ISSUE 33 (65) • 29 AUGUST – 4 SEPTEMBER 2008 • €3 • WWW.HELSINKITIMES.FI DOMESTIC NEWS BUSINESS SPORT LIFESTYLE CULTURE Dead Forestry HJK breaks Peace The world zones in compared Inter’s is in of art Baltic Sea in EU-27 undefeated run the air exchange page 5 page 10 page 13 page 14 page 15 Violence among pupils has increased at an alarming rate HEIDI LEHTONEN - HT early intervention are central to MICHAEL NAGLER – HT decreasing school bullying and vi- olence. It is important to increase BULLYING has become more com- knowledge about how we perceive mon in comprehensive schools. Sev- violence and what it means to youth, en per cent of girls and one tenth of parents and those who work among boys said that they are bullied at least young people,” Pietikäinen says. once a week. A fi fth of junior high The results of the Kiva Koulu school students on average have ex- (Nice school) programme, which was perienced physical threats during the developed at the University of Turku last year. Fights and threatening with with funding from the Ministry of violence have increased considerably Education, have appeared prom- among boys in comprehensive school. ising. In the experimental schools These results are revealed in a school which ran for a year, the proportion health survey conducted by STAKES, of children who were repeatedly bul- the National Research and Develop- lied as well as those who bullied oth- ment Centre for Welfare and Health. ers fell by about 40 per cent. Over 100,000 comprehensive school, Elisa Poskiparta of the Universi- vocational school and high school stu- ty of Turku, a senior researcher of the dents took part in the survey. Kiva Koulu programme, says that the STAKES Senior Researcher Minna experimental schools have received Pietikäinen sees dysfunctional fami- the programme surprisingly well. lies as one reason for increased school She hopes that there will be grow- bullying and youth violence. “Drug and ing interest in the project. “This year alcohol use and mental problems have junior high school students are also increased in our society, and more involved in the experiment, which families than before have problems. makes it more challenging than last This manifests itself in the increase of year,” she adds. children taken into state custody, the The experiment, which began in Entertainment resort Flamingo in Vantaa will be the largest of its kind in Nordic Countries. need for rehabilitation services, and 2007, targeted over 4,000 pupils in perhaps also in the increased physical the fourth, fi fth and sixth grades of threats experienced by young people.” comprehensive school. This school A more thorough approach year comprehensive school pupils Finland’s largest entertainment should be taken with regards to in the fi rst to third grades as well as school bullying and violence. Ac- those in the seventh to ninth grades cording to Pietikäinen there are not will get to try the project. The Kiva centre to open in Vantaa enough support services for youth Koulu programme will be available and families. “Pre-emption and to all schools by autumn 2009. KATI HURME mingo has also evoked some conver- opened by Finnkino, along with the HELSINKI TIMES sation about the consequences, both Flamingo Spa, which contains the planned and otherwise. The rising largest indoor water park in Finland Competition invites easy designs THE RECENT trend in shopping cen- amount of private traffi c is one issue (10,000 m²) and an Inca themed en- tres is towards bigger, better and troubling some critics. According tertainment spa for adults. The spa STT open, while material which easily more entertaining, and the epitome to the CEO of Espa Invest, Esa Ran- can fi t up to 2,500 people. It goes MATTHEW PARRY – HT slides through the fi ngers is prob- of the phenomena is Ideapark, the ta, “Flamingo is intended as a kind without saying that a hotel, dozens ably not the best choice either. En- 104,000 m² mall opened in Decem- of resort where people will arrive in of restaurants, cafés and wall-to- IN FUTURE, products on supermarket tries should also come with succinct ber 2006 in Lempäälä. The next Ide- groups by bus or plane.” He adds that wall shopping will also be part of the shelves will be marked with informa- but clear instructions for opening. aparks are already being planned in ”Flamingo aims to attract up to three Flamingo experience. tion on how easy it is to open them. Research indicates that around Pieksämäki and Vihti. and half million visitors per year.” Public concern has also emerged The Finnish Rheumatism Associ- 1,5 million Finns suffer from an im- The latest arrival in the Greater The colossal entertainment centre about the disappearence of local ation, in conjunction with the Foun- paired ability to use their