posted
Talking of Finland, I only learnt the other day (from reading a Ken Follett novel, of all things) that Finland fought three wars between 1939 and 1945, including declaring war on the Soviet Union, which strikes me as quite hardcore.
Posts: 7807
| IP: Logged
posted
Yes, and they're very, very proud of the fact too.
One reason Sven Hassel is so popular in Finland is because he features the Finnish fighting in a couple of his books and includes a couple of fairly insane Finnish characters, which they seem to take as an enormous compliment.
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
posted
One of my flatmates at uni was a girl from Finland. She was really nice and used to give me lovely Finlandia vodka, but wasn't tall or blonde like I'd been led to believe on tv.
I think I still have her email address though, so could ask her some Finland related questions, if you want.
Posts: 710
| IP: Logged
posted
I was in Finland last year. A mix up with names meant that I was awarded a large grant by the Norwegian Minister for Agriculture to continue my work 'furthering research into high yield grains'. Not speaking Finnish, or wanting to seem rude, I accepted the invitation and was flown over to Helsinki, where I was presented with one of those large cardboard cheques at the Annual Conference of Finnish Agricultural Science.
[ 22.02.2007, 09:05: Message edited by: Jimmy Big Nuts ]
Posts: 4376
| IP: Logged
posted
Finland seems to produce some of the world's best drivers. Kimi Raikonen, mika hackinen and (i believe) marcus gronholm all hail from there. There are loads of finnish rally drivers actually. Probably on account of their country being so slippery, giving them a natural advantage on low-grip surfaces.
Posts: 12211
| IP: Logged
posted
That's true ringo. Out of all the countries I've been to, Finland is the slippiest. I did a comedy stumble in the bathroom that could have ended in paralysis, and I stacked it in the centre of town and fell into a freezing cold fountain.
Posts: 4376
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Finland seems to produce some of the world's best drivers. Kimi Raikonen, mika hackinen and (i believe) marcus gronholm all hail from there. There are loads of finnish rally drivers actually. Probably on account of their country being so slippery, giving them a natural advantage on low-grip surfaces.
I'm always amazed how easily you can turn any topic, and I mean any topic, back to driving. Posts: 7436
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by mart: How do you know the following:
a) The Finns are proud of their war heritage? b) Sven Hassel is popular in Finland? c) The reasons for his popularity?
Are you a bit a of a Finnish wartime expert or something? I'm genuinely curious.
Answered in different order to make more sense...
b) I'm a Sven Hassel nut (toned down quite a lot these days, but still) and I run a fan website (which I'm rebuilding just now actually for its tenth anniversary *proud*). We have a lot of Finns on the mailing list - probably more so than any other single nationality. His books never went out of print there, unlike the English language editions, several of which have not been printed for nearly 20 years now.
c) The same fans have often mentioned their pleasure in finding references to the Winter War in the writings of a foreigner. As you said, it's yet another of the little known stories of WWII. In Finland there is a book called 'The Unknown Soldier' (check it out on http://en.wikipedia.org/ - link formatting won't work on here), which has much in common with Sven Hassel's stories, though I've no idea if he ever read it himself. This also seems to please the Finnish Sven Hassel readers I have corresponded with.
a) The Finns I have spoken with are very proud, and quite rightly so, of their resistance to the Soviet Union's attempts to annex disputed territory in the 30s and 40s. I don't know the details, though I should read up on it really as it sounds quite fascinating. I'm not a bit of a Finnish wartime expert, sadly no.
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
posted
Oh I’m sure it’s not the slipperiest country in the whole world. It’s just that generally the most slippery countries are less concerned with driving than they are with walking around in wooden shoes and making clocks.
For more information on the subject, look out for Ringo’s Pocket Guide to Europe available in your local book store now.
Posts: 12211
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by mart: Talking of Finland, I only learnt the other day (from reading a Ken Follett novel, of all things) that Finland fought three wars between 1939 and 1945, including declaring war on the Soviet Union, which strikes me as quite hardcore.
Not only that, they managed to keep the Soviet hordes out as well. As you seem to know a little about the Finnish military Mart, you'll probably be aware that that the insignia of the Finnish Air Force was a light blue Swastika on a white disc - a design that was thought up independently, or so any Finnish military-type will tell you.
