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Swedish Press is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish. An authority on design, business, culture and travel since 1929, Swedish Press delivers insightful news and commentary in a visually striking format. With a nod to the past, and a peek to the future, Swedish Press is your go-to source for updates and inspiration from Sweden. SWEDISH PRESS (ISSN 0839-2323) is published ten times per year (Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July/Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec/Jan) by Swedish Press Inc, 862 Peace Portal Drive, Suite #101, Blaine WA 98230 for $45 per year. Periodical postage paid at Blaine, WA 98230-9998 (No. USPS 005544). US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Swedish Press, PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 OFFICE: 9040 Shaughnessy Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6E5 Canada US MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 WEBSITE www.swedishpress.com E-MAIL info@swedishpress.com TEL +1 360 450 5858 TOLL FREE +1 866 882 0088 PUBLISHER Claes Fredriksson Claes@swedishpress.com EDITOR Peter Berlin Peter@swedishpress.com ART DIRECTOR Joan Law Joan@swedishpress.com
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4 Letters to the Editor 5 From the Editor’s Desk Swedish Headlines 6 Headline News: Sweden’s Political Stalemate 7 Swedes in the News 8 Landskapsnyheterna Business 9 Business News 10 Company File: Good Idea Drinks Heritage 11 Sámi Populations Succeed Despite Obstacles
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Feature 12 Nobel Prize Teacher Summit
Gaining Traction
Interview 14 Mia Rolf – Vägen till framgång är nästan alltid kantad av shortfalls Global Swedes 16 Ragne Emardson, Dean of Faculty, The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås Heritage 18 From the Heart, Made by Hand: Treasures from the Women of Sweden
Hemma Hos 24 Design: Surreal Photographer Erik Johansson Makes the Impossible Real 25 Treats à la Gracie and Donna Swedish Press Connects 26 SCA – The Lasting Impact of SCA Scholarships In the Loop 27 Canada, US & Beyond 28 Calendar and Events 29 Ads and Info 30 Sista Ordet How (Not) to Swear in Swedish Cover image: Established in 1895, the Nobel Prize is an annual award bestowed in recognition of academic, cultural and scientific advances in memory of Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel. Photo: Ann-Sofi Rosenkvist/imagebank.sweden.se
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Letters to the Editor Enjoy reading Swedish Press? Email us your pictures along with your name and comments to info@swedishpress.com and we’ll be happy to publish them. Dear Swedish Press, Thank you for your Swedish Press – I read it in Swedish, as did my husband. He used to take Swedish lessons at the University of Washington at lunchtime. I am now 82 1/2. I came to America when I was 11 1/2 and my brother was 13. My brother became a professor in the Department of Architecture at the U. of W. He received a scholarship to Yale University and graduated with a Master’s Degree. He also studied in Sweden. I have had a stroke but am o.k. now. I love my Swedish family in Sweden. Please find below the words that my husband Bob penned in a Christmas card. He died August 31, 2017. Sincerely, Berit McAlister Kenmore, Washington This picture was commissioned by Berit in the early 90’s. The artist is Karen Lewis who was a classmate of Ian’s at Lakeside and is now a professional artist.
Starting from the top is a picture of my Mom and Dad rowing a boat in the 40’s at the site of what is now our house. It was our summer home then. Next is me getting ready to take the kids out on our 14-foot sailboat in the late 60’s. Next is Ian holding a fish he caught on a bicycling trip to Alaska. We ate it for dinner. Below that is Ian looking pensive on a rock in Sweden. The lower right-hand corner shows the three boys playing in the sand on our beach. Then Colin as a high school football player, then Berit and my wedding picture. Following that is Berit out rowing in her Martha’s Moms jersey with one of our chickens (Fluffy) as a passenger. Next is Eric with Lucky, one of the three tri-colored shelties we have had over the twenty-five years.
Below that is one of his seasonal ski passes at Stevens Pass, and above that is Berit with her niece Ingrid bringing Lucia cookies to Mormor. The upper left-hand corner shows Folke’s family among others dancing around the Christmas tree demonstrating that small frogs have no ears. Next to that is Berit’s Mom and Dad who was always Santa on Christmas Eve, In the middle is our dining room table set for someone’s birthday party. Miss Friendly, one of our chicken pets over the years, is checking the table out. The whole picture is supposed to represent our families growing up over the past few decades and the fun memories we shared over the years. Editor’s note: Ian, Colin and Eric are Berit’s sons. Thank you Peter for giving us a good magazine! And thank you all for keeping a bit of Swedish alive in me. I enjoy reading both Swedish and English. And the information we get is great. Next year will be my 65th in Canada, the years are skipping by so fast. Thanks again. God Jul och Gott Nytt År Karl Ingvar Sundin Abbotsford, British Columbia
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E
very January 1st most of us wake up with fresh hopes that the New Year will bring more progress and peace than the previous year. 2019 is no exception, yet sometimes one cannot help but despair about how primitive the human species still is with an unending appetite for warfare, both military and economic. The main thing that makes us different from chimpanzees is the sophistication of our weapons: instead of hurling sticks and stones at each other, we carpet-bomb entire nations and force millions of innocent civilians to flee for their lives. 2018 did not leave Sweden completely unscathed, what with the country’s continuing struggles to accommodate the many refugees, the somewhat unpredictable performance of the real-estate market, the scandals that rocked the Swedish Academy, and the political stalemate in Parliament – to name just a few of many headline grabbers. But in terms of “happiness index”, the country is still doing well by international standards, and I do not see any obvious dark clouds on the Swedish horizon for 2019. Perhaps one of the factors that makes Sweden relatively impervious to internal turmoil is people’s pragmatic approach to problem-solving, as testified by Mia Rolf in our interview with her regarding the Ideon Science Park in Lund (page 14). Another strength is the high degree of gender equality, even if there is still more to do. As for threats from the outside, Swedes have a long history of trying to mediate in international conflicts – think Folke Bernadotte, Dag Hammaskjöld, Raoul Wallenberg, Olof Palme, and Carl Bildt. We also note the Swedish government’s recent offers to host reconciliation meetings between the United States and North Korea, as well as between the adversaries in the atrocious Yemen conflict. Not all of these efforts at mediation have been successful or were even accepted, but at least the country’s leaders are trying. Away from the hubbub of international politics, Sweden continues to pursue its ecologically “green” agenda with the hope of setting a good example to the rest of the world, as described in the present issue of Swedish Press (page 23). The Feature Story reports on the 2018 Nobel Prize Teacher Summit held at Stockholm’s Nobel Museum in October by the Nobel Prize Education Network, a global get-together for teachers and school leaders. This annual initiative builds on the ability of the Nobel Prize to inspire people to seek out knowledge, to ask questions and to attempt to understand and improve the world (page 12). Textile art features prominently in the following pages, as we introduce the legacy of Swedish suffragist Hanna Rydh (page 18) and interview Ragne Emardson, Head of the Swedish School of Textiles at Borås University (page 16). I hope you will find the above subjects informative as well as entertaining, along with the usual updates regarding Swedish politics, commerce, innovation, sports, history, art, culture, and cuisine.
Peter Berlin Editor Peter@Swedishpress.com February 2019
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The Virtue of Peaceful Co-existence Sweden’s Political Stalemate By Peter Berlin
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he parliamentary elections in September 2018 resulted in a tie between the centreright and centre-left party coalitions. Now, after four months of negotiations among the party leaders, Sweden still has no government. Enter the Sweden Democrats (SD), a populist, anti-immigration, extreme right-wing party which came third in the elections and which was initially shunned by both mainstream coalitions. The party has become the “vågmästare”, i.e. the power broker that could tilt the scale of political balance to the left or the right if one of the mainstream coalitions would invite it into its fold. The centre-left coalition is unlikely to do so, whereas the centre-right coalition is sorely tempted. The main problem is that SD is playing hard-to-get and is making unacceptable demands for joining the coalition.
If the Riksdag (Parliament) fails to appoint a Prime Minister by January 23, the law requires that new parliamentary elections be held within three months. If that were to happen, the danger is that the up-and-coming SD might win an outright majority. STOP PRESS! As we are about to go to print, two of the parties in the centre-right coalition dominated by the Moderates have defected to join the centre-left camp with the Social Democrats as the anchor party. The two defecting parties are the Liberals led by Jan Björklund, and the Centre Party with Annie Lööf at the top. If this new alliance holds, it means that the Social Democrat Stefan Löfven will continue as Prime Minister for another four years. The only problem is that Lööf and Löfven can’t stand each other, despite the similarities in their leafy names. If the coalition is to survive, they have to figure out how to work together. If they don’t, the government might fall and Sweden would be back to square one. The plot thickens.
View of the Riksdag and Riksbron from Strömbron. Photo: Camilla Svensk.
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So close, and yet ... The Swedish relatives of a deceased Swedish-Canadian millionaire are challenging his designated Swedish heir in a Canadian court. In other words, a conflict between two Swedish entities is to be resolved in Canada. If that sounds complicated, just wait! The millionaire – the eldest of seven children born out of wedlock – grew up in a small village in the north of Sweden. He emigrated to Canada in his 20s, eventually settling down in Vancouver. Over time he became a wealthy businessman. When he died in 2017, he bequeathed most of his fortune to his son who lives in Sweden. However, a subsequent DNA test has shown that the heir is in fact not the businessman’s biological son. This is where it gets complicated. Some decades ago, the businessman visited the Swedish village where he grew up and had a brief relationship with a woman he had known in his childhood. Two years later, he wrote to her and told her about his business successes in Canada. She wrote back, reporting that she had given birth to a boy some months after their intimate relationship. The businessman, in turn, replied that if the boy was really his, he would of course accept parental responsibility. As the years went by, the father and the boy met on several occasions and established a close bond. Unfortunately, the businessman’s siblings, nieces and nephews in Sweden allege that the boy was the result of a relationship the mother had with another man, but that she opted to deceive the businessman in a bid to have her son inherit his fortune someday. The mother has since died, but the DNA test supports the allegation. The matter of who receives the inheritance will be settled in a B.C. court in 2020.
