Premier Magazine PH Vol. 2 - Issue 4 April 2022 Finland Special Issue by Premier Digital Life

Pr emier SAPERE AUDE ISSN2799-0702 Vol. 2.4 APRIL, 2022 ISSUE

ABOUT THE COVER

Creativty and Innovation. We worked around these theme concepts as we have thought about diverting our reader's attention from devastating stories to inspiring ones. We can't think of a perfect place anywhere else but in the comfort of art and its many forms. Searching for a place that is more peaceful...a happy place. A country like Finland. Tove Jansson (1914?2001) was a Finnish writer and artist whose illustrated books for children, and fiction for adults, have become famous throughout the world. She is best known as the creator of the Moomin stories for children ? as well as the Moomin comic strips and picture books that followed ? and for The Summer Book, a novel widely considered a classic of Nordic fiction. Yet she excelled in many different literary and artistic forms, achieving early fame as a promising young painter and cartoonist, and, later, as the author of novels and short stories, poems, and plays for radio and theatre. She even wrote songs. Tove Jansson?s approach to work, just like her approach to life, was wholehearted and vital. She would strive for originality and freshness, creating prose and pictures imbued with colors, a talent for storytelling, and values that were both humane and inclusive. Her love of nature is a constant theme, especially of the sea that surrounded the Finnish island where she spent her summers. Tove Marika Jansson was born on August 9, 1914, and died on June 27, 2001. Her grave is situated at Hietaniemi cemetery in Helsinki, Finland.

Tove Jansson illustrated several ex-libris, or bookplates, that were meant to reflect an essential aspect of herself. In 1947, she illustrated an ex-libris 6 x 9 cm in size, containing several of her central motifs: a Moomin troll, the zodiac sign Leo, a woman?s body, the sun, the sea, flowers, and Ancient Greek stone columns. There is a burning heart in the center of the design and below it is the writing ?Labora et Amare?, a slightly misspelled version of the slogan ?to work and love?. In the sixties, Tove Jansson created simpler versions of her ex-libris bookplates ? one depicted depicting the sea, another a leafless tree trunk against a sunset. Tove Jansson?s mother, Ham, also illustrated bookplates and made one for Tove out of her initials. Background photo: Lapland, Finland by Ethan Hu

Ex libris is Latin for ?from the library of.?Ex libris, also known as a bookplate, is used to indicate ownership and is often printed, stamped or labeled on the inside front or back cover of a book. © Moomin Characters?

New Länsiterminaali 2 - West Terminal 2, Tyynenmerenkatu, Helsinki, Finland ©Tom Brunberg

Welcome to your happy place!

IN THIS ISSUE

There is a saying that humans have three faces, which means that the first face is what you show to strangers that you come across. The second face is what you show to those you love such as your close family and friends. The third face is what you show only to yourself. This is the truest representation of you. One of the many challenges in coming up with unique content is not only about what readers like to read but to present something familiar that shows a fresh insight through a different eye. Perhaps, Europeans may somehow be interested in knowing how Asians view them as a culture and as a race. Based on what we have come up with, we are almost certain that there are more similarities among us as a people than there are differences. Or perhaps, it's just me. (For a while there, I was quite sure, I thought I might have Finnish blood.) 2022 is Finland's fifth straight year to be named the World's Happiest Country and for very important reasons. According to the World Happiness Report, they consistently scored high due to six key variables to measure happiness differences: ?income, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on in times of trouble, generosity, freedom, and trust, with the latter measured by the absence of corruption in business and government.? Although we have varying views on the subject, our interest took us further to learn if the possibility of being happy depends on a particular place and if so, is it the key to the joy we have all been seeking? Coffee. Books. Art. Santa. Deer. Dogs. Bear. Sauna. The Aurora Borealis Education. The youngest female Prime Minister and to top it all, privacy and silence. Although they had me at Coffee, there is still so much more to Finland and the Finns. Let's explore the answer to all our why's together, shall we? The Publisher

"ANYWAY, SOLITARY PEOPLE INTEREST ME. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING SOLITARY.' 'I KNOW JUST W HAT YOU MEAN,' SAID X. 'I KNOW EXACTLY W HAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY. DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOLITUDE. ENFORCED SOLITUDE AND VOLUNTARY SOLITUDE.' 'QUITE,' SAID VIKTORIA. 'THERE'S NO NEED TO GO INTO IT FURTHER. BUT W HEN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER W ITHOUT SPEAKING, IT CAN OFTEN LEAVE THEM W ITH VERY LITTLE TO TALK ABOUT, DON'T YOU THINK?" - TOVE JANSSON

The new depart ures and arrivals building of Helsinki Airport comprises t wo dist inct volumes; t he first one defined by it s wooden ceiling, t he second by it s blue color. In addit ion to t he depart ures and arrivals halls, t he building cont ains a mult imodal t ravel center and t he areas for securit y cont rol, customs and baggage reclaim. As t he new building connect s direct ly to t he airport ?s old terminal 2 building, it follow s t he t radit ional logic of separat ing t he flow s of depart ing and arriving passengers onto different levels. The project t hat st arted w it h a design compet it ion launched in 2016, has been built according to t he BREEAM Excellent st andards as one of t he first alliance project s in Finland ? successfully w it hin t he given t imeframe and budget , and w it h t he airport remaining fully funct ional t hroughout const ruct ion. For years, architect s have aimed at creat ing illusions of flying and of overall light ness w it h t heir designs for terminal roofs and ceilings. This is t rue also at Helsinki Airport ? t he ceilings of t he older const ruct ion phases are seemingly light weight and tectonic. Even t he ceiling of t he new depart ures hall plays w it h t he concept of light ness but except ionally combines t he light ness w it h ext reme weight . The use of steel st ruct ures has enabled t he const ruct ion of bot h t he column-free depart ures hall and t he massive ent rance canopy. These st ruct ures are hidden inside t he t hick ceiling toget her w it h t he air handling unit s. The t hickness is not iceable w hen looking at t he deep recess of t he skylight in t he

The plast icit y of t he overall form however makes t he ceiling seem as if it w as float ing in t he air. Just like t he sight of a jumbo jet t aking off, it defies common sense. middle of t he depart ures hall or t he glass facades of t he building.

The first t hing t he arriving passengers see after having passed t hrough customs, is t he Luoto nat ure diorama, a freeform inst allat ion w it h living t rees, shrubs, and stones in a large cor-ten planter. The diorama combines t he characterist ics of Finnish nat ure w it h Japanese garden art . It is also visible from t he upper depart ures level t hrough t he diamond-shaped opening in t he middle of t he check-in area. W hereas w hen looking up t hrough t he opening, t he arriving passengers w ill see bot h t he spruce ceiling and t he blue sky visible t hrough t he skylight above. This solut ion has led to daylight reaching all t he w ay to t he smallest shrubs.

One of t he main goals of t he project , in addit ion to improving t he airport ?s overall funct ionalit y and t he passenger experience, w as to bring advent ure and romance back to air t ravel. The airport now offers a perfect set t ing for bot h goodbye kisses and welcoming hugs.

NAME: Helsinki Airport terminal 2 expansion TYPE: Invited competition, 2016-2017, 1st prize, followed by a design commission STATUS: Expansion built, modification of the old terminal in progress LOCATION: Helsinki International Airport, Vantaa, Finland CLIENT: Finavia PROGRAM:43,000 m² of new construction, 35,000 m² of renovations and modifications TEAM IN IMPLEMENTATION PHASE:ALA partners Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki and Samuli Woolston with Harri Ahokas, Samuel Albert, Ricardo Cruz Recalde, Franziska Dalheimer, David Gallo, Harri Humppi, Mette Kahlos, Lotta Kindberg, Felix Laitinen, Owen Lambert, Franklin Min, Chris Morris, Rachel Murray, Kirsti Paloheimo, Olli Parviainen, Niina Rinkinen, Pauliina Rossi, Jorge Rovira, Heikki Ruoho, Mikael Rupponen, Mirja Sillanpää, Pekka Sivula, Tom Stevens, Haïfa Taboubi, Pekka Tainio, Onni Takkunen, Markku Uimonen, Camila Urrego, Tora Hay Walseng, Huopu Zhang and Erica Österlund TEAM IN COMPETITION PHASE:ALA partners Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki and Samuli Woolston with Pauliina Rossi, Harri Ahokas, Petri Herrala, Lotta Kindberg, David Gallo, Rachel Murray, Kirsti Paloheimo, Olli Parviainen, Mikael Rupponen, Pekka Sivula and Pekka Tainio COLLABORATORS: SRV Construction (main contractor), HKP Architects (architect partner: terminal renovation, new parking facility, a new connection to the railway station), Ramboll Finland (structural and services engineering, traffic planning), Gravicon (BIM coordination), VIZarch (renderings), Mir (renderings), Brick Visual (renderings) PHOTOS: Tuomas Uusheimo, Marc Goodwin

PRINCIPALS SAM ULI WOOLSTON, JUHO GRÖNHOLM AND ANTTI NOUSJOKI, PHOTO: TUOM AS UUSHEIM O

Meet t he Architect s

ALA Architect s specializes in demanding public and cult ural buildings, unique renovat ion project s, st at ion design and master planning. The Helsinki?based firm w as founded in 2005 by four part ners: Juho Grönholm, Ant t i Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirt a and Samuli Woolston after w inning t he 1st prize in t he open internat ional compet it ion for t he new t heater and concert hall in Krist iansand, Norw ay. Kilden Performing Art s Cent re opened in 2012. Today, ALA is run by Grönholm, Nousjoki and Woolston, and in addit ion to t hem employs 42 architect s, interior designers, st udent s and st aff members, represent ing 15 nat ionalit ies. ALA?s most recent completed project s are t he new depart ures and arrivals building of Helsinki Airport , t he Helsinki Cent ral Library Oodi, Saukonlait uri parking facilit y, Court yard by Marriot t Tampere Cit y hotel and t he renovat ion of t he Finnish Embassy in New Delhi. Our current project s include t hree subw ay st at ions along t he second leg of t he western extension of Helsinki Met ro, an event s center in Kot ka, a universit y library just out side Lyon, and t he expansion of t he Estonian Business School in Tallinn, as well as t he restorat ion of Villa Lante in Rome. In addit ion to having designed major public buildings in Finland and abroad, t he part ners have t aught architect ure in Finland, and at Columbia Universit y and Washington Universit y in St . Louis?Helsinki Internat ional Semester. In 2012 t hey received t he prest igious Finnish St ate Prize for Architect ure. ALA seeks fresh angles, flow ing forms and surprising solut ions. We t rust in beaut y achieved by combining t he int uit ive and t he analyt ical, t he pract ical and t he ext ravagant , t he rat ional and t he irrat ional.

