Part1 - USAsuomeksi

FINLANDIA FOUNDATION
FLORIDA NEWS
Finlandia Foundation® Florida Chapter
PO Box 210,
[email protected]
Lake Worth, FL 33460
www.finlandiafoundationfl.us
U.S.A.
www.facebook.com/finfl
January, 2012
Finlandia Foundation Florida
Chapter Scholarships
FFN Grants and Scholarships
Grants are awarded for non-profit cultural, educational,
artistic or scientific projects of local or national significance.
Scholarships are awarded to fulltime undergraduate
(sophomore or higher) and graduate students enrolled in
an accredited post-secondary institution. Requirements:
A 3.0 GPA and U.S./Finnish citizenship. Financial need
and course of study are considered. Special consideration:
Students studying subjects related to Finnish culture.
Full guidelines and applications are available on
www.FinlandiaFoundation.org
Send FFN grant and scholarship applications
until February 1, 2012 to:
Finlandia Foundation National
P.O. Box 92298, Pasadena, CA 91109-2298
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: (626)795-6533
Happy New Year!
Onnellista Uutta Vuotta 2012!
Salolampi Adult Week
For the past several years the Finlandia Foundation and the Florida
Chapter have provided scholarships for school age children to go
to Salolampi language camp. But Salolampi also has an adult week
in the Spring and Fall where one can immerse oneself in the Finnish culture and Finnish Language.
I attended the September session of Salolampi camp near Bemidgi,
Minnesota and was joined by 34 participants from parts of the
U.S., Canada and France. Their ages ranged from 27 years to 92
years and their reasons for attending were just as varied. My elderly cabin mates were from the Detroit area and were fluent in
Finnish so I asked them why they attended Salolampi? They responded that they wanted to be in a community where Finnish is
spoken. Two of the participants, one from Canada and the other
from France, were not Finns but wanted very much to learn the
Finnish language. There was a family of six from Maryland who
desired to learn the language, but more importantly, wanted to be
immersed in the Finnish culture. They live in an area where there
are not many Finns. Only four of the 34 participants were first timers and the remainder of our group had been to Salolampi many
times previously. One of fellow camper was from Arlington, VA
and this was her 12th visit to Salolampi.
The first few days in the northwood's were unseasonably warm
and many of the campers enjoyed the sauna on the lake followed
by swim. For us less hardy campers there was also an indoor
sauna. What was the week at Salolampi like? Each morning after
breakfast we sang Finnish folks song followed by Maamme, the
Finnish national anthem. There were three hours of classroom
lecture during the course of the day as well as many opportunities
to converse in Finnish outside the classroom. Fellow camper and
Canadian concert cellist gave an impassioned lecture on Sibelius
and his music. He also demonstrated to us how to prepare
'karjalanpiirakoita'. What I also found amazing was that 'Heikki'
was one of the non-Finns who has made frequent visits to Salolampi.
The cost of attending Salolampi is quite reasonable. Total cost
which included room and board was only $600. I would encourage
others to escape to the beautiful northwoods of Minnesota for an
educational week of fun, friendship and camaraderie.
Bea Haapanen
Thanks to the active members of the
FFFC, this fall was a very happy one. The
year began in October with an excellent
presentation by Ms. Anita Smiley, the
President of FFN, which was enthusiastically received by the abundant audience.
Our Charity Gala on November 18, 2011
was a real success with almost 200 guests at the Hilton Airport
Hotel in West Palm Beach. As a result of the generous support
by our many sponsors and the proceeds from the evening's exciting raffle that offered many attractive prizes, FFFC is now able
to provide more scholarships than ever and arrange many cultural programs to fulfill the goals of supporting and preserving
the precious Finnish culture in the United States.
I get a little emotional when writing about this. It is a great
honor for me to be part of FFFC.
Our first Newsletter in September dealt with various individual
visions of Finland. Since Finland is such an active and important
part of the European Union we have chosen “Finland in the
European context” as the theme in this issue. We are including
an article by Alexander Stubb, Minister for European Affairs and
Foreign Trade, from the political and economic point of view.
Also in this issue Member of Parliament Dr.Paivi Lipponen discusses Finnish culture in the European context. Dr. Lipponen's
elegant style demands printing the article in Finnish. This is also
the case with the article by journalist Pekka Aukia, who has
been a tourist pastor in Lake Worth. His article is an individual
view of Finland in the European Union. (I promise to translate
both articles for our Web site and Facebook.)
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me by
phone, 561 752-1066, or email: [email protected]
Kaarina Langeland
Finlandia Foundation Gala breaks tradition in many ways
The Finlandia Foundation Florida Chapter broke with tradition this year in choosing the
venue for its annual Charity Gala. Rather than return to Benvenuto, the venue for the past
several years, the board instead decided to return after 10 years to the completely renovated and glamorous Airport Hilton Hotel.
