Published by Swedish News. Volume 145 No. 1, February 1, 2017. Price per copy $3.50.
Time for a Semla
You may consider yourself a Swedish food and fika purist, but we found two creative and delicious variations on a theme that are definitely worth treating yourself (and everyone) to. One, shown above, is a creative approach to blending two traditions – the prinsesstårta and the semla – made famous this year by Markus Ekelund in Sweden / p 24. The other is a special semla to share with someone you love this Valentine’s Day – made by Swede Anna Bringle, who brought her baking business to the U.S. a few years ago. Find out how to get your own or try her continues on page 16 dreamy semlor recipe.
Extreme Sailing
“Life at the extreme” isn’t an exaggerated motto for Volvo’s biannual race across the oceans. The global sporting event is truly extreme, spanning four oceans and five continents and requiring the most skillful sailors in the world on extraordinary boats built for speed and endurance. With the addition of a couple new stopovers in the 2017 race, some changes to the rules have spiced it up, too. Sailing teams have the opportunity to redefine themselves and anticipate opportunities to take some new risks to stay strong in the competition. The changes even the playing field, so to speak, and as one sailor said, “the rewards for winning are greater. It may liven things up quite a bit more.” continues on page 27 IKEA settles a lawsuit and donates to children’s hospitals in memory of young victims. / p. 5 A peaceful lifestyle is no longer reserved for vacation as more Swedes move to live in the country year-round. / p. 5
One grumpy Swede inspires an entire midwest city to experience Swedish culture throughout February. / p. 7
Meandering the Göta Kanal
A journey in an historic passenger boat on the Göta Kanal is like traveling the Swedish Orient Express on water. In addition to other popular cruises, a new three-day cruise along Sweden’s west coast was added in 2016 – along the coast of Bohuslän from Goteborg to Grebbestad not far from the Norwegian border. It is a landscape dominated by more than 3,000 islands and 5,000 skerries. You’ll visit some old fishing communities, Smögen at the heart of Bohuslän, the sailing metropolis of Marstrand island and Fjällbacka, which is generally associated with Ingrid Bergman and Camilla Läckberg’s detective novels. continues on page 14
A grumpy old Swede inspires Page 7
dashboard | february 1, 2017 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
1 2
3
4
5
Who described Göteborg as the most 6 Which is the highest mountain in Sweden? a) beautiful of all Swedish cities? a) Carl von Tuupovaara b) Kebnekaise c) Galdhøpiggen d) Linné b) Carl Michael Bellman c) Verner Hardangervidda von Heidenstam) d) Herman Johann 7 In Norse mythology the Valkyries select the most heroic of those who die in battle and take them Which of the Scandinavian countries are to Odin’s Hall. What’s the name of this hall? a) monarchies? a) Finland, Sweden and Norway Edda b)Asgard c) Valhalla d) Akalla b) Denmark, Finland and Sweden c) Sweden, Norway and Denmark d) Norway and Sweden 8 To what country does the island of Bornholm belong? a) Sweden b) Denmark c) Norway What Scandinavian country has the world’s d) Germany largest population of arctic reindeer herds? a) Norway b) Finland c) Greenland d) Sweden 9 What in Sweden is commonly referred to as “the red gold of the forest”? a) cloudberries b) What’s the Danish name of the city of Elsinore? lingonberries c) björnbär d) wild strawberries a) Helsingborg b) Helsingør c) Elsingberg d) Øresund 10 What’s the name of the lighthouse on Öland’s southern tip? a) Borgholm b) Långe Erik c) What is the northernmost railway in the EuropeLånge Jan d)Långe JohnPark d) Holmenkollen an Union? a) Nordkapp Epress b) Malmbanan c) SJ d) Acela Norway
Answers: 1:A, 2:C, 3:A, 4:B, 5:B, 6:C, 7:C, 8:B, 9:B, 10:C
Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg was constructed for the 1923 World Fair. Poseidon, pictured above, by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles was added in 1931. Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i februari månad.
February 01 Max/Maximilian February 02 Kyndelsmässodagen February 03 Disa/Hjördis February 04 Ansgar/Anselm February 05 Agata/Agda February 06 Dorotea/Doris February 07 Rikard/Dick February 08 Berta/Bert February 09 Fanny/Franciska February 10 Iris February 11 Yngve/Inge February 12 Evelina/Evy February 13 Agne/Ove February 14 Valentin February 15 Sigfrid February 16 Julia/Julius February 17 Alexandra/Sandra February 18 Frida/Fritiof February 19 Gabriella/Ella February 20 Vivianne February 21 Hilding February 22 Pia February 23 Torsten/Torun February 24 Mattias/Mats February 25 Sigvard/Sivert February 26 Torgny/Torkel February 27 Lage February 28 Maria February 1
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
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Sunrise & Sunset
7.06 am 7.03 am 7.58 am 8.54 am 8.01 am 6.50 am
5.14 pm 5.06 pm 4.06 pm 2.52 pm 4.42 pm 5.24 pm
Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed. – Bertrand Russel, Nobel Prize laureate, 1950
CULTURE
Namnsdagar - An Evolving List
As for which names are being celebrated in Sweden, well, that has been tampered with somewhat. From the 18th century on, names used by the royal family have been introduced to the Swedish list of namnsdagar, followed by other common names. In 1901 a comprehensive modernization was made to update the list with current names. The monopoly on almanacs, held by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, expired in 1972 and so did the official list of name days. Competing lists began to emerge but the official list was still in general use until 1986, when consensus of a new list with three names on each day was reached. This list was revised in 1993 and reduced to two names on each day. However, widespread dissatisfaction with the list prompted the Swedish Academy to compile a new two-name list, which was finally accepted and brought into use in 2001. Although it does not have the official status of the 1901 or older lists, it is now universally used in Sweden. The list is now overseen by a committee of members from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities and the Institute for Language and Folklore.
founded in new york city in september 1872 Nordstjernan (ISSN 1059-7670), founded in New York City in September 1872, is published by Swedish News, Inc., 570 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022 • Readers services and editorial submissions: P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. www.nordstjernan.com, Nordstjernan is published semi-monthly, except for the months of January, February, July when it is monthly and Augustwith no issue. POST MASTER: Please send address changes to Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Subscription rates: 1 yr. = $55, Two yr. = $99, outside US 1 yr. = $167.
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this week… We included two errors on purpose in the quiz of our latest issue, No. 22/2016—the gulf separating Sweden and Finland is called the Bothnian Bay (Skagerrak is the water west of Göteborg) and our royal family’s last name is of course Bernadotte. We wanted reader reactions to this addition to the content. You reacted, so thanks! This week we’ve included one incorrect answer. We’ll send a bag of the Cloetta limited edition Christmas “Juleskum” with a taste of Swedish Christmas porridge to the first reader who sends us an email to with this week’s incorrect – and corrected - answer. We will in the future not include an erring answer on a continuous basis.
Buzzword Sweden In the week we go to press there’s a buzz about Sweden once again. We’ve grown used to seeing Sweden and Swedish in all aspects of culture, from The New York Times bestseller list of books to performing arts, from fine art to musicians to the creation of music. As the final list of Oscar nominations was released we find four Swedish nominees. A Man Called Ove earned two Oscar nominations – for Best Foreign Language Film as well as for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Also, Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren was nominated for his work on La La Land, and songwriters and producers Max Martin and Shellback (Karl Johan Schuster) were nominated for their original song in collaboration with Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop the Feeling” in Trolls. Sweden has had 15 nominations for Best Foreign Language film before and has left with the statuette four times, the last time in 1988 for director Bille August’s Danish-Swedish film Pelle the Conqueror (Pelle Erövraren). It has been fun to cover them all. beating a global trend We are starting to get used to our new format and some new work systems. Thank you all for submitting commentary on the new format in a variety of ways – some of which you find on page 12. We can gratefully say we have once again beaten the global newspaper trend by increasing in circulation in 2016! I’d like to think it has to do with our stubborn focus on summarizing what’s relevant for us – the 4.5 million of us claiming Swedish roots in the United States – and not just our increased reach through social and rich media online. We are all used to having immediate access to more and more information. And for better and for worse are demanding it. We are used to being able to contact whomever we want, wherever we want, whenever we want. One hundred years
dated Your next issue, ill be March 1, 2017, w cond mailed in the se . half of February
A “Semla” for Valentine’s Day.
ago, the average Swedish coastal inhabitant (a “skärgårdsbo”) might not have met more than a couple hundred people in his entire lifetime. It took decades for the American revolution to really take off and 1,500 years for Christianity to become a widespread religion. Today, many of us can contact any one of a billion people instantly, from anywhere to anywhere, with a mobile phone or via the internet. kicking off our 145th year Nordstjernan offers an amalgam of relevant news, perspectives and events of importance in our Swedish America and as often as possible a glimpse of our proud history in this country. Our aim is not to criticize – we’ll leave the debates on controversial issues to individual contributors or the breakfast table - but to inform, reflect and offer as many perspectives as possible on a wide range of subjects. We can’t proclaim to cover every perspective in every issue and can’t begin to cover it all, of course, even with all the indispensible, anonymous contributors to Swedish America: The people behind musical gatherings, dinners and dances, study tours or subjects Swedish or Swedish American. But, we’ll certainly try. (Turn to our section beginning on page 6 for a presentation of some of the goings-on all over the USA.) As Nordstjernan kicks off its 145th year, we look back on a year of some accomplishments, some disappointments, and with much confidence in the future. How could it be otherwise? We have a growing group of supporters - our subscribers - that seems increasingly happy about their newspaper, in spite of occasional disgruntlement over news we can’t always control but must report on. What can we promise but to continue to serve you ever more and ever better. Welcome 2017, our 145th year!
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson Editor & Publisher
Dashboard, P4-5
Sweden addresses UN as president of the council / Schwarzenegger makes surprise appearance in Gothenburg / The Royal Family welcomes the new year / Ikea settles lawsuit / More Swedes are moving away from big cities / Besides, the wait to buy a home in Stockholm is longer than a decade. Page 18
Reader/contributor Göran Rygert went to Iceland. The above scene from Gullfoss Waterfall was not what he found ...
Events Calendar, P6
What’s going on around Swedish America / Milwaukee area book club celebrates A Man Called Ove with a month of Swedish activities / Scandinavian crime thrillers in San Francisco / Swedish dancer Pontus Lidberg in New York / Mora, Minnesota home to the U.S. Vasaloppet ski race.
Feature, P12
A retired businessman continues to give back with scholarships for Swedes to study in the U.S.
The beginning of the year is not just semla ...
Feature, P18
The new Princess Semla / The population in Sweden just reached 10 million / Comics warn kids about fake news / Growing concerns for strength of Swedish legal system / U.S Ambassador Azita Raji leaves her post in Sweden / New Swedish-U.S. groundbreaking technology in medicine. FEBRUARY 1, 2017 3
dashboard | february 1, 2017
Wallström addresses UN Foreign Minister Margot Wallström addressed the UN Security Council Jan. 11 as Sweden took its seat as president of the council. Wallström’s address focused on conflict prevention and improving the UN’s ability to take early action to resolve violent conflicts around the world. Believing the council’s past attempts at resolving such conflicts were “meager,” Wallström called for renewed investments and commitments.
Schwarzenegger in Sweden
Hollywood star and former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, stopped in Gothenburg’s tavern SK Mat & Människor (Food & People) a recent evening where star Swedish chef, Stefan Karlsson, snapped a photo of the pair to post on Instagram. Describing the event, Karlsson wrote, “Fun drop-in quest on a Tuesday in Gothenburg.” Schwarzenegger also stopped in Kungsbacka at the Training Company when he surprised the gym with a visit to workout.