Angel ?Pot ski? Alvarez Named President of ibex Philippines

WASHINGTON and MANILA, Philippines, April 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSW IRE) -- ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), a leading global provider of business process out sourcing (BPO) and customer engagement technology solut ions, recent ly announced t hat Angel ?Pot ski? Alvarez has been appointed President of ibex Philippines. In t his key leadership posit ion, Alvarez w ill build on t he success ibex Philippines has achieved since he joined t he company in 2017 as Senior Vice President of Operat ions and Philippine Count ry Manager. Under Alvarez?s leadership, ibex has grow n from 7,000 employees in 2017 to more t han 10,000 today and has doubled t he number of ibex cont act centers in t he Philippines to eight , including t he launch of t he first major call center in Bohol in August 2019. Alvarez spearheaded effort s t hat improved employee engagement , performance, and recognit ion; promoted diversit y and inclusion; and drove annual revenue by double digit s. ?I am proud to recognize t he t remendous impact Pot ski has made on t he ibex team in t he Philippines and delighted to name him President of our Philippines operat ions,? said ibex CEO Bob Dechant . ?Thanks to t he out st anding effort s and dedicat ion of our amazing team in t he Philippines and Pot ski?s leadership, our employee engagement and client performance are second to none. We also set t he gold st andard for employee and customer sat isfact ion based on how we operated during t he pandemic, not just w it hin ibex but across t he BPO market in t he Philippines. Our COVID educat ion and vaccinat ion programs enabled us to reach a 97 percent vaccinat ion rate for our team in t he Philippines, w hich helped ensure t he healt h and safet y of our agent s and t heir families.? ibex Cares, t he company?s global philant hropic program, has made a significant impact on several communit ies in t he Philippines. Most recent ly, ibex employees across t he count ry came toget her to raise more t han $100,000 in support for vict ims of Super Typhoon Odet te. ibex matched t hat cont ribut ion, donat ing an addit ional $100,000 in aid. These funds went to ibex team members and t heir families in Bohol w ho suffered cat ast rophic losses to t heir homes and personal belongings. Alvarez is a BPO veteran w it h more t han 20 years of experience. Before ibex, Alvarez held operat ions and client services roles at Convergys, St ream Global Services, and eTelecare Global Solut ions. He began his career as a call center agent in 1998. About ibex ibex delivers innovat ive business process out sourcing (BPO), smart digit al market ing, online acquisit ion technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solut ions to help companies acquire, engage, and ret ain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consist ing of 34 operat ions facilit ies around t he world, w hile deploying next-generat ion technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of t he world?s leading companies across ret ail, e-commerce, healt hcare, fintech, ut ilit ies, and logist ics.

HELSINKI CENTRAL LIBRARY OODI

The ult imate goal of t he architect ...is to create a paradise. Every house, every product of architect ure... should be a fruit of our endeavour to build an eart hly paradise for people. - Alvar Aalto

A view from under the Central Library Oodi canopy to the Parliament House and the Helsinki Music Centre Photo by: Tuomas Uusheimo

From the airport to the library. The same group of architects, one admirable city- Helsinki.

Did you know t hat t here are 738 main and branch libraries in Finland? Libraries are accessible to all and t he Finnish system of municipal libraries is based on high-qualit y internat ional st andards.

Central Library Oodi, 3rd Floor Helsinki, Finland Photo by : Ninaras

Central Library Oodi Helsinki, Finland Photo by : Phil Aicken

HELSINKI CENTRAL LIBRARY OODI The Helsinki Central Library Oodi, commonly referred to as Oodi, is a public library in Helsinki, Finland. The library is situated in the Kluuvi district, close to Helsinki Central Station and next to Helsinki Music Centre and the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. As one of Finland's key centennial projects in 2018, the total cost of the futuristic public library was 98 million euros. It currently has 100,000 books. Most of the spaces at Oodi are free of charge, while a fee is charged for booking the larger event spaces. You can reserve a space or workstation through the City of Helsinki's space reservation system ,Varaamo.

The design of Oodi grow s from t he dynamic bet ween t he site and t he goals of t he library program. The key concept is t he interplay bet ween t he building?s t hree individual floors. The public plaza in front of t he building cont inues inside t he building, merging w it h a cat alog of meet ing and experience feat ures. The ground floor is a robust , busy, and frequent ly updated space suit able for quick visit s and w alkt hroughs. The act ive, zero-t hreshold public spaces are visible, at t ract ive, underst andable, and welcoming to all visitors. The t radit ional, serene library at mosphere can be found on t he top floor. This is a calm and contemplat ive area float ing above t he busy cent ral Helsinki. It offers unobst ructed, majest ic view s o t he surrounding park and cit yscape. These t wo cont rast ing spaces t hat perfect ly complement each ot her, are created by an arching wooden volume. The spaces inside t he volume are enclosed and more int imate. The wooden volume is st retched vert ically to create connect ions to t he open main floors below and above. - ALA.fin For more informat ion, visit : ht t ps:/ / w w w.oodihelsinki.fi/ en/

Central Library Oodi top floor Photo by: Tuomas Uusheimo

You must be wondering what led us to the library. Well, Finland wouldn't be a happy place without their books. The culture of learning is taken very seriously here, thus, they also hold the title of having the best if not one of the best educational systems in the world. The annual Best Countries Report, conducted by US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the W harton School of the University of Pennsylvania, reserves an entire section for education. The report surveys thousands of people across 78 countries, then ranks those countries based on the survey's responses. The education portion of the survey compiles scores from three equally-weighted attributes: a well-developed public education system, would consider attending university there, and provides top-quality education. As of 2021, the top ten countries based on education rankings are: 2021 Countries with the Best Educational Systems The United States The United Kingdom Germany Canada France Switzerland Japan Australia Sweden The Netherlands worldpopulationreview.com

It's also worthwhile to note that while the Best Countries study is certainly respectable, other studies use different methodologies or emphasize different criteria, which often leads to different results. For example, the Global Citizens for Human Rights' annual study measures ten levels of education from early childhood enrollment rates to adult literacy. Its final 2020 rankings look a bit different:

Countries with the Best Educational Systems 2020 Global Citizens for Human Rights Denmark Finland Japan Canada Sweden Germany Israel The Netherlands Singapore South Korea

worldpopulationreview.com

Central Library Oodi, Middle Floor Photo by: Iwan Baan

W hat is t he World Top 20 Educat ion Poll? The World Top 20 Education Poll provides annual international rankings of the top 20 education systems out of 209 nations. Each country?s ranking is based on five educational levels: early-childhood enrollment rates, Elementary Math, Science, and Reading scores, Middle-School Math, Science and Reading scores, High School Graduation Rates, and College Graduation rates. Each level consists of ranking the top 20 countries by giving a country 20 points for a first-place rank, 19 for a second-place rank, and so on down to 1 point for a twenty rank. The data is then used to produce the nation?s ranking from a statistical average based on a combined score from all 5 levels. The poll?s statistical data is compiled from 6 international organizations ? the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the United Nation?s Economic and Social Council (UNESCO), The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Study (PIRLS). Then send it to each country's Ministry of Education Department to assure the data is accurate. The World Top 20 Education Poll's mission is to serve as a single body to oversee every child is afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential; by working with nations to strengthen their education system. The poll?s creator, the New Jersey Minority Educational Development (NJMED) organization, is also the programmer for the 100% Graduation Rate Program, which works with the hardest to reach student population, at-risk minority males, in the United States. The 100% Graduation Rate Program raised high school graduation?s by 49% in one of the U.S.'s poorest and most violent cities, Camden, New Jersey, from 1996 to 2006.

The 1st quarter rankings are a preview of the Nation?s Education Systems. Which include: - Early Childhood Enrollment Rates for 3 to 4 year old - Primary Completion for 6 to 11 year old - Lower Secondary Completion for 11 to 14 year old - High School Graduation Rates for 14 to 18-year-old - College Graduation Rates for 18 to 25-year-old - Primary Test Scores for 6 to 11-year-old - Lower Secondary Test Scores for 11 to 14 year old - School Safety Levels for 3 to 25 year old - Out of School Children Ages 3 to 14 years old Adult Illiteracy Levels for 15 year old and up Plus, each nation?s infrastructure as it relates to: Students to Teacher Ratio Free Access to Schools from Early Childhood to Secondary Access to the internet for remote

learninghttps:/ / worldtop20.org/ worldbesteducationsystem

2022 First Quarter Rankings 1. South Korea 2 France 3. The United States 4. Japan 5. Denmark 6. Australia 7. The Netherlands 8. The United Kingdom 9. Sweden 10. Germany 11. Finland 12. Canada 13. Ireland 14. Belgium 15. Switzerland 16. Norway 17. Slovenia 18. Singapore 19. China 20. Latvia

Helsingin keskustakirjasto Oodi, Helsinki, Suomi Terrace of Central Library Oodi, Helsinki Photo by: Tapio Haaja

Central Library Oodi, Middle Floor, Urban Workshop Photo: Iwan Baan

NAM E: Helsin k i Cen t r al Libr ar y Oodi TYPE: Open com pet it ion , 2012-2013, 1st pr ize STATUS: Bu ilt , t h e libr ar y open ed on Decem ber 5, 2018 LOCATION: Helsin k i, Fin lan d CLIENT: Cit y of Helsin k i PROGRAM : Libr ar y f u n ct ion s, gr ou p w or k in g spaces, r ecor din g an d edit in g st u dios, m ak er space, m ovie t h eat er , m u lt i-pu r pose h all, caf é, r est au r an t , 17,100 m ² t ot al TEAM : ALA par t n er s Ju h o Gr ön h olm , An t t i Nou sjok i, Jan n e Ter äsvir t a (u n t il 2015) an d Sam u li Woolst on w it h Nik las M ah lber g, M ich al Bala, M ar in a Diaz Gar cia, Jyr i Esk ola, Zu zan a Hejt m an k ova, An n a Ju h ola, M et t e Kah los, An n iin a Kor t em aa, M algor zat a M u t k ow sk a, Ju st in Ng, Alek si Niem eläin en , M ar lèn e Ober li-Räih ä, Olli Par viain en , An t on Pr am st r ah ler , Ak an k sh a Rat h i, Niin a Rin k in en , Pau liin a Rossi, Heik k i Ru oh o, M ik ael Ru ppon en , M ir ja Sillan pää, M igu el Silva, Pek k a Sivu la, Tom St even s, Tu u lik k i Tan sk a, Nea Tu om in en , Ju ssi Vu or i an d Er ica Öst er lu n d COLLABORATORS: Ram boll CM (pr oject m an ager ), Ram boll Fin lan d/ UK/ Den m ar k (st r u ct u r al en gin eer in g, HVAC), Fin n m ap In f r a & Sipt i In f r a (geo plan n in g), Rejler s Fin lan d (elect r ical en gin eer in g), In sin öör it oim ist o M ar k k u Kau r iala (f ir e saf et y), Gr avicon (BIM coor din at ion ), VIZar ch (r en der in gs), Ar u p (en er gy t ech n ical specialist , m ech an ical en gin eer in g, st r u ct u r al en gin eer in g, an d f acade en gin eer in g in com pet it ion ph ase), Klau s St olt (scale m odels)

CENTRAL LIBRARY OODI GROUND FLOOR, KINO REGINA PHOTO BY: TUOMAS UUSHEIMO

The "Public Library of t he Year" aw ard is presented by t he IFLA (Internat ional Federat ion of Library Associat ions) w it h t he aim of honoring new public libraries. The aw ard is presented to a library somew here in t he world t hat has best managed to combine open and funct ional architect ure w it h creat ive IT solut ions and has included bot h digit al development s and local cult ure. To be eligible for t he aw ard, t he library must be new ly built or located in buildings t hat have not previously been used as a library. The aw ard ceremony w ill t ake place at t he IFLA's annual meet ing, and w it h t he aw ard comes $ 5,000. Systemat ic is t he proud main sponsor of t he aw ard. For more informat ion visit : ifla.org

Oodi Helsinki Cent ral Library, Finland "Public Library of t he Year 2019"

The following six criteria constitute the assessments performed by the international jury: 1. Interaction with the surroundings and local culture: Including how the architecture reflects ? or gives consideration to ? the local culture of the community, how it provides visibility in the urban landscape, and interaction with surrounding buildings and open spaces. Does the library serve as a driver of connections or movements in the urban context? Can the library function as a ?living room?for the community, with access for all? 2. Architectural quality: Including how each space works in terms of functions and logistics. How is the architectural concept implemented and designed on different scales within the building? This is of great importance for how individual spaces within the library affect the people using them. 3. Flexibility: Including how rooms are designed and organized, and how surfaces and the combination of spaces are an inspiration for the users? own activities and support new activities and synergy across various spaces. For example, does the library include maker space facilities for workshops or a stage? Are these used, and if so, how? Can these spaces be easily modified and used for various functions and activities? 4. Sustainability: Including how sustainable thinking has been incorporated into the library, such as by reducing the quantities of resources used, using local materials in the construction process, or finding new ways to use natural resources as an energy source. 5. Learning space: Including the way the library offers a diversity of inroads to education, how learning spaces support different learning situations, appeal to different needs, and age groups, and encourage various learning formats ? especially learning as a social phenomenon. How do the learning spaces interact with the rest of the library? 6. Digitisation: Including how digital communication and the accessibility of the library content are integrated within the library space, using methods that include mobile technologies. How are design, aesthetics, and interaction used as the basis for this digitization? Has digitization been used in any innovative and creative ways to create experiences for the library users within the building? Entrants are also encouraged to think about how their library reflects the UN Sustainable Development Goals and IFLA?s Global Vision

©Einar Aslaksen

Deichman Library Atelier Oslo + Lund Hagem "Public Library of t he Year 2021"

In August of 2020, to mark t he Philippine celebrat ion of t he Nat ional Language Mont h (Buw an ng W ika) and t he Nat ional History Mont h (Buw an ng Kasaysayan), t he Philippine Embassy in Oslo donated sevent y-four (74) books on Philippine cult ure, history, language, and tourism, and four (4) CDs on Philippine cult ure and music, to t he Deichmanske bibliotek Bjørvika. The Philippine books and CDs, w hich were handed over by Third Secret ary Christ iansen Cabahug and Cult ural Officer Eva Margie San Miguel, were graciously received by Ms. Merete Lie, Depart ment Director of t he Deichman library, and Ms. Goro Aarset h of t he Deichman?s Collect ion Division. Director Lie and Ms. Aarset h expressed t heir appreciat ion for t he Embassy?s donat ion of Philippine books and CDs, including t he facsimile of Dr. Jose Rizal?s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, w hich would enrich t he library?s collect ion on t he Philippines. philembassy.no

©Einar Aslaksen

"The horror movie Hatching puts the most hideous face on a familiar nightmare. And the director used tech teams from Star Wars and The Dark Knight to build it. For longtime horror buffs, this feels like something fresh: a simple story, told in the rawest and most startling way, and given a face out of nightmares." - Tasha Robinson, Polygon "Hanna Bergholm's unnerving, instantly memorable influencer horror flick "Hatching" introduced a bold new genre voice at this year's Sundance." - Robert Daniels, The Playlist "A highly original coming-of-age thriller..." -David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Tinja is a 12-year-old gymnast w ho's desperate to please her image-obsessed mot her. After finding a wounded bird in t he woods, she brings it s st range egg home, nest les it in her bed, and nurt ures it unt il it hatches. The creat ure t hat emerges soon becomes her closest friend and a living night mare, plunging Tinja into a t w isted realit y t hat her mom refuses to see. "One could... think of it as the weird lovechild of "American Beauty" and a grotesque version of "E.T.," with the uncanny touch of Yorgos Lanthimos." Tomris Laffly, Variety "The ultimate highlight of this accomplished debut feature is the young performer at its center. First-time actress Solalinna captures the precariousness of her character's early adolescence with astounding nuance." - Laura Bradley, The Daily Beast

"That is extraordinary isnt the weird creature, but modern family life critique, with a Dad & brother who hilariously dress alike, and the manic Mom. The bird hatchling is a symptom of the larger disease, advanced to the point of an unexpected outcome." - Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Know ledge is Power

Countries with the M ost Libraries No. of Public Libraries

China Russia India Ukraine USA Poland Germany Mexico It aly Viet nam

51,311 46,000 29,800 18,323 9,042 8,290 8,195 7,260 7,000 6,691

Populat ion

1,448,471,400 145,805,947 1,406,631,776 43,192,122 334,805,269 37,739,785 83,883,596 131,562,772 60,262,770 98,953,541

The East China Architectural Design Institute worked with the German firm KSP Engel und Zimmermann to design the building. Image: China's National Library / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten - the third largest library in the world.

The dat a is from OCLC, Inc., an American nonprofit cooperat ive organizat ion "t hat provides shared technology services, original research, and communit y programs for it s membership and t he library communit y at large". It w as founded in 1967 as t he Ohio College Library Center, t hen became t he Online Computer Library Center as it expanded. In 2017, t he name w as formally changed to OCLC, Inc. OCLC, and t housands of it s member libraries cooperat ively produce and maint ain WorldCat , t he largest online public access cat alog (OPAC) in t he world. OCLC is funded mainly by t he fees t hat libraries pay (around $217.8 million annually in tot al as of 2021) for t he many different services it offers. OCLC also maint ains t he Dewey Decimal Classificat ion system.

Hatching in t heaters on April 29 ahead of a Digit al/ VOD release on May 17, 2022.

Feedzai?s Financial Crime Report : 233% Increase in Online Fraud At t ack Rates * Global study reveals online fraud attacks grew at a faster pace than legitimate online transactions; * 794% increase in fraud on digital entertainment transactions; * Account Takeover (ATO) tops the list of top fraud scams of 2021. SAN MATEO, Calif. and LISBON, Port ugal, April 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSW IRE) -- Feedzai, t he world?s first RiskOps plat form for financial risk management , has released it s quarterly Financial Crime Report , The RiskOps Age, based on an analysis of over 18 billion global banking t ransact ions t hroughout 2021. The report ident ifies t rends in consumer spending and fraud at t acks and compares t ransact ional intelligence from 2021 w it h t he previous t hree years to provide insight s from t he pre-pandemic era vs. t he first and second years of t he pandemic. One of t he main conclusions is t hat w hile online t ransact ions grew 65%, online fraud at t ack rates grew by 233%. ?The shift from in-person t ransact ions to online t ransact ions, along w it h t he plet hora of devices and account s each person has, creates vast amount s of dat a point s. From a fraudster?s point of view, t his is t he best-case scenario. It ?s easier for t hem to hide in all t hat noise,? said Jaime Ferreira, VP of Global Dat a Science at Feedzai. ?But it also creates opport unit ies for banks to create more effect ive and personal product s and services. It ?s for bot h t he reasons t hat we?ve called t his report The RiskOps Age. Now is t he t ime to connect teams and dat a to prevent fraud and provide elevated customer experiences.? The dat a show s t hat consumers shifted to digit al entert ainment plat forms during t he pandemic, and so did fraudsters. Criminals often like to hide in plain sight , and t he sheer number of t ransact ions for digit al entert ainment combined w it h t he low dollar amount per t ransact ion provides fraudsters w it h an ideal environment to test stolen cards along w it h ot her scams. Feedzai's Financial Crime Report saw a 794% increase in fraud at t acks on digit al entert ainment t ransact ions in 2021 vs. 2019. ?Living t he digit al lifest yle adds a world of convenience, but also provides a low-risk, high-rew ard environment for fraudsters,? adds Ferreira. ?It ?s t he perfect place for fraudsters to hide ? in a massive number of low-dollar amount t ransact ions. The more t ransact ions, t he more opport unit ies for t hem to test stolen cards or ot her scams. Consumers and banks need to w atch out for t hose small fraud t ransact ions before t hey add up to big bills.? Top Fraud Scams W it h fraud on t he rise, t he report also ident ified t he top five fraud scams, w it h account t akeover (ATO) and social engineering at t acks ranking as fraudsters?current favorite schemes. The top scam on t he list has risen from fourt h to first place since last year. ATO is a form of ident it y t heft w here fraudsters change account informat ion, including passwords, and "t ake over" t he account .

Top 5 fraud at t acks: Account Takeover Social Engineering Scams Purchase Scams Impersonat ion Scams Smishing Scams

Photo by Sergey Zolkin

Fraud in ot her part s of t he world The United Kingdom of Fraud: In t he U.K., banking fraud at t acks are 50% more common w hen Brit ish consumers banked via desktops and laptops, telephone, or in-person combined vs. t hrough a mobile banking applicat ion. For mobile devices, fraudsters at tempted 30% higher pound (£) amount s of fraud on Android devices, but fraud rates were 67% higher on iOS devices.

The United St ates of Fraud: In our previous Financial Crime Report , we focused on t he t rend aw ay from cash. Now we see t hat cash didn?t bounce back even w hen many pandemic-related rest rict ions were lifted. In fact , we saw a steeper decline in U.S. cash w it hdraw als compared 2021 to 2020 vs. 2019 to 2020. Overall, U.S. cash w it hdraw als decreased 75% from pre-pandemic levels to today. And for t hose w ho are t hinking about a vacat ion in t he United St ates, t he report furt her ranked t he top six U.S. tourist cit ies by fraud rate w it h Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco t aking first , second, and t hird spot s respect ively. After a gradual climb from t he number t hree ranking in 2019 and number t wo in 2020, Miami overt akes San Francisco as t he tourist cit y w it h t he highest fraud rate, up 511 percent . San Francisco drops to number t hree w it h a 42 percent decrease in fraud rate. In fourt h place is New York Cit y w it h a 160% increase over last year, followed by Orlando (+15%) and Las Vegas (+334%).