NEWSLETTER DESIGN AND PRINTING BY TIMO VAINIONPAAA / USASUOMEKSI.COM
Scholarships are available to our members and their
children (Florida residents):
One $1000 scholarship will be awarded to a fulltime undergraduate (sophomore or higher) or graduate student enrolled in an post-secondary institution in the USA or in
Finland.
The student must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
The application must include in addition to personal information list of current and previous institutions of higher
education, prior education (degrees received). proposed
field of study/major, description of proposed study or research program, month and year of current study beginning
and month and year of current study ending.
Two Scholarships (supported by FFN) for children from
7-18 years of age at Salolampi Village include Finnish language and culture immersion program in June-July 2012
during one-week session (tuition, food, lodging, and instruction).
Application forms are available at: www.salolampi.org/
village/youthscholarships.html. Fill the form as much as you
can at this stage. In case there are no applicants for youth
scholarships to Suomikyla, one scholarship of $600 will be
awarded to an adult member.
The deadline to all these scholarships is February 1, 2012.
Please send your application to: Kaarina Langeland
300 NE 26th Ave, Bldg 10, #303, Boynton Beach, FL33435
Phone:561 752 1066, e-mail: [email protected]
President’s Message
Attendance was impressive, with almost 200 paid admissions. Both the lower price per ticket
FFFC was able to charge and the new, luxurious venue account for the good attendance. The
energetic efforts of the board members and individual members in selling tickets contributed
as well to making the evening a success.
The program began with champagne and hors d’oeuvre
donated by Hilton and the music of Joe Spitale, followed by
FFFC President Kaarina Langeland's welcome address and
then the delicious dinner. Consul Peter Makila opened the
after-dinner program with his comments about both FFFC
and Finlandia Foundation National, of which he is a board
member. We were reminded that Jean Sibelius himself was
the first patron of FF. The current patron is Esa-Pekka Salonen. Minister-Counselor Ann-Sofie Stude, representing
the Embassy of Finland, also addressed the crowd, commenting on the important role Finlandia Foundation plays
in fostering Finnish culture in the U.S. A.
Highlight of the evening was the performance by baritone Sauli Tiilikainen, one of the most popular and best opera singers in Finland. His abundant repertoire included music from opera and
operetta to Finnish tango and his showmanship enlivened the event.
Page 2
Finlandia Foundation Florida News
Finland in the European context, Alexander Stubb
Europe is facing unprecedented challenges
We are entering a period during which Finland, Europe and
the whole western world will have to adjust to a transformation of the world economy and international politics.
This transformation has proved to be more difficult and
more swift than we believed a year or two ago.
The debt crisis of the western world is even a more acute
question that has become a massive problem dominating
the political agenda. Both in the euro zone and in the
United States the political system has been unable to stop
further indebtedness.
In Europe, the prolonged debts crisis already affects the
international standing of the EU and the image of the Union. Economic vulnerability has a direct effect on how
Europe can defend its interests in international politics.
How and when we can stabilize our public economies is
therefore crucial for the Union.
The debt crisis of the EU has two types of effects. The crisis
has undermined the solidarity of the member states and it
has boosted inward-looking political forces in many member states. On the other hand, economic policy coordination in the euro area and in the whole EU is being tightened
significantly. Reinforcing coordination is long-standing Finnish goal. The debt crisis can only be solved with a comprehensive approach that in addition to crisis packages creates
discipline and growth.
How does Finland relate to all this? The financial crisis and
the subsequent development of foreign trade remind us of
the fact that Finland has a particular interest in avoiding a
global recession and a more generalized crisis of the euro
area. As you may remember, in 2009 the total output in
Finland fell by 8 per cent and our exports by 20 per cent. If
the world economy goes down around us, we go down with
it.
The rapid growth of prosperity in Finland in recent decades
has been based on openness, international cooperation and
problem-solving together with other countries. This is the
long-term strategy of Finnish foreign and economic policy
that is not outdated. Finland looks very different from the
early 1970s before the EEC free trade agreement, the EU
and the euro.
The debt crisis and the problems of the world economy
have polarized the political debate in Finland. And like in
many other European countries, this polarization has
moved to a new level.
The dividing line between the Left and the Right has lost its
significance and it has partly been replaced by a new division.
Internationalism, openness and
tolerance are now challenged by
nationalism, inward-looking and
xenophobia. Peter Spiegel, a columnist with the Financial Times, hit the
nail on the head when he described
this setting as the gulf between the
“globalists” and the “localists”.
