Tag Archives: Finland

New Jersey has a Baby Box Initiative

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New Jersey has become the first state to adopt what has been called the Baby Box initiative. The idea comes from Finland and is also used in Canada. The main purpose of the program is to reduce the chances of sudden infant death syndrome. The New Jersey Baby Box Initiative was inspired by the Finnish Baby Box intervention, which has led to Finland having the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. New Jersey’s Child Fatality & Near Fatality Review Board (CFNFRB) now offers free Baby Boxes to every new or expecting family in New Jersey. The Baby Box itself … Continue reading →

Canadian Moms to Receive Finland Baby Boxes

Mothers in Canada are about to start receiving the popular maternity package that mothers in Finland have been receiving for 75 years. It is a maternity package from the government that is designed to be a starter kit of baby supplies. In Finland, an expectant mother will be given a box full of baby supplies by the state. This tradition dates back to the 1930’s, and is given to all infants in Finland, from all social backgrounds. The Finland Baby Boxes includes the following items: * Mattress, mattress cover, under sheet, duvet cover, blanket, sleeping bag/quilt * Snowsuit, hat, insulated … Continue reading →

Winter Adventure Travel Packages—Europe

I’ve covered winter sports options in Vermont, Minnesota, Colorado, New England and Canada. But, if you are looking to explore the great outdoors in a place known for having the world’s most spectacular mountain scenery then consider this next travel package. I am continuing my series of blogs spotlighting various destinations for winter sports enthusiasts by focusing on U.K.-based Exodus Travels’ “Winter Activity Week” tours. For about $1,500 you can enjoy eight days and seven nights of pure winter sports bliss. From snowshoeing and dogsledding to skiing and ice-skating this tour provides a smorgasbord of winter activities in venues with … Continue reading →

Air Guitar Championships: Rock On!

I will admit that at times, I play the air guitar. Okay, actually, whenever I get a MySpace bulletin that asks if I have played air guitar in the last week, my response is usually “Yeah.” But, I only play air guitar alone or in front of my three year old. But apparently, playing air guitar in public is very popular. And the guys that do this take it very, very seriously. Every year since 1996, there has been a world air guitar championship to crown the king of air guitars. Each year, the world championship is held in Oulu … Continue reading →

A “Text” Book Like No Other

I’m not an author, nor do I aspire to be one, but I have friends who long to have their hard work published and to them I preface this blog by saying: Hang in there. This blog is not meant to torture you. Instead, I hope it shows what can happen when you mix a bit of creativity with a passion for making money. A novel chock-full of misspelled words has just been published in Finland. The book’s narrative consists entirely of cell phone text messages. According to the publisher, “The Last Messages” tells the story of a fictitious information-technology … Continue reading →

How Far North Do You Want to Go?

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Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever visit a place as far away as Finland. Then my employer, a world wide chemical company, asked me to sell a business that was headquartered there. I was there a dozen or so times and I found the people and country to be very fascinating. The Finnish language is like no other. That is very unusual in Europe. The other Nordic countries, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, all have languages that are very similar. Because they are so isolated from the rest of the world and their language is … Continue reading →