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news. founded in new york city in september 1872 executive editor & publisher:
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson (editor@nordstjernan.com) editor:
Amanda Olson Robison (editor@nordstjernan.com) managing editor & production: Everett Martin graphic design: Nadia Wojcik (design@nordstjernan.com) contributors:
Chipp Reid - Lisa Mikulski - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt publications director:
Mette Barslund Mårtensson (mette@nordstjernan.com; 800.827.9333, ext 12)
nordstjernan p.o. box 1710 new canaan ct 06840 contact us at 1.800.827.9333 ext 10 for ceader services, email: subs@nordstjernan.com; ext 12 for advertising, email: ads@nordstjernan.com www.nordstjernan.com Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $55.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 4 NORDSTJERNAN
Photo: Photo by Anna-Lena Ahlström/Kungahuset.se
Gott Nytt År/Happy New Year from the Swedish Royal Family, 2017.
A Royal Greeting
By way of a New Year’s greeting, the Swedish royal family offered a recap of 2016, a year that was full of many events in their public and personal lives. Highlights include state visits with leaders of different countries as well as Pope Francis, awards and presentations at various national and international conferences and summits, and several personal milestones, all of which are featured at www.kungahuset.se. In July, the whole family was together at Solliden, the royal summer house on the southern island of Öland, during a celebration of the King and Queen’s 40th wedding anniversary on July 19. This official photo was taken then and released to the public for the New Year’s greeting. Shown above are King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, seated; (L-R) Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O’Neill holding Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas; Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel holding Prince Oscar and Princess Estelle; Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip with Prince Alexander. The Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf held his traditional Christmas speech on Christmas Day, December 25, when he addresses all Swedes, at home and abroad on Swedish radio. He commenced with three key words – courage, thoughtfulness and decisiveness – and continued, saying, “These words are key for me. They are sometimes used to describe good leadership. But I think they can be good watchwords for all of us. Not least in times of great challenges.” His Majesty continued by addressing the challenges of climate change and the environment: “Protecting the environment is not just a question of ethics but about survival … Swedish research and technology expertise are key assets, both for the environment and as a basis for Sweden’s future prosperity.” He was convinced that the country would be a positive force for peace and security through Sweden’s seat at the UN Security Council and addressed the troubling times in the world but stressed the importance of not letting fear govern our everyday lives. “We all have a responsibility to act as role models for our children and young people,” he said. “Again, we must show courage, thoughtfulness and decisiveness. Courage to stand up for what is right. Caring for each other. And decisive action to intervene when someone needs help.”
Herr & Fru | Mr. & Mrs.
[Thinking] Everyday chores.
Boring, boring.
Class at the gym. “Lower, lower!”
Up, up [stretch]! Her: Fun, fun
dashboard | february 1, 2017
ikea settles lawsuit It’s been a tough year for VW diesel cars, Takata airbags, Cruisinart food processors and Ikea’s Malm furniture line. Ikea’s latest blow is a $50 million legal settlement. In June 2016, Ikea recalled 29 million Ikea dressers, of which the Malm style represented more than one-fourth. The previous July, the company had offered free wall anchors to customers and embarked on a broad-based “Secure IT” communications campaign to get current and past customers to use the anchoring kits. The June recall was more expansive. “Ikea will provide a one-time, free in-home installation service, upon request,” noted the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The company will alternatively offer a refund for recalled dressers manufactured from January 2002 to June 2016 – that’s about 29 million dresser units. Now Ikea has just settled a lawsuit brought by three families whose 2-year-olds were killed when crushed by falling Ikea furniture. Media around the world announced the legal settlement on Dec. 22. The December settlement provides each family with a third of the $50 million sum. In addition, in memory of each child, Ikea will donate $150,000 divided evenly among three children’s hospitals in Philadelphia, Washington state and Minnesota, law firm Feldman Shepherd said in a news release. The primary case for the plaintiff was that Ikea had full knowledge of the dangers of the dressers and had received information over the years of injuries sustained primarily by children in the U.S. Ikea’s attorneys claimed that inherent in the buy and installation of the furniture there were explicit assembly instructions indicating that anchoring was part of the assembly process. U.S. consumer groups got involved and lobbied the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to take stiffer action. Ikea announced that it plans to donate another $100,000 to Shane’s Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on children’s safety and tip-over prevention founded by a mother who also lost a child to a falling dresser. Ikea vowed to increase consumer perception of the dangers of tipping furniture by allocating additional funds to a series of television and internet ads. What can we conclude about the Ikea furniture tragedies? First, there is no doubt there is wide-spread remorse among senior management of the company. No one cares more about child safety than safety conscious Swedes. Secondly, Ikea fell asleep at the switch in this whole corporate disaster. Previous articles I wrote in Nordstjernan (December 24, 2015) point out the inadequacies of their action plan, organizationally, in their communications program, and with no indication of design, testing or manufacturing processes to avert this problem in the future. Third, young families with toddlers are without a doubt a very important market segment for Ikea. Families grow up with Ikea products and the stores are markedly family- and child-friendly by design. How can Ikea restore the confidence of this core buying group? Dr. Robert F. Dyer is a professor emeritus of marketing at The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
CULTURE
The Queen’s Haunting
Are there ghosts in Drottningholm Palace? Queen Silvia and Princess Christina believe so. In the BBC1 special broadcast titled “Drottningholm Palace – a Royal Home,” Queen Silvia shares her experience with how the castle is haunted by many ghosts. Built in 1600, Drottningholm is the private residence of the Swedish royal family and has a lot of history. “There is much energy in this house,” said Princess Christina. It is open to visitors who can feel for themselves, perhaps, the presence of many friendly ghosts. The documentary first aired on Jan. 5. Drottningholm (The Queen’s islet) Palace is a popular tourist attraction in Stockholm. The name came from the original building, a stone castle built by King Johan III in 1580 for his wife Katarina Jagellonica. It has been the home of the current Swedish royal family since 1981.Photo: Jeppe Wikström / Stockholm Visitors Board The estate was initially called Torvesund. Hedwig Eleonora bought the castle in 1661 a year after her role as Queen of Sweden had ended. However, the castle burnt down later the same year. Hedwig hired Nicodemus Tessin the Elder to design and rebuild the castle, when he died his son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger completed the work. TREND
Swedes Move to the Country
A recent trend shows Swedes are moving away from urban areas and into small towns. An increase in the populations of many small towns reflects more and more Swedes’ desire to enjoy a simpler life in nature without the high prices of food and housing of an urban lifestyle. Right: Not an image from Sweden; This is Röda Stugan, the red guest cottage at Detroit Swedish Club.
WAITING
Thirteen Year Wait for Housing
Who wouldn’t choose living on the countryside? More than 556,000 people are on the waiting list for first-hand housing leases in Stockholm. The average wait for housing in Sweden’s capital has grown to 13.5 years, and 9.1 years for housing in Stockholm county. These figures reflect an increase of 40,000 people waiting for first-hand leases which is seven times the number reported 15 years ago, reports Svenska Dagbladet. FEBRUARY 1, 2017 5
local events
Around Swedish America CALIFORNIA San Francisco 02.01.2017 6-7:30 PM Scandinavian Crime Thrillers: Dr. Jim Kaplan, professor emeritus at Minnesota State University Moorhead discusses the Scandinavian crime novels that are enjoying world-wide popularity. Huge successes as books, movies and TV shows, they feature internationally recognized characters Lisbeth Salander, Kurt Wallander and Harry Hole. Featured in this program will be “Jar City” by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, “Occupied” by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. Kaplan’s lecture will feature film clips based on these works. Crime thrillers enable readers to learn about the real lives of Scandinavian people today and are a fun and exciting introduction to literature and the humanities. San Francisco Main Library. 415.557.4411 / kaplan@ mnstate.edu San Francisco 02.02.2017 6-8:30 PM Scandinavian Crime Thrillers: Dr. Jim Kaplan discusses the Scandinavian crime novels that are enjoying worldwide popularity. San Francisco Public Library, Merced Branch. 415.355.2825 / kaplan@mnstate.edu. San Francisco 02.03.2017 12- 1:30 PM Scandinavian Crime Thrillers: Dr. Jim Kaplan discusses the Scandinavian crime novels that are enjoying world-wide popularity. Woodside Public Library. 650.851.0147 / dela_pena@smcl.org. ILLINOIS Chicago 02.05.2017 10- 11AM Bullerbyn: Taking place roughly every other Sunday in tandem with Svenska
Skolan, Bullerbyn is a time for singing cherished children’s songs, reading fun tales, and having lots of fun in Swedish. Only Swedish is spoken in Bullerbyn. Kids are welcome to stay and play in the Brunk Children’s Museum after the program. For ages 6 months-5 years with a parent. Free/members, $5/non-members per child. Swedish American Museum. 773.728.8111 / museum@samac.org / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 02.06.2017 2-3 PM Moon Monday: An educational program about astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Brunk Children’s Museum. Swedish American Museum. 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org 02.12.2017 1-3:30 PM Scandinavian Jam: Bring your instruments and play along the second Sunday of every month. An afternoon of traditional roots music starting with instruction until 1:45 p.m., a snack and jam session at 2 p.m. Swedish American Museum. 773.728.8111 / Scandi.Fiddler@yahoo.com / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org IOWA Decorah 02.04.2017 10 AM-1 PM Barnelopet Children’s Ski/Walk Event: A non-competitive ski or walk event for ages 3-13 at all skill levels, with their own skis. Sleds are welcome for younger siblings. Free with registration at 9:40-10 a.m. at the Decorah Community Prairie. Vesterheim Museum, 563.382.9681 / www.vesterheim.org MASSACHUSETTS Boston 01.28 Piatruba concert, 1 PM Piatruba, the Swedish trio who plays flugelhorn, piano and upright bass, is inspired by the music of Dalecarlia,
tunes that have been passed on for many generations. Piatruba mixes them with a contemporary expression, adding improvisation to tell old stories in a new way. Scandinavian Cultural Center, West Newton. (617) 795-1914/ www. scandicenter.org MINNESOTA Minneapolis Through 03.05.2017 12–2 PM Swede Hollow Exhibit: In the early 1900s, more than a thousand new immigrants, mostly Swedes, once gathered in Swede Hollow, a makeshift city near St. Paul, Minnesota. Informed by the novel Swede Hollow (Albert Bonniers 2016) by Ola Larsmo, the exhibition combines black and white images of the people who may have lived in Swede Hollow in the winter of 1897. American Swedish Institute / www.asimn.org Minneapolis 02.03.2017 9 AM – 5 PM Adult Slöjd Workshop – Saami-Inspired Bracelets: Beginning students braid pewter coiled thread and sew the braid to a reindeer hide strip. American Swedish Institute / www.asimn.org 02.04.2017 9 AM – 5 PM Adult Slöjd Workshop – Advanced SaamiInspired Bracelets: Advanced students braid traditional Saami bracelets. American Swedish Institute / www.asimn.org 02.17.2017-02.18.2017 9–10 AM Kids at the Castle - Hearts and Hugs: Fun for ages 2-5 with an adult. Creative activities include visual games, storytelling, music and movement inspired by ASI exhibitions. American Swedish Institute. 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org 02.26.2017 1-3 PM Felted Winter Wands Workshop: Youth slöjd workshops are designed for ages 7 and up. Learn the art of needle felting and how wool is made. Berglund Studio Classroom at the American Swedish Institute / www.asimn.org
LOS ANGELES Söndag 5 februari kl 11.00
GUDSTJÄNST KYNDELSMÄSSODAGEN med kyrklunch och söndagsskola
Tisdag 7 februari kl 18.30
FILMKVÄLL
Tisdag 14 och 28 februari kl 18.30: SVENSKAFTON Tisdag 21 februari kl 18.30: BIBELKVÄLL Onsdag 1 mars kl 19.00
ASKONSDAGSMÄSSA med Norska sjömanskyrkan
Senaste nytt om alla våra aktiviteter hittar du på vår Facebook- och hemsida!