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Swedes in the News
Swedish Entertainment and Honorary Awards Nanne’s New Role
Swedish singer “Nanne” Grönvall, 56, stars in family musical Annie played at Nöjesteatern in Malmö until February 24, and then at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg. Nanne, known for being part of pop groups “Sound of Music” and “One More Time,” as well as for having participated in Swedish “Melodifestivalen” 10 times, comically portrays a slightly alcoholic director at an orphanage. Annie the Musical was first performed on Broadway, New York in 1977; it tells the story of a sad and abandoned young girl, who luckily encounters a kind billionaire hoping to adopt her. The musical is entertaining, fun and filled with happy music and lively dancing. Dr. Karstadt Bruce Karstadt, Honorary Consul General of Sweden for the State of Minnesota and President of the American Swedish Institute (ASI), is set to accept his honorary doctorate by Lund University, Sweden at a ceremony
in Lund Cathedral on May 24. Karstadt, a Kansas native with Swedish heritage, has spent his adult life spreading knowledge about and promoting Swedish culture in America. “His importance for Swedish-American relations is significant, and we are proud to have him as an Honorary Doctor at
to the jury, Herrgårdh kept a beautiful tone, showed a highly developed technical level and a focused scene presence throughout his performance. The talented young trumpeter was awarded 50,000 SEK for his efforts. now sleep in) were all part of the festivities. de Paula Eby made her debut as host of TV 4’s new early evening news program “Efter fem” on January 7. The program airs weekdays between 5 and 7 pm.
Heading for Space
Talented Trumpeter
our Faculty,” said Professor Barbara Törnquist-Plewa, Dean of The Faculty of Humanities at Lund University. Thanks Tilde! Swedish journalist, author and TV presenter Tilde de Paula Eby, 46, hosted her last episode of Swedish Television channel 4’s daily morning show “Nyhetsmorgon,” on November 18. de Paula Eby, who has hosted the show for an impressive 17 years, was celebrated and showered with love by colleagues during her last couple of days on the job. Cakes, flowers, speeches and a pajama by fellow hosts Jenny Strömstedt and BoStefan “Steffo” Törnquist (indicating that Tilde could
Ture Herrgårdh, 18, from Mjölby, has been awarded 2019’s “Polstjärnepris” for his trumpet performance of the first movement of Henri Tomasi’s Trumpet Concerto during the final in Gothenburg on January 6. “Polstjärnepriset” was established by the municipality of Vänersborg, Västergötland in the south-west of Sweden in 2007. The competition features young musicians between the ages of 14 and 18 specializing in classical music. According
Swedish director and author Björn Runge, 57, the man behind the celebrated film “The Wife” (in which Glenn Close stars and for which she recently received a Golden Globe), is directing another major English-language bigshot. The post-apocalyptic drama “Stardream,” written by Felix Harrison, takes place on a spaceship transporting thousands of people from one planet to another. The movie is set to be recorded during the summer in the U.K. Swedish film photographer Ulf Bråntas and film editor Lena Runge will also take part in the production of the movie. It has not yet been decided which actors will star in “Stardream” or when the movie will premiere.
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[Landskapsnyheterna] SKÅNE Svenska kyrkan öppnade nyligen sin första spa-anläggning som fått namnet Andrum. Efter att styrelsen på Åkersbergs stiftsgård i Höör diskuterat hur de skulle utveckla sin verksamhet stod beslutet klart, och nu har deras spa öppnat för allmänheten. – Vi välkomnar alla, tröskeln för att komma närmre kyrkan blir lägre här – det kommer ofta fram folk och frågar mig om kyrkan, sa Pelle Sundelin, stiftsgårdschef och präst. Åkersbergs stiftsgårds styrelse diskuterade många förslag innan de bestämde sig för sitt spa. – Vi pratade om att göra något med parken och tog upp flera olika förslag. Att öppna ett spa var bara ett av dem, men till slut blev det så, sa Sundelin. Han hoppas att med spa-et kunna uppmuntra människor till att rå om sig själva. – Det är klart att jag förstår att det väcker frågor när kyrkan öppnar spa, men för mig är det helt naturligt. Människan består av kroppen och själen, och de två måste vi ta hand om – något som kyrkan ägnar mycket tid åt, sa han. Andrum har fått god respons av såväl anställda som allmänheten. VÄSTERGÖTLAND Räddningstjänsten i Göteborg fick nyligen larm om en kvinna som fastnat i en lerig vass i Lärjeån. Först trodde räddningstjänsten att det rörde sig om en drunkning, men väl på plats hittade man kvinnan som satt fast i leran. På platsen befann sig även flera vittnen. – Jag skulle in och lätta på trycket bakom buskar och träd när jag såg två personer sitta ute vid vassen. Jag uppfattade det som att någon hade picknick eller liknande, så jag gick hastigt ut och när jag kom upp till gångbanan stod en man och ropade på räddningsfordonen och berättade att kvinnan satt fast med halva kroppen i lera, berättade ett vittne för GP. Lyckligtvis
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kunde räddningstjänsten snart hjälpa kvinnan upp. – Hon satt till midjan i gyttja. Vår styrka som kom fram hjälpte henne upp, och ambulansen körde hem henne till bostaden. Hon var blöt och kall, sa Bosse Florell, larm- och ledningsoperatör hos räddningstjänsten.
LAPPLAND NORRBOTTEN
VÄSTERBOTTEN
UPPLAND Brandkåren ryckte nyligen ut för att fylla Huddingebon Malin Wibäcks och hennes grannars hästars kärl med vatten. På grund av stormen Alfrida hade Wibäck och hennes grannar ingen el och därmed inget vatten att ge sina hästar. – Vi har inte kunnat gå på toaletten, duscha eller göra något man behöver vatten till. Men värst var det för hästarna, för de dricker ju så otroligt mycket per dygn, sa Wibäck. Grannarna, som bor intill ett naturreservat, har inte haft möjlighet att pumpa vatten utan har varit tvungna att åka och hämta stora dunkar med vatten på en idrottsplats. – Det blev jättejobbigt och ganska tufft, säger Wibäck. I hopp om hjälp ringde hon Huddinge brandstation. – De har ju rätt mycket att stå i just nu, men de bad om få återkomma, och på kvällen hörde de av sig och sa att de kommer förbi med en stor behållare med vatten. Det var otroligt gulligt av dem, sa hon. Elförsörjningen är nu tillbaka, men Wibäck är evigt tacksam för brandstationens insats. – Man blir så varm i hjärtat av folk som ställer upp och hjälper varandra vid tuffa tider. De är världens bästa brandmän på världens bästa brandstation, sa hon. NORRBOTTEN När det stod klart att Piteå inte skulle ha något härbärge öppet vintern 2019, bestämde sig Piteåbon André Bengtsson för att ta saken i egna händer genom att söka volontärer på
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Facebook. Det gick oväntat bra. – Först tänkte jag att responsen inte skulle bli så stor. Men nu kommer det meddelande varje dag, sa André Bengtsson, som är involverad i frågor som rör hemlösa. Piteå kommun och Svenska kyrkan har tillsammans drivit ett härbärge i Piteå de senaste åren, men i år fanns det inte tillräckligt med resurser. Bengtsson, som själv levt som hemlös, är rörd och tacksam för det engagemang människor visat. – De två första dagarna var jag uppe i 12-15 personer. I dag är det nästan ett 30-tal som absolut kan tänka sig att hjälpa till, sa han. Bengtsson planerar att redovisa för kommunen och Svenska kyrkan hur många som kan tänka sig att ställa upp som volontärer och att de själva kan ta det stora ansvaret för härbärget. Än så länge har inga beslut tagits. – Men vi kan inte bara låta människor sova ute, sa Bengtsson.
[Business] News Sweden 1st with Own Cryptocurrency?
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weden may become the first country in the world with its own cryptocurrency. As ever more Swedish businesses shun cash as a means of payment for goods and services, Swedes have turned savvy when it comes to paying by credit card or electronically via smartphone. Sweden is noticeably further ahead than Europe and North America in this regard. As a result, the Swedish Central Bank is looking into streamlining all these payment methods in the next few years. The favoured approach is a unified nonphysical payment tool in the form of a cryptocurrency, the so-called e-krona. By switching to a cryptocurrency, Sweden may also become the first cash-free society in the industrialized world, to the delight of young tech nerds and the chagrin of beggars and bank robbers.
Borgströms Blogg: Populärt ansöka om att leta mineraler, men svårt få igång nya gruvor
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amtidigt som nya ansökningar om att leta efter mineraler i berg slår rekord så har den överlägset största gruvan, statliga LKAB i Kiruna, meddelat att järnmalmreserven ligger mindre tillgänglig än vad man tidigare känt till. Den nuvarande huvudnivån på 1 300 meters djup väntas räcka fram till år 2035. Därefter blir det svårare, och därmed dyrare, att ta fram den malm som finns i närheten. Men någon fara för att järnmalmen tar slut på långa tider är det inte. Turligt nog för Kiruna stad som just nu flyttas för att undvika risken för ras; både stadshus, kyrka och många byggnader i centrala staden hamnar några kilometer bort. I övriga landet – särskilt i Lappland, Västerbotten och Bergslagen – är det annars stort intresse för prospektering, att leta efter nya fyndigheter efter de metaller som används i solceller, batterier för elbilar, mobiltelefoner och vindkraftverk. Den myndighet som beslutar om tillstånd för prospektering, Bergsstaten, fick 166 ansökningar förra året, av vilka 152 godkändes; därmed finns 624 gällande tillstånd. Men det är en lång väg till att nya gruvor kan öppnas. Anledningen till det stora intresset för att leta efter nya fyndigheter är ökande brist på strategiska metaller och därmed ökande priser. Under 2017 gavs 48 tillstånd för metallen kobolt, 13 för litium och 4 för vanadin. Men sedan krävs
tillstånd för provborrning, vilket markägarna inte kan motsätta sig. De får däremot ersättning om det finns en fyndighet som exploateras. I ett tredje steg krävs tillstånd för att påbörja brytning. Det tar mellan 5 och 15 år att få igång en gruva. Idag finns endast 15 gruvor igång (se karta) men drygt 600 tillstånd att leta efter fyndigheter. I det natursköna Österlen i sydöstra Skåne har det brittiska företaget Scandivanadium fått tillstånd att leta på drygt 4 000 hektar väster om Simrishamn. Utländska företag behandlas på samma sätt som svenska. Men stora delar av befolkningen med lokala politiker i spetsen protesterar mot alla planer på att ens undersöka vad som finns under marken. Likadant i Taberg söder om Jönköping där brytning av järnmalm pågick redan på 1400-talet fram till 1960 och ett företag nu vill inleda provborrningar. Chefen för myndigheten Bergsstaten med titeln Bergmästare avgör själv tillstånd till letande. Avslag kan dock överklagas i två instanser. I södra Sverige överklagas allt, i Norrland ser allmänheten och framför allt närboende mycket mer positivt på gruvor. Henric Borgström är mångårig ekonomijournalist i svensk radio, TV och press. Artikeln publicerad i finlandssvenska Hufvudstadsbladet.