Photo by Annie Spratt

How Consumers Can Prevent Social Engineering At t acks Remember, the click is a trick: Don?t open or click on suspicious links via email or text. Fraudsters can?t trick you if you don?t click on their links. Update devices: Inst all and regularly update ant i-malw are soft w are. W hen your computer or phone prompt s you to inst all updates, do it . Protect your privacy: Don?t provide personal informat ion about yourself or your employer unless you are 100 percent sure t he person you?re interact ing w it h should have access to t hat informat ion. Use mult i-factor aut hent icat ion: Do not reveal personal or financial informat ion in an email, and do not respond to email solicit at ions for t his informat ion. This includes clicking on links sent via email. Don?t believe t he hype: If an offer, prize, or opport unit y is too good to be t rue, it isn?t t rue. Don?t fall for tempt ing out-of-t his-world offers. Access Feedzai?s Quarterly Financial Crime Report to learn more about the latest fraud and consumer trends. Further details on the report can be found on the Feedzai blog: Q2 2022 FinCrime Report: The RiskOps Age | Feedzai. About Feedzai: Feedzai is the world?s first RiskOps platform for financial risk management, and the market leader in safeguarding global commerce with today?s most advanced cloud-based risk management platform, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Feedzai is securing the transition to a cashless world while enabling digital trust in every transaction and payment type. The world?s largest banks, processors, and retailers trust Feedzai to protect trillions of dollars and manage risk while improving the customer experience for everyday users, without compromising privacy. Feedzai is a Series D company and has raised $282M to date. With a valuation of +$1.5B, the company's technology protects 900 million people in 190 countries. For more information, visit feedzai.com.

Photo by Leone Venter

The hub of t he publishing world

The London Book Fair The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film, and digital channels. Staged annually, the in-person event typically welcomes more than 25,000 publishing professionals to London for the week of the fair to learn, network, and kick off their year of business. The fair was founded in the Berners Hotel near Oxford Street in 1971 as the Specialist Publishers?Exhibition for Librarians, The London Book Fair ? as it took its name in 1977 ? has grown to be an essential part of the international book trade calendar. Today, the entire international publishing industry is represented, from the giant houses we are familiar with to the smallest independents - the publishers of blockbuster novels and academic texts and the producers of children?s books and graphic novels. To walk its floors is to experience knowledge and stories in all forms. It is impossible not to be captivated, fascinated, and inspired. As a global marketplace, The London Book Fair wants to bring color to the world of words. Every year they curate a first-class fair to give participants a multitude of opportunities in London, the global publishing center. Since 2004, their Market Focus initiative has helped create both commercial and cultural partnerships around the world. Each year, they put the spotlight on publishing trade links with the country or region being showcased. This is an opportunity to connect with the best of the industry in one place, as they bring together publishing professionals from all corners of the globe.

THE WORLD DESERVES OUR STORIES Filipino Books take center stage at the London Book Fair 2022 Quezon Cit y, Philippines ? The Philippines has great stories to tell and t he world is just w ait ing for t hem. The count ry?s wealt h of legends and folklore in t he form of graphic novels, young adult and children?s literat ure, and contemporary fict ion were feat ured at t he recent ly concluded London Book Fair (LBF), held from April 5 to 7, 2022 in Olympia at Kensington, London. Through t he Nat ional Book Development Board (NBDB), t he Philippines part icipated in t his event for t he very first t ime. The London Book Fair is one of t he largest internat ional right s t rade fairs in t he world. Internat ional publicat ions and producers in t he film, television, t heater art s and music indust ries seeking compelling works for global adapt at ion w ill get to catch t he best works of Filipino aut hors and publishers.

Photo by Lachlan Gowen

An Archipelago of Stories As the lead agency in the research and development of books, the NBDB will highlight the broad spectrum of Philippine works, including these titles: Doll Eyes, w rit ten by Eline Santos and illust rated by Joy Mallari (published by CANVAS) This beautifully illustrated children?s book is set in Quiapo? a place where myth, marketplace, and church mingle. In this busy district, the old doll-maker Manang Bolabola runs her shop. Inside is a room filled with the most exquisite dolls, their eyes made of precious gemstones. Curious children enter her store but never come out.

Mga Bat ang Poz by Segundo Mat ias, Jr. (published by Lampara Publishing House, Inc.) ?Mga Batang Poz? centers around four online friends who embark on a two-day road trip. Three of them?Gab, Enzo, and Luis?are discreet gays, while Chuchay is the proudly effeminate character. Despite coming from different walks of life, they learn that they share a common truth: they are People Living with HIV (PLHIV).

Tales from t he Sout hern Kingdom by Virginia Villanueva (published by Ateneo de Manila Universit y Press) This collection of legends, folklore, and children?s stories reflects the culture and the environment of the Sama and Tausug people. Hence, it abounds with tales of seas and oceans, mermaids, boat-people, warriors, and religious characters from the distant past imbued with magical overtones through decades of telling and retelling.

Photo courtesy of Ateneo Press

About t he Aut hor Dr. Virginia Villanueva is of mixed heritage, born of a Muslim mother and a Christian father. W ith a medical degree from the University of the Philippines, she sailed for Sulu with her husband, another doctor, and their children. They lived in the heart of the Muslim community in Jolo, and later among her royal relatives in Patikul. For more than thirty years, she absorbed the stories about her family, mostly historical, and the tales and legends from her mother and many patients? the Tausug from Sulu and the Sama from Tawi-Tawi. Tales from the Southern Kingdom tell and retell these old and rich stories for today?s young people.

High Hopes and Possibilit ies NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade attended the London Book Fair along with NBDB Project Lead of the National Book Database Kevin Ansel Dy, and Komiket founder Paolo Herras. They engaged with global publishers and literary agents during the event.

?We are thrilled to finally travel and meet with international publishers. The world deserves our stories and the London Book Fair opens a great opportunity for the works of our authors, illustrators, and publishers to gain a wider audience. This fair is the best place to start.?- NBDB Executive Director, Charisse Aquino-Tugade

Komiks publisher Paolo Herras revealed, ?Filipino Comics is one of the most underrepresented and exploited genres. We're not studied in colleges or universities, we're not found in the K-12 curriculum, national writer's workshops, or most national awards. But we are already crossing territories, getting picked up by international publishers around the world, and venturing forth into live-action films, animation, content platforms, video games, toys, and other merchandise. So we're mighty proud to be representing the Philippines in the London Book Fair. It's about time.?

Our kababayans in the UK stopped by the Books Philippines stand at The London Book Fair. of the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Antonio Manuel R. Lagda

We're feeling the love in London! Thank you Philippine Embassy in the United Kingdom for th at #LBF2022

L-R: Joy Watford (Illustrator); Emily Magtalas Rhodes (Author of What it Means to be Malaya Aquino-Tugade; His Excellency Antonio Manuel R. Lagdameo, Philippine Ambassador to th and Northern Ireland; and Consul Rhenita Rodriguez. - From the FB page of NBDB Ph

The World D eserves

r. We were graced with the presence ameo.

he support on our first participation

); NBDB Executive Director Charisse he United Kingdom of Great Britain

Reconnect in t he Diaspora The Filipino community in the United Kingdom is in full support of this distinguished book event. Acclaimed writers like Candy Gourlay (author of the award-winning Tall Story) who are also based in the UK visited the Philippine stand. The World Deserves Our Stories As travel restrictions relax, the publishing world finally reconnects to produce more works to be enjoyed by readers worldwide. The Philippines is on track to be one of the content powerhouses that will enrich not only the literary scene but other forms of media as well. The NBDB is at the forefront of paving the way for Filipino works to reach a global audience because the world deserves our stories. - PremierMagazinePh

s Our Stori es

Helsinki, 1945. The end of the war brings a new sense of artistic and social freedom for painter Tove Jansson. Modern art, dizzying parties, and an open relationship with a married politician: Her unconventional life puts her at odds with her sculptor father's strict ideals. Tove's desire for liberty is put to the test when she meets theatre director Vivica Bandler. Her love for Vivica is electric and all-consuming but Tove begins to realize that the love she truly yearns for has to be reciprocated. As she struggles with her personal life, her creative endeavors take her in an unexpected direction. W hile focusing her artistic dreams on her painting, the work that started as a side project, the melancholic, haunting tales she told scared children in bomb shelters, rapidly takes on a life of its own. The exploits of the Moomins, infused with inspiration from her own life, bring Tove international fame and financial freedom. There's a daily comic strip, a stage play, and stories that continue to delight people around the world. But as she begins to find the artistic identity she has to learn to find herself. Her unrequited love for Vivica is preventing her true liberty and only by learning to break away from her can she truly be free. TOVE is a captivating drama about the creative energy of an iconic talent and her turbulent search for identity, desire, and freedom.

Göteborg Film Fest ival 2021 - W inner Sven Nykvist , Cinematography Aw ard Jussi Aw ards 2021 W inners - Best Film (Paras elokuva), Aleksi Bardy (producer), Andrea Reuter (producer) Helsinki-Filmi - Best Direct ion (Paras ohjaus) Zaida Bergrot h - Best Leading Act ress (Paras naispääosa) Alma Pöyst i - Best Cinematography (Paras kuvaus) Linda Wassberg - Best Product ion Design (Paras lavast ussuunnit telu) Cat harina Nyqvist Ehrnroot h - Best Cost ume Design (Paras pukusuunnit telu) Eugen Tamberg - Best Makeup Design (Paras maskeeraussuunnit telu) Riikka Virt anen Minneapolis St . Paul Internat ional Film Fest ival 2021 - W inner Audience Choice Aw ard - Midnight Sun, Zaida Bergrot h OUTshine Film Fest ival 2021 - W inner Audience Aw ard - Best Feat ure Film, Zaida Bergrot h (director) Helsinki-Filmi (product ion company) W icked Queer: The Boston LGBT Film Fest ival 2021 - W inner Audience Aw ard, Feat ure Film, Zaida Bergrot h

5.4.2022

Tove Jansson?s secret song lyrics finally out in the open Tove Jansson is widely known as a multitalented artist, who has become famous, especially for her Moomin stories, illustrations, and comics, but also for her adult fiction, oil paintings, and caricatures. But did you know she also wrote song lyrics, and that music played an important role in her life? The story goes she even met her life companion, the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä by the record player. W hen a Finnish-Swedish singer and act ress w as invited to Tove Jansson?s st udio home t hree years ago to research her music, she had no idea w hat a t reasure chest just had been opened for her. Unt il t hen, no one had ever systemat ically gone t hrough and collected all t he song lyrics Tove Jansson w rote, and t he findings were st riking: ?It w as very inspiring and I felt like life had given me a huge gift . I also t hought t hat [Tove Jansson biographer] Boel West in had probably found t hese lyrics before and w rit ten about t hem, could it really be possible t hat no one had done t his before me, but I realized no one had, so I went to work?, Emma Klingenberg describes at t he Tove fest ival in Helsinki, September 2021.