SVENSKA KYRKAN, LOS ANGELES 1035 South Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Tel. 310-292-7079 • Epost: losangeles@svenskakyrkan.se Hemsida: www.svenskakyrkan.se/losangeles På facebook heter vi “Svenska kyrkan i Los Angeles” 6 NORDSTJERNAN
Vi har öppet måndag till fredag kl 8:30 till 15:00. Den mobila passtationen kommer till Fort Lauderdale den 2-4 maj 2017. Kontakta konsulatet för mer information.
Välkommen!
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02.26.2017 2-4 PM Midwinter Folk Music Concert: ASI’s Spelmanslag fiddling group is joined by Swedish guest artists Jon Holmén and Jonas Holmén from Dalarnas Spelmansförbund for a special Midwinter Folk Music Concert. American Swedish Institute. karen.n@asimn.org /www.asimn.org NEW YORK New York 02.02.2017 6:30–9 PM Schubert and the Masters of the North: Pianist Peter Friis Johansson of Sweden makes his debut performance at Scandinavia House with a concert showcasing the works of Schubert and several Nordic composers. Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587 /www.scandinaviahouse.org New York 02.06.2017 6:30–8 PM Travel in Scandinavia: Explore Scandinavia’s hidden gems and learn insider tips on the Northern Lights at the famous Ice Hotel in Lapland, island hopping in the Stockholm archipelago and world-class gastronomy. Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org New York 02.11.2017 6–9 PM Kettle Corn New Music: Longleash Piano Trio explores the relationships between contemporary American and Scandinavian music. Kettle corn and beverages are included with admission. Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org New York 02.13.2017 6:30–9PM SATContemporary Reading Series: “Thinking Time” tells the story of two women who face the same predicament despite being generations apart. Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587 / www. scandinaviahouse.org New York 02.23.2017 6:30 –9 PM Music on Park Avenue: In his Music on Park Avenue concert series, Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand performs Beethoven Sonatas. Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587 / info@amscan.org / www.scandinaviahouse.org PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia 02.11.2017 11 AM - 2 PM Semlor and a Movie: Treat yourself to a rich semla (a cream and almond paste filled Swedish pastry) with a cup of hot coffee and a Scandinavian film. $13/advance and $15/door includes one semla. Register by phone or online by Feb. 8. American Swedish Historical Museum. 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org WISCONSIN Milwaukee 02.10.2017 6-9 PM Disco Dancing with ABBA! A long-time competitive dancer and dance instructor teaches the basic moves for several disco dances and then allows time to practice and dance. Part of February’s month-long appreciation of Fredrik Backman’s book, A Man Called Ove. Free. The Grand Hall, Wauwatosa. www.tosasallcityread.com continues on page 10
local events
A Grumpy Swede Inspires
Have you read A Man Called Ove yet? Seen the movie? The book hasn’t just won a lot of nominations and awards in Sweden - it’s also winning the hearts of readers around the globe. And in one corner of the American Midwest, an entire city is celebrating Ove in ways the fictional character (who is oh so real) would never have dreamed. Every year the leadership of the Wauwatosa Neighborhood Association works hard in their role of keeping neighbors connected, informed and safe. They contribute greatly to the quality of life in Wauwatosa, the southeast Wisconsin suburb of Milwaukee, affectionately nicknamed “Tosa.” Not the least of the activities they plan is an all-city book club. As suggestions for the annual book discussion were submitted for Tosa’s All-City Read for 2017, A Man Called Ove kept coming up as one that fit all the requirements: It’s available in soft cover (to make it more affordable); it’s of interest to a broad audience; it contains many themes for discussion; and it has the potential for event tie-ins. Tosa’s All-City Read chair person, Maureen Connors Badding, knew A Man Called Ove was a special, heartwarming book that would be a perfect match. “I loved the theme of how one life can touch so many others and how taking a chance and reaching out can enrich one’s own life.” Luckily, the other committee members agreed, and together they’ve built an entire month of events that cleverly enrich the book and experience of discovering Ove — and the Sweden he lives in.
Rolf Lassgård, Nelly Jamarani, Bahar Pars and Zozan Akgün A Man Called Ove. The film, Sweden’s Oscar selection, directed by Hannes Holm, has been seen by over one million Americans. It can be ordered through Nordstjernan at 1.800.827.9333, ext. 10.
You don’t have to be Swedish to appreciate this award winning story by Fredrik Backman — or the many activities planned for the month of February. In fact, you may want to take a page from Wauwatosa’s book and plan similar things for your own discussion of A Man Called Ove — aside from the weekly book discussions at various locations, here are some related event highlights: Schedule of Events
Feb. 6: An Evening of Swedish and Persian Cuisine. Chef Michael Feker, who is Persian by birth but studied under a Swedish chef, owns a restaurant and has appeared on Food Network cooking shows. He will prepare dishes that Ove and his wife Sonja might have eaten, or that Ove’s Persian neighbor Parvaneh might prepare. Feb. 7: An Afternoon of Swedish Culture. Members of the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin talk about Swedish immigration and the Göta Canal. (They will also make Swedish pancakes for everyone.) Feb. 10: Disco Dancing with ABBA! There is really no connection between Ove and ABBA, but last year’s dance class requested more dancing, and since a major export of Sweden is its music ... Feb. 15: Embracing Cultural Diversity: A Community Discussion. Ove isn’t the only one who could use a nudge to be
more accepting and inclusive. This workshop is intended to be a productive workshop that will make an impact on any community. Feb. 16: Paint Your Own Dala Horse. A local woodworking club will cut out the Dala horse shapes, then Ove readers will paint them at a local wine and painting studio. Feb. 18-20: A Man Called Ove. The movie comes to Wauwatosa for the first time. Feb. 19: The Amazing Tosa Race Road Rally. As a tribute to Ove’s love of cars, this road rally uses clues from the book to send contestants to locations all over the city, ending at a local brewpub. Teams compete for prizes, and points will be given for decorating the car, wearing costumes and driving a Saab (points deleted for driving a BMW). Feb. 23: Princess & Prince Tea Party: Sweden’s own Princess Estelle will turn 5 on Feb. 23, so it’s fitting to have a party in her honor during our month of events. Kids can make their own crowns and wands, and color Swedish scenes as well as Princess Estelle’s coat of arms. Small sandwiches and petits fours will be served — with (hopefully) princesstarta! Ev e r y S a t u r d a y i n Fe b r u a r y : Lördagsgodis. Three local candy shops will be participating in this, giving 10% discount to anyone who mentions Lördagsgodis (you don’t have to pronounce it properly, but if you want to, try: “lur-dogs-goo-dees”) or Tosa’s All-City Read when buying candy on a Saturday.
Every Thursday in February: Pea Soup and Pancakes. Two (maybe more) local restaurants are ready to serve Swedish pea soup and pancakes — on Thursdays, of course. Every day throughout February: Collection for Stray Animals. Ove’s kindness to the stray cat is the inspiration for this drive, which will benefit the animals at the Wisconsin Humane Society. Food, litter, toys, blankets, etc. donations can be dropped off at a local site. Preorder with three days notice: Cardamom buns. A local bakery will have this Swedish staple available by the dozen all month. (The city of Wauwatosa is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, just west of Milwaukee) More information about event times, locations and registration can be found at www.tosasallcityread.com
A Little Free Library seems like a logical place to find a copy of this book about neighbors. FEBRUARY 1, 2017 7
local events
Scandinavian Crime Thrillers Today Lectures at several San Francisco libraries help put perspective on modern Sweden - through today’s popular crime thrillers.
Many Swedish Americans find fun and enriching ways to live their heritage in America, but some of those activities — folk dancing, embroidery, cooking heirloom recipes — may actually harken back to the Sweden of 150 years ago when their ancestors came to America. The Sweden of today is a modern, diverse and urban place that can be a challenge for
Swedish author Stieg Larsson (of Millenium fame) is the only Swede on Forbes list of top-earning deceased celebrities. Larsson shares the ninth spot with Jimi Hendrix, Steve McQueen and Richard Rodgers.
Swedish Americans to connect with as the land of their forefathers. Swedish crime novels have a way of helping facilitate that connection. Crime thrillers enable readers to learn about the real lives of Scandinavian people today and are a fun and exciting introduction to literature and the humanities. When Maj Sjöwall and Pär Wahlöö started writing 50 years ago, they began presenting a picture of their country and its people through crime novels. Sjöwall and Wahlöö presented a critique of the Swedish welfare state and highlighted the struggles of the poor and neglected. They also offered a vivid sense of place — the beautiful countryside, the Göta Canal, the picturesque buildings and streets of Stockholm. These novels have enjoyed huge public success. Dr. Jim Kaplan, professor emeritus at Minnesota State University Moorhead, has read and studied them and will present a discussion of these Scandinavian crime novels that are enjoying world-wide popularity. Kaplan’s library lectures will feature “Jar City” by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, “Occupied” by Norwe-
Lecturer Jim Kaplan with Swedish crime author Johan Theorin during a recent visit to Stockholm.
gian author Jo Nesbø, and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, with film clips from internationally recognized main characters Lisbeth Salander, Kurt Wallander and Harry Hole. Discussion participants may bring a brown bag supper. The programs are free and open to the public on:
Feb. 1, 2017 at 6 p.m. at San Francisco Main Library Feb. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m. at San Francisco Public Library, Merced Branch Feb. 3, 2017 at 12 noon at Woodside Public Library See http://www.nordstjernan.com/calendar for more information
National archives and library for Swedish-American historical research Publishers of Swedish American Genealogist 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL | 61201-2296 309-794-7204
www.augustana.edu/ swenson 8 NORDSTJERNAN
NEW YORK He says he always thought he just wanted to become a dancer, but once he became one — at age 19 — he realized it wasn’t, as he puts it, “the answer to the question.” The multi-talented dancer and filmmaker Pontus Lidberg’s choreography premieres at the New York City Ballet in The Shimmering Asphalt, a new Lidberg ballet set to a commissioned score by David Lang. Performances in late January, early February and mid-May. For more info, see www.nycballet.com Photo: Lidberg photographed in New York City for Nordic Reach by Kristoffer Dan-Bergman
COWS CAN DREAM
A new exhibit in Minnesota brings to life a children’s story set in a Swedish sculpture park. Inspired by the innovative and imaginative children’s book, Cows Can Dream, the American Swedish Institute’s Family Gallery becomes an immersive play environment that explores the story of Sam, a cow who dreams and sometimes wanders through Sweden’s Wanås sculpture park. With text by Jason Diakité, a Swedish Grammy winning rap musician also known as Timbuktu, and with illustrations by Maria Bajt, a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm and Berlin, the book is part of the Wanås Konst Children’s Book series. The Wanås Konst Children’s Book series, for which the first book came out in 2011, is an initiative in which every book features images by a contemporary artist and text by an influential writer. As experiments in words and images, each book takes place at Wanås and concerns a discovery of both art and the park. And like the exhibition at ASI, they encourage discovery of what is art and how everyone is creative. The book is available at the ASI Museum Store; the exhibit opened January 21 and goes through Oct. 31, 2017. For more info, see www.asimn.org
An illustration by Maria Bajt in Jason Diakité’s book, Cows Can Dream.