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Swedish Press | February 2019 9
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Company File
A Swedish Good Idea for Sale in America By Peter Berlin
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n the Good Idea website (www.goodideadrinks. com) one can watch four amusing videos describing the benefits of the company’s flavored sparkling water. After a brief introduction by Dr Elin Östman, the Swedish co-inventor, a rather overweight man in a white coat appears on the scene. He begins to indulge in a meal rich in sugar and carbs which is fed through a funnel stuck into his upturned mouth. Afterwards he goes to sleep on the floor.
The carb orgy would normally trigger a major spike in a person’s blood sugar and the body’s attendant
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Photos: Good Idea Inc
insulin production, followed by post-meal drowsiness once the spike subsides. In another of the videos the spike is illustrated by a tennis ball machine firing a volley of “insulin balls” at the man who struggles initially to fend them off with his racket. But if he drinks some of the Good Idea sparkling water before the meal and imbibes the rest during the meal itself, he perceives a slow-down in the machine’s frenzy and returns the balls with ease. You get the picture: The sparkling water decapitates the blood sugar spike, thereby mitigating both the stress on the body during the meal and the subsequent drowsiness. This is achieved by adding a blend of five amino acids and chromium to the water. The amino acids prepare the metabolism to take care of the carbs in a better way, while the small amount of chromium fine-tunes the process and reduces
sugar cravings. The effect is claimed to have been confirmed by independent studies in Sweden, Germany, Canada and the US. The co-inventors of the beverage are Professor Dr. Rickard Öste and Associate Professor Dr. Elin Östman at Lund University in southern Sweden. Dr Öste is a leading European scientist in the field of nutrition and food chemistry, and the inventor of Oatly – a healthy oat-based milk alternative that is currently gaining popularity in the US. Dr Östman has a 20-year career as a food scientist, focusing on the preventive properties of foods in relation to lifestyle-related disease. She is currently serving as the Chief Scientist of Good Idea Inc., located in Larkspur, CA. Good Idea beverages come in three flavors: Orange/mango, lemon /lime, and dragonfruit. They are delivered in packs of 12 aluminum cans, are available in the US on Amazon, and also directly online from Good Idea Inc. The price of a pack is just under $29. Speaking of Amazon, 76 percent of the Good Idea reviews are five stars, while 15 percent are one star. The main focus among the reviewers is the flavor, confirming the old adage “Each to his own taste.” www.goodideadrinks.com
H E RI TAG E
‘February 6 is the Sámi National Day...’ Sámi Populations Succeed Despite Obstacles By Stephen Anderson
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lthough its borders are not outlined neatly on any map, you’ll know by the temperature when you arrive that you are in the land of the Sámi people. Well above the Arctic Circle, this area might seem uninviting to the casual tourist. Encompassing the most frigid segments of four countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia – this geographical anomaly is home to nomadic cultures that seem to thrive despite obvious hardships.
The Sámi people have their own folk costume, the kolt. Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/ imagebank.sweden.se
First mentioned historically in the first century A.D. by the Roman senator Publius Tacitus, and noted over time in Norse sagas, the indigenous Sámi have survived for some 8,000 years by hunting, fishing, trapping and herding reindeer. It was not until February 6, 1917, that Sámi delegates from the four disparate populations met in Trondheim, Norway, to identify ways and means of prospering in concert rather than disparately. Hence, February 6 is observed annually as the Sámi National Day
across this frozen pinnacle of Europe. Wearing colorful garments, the celebrants enjoy and share concerts, culture, food and camaraderie. Typical of such celebrations is the four-day festival held annually in Jokkmokk, Sweden, for more than 400 years. Northern Europe’s largest winter market, it attracts people from several countries. In addition to taking helicopter and snowmobile tours, visitors can purchase elk and reindeer meat, smoked trout, Sámi bread, berries and jams. A reindeer race on frozen Lake Talvatis is a tourist highlight. By mere coincidence, February 6 also had been the date in the late 19th century when Sámi delegates from Russia’s Kola Peninsula met with Muscovite bureaucrats to iron out any issues of mutual concern. The Sámi of Norway and adjacent lands consisted of three segments: Mountain, River and Sea.
Jokkmokk Market is one of the most important social events for the Sámi people in Sápmi. Photo: Asaf Kliger/imagebank.sweden.se
The widespread Mountain population specialized in reindeer breeding; the River segment concentrated on hunting and agriculture; and Sea Sámi, the largest group, lived by fishing and farming. Not unlike settlers in other lands, the Sámi worshipped the sun and moon as the gods who provided the plants and animals that sustained them. Religious beliefs similar to Shamanism emphasized the importance of natural forces. So who were these Sámi people and where did they come from? Unfortunately, the recorded history of northern Scandinavia doesn’t begin until early in the 9th Century – rather late compared with that
A reindeer race during the Jokkmokk Market in the north of Sweden. Jokkmokk Market has been around for more than 400 years. Photo: Asaf Kliger/imagebank.sweden.se
of the Greeks, Romans and other European populations. Some historians believe that the Sámi were original inhabitants of the northern lands. Most of them were short and had Mongoloid features. Perhaps they emigrated from Siberia. Time has yet to tell. Stephen Anderson is a former Board Member of the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, where a Sámi exhibit took place in 2013. He still serves at the front desk regularly and writes media releases for Museum events almost weekly.
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Swedish Press | February 2019 11
Nobel Prize Teacher Summit Gaining Traction By Lara Andersson
2018
has been a year of great change for the Nobel Prize Museum, and in the near future much is scheduled to shift at its visitor’s headquarters, beginning with its current location in Gamla Stan. Plans to construct a design by renowned architect David Chipperfield on the Stockholm waterfront have been heavily protested as it would require the demolition of Tullhuset, a brick building from the 1870’s that many believe embodies Stockholm’s heritage as View of the Nobel Center from a port city. In turn, the the water. Photo: www.tmrw.se search for the right site © Nobelhuset AB. Design: David Chipperfield Architects continues, but one thing remains certain: this new Nobel Center will be created with education in mind. “We want the teachers and students to feel like the VIPS in this museum,” says Annika Hedås Falk, Vice President of Education at the Nobel Prize Museum. One of the many ways in which the Nobel Prize Museum is actively promoting important dialogues in and surrounding education is with the Nobel Prize Teacher’s Summit, an international event held by the Nobel Prize Education Network. “The initiative builds on the ability of the Nobel Prize to inspire people to seek out knowledge, to ask questions and to attempt to understand and improve the world,” it says on the center’s webpage. “Really,” explains Falk, “we thought, ‘what is the coolest thing we could do for teachers?’ And what’s cooler than putting them together with
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Swedish Press | February 2019 12
Nobel laureates, researchers, scientists, peace activists and other engaged teachers?” The first Teacher’s Summit took place in October 2017 as part of the inaugural week of Nobel Calling!, a Wole Soyinka, 1986 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature. Photo: contemporaneously Alexander Mahmoud launched seven day series of lectures, talks and exhibitions. The theme for the summit was aptly titled “A world with fake facts needs true teachers!” and it saw educators from around the world, representing a diversity of gender, age and nationality, come together in Stockholm. The conference was fully booked at the maximum amount of 350 participants. “We intentionally keep the gathering small so it feels intimate. We don’t want 2000 people all looking in one direction, listening silently. We want them to be able to sit at round tables, interacting with one another” says Falk. The format is short lectures interspersed with panels, group discussions, interviews and a selection of breakout sessions. After the success of the first year’s summit, the 2018 conference kicked off with the theme “Teach Love and Understanding.” This summit’s core mission “was about improving the way we promote democracy, non-violence and sustainable development in our daily work as teachers.” The main question it asked was, “How can education based on science prepare our students to be tolerant and engaged citizens?” Falk elaborates that “we need to find a way to continuously integrate discussions about racism and tolerance into our curricula, rather than just having one day a year to spotlight the issue.” The roster was Martin Chalfie, 2008 Nobel chock full of impressive Laureate in Chemistry. Photo by speakers. Martin Chalfie, Chris Hondros/Getty Images
2008 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry discussed his interdisciplinary work with science and human rights, and researcher educator Christer Mattsson shared personal experiences from his work with young students Leymah Gbowee Photo by Robin Holland/Corbis/Getty Images in supremacist milieus. Leymah Gbowee, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate discussed her struggle for peace in Liberia, highlighting the role women play in promoting sustainable peace. Her relentless campaigning played a significant role in ending the civil war in Liberia and enabling the country to democratically elect a new president. One valuable tradition during the Teacher’s Summit is the school visitations scheduled the day before commencement. International educators are brought together for a workshop about the Swedish school system, where they learn about Sweden’s democratic mission and school curricula. They are later sent out in groups to twelve different schools from pre-schools to universities, in all different areas of the city. “These aren’t privileged, private schools but a wide spread representation of a typical school both within the inner city and farther out in the suburbs, says Falk.” At school teachers get the chance to observe classes and eat lunch in the cafeteria. “Most are struck by the atmosphere and respect,” she continues, “they might have imagined something very different.” Annika Falk, who was previously interviewed in a 2017 edition of the Swedish Press, presents an interesting viewpoint as she has taught or acted as principal in six schools in the Stockholm area. She touched upon the Hedås Falk, Vice Presiheated debate surround- Annika dent Education Nobel Center. ing education in Sweden. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
Teachers work long hours for little pay, which has led to a dearth of new educators. Take for instance this quote from the Swedish Public Radio in 2016: “Sweden’s teachers are getting grayer, while their salaries remain stagnant, and the vast majority feel their profession is undervalued in society, according to a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.” While this indeed an important issue, Falk makes an effort to also frame the discussion about educators in a more positive light. “In Sweden the debate is about work and money and that type of framing might not necessarily make one feel proud. [The Teacher’s Summit] is an opportunity to provide an intellectual challenge. It [underscores] that teaching is tough and you have to be really smart and impassioned to do it.” 2019’s Teacher’s Summit, set to begin on October 11th, is still in its early stages of development and the Nobel Prize Museum has yet to confirm a theme. Technically, this will not be the Christer Mattsson. Photo: third but the fourth Alexander Mahmoud ever conference as the Nobel Prize Museum put on an international event in Goa, India in 2018, including 1000 local teachers and three Nobel laureates. As autumn comes around Falk and her colleagues will prepare for a flurry of activity, including the production of last minute, downloadable lesson plans reflecting whichever prize winners are announced that week. Whatever central topic they choose, they are sure to continue impacting the education community. As one anonymous participant from last year’s conference writes, “the Nobel teacher’s summit inspires, encourages, stimulates, involves, develops and educates me so I can keep feeling I am doing something important every day in my work as a teacher.” www.nobelcenter.se/education/nobel-educationnetwork/summit-2018/
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Swedish Press | February 2019 13
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Vägen till framgång är nästan alltid kantad av shortfalls
Vy mot Ideon Gateway från Edison Park. Foto: Billy Lindberg/Ideon Science Park
Ideon Science Park i Lund är Sveriges första forskningsby och hyser idag ca 400 företag med 10 000 anställda inom framför allt IT, cleantech och life science (läkemedel, medicinteknik, bioteknik och hälso-teknologi). Ideon ligger i nordöstra Lund i omedelbar anslutning till Lunds tekniska högskola och Ekonomihögskolan. I följande intervju möter vi Ideons verkställande direktör, Mia Rolf.