Klingenberg w as researching for a concert based on Tove Jansson?s music and quickly realized t here w as a lot more material t han anyone had ever imagined, also songs t hat had never been published before. That Jansson had w rit ten songs for Moomin t heat re plays and ot her songs toget her w it h composer and pianist Erna Tauro ? t he most famous one being ?Höst visa? (Aut umn Song) ? is no secret , but Klingenberg discovered t hat Tove Jansson?s material relat ing to music could be found in many different places, so she went t hrough Tove Jansson?s notebooks, binders, and drawers, and combined her findings w it h archive materials. ?Tove has organized diligent ly, t here are binders from different product ions and I went t hrough t hem all to be sure I had found everyt hing t here w as. She had at t ached her ow n answers to different let ters, w hich w as very helpful because I t hereby knew w hat she t hought about various offers and suggest ions she had received. The atelier w as full of sheet music and some scores and a lot of lyrics to songs, w hich w as great .? Klingenberg has found four different categories of songs by Tove Jansson. First ly, The Moomin songs, w here almost every character has t heir ow n song. Then t here are individual lyrics like t he collect ion ?Visor t ill min dam? (Songs to my lady) w hich are love songs, most ly w rit ten to Vivica Bandler, but also a song to Atos W irt anen. There are also songs w rit ten for friends and songs w rit ten for plays.

THE ARTIST W hile the demands of the Moomins increasingly took up most of her time and attention, Tove Jansson?s first and enduring love was as a fine artist. She studied art in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Paris, where she showed precocious talent as a painter and muralist and gained various commissions for public works and solo exhibitions. Her style, influenced by post-Impressionism and the 1930s ?School of Paris', was characterized by its focus on color, form, and light and implicit storytelling. Many of her paintings are displayed at the Helsinki Art Gallery and have been the subject of major international exhibitions. Her murals can be seen in Finland in Helsinki, Hamina, and Kotka.

THE ILLUSTRATOR Much of t he Jansson family income derived from Signe Hammarsten?s illust rat ion and design work; Viktor Jansson?s work as a sculptor w as largely dependent on w inning public compet it ions. Tove Jansson w as keen to help her mot her shoulder t his financial burden. At t he age of fifteen, t he chance came w hen her mot her w as called aw ay to Stockholm and arranged for her to t ake over a commission for t he cover of a children?s magazine, Lukent us. By t he t ime she reached her t went ies, Tove Jansson had est ablished her ow n freelance career as an illust rator and cartoonist . In 1941 Sweden recognized her undaunted w it and t alent by nominat ing her t he most humorous of t he Nordic caricat urist . Her polit ical cartoons for t he magazine Garm during t he Second World War created a st ir w hen she courageously lampooned bot h Hit ler and St alin on t he covers, signing each w it h her ow n name. In t he post-w ar years, Tove Jansson?s Moomin books ? and syndicated Moomin cartoons ? would t ake t his fame to an ent irely new level. In addit ion to illust rat ing her ow n stories, Tove Jansson w as commissioned to illust rate classic text s. The most not able w as her illust rat ions of t he 1960s Swedish edit ions of JRR Tolkien?s The Hobbit and Lew is Carrol?s Alice in Wonderland. Today, t here is a museum dedicated to Tove Jansson?s original Moomin art works in Tampere, Finland. Opened in 2017, it has become one of t he count ry?s most popular visitor dest inat ions.

THE MOOMINTROLLS In 1945 Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated a gentle fantasy for children, The Moomins and the Great Flood, a story she created to distract herself from the wartime devastation of Helsinki. It would take two further books, Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll (known as The Happy Moomins in the USA), for the Moomins to become established as a series, with a readership spreading far beyond Finland. By the time she published the last novel in the Moomin series, Moominvalley in November, in 1970, the books had become an international phenomenon, translated into some 60 languages. Their beautiful ink-line drawings and character designs are today known and loved by millions. Tove Jansson was an author who showed great confidence in the imagination and understanding of children. Her Moomin books would demonstrate this in the range of emotions they covered. W hilst the first Moomin titles were full of warmth, charm and adventure, the last four, beginning with Moominland Midwinter, would explore more complex themes of isolation, uncertainty and yearning. These were feelings the Moomins would overcome, using their unique brand of kindness and resourcefulness, offering solace and consolation for readers young and old. At the same time, as she was working on the Moomin novels, Tove Jansson experimented with full-colour picture books, creating innovative ways of storytelling, using verse and a vibrant palette of colours. Her three picture books ? The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My (1952), W ho W ill Comfort Toffle? (1960) and The Dangerous Journey (1977) offer some of the most iconic Moomin images. The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My is the most visually exciting of them all, creating a journey through the forest in a succession of cut-out pages.

W here t here's ?kahvi?, t here's Moomin

The Finland Coffee Culture We can't remember whether Moomin led us to coffee or coffee led us to Moomin nevertheless we are quite surprised that Finland's culture is tightly connected to our favorite bean. As the world's number 1 coffee drinkers, 80% prefer their coffee light roasted. Yes, you read that right. Most of the coffee is brewed with a drip/filter coffee machine such as Moccamaster, the other coffee types you can think of are still on a get-to-know -stage. For now, they would prefer ?Kahvi? (coffee in Finnish) which means lightly roasted filter coffee. And as most of us, they also start and end their day with coffee and also hours in between. Finland is the only country in the world where it is stated in a collective labor agreement that there should be two 15 minute COFFEE breaks in a workday! Some may even have a cup before retiring for the evening. (Yes!) There are even in the Finnish language such words as "aamukahvi" (morning coffee), "päiväkahvi" (day coffee), "iltakahvi" (evening coffee) and of course "saunakahvi" (sauna coffee). A big reminder though, the Finns like their coffee in silence. They are, generally the socially silent kind of people and we love them for that. you will be offered ?santsikuppi? (another round of coffee) and you don?t want to refuse that either but you need to state ?Ehkäpä vain puoli kuppia? (maybe just a half a cup). If you take another full cup, you will be offered more coffee as long as you will just take the half cup. Also in some more traditional families, the hostess isn?t allowed to drink coffee before the guest doesn't want more of those full cups. Every Finn has their own favorite coffee cup for which coffee tastes the best. For most people, it is the Moomin cups that are sold everywhere in Finland. Moomin cups are also collected and some more rare ones can be sold for over 200 euros per piece. There's so much to discover about Finland's coffee culture and if you want to learn some more, search for Barista blogger Jori Korhonen, the coffee training expert from Helsinki.

Coffee break. Oravi, Finland Photo by Alex Chernenko

Don?t worry we shall have wonderful dreams, and w hen we w ake up it ?ll be spring. Snufkin, from the book Finn Family Moomintroll

The Mult i-billion dollar Coffee indust ry is grow ing to keep us company for t he long haul

KnowThy Coffee Globally, coffee is a mult i-billion dollar indust ry t hat expert s predict w ill grow despite slowdow ns in ot her part s of t he export market The revenue in t he Coffee segment amount s to US$460,004m in 2022 w hile t he market is expected to grow annually by 5.30% (CAGR 2022-2025). (w w w.st at ist a.com) How compet it ive is t he coffee indust ry? The global coffee market is a highly compet it ive market , w hich is dominated by players, like Nest le, JM Smucker Company, The Kraft Heinz Company, and St arbucks Coffee Company. (w w w.mordorintelligence.com) According to Mordor Intelligence, t he coffee indust ry is grow ing at a significant ly large compound grow t h rate of around 5.5% t hrough t he forecast ing period (2019-2024). And t he most drast ic grow t h is expected to occur in China and t he United St ates. W hich count ry produces t he most coffee? Brazil is, quite simply, t he largest coffee producer in t he world. For example, in 2016 it is t hought t hat 2,595,000 met ric tons of coffee beans were produced in Brazil alone. W ho dominates t he coffee indust ry? As of 2020, St arbucks maint ained t he highest share of t he coffee shop market w it h 40 % in t he United St ates w hen it came to t he number of stores. The world-famous chain accounted for approximately 15,337 stores in it s home nat ion. (w w w.st at ist a.com) W here is t he largest market for coffee? Europe is t he world's largest coffee market Europe accounted for 33% of global coffee consumpt ion in 2020/ 21, amount ing to an est imated 3.244 million tonnes of coffee. This makes Europe t he largest coffee market in t he world. (w w w.cbi.eu) W hat is t he specialt y coffee indust ry? The SCAA defines specialt y coffee in it s green st age as coffee t hat is free of primary defect s, has no quakers, is properly sized and dried, present s in t he cup free of fault s and t aint s and has dist inct ive at t ributes. In pract ical terms t his means t hat t he coffee must be able to pass aspect grading and cupping (scanew s.coffee) W ho drinks premium coffee? Gourmet coffee drinking is up 7 percent among African Americans compared to last year's survey. Asian Americans top t he list of gourmet coffee drinkers at 47 percent , followed by Hispanic Americans at 46 percent , African Americans at 40 percent and Caucasian Americans at 39 percent . - Washington Post

Top 10 Coffee Brands in t he World 2020 W hich is t he best coffee brand in t he world? This is BizVibe?s list of t he top 10 coffee brands in t he world ranked by brand value, revenue, and more. Rank/ Coffee Brand

Rev/ USD / billions

Headquarters

St arbucks

26.5

Seat t le, Washington, USA

Cost a Coffee

1.54

Dunst able, England

Dunkin?Donut s

1.37

Canton, Massachuset t s, USA

McCafé

21.07

Oak Brook, Illinois, USA

Tim Hortons

Toronto, Ont ario, Canada

Gloria Jean?s

0.54

Cast le Hill, New So. Wales, Aus

Nescafé

99.71

Vevey, Sw it zerland

Folgers

0.22

San Francisco, California, USA

Keurig

2.86

Reading, Massachuset t s, USA

Maxwell House

0.4

Tarrytow n, New York, USA

The Ret ail Market for Coffee in t he US - Market Size 2005?2027 $47.4bn The Ret ail Market for Coffee in t he US Market Size in 2022 2.6% The Ret ail Market for Coffee in t he US Market Size Grow t h in 2022 0.2% The Ret ail Market for Coffee in t he US Annualized Market Size Grow t h Photo by Mike Kenneally , Ireland

w w w.ibisworld.com

Finland at t he Eurovision Song Contest Finland made it s debut in t he Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. Yet , t hey never managed to place in t he top 5 unt il Lordi t riumphed at t he contest in 2006 w it h t he iconic w inner Hard Rock Hallelujah. Finland?s victory in 2006 saw t housands of people gat her in t he Finnish capit al, Helsinki, honking car horns, w aving flags, and singing Lordi?s song. It w as a moment of celebrat ion for a count ry t hat had never come close to victory in t he Eurovision Song Contest , a test ament to t he count ry?s perseverance. It would t ake unt il 2021 unt il Finland t roubled t he Top 10 at t he Contest again w hen Blind Channel (w ho opened UMK broadcast on Sat urday night ) took t heir count ry to a 6t h-place finish w it h Dark Side in Rot terdam. Can The Rasmus t ake t he Nordic nat ion to t he top half of t he scoreboard again?? We w ill know on May 10-12. Photo: VENLA SHALIN

Aalto University, Espoo, Finland Photo by Dom Fou

W hat Makes Finland's Educat ional System One of t he Best in t he World?

