A position it has held since the index started 4 years ago!

Finland ranked first in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006, published Tuesday by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands share first place with Finland, with North Korea coming last at place 168.

Finland has been at the top of the ranking list every year since the publication of the first index in 2002.
At the opposite end of the spectrum on the Press Freedom Index, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Eritrea bask in the questionable acclaim of being ranked as the most blatant violators of freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

Denmark, which belonged among the leaders in 2005, is now ranked 19th, owing to journalists having received death-threats because of the Muhammad caricatures. The United States was ranked only 53rd (in 2002 it was still in the top 20 countries) and France could place no higher than 35th, although it, too, was in or around the top 10 just four years ago.

The press freedom index is based on evaluations made by journalists, researchers, lawyers and human rights activists.

As temperatures plummet, lakes start to freeze and the snow appears.

Hotel Iso-Syote, a wonderful hotel set on of one of Finland southern most fells, just below the Arctic Circle, is enjoying the best of both worlds - bright sunshine and the arrival of winter. Temperatures are now regularly dropping below -10 which is vital at this time of year to ensure that lakes and swamps freeze before the arrival of the heavy winter snow.

The ski slopes tend to open mid November and the first husky and snowmobile safaris set off in early December or ealier if snow conditions allow.

Syote enjoys some of the heaviest snowfall in Lapland with the trees you see in the pictures being transformed into snow pyramids. The image below was taken last December from the hotel overlooking the ski lifts. The views from the hotel and cabins are breathtaking what ever the season.

For further details of spending Christmas in this Winter wonderland click here.

Life in the nursery in Lapland.

A few photos to show how Harriniva's latest puppies are progressing. They are growing so fast.

There is already snow on the ground in places in Lapland and at night time they are experiencing temperatures as low as -10.
That of course will be nothing to the puppies, as the winter progresses they must be prepared to function in tempratures as low as -40.
As a rule it is the warmer weather the dogs dislike, even temperatures of -5 are not pleasant when the dogs are working, whisking their sleds through the forzen forests. They are happiest and -10 and below! 

If you want experience husky sleding in Lapland click here.

Finland is home to 5000 reindeer herders.

About 40 percent of Finnish reindeer meat is sold by the herders themselves, or small-scale meat packers. Finnish law allows those who raise reindeer to sell the meat directly to the consumer. In direct sales, the transaction must take place on the property of the herder. 

Reindeer meat is low in fat and high in protein. Reindeer have their calves in the late spring. 
Most of the reindeer that are slaughtered were born the same year, because the meat of a young reindeer is considered to be of higher quality. More mature individuals are left in the forest to multiply. 
   

The reindeer herding area of Finland comprises one third of the country's surface area. It includes all of the Province of Finnish Lapland, as well as the northern and eastern parts of Oulu Province. Finland has about 5,000 reindeer herders, who comprise 56 reindeer-owners' associations.

Reindeer, or rangifer tarandus tarandus are ruminants - the semi-domesticated version of a wild animal of the same species. 
In 2005 predators killed nearly 3,000 reindeer.
     

Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 17.10.2006

But be warned, the first snow falls in Helsinki later every year

The City of Helsinki's Public Works Department has announced a competition to guess the date when the first snow will be cleared from Helsinki's streets. The date has appeared to be later and later in recent years.

      Those who intend to take part in the competition will have to know more than just the date of the first snowfall. One has to be able to predict also how fast the Public Works Department is ready to get the ploughs out.

     
According to the rules of the competition, the criterion of the first snowfall is met when three out of the Public Works Department's six maintenance districts set off with their snowploughing vehicles to clear snow from the streets of the capital.
      "The snowfall has to be a bit heavier than a dusting", says engineer Juha Mäkelä from the City's Public Works Department.
      "It is rather difficult to say exactly how many centimetres the snow cover should be, and it also depends on the snow itself. Whether it is wet or dry, or whether it comes with strong winds and gets packed" , he notes.

      Mäkelä reports further that the foreman of the Public Works Department will be on duty at night from the beginning of November.
      "He will go around the city and evaluate when there is enough snow for the crew to set off", Mäkelä explains.

"However, each district is to assess the situation in its own area. The city is large, and if it is snowing in the district of Pitäjänmäki, it may be raining by the coast", he concludes.
      The six maintenance depots of the Public Works Department are situated in the districts of Kamppi, Pitäjänmäki, Kyläsaari, Tattarisuo, Oulunkylä, and at the Roihupelto industrial area.
     

In addition to the criteria set by the Public Works Department, even some more official definitions of the first snow exist.
     
According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the first snow means an intact snow layer of at least one centimetre that has been measured in the morning.
      Statistics of the first snow have been gathered since 1900. The earliest day for the first snow was recorded in 1928, when the first dump came in Kaisaniemi on September 29th.
      On the other hand, the first snow has appeared later and later every year. Over the 30-year period from 1971 to 2000, the first snow appeared in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi around November 14th on average, while the first years of the current millennium saw the first snow around November 16th on average.

      A hint for those who plan to participate in the competition: last year, the first snowplough based on the criteria of the Public Works Department set out on November 28th.

For further details on visiting Helsinki click here.

According to Swedish Radio's Kulturnyttat, the change will take place at the beginning of 2007

The opposition Social Democrats have said they will fight against the reforms.
"We want to have culture policies for everyone and we noticed that this has been greatly appreciated," said Margareta Israelsson, a Social Democrat member of the parliamentary culture committee.