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Swedish Press | February 2019 14
I N T E R V J U
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åt mig först säga några ord om min bakgrund och hur jag blev chef för Ideon Science Park. Jag utbildade mig på gymnasiet i kemiteknik. Men på universitetet läste jag mediekommunikation och lite politik. För att nyttja hela min utbildning började jag arbeta med att marknadsföra bra teknik. Efter ett tag hamnade jag på ett litet företag inom telekombranschen där jag blev affärsutvecklare och tog fram ett koncept för kundservice över internet, ett web agent center. Så småningom hoppade jag av företaget, sökte riskkapital, startade ett eget bolag inom samma bransch och började jaga kunder. Många stora kunder i Sverige var väldigt angelägna, men efter fyra månader så kom Internetkraschen. Man kunde inte längre säga ”Internet” i telefon, för då lade folk på luren. Vi fick snabbt likvidera det bolaget. Just då ringde en av kunderna – det var Telia – och sade: ”Vi har ett uppdrag till dig i Skåne, vi ska bygga upp en dygnet-runt-öppen sjukvårdsupplysning med 40 anställda sjuksköterskor, telefonlinjer och internetservice.” Så jag utsågs till huvudprojektledare och fick fem månader på mig att få det hela att fungera, från avtal till verksamhet. Det var nog det roligaste jag hade gjort, faktiskt. Senare erbjöds jag ett arbete på Oriflame Cosmetics som omfattade Västeuropa. Jag rullade ut Internet som servicetillgång till 30 länder, och samtidigt så tog jag en MBA-examen. När jag gick in till min chef och sa: ”Nu är jag klar. Vad ska jag göra nu?” Då sa han: ”Vad menar du? Nu måste du
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förvalta det du har byggt ut.” Men jag är ingen förvaltare, så jag blev entreprenör och köpte in mig i en liten firma som jobbade med events och kommunikation. Tillsammans med min ägarpartner lyckades vi åstadkomma en turn-around för det bolaget och dubblade omsättningen. Vi jobbade tillsammans i 4 – 5 år med väldigt stora varumärken. Men när jag ville expandera till Stockholm, sa min partner: ”Nej, är det inte bra som det är? Ska vi inte bara omsätta oss själva, vi har det ju rätt bra?” Då sålde jag av min andel och köpte in mig i en digital firma som jobbade med digitala lojalitetsdialoger, och efter detta drev jag ett par år en konsultfirma inom digitalisering och förändring, två ämnen jag verkligen drivs av. En dag ringde en rekryterare för Ideon och sa: ”Vi ska göra om allt på Ideon. Det blir nya ägare, vi behöver stärka varumärket och det kommer att ingå 400 företag som vi ska hjälpa att växa. Vill du driva den förändringen?” Då tänkte jag: ”Hur kan jag rädda världen mest – är det i mitt lilla konsultbolag, eller är det genom att hjälpa 400 andra bolag att i sin tur hjälpa världen med den senaste tekniken?” Då kände jag att det här kan jag inte bara säga nej till. Detta skedde för tre år sedan nu i februari och sedan dess har vi jobbat med omvandlingen. En typisk arbetsdag hos mig är proppfull med möten. Vi är ett litet team, och vi måste hålla kontakt med
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dels alla företagen på plats, och dels hela innovationssystemet, universitetet, kommunen, regionen. Det här är en otroligt mötestät community. Vi driver innovationer mycket genom möten och nätverk och genom att koppla ihop vissa företag med andra företag så att de kan uppnå snabbare utveckling och komma ut på marknaden. Vi jobbar även för att få in rätt talanger till våra företag och att Ideons och företagens framgångar rapporteras i olika medier. Sedan gäller det att driva våra projekt, planera, kommunicera, påverka, jobba med lobbying gentemot kommunen, regionen, regeringen och olika länder. Beräffande områden där Sverige bidrar mest internationellt, läser man mycket om Sveriges roll som medlare. Jag tycker nog också att det ligger i vår kultur, att få med alla i beslutsprocessen. Jag tror att det kommer sig av att vi är ganska trygga i övertygelsen att vårt samhälle fungerar. Vi vet ungefär hur man gör med sjukvård och äldrevård och barnomsorg och vi vågar uttrycka våra åsikter. När det gäller innovationsstrategi uppkommer den också i en gemensam beslutsprocess, sedan satsar staten pengar i en pott, och företag tävlar om vem som har de bästa idéerna för att utveckla dessa innovationer och därmed få stöd i form av pengar och affärsutveckling. Jag tror vi kan bidra mer till omvärlden med denna öppna innovationsprocess. Med varumärket som nation skulle vi verkligen kunna göra en stor insats om vi knyter ihop våra resurser med
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Mia Rolf, VD för Ideon Science Park. Foto: Billy Lindberg/Ideon Science Park
de stora behoven utomlands, t.ex. klimatkatastrofer och hungersnöd och krigszoner. Vi har en möjlighet att göra en insats där genom att föra fram spjutspetsinnovationer tillsammans med en innovationsprocess som involverar motparten. Att göra nytänkande tillsammanslösningar – det är vi är bra på. Sveriges har haft stora internationella framgångar inom forskning, teknik och engineering i förhållande till vårt lands begränsade storlek. Vi är ofta rankade i olika mätningar som nummer två efter Sydkorea eller Schweiz när det gäller innovationer, och då är vi ändå ett väldigt litet land med få invånare. En faktor är vår öppna och platta företagskultur, där vi tycker att det är helt okej att det kommer en sjuksköterska eller t.o.m. någon från gatan och föreslår en ny lösning på ett problem. Då börjar vi jobba på problemlösningen tillsammans utan att bekymra oss om vem som ska äga patent eller varumärke. Vi vill framför allt reda ut problemet tillsammans. Detta gör också att vi använder oss av
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kompetenser utanför oss själva, vilket medför att det blir bättre lösningar. Jag tror att vårt anseende fortfarande är gott för att vara en sådan liten nation. Om vi vill förbättra vårt image, så ska vi dra fördel av försprånget vi har med att bygga ut bredband åt alla och vara en digital nation. Där finns det möjlighet för väldigt många människor att vara innovativa. Ska vi dra nytta av detta, så gäller det också att bli lite snabbare. Vår image är bra, det vi gör blir bra till slut, men allting tar för lång tid. Vi är inte heller en av de rikaste nationerna som kan tillskansa sig de största pengarna. Förr var det så att råvaru- och naturresursindustrin utgjorde vår största framgång. Nu är det emellertid innovation och inbyggd mjukvara och bredbandsfördelen som är de stora nycklarna. Vad gäller Sveriges kultur och livsstil, gillar jag att vi provar och lär oss av våra misstag. Jag skulle vilja ha ett annat ord för ”misstag”. I USA pratar man ibland om ”shortfall” istället för ”failure”. Shortfall är ju inte så definitivt, man liksom snubblar, gör ett litet misstag på vägen till framgång. Vägen till framgång är nästan alltid kantad av shortfalls. Intervjuad av Peter Berlin
Mobile Heights Center. Foto: Billy Lindberg
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Swedish Press | February 2019 15
[
Putting Sweden on the Map At Home
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‘The research school and its programs ...’
Global S
Ragne Emardson, Dean of Faculty, The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås
Ragne Emardson. Photo: University of Borås
How does a Swede from a little town on the west coast of Sweden go from being a rocket scientist for NASA, then a pioneering GPS communications engineer with Saab Ericsson Space, only to become a Dean of one of the world’s most prestigious design schools? In an exclusive interview with Ragne Emardson, the new Dean of Faculty at The Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås, Swedish Press discovered that the path from space to sustainable design isn’t so farfetched. Interviewed by Sofie Kinnefors
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Swedish Press | February 2019 16
Tell us more about yourself. I grew up in a small town in the western part of Sweden called Ulricehamn. At 18 years of age I moved to Gothenburg to study at Chalmers University of Technology. After earning a Master’s degree and a PhD in space science I moved to California to work for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a researcher. JPL is the primary center in the US for robotic exploration of the solar system. After a few years in California, I returned to Sweden to work for Ericsson, where I developed systems for mobile data communication, such as the ones we have in our mobile phones today (frequently used for social media applications, as an example). I eventually started working for Saab Ericsson Space to develop a European navigation system, similar to the GPS. From there I moved on to what is now called RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), where I worked as research director for a department responsible for Swedish references, such as the kilogram, meter and clocks for keeping Swedish time. We also developed a new methodology for making measurements based on human experiences. What makes The Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås stand out from other design schools around the country and internationally?