Sources: Finland?s Ministry of Education and Culture and Finnish National Agency for Education.

?There?s no word for account abilit y in Finnish? Account abilit y is somet hing t hat is left w hen responsibilit y has been subt racted.? FACTS & FIGURES *Finland is t he 8t h most educated count ry in t he world *In Educat ion ranking by Count ries Finland has a tot al score of 1.631K ranking at 3rd posit ion in 2021 *Finland has t he highest ranking in High School Complet ion Rate *World Economic Forum?s Global Compet it ive st udy ranks Finland as having t he most well-developed educat ion in t he world

Country

Finland

Primary languages

Finnish, Swedish, and English

Minister of Education

Jussi Saramo

Minister of Science and Culture

Annika Saarikko

National education budget (2018)

? 11.9 billion

Population (2018)

5.53 million

Literacy Rate

99%

Primary Enrollment

99.7%

Secondary Enrollment

66.2%

Top Ranking University in Finland

University of Helsinki

Finland is considered among the best in the world when it comes to education. And there's an enormous difference between their system compared to other countries. We highlighted some of the factors which we find advantageous for learners. Free Educat ion Access (from Pre-Primary to Higher) to Finnish Cit izens as well as to t hose coming from EU/ EEA count ries because educat ion is considered an equal right for everyone. Implementation of a holistic teaching and learning environment that aims to emphasize equity over excellence. No st andardized test ing system as st udent s is graded individually w it h a grading system created by t heir teacher. Also, overall progress is mapped by t he Minist ry of Educat ion by sampling groups of varied ranges of schools. Finnish children begin their academic journey at an older age, i.e. only when they turn seven years old do they commence their schooling, and before that learning is made free-flowing. The ?bar is higher for teachers?, i.e. only master?s degree holders (from specialized teaching schools) can opt for teaching posit ions, and even t hen an individual principal is allot ted to every teacher to keep a t ab on t heir progress. Photo by: Clay Banks

Exemption from the Artificial Parameters of Academic Progress by removing any kind of competition between academic institutions but rather cooperation is made the norm. Bet ter Alternat ives to t he Same-Old Degree are t hose planning for a college educat ion can choose from professional opt ions, be it vocat ional schools, universit y educat ion, or t raining classes. Focuses on fostering cooperation over competition in schools by inculcating the skills of teamwork, collaboration, and team spirit in students. Emphasis on foundat ional basics is an import ant reason w hy Finland has t he best educat ion system in t he world because st udent s are provided w it h t he t ime and scope to build t he best foundat ion and basics at t heir ow n pace. Only 9 years of compulsory education is there in Finland's education system and after that students are encouraged to find out what?s best for them academically and career-wise. Photo by: Annie Spratt

Aboitiz Group Selects TruEra as its AI Quality Partner for Machine Learning Performance Management and Monitoring Major industrial conglomerate in the Philippines selects TruEra to help power its AI Innovation Lab REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSW IRE) -- TruEra, which provides the first suite of AI Quality management solutions for AI explainability and model quality, announced today that it has been selected by Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI), a part of the Aboitiz Group, to help drive machine learning model performance, explainability, and trustworthiness across the organization. The Aboitiz Group?s listed entity Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) is a multi-industry conglomerate with a market capitalization of over $6 billion USD. AEV has leadership positions in key Philippine industries, such as power, banking, food, real estate, and infrastructure. Its subsidiaries include the top two power generation companies as well as the top three banks in terms of profitability ratios, including the Union Bank of the Philippines. Its Data Science and Artificial Intelligence arm, Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI), is leveraging the unique environment and ecosystem to unlock value for the group through the operationalization of Data Science and AI solutions. ?The Aboitiz Group has always been at the forefront of new technologies that can improve productivity, business value, and customer satisfaction,? said Dr. David R. Hardoon, Chief AI and Innovation Officer, the Aboitiz Group and Managing Director, ADI. ?Responsible, high-performing AI is of utmost importance, and that is why we have selected TruEra as our AI Quality management partner for this major technology initiative.?

W ith a commitment to driving innovation with governance, ADI is leveraging TruEra's solutions in that pursuit. W ith a focus on innovation, research, and development in AI, ADI acknowledges that the better-performing AI models may be more complex and not easily explained (e.g., Deep Neural Networks). Ideally, ADI strives toward achieving high-performing AI models while also proactively driving for more explainability and transparency. This will allow ADI to consciously enlarge the scope of impact from AI. Through the partnership with TruEra, ADI aims to develop responsible AI to reduce the risk of discrimination and increase transparency and trust in the use of AI while making business decisions. One example is ADI?s use of TruEra?s solutions in fintech lending to prevent bias and strengthen AI governance policies. W ith ADI?s drive to develop and operationalize new machine learning models across the different industries in which Aboitiz operates, ADI will use TruEra Diagnostics to evaluate and explain machine learning models, as well as to drive model performance improvements, ensuring that models meet internal performance benchmarks before they are approved for deployment. This initiative builds on other work where ADI has been collaborating internationally with academia. One example is the published journal paper titled ?Anti-discrimination Laws, AI, and Gender Bias: A Case Study in Non-mortgage Fintech Lending.?

?Forward-thinking technology leaders like the Aboitiz Group are aware that AI Quality management needs to be considered from the earliest phases of AI and machine learning application development,?said W ill Uppington, CEO, TruEra. ?We are inspired by their dedication to trustworthy, high-performing AI and are honored to have been selected as a key technology partner for the AI Innovation Lab. We look forward to helping the Aboitiz Group demonstrate how AI can bring value to a variety of industries, from banking to real estate and power generation.?

About Aboitiz Data Innovation Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI) is the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence arm of Aboitiz Group. ADI consolidates the Data Science & Artificial Intelligence operating model across the Group and promotes a data-driven culture across the organization. Its chief responsibility is to transform data into business outcomes, exploit information to make better decisions, reinvent business models, and develop high-value solutions to create new processes, products, and services. About TruEra TruEra provides the first suite of AI Quality solutions that help enterprises analyze machine learning, improve and monitor model quality, and build trust. Powered by enterprise-class Artificial Intelligence (AI) Explainability technology based on six years of research at Carnegie Mellon University, the TruEra platform helps eliminate the black box surrounding widely used AI and ML technologies. This visibility leads to higher quality, explainable models that sustainably achieve measurable business results, address unfair bias, and ensure governance and compliance. To learn more, visit truera.com. Photo @nasa

Forests cover more than 75 percent of the land area of Finland. Measured by the proportional share of forest land, Finland is the most forested country in Europe. A total of 20.3 million hectares is available for wood production, of which 61 percent is privately owned.

Frozen trees and polar lights. The best times for viewing the Aurora Borealis are in autumn and spring. The Northern Lights season in Finnish Lapland spans from mid-August until early April. Contrary to popular belief, the best times for spotting the Auroras are at the beginning and end of the season. Photo by: Vincent Guth

Fi n n i sh L a pl a n d ,

t he home of Sant a Claus, t he

last w ilderness in Europe, and part of t he Sámi homeland. Lapland is a dest inat ion above ordinary, full of cont rast s and unique nat ural phenomena: Midnight Sun, Polar Night s, aut umn colors, Nort hern Light s, and Arct ic sites nest led among Ice Age fells. Photo by Ugur Arpaci

Photo Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica

Linus Torvalds w as a genius computer scient ist , w ho pioneered t he development and grow t h of t he Linux operat ing system. Born in Helsinki, Finland, Torvalds st arted dabbling in computer programming on his grandfat her?s Commodore VIC-20 by t he t ime he w as 10. He graduated w it h a master's degree in Computer Science from t he Universit y of Helsinki. He had bought his first personal computer (PC) w hile he w as a st udent . Dissat isfied w it h t he PC?s MS-DOS Operat ing System (OS), Torvalds put in mont hs of determined programming effort to create t he beginnings of a new OS know n as Linux. He used t he internet to promote it and made it available for free dow nload. He released t he source code so t hat anyone w it h computer programming know ledge could modify Linux to suit t heir ow n purposes. Several programmers helped Torvalds retool and refine t he soft w are, and by 1994, Linux kernel version 1.0 w as globally released. Apart from Linux, he also created t he dist ributed version cont rol system Git , and t he scuba dive logging and planning soft w are subsurface. Many quant it at ive st udies of free/ open-source soft w are focus on topics including market share and reliabilit y, w it h numerous st udies specifically examining Linux. The Linux market is grow ing, and t he Linux operat ing system market size is expected to see a grow t h of 19.2% by 2027, reaching $15.64 billion, compared to $3.89 billion in 2019. Analyst s and proponent s at t ribute t he relat ive success of Linux to it s securit y, reliabilit y, low cost , and freedom from vendor lock-in. According to web server st at ist ics (t hat is, based on t he numbers recorded from visit s to websites by client devices), as of November 2018, t he est imated market share of Linux on desktop computers is around 2.1%. In comparison, Microsoft W indow s has a market share of around 87%, w hile macOS covers around 9.7%. For years Linux has been t he plat form of choice in t he film indust ry. The first major film produced on Linux servers w as 1997's Tit anic. Since t hen major st udios including DreamWorks Animat ion, Pixar, Wet a Digit al, and Indust rial Light & Magic have migrated to Linux. According to t he Linux Movies Group, more t han 95% of t he servers and desktops at large animat ion and visual effect s companies use Linux. Photo Credit : ht t ps:/ / zlat aky.cz

The Genius of Linus Torvalds

NOKIA ARENA AND RESIDENTIAL TOWERS Tampere, Finland The Nokia Arena project is an ambitious urban renewal project, situated at a pivotal location within Tampere, Finland. It stitches the urban fabric back together across an existing railway and connects East to West, creating a new vibrant hub of high-quality living, working, leisure, and culture for the city and Finland. The mixed-use program consists of a multi-purpose ice hockey arena with a hotel, and five adjacent towers with a podium that includes residences, retail, and offices. The arena, which occupies one-fifth of the complex, has the capacity to accommodate 17,000 visitors. With its casino, bars, and restaurant at deck level, the arena redefines its pivotal function as a hub for diverse urban activities. There are approximately 82,000 square meters of the mixed-use program; including 64,500 square meters of arena space, 5800 square meters for a practice hall, and 11,600 square meters of the hotel with three rooftop saunas. ?My goal was to reflect a 21st sensibility of living within a high-density sustainable lifestyle. The series of buildings each has its own unique identity and as a whole creates a dynamic urban skyline that reflects light, color, and form. Like precious gemstones on a crown the forms crystallize in a richness of contemporary urban living.?? Daniel Libeskind Client: SRV Rakennus Oy The Nokia Arena opened in December 2021. The towers are currently under construction. Photo by libeskind.com

Did you know that Nokia is not only a Finnish brand but an actual place in Finland? Nokia is a town and a municipality on the banks of the Nokianvirta River in the region of Pirkanmaa, some 15 kilometres west of Tampere in Finland. The distance to Tampere Airport from Nokia is 16 kilometres using road connections when circling Lake Pyhäjärvi.