hands. This Helsinki area, billed as the largest has already been affectionately nick- services from local residential ar- dation for Finnish Inventions, has competition aims to make every-day entertainment centre in the Nordic named the ”the Las Vegas of Finland”. eas. Small shopping centers built launched a Helppo avata- competi- products easier to open. Countries, is Flamingo, set to open The name is not entirely overblown, in the 1960s and 70s are slowly dy- tion to fi nd the best design ideas for Much packaging presents diffi cul- in Vantaa on 3 September. The new- as the September line-up for night ing, forcing people to do their dai- the packaging of groceries and medi- ty to even the most able-bodied of us, comer is located right next to what club Club Flamingo includes Boney M, ly shopping in big supermarkets, cine. The competition, which closes at but it is the sick and the elderly who used to be the second largest shop- Village People and the mid-90’s euro- mostly located in or close to mas- the beginning of December, is open to face the greatest challenge. Stud- ping centre in Finland, Jumbo, and is dance group Ace of Base. The centre’s sive shopping centres like Flamin- anybody. ies have shown that ease of opening situated less than three kilometres two-storey night club, run by man- go. The periodic public debate about Prospective entries should take is often a factor in purchasing deci- from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. ager Sedu Koskinen, has room for Sunday opening hours is also affect- into account the material used in sions, and two thirds of consumers While many locals have expressed up to 2,300 customers. ed by the mega-mall trend, just in packaging, since the most robust say they would pay more for a prod- satisfaction at the development, the Flamingo’s other attractions in- time for the municipal elections at package may not be the easiest to uct were it easier to open. phenomenon of mega-malls like Fla- clude the fi rst 3D-cinema in Finland, the end of October. OPEN YOUR EYES FOR BETTER VISION WE CHECK YOUR EYES FOR FREE BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TIME NOW, THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR ONE MONTH YOUR LOCAL OPTICIAN IN HELSINKI Paasi-Optiikka, Siltasaarenkatu 12, Hakaniemi tel. 050 5821021, info@paasioptiikka.fi www.paasioptiikka.fi 2 29 AUGUST – 4 SEPTEMBER 2008 VIEWPOINT HELSINKI TIMES Dr. Vladimir P. Kozin Head of Political Analysis and Forecasting Section, General Asian Affairs Directorate, Russian Foreign Ministry. This article was written exclusively for Helsinki Times. Read the full version of this article online: www.helsinkitimes.fi Is there any light at Operation “empty field”: causes, developments, lessons the end of the tunnel? The massive aggression of announced 9 August that ternational mechanisms are Georgia against South Ossetia The recent Georgia-South Ossetia conflict will go down into history the country’s troops had be- put in place. has intensifi ed its ambitions as gun a “peace enforcement Russia quickly pulled back well as long-cherished dreams as the most dramatic and fierce confrontation with a substantial operation” in South Ossetia its forces from South Ossetia of Abkhazia to proclaim in- use of military might. to force Georgian troops to and Georgia proper: the with- dependence from Tbilisi. On cease violence. drawal began 18 August, and 25 August, both the Russian It was not an easy decision by 22 August, at 19.50, nearly all State Duma and the Federa- UNDOUBTEDLY, the recent A carefully lican hospital were totally for the Kremlin to embark up- Russian contingents have safely tion Council formally request- and relatively short Georgia- timed attack destroyed, water supply sys- on military power. But it did returned to Russian territory. ed the President to support South Ossetia armed confl ict People all over the world were tems severely damaged, the not have any intention to cap- Seemingly, the fi ve-day the independence of these re- that lasted only from 8 till 12 watching the Olympic Games Parliament and University ture Georgia or to oust Presi- war was over. What are its publics. President Medvedev August 2008 will go down in in China. The Russian lead- buildings burned. Around dent Saakashvili. The Russian major lessons? signed two decrees on the rec- history as the most dramat- ers were out of Moscow: Pres- 70 per cent of buildings were Foreign Minister Sergei Lav- First. True, it was an ex- ognition of the independence ic and fi erce confrontation ident Dmitry Medvedev was reduced to rubble, and gas rov stressed 19 August that tremely unhappy event for of South Ossetia and Abkhaz- with a substantial use of mil- in the Volga river area, while and electricity were cut off.