The Swedish School of Textiles combines different fields, such as management, engineering and design, all in one place. I believe this is somewhat unusual and also a strength, since we can easily work together bringing expertise from different disciplines. One of our main characteristics is our highly experimental approach to design. This means that, for example, “traditional sketching” or ideation is something deeply rooted in experimenting and actual doing. It also means that in the research school and its programs, such as “Smart Textile Design and Body and Space,” basic research is central. This probably also sets us apart from other design schools. What is your primary goal for The Swedish School of Textiles? To have an even more international environment. I would like for the school to be a place where talented people from all over the world can meet to create things together. Something that turns out even better than if they had worked on the project alone. I would also like to increase our transdisciplinary research, which is a key to future success. Finally, I would like for us to work towards and contribute to a more sustainable textile and fashion industry.
l Swedes
‘.... set us apart from other design schools.’
Who and what inspires you in your work? I find it very inspiring to work with creative people. I also feel inspired when my work has a positive impact on our society. I often ask myself how we can use design for creating a sustainable future. When and why did you become interested in design? I got into design through my interest in architecture and art. I enjoy design that makes you challenge your ideas and your way of thinking. I find the discussion on how we can withdraw from the trend in urban design of more and more hostile architecture very interesting. I also find big thinking like the design of the city of Brasilia fascinating. That is a place I would very much like to visit one day. What’s the idea behind the Nobel Event annually hosted by the University of Borås? The Nobel Event was founded by teachers from our technical department in 2009. It has since grown to a university-wide event with approximately 500 high school students from Borås and its surrounding areas in attendance each year. The event and its lectures, taught by teachers from our university, provide high school students
with a better understanding of each year’s Nobel Prize winners and their research, as well as information about our university. Our Nobel Event is highly appreciated, and many teachers choose to return with their classes. What is the School doing this spring? Look for several important programs. First, we are currently working with Swedish designer Naim Josefi to develop innovative fashion based on metallic materials. In our project, we use metallic materials in a functional manner to produce clothes, which can be worn by a wide range of people – for example, well-wearing and stylish protective clothing for those working in the metal industry. The project will expand to other sectors as well, such as the space industry. Next, The “Balenciaga – Master of Couture” exhibition opened in Borås in December last year. The exhibition is held at the Textile Museum in the same building as our school, and The Swedish School of Textiles is hosting workshops in relation to the exhibition this spring. The Swedish School of Textiles’ major exhibition for graduation students “EXIT” takes place in June. Visitors are invited to take part in a spectacular day featuring a fashion show, exhibitions and presentations. It’s a great opportunity to view and admire our graduation students’ projects.
Finally, we have new equipment that will hopefully result in new interesting projects and research. Our new equipment includes a new printer for advanced coating and a YuMi robot, which is a new type of smart robot for assembly automation using collaborative techniques. We plan to use it for textiles. One more thing. In collaboration with Volvo Trucks we have also received a truck cabin, which our students and researchers can work with to develop new innovative solutions. How do you think the image of Sweden is changing and developing internationally and particularly in North America? I believe the image of Sweden has changed in much of the world but perhaps particularly in the US the last few years. At the time when I lived in California, news about Sweden was frequently about the progressive country in the forefront, often with new legislation. News were generally positive, though perhaps with a sometimes playful tone about the country as a socialist utopia. Today foreign news are more focused on different problems than we have. Unfortunately, there are groups in Sweden today that systematically try to spread a negative image of Sweden both within the country but also abroad. Of course we have problems, but I believe the image has changed much more than the country itself.
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Swedish Press | February 2019 17
H ERITAG E
“My son’s birth made no difference!” From the Heart, Made by Hand: Treasures from the Women of Sweden By Trevor Brandt
“It was very rare for Nordic Women to walk the rosecolored path to greatness …” – quotation from Kvinnan i Nordens forntid (“Women of the Ancient North”) by Dr Hanna Rydh, 1926.
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his article is an introduction to a politician, international women’s rights activist, Sweden’s first female archaeologist, and a great friend of the American Swedish Historical Museum (ASHM). Dr. Hanna Rydh organized one of the museum’s most extensive collections – a gift of 75 textiles and other handcrafted materials made by women in every Swedish province. Through this gift, Dr. Rydh won a place of
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Swedish Press | February 2019 18
international honor for Nordic craftswomen. ASHM’s current special exhibition presents the life and legacy of Dr. Hanna Rydh through the gift presented in 1938. Of course, the objects are marvels in their own right – all celebrating the identities of Swedish provinces. But even more than highlighting regional craft, these goods are activist objects emphasizing the role of craftswomen through history and their burgeoning
equality with men in Sweden and America. Hanna Rydh (1891 – 1964), born to a wealthy Stockholm family and educated at Uppsala University, entered archaeology and politics just as modern women’s rights were established in Sweden. Only three years after Rydh earned her doctorate in 1919, Swedish women gained the right to vote, husbands’ guardianship over wives ended, and women won access to all professions. Rydh had already proven herself by directing prehistoric and Vikingage excavations across Sweden, but breaking into a male-dominated profession would have been impossible without such changes. Although doors to thousands of new careers opened just as Rydh finished her doctorate in archaeology, Swedish women still faced many challenges. For example, an English scholarship hesitated to fund Rydh’s projects after learning that she had given birth to a son. Rydh’s response gained global attention: “My son’s birth makes no difference!” Despite leading excavations in Sweden and India throughout her life, Rydh did not seek employment as an archaeologist. Rather, she directed her energies between the 1930s and 1950s into politics and international organizations. These efforts resulted in Rydh’s tenure as the chairperson of the Fredrika Bremer Association between 1937 and 1949, a member of parliament in 1943 and 1944, and – perhaps most famously – as president of the International Women’s Alliance from 1946 to 1952. Dr. Rydh’s international efforts only became more pronounced
H E RI TAG E
during the Second World War. In addition to directing humanitarian projects such as re-housing Finnish refugee children in Sweden, Rydh also acted as a diplomat by maintaining ties with women’s organizations of the Axis powers – Germany, Italy and Japan. Although Sweden remained neutral, Rydh’s activities were firmly anti-Nazi. Rydh frequented the secret “Tuesday Meetings” that readied armed resistance to German occupation. Her activities did not go unnoticed. A Stockholm-based publisher sympathetic to the Third Reich – Svea Rike – included Rydh’s name in a black-book called Who is Who on the Popular Front: The Leading Anglo-Russian Propagandists in Sweden. Rydh’s anti-authoritarian activism warranted her branding as “an Anglo-Bolshevik and Feminist”. Clear from Hanna Rydh’s life are her passions for both archaeology and politics. It would be easy to think that these were fascinating but ultimately unrelated pursuits. And, in many ways, they were. The 1930s were the golden age of archaeology – think of Sir Arthur Evans’ digs in Greece, Agatha Christie’s work in Iraq and, yes, Indiana Jones’ fictional hunt for biblical treasures. Such celebrityscholars had little need for politics. But Hanna Rydh blended her careers in a unique way that soon led to friendship with ASHM. This underlying theme was the meaning of handicrafts for ancient and modern Nordic women. Rydh’s scholarship – particularly her excavations of prehistoric and Viking-age graves – focused on traditionally female artifacts such as jewelry, clothing, cookware, and other domestic goods. Rydh argued that,
as women had always demonstrated superiority in these crafts, they had taken on active roles in their livelihood and thus had never been inferior. Today we might disagree with Rydh’s beliefs – after all, her success in archaeology showed that there are no uniquely gendered livelihoods or crafts. But Rydh knew that knowledge was the key to helping Nordic women realize their potential. Her work thus highlighted the capability of Nordic craftswomen as new civic and career paths opened to them. To give visibility to these beliefs, Rydh used her political contacts to organize international gifts. As early as the 1920s, Rydh assembled these gifts “from the women of Sweden” for bazaars in London. While less extensive than the later gift to ASHM, Rydh’s work in England laid the foundations for her craft and feminist diplomacy. The 1938 Swedish-American Tercentenary provided the perfect venue to further highlight Swedish craftswomen. The timing was ideal – Scandinavian modern designs were
wildly popular around the world. Both Swedish and American newspapers record that Philadelphians were ecstatic to buy Swedish goods in department stores such as Strawbridge’s. But the real show was at the American Swedish Historical Museum, where the Women’s Auxiliary coordinated with Rydh to exhibit these crafts from the women of Sweden. Such treasures included a coverlet from Ångermanland modeled on a royal gift; a Flemishweave tapestry from Malmö parading birds, flowers, and deer; and a massive rug from Uppland modeled on a 1700s tapestry. And from Dr. Rydh’s own province of Jämtland, beautiful dolls dressed in the local folk costume that Rydh herself had designed. Explore Dr. Hanna Rydh’s life and material legacy through a selection of gifts to the American Swedish Historical Museum in the exhibit: “From the Heart, Made by Hand” on view between September 16th, 2018 and March 10th, 2019! See also www.americanswedish.org. Photos: America Swedish Historical Museum
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Swedish Press | February 2019 19
[Lifestyle]
Top Sju
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To stay safe while outside during the cold and dark winter months, most Swedes use reflective tapes on their overcoats. A survey by the Nordic insurance company IF showed that, on average, 72 percent of Swedes use reflective tapes while outside. The survey also showed that the 10 Swedish counties best at using reflective tapes were as follows: 1. Norrbotten (84 percent), 2. Västernorrland (81 percent), 3. Dalarna (80 percent), 4. Gävleborg (80 percent), 5. Jämtland (80 percent), 6. Västerbotten (80 percent), 7. Jönköping (79 percent), 8. Örebro (77 percent), 9. Södermanland (75 percent), 10. Värmland (75 percent).
U.S color institute Pantone has declared coral-colored Living Coral “Color of the Year,” and Swedish Elle describes the color as versatile, warm, bright and soft. This is the 20th year that Pantone has designated a “Color of the Year.” Last year a strong violet hue called Ultraviolet was chosen, and the year before a mellow green hue called Greenery. Coral looks especially nice when mixed with other warm colors such as pink, orange and yellow, according to the magazine.
10 000 11 forest areas of approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) in the municipality of Jokkmokk are going to be protected to sustain the environment and the area’s natural value. The decision was made in accordance with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), the Jokkmokk Municipality and the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen).