NEW YORK If you’re anywhere near New York prior to first week of February, go see local Swedish American artist Anders Knutsson’s exhibition, “The Importance of Drawing,” at the Swedish Church. The drawings in the exhibition have been developed from sketches and notes on the artist’s travels to find unusual and extraordinary trees. You’ll find above work of Kvilleken oak, Scandinavia’s oldest tree, which has grown in Småland for over one thousand years and drawings of the world’s oldest trees, the Bristlecone pines, here in the U.S. The Swedish church is located at 5 East 48th Street, NYC. For more info, see www.svenskakyrkan.se/ newyork or call 212.832.8443
Kvilleken, Sweden, pencil drawing
LINGONBERRIES • Fresh Frozen • Preserves www.sturdiwheat.com 1-800-201-9650 FEBRUARY 1, 2017 9
local events
Martin Berntson
Pernilla Parenmalm
Nordic Spirit Symposium The anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation is celebrated with a symposium, Scandinavian scholars and music at California Lutheran University. In 1517, a German monk—Martin Luther—wrote “95 Theses,” setting off a revolution across Europe. Today, marking the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, the Nordic Spirit Symposium will bring international experts to the podium, along with musical performances and social gatherings on February 10 and 11, 2017 at California Lutheran University. Sponsored by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation, California Lutheran University and the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the symposium will focus on Finland and Sweden, with an overview of the entire movement that drastically changed European religion and culture — “All Power is of God: The Reformation in Sweden and Finland.” Following a pre-symposium reception at the Scandinavian Center at CLU, the program will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, with an introduction to the subject by Bishop Guy Erwin of the Southwest California Synod of the ELCA. He will speak on how royal power, dynastic ambi-
tion and personal conviction shaped church reform as the Reformation moved from Germany throughout northern Europe. Focus on Finland, Sweden Friday’s program will include Professor Martin Berntson of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, presenting the Reformation process in Sweden, smooth and conservative in some views but also a radical breach with liturgical traditions and popular piety. The symposium will continue on Saturday, Feb. 11, with world scholars as well as music. Speakers will include the Rev. Pernilla Parenmalm, pastor of the Swedish Church of Torshälla, Sweden and three prominent California Finns: the Rev. Dr. Kirsi Stjerna of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary; Professor Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen of Fuller Theological Seminary; and, the Rev. Dr. Jarmo Tarkki of Solvang, CA. The Rev. Parenmalm will discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the Church of Sweden as it was liberated from being a state church in 2000. Prof. Stjerna will describe how the Finnish reformer Mikael Agricola implemented the Reformation with a creative use of the new Catechism and other materials. She will also describe how Luther’s principles of “Bibles for all, education
The Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA
for all, welfare for all” significantly shaped the Finnish culture, leaving a strong legacy in Finland today. Prof. Kärkkäinen and the Rev. Tarkki will discuss the legacy of the Reformation on Finnish-Americans, including how the Finnish immigrants’ strong respect for education, literacy and work ethic continues today. Saturday’s line-up includes two segments with music. Organist Melody Steed of Bethany College in Kansas will describe how Martin Luther encouraged congregations to sing together, with the pipe organ becoming a dominant force in church
services, and James Koenig of Los Angeles will present a vocal performance representing songs and hymns of the Nordic countries. The evening’s dinner at the Lundring Events Center will include music of the traditional Swedish nyckelharpa, performed by Torkil Hammer of Newbury Park. Since its start in 2000, Nordic Spirit symposiums have featured Vikings, immigrants, explorers, WWII and Scandinavian contributions on the world scene, among other topics.
WASHINGTON Seattle Through 02.28.2017 The Photography of Anders Beer Wilse (1865–1949): The Norwegian engineer and self-taught photographer lived in Seattle from 1892–1900 and left a legacy of photographs documenting this period of unprecedented growth and change in Seattle’s history. Nordic Heritage Museum. www.nordicmuseum.org
Life made Sweder:
For information and reservations, contact hrockstad@gmail.com or 805-497-3717
Around Swedish America Milwaukee 02.16.2017 6-9 PM Paint your own Dala horse: A fun evening at a wine and painting studio, part of February’s month-long appreciation of Fredrik Backman’s book, A Man Called Ove. For ages 14+. Arte Wine & Painting Studio, Wauwatosa. 414.810.6095 / www.tosasallcityread.com
10 NORDSTJERNAN
Milwaukee 02.23.2017 4-6 PM Princess and Prince Tea Party: Celebrate Princess Estelle’s 5th birthday at a dropin tea party! Enjoy a classic but childfriendly tea menu, crafts and activities. This event is part of February’s monthlong appreciation of Fredrik Backman’s book, A Man Called Ove. $7/child, adults are free with a child. Café Blue, Wauwatosa. www.tosasallcityread.com
NORDSTJERNAN Call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10 for your own subscription.
local events
Americans Love a Good Vasaloppet Too Limiting the festivities to one weekend is too confining for folks who love the snow, cross country skiing and outdoors activities, so the festivities begin in mid-January and continue until mid-February. In Mora, Minnesota there are a series of events leading up to the annual Vasaloppet weekend. The energy begins with the fundraising banquet held in mid-January. Folks are dressed in Nordic sweaters and come ready to bid on items in a silent auction and live auction, and buy plenty of items for raffles and drawings while enjoying a fine meal and good conversation. Next on the agenda comes the Lanternloppet, a nighttime ski event in the woods and trails north of Mora on Saturday, Jan. 28. People with cabins along the route open their doors and invite participants inside for a warm-up with hotdogs and hot chocolate. The Moraloppet, on Saturday, Feb. 4, provides skiers with the chance to try a 5km, 10km, and 20km race. While these are timed events, some families do them together for some fun on a winter morning. Vasaloppet weekend itself, Feb. 9-11, begins with a community party and dance, art show, a pasta feed, and a live radio show called “The Vasa Trail Companion.” The Saturday race categories are the 42km Classic, the 58km, the 35km and the 13km team event. The fun does not stop at the downtown finish line, however, because more snow competitions happen on Sunday, where guests can watch skiers in the Sparks Races, Skijoring Races, Fat Tie Bike Races, and the Minilop-
pet Children’s Race, all taking place on Lake Mora in the downtown area. The Vasaloppet organization now has a snow maker in active use, so snow is guaranteed. It was quite a long journey to get the machine from Europe to Minnesota as U.S. customs were apprehensive of something called a “Snow Gun”... and challenges did not end there as the group needed permits for a water source in the areas where the snow was to be made. The ability to make snow means the season around the Nordic Center can be extended, so community members, avid skiers and school students on the Mora Ski teams can begin training earlier, regardless of weather in November and December. The Mora community welcomes guests to town, and offers host home opportunities. Many regulars return year after year, staying with the same families, and develop long-term relationships and friendships. Valorie Arrowsmith For more information, see https://vasaloppet.us or call 320-679-2629. Vasaloppet in Sweden does something similar—races in Sweden begin on Feb. 24 but the classic Vasaloppet is on March 5. In later years there’s also a Vasa bike race in the summer. See www.vasaloppet.se for more information.
Schedule of Events: Lanternloppet, Saturday, January 28 Moraloppet, Saturday, February 4 Community Party, Thursday, February 9 Vasaloppet Art Show begins February 10 Pasta Feed, February 10 Dance in visitor’s tent, February 10 Vasaloppet ski races, Saturday, February 11 “Vasa Trail Companion” live radio show, February 11 Spark Races, Skijoring Races, Miniloppet Children’s Race,Fat Tie Bike Races, all Sunday February 12
Above: A large Dala rocking horse and a Moranisse print found its way into the silent auction at the fundraiser for the 45th Mora Minnesota Vasaloppet Ski race. Moranisse was a Swedish cross country skier; gold medal winner of the 1948 Olympics and winner of the Vasaloppet in Sweden 9 times. / Left: Amanda Stenberg, the 2019 Kranskulla, holds up the original Vasaloppet print, which serves as the publicity poster for the 45th annual Vasaloppet in Mora. Every Kranskulla does a two-year internship to learn the role so she is ready to be the official wreath girl. The saying goes, “Once a Kranskulla, always a Kranskulla.” Among many duties is the one that occurs on race day, when she bestows on each skier a medal and the winners’ wreaths. Photos by Valorie Arrowsmith FEBRUARY 1, 2017 11
readers forum
InBox
Dear Editor, First I would like to congratulate Nordstjernan on its 145 years. I would also like to express how much I love the new format. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my December copy in the mail. Not being a native of Sweden but having Swedish roots, I enjoy reading about the Swedish culture and learning more about the country, foods, people and traditions my forefathers called home. Thank you for your dedication in providing such a specialized newspaper. Looking forward to the 2017 publications. Best Regards, Mark S. Lawson, CT Love love love the new format! Thank you /Anita Taylor, 45-year reader, born in Sweden. PS I am pretty sure that the last name of the royal family is Bernadotte and not Despreaux. Anita Taylor, FL Yes, your new format and upgrade is really impressive. It is easier to read and to make copies of articles, which I send to family and friends. Love the color photos. Lorraine E. Bloomquist, RI The New Nordstjernan, dated Dec 30, just arrived in today’s mail. It looks great. I like the size, all color, and stitch bind. Joshua V. Hassel, CO The new format is beautiful! Tack!! Maria Gallo, NY Love the paper’s new format
Kathy Kylander, PA
Love the new format! Donna Dyhrkopp Clarke, MD Always interesting. Good Job.
Janet Walkup, AZ
I have been subscribing for years, it is well worth the price and it supports the cause of celebrating and honoring our heritage! Tack så mycket, och trevlig läsning! Jerry Nelson, WY Happy New Year Nordstjernan! 145, WOW! As Alvalene P. Karlsson always would say, “CARRY ON!” Liking the new look! Jeanne Eriksson Widman Andersen, NY Grattis till 145 års jubileet! Vi har läst Nordstjernan sen Gerry Roots och Avalene Karlssons dagar och uppskattar allt nytt. Men nu har det gått litet för långt tror jag. Det nya formatet gör ett hopträngt och svårläst intryck. Kalendern på sid.2 går inte alls att läsa. Fint med färg, men numer suddigt tryck. Och vart tog Olle Wijkströms fina kåserier vägen? Fick han inte plats? Det känns inte längre som tidning utan annonsblad. Allt gott önskar Ragnhild Holmquist, NY
Gott nytt år! Tusen tack för det nya formatet på Nordstjernan! Det gjorde ni bra. Mycket lättare att läsa, t.o.m. med en kaffekopp i handen. GRATTIS till 145 års jubileet—rent fantastiskt! Ha det så bra på
Söndag 12 februari kl 11.00
SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST PÅ SEPTUAGESIMA Musiker Ragnar Bohlin och präster Staffan Eklund och Louise Linder. Körsång, kyrkkaffe.
3 och 17 februari kl 10.30
SVENSK BARNGRUPP i Svenska kyrkan.
Lördag 18 februari kl 15.00
SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST
i Los Altos Lutheran Church för små och stora. Kyrksaft och kaffe.
2454 Hyde Street, San Francisco • Tel: 415-632-8504 Mer information: www.svenskakyrkan.se/sanfrancisco 12 NORDSTJERNAN
Dear Readers, You can never make all of the people happy all of the time. We’ve received mostly and lots of wow, WOW, W O W! and great, GREAT!, glad, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL … but not only and we feel that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing we have another year and 18 issues to look forward to and remember, everything does remain to be done. Glorious future! Thank you also for all your New Years greetings and well wishes, too many to run here. We did, however, have to find space for our favorite New Year card, below, from 83-year-old Gunvor Scordelis in a beach buggy on the coast close to Paso Robles and Morro Bay, Cal. /Ed.
Grattis till er nya design på Nordstjernan! Fin, smart, elegant och intressant. Ett stort steg in i vår nya tid och samtidigt ett stadigt fäste i er långa tradition. Anders Knutsson, NY
SAN FRANCISCO
CHURCH OF SWEDEN AT Norwegian Seamen’s Church
det nya året. Apropå ingenting, tycker jag att du behandlar olika inlägg om den kommande presidenten med den äran. Det kan inte vara lätt att försöka vara oss alla till lags! Vänliga hälsningar från Seattle och mig, Peppe Enfield (Dalkulla från Falun), WA
New Year greeting from Gunvor Scordelis, 83, of California on a beach buggy at the coast near Paso Robles and Morro Bay.