The vice chairman of the committee, Cecilia Wikström (Liberal Party) said she was surprised by the announcement and asked for a full analysis. She pointed to research from the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs, which found that 70% of Swedes were in favour of free museum entry.

Writing in Dagens Nyheter, 19 museum bosses have demanded that free entry remains in place.

The Alliance parties made clear before the election their view that free entry to museums should be abolished, but that young people up to the age of 19 should still be able to visit without charge.

Lars Amréus, head of the Historical Museum, is one of those who wants to keep free entry.

"We have doubled our visitor numbers. In 2005 we had 200,000 visitors, and before that we had 100,000 in a normal year."

There have also been many new visitors, he said.

The government's budget proposal will be made public on Monday, but the 21 state-run museums were informed of the move on Wednesday in a letter from the Culture Department.

"We have had part of the budget proposal and the only issue we have to comment on is that free entry will be abolished from 1st January 2007," said the finance director at the Nordic Museum, Karin Englund.

Published: 11th October 2006 The Local

The way ahead with lower emissions and less noise pollution.

The Finnish factory of Canada Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) has developed the world's first natural gas-powered snowmobile, it said Wednesday.

The Lynx-branded model is to be sold mainly to central European skiing resorts, which requested the development of a gas-powered alternative a couple of years ago.

Using gas instead of petrol as fuel significantly cuts emissions as well as engine noise. Further, natural gas is up to 70 per cent cheaper than petrol.

In Austria, for example, there are about 40 natural gas filling stations.

To visit Finnish Lapland to try snowmobiling, sadly not yet the natural gas-powered verion click here. 

Winner of the Guardian, Observer and Guardian Unlimited Travel Awards 2006.

Sweden came out top in the category “Favourite European Country” when the results of a survey into the preferences of readers of British national newspapers, The Guardian and Observer, as well as the online version, Guardian Unlimited, were collated. Italy came second and Norway, third. The survey offers a unique and fascinating insight into the tastes and preferences of a discerning group of travellers.

“We are very pleased that Sweden has been chosen by such a quality group of readers. The results have confirmed us in our choice of target group and we hope that those who voted Sweden top destination will help us to spread the word about Sweden for the future,” says Fredrik Barthold, Regional Director, VisitSweden (formerly Swedish Travel & Tourism Council).

“I suspect glamour and the pull of nature have something to do with our readers voting Sweden their favourite European destination. There can't be too many capitals like Stockholm, where you can stay in a boutique-style hotel owned by former Abba stars, enjoy a gourmet dinner, party in clubs, and then, the next morning, swap your dancing shoes for a pair of hiking boots to explore the islands or the coast. If you really want to get back to nature, you can head up to Lapland. But even there, they've made a style statement in the form of the Ice Hotel. Swedes seem to have effortlessly struck the perfect party/healthy balance, and that would appear to be a winning combination.” Andy Pietrasik, Travel Editor of The Guardian comments on the Award.

Among VisitSweden’s current campaigns is the innovative “Stockholm the Musical” campaign, in which Stockholm is marketed by the interactive website www.stockholmthemusical.com . The website forms the basis of a viral campaign to drive UK visitors to Stockholm. It takes the visitor on an ironic, fun-filled musical journey through all the city has to offer and includes an interactive retro-style short film inviting users to enjoy picturesque city sights accompanied by a vibrant, uplifting tune specially written for the website. VisitSweden has created interest in the campaign through a variety of channels, including Guardian Unlimited.

So far this year, commercial bed nights in Sweden from the UK have increased by 16%.

The Swedish Space Corporation say it could be a reality by 2011.

Not content with having them dotted all over the countryside, Sweden is now considering putting a little red cottage on the moon. The idea, first conjured up by the artist Mikael Genberg seven years ago, may become reality with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), according to N24.

The state agency SSC has carried out a technical study showing that it is indeed possible to put a little red cottage on the moon.

"If we manage to do this Sweden will be the third country to occupy the moon", said SSC's Fredrik von Scéele.

A competition has been arranged for students to construct a little red house that is suitably sized for placement by a moon landing device. The construction may not exceed eight square metres and can weigh a maximum of four kilos.

A jury consisting of leading researchers and professors from the Swedish space industry has already been appointed to oversee the project.

The project is expected to cost 500 million kronor. Unless there are problems financing the project or there is a sudden scarcity of Falun red paint there could be a little house on the moon by 2011.

"The idea came to me in 1999. I had just finished working on a tree house hotel and was in the process of producing an underwater hotel when I saw an article in Expressen: 'Now Sweden goes for the moon'. My idea was not realistic at all. But it kept coming back to me and by August 2003 I had made quite a few enquiries. Ever since then it has grown into far more than an artwork," artist Mikael Genberg told The Local.

He explains how the last few years have seen a new race to the moon. And Sweden is keen to be involved, even if this means cooperating with other countries. Putting a house on the moon would strengthen the impression of Sweden as a hi-tech country.

"The project will cost 500 million kronor, which is quite reasonable. I think if we can make absolutely sure that this will happen it should be possible to finance it."

While the little red house is well known as a national symbol within Sweden, Genberg would like the construction to have a more international aspect.

"Everybody sees the moon, so the house should be a symbol for mankind, as well as a sort of all-seeing eye looking over us," said Genberg.

Experts could not confirm whether the cottage would finally provide a permanent housing solution for the man on the moon.

Published on The Local 11 Oct 2006.