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Swedish Press | February 2019 20
Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, Stockholm Design Week
200 Design fans take note. Stockholm Design Week takes place in Stockholm City on February 4 – 10. Established by Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair in 2002, Stockholm Design Week annually features over 200 design-related events, such as museum/gallery/ showroom exhibitions, as well as exclusive dinner and cocktail gatherings. Designers, architects and press take part in the festivities, but anyone interested in and curious about Scandinavian design is welcome. For more information see www. stockholmdesignweek.com.
414 Lapland’s lovely winter market Jokkmokks Marknad (Jokkmokk’s Market) takes place on February 7 – 9 for the 414th consecutive year. The inauguration and grand opening of the market square (“torget”) takes place on February 6, followed by three jam-packed market
days. The 2019 winter market will feature a program related to this year’s market theme “Värme i Kylan” (Heat in the Cold). Enjoy the traditional market exhibition, Sámi crafts and shopping, northern delicacies, museums, films, lectures, and music. There will also be plenty of outdoor activities, such as taking part in the reindeer herders’ daily work, dog sledding and “Yoga on Ice.”
6 The Sámi National Day is celebrated throughout Sápmi and the rest of Sweden on February 6th. The date of the Sámi National Day was decided on at the Sámi Council’s 15th Sámi Conference in Helsinki in 1992 to honor the memory of the first national Sámi meeting in Trondheim, Norway in 1917. Last year the Sámi National Day was celebrated by Swedish Television SVT and SwedishSámi artist Maxida Märak, who performed the Sámi national anthem Sámi Soga Lávlla.
1639 According to Swedish crispbread manufacturers Skedvi Bröd, 80 percent of Swedes keep a package of crispbread at home. Perfect for Swedish ”Knäckebrödets dag” (the Day of the Crispbread) on February 19th! Crispbread first appeared in writing in 1639 and was for a long time considered simple food. Today, however, crispbread can be found on the menus of some of Sweden’s finest restaurants. If you plan on enjoying a slice at home, add butter, cheese and a couple of slices of cucumber or paprika. It makes for a great sandwich.
[Lifestyle] Music New West’s Quayside Voices to Host The Real Group on February 22, 2019
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’m running through the door and I have about one hour before my next appointment,” says Stephanie Lam of Canadian vocal band Quayside Voices. “It’s been a long day at work, and after commuting I’m happy for the chance to be home … even if it’s just for a moment. First task? Dress change. I get into something more comfortable, maybe something I can move around in, then grab a snack and turn my brain off for 30 minutes. 7:00 p.m. and the alarm sounds – rehearsal time! As I pull up to the venue, I see my bandmates unloading and getting ready, unstacking chairs and plugging in our sound gear. In the corner our choreographer is reviewing her steps for today’s session. We rehearse our music – which is a mix of a cappella original and hit songs. 2 1/2 hours later we all head to our favourite nearby eatery to have
Quayside Voices
dinner and catch-up on our day. This is a typical rehearsal day.” Oftentimes the band members find themselves asking: “Is this how it is for our idols – The Real Group in Sweden? How does this quintet not only survive, but thrive for 34 years, turning into a worldrenowned pillar in the vocal band and jazz community?” After much hard work they’ll be getting the chance to find out for themselves as they prepare to bring these icons to New Westminster near Vancouver for an unforgettable evening of music. A dream come true! One may wonder how Sweden’s top vocals in Stockholm make the connection to Canada’s New Westminster? Answer: the way most people meet these days – via the internet. It started with an innocent Instagram comment of come visit North America – Vancouver specifically! A few messages later, and Quayside was engaged in a genuine
conversation about the possibilities. With the help of Ryan Holder, Choral Director at the University of Arizona, February 22, 2019 was secured for their show date. “It’s going to be incredible. The Real Group is spending the morning giving a workshop with students at New Westminster Secondary School (NWSS), then taking the stage at night for an amazing show at the Massey Theatre” says Lam. Once the band was confirmed, The Real Group’s Anders Edenroth said that they are particularly excited to return to Canada, citing the Lower Mainland as one of his favourite places in the world. The concert promises to be an exciting showcase of vocal talent. It will kick off with NWSS’ vocal jazz choir, followed by Quayside Voices, then the main event – The Real Group. Flying in from Sweden, New Westminster is the Real Group’s only Canadian stop on this North American tour. Visit www.quaysidevoices.com for details. Don’t miss out on this amazing event!
The Real Group
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[Lifestyle] Sports Swedish and North American Hockey Interplay By Adrian Jervis
Around 10 percent of players within the North American National Hockey League (NHL) are Swedish. The Swedish Hockey League (SHL) is an excellent breeding ground for future NHL stars. But the movement of players between the SHL and the NHL works both ways, as evidenced by the following article by British hockey enthusiast Adrian Jervis who lives near Linköping, Sweden. (Meet Adrian on Twitter: @BritOnThinIce1.)
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ovember spells a short break in the SHL for the European club tournament, the Champions Hockey League, and the European international competition, the Karjala Cup. This gives us a chance to look at the season so far for the top four clubs who are separated by just four points after 16 matches. 1. Luleå HF Luleå have rallied before the break to win five out of their last six matches. American and Minnesota-Duluth graduate Jack Connelly leads the team in Total Points with 13 (5G+ 8A) and is now in his seventh season in Sweden after graduating from the NCAA. Furthermore, the club has two players who have caught the Swedish selectors’ eyes. One of these is
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20-year-old defenseman Jesper Sellgren. Drafted by Carolina Hurricanes this summer, he already has a Junior World Cup Silver medal to his name and is now playing his first season in the SHL. 2. Frölunda Indians Frölunda’s success is what should be expected from a team that has players drafted from the NHL in almost every position. This is the club that has fostered the 2018 number one draft choice, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Strange, perhaps, that the team’s highest scorer is the undrafted, 30 year old American Ryan Lasch. With 17 Points (5G +13A) he is the highest scoring import player in the SHL, a title he has won during the last two seasons he has been in Sweden. The team is captained by another name familiar to NHL fans, Joel Lundqvist, twin brother of New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Joel is one of Indians’ top scorers and has an impressive CV including 134 games for the Dallas Stars, 4 Olympic Games and 3 World Cup Gold medals for Sweden.
3. Djurgården IF The Hovet in Stockholm is the place to go if you want to see goals, as Djurgården’s top line is leading the SHL in Total Points this season. Top of that elite group is former New Jersey Devils’ forward Jacob Josefson, making his return to Sweden after 8 years in the NHL. His line-mate and the league’s leading goal scoring is the Swede Daniel Brodin. He was drafted by Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010, although he has played almost his entire career for the Stockholm club. 4. Malmö Redhawks Malmö were forced to sell a number of their top players at the end of last season, including former Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ (AHL) top scorer, American Rhett Rakhshani. Instead of having expensive imports, this is a team built on a sense of local connection with a number of players returning to the club they have played for previously. That includes Max Görtz who is on the roster for Anaheim Ducks and who is back in Sweden after playing two seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Photo: Frölunda Indians
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Road to 2045
Road to 2045 Sustainable Sweden 2019: This will happen By Mattias Goldmann, CEO of Green and Liberal Mindset Fores
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t the time of writing, Sweden doesn’t even have a government, and who will form it is far from clear. However, the ever brave 2030-secretariat still dares to give us five predictions on where Sweden will move in terms of sustainability, climate and transport. Climate first, every other aspect second. The coming government will be the first to start with the climate act as part of the framework for what can be decided, with the targets of a 63% CO2 emissions reduction between 1990 and 2030, and a whopping 70% for the transport sector between 2010 and 2030. The Swedish Climate Policy Council will focus on transports in their first report, due this spring; the Environmental Protection Agency will deliver a “smorgasbord” on how to cut emissions rapidly; and the new government will have to come up with a longterm plan for emissions reductions. At the same time, Sweden has 15 other national environmental targets and there are 17 sustainable development goals – they will all have to be part of the plan. Carrots and sticks. On July 1, 2018, Sweden launched the bonus-malus taxation on new cars, where the ones with the lowest emissions get a large bonus, paid for by an extra tax on vehicles with high emissions (a “malus”). This led to immediate changes in the new car sales, so that Sweden – after Norway – is the market with the highest
share of electric cars in Europe. At the same time, the state budget was protected from the high costs of previous incentives, keeping the governments of the future happy and minimizing the risk of the allocated funds running dry. This kind of carrots-and-stickssolutions can be expected to happen in many other parts of the climate and sustainability work. Flavor of the month is over. Like most other countries, Sweden has invented specific funds and incentives for technologies that the politicians favor for the time being: e-bikes, electric buses, biogas plants … While many have benefitted, even the ones who have been given the subsidies – like the Swedish solar power association – have been reluctant to embrace the premiums since it has also led to a lack of longterm clarity and a very bouncy market. In the future, expect much more technology-neutral incentives, not least when it comes to how we shall fuel our cars in the future. The government will simply decide on the needed emissions reductions, and let the market find the best way to achieve this. Trains and planes. Within the transport sector, all eyes have been on the cars, as is indeed the case the world over. We now expect there to be more emphasis on trains, where some kind of high-speed train between Sweden’s main cities is to be decided upon and potentially inaugurated around 2040 – meaning that it will not be part of reaching the 2030-targets, and where night-trains between at least Stockholm and a few of Europe’s capitals will be launched in the coming year. At the same time, Sweden is expected to do more to reach sustainable aviation; the general tax on flying will be either
complemented or replaced by financial instruments to speed up the change to low-emissions and probably partially electric aviation. Modernizing legislation. The Stockholm authorities were recently told in court that they cannot collect parking fees the way they want, since the parking legislation only allows for such fees where there is congestion. It showed the need to modernize the legislation, which is from the 1950s. Other pieces of legislation also need to be overseen, such as the congestion charges, where every minor change has to go through parliament, even though the charges are there to regulate transport and emissions in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Keep it together. As any observer of Swedish politics will have noticed, it has not been very easy to deliver crossparty agreements, which is why politicians of all parties will strive to protect the wide agreements already reached. The climate legislation and its targets are among the very few pieces where seven parties (all of the parties in parliament except for the xenophobic Sweden Democrats) agree. Show leadership. When deciding on the tough climate targets, a very strong reason was that this was to ensure that Sweden would show the way for others and create opportunities for Swedish businesses. Thus, it can be expected that Sweden will focus its sustainability work on areas that are relevant for export businesses, and on ways that can inspire other countries. Fores (which includes the 2030-secretariat) is a Swedish think tank devoted to questions related to climate and environment, migration and integration, entrepreneurship and economic reforms, as well as the digital society.