Windiest January on record in Sweden
The first month of the year went down in history as Sweden’s windiest January on record. A powerful storm has swept through Sweden with strong winds measuring the highest speeds since records began in 1951. In the mountains of Stekenjokk, in the north near Norway, the national weather institute SMHI measured record wind gusts at 48 meters per second (107 mph) on Jan. 18. Further north, the wind blew sharp enough to overturn two trucks and the highway was closed due to strong winds. The storm, which brought snow with it, was expected to subside on Thursday, but SMHI kept a class-one weather warning in place for many provinces throughout Sweden. If the winds pick up and it continues to snow, it can be difficult even for the trains.
viewpoints
Struggling in Sweden Coming down the paved slope that marked the entrance to Hisingsparken*, a large nature park with numerous hiking trails, I saw movement to my right. Looking through the small brush and trees that were just budding with the green of spring, I saw her. From behind I couldn’t be sure if she was a woman who, like me, had just finished a long hike and was resting by the small stream of water that was flowing down the small slope we were on. Then I realized she was filling a water bottle with water from the stream and my first thought was, “Whoa! That’s one brave Swedish nature girl! You wouldn’t catch me drinking from a stream here!” Almost beside her now, I got a better look and realized she wasn’t Swedish. She was most likely Romanian or Bulgarian. A “tiggare” or beggar, who came to Sweden because she could earn more money here. I looked to my left and saw a boy sitting on a fallen log. He was watching her from across the path. My instinct was that he was waiting for her and maybe he was her son. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t brought my wallet with me and if I had, there wasn’t any cash in it anyway. All I had was the bottle of water I had
Become a Fandinavian!
brought from home that was in a recycled plastic bottle I had washed out with soap and hot water before refilling with clean water from the kitchen sink. I hadn’t taken a sip of it the whole time during my 90-minute walk and I thought, “I don’t know if I should say it’s not unopened/brand new water or not but surely it’s better than what she’s going to drink!” So, walking through the fallen leaves left over from winter, I crossed to where she was crouched and saw a whole bag full of empty plastic bottles. I also saw a large water jug, the kind you use for camping, already filled.
rounded out my outfit. My iPhone (a gift from my ex-husband) and my set of keys were all that I had left. All of these items were things I actually needed and couldn’t easily replace right now.
I couldn’t believe this woman was sitting there filling up her bottles from a stream that really wasn’t that clean. I couldn’t believe her son was watching her from a safe distance, as if to disassociate himself with what his mother was doing (yet I understood that at that age, approximately 9-13, it was normal to think this way-if, in fact, that’s what he was thinking). I opened the zipper pocket of my jacket and pulled out my Evian bottle. “Här”, I said, “Du kan ha det. Det är bättre för dig.”
I thought this woman worked harder every single hour of every single day just to get water to drink than I ever had in my life. I thought that there were truly zero excuses for my life and the way I had chosen for it to turn out. At any time, I could turn on the tap and clean, clear water would flow. Every hour of every day. It was another shocking aspect of Swedish life I had yet to make peace with.
Two things I noticed. One, I spoke Swedish automatically. Two, she didn’t even startle as she saw me coming her way. She just raised haunted/vacant eyes to mine and took my bottle with one hand while filling up her bottles with another. Walking the rest of the way home, I wanted to die. I wanted to do something. To give her something. Something more than my recycled water from home.
Leanne Stewart first visited Sweden in 2013, fell in love with the place, the pace and the people and decided to make it her home.
I thought about what I had on my person. A pink windbreaker/rain jacket that I had bought at a thrift store last year. A grey sweatshirt that zipped up the front (something my Aunt Shirley gave me years ago during one of her many “clothes donations” when I was a struggling single mom). The tank top, running tights and shoes/socks
I thought about my most recent bout with depression. With how I had wasted days watching Netflix and eating too much food because I was paralyzed with fear about not having enough work and worried about paying my bills. I thought about the freedom from that paralysis I had late last night before bed and upon waking this morning.
Leanne Stewart
* Hisingsparken is Göteborg’s largest park on the island Hisingen north of the city center in the direction of the small city airport. Hisingen is surrounded by the delta created by the split of Göta älv river into two arms before flowing into the part of the North Sea called Skagerrak.
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Police effectiveness continues to fall
New figures from the Swedish police show that completed investigations fell by 10 percent in 2016. With the effectiveness of the police department under intense scrutiny in the last several months, the government granted an increase in budget and personnel. The ongoing police crisis was in the spotlight on Jan. 20 during a press conference with Police Chief Dan Eliasson and Home Affairs Minister Anders Ygeman. Eliasson spoke regarding a new strategy for improving policing in Sweden, and Ygeman reiterated that the government has added to the budget and increased police forces. The police have said they had to de-prioritize certain job functions due to the increase of asylum seekers.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 13
feature
Meandering the Göta Kanal
When Hans Christian Andersen left Copenhagen for a visit to Sweden in 1837, his mind was set on two things: Traveling on the Göta Kanal and meeting with Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish writer for whom he had great admiration. It is not surprising that the thenobscure writer of fairy tales should be interested in the canal. It was the ultimate engineering feat of the day – a system of canals and locks connecting rivers and lakes all the way from Gothenburg in the west to Stockholm in the east, covering 372 miles, and uniting the North Sea with the Baltic. To make it a continuous waterway, 60 miles of rock and soil had had to be cleared away. It featured 58 locks and 35 bridges. Intended as an important trade route, the Göta Canal was quickly made obsolete by the railroads. 14 NORDSTJERNAN
A cruise on the Göta Canal, or The Blue Ribbon as it is often called, takes its voyagers past castles, monasteries, palaces, medieval churches and a number of picturesque towns.
Consequently, it has remained largely unchanged, making travel on it something of a 19th-century experience, or as many have said, similar in ambience to travel on the Orient Express. Many of the hand-operated locks are still in use and the pace has not quickened. As in Andersen’s time, traversing the country in one of the three passenger boats run by the Göta Canal Steamship Company takes four days. A few years ago, my wife and I took one of these boats, the 143year old Juno, from Stockholm to Gothenburg. A thoroughly enjoyable event, I thought I would reacquaint myself with the Göta Canal this year, by biking along the water’s edge and meeting up with the boats in strategic places to catch up with some of the sightseeing, which is part and parcel of these cross-country cruises.
My first opportunity came early one day in the village of Berg, where a famous series of locks, 11 in all, link Lake Roxen with the canal. That morning, Wilhelm Tham (at 105 years old, a mere youngster compared to Juno) was due to arrive from the lake and begin a climb that would last several hours. This, I knew from experience, would give me the chance to board the vessel and chat, perhaps, with passengers who were not sightseeing – the particular point of interest here being the Vreta Convent Abbey, a meticulously kept 12th century nunnery. Sighting the Wilhem Tham in the morning mist brought back strong memories. After Stockholm and some 50 miles of Baltic archipelago, this, I recalled, was where the canal truly takes over and begins to exert its special magic. From this point on came the sensation of gliding silently through the heart of the Swedish countryside, first upon approach to Lake Vättern, then as the canal resumed it meandering ways, to the next large body of water, Lake Vänern. For miles, where the canal was just wide enough for the boat, the water would seem to disappear, leaving us floating alternatively through dense woods – where you could reach out and almost touch the tree branches – and quilts of open fields, punctuated by grazing cattle and, typically, red or yellow farmhouses. As the Wilhem Tham paused between two locks, I jumped aboard. How familiar it all felt: the same youthful, attentive yet relaxed crew, the same spirit of everyone being one big family. Of course, a good portion of that family was now on its way to the nunnery. I ducked into the empty dining room, curious about the day’s menu. “Poached salmon,” and – how very Swedish and yet with an American twist – “Burger of elk meat and lingonberries, with blackcurrant jam and glazed sugar peas.” On deck I noticed that practically all the passengers were gone, leaving me little opportunity for chats. Ah, but I noticed a familiar sight! The captain’s bicycle was tied to the rail-
ing at the stern, looking old and just like the one I borrowed years ago. Back on the path with my tripod strapped on, I followed one of the towpaths. These towpaths, incidentally, have traffic of their own. Once used by oxen for hauling barges and sailing craft, they now bustle with cyclists and hikers. As I approached the rather spectacular harbor of Vadstena, idyllically situated on the eastern shore of Lake Vättern, and once an important center for pilgrims, I sighted an old friend – the Juno. It proved to have been chartered by a group of Americans who, saturated with sightseeing, were coming back for dinner. Asked how they felt about the Göta Canal, each one agreed this was a great way to really see the country. Referring to her recent encounter with Vadstena, one woman exuberantly exclaimed: “It was wonderful! In three hours we saw all the sights, including two weddings and a confirmation ceremony.” Vadstena evolved around a cluster of 14th century religious buildings. It has narrow, twisting streets with old, beautifully preserved wooden houses, featuring a Renaissance castle with a medieval-looking moat. I was all set with a fresh roll of film. By the way, when Hans Christian Andersen asked for the whereabouts of Fredrika Bremer, he was told she was in Norway. This didn’t discourage the young Dane. “Whenever I travel,” he said, “luck is with me. I’m sure I’ll meet her.” The next morning he left his cabin at dawn to watch the sunrise over Lake Vänern, expecting to have the deck to himself. Instead he ran into a lady wrapped in a coat and shawl – a new passenger who also wanted to see the sun go up. It was, of course, Fredrika Bremer. For more information, see www.gotacanal.com
WRITTEN BY BO ZAUNDERS PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF GÖTA KANAL
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 15
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for the love of semla Turn these scrumptious traditional semlor into a Valentine’s Day specialty.
Anna Bringle was born and raised in the small Swedish town of Ulricehamn, about an hour east of Gothenburg. There she had time on her hands to develop her hobbies of baking, fitness and personal health. She won over so many of her friends and family with her sweet baked goods, that she started a business, even bringing it to the United States with her. Anna came to the U.S. with her husband, who had an opportunity to run the U.S. operations of a Boras-based Swedish company ... and what was to be a 2-year stint in Atlanta, GA, is still continuing 10 years later. In that time Anna passed the American exams to become an emergency room nurse. The stressful demands of that is what keeps her coming back to her true love, baking. And semlor. A semla is a traditional sweet roll made in various forms in Scandinavia. It’s filled with a mix of milk and almond paste, whipped cream, and a lid on top of the bun that’s dusted with powdered sugar. The tradition for having semlor is rooted in Fettisdag (Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday). Most years, Fettisdagen is a February holiday falling close to Valentine’s Day, making it the perfect treat for sharing with a sweetheart. In the beginning semlor were eaten only on Fettisdagen, then every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Now it’s nothing unusual people start already in January. amanda robison photos by anna bringle/swedishdreamish
Swedish Dreamish Semla 16 regular size or 28-30 small size
Ingredients 1 package dried yeast (2-1/4 teaspoon) 5-3/4 to 6-1/4 cups flour (14-15 dl) 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cardamom 2 tsp baking powder 2/3 cup butter (150 g), softened 2 cups + 4 tsp milk (5 dl) 1/2 cup Swedish White syrup (1 dl) or regular sugar 2 eggs
Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century?
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Blend well, either by hand or by using a food processor to a shiny and smooth dough, approximately 5 minutes.
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Instruction Blend dried yeast with sifted flour (save approximately 1 cup for later when kneading the dough), salt, cardamom and Swedish syrup (sugar). Melt butter in a pan, add milk and warm it to 104˚F (40˚C), use a thermometer to get exactly right temperature. Add the dry ingredients to the warm liquid. Add egg.