We cannot afford to turn inwards
now. Openness and the ability to
operate in the world economy is
the air we breathe.
Alexander Stubb
Minister for European Affairs and
Foreign Trade
FF Performer of the Year: Maria Kizirian
The Finlandia Foundation Performer of the
Year Maria Kizirian,
born Voutilainen, is a
Finnish-American
si n g er / son g wri te r/
producer and multiinstrumentalist. She
started playing violin
at the age of 4, piano
at 8, and finally, singing in her early teens. Throughout high school, she was courted by
Finnish record executives, but ultimately signed with EMI Finland
soon after high school.
Maria’s path in music was headed straight up, with the release of
her album, “OlipaKerran.” But she married an American, with whom
she came to California. While in the US, Maria has landed a large fan
base, radio play across America, and media attention in several
countries in Europe and America. She has also traveled to many
countries for her music, including Asia.
Maria has extensive performance experience, and recently performed at FinnFest 2011. She has also performed at the 2010 Finnish Independence Day Gala at the Consulate General in Los Angeles.
Maria is the “Music Expert” at the World’s largest modeling agency,
“The Network” – who are in production for their own TV show,
“Remodeled,” to be aired in 2012 on the CW network. Her purpose
is to guide aspiring models who have musical aspirations.
Maria also is a landlord in South Central Los Angeles, where she and
husband Paul work to improve dignity in housing for the disadvantaged.
We are looking forward to Maria’s concert at Kerhotalo in March.
January 2012
Page 5
Steve Lehto, Author of Shortcut
Author Steve Lehto Digs Deep into Michigan's
Copper Country Mining History
The killing in cold blood of two mine workers
whose offense was cutting across private property; the wanton, villainous murder of scores
of Finnish children and adults at a 1913 Christmas celebration; the framing of a Finnish union leader in another murder ... this is the milieu that Steve Lehto has investigated and
chronicled in his books Death's Door: The Italian Hall Disaster, and Shortcut: The Seeberville Murders and the Dark
Side of the American Dream.
In his abundantly illustrated presentation on Death's Door for FFFC last
year, Steve Lehto told the story of the Finnish people -- most of them
children -- who died in the stampede at the Italian Hall in Calumet,
Michigan. The deadly crush was caused by the false alarm shouted
anonymously into the crowded gathering on the second floor of the
building.
Calumet was then the setting of long and bitter strike by copper miners against the mining interests whose greed governed their lives. One
of the more revealing details Lehto included in his presentation was
that, however severely a miner might have been maimed or even killed
in a mine accident, because the next day's train brought more immigrants, many of them Finns, eager to wield a pick or shovel in the
mines, the practice of adequately shoring up the mine tunnels with
heavy timbers was considered an unnecessary cost. There would always be replacements for the dead and injured.
Lee Alperin: Lecture on the Jews of Finland
There will be a lecture on the Jews of Finland
to be given at the Boynton Beach Jewish Community Center, 8500 Jog Road, February 16,
2012 at 2:00 PM. Finlandia Foundation
member Lee Alperin is offering the presentation in conjunction with Juha Makipaa.
The Jews of Finland were not many, but their
presence during World War II caused Finland
to stand its ground in protecting their safety.
During the period of the Holocaust most nations could not save their Jews from destruction and often aided the
Nazis in sending Jews to death camps. Lee Alperin will present his research into how Finland was able to preserve its Jewish citizens though
under pressure to surrender them into German hands. This aspect of
the Holocaust has remained little known in the United States and generated virtually no publicity here and abroad.
All members of Finlandia Foundation are invited to attend this presentation.
Lehto's new book, Shortcut,
continues the saga, relating the
story of two miners callously
shot by a property owner for
walking across his lot. The unfortunate pair were easy victims: They were miners involved in a strike organized by
the Finnish leaders of a miners'
union whose membership was
predominantly Finnish. The
principal witness to the crime was a Finnish woman,
Lisa Mutka. In those days, it was apparently open season on immigrant labor seeking to improve working and
living conditions for themselves and their families.
In neighboring Painesdale, Michigan, another two workers died when someone shot into a boarding house.
and the man convicted of the shooting (framed in Lehto's view), was also a Finn, John Huhta. The evidence of
Huhta's innocence is so compelling that, in 2013, the
100th anniversary of the Copper Country Strike, Lehto
plans to petition the governor of Michigan to pardon
Huhta during FinnFest, which is scheduled to be held in
Hancock, Michigan.
If circumstances permit, Steve Lehto will talk about
Shortcut at an FFFC meeting in early 2012. At that
meeting, as in the book, he will identify the individual
whose false cry of "Fire!" caused the Italian Hall disaster.
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