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Hemma hos
Surreal Photographer Erik Johansson Makes the Impossible Real
[Design]
By Kristi Robinson
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loating somewhere between surrealist musings, dreamscapes, and lucid imagination, lies the work of visual artist and photographer Erik Johansson. Completely self-taught, Erik combined his interest in computers with photography to develop his distinctive style of photo manipulation where he creates surreal worlds that are incredibly realistic, yet amusingly mind-bending. Contrary to most photographers who aim to capture moments and finish their work once they snap a shot, for Erik pressing the camera button is when the magic of his work begins.
Full Moon Service
The process that Erik goes through is what makes his images so unique. While a large part of what he does is creating altered realities through photo manipulation, it is not what you would expect; nothing is computergenerated. Every single detail has been meticulously photographed. Often the details are real life, other times he has to make small-scale models. The photographs are then digitally layered on top of one another as seamlessly as possible, where he
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fuses unexpected elements into serene landscapes, playing with scale and proportion. Now living in Prague, Erik grew up in the Swedish countryside in the small town of Götene. The experience has a visible impact on his work. He is partial to wide-open spaces and the iconic small red Swedish cottage. The landscapes featured in his photos are often places he knows. He says that inspiration for his photographs can come from anywhere – a morning walk or even browsing the web. As soon as he has a seedling of an idea of two unexpected things, he does a simple sketch right away or jots down a quick note to capture the initial idea or thought. Later he re-sketches with more detail. He explains that most of his time is spent on planning and coming up with ideas. Some can take months or even years to implement depending on the complexity and mood. He finds that it is good to let ideas grow over time, something he can do with his personal projects, but not in his commissioned work. He
finds the intense nature of completing a commission in a matter of weeks a fun process because he enjoys the challenge of capturing an idea and figuring out how to convey the message. Erik has done work all over the world with an impressive client list including Volvo, Toyota, Google, Adobe, Microsoft and National Geographic. Adding to his list of achievements, he did a TED talk in London and has published a book titled ‘Imagine’. If you are near the Minneapolis area, Erik’s ‘Imagine – Surreal Photography’ exhibition at the American Swedish Institute from Jan 26 until April 28 is a must-see.
Above: Fishing with Grandpa. Top: Impact. All Photos © Erik Johansson | www.erikjo.com
Hemma hos
Julgröt to the Rescue By Don Sjoberg
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ong ago, a winter storm changed our plans for the usual large family Christmas Eve gathering at our farm house. My mother decided that our family of four would have a simple meal of Julgröt (rice pudding) and cinnamon toast. I do not recall being disappointed because now my mother, free of the big meal preparations, joined in board games while the Julgröt slowly cooked. In the late afternoon my favourite Aunt and Uncle came to spend Christmas Eve with us. Now we were six at the table and it felt good. We ate our meal and soon gathered around the Christmas tree for what was important to me as a child. I loved the lighting and taking care of real candles on the tree, the sense of wonder and imagination making this stormy night special, listening to the adult stories and conversation, turning on the battery-operated radio to hear Christmas carols, and later enjoying coffee and cookies at the adult table. The tradition of Julgröt continues, with our children and grandchildren taking the lead. Afternoon Julgröt time is in one home, then to a candle lighting service and, in a second home, we gather around the tree, exchange presents and enjoy the evening. Yes, there is more food! My father came from Vindeln, Västerbotten, and my mother from Sil, Ångermanland. They would be pleased to know about our Julgröt tradition and that all our grandchildren learned more about their
[Treats]
à la Gracie and Donna
Swedish heritage at Skandia Lodge Children’s Summer Camp. Don and Trudy Sjoberg were married in 1953 and are blessed with four children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Don coordinated the support for the Swedes in Canada Project, leading to the Swedes in Canada book written by Elinor Barr. Ordained in 1954, Sjoberg served as Pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Edmonton, later Director of Canadian Missions, and Synodical and National Bishop. Don and Trudy reside in Edmonton, Alberta.
Gracie’s Rice Pudding Ingredients: • 1/3 cup rice • 1 quart milk • 1/8 tsp salt • 2 egg yolks • 1/4 cup sugar For the meringue: • 2 egg whites • pinch of cream of tartar • 4 tbsp of powdered sugar • cinnamon
Seated Trudy and Don Sjoberg, standing (l to r) Teresa Arnfinson, Jacob Arnfinson, Ruth Sjoberg.
A variation of the Julgröt is from Gracie Lindquist in Wausa, Nebraska. A lovely rice pudding which we enjoy year round. Donna’s oatmeal cookies, named after our niece, are an absolute favourite and they go well with Julgröt.
Preparation: Set oven to 350 deg F. Cook the rice, milk and salt for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat the egg yolks and sugar, then add to the rice mixture, cooking a minute longer and stirring carefully. Pour into casserole. Make the meringue and pour it over the rice mixture in the casserole dish. Put it into the oven until the meringue browns lightly. Dust with cinnamon. Wonderful eaten cold.
Donna’s Oatmealers Ingredients: • 3/4 cup margarine • 1/2 cup white sugar • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 1 egg • 1 cup whole wheat flour • 1 cup rolled oats • 3/4 cup coconut • 1/4 cup wheat germ • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 tsp baking powder • 3/4 cup raisins
Preparation: Set oven to 350 deg F. Grease cookie sheets. Cream the margarine, white and brown sugar. Add the flour, oats, coconut, wheat germ, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in raisins. Blend well, form walnut ball-sized pieces and fork them down well to form crisp cookies. IMPORTANT: fork down well. Bake 12 – 15 minutes.
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Swedish Press Connects
Swedish Council of America
The Lasting Impact of SCA Scholarships By Brian Kays, SCA Communications Intern
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hy would a farm girl from Losantville, Indiana, abandon a potentially lucrative career as a CPA to embrace her love of the land and pursue a career in agriculture? For Augustana College student Sarah Blount the reasons were clear. “After two seasons away from my family farm, I realized that my love for numbers couldn’t outweigh my love for the land. I determined that adding Geography as a major just might help me get to where I want to be.” This combination of Business Management and Geography led her into comparing sustainable agriculture in the U.S. and Sweden. Her advisor and college must have thought she was on the right track. As Sarah further explained, “When my geography advisor mentioned that I had been nominated for the SCA Humanities Scholarship, I was puzzled – why had I been chosen over so many others for this honor? My advisor saw how this scholarship was a great opportunity to connect my college and career goals, as well as my curiosity about place, even when I did not.”
Sarah was eventually selected as the 2018 SCA Humanities Scholar between her junior and senior years at Augustana College. One of several scholarships offered by Swedish Council of America, the SCA Humanities Scholarship was created in 2014 as an expansion of the Study in Sweden opportunities offered by SCA. In her report to SCA, Sarah says one of her most impactful experiences was a visit with Dr. Paula Persson at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), where they discussed how Sweden is adapting to a changing climate and keeping up with innovation on smaller farms. “The goal of the trip was to juxtapose Sweden’s agricultural sustainability with America’s, and I definitely accomplished that,” said Sarah. “I can’t wait to use the knowledge I gained from Dr. Persson and my own observations to help me make the best decisions I can for sustainability.” We hear time and time again from SCA Scholars that the opportunity to study in Sweden is a life-changing experience. Be it through self-directed or college-program studies, students obtain new cultural perspectives through first-hand experiences gained in an authentic Swedish environment. SCA is proud that its support helps change the lives of these outstanding young people as they apply their study-abroad experiences to their future educational pursuits and careers. “Now, every morning, from the moment I leave the house, I find myself comparing the two countries,” Sarah explained. “Striving to be more sustainable, no matter what it takes, is how I hope to make an impact in American agriculture.” In the Scholarships section of the SCA website, you can read Sarah’s full report about her experiences in Sweden, along with those of many other SCA Scholars. You can also make a contribution in support of future SCA Scholarships. www.swedishcouncil.org
SCA is Swedish America’s community foundation. Our mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of Swedish heritage and culture in North American life and to strengthen contemporary cultural and educational ties between North America and Sweden. We achieve this by providing grants to organizations, scholarships to youth, recognition to leaders and communications to the community – all focused on furthering our mission. www.swedishcouncil.org
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Sisters explore “Colors of the North” – Alison and Kirsten Aune, artists from Duluth MN, have created a unique exhibit that may be seen through Friday, March 15, in the first-floor gallery of the Swedish American Museum in Chicago. “Colors of the North” consists of textiles and mixed-media artwork inspired by Nordic designs and symbols derived from the sisters’ Swedish-Norwegian heritage. Interesting patterns and vibrant colors honor their cultural roots, as well as the artistic and domestic cultural contributions of women.
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Photo © Alison Aune and Kirsten Aune
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Alison Aune is a mixed-media painter and professor of art education at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She has been a Fulbright Scholar to Sweden and an American Scandinavian Foundation doctoral fellow. Her works are in several museums and private collections in the United States, Sweden and Norway. Kirsten Aune, an artist and designer who specializes in painted and silk-screened textiles, 8
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Photo © Alison Aune and Kirsten Aune
studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In addition to many museums, her creations are held by individuals in several United States, as well as Paris, Austria, Finland and Japan. Also on display in the secondfloor Raoul Wallenberg Gallery, through March 24, are several of the Museum’s embroidered and woven Textile Bonader (pieces of tapestry). Based on illustrations in catalogues and magazines, they were created by the wealthy, as well as by farmers and laborers, as substitutes for unaffordable paintings.
Witness: Stuart Klipper – Exhibition on display through Mar 17, 2019 at the American Swedish Institute. Stuart Klipper is an internationally known fine art photographer based in Minneapolis. He has spent decades traveling the planet capturing photographs that crystallize the defining characteristics of many countries and regions including the Sinai, Central and South America, Svalbard, Sri Lanka and Alaska. He has also worked frequently in Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and other areas of the Nordic region. Following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, Klipper returned to an area of northern Sweden that he had previously fallen in love with – the Sápmi region, the indigenous homeland of the Sámi people. Klipper found and photographed a forever altered landscape and documented aspects of the impacted culture. The images were created with support from the McKnight Foundation and were originally exhibited at the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Photo below © Stuart Klipper
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CHICAGO Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 Tel: 773-728 8111 | info@samac.org www.swedishamericanmuseum.org ONGOING exhibit – “Colors of the North,” paintings and silk-screened textiles created by sisters Alison and Kirsten Aune. Feb 3 – Sun 11 am to 4 pm: Hyggefest and Carrot Cake Day, with traditional Swedish baked goods in a pop-up café. Feb 6 – Wed: Annual celebrations of Saami National Day in Sweden, Norway and Finland dating back to 1917. Feb 7 – Thurs 6 pm: Movie Night featuring “Samiblood” about a 14-year-old Sami girl who herds reindeer and endures racism. Feb 10 – Sun 1 pm: Scandinavian Jam, an instructional program led by Mary Allsopp and Paul Tyler; participants may play their own instruments. Feb 15 – Fri 11 am: Hejsan story and craft program for young children, based on the autobiography “Buzz Aldrin” by Buzz Aldrin. Feb 16 – Sat 11 am: Guided tour of the permanent exhibit “A Dream of America,” focusing on immigration; followed Sun 11 am by guided tour for families. Feb 22 – Fri 9 am: Start with Art program related to the exhibit, “Colors of the North”; a Family Night program will follow at 4 pm. Feb 23 – Sat 9 am: Pancake and sausage breakfast as part of Andersonville Restaurant Week. Feb 23 – Sat 10 am: Swedish American Genealogical Society presentation, “Swedish Military Research – A Wealth of Records!” DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Info: 734-459 0596 www.swedishclub.net Feb 3 – Sun 1 to 2:30 pm: Buffet MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Ongoing through March 17, 2019 – Witness: Stuart Klipper – Minneapolisbased photographer Stuart Klipper documented the post-Chernobyl landscape of Northern Sweden's Sápmi region. 8
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Ongoing through April 28, 2019 – Imagine: Surreal Photography by Erik Johansson – Swedish visual artist digitally knits together his own photographs to create complex and clever naturescapes. Ongoing through May 11, 2019: Family Gallery – Eurpean Market Square – In this interactive exhibition in the ASI Family Gallery, kids (and their adults, too!) can play and pretend to sell wares in a European-style market. PHILADEPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org Ongoing through March 10, 2019 – Fiber Installations by Ted Hallman, PhD. – Hallman examines the relationship between traditional and modern craft through three contemporary installations. Ongoing through March 10, 2019 – From the Heart, Made by Hand: Treasures from the Women of Sweden – This exhibition includes selections of the 75 handmade textiles presented to the American Swedish Historical Museum in 1938 from every province of mainland Sweden. Feb 9 – Sat 11 am: Semlor and a Movie PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org Ongoing through March 31, 2019 – Raoul Wallenberg exhibit at Nordia House Feb 23 – Sat 2 pm and 7 pm: Concert: Excuse me, does my piano count as one carry-on? – Performed by Maestro Mårtensson at Nordia House. SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Feb 3 – Sun 8 am to 1 pm: Music and dancing, plus authentic Swedish pancakes, ham, lingonberries and coffee. Music by Skandia Spelmanslag, Skandia Kapell, and Karusellen. 18
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Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org Ongoing through Apr 14, 2019 – The Vikings Begin Exhibition – Based on the latest research conducted on both historic and recent discoveries of Viking-era artifacts by Uppsala University in Sweden. TORONTO Svenska kyrkan i Toronto 25 Old York Mills Road, Toronto ON M2P 1B5 Tel: 416-486 0466 | toronto@svenskakyrkan.se www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Feb 21 – Thurs 12:30 pm: Församlingslunch. Kom och njut av härliga soppor och gratänger lagade av Lilian Junkin. VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scandinaviancentre.org | www.swedishculturalsociety.ca Feb 2 – Sat 1 to 9 pm: Sámi Celebration – photos, talks, costume displays, music & films, Sámi Dress, furnished lavvu. Sámi Celebration Reindeer Dinner at 6 pm and speaker Lloyd Binder, Inuvik Reindeer Herder, on Reindeer in Northern Canada at 7 pm. Cost of the dinner: Adults $30; children 12+ $15. Contact for dinner tickets tolufsen@shaw.ca or 604 294‑0749 Feb 8 – Fri from 6 pm: Finland House Society's Scholarship Fundraiser at the Scandinavian Community Centre – Silent and Live Auctions to raise funds for six annual scholarships to deserving students. WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assn of Manitoba 764 Erin Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 | Tel: 204-774 8047 | Reservations at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Feb 7 – Fri 7 pm: Swedish Movie Night at 100 Hazel Dell, bring snack and beverage Feb 19 – Tues 6 to 8 pm: Moonlight Ski, Kildonan Park by skating pond; bring hot beverage and skis. Feb 20 – Wed 7 pm: Festival de Voyageur Lunch Feb 21 – Thurs 7 pm: Semla Bun night with guest violinist Linnae Anderson 28
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[Ads] and Info Swedish Press Classified Alberta Organizations Svenska Skolan i Calgary bedriver undervisning för barn 3-15 år gamla på lördagar kl 9:30-12. Alla barn är välkomna. Undervisningen sker på svenska. Kontakta Svenska Skolan genom Scandinavian center 403-284-2610 eller skicka epost till contact@swedishschool.com. Läs mer om vår skola på www.swedishschool.com BC Organizations Scandinavian Business Club Monthly meetings feature business speakers. Guests and new members welcome. Call SBC: 604-484-8238. Visit us at www.sbc-bc.ca Scandinavian Community Centre Beautiful setting for weddings, parties, birthdays, meetings and seminars. 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC info@scandinaviancentre.org 604-294-2777 www.scandinaviancentre.org Svenska Kulturföreningen Ordförande Ellen Petersson 604-970-8708. Kassör är Linda
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Olofsson, 604-418-7703 www. swedishculturalsociety.ca. Email: swedishculturalsociety.ca @gmail.com Sweden House Society President Carina Spencer Email: swedenhousechair@gmail.com, Vice president Rebecca Keckman, Treasurer Ron Spence Swedish Canadian Village Beautiful Assisted Living Residence & Senior Subsidized Apartment Buildings Located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Ph# 604-420-1124 Fax# 604-420-1175 www.swedishcanadian.ca Swedish Club of Victoria Dinners, Events and Meetings, for information contact Annabelle Beresford @ 250-656-9586 or Swedish Club of Victoria Facebook.
Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109; Tel: 206-283-1090. Open Wednesday evenings for supper and games, Friday for lunch and dinner. Pancake breakfasts on first Sundays of the month. Rental venue for meeting, parties, etc. www.swedishclubnw.org Classified
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Washington Organizations Nordic Museum has moved to a beautiful, brand-new building! In Seattle, 2655 N.W. Market St., Ballard; 206-789-5707.
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Max, Maximilian Kyndelsmässodag Disa, Hjördis Ansgar, Anselm Agata, Agda Dorotea, Doris Rikard, Dick Berta, Bert Fanny, Franciska Iris Yngve, Inge Evelina, Evy Ange, Ove Valentin Sigfrid Julia, Julius Alexandra, Sandra Frida, Fritiof Gabriella, Ella Vivianne Hilding Pia Torsten, Torun Mattias, Mats Sigvard, Sivert Torgny, Torkel Lage Maria
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Swedish Press | February 2019 29
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Sista ordet
'It's an anger management technique...' How (Not) to Swear in Swedish
Founded in 1981
by Peter Berlin
Swenson Center
M
Augustana College Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 Phone 309-794 7204 sag@augustana.edu www.augustana.edu/sag
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ost people agree that swearing is wrong. Very wrong, according to some. Yet there are situations – usually bad ones – when we let rip with curses of varying length and intensity. So why are we prone to make a bad situation worse by swearing? According to Wikipedia, swearing is a widespread but perhaps under-appreciated anger management technique. Research has shown that swearing also relieves the effects of physical pain. That being the case, how can we derive maximum relief by swearing while minimizing the collateral damage? The safest way is to swear in a language nobody around us can understand. Take Swedish, for example. Chances are slim that anyone outside of Scandinavia will react, so the world is your oyster if you know how to swear in Swedish. To minimize the risk further, many Swedish curses are rather quaint in comparison to their Englishlanguage equivalents, because they tend to involve higher mathematics or the animal kingdom instead of the realm of scatology. For example: Fy sjutton! – Shame seventeen! Attan också! – Eighteen, too! För hundra gubbar! – For the sake of a hundred old men! Din snuskhummer! – You kinky lobster!
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Swedish Press | February 2019 30
Sometimes swearing can get you out of a pickle. Two boys aged 11 and 12 moved with their Canadian parents to the south of France and were placed in a local French school. Unfortunately, they acquired more than just the venerable language of Baudelaire and Balzac. Several of their classmates were immigrants from North Africa, and the boys quickly picked up an impressive vocabulary of Arabic curses. The family travelled to Morocco for the Christmas holidays. In those days, foreign visitors often found themselves surrounded by aggressive beggar children who would steal ballpoint pens out of one’s breast pocket – or worse. They were a constant and annoying menace. But the parents need not have worried, because their sons cursed the little rascals in fluent Arabic and sent them packing. It worked every time. When asked to translate the curses, the boys replied that they were along the lines of “Go away, you son of a lioness.” Ouch! Then there was the Swedish-Canadian couple who found themselves invited to a formal dinner at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in The Netherlands. There were about twenty guests in total, most of them Swedish. One of them turned to the Canadian wife and asked her if she knew any Swedish. “Oh yes,” she said loudly, “satans djävlar i helvete!” which translates as “Satan’s little devils in Hell” and which sounded rather convincing to her. Who knew – it could be the title of a Swedish novel, or even a fairytale. To her surprise, the conversation around the table ground to a halt, and deadly silence followed. Twenty pairs of eyes nailed her mercilessly to her chair. Sensing that she might have put her foot in her mouth, she broke the silence by stammering: “I … I learned it from my Swedish husband.” Whereupon the same twenty pairs of eyes turned on the husband. Moral of the story: When in doubt, don’t swear – not even in Swedish.
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