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Let the dough rise under towel for about approximately 30 min. Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Sift together flour and baking powder. Put the dough on the table and knead it well with your hands. Add a little bit of the additional flour and baking powder at the time and knead to a soft, non sticky. Important to not add too much then the buns easily end up dry. Form into 16 balls (or 28-30 if you like smaller semlor) and place onto greased baking sheets. Cover with a kitchen towel and rise for 30 minutes. Bake in oven about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Important to not over bake, it also easily makes the buns dry. Cool on rack under towel. Filling 3/4 cup milk (2 dl) 12 oz marzipan (400 g) Marzipan 2 cups almond flour - either blanch and grind the almonds yourself or buy almond meal (4.8 dl) 2 cups powdered sugar (4.8 dl) 2 tsp water 1 egg white Place the almond (flour) and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white and process until a thick dough is formed. Turn the almond marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. When the buns have cooled down, cut a lid about 1/2 inch thick off the top of the bun and set aside. (Optional: After the lids are cut off each baked bun, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to shape the lids.) Scoop out the inside of the bun, leaving a shell about 1/2 inch thick. Place the removed crumbs into a bowl. Moisten the crumbs with milk, then mix in marzipan until smooth. Add additional milk if needed until the marzipan filling is nearly as soft as pudding. 2 cups and 4 tsp whipped cream (5 dl) 2 tsp Swedish vanilla sugar Powdered sugar Whip cream with vanilla sugar to stiff peaks. Fill each shell with a spoonful of marzipan filling. Pipe whipped cream on top of the filling to 1/2 inch over the top of the bun. Replace the tops onto the buns, and dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving. Find more about Swedish Dreamish at facebook.com/ swedishdreamish, instagram.com/swedishdreamish as well as pinterest and Tumblr.
Dessert First Whether you call it “Fettisdag,” Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, if you’re in Sweden (or anywhere in Scandinavia) you celebrate with a “semla” or “fettisdagsbulle” on February 28, which this year coincides with International Pancake Day. The name semla (plural is semlor) is a loan word from German semmel, originally deriving from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour or semolina. King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems in February 1771 after consuming a meal that was topped off by “hetvägg,” a precursor of semlan and the king’s favorite dessert. Goodness knows semlor are so good, one semla is never enough. Who can blame the king for wanting more? The sweet, cream-filled bun served with milk in a bowl has been the food-of-choice to indulge in every Fettisdagen, the last day before Lent, for hundreds of
years — even as our forefathers were sailing to America and we were publishing the first issues of Nordstjernan. But an observant, fasting Christian won’t eat them during Lent, so the king really stocked up, probably in hopes of making it through the 40 days until Easter. He reportedly had a king-sized meal of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, followed by 14 super-sized servings of what was probably called “hetvägg” at the time — semlor. Unfortunately, King Adolf Fredrik, age 60, suffered such severe indigestion or food poisoning that he died. Swedes remember Adolf Fredrik as the king who “ate himself to death.” Was it the semlor? Can a person overdose on semlor? Even though you’ve probably been enjoying semlor all year (and who can blame you), don’t let history repeat itself this Fettisdagen. We recommend you eat your dessert first.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 17
fiction
Postcard from Iceland Vinland .. Windland ... After our visit to Iceland in the days between Christmas and New Year my wife Jan and I renamed Iceland to “Windland.”
The Icelandic President’s Residence.
SWEDE AMONG THE REDNECKS A humorous collection of essays about growing up, reaching adulthood and maturity on two continents and in two separate cultures.
Loved by Rednecks, Bluenecks, Swedes and Americans: “… something any Swedish American will enjoy” … “A humorous look at Swedes and Swedishness” … “[written with] the gift of clarity, humor, pathos, and joy” A book from Nordstjernan, also available on Amazon. Please send me
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Total: Perfect bound, paperback, the ideal stocking stuffer or companion on a winter’s night.
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We took a flight from Stockholm on Annandag Jul, the second day of Christmas, leaving sunny weather. The sky was clear and we enjoyed seeing the Norwegian Hardangervidda from above. Of course we expected ice on Iceland as well as darkness — this time of the year they have only four hours of daylight. So we dressed warm and left the sunglasses at home. Neither we, nor the Icelanders, however, expected so much wind. You can say we nailed it: We succeeded in picking the windiest days ever on Iceland. At least the locals told us so. Upon landing at Keflavik’s airport we got a preview of the wind, which shook the plane rather violently before it successfully landed. There were 70-mile-per-hour winds on the Atlantic Ocean and lots of it dropped ashore, making the short walk from the terminal to the transfer bus all about the wind. It took charge. For each step forward the wind pushed us two steps back. If we wanted to turn left, the wind moved us to the right. But miraculously we managed to board the right bus. As things turned out most of the tours on Iceland had been cancelled for two days. Luckily it did not affect our Reykjavik city tour next day. And on our third day all tours got a green light so we could actually do the “Golden Circle” tour on the day we had paid for in advance. But all those other tour buses that had been cancelled now came along as well, resulting in three times as many tourists on the track, jostling in cafeterias and flocking around bathrooms. golden circle in rain It rained cats and dogs. No, it rained hedgehogs and porcupines. The daring people who defied the horizontal icy rain, ice slush and slipperiness saw Gullfoss and Geysir quickly and returned fast — drenched (not by Gullfoss and Geysir) — to the bus, as fast as we could in such strong headwinds. That evening at the hotel we had to use a hairdryer to dry our shoes. All available radiators were covered with pants, caps and gloves. Thirsty, hungry and finally with dry clothes we walked to a close-by restaurant, the “American Bar,” at Austurvällur Square in Reykjavik’s downtown. We had a well-deserved good dinner! The city tour in Reykjavik was quite interesting. Among other things we saw the home of Iceland’s new president, Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson (elected in 2016) located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean — a nice mansion with its own church. And we saw the “Höfdi House,” the location for the Reykjavik Summit where presidents Reagan and Gorbachev met in October 1986. Despite get-
fiction
ting unexpectedly close to the potential elimination of all nuclear weapons, the meeting adjourned with no agreement. Both sides however discovered the extent of the concessions the other was willing to make, and human rights became a subject of productive discussion for the first time. An agreement by Gorbachev to on-site inspections constituted a significant step forward. Even if the talks collapsed at the last minute, they eventually resulted in the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was one of the key events to mark the beginning of the end of the Cold War. All told, Jan and I had three intense and interesting days on Iceland, good food and, at no extra charge, a great experience of the fury of the elements! göran rygert
Iceland
Population: 332,000 Capital: Reykjavik (pop. 200,000 including suburbs) Average temperature in July: 10.6 C/51 F Head of state: Gudni Jóhannesson Head of government: Bjarni Benediktsson (Icelandic Independence Party) Currency: 1 U.S. dollar = 114 kronur (January, 2017) People: Everyone reads and not surprisingly Iceland’s so far only Nobel Prize winner was Halldor Laxness, who received the literature prize in 1955. Geography: Has a lot of it. Here one finds active and inactive volcanoes, lava fields, geysers, waterfalls and mystical geothermal pools, but few trees and few people ... Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Food fact: This island has the most expensive food and drink in the region, but it probably also boasts the liveliest party-town, in its capital Reykjavik. Mother Nature: What can beat bathing in warm water of a volcano crater? Tourism website: www.visiticeland.com
Top: Gullfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall. / Row Above, Left: A piece of the Berlin Wall stands near the Hofdi House. It was a gift to Reykjavik in 2015 from the New West Berlin Art Gallery. / Middle: Icelandic? statement on the wall at Reykjavik’s “American Bar”. / Right: Iceland, wetter then ever ... FEBRUARY 1, 2017 19
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Pea Soup, Swedish Pancakes (the skinny kind) Guests don’t have to be of Nordic extraction to enjoy the annual Pea Soup and Pancake Lunch hosted by the Dala Heritage Society in central Minnesota.
The event was held just after St. Knut’s Day, so there was no plundering of the Christmas tree, and despite cold weather, the sun was shining, which brightened up the meeting room at the Mora Methodist Church, adding to the light and joy of all the folks who radiated sunny smiles from the great food and the good conversation. The meeting agenda was minimal so as to provide the most focus on lunch: traditional yellow pea soup and the skinny pancakes with lingonberries and whipped cream. The kitchen volunteers were busy at their work stations, flipping pancakes and tasting a few to make sure they continued to meet the standard. Enough soup was available for second helpings, until the pot was empty. President Gordon Hallstrom introduced the cooks, encouraged the sale of nuts, which are a fundraiser for the organization, and sang his own adaptation of “Happy trails to you.” A short total physical response (TPR) Swedish lesson was given by Valorie Arrowsmith so everyone in the room had a chance to do and say things like äta, dricka, stompa, flyga, dansa, simma och mera (to eat, to drink, to stomp, to fly, to dance, to swim, and more). Several guests had more Swedish-related activities to do that day, as the annual Vasaloppet Banquet and fundraiser was being held in the evening. Members of the Dala Heritage Society are frequent hosts to incoming Swedes during the ski weekend in early February.
The Swedish Pancake As for Swedish pancakes, it’s simple really: 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1-1/4 cups whole milk, 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons butter is all you need. Whisk flour and salt together with half the milk. Add the remaining milk and whisk to a smooth batter. Add one egg at a time while whisking. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes, melt half the butter and pour into the batter and use the rest of the butter to fry the pancakes in a medium sized pan. Key for the Chef Arlen Soderstrom brought some levity to the tabloe for guests at “skinny” Swedish pancake is really the Dala Heritage Society January event. Photo: Valorie Arrowsmith to pour a thin layer of batter into the pan. Once the surface looks as if it’s set and golden, turn The Dala Heritage Society offers several events the pancake and let it fry for another minute. and programs during the year focusing on culture There’s also a variety of ready-made mixes for and celebrations in the Swedish-American tradition. Swedish pancakes on the market; www.sturdiwheat. For more information call 320-679-3869. com, www.aljohnsons.com, www.hemslojd.com to name but a few of the brands available among our friends Valorie Arrowsmith in Scandinavian America.
Nordic Spirit presents
All Power is of God:
The Reformation in Sweden and Finland
On the 500 Year Anniversary of the Reformation
A Popular Program of Lectures and Music for the Public
Distinguished speakers from Sweden Prominent California Finns Friday evening and Saturday February 10 and 11, 2017 Campus of California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, California Information: scandinaviancenter.org callutheran.edu/calendar/cultural/
Scandinavian American Cultural & Historical Foundation 20 NORDSTJERNAN
In Memoriam Norm Owen Norman A. “Norm” Owen, 86, of Jamestown, died on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in his home following a brief illness. A lifelong area resident, he was born Oct. 28, 1930 in Jamestown, New York, a son of the late Sigrid and Lorene Benson Owen. Norm was a 1948 graduate of Jamestown High School and was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving from Feb. 13, 1951, to Jan. 28, 1953, during the Korean War. Before his retirement just a week prior to his death he was employed in the meat department for Wegmans Food Market, which held a retirement party for him on Jan. 3. Norm was there. He was a member of the Holy Trinity Lutheran-Tree of Life Parish, the Ira Lou Spring Post 149 American Legion, the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club, the Ingjald Lodge 65 Independent Order of the Vikings and the War Vets Recreation Club. He was very proud of his Swedish heritage and served as president of the American Scandinavian Heritage Foundation in Jamestown. He was famous for making his “korvburgers” and sold them at many Swedish events throughout the year and at Wegmans. He also loved watching sports, especially the Buffalo Bills games. Surviving Norm are his wife of 60 years, Evelyn F. Blair Owen, whom he married Dec. 22, 1956; his four children: Kirby D. (Lu Griz) Owen of Fernandina Beach, FL, Kristen L. (Tom) Rodgers of Jamestown, Jeffrey S. Owen of the Republic of Korea, Candace J. (Ken) Gearhart of Alexandria, KY; four grandsons: Brinton (Lynette) Battle of Newburg, NY, Sheldon Battle of Tuscaloosa, AL, Kagen Gearhart and Colton Gearhart both of Alexandria, KY; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Romaine Ervin of Auburn Hills, MI.
local events
The Value of Giving Back If you travel around the world and say you come from Sweden, there are three names that come to peoples’ minds: Volvo, ABBA and ABU. ABU is now ABU Garcia and owned by an American conglomerate. Lennart Borgström, of the founding family, tells the following story. ABU was founded in 1921 by my grandfather Carl August Borgström in Svängsta, Sweden in a little building that was once a chapel. At the time, the company made watches and taxi meters. When Carl August died in 1934, his son Göte took over. Göte’s ambition was to build a taxi meter that was so small it could be mounted into the dashboard of a taxi (this was at a time when all taxi meters where mechanical; each had about 800 parts). My father borrowed as much money as he could from banks and friends to afford new tools and machinery, and the new product was ready for introduction 1938. Then World War II broke out and suddenly there were no car imports and no taxi meter exports. My father went deep into debt and had no market for his new product. His choices were to go down to the river below the factory and drown himself or do something more productive. Maybe the river gave my father, who was a devoted fisherman, the inspiration to make fishing tackle? In 1953 I graduated from engineering school and after my conscripted year in military service, I joined the family business. In those days, almost all sales of ABU products were in Scandinavian markets. As my father did not speak any foreign languages, it was no surprise that I chose to start working in export. You cannot fail if you start at zero! When my father retired and I took over as president, 80 percent of our business was export. Becoming ABU Garcia Over the years, I bought shares from my father, and when he died in 1974 I owned 56 percent of the company. In those days I paid 85 percent income tax, which meant that for every 1.5 million in taxes, I had to take 10 million out of the company. In today’s value it would be 100 million or more. That would have killed the company, and my only choice was to sell. So, in 1976 I sold 80 percent of the company to a Swedish conglomerate. In 1978 our agent in the USA, the Garcia Corporation, went into chapter 11. ABU had a lot of money unsecured in Garcia. I had promised to stay at ABU for five years and at that time had three more years to go, but I was asked to come over to try to save Garcia. That is how ABU Garcia was created. By 1981 the company was profitable again and I felt it was time for me to take some time off to fish, hunt and sail, all of which I had not had time to do the previous few years. After six months, I was climbing the walls, and since then I have been involved in all kinds of businesses. Everything from
Swedish scholarship recipient Tora Abrahamsson being introduced to the president of William and Mary, Taylor Reveley, in his office.
Borgström scholarship winner Tora with Lennart Borgström at a William and Mary luncheon for donors and students.
pop-up thermometers for poultry to active noise cancellation to scanners for airports and ports. Giving back A large part of my heart is still in Sweden. In 1995 when I saw how my hometown was suffering from underemployment, I decided to try to do something for the young people growing up there. I felt the best I could do was to find a way to finance travel and studies outside Sweden. Spending time in other countries and other cultures is a very important part of growing up. It makes a person appreciate and understand that there are many ways of living and thinking. Since I had the privilege to travel in business all over the world, I know traveling and meeting other cultures has made me a more tolerant and better person. We moved to Williamsburg, Virginia in 1995 as our youngest son was a graduate from William and Mary College there, so I contacted the director of the Reves Center at William and Mary to find out if they were interested in getting a student from Sweden every year. At the time I got an enthusiastic and positive response, and now we are celebrating the 18th year William and Mary and I have welcomed a Swedish student. This has been possible from funding in an endowment foundation which I started in 1995 in addition to personal funding from me and my old company in Sweden. Every student has returned to Sweden and has been vey successful in the professions they chose. For me personally, it is without doubt the most rewarding thing I have ever done! Lennart Borgström
In the words of Tora Abrahamsson, student number 18 of the scholarship: “When Lennart called me in the spring this year to tell me that I got the scholarship to come to William and Mary in the fall, I almost did not believe it, but I felt so happy and proud. All the hard work I had put into school during my whole life to get good grades had paid off. I have always had a dream of going to school in the U.S. but I never thought I would actually get the chance to do it, but here I am, and it is exactly as amazing as I imagined it would be. I have met some amazing friends over here from many different types of places around the world like France, the Netherlands, Las Vegas and Washington, DC, and I am sure that we will keep in touch and meet again in the future. To meet new people is something I love and find very developing. To meet their culture and traditions, and hear their stories and opinions definitely make me grow as a person. I have learned so much during my time here and it has been so fun to see how American teenagers live and to experience typical American traditions like Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am also very happy with the four classes I have been taking here: German, Acting, Gender & Women studies and Organizational Behavior and Management — they gave me a lot of diversity and they were all very interesting and fun in their own ways. My time here has also helped me to improve my English a lot which I feel is something that will benefit me in the future in all kinds of situations. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have gotten the opportunity to come here to William and Mary for this semester. This unique experience is something I will bring with me for my whole life and all I can say is that it will be very hard to leave this amazing place.” Tora Abrahamsson
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 21
viewpoints
Finns det några skäl längre att njuta av tillvaron? Det är inte endast pessimister som i dessa dagar ställer sig frågan om det finns några skäl att njuta av tillvaron? Den frågan är naturlig att ställa i den tillvaro som ser ut omkring oss i världen just nu. Runt om i världen skjuter folk ihjäl varandra. I Aleppo, som en gång sägs ha varit en vacker stad i Syrien, syns numera bara ruiner. Det som förr betraktades som skönt har raserats. På vägarna därifrån stapplar eller flyr Aleppos stackars invånare med allt vad de orkar bära med sig. De är på väg mot en oviss framtid. Amerikas dåvarande utrikesminister, John Kerry, syntes länge dagligen på våra TV apparater med sorgsna ögon resa från platser där han mött och hållit samtal höga dignitärer från Ryssland, Syrien och FN. Ibland hoppades de sig vara nära en lösning och meddelade att en sådan kanske skulle ske. De hade ju samlats för att åtminstone enas om detta enda beslut: Eld Upphör. Under tiden fortsatte kulsprutorna att smattra. Undra på att USAs utrikesminister hade tårar i ögonen. Fler människor flydde eller föll blödande döda till marken. Karska britter bestämde sig i en folkomröstning för någon tid sedan för att inte längre ha någonting med Europa att göra. Trots att England geografiskt aldrig kan komma ifrån att landet tillhör Europa vill britterna fjärma sig från samhörighet. Brexit blev det sorgliga resultatet. Det ligger i tiden att bryta invanda mönster. Många britter beklagar nu i efterhand utgången. Flockar av engelska ungdomar söker sig framtid utanför England. Förhandlingar pågår och kommer
sannolikt pågå länge mellan EU och England om villkoren. Det är inte bara att lyfta på hatten och säga farväl. Terrorister från IS anfaller ständigt och massakrerar folk i Paris och Berlin. Frustrerade arbetslösa ungdomar bränner bilar i Malmö , Göteborg och lite varstans. Enskilda vandrare som bara är ute för att få andas fri luft skjuts ihjäl på gator och torg Européer trodde länge att förnuftiga amerikaner till sist skulle välja Hillary till sin president. Hillary var ändå någon som flertalet i Europa visste ungefär vad hon var för en även om hon inte väckte någon spontan kärlek. Därför blev det till stor förvåning för många européer och andra förståsïg-på-are att hon efter hård smutskastning till slut ratades. Istället valdes en person som var stor i truten och som aldrig ens försökte säga sötsaker till oliktänkande. Å andra sidan lovade han att med honom i spetsen skulle USA nå stora framgångar. Undra på att många känner oro i den tillvaro jag just skisserat. Vi upplever en värld där det mesta kan inträffa. Och inträffar. Blir det möjligt att nå fred i Syrien? Vad händer med gamla kära Storbritannien? Med resten av Europa? Kommer den nyss valde Trump att leda USA till nya höjder? Kommer moskéer att brännas? Kommer Mexicomuren att byggas? Skälen till oro är flerfaldiga. Nu från världens oro och misär till min familjs och min enkla persons små vedermödor. Min bortovaro från Nordstjernan orsakades av en kombination av lättja, hög ålder och lätt lunginflammation. I den halka som förkommer på Stockholms gator råkade min kära maka sätta sig på rumpan. Hennes högra axel gick ur led. Ont gjorde det. Nu har hon
blad annat svårt att knäppa en byxknapp med hjälp av endast vänster hand. Vårt samliv utvecklas. Hjälp med byxknäppning rekommenderas. Allt jag nu erkänt av familjära tillkortakommanden svårigheter väger givetvis fjäderlätt i jämförelse med den oro som ovan nämnda händelser på vår jord kan ge anledning till. Därför gott folk. Vi kan fortfarande njuta av Birgit Nilssons förmåga att framställa bedårande toner i sina arior. Vi begeistras av Zlatan när han liggande i raklång ställning klacksparkar in märkliga mål. Om några månader blommar liljekonvaljen i backarna på Torö. Det finns alltid stunder av glädje. Olle Wijkström Olle.wijkström@nordstjernan.com
Olle Wijkströms nyutkomna och rikt illustrerade bok - Min Historia - handlar om hans minnen och möten med alla slags folk från tre kontinenter. Boken innehåller stämningar och möten. Stamhövdingar, presidenter och vanligt folk. Boken kan beställas och betalas via Nordstjernan”
not my time to die Titanic and the Swedes on Board
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Nya ord - Words of consequence
It was with some trepidation that I opened the list of new words in Sweden in 2016. It appears in late December every year, like a Christmas gift, which can strike you as a lump of coal depending on the year’s contents. I was relieved to see that the good Swedes had included a number of Swedish words made up from Swedish words. I was not met by an offering of smatterings and bastardizations of English words, as if the Swedes were too lazy or unable to make their own words. While Lego is Danish, I know that Swedes can put them together, and IKEA furniture, which requires quite the snickare (carpenter’s) acuity, is Swedish — and show me a Swede who cannot put together IKEA furniture and I’ll show you . . . alright, I admit it, there are Swedes who find Kamprad’s designs one more reason to take to drink, even in the middle of the week. But onward to that word list of 2016. I love the word “blåljuspersonal.” For the benefit of Americans and those whose Swedish might be a bit rusty, a literal translation of this compound word is “blue light personnel.” It denotes those persons who work in the fields of emergency services, such as police, fire and ambulance. I raise my plastic Viking skull and toast the lingual Swedes, skål! This is an expression that will be on the mead-lips of inhabitants of Valhalla forevermore. It took me a little longer to wrap my mind around “grindsamhälle.” Part of the reason for this has to do with having lived in the United States for so long that my mind immediately thought of the word grind, as in “daily grind.” And samhälle is the Swedish word for society, which immediately makes me think of the welfare state, so some assembly was required to understand that the compound noun of “gate society” means what we Americans call “gated community.” Maybe this also means those egalitarian Swedes don’t want to live with everyone. But how would I know, I have been gone from Sweden for so long. Again, I applaud the word montage, excuse my French, but I have been gone far too long from the shores
where Russian submarines spy to instantly take to that 2016 expression like water. The new word of “matsvinnsbutik” had the inner language nerd in me smile and chuckle immediately. I would hope, too, that some Swedes are challenged enough to read the phrase on first look as “food swine store,” leaving out one “n” to create this delight. Come to think of it, wine drinkers might also see the vin and think it goes well with assembling IKEA furniture. From what I can tell, this new expression of matsvinnsbutik is the name for stores that sell food at inexpensive prices which otherwise would go to waste. (Matsvinnsbutik = a store [butik] that carries food [mat] that would otherwise go to waste [svinn]. Not yet available in Sweden.) There were a good number of expressions for 2016, and I will not mention the others (except for one) here, especially the ones influenced by or nearly completely appropriated straight from the English language. These provoke in me distaste, like “mukbang,” a term appropriated to Swedish from the Korean meaning of that horrible practice of someone recording him- or herself while eating and speaking to one’s followers online. I don’t know anyone who practices this techno-barbarian circus trick, but I am certain it is a South Korean practice, as in North Korea the people have no food or smartphones and funny business is reserved for the fat man with the noticeable haircut. I have on the bookshelf next to me a bright red book, Bergvall’s ordlista, and when I open it I see it is for grundskolan and printed in 1974. While this list of words may be limited, rumor has it that most newspapers (but not Nordstjernan!) are written on a level that should require no more than this collection of approximately 33,000 words. I thought I would pick more or less at random a few words and make up some phrases that might some year make it into the list of new words for Sweden. The first word I encountered—at complete random—was “epik.” I immediately liked the hard sound, and then I freely grabbed the word “spik,” Swedish for nail (the kind one hammers), and the compounding of these two words make for a fine “epikspik.” This would be an epic that nails it, brings a message home. An example of usage would be, “Some of the people of Sweden thought the prime minister’s speech was an “epikspik.” Dear Swedish Academy please consider this a year or two from now.