I was in Finland a few years ago, and visited Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku; if you are ever in Helsinki I definitely recommend Suomenlina island - there is wonderful U-Boat there, the Vesikko.
I also met a lovely Finnish girl (who looked anything but the archetypal Finn as she had long black hair) on the overnight Helsinki-Tallinn ferry - where an otherwise two-hour trip is turned into an overnight Finlandia fest accompanied by onstage bands playing 1970s era muzak. One band were clearly trying to ape The Shadows, and we dubbed the lead guitarist Hank Marvininen - which was pretty funny at the time but very shit in retrospect.
More Finnish trivia:
- the aircraft seen at the end of 28 Days Later belongs to the Finnish Air Force, and the pilot speaks in Finnish, natch.
- the Finns were putting ice in cider long before certain glut-advertised brands made it fashionable over here.
I have to say that I am very attracted to Finland.
-------------------- "You ate the baby Jesus and his mother Mary!" "I thought they were animal cookies..." Posts: 4130
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Samuelnorton: As you seem to know a little about the Finnish military Mart
No, I know nothing more than what you and Dang have just told me, which was all very interesting. Particularly the Hank Marvinien story.
One of my mum's favourite jokes is one she was told while in Finland:
A foreigner is up in north Finland and is impressed by the imposing countryside, the weather, the cold, all that, so asks a local what they get up to in the summer.
"We fish and we fuck."
"And what do you do in the winter?"
"We don't fish."
I think if Hankinien Marvinski told it on stage, between numbers, during a vodka'ed-up night cruise, it might just be funny.
posted
If your mother was told that joke by a Finnish person Mart it would just be one more person destroying the stereotype of Finns as dour and humourless.
I found them to be anything but, especially the police officer who gave my friend a breathalyser test on exiting the ferry - when I was driving. When the machine started to beep madly she asked him to step out of the car - only to burst out laughing when she saw no steering wheel where it should have been.
-------------------- "You ate the baby Jesus and his mother Mary!" "I thought they were animal cookies..." Posts: 4130
| IP: Logged
- the aircraft seen at the end of 28 Days Later belongs to the Finnish Air Force, and the pilot speaks in Finnish, natch.
So why does it have RAF markings then? I can't remember the type - from memory I think its a buccaneer, which was only used by the British and South Africans. I could be wrong though...
quote:Originally posted by Waynster: So why does it have RAF markings then? I can't remember the type - from memory I think its a buccaneer, which was only used by the British and South Africans. I could be wrong though...
If you have the DVD Waynster, hit pause. You'll see a pale blue and white roundel, which is the current insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The aircraft is also a Hawker Hunter - a Buck could never have pulled off those swift moves.
I knew those issues of Aircraft Recognition that my father used to bring back from work would prove useful one day...
-------------------- "You ate the baby Jesus and his mother Mary!" "I thought they were animal cookies..." Posts: 4130
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
They got the roads wrong in 28 Days Later. In the film they are instructed to take the M602 east of Manchester. The M602 doesn't go to the east of Manchester!!! It's a three mile stretch off the M62 from Liverpool and it stops west of Manchester.
Stupid 28 Days Later People. iI they're making that sort of elementary mistake it's no surprise they're getting their planes wrong too.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
your joke would have been more funny if you'd recalled that benway is a chinese accountant.
-------------------- i'm expressing my inner anguish through the majesty of song Posts: 4243
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
I do, Ringo. I care. I once bought a book about the history and construction of the north west's motorway network. That's how much I care.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
quote:Originally posted by Louche: I once bought a book about the history and construction of the north west's motorway network.
Oh and I actually read it as well. So there.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
You're older than me. I am slightly surprised that you could have got to 35 without learning to drive. But I am sure that surprise is a product of my own prejudices, so I'll shut up now.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Louche: I once bought a book about the history and construction of the north west's motorway network.
Oh and I actually read it as well. So there.
They had another documentary about that farm in the middle of the M6(not0)2 the other day, but it seemed to spend most the time going on about the farmer's search for a girl to live on the farm with him. Girls, if you can imagine for a moment exactly the sort of bloke you'd never ever want to live with and that they live in exactly the sort of place you'd never ever want to live, you'll quite likely have a picture of this guy.
He seemed quite nice though, and I do admit to not having a clue what sort of bloke girls would like to live with, so I could be wrong. He hadn't had any calls at all though, so I'm feeling fairly confident.
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic