nordstjernan The Swedish Newspaper of America
Published by Swedish News. Volume 144 No. 09, May 15, 2016. Price per copy $2.50
This Week, Page 5
The Swedish National Day is also known as Day of the Swedish flag.
Sweden, Page 2, 3
TRH Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf on their way to June 6 celebrations at Skansen, Stockholm. For Swedish National Day celebrations in the U.S., turn to / Page 12. For more on Swedish National Day and the celebration of H.M. the King’s 70th birthday, turn to / Page 5
Photo: Hans Christiansson
Nordic and U.S leaders meet in Washington / Löfven assures Russia Sweden will remain neutral / A Swedish ISIS suspect changes plans / Eurovision Song Contest to be broadcast live in the U.S. / Stockholm is on high alert / Unions score historic victory during labor negotiations in Sweden.
Column, Page 3
Reflections on a well-known colorful horse.
Feature, Page 5
International Swedish schools are recruiting American students
The Viking lives on
Page 10
Göran R Buckhorn guest@nordstjernan.com
Continued on page 6
Dashboard, Page 10, 11
Sweden’s youngest PhD / Design and eat (or share) your own chocolate bar / Get the taste of Sweden delivered to your door / Swedish chef’s San Francisco restaurant wins big. Drawing by Gunnar Brusewitz
In the wake of heightened interest in the Nordic Viking myths and sagas, here is a tale of Sweden’s most popular Viking and his originator. One of Sweden’s most successful authors during the 20th century was without question Frans G. Bengtsson, widely known outside Sweden for his story about the Viking Röde Orm. Frans Gunnar Bengtsson was born in 1894 at the Rössjöholm estate in northeast Skåne. After he graduated from school in Kristianstad, he attended Lund University, where he spent many years studying a wide range of topics including history, literature, philosophy and the English language. He was also a keen chess player. Bengtsson knew early in life that he
Perspectives, Page 14
In Swedish: Sweden’s radical culture experiment by Professor Claes Ryn.
The Viking Röde Orm (Red Snake) as the Swedish artist Gunnar Brusewitz pictured him.
Kubb season has begun
The 2016 kubb season has begun in the U.S. The old Swedish lawn game is making a comeback, with its American capital in northern Wisconsin, whose motto is: Kubb unites people and creates peace on earth! In 2007, Eau Claire, WI hosted the first official tournament in the U.S. Since then, the game has grown significantly and this year there are over 40 tournaments in the U.S., with the annual U.S. Team Cup on July 9-10 still open for team registration. The sport is growing with new Kubb teams getting organized all the time; teams for all ages and abilities are popping up all over - like the informal one Jessica Lied writes about on page 8, and more official ones you may want to go cheer for, if not join. / Page 9
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