The second compound word for the Swedish word list on my expedition through Bergvalls ordlista turned out to be made from nysa and härlighet, the Swedish words for sneeze and an expression that cannot be conveyed in English exactly, a noun that means a kind of joy, beauty and exuberance, all at the same time. So the new word would be “härlighetsnysa” an expression of joy that literally would mean “joy sneeze,” a kind of relief and celebration on a grand scale not yet appearing in the article of any Swedish newspaper. It is a dangerous thing to leave someone a dictionary, even with only 33,000 words, and let them compose away. But it is for many of us an irresistible beginning of an adventure that can bring treasures of hilarity, beauty, sadness, even ugliness. I am hoping, dear readers, that you will email me some combinations of words in Swedish you have made, along with an illustration of proper usage in a sentence. As ever, your faithful skribent. Ulf Kirchdorfer ulf.kirchdorfer@nordstjernan.com
Born in Sweden and raised in Europe and the U.S., Ulf Kirchdorfer is as Swedish American as we come. As a contributing writer for Nordstjernan he has shared eloquent and witty essays on how his Swedishness has influenced his life, reflecting on his childhood with his Swedish grandmother and experiences as an adult in America. You might just see a little of yourself in what he writes, in a collection of essays Kirchdorfer calls Swede Among the Rednecks: The Language That Just Won’t Stay Buried, available from Nordstjernan and through amazon.com.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 23
news in brief
Swedish News
Getting inventive with names
Swedes are finding it easier to change their last names to fun and inventive identities thanks to the new Swedish Name Act. The new rules allow a person to change their last name to anything, including hyphenated surnames, which might better identity them. The number of applications has sky rocketed, going up more than 50 percent. In 2016, Swedes registered names such as Drakpil (Dragon Arrow) and Rosenhvit (Rose White). Some have chosen to change their name in order to mark the beginning of a family or marriage adding “son” or “dotter.”
Local authorities request release of protected land
Markus Ekelund with his creation, the Princess Semla. Photo: Instagram, Thimons Konditori.
The new Princess Semla
You may remember last year’s big surprise: Stockholm based Mattias Ljungberg of Tцssebageriet’s semmelwrap, which quickly became a success. What happens when you take two of the most beloved desserts in Sweden and combine them? The new Princess Semla, created by baker Markus Ekelund in Nдssjц in Sweden, combines the Princess cake with the traditional semla pastry. The semla bun, coated in green marzipan with raspberry jam, has been hailed as a hit if the thousands of likes and comments in social media can attest to its popularity.
The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL) has asked government to reduce a percentage of protected land in order to build and house the country’s growing population. The majority of local municipalities suffer extreme housing shortages, mostly due to immigration, but are still required to house new arrivals. Half of Sweden’s land is protected thus making it difficult to construct new accommodations.
Security at nuclear stations
For the first time, armed guards at Sweden’s three nuclear power stations will be installed with guard dogs to step up security. The increase in security is not in response to a direct threat but has been influenced by the new world order. The use of nuclear power has been hotly contested in Sweden; in 2015 it was announced that new nuclear projects would cease and two of the reactors would close.
Insecurity about Swedish lifestyle
An increasing lack of confidence in the legal system and a once-secure Swedish lifestyle is
reflected in a recent survey coming from the Council for Crime Prevention, published on January 10. Confidence in the legal system has decreased by three percent since the last survey in 2015. Confidence in police services has decreased by four percent, and 31 percent of women report feeling somewhat or very insecure about going out after dark — that’s a 25 percent increase. Erik Wennerstrцm, prevention director of the Council for Crime Prevention, calls the study alarming and admits “I have no advice to give,” reports SVT.
The world’s strongest bear speaks out about fake news
Sweden hasn’t wasted any time teaching children about fake news. Bamse, one of Swedish children’s favorite cartoon bears, will soon be reminding children about the dangers of fake news and the need to be critical in their search for information. “You have to be critical of sources, and you have to learn that at an early age. Through drawing attention to that subject we also hope that some parents will get involved and discuss it with their kids,” Bamse’s editor in chief Charlotta Borelius said. The children’s book will be released this month with a second one on the subject expected later this year. Bamse – Världens starkaste björn (“The world’s strongest bear”) is a Swedish cartoon created by Rune Andréasson.
First the wolf, now the lynx
Just weeks after wolf hunting was approved, a new battle for hunting the lynx is making headlines. Swedish Society for Predators has turned to administrative law in Luleе with an appeal to allow seven counties in central Sweden for licensed hunting of lynx beginning March 1.
U.S. Ambassador farewell
On Jan. 16 King Carl XVI Gustav met with outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Azita Raji. As is the custom for an outgoing ambassador, who leaves in this case as a formality in conjunction with the inauguration of a new American president and administration, an informal farewell Azita Raji took place at the Royal Palace.
Sweden at 10 million
Friday, January 20, at 7:47 a.m., Sweden became a country with 10 million inhabitants, according to Statistics Örebro. Reasons for the increase are hard to decipher due to various delays in reports of births or new residents, but calculations show the population is growing by one new resident every minute.
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news in brief
New smartphone attachment could save lives
Americans and Swedes team up to create a smartphone-based microscope that can diagnose cancer and infections—at a fraction of the cost of lab-based kit. A microscope, the result of collaboration between researchers at UCLA, Stockholm University and Uppsala University, was produced with a 3D printer. It is small and inexpensive, but when connected to a smartphone camera, its potential rewards are life saving. It can be used to analyze samples of tumors or bacteria, virus and fungal cells, offering doctors immediate information on certain variants and allowing them to know exactly what form of cancer, bacteria or virus is involved. This is DNA sequencing, which is key to discovering the most effective treatment —immediately. “Antibiotics are effective against bacteria. But we are losing that weapon when bacteria become
resistant,” says Mats Nilsson from Stockholm and Uppsala universities and Science for Life Lab in Stockholm. “However, if we could look at the DNA-level and find out if a bacterium is sensitive to a certain type of antibiotics, we could choose the right treatment from the very beginning.” The study, published by Nature Communications, was used to identify cancerous tumors in the colon. A sample of the patient’s tissue was put in a container and placed under a special lens attached to the smartphone’s camera. Two laser diodes and a white LED beamed light into the sample in a pre-set sequence, and the resulting images were fed into an algorithm for analysis. By analyzing certain mutations in the tumor, doctors could rule out ineffective treatments. “One should treat patients with the right antibiotics at the time of diagnosis, and the only way to figure that out in the short-term is an affordable and simple
Mats Nilsson with the new smartphone attachment. Photo: Malte Kuhnemund
DNA test,” says Nilsson. The DNA-analyzing smartphone attachment is a fraction of the cost of lab-based kit. If the new device is produced in large quantities, it could be manufactured for much less than $500. It could run on the smartphone battery, independent from constant power supply. Moreover, the small 3D-printed microscope can also make this technology accessible for many more people, even in poorer parts of the world, and makes it possible to send images and information about DNA to specialists in different parts of the world. For more info, see www.su.se
students develop an emergency broadcast system that could save more lives. Increasing safety with technology Swedish Swedish emergency vehicles now have the power to stop loud music playing in
nearby cars so their sirens can be heard. The new alert system, created by 23-year-old students at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, uses a radio signal to override music and send a voice override — or text in the radio display if music isn’t on — alerting drivers to an approaching ambulance or fire truck. The Evam System’s RDS technology (used to show digital information such as the radio station or song title) is being tested in a limited number of vehicles in Stockholm, according to reports on Jan. 17. The hope is to expand across the country later this year. “Drivers often have only a few seconds to react and give way to emergency vehicles,” said Mikael Erneberg, co-founder of Evam Systems and an industrial engineering student at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, who added the optimal warning time for a driver is at least 10 to 15 seconds. This technology addresses that — and warns drivers about accidents in the road ahead. “It fulfills three functions: improving accessibility for first responders, improving road safety and making the working environment in transport better for vulnerable professions,” said Erneberg. FEBRUARY 1, 2017 25
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sports
Risks to reap rewards in Volvo Ocean Race Organizers of the Volvo Ocean Race adopted new rules designed to induce skippers to take more chances.
At the boatyard pre race in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Amalia Infante/Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race announced several changes for the next edition of the round-the-word race, which begins October 2017 when the fleet leaves Alicante, Spain for the first leg, which is just a short hop to Lisbon, Portugal. Among the rule changes are double points on long trans-oceanic legs and various bonuses, new crew size rules that encourage teams to have more female sailors, on-board reporters that can rotate among the boats and a new route that includes more Southern Ocean racing. At close to 45,000 nautical miles, it will be the longest edition of the marquee offshore race. Organizers made the change in the scoring system to encourage strategic risk-taking by the teams, designed to open up the competition in an era of close one design racing. It should give teams an incentive to gamble more often to split the fleet. Racers will earn double points for the two Southern Ocean legs, from Cape Town to Hong Kong, and Auckland to Itajai, Brazil, and the North Atlantic leg from Newport, Rhode Island to Cardiff, Wales.
Additionally, the winner of each leg will earn a bonus point, as will the first team to round Cape Horn, in a nod to the mythical significance of this turning point in the race, and to the team with the best total elapsed time overall. On the crew front, all-male teams will be limited to seven sailors, one fewer than in 2014-15. Mixed teams will be given a significant numerical advantage. Combinations can include seven men and either one or two women, five men and five women, seven women and one or two men, or 11 women. “If female offshore sailors want to compete at the same level as the best in the world then they need to train and race with the best,” said Ian Walker, the winning skipper in the 2014-15 race. “It would be very hard to compete with only seven people on a Volvo Ocean 65 against teams of eight or nine. This new rule will almost certainly force teams to hire women and that will create a great platform for learning.” Team SCA’s all-female crew finished third in the In-Port Race series
in the last VOR and became the first to win an offshore leg in 25 years. But it still saw a ceiling in its overall offshore performance without being able to learn from the more experienced sailors. In the last race, onboard reporters were assigned to each team. In the next edition, a team of on-board reporters will be created that can move from boat to boat on leg to leg, balancing both integrity and trust.
As part of mandatory qualifiers, the fleet will sail in the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most revered and feared tests in sailing, from England to the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and back to England. The Volvo fleet will then race from Plymouth, England, to Lisbon to complete Leg 0. The fleet will then sail a new prologue from Lisbon to Alicante, Spain. chipp reid
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 27
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