neste Oil's Senior Vice-President of Technology: "Microbial oil produced from industrial and agricul-

tural residues such as straw, is one of our potential future feed stocks for producing renewable diesel. We

have already tested the use of straw for producing microbial oil at our pilot plant in Porvoo and the results

have been promising."

(continued on page 3)

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