Premier Book Selection The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, Esther Freud (Introduction), Thomas Teal (Translator) An elderly artist and her six-year-old granddaughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland. Gradually, the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims, and yearnings for independence, and a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the island itself, with its mossy rocks, windswept firs, and unpredictable seas. Full of brusque humor and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story. Tove Jansson captured much of her own experience and spirit in the book, which was her favorite of the novels she wrote for adults. This new edition sees the return of a European literary gem fresh, authentic, and deeply humane.

The Unknow n Soldier by Väinö Linna The Unknow n Soldier is a story about t he Cont inuat ion War bet ween Finland and t he Soviet Union, told from t he view point of ordinary Finnish soldiers. Grit t y and realist ic, it w as part ly intended to shat ter t he myt h of t he noble, obedient Finnish soldier, and in t hat , it succeeded admirably.

The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot , Keit h Bosley (Translator), Anonymous The nat ional folk epic of Finland is here presented in an English t ranslat ion t hat is bot h scholarly and eminent ly readable. The lyrical passages and poet ic images, t he w ry humor, t he t all-t ale ext ravagance, and t he homely realism of t he 'Kalevala' come t hrough w it h ext raordinary effect iveness.

N ever mi x thy bread, dear mother, Wi th the blue- sea's foamand waters, N ever duri ng all thy li fe- ti me, A s thou lovest daughter A i no.

The battali on can operate very well wi thout you. N o man i s i ndi spensable i n a war, nomatter whohe i s. Here, under t he Nort h St ar 1?3 (Under t he Nort h St ar # 1-3) by Väinö Cast le Väinö Linna's masterpiece Here Under t he Nort h St ar has been draw n into t he memory of Finns as a visual descript ion of recent history. On it s sides, t he remote village of Häme lives it s primordial, dow n-to-eart h life during t he great upheavals of our people. The temporal front iers of t he t rilogy are t he decade preceding t he February manifesto, w hich is progressed t hrough t he t ragedy of t he croft families. Kaput t by Curzio Malaparte, Cesare Foligno (Translator), Dan Hofst adter (Afterword) Curzio Malaparte w as a disaffected supporter of Mussolini w it h a t aste for danger and high living. Sent by an It alian paper during World War II to cover t he fight ing on t he Eastern Front , Malaparte secret ly w rote t his terrifying report from t he abyss, w hich became an internat ional best seller w hen it w as published after t he w ar. Telling of t he siege of Leningrad, of glit tering dinner part ies w it h Nazi leaders, and t rains disgorging bodies in w ar-devast ated Romania, Malaparte paint s a pict ure of humanit y at it s most depraved. Kaput t is an insider?s dispatch from t he world of t he enemy t hat is as hypnot ically fascinat ing as it is dist urbing.

Under t he Nort h St ar (Under t he Nort h St ar # 1) by Väinö Linna, Richard Impola (Translator) Linna?s Under t he Nort h St ar, w idely considered t he most significant work of Finnish literat ure published during Finland?s independence, is t he first volume of an epic t rilogy of t he same t it le. This first part of t his historical work, w hich encompasses Finnish history from t he 1880s to t he 1950s, depict s t he t urn of t he 20t h cent ury (1884-1907). It gives a voice to hit herto silent actors on t he st age of history as it offers a comprehensive account of t he social and economic realit ies reflected in t he hopes, dreams, and experiences of Jussi and Alma Koskela and t heir children in t he rural village of Pent t i's Corners in sout h-cent ral Finland.

?Fromchi ldhood he had been devoted towhatever was useless, metamorphosi ng the streetcar rattle of li fe i ntoevents of consequence, and when he began tofall i n love he tri ed totell women about thi s, but they di d not understand hi m, for whi ch he revenged hi mself by speaki ng tothemi n a wi ld, bombasti c bi rdy language and exclusi vely about the lofti est matters.? The Noise of Time: Selected Prose by Osip Mandelst am, (Translat ion)

Clarence

Brow n

Collected prose works by one of Russia's towering literary figures. Osip Mandelst am has in recent years come to be seen as a cent ral figure in European modernism. Though know n primarily as a poet , Mandelst am worked in many st yles: autobiography, short story, t ravel w rit ing, and polemic. Mandelst am's biographer, Clarence Brow n, present s a collect ion of t he poet 's prose works t hat illuminates his far-ranging t alent and places him w it hin t he canon of European modernism. This volume includes Mandelst am's "The Noise of Time, " a series of autobiographical sketches; "The Egypt ian St amp, " a novella echoing Gogol and Dostoevsky; "Fourt h Prose, " and t he famous t ravel memoirs "Theodosia" and "Journey to Armenia."

Once Upon A Night w ish by Mape Ollila Once Upon a NIGHTW ISH - The Official Biography 1996-2006 is a book about a 9-year-story of t he band. The book is w rit ten by Mape Ollila, an ext remely experienced music editor. The year 1996: Tuomas Holopainen is on his summer cot t age in Kitee, sit t ing by t he campfire, saying to his t wo friends t hat he probably should found his ow n band. The year 2005: Holopainen?s Night w ish is selling gold around t he world and playing to overexcited audiences everyw here from Asia to America, crit ics are praising t he tot al breakt hrough album? Once?, and t he band has become Finnish nat ional t reasure, a beloved export art icle t hat is listened by not only met al music lovers but babies and oldsters. W hat has happened during t hese nine years? Mape Ollila answers t his quest ion in t his t horough, dramat ic, and beaut ifully illust rated Night w ish book. He has been interview ing t he band members, co-workers, family members, friends, fans, and colleagues for t wo years, t he book w ill go t hrough t he good t imes and bad t imes, uncover members?minds, and tell unbelievable stories from touring, including even serious exposures from Night w ish-world. Mape Ollila has a long experience as a music editor, specializing in met al music. Ollila has followed Night w ish?s career from t he beginning and t raveled along w it h t he band for example in Norw ay, Sweden, Germany, Aust ria, England, and t he United St ates.

?Seeki ng ori gi nali ty for ori gi nali ty?s sake i s just quasi - arti sti c bullshi t.? ? M ape Olli la, Once Upon a N i ghtwi sh: The Offi ci al Bi ography 1996?2006

Let ters from Tove by Tove Jansson, Boel West in (Editor), Helen Svensson (Editor), Sarah Deat h (Translat ion) A virtual memoir in letters by the beloved creator of the Moomins Tove Jansson?s works, even her famed Moomin books, fairly teem w it h let ters of one kind or anot her, from messages bobbing in bot t les to w hole epistolary novels. Fort unately for her count less readers, her life w as no different , unfolding as it did in t he let ters to family, friends, and lovers t hat make up t his volume, a verit able autobiography over t he course of six decades? and t he only one Jansson ever w rote. And just as let ters carry a weight of significance in Jansson?s w rit ing, t hose she w rote t hroughout her life reflect t he gravit y of her circumst ances, t he dept h of her t hought s and feelings, and t he crit ical moment s of humor, sadness, and grace t hat mark an art ist ?s days. These let ters, penned w it h characterist ic insight and w it , provide an almost seamless comment ary on Jansson?s life w it hin Helsinki?s bohemian circles and on her island home. Shift ing bet ween hope and despair, yearning and happiness, t hey describe her immersion in art st udies and her ascension to fame w it h t he Moomins. They speak frankly of friendship and love, loneliness and solidarit y, and also polit ics, art , literat ure, and societ y. They summon a part icular place and t ime reflected t hrough a mind finely at t uned to her cult ure, her world, and her ow n nat ure? all clearly put into biographical and historical context by t he volume?s editors, bot h longt ime friends of Tove Jansson? and, in t he end, draw a complex, int imate self-port rait of one of t he world?s most beloved aut hors.

?You see, I love you as i f bewi tched, yet at the same ti me wi th profound calm, and I ?mnot afrai d of anythi ng li fe has i n store for us.? ? Tove J ansson, Letters fromTove

"A thri lli ng treat for lovers of N ordi c N oi r and Bri ti sh cri me fi cti on ali ke" H elena H alme, author of contemporary N ordi c fi cti on W hite Night (DI Beat rice St ubbs # 10) by J.J. Marsh (Goodreads Aut hor) Gripping and full of suspense, WHITE NIGHT brings retired Scotland Yard detective Beatrice to Finland in the 10th installment of this modern-day British crime series. If t here?s one t hing Beat rice St ubbs hates more t han weddings, it ?s wedding planning. So w hen a missing persons?case in Finland offers a chance of escape, she grabs assist ant Theo and runs to t he Land of t he Midnight Sun. Two environment al protestors disappeared after an ant i-nuclear demonst rat ion in Helsinki t urned violent . Suspicions revolve around t he energy companies and t heir cont roversial modular reactor. But t he woman in charge is t he same person w ho hired Beat rice to find t he teenagers. Is t his a serious job or a PR exercise? Using nat ural charm and acquired skills, Theo infilt rates t he Gaia Warriors to discover passion, ideology, and deep fissures in t heir foundat ions. Meanw hile, Beat rice t ackles t he energy giant s, allies herself w it h t he police, and report s to her boss. Confident ial informat ion finds it s w ay into t he press. Her ship has sprung a leak. Family demands grow unbearable and she?s run out of t ime. W hen a storm hit s t he Finnish coast , finding t he young people becomes an emergency. On an insider t ip, Theo rushes to t he rescue. Beat rice is t rapped. The police won?t listen and a Nordic giant is on her t ail. She has to place her fait h in a new acquaint ance and risk everyt hing on a gut feeling. Or lose more t han one life. Can Beat rice t rust her right-hand man?

