Archives
Women’s Quotas and The Norwegian Experience – meeting notes
Women’s Quotas and The Norwegian Experience – meeting notes Women’s Quotas – The Norwegian experience NORDIC HORIZONS with Mai-Lill Ibsen and Arne Selvik Lecture Theatre Moray House, EH8 8AQ 6pm 2nd December 2014 In 2002 the Norwegian conservative Trade Minister announced a ‘Quota Law’ requiring publically listed companies to appoint 40% of the under-represented gender to their boards or face being closed down. Despite criticism the law came into force in 2006. Around 500 PLC’s were affected and during a two year transition period a hundred opted to delist from the Oslo Stock Exchange – some to avoid the quotas. Since then numbers of women on PLC boards has risen from 10% to 40%. Research suggests board selection is now more professional and international, and female boar...Read More
Restaurant Day
Restaurant Day – Event Details Restaurant Day – Timo Santala Lecture Theatre Moray House, EH8 8AQ – 6pm 22nd October 2014 This year Nordic Horizons theme is democratic renewal – we thought that would be relevant however the vote goes on September 18th. The first event is a novel way to engage ethnic communities, cut through red tape and let people feel in charge of their cities. Three years ago some friends in the Finnish capital Helsinki had an idea. Tough health and hygiene regulations had stopped Antti Tuomola from being able to set up a city restaurant. So he called on friends Olli Sirén and Timo Santala for help. They discovered restrictions didn’t apply to “pop-up” restaurants which opened for one day only. Restaurant Day was born. After a brainstorming session, Fac...Read More
November meeting – ‘Small is Powerful’.
Small is Powerful – Event Notes Small is Powerful Åland Prime Minister, Ms Camilla Gunnell Sponsored by Mike Mackenzie MSP Scottish Parliament 6pm November 25th 2014 How does home rule in the tiny Åland Islands work? Almost seven thousand islands (most uninhabited) lie midway between Sweden and Finland in the Baltic Sea. Most of the 28 thousand Ålanders speak Swedish, but their territory is part of Finland. In fact, Åland is the only Finnish province with significant legislative powers granted through the Autonomy Act of 1921. The island group has its own regional assembly and executive with powers over education, health, culture, industry and policing (though not taxation) and elects a single representative to the Parliament in Helsinki. No Finnish parties compete on the islands and...Read More
Halldór Guðmundsson – the video
The story of a ‘cultural trawler’ from Chris Smith on Vimeo.
The Nordic Phoenix Rises – Digital Notes
The Nordic Phoenix Rises – Digital Notes Harpa and the cultural revival of Iceland Halldór Guðmundsson — Director Harpa concert hall and conference centre, publisher & biographer of Nobel winning writer Halldor Laxness & author Wir sind alle Isländer on the Iceland crash Weds April 23rd 2014 Committee Room 2, Scottish Parliament 6-8pm Hosted by Linda Fabiani MSP Chaired by journalist and NH Director Lesley Riddoch Background. The new centrepiece of the Reykjavik skyline is Harpa, a magnificent concert hall which opened in 2011 — against all the odds. In 2008 it was part of a doomed waterfront redevelopment including a 400-room hotel, luxury flats, shops, restaurants, and new bank headquarters. The quarter-built project went on hold once the financial crisis hit an...Read More
Next season’s Nordic Horizons Topics
Next season's NH (after the indyref) will be themed Renewing Democracy. Proposals for speakers are very welcome – though we have a fair rake of great surprises already. Here's one excellent suggestion. "The EU has published its a "league table" of Member State performance in Innovation i.e. who has the best "innovation system"? A good definition of innovation systems is: “ .. the network of institutions in the public and private sectors whose activities and interactions initiate, import, modify and diffuse new technologies.” (Freeman, 1987) Really its about interactions between certain parts of the public sector – higher education for example – and certain kinds of private enterprise, to generate innovation in the economy. So who is doing ...Read More
The Finnish New Wave
The Finnish New Wave – Event Details Wednesday 19 March – Finnish New Waves Helsinki Waterfront Regeneration Wed 19 March Members Restaurant, Scottish Parliament 6-8pm Speaker Heikki Mäntymäki, City Planning Helsinki. Sponsored by Kezia Dugdale MSP Chaired by journalist and NH Director Lesley Riddoch The Background It’s the remotest European capital city with the least winter daylight and the hardest to learn language – and yet Helsinki has some of Europe’s most satisfied residents. How do they do it? Well it could be great city design. It could be the world’s best education system with the greatest use of public libraries. It could be because Helsinki council owns 66% of the land. It could be district heating for almost all. It could be having city beaches for Baltic midwinter...Read More
19 March 2014 – the poster
Places are free but must be reserved on Facebook or by email to Dan via nordichorizons@hotmail.co.uk We’ll confirm places via Facebook message or email (and let those who have registered too late know they’ve been unsuccessful). General info & new speakers will be posted on our Facebook page and website www.nordichorizons.org. Please keep checking there rather than sending individual emails – NH is a small, self-administering, volunteer-based group with a list of new meetings to arrange. Thank you!
Finns can only get better – 19 March 2014
Finns can only get better – Helsinki Waterfront Regeneration Wed 19 March Members Restaurant, Scottish Parliament 6-8pm Speaker Heikki Mäntymäki, City Planning Helsinki. Sponsored by Kezia Dugdale MSP Chaired by journalist and NH Director Lesley Riddoch
Takk for Trams
Takk for Trams – Digital Notes Wednesday 15 January 2014 Oslo –public transport Nirvana Hanne Bertnes Norli from Ruter Weds January 15th 2014 Members Restaurant, Scottish Parliament 6-8pm Hosted by Gordon Macdonald MSP Chaired by journalist and NH Director Lesley Riddoch Background Oslo, Edinburgh and Glasgow have a lot in common. The population of the Norwegian capital is 593k, Edinburgh 495k and Glasgow 598k. But Oslo transport leaves its Scottish cousins standing with 6 cross-city tram lines with 99 stops, 6 cross-city underground train lines, 60 bus lines and 6 passenger ferry lines to neighbouring towns and the peninsula of Nesodden. Car transport is not forbidden – there’s an expanding network of inner city tunnels — but it’s taxed. Drivers are charged (roughly £3) every ...Read More
Social gathering
You've seen 'The Killing' Christmas jumper Save the Children appeal, yes? Well, we're inspired. And it's about time that we at Nordic Horizons arranged some Christmas drinks! So, come along in your jumper (optional), donate some dosh to Save the Children and share some Christmas cheer with fellow NHers (compulsory). It will be 7.30 pm Saturday 21st December ( the weekend after Borgen has finished ) at Joseph Pearce's Bar 23 Elm Row Edinburgh. Sorry for the late notice. We'll be better organised next year, promise! And, if you already have plans for the night but are in Edinburgh, feel free to drop in whenever you like for as long or as short a time as you like. Friends and partners are welcome, of course. And if you don't recognise...Read More