How far would you go?

T heL oveof B

The Brave Librari

Story materials courtesy of Al Jazeera

ooks

ians of Sarajevo

In the midst of war, library heroes in Sarajevo risked their lives to rescue over 10,000 precious books and manuscripts.

"Protecting a library is not an easy task," says Mustafa Jahic, "especially during wartime." It was 1992, the siege of Sarajevo had begun, and Jahic - then the director of the Gazi Husrev-Beg public library - had in his care a priceless, ancient collection of hand-written books and illuminated manuscripts. "The Gazi Husrev-Beg library contains the memories of all the generations of the last 1,000 years. More than 100,000 items. Everything from manuscripts to printed books," says Osman Lavic, the library's keeper of manuscripts. "Some were written by Arabs, perhaps in Fez or Baghdad, and then rewritten by a Turk living in the Caucasian Republic and then purchased by Bosnians. So if you followed the trail of the books you?d see the beauty in their diversity, their multi-ethnic and multicultural nature," he says. But when the city was attacked by the Serbian army, the preservation of books and manuscripts became the least of peoples' problems. Bosnia's National Library was shelled and burned to the ground, its entire contents destroyed. "The culture of our people, the identity, the history of Bosnia, for centuries in one place. And suddenly it was being swallowed by the fire and the flames," says firefighter Ismet Tucak, who responded to the blaze at the National Library. Fearing the Gazi Husrev-Beg library would be attacked next, Jahic's staff took the momentous decision to move their most precious works to safety. Dodging Serbian snipers and street violence, the small band of book-lovers including the cleaner and the Congolese nightwatchman - moved the manuscripts, one box at a time, to preserve a valuable part of their written history. "As we were carrying the boxes, Sarajevo was under shell fire," cleaner Dzehva Dudo recalls. "We were running from one building to another." Jahic remembers the team working "discretely, without much talking". "The conditions of war are very special. You have to make decisions at every moment. You improvise," he says. In a brave act of collective personal defiance and self-sacrifice, the library staff risked their lives to rescue over 10,000 precious books and manuscripts while the Bosnian War raged around them. "It would have been better to die together with the books than to live without them," says Abbas Lutumba Husein, who was the night-watchman at the time. The others agree. "The books are as important as people," Dudo says. "They are the most important things in the city of Sarajevo."

"It would have been bet ter to die toget her w it h t he books t han to live w it hout t hem."

Written and Directed by Sam Hobkinson

War-torn Bosnia in 1992. The cit y of Sarajevo is besieged and burning. Great art t reasures are lost in t he flames. Only one library remains. Amid bullet s and bombs, a group of book-lovers risks t heir lives to rescue 10,067 irreplaceable Islamic manuscript s. At st ake are a nat ion's history and ident it y...

The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story THE LOVE OF BOOKS: A Sarajevo Story, (2011) is t he t hrilling t ale of how a group of passionate book lovers risked t heir lives to save t he Gazi Husrav-Beg Library from dest ruct ion during t he siege of Sarajevo. This is a film about t he import ance of books, about how libraries are t he heart of our cult ural ident it y, repositories for history and memory.

At t he same t ime, t he film reveals a magnificent collect ion of Islamic books and manuscript s not just t he biggest and most import ant in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also one of global significance. Founded in 1537, t he library cont ains more t han 80,000 books, periodicals, and manuscript s, many of w hich are t he finest of t heir kind in t he world. For t hose w ho cared for t his collect ion, every single unique manuscript had to be preserved at all cost s. - IMDB Produced by Amra Baksic Camo...

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The new Gazi Husrev-Beg library 2017 . Photo Credit : Amina Dzaferovic

Mustafa Jahi?, the former Gazi Husrev-Beg Library director, led the campaign to save the library during the Siege of Sarajevo, secretly moving thousands of books and manuscripts to a series of safe havens from 1992 to 1995. - Aramco World

Parliament ary Working Group to draw up a plan for long-term research and development funding Prime Minister's Office, Finland / Government Communicat ions Depart ment Publicat ion date7.4.2022 15.03 | Published in English on 7.4.2022 at 15.17

The Government has appointed a Parliamentary Working Group on Research, Development, and Innovation 2022 (RDI Working Group) to draw up a plan for research, development, and innovation funding that extends beyond the spending limits period, and to follow the implementation of the decisions and policy outlines of the RDI Working Group 2021. The new ly appointed Working Group w ill cont inue t he work of t he Parliament ary RDI Working Group 2021. In t he final report of t he Working Group completed in December 2021, all parliament ary groups commit ted to t he t arget of increasing research and development expendit ure to 4% of GDP by 2030. The RDI Working Group proposes t hat an act should be passed on R&D funding to increase t he funding and, besides t his, a st at utory R&D funding plan should be prepared t hat extends beyond t he spending limit s period. The plan st rengt hens t he commit ment to promot ing R&D funding and act ivit ies and furt her specifies t he content and use of t he funding. The Working Group also proposes int roducing a permanent and more extensive t ax incent ive for R&D act ivit ies. The t ask of t he parliament ary RDI Working Group 2022 is to draw up a long-term plan for R&D funding t hat extends beyond t he spending limit s period, to serve as t he monitoring group for t he preparat ion of t he act on R&D funding, and to monitor t he implement at ion of t he decisions and policy out lines t he Working Group 2021. The Working Group consist s of members from all parliament ary groups formed on t he basis of parliament ary elect ions. The Working Group is chaired by Member of Parliament Mat ias Mäkynen. The permanent expert s and secret ariat of t he Working Group are from t he Prime Minister?s Office, Minist ry of Finance, Minist ry of Educat ion and Cult ure, and Minist ry of Economic Affairs and Employment . The term of t he Working Group ends on 31 March 2023.

?Being involved and making a difference represent civil right s for me. Changing t hings t akes commit ment . The welfare st ate or t he ground rules for working life should not be t aken for granted; t hey are t he result of hard work and determined effort s.? - Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland

Photo by Joakim Honkasalo

Working Group on RDI ? what and why? Finland?s compet it iveness and well-being are built on competence, research, and innovat ion. Research and innovat ion play a crucial role in increasing product ivit y, renew ing business and indust ry, and creat ing wellbeing. Research and innovat ion also create solut ions to major challenges in societ y. Invest ment s in research, product development , and innovat ions have declined in Finland, and Finland has fallen behind t he leading count ries in Europe and t he rest of t he world. Finland aims to increase it s research and development expendit ure to four percent of GDP by 2030 in line w it h t he Government Programme and t he Nat ional Roadmap for Research, Development , and Innovat ion. The Research and Innovat ion Council set t he same t arget during t he previous electoral term in 2017. In 2019, R&D intensit y w as 2.8 percent and t he public sector?s share of R&D funding w as 30 percent . Reaching t he t arget by 2030 would mean addit ional invest ment s of nearly EUR 600 million per year on average. Of t his, private funding would amount to around EUR 400 million and public sector funding to around EUR 200 million if t he public sector?s share of R&D funding remained t he same. To achieve t his t arget , we need a shared view and missions, more ambit ious RDI act ivit ies, and significant invest ment s by bot h t he public and t he private sector. Achieving t he t arget w ill not be possible w it hout subst ant ial grow t h in invest ment s made by t he private sector. In April 2021, Prime Minister Sanna Marin?s Government decided to set up a parliament ary working group to advance Finland?s RDI object ives. Appointed by t he Prime Minister?s Office, t he working group w ill operate from 18 June to 31 December 2021. The working group w ill explore w ays to commit to increasing R&D funding in t he public sector unt il t he end of t he decade. Opt ions include long-term planning t hrough t he budget ing process, mult i-annual budget ing, or est ablishing an off-budget fund. The working group w ill comprehensively assess t he impact of each opt ion on R&D funding, t he deficit in t he public sector, indebtedness in t he public sector, t he budget ary power of Parliament , and t he volume of RDI act ivit ies carried out by businesses. Prime Minister's Office, Finland

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Minister of Education Li Andersson, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo pose after the first meeting of the new government in Helsinki, Finland December 10, 2019. REUTERS/ Lehtikuva Lehtikuva

Women run Finland

Finland?s incumbent Prime Minister leads a coalit ion government in w hich all five part y leaders are women. At 34, Sanna Marin became t he world?s youngest head of st ate, and t hree of her ot her coalit ion leaders are also younger t han 35. Twelve of t he nineteen new Finnish cabinet members are women, meaning Finland?s government has t he second-highest percent age of female ministers in t he world, after Spain. Prime Minister Marin represent s t he Social Democrat Part y and previously served as Transport at ion Minister after being elected to parliament in 2015. cfr.org

Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin w as born in Helsinki on 16 November 1985. She spent her childhood in Pirkkala and now lives in nearby Tampere w it h her husband and t heir daughter Emma (b. 2018). Having completed her general upper secondary educat ion in 2004, Marin took a Master?s degree in Administ rat ion Sciences at t he Universit y of Tampere in 2017. Her Master?s t hesis, ent it led ?Finland, a count ry of Mayors?, looked into t he professionalizat ion process of polit ical leadership in Finnish cit ies. In 2015, Marin w as elected to Parliament for her first run. There she has been a member of t he Grand Commit tee, Legal Affairs Commit tee, and Environment Commit tee. She is a member of t he Tampere cit y council, w hich she chaired from 2013?to 2017. In 2014, Marin w as elected as a second deput y part y leader of t he Social Democrat ic Part y, and since 2017 she has served as t he First Deput y Part y Leader. In August 2020, Marin w as elected as Chair of t he Social Democrat ic Part y. Marin has been act ively engaged in polit ics since 2006. ?Being involved and making a difference represent civil right s for me. Changing t hings t akes commit ment . The welfare st ate or t he ground rules for working life should not be t aken for granted; t hey are t he result of hard work and determined effort s.? Environment al values are also close to Sanna Marin?s heart : ?Climate change and loss of biodiversit y are some of t he biggest problems of our t imes. Addressing t hem t akes st rong polit ical w ill and determinat ion.? During t he government format ion t alks in spring 2019, Marin chaired t he negot iat ing t able t hat addressed t he t heme ?Carbon neut ral Finland t hat protect s biodiversit y. She served as Minister of Transport and Communicat ions in t he Rinne Government . Sanna Marin w as appointed Prime Minister on 10 December 2019. Marin is t he t hird female Prime Minister of Finland and t he youngest prime minister in Finland?s history.

NATO Secr et ar y Gen er al Jen s St olt en ber g an d Fin n ish Pr im e M in ist er San n a M ar in in Oct . 2021. (Lau r a Kot ila/ Fin n ish gover n m en t .)

Pr emier

Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin