July 01, 2020 - 01:54 pm
… is still there, it just feels a little longer right now. Undoubtedly our strongest bonds can be challenged by separation. Not being able to return to Sweden makes us miss picking blueberries and smultron in the woods, going out for a drink and a meal at any torg, or simply reconnecting with friends, strengthening our roots and relationships in the motherland.
As one of our Michigan readers found out in June (p9), right now is not a good time to visit Sweden. More than ever, we live in a time of constant change, and keeping up with the rules and regulations is an endless task. Just a few weeks later on June 30, the EU decided to open its borders to travelers from 14 countries … the list includes a number of countries, but the only one in North America to make it is Canada. The list is just a recommendation; it remains up to each individual EU country to decide whether to put it into practice. However, so far Sweden has followed the recommendations of the European Commission to a tee. Most European countries are now at least stable in their COVID-19 numbers while cases in the U.S. are surging. Remember, and especially if you belong to the risk group, stay cautious, keep your distance, don’t touch your face, wash your hands often and stay safe.
Summer and the great outdoors go hand-in-hand. It is a time when nature is awake and alive, flowers are finally in bloom (even in the north) and trees are full of leaves—make the most of it. Spend time outside, be with family and friends but continue to keep distance.
While watching the news or listening to experts speculate, even reading this passage, one might not be able to picture how things will ever become “normal.” The fact is you are not alone in wondering, everyone wants to see things return to a level of normalcy. We all hold the places we come from and the special people of our past and present in warm regard. We’ve seen the potential for new structures in our schools and workplaces, and the opportunity for growth and change. 2020 has been challenging, but from this pressure we can evolve and better our lives and our environment. We can and we will.
How ever far away, be open to the future and do what you can now to keep yourself engaged in our community. Since our beginning 148 years ago, Nordstjernan has been a way of staying connected, and every reader—with your involvement—strengthens that.
After this issue we enter a month of planning and preparing for a busy fall and winter, and we wish everyone a continued nice, safe and healthy summer!
Ulf
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June 15, 2020 - 01:52 pm
Let me take a moment to recognize you, the reader. At the beginning of March, we all received worrying news. A new virus had appeared, its lethality and contagiousness unlike anything seen in nearly a century. Everything was to be shuttered—businesses, schools, and our ability to interact with our friends and loved ones. The idea that our hard work and sense of security could be upended in the blink of an eye was terrifying.
The reader of Nordstjernan has always been what makes us what and who we are. You are what makes Nordstjernan, your newspaper, strong. Your dedication and loyalty means the world to us. Renewals are stronger than ever and we continue to grow in new subscribers. This newspaper, no, this community we are all a part of has become stronger in a time of struggle.
The new disease that began to spread across the world appeared to have a mortality rate of over three percent, according to the WHO. But this was just a temporary snapshot. As more and more mild cases are found, the mortality assessment has also changed. British researchers along with the CDC currently estimate a mortality rate lower than 0.4 percent, but the estimates still vary widely.
At least 350,000 people in the world are no longer living due to the virus, and even more have become seriously ill and need hospital care. At the same time, at least 2.5 million people have recovered. Please, if you belong to the risk group, stay cautious, keep your distance (no contact-no worries), don’t touch your face, wash your hands often and stay well.
As you read this, summer is here and we begin a slower pace at Nordstjernan; slow in the sense that we print less but also prepare for an eventful second half of the year. Your next issue will be dated July 15. The celebration of Midsummer is something all Swedes look forward to, and a tradition that non-Swedes can also easily fall in love with. We covered how to best celebrate Midsummer at home in the previous issue but couldn’t resist offering yet another Midsummer-inspired recipe, this time by Nebraska reader, blogger, photographer and chef Kristi Bissell, whose photograph also graces our cover.
Once again, thank you all, hoping to see many of you soon.
Happy, safe and sound Midsummer!
Ulf
It would be un-Swedish to boast about anything under any circumstances and more so than ever at times like these, but it’s perfectly in character to thank everyone for your support of Nordstjernan ...
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May 15, 2020 - 01:48 pm
We thought we’d try something different this week. Rather than talk about the state of the world and how people are responding we want to hear about you, the reader. After all, this paper has always been a relationship between the reader and writer.
I recently talked to a reader who’s become a close friend, an inspiration and untiring supporter of Nordstjernan. He was celebrating a major birthday and was just as positive and vibrant as ever. He wanted to share how “the present situation in the world, the corona pandemic presents so much opportunity. It takes a problem to create an opportunity. The problem becomes a trigger for innovation. While humanity for once in history has a common goal, every great mind is working towards solving the crisis, creating a vaccine and to fight this virus we may also need to think ahead. On what happens next. How do we better prepare for a possible next crisis? Is it really right for us to depend on supply chains or manufacturers in other countries when it comes to essential items such as medicines?”
We have yet to see whether this opportunity will present work, medical support, research and innovation that will affect everyday people. What we have is the opportunity to act. While the world is undoubtedly in a dark place, the news is littered with extraordinary gestures of kindness and giving. Several distilleries are distributing hand sanitizer, small businesses handling fabrics have begun producing face masks, and countless grass roots organizations have formed to deliver groceries and other necessities to those most vulnerable to the disease. On a personal note these examples don’t include the things I see everyday, strangers giving masks or roaring applause for healthcare workers.
Where do you see opportunity? Have you found yourself engaged in the community in ways you haven’t before? These days no action is too small, if you have an experience to share please send to editor@nordstjernan.com or to our P.O. Box.
You won’t see our usual events listing in this issue but rest assured, any cancelations are caused by the desire to fight the coronavirus. In our almost 150 years, Swedish America has weathered every storm conceivable—and NORDSTJERNAN hasn’t missed a beat. Since our first issue in 1872, it has held our community together through good times and bad, through war and peace, epidemics, political change and the Great Depression. So yes, we’ve seen a thing or two. We will continue to serve subscribers with a printed copy in the mail to safeguard this tradition and hopefully hold our community together at a time when physical distance is still paramount.
Dream of future hikes and trips to come, stay safe and be healthy,
Ulf
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May 01, 2020 - 01:47 pm
On April 16, the Swedish government decided to extend the temporary entry ban by 30 days, until May 15. This mainly applies to foreign citizens who try to enter Sweden from countries outside Europe. Swedish citizens and people residing in Sweden will continue to be able to enter, as will people with extenuating circumstances. While these kinds of measures won’t be permanent they may very well alter what we view as “normal.”
There’s a new virus season every year. Few viruses evolve into pandemics, but the new awareness of their impact will be lasting. In our part of the union, the Northeast, people are changing their way of life. Families cook together and they bake together. Due to such high demand, fresh or active dry yeast is next to impossible to find (turn to p16 for a bread recipe that doesn’t require yeast).
Organizations and industries have had to rely on digital meetings for a long time, and everyone seems to agree it has worked beyond expectation. Going back to the old world with two, three flights a week to attend meetings won’t happen after corona, not because of the fear of starting another pandemic but for a variety of reasons, climate change among them.
Education has benefited from the same measures. Perhaps the classes consisting of 20, 30, sometimes hundreds of students being in the same room for hours have passed. We’ll find more efficient ways to run our schools, possibly engaging a far greater number of people.
The fallout and impact of this virus will change the lives of many and there is much discussion of its disruption. However, we should take this time to appreciate what we’ve missed and embrace the changes that could form a world more equipped to deal with these challenges and those yet to come, “the new normal.”
Travel will return, the stores will be stocked, and people will go back to work. In the mean time we hope you will enjoy this issue’s feature on a visit to Sweden’s westernmost populated destination, the Koster Islands, half a mile west of Strömstad in the province of Bohuslän.
Dream of trips to come, stay safe and be healthy,
Ulf
We may not always store extra toilet paper, but after experiencing the corona pandemic, will we ever stop considering how we interact with others, wash our hands, use face masks on flights?
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April 15, 2020 - 01:44 pm
Dear reader and friend,
We picked this issue’s cover image because it says so much about where we’re at now—keeping distance from each other but remembering to stay together. Global issues of this magnitude will take teamwork and persistence. Hang in there, we will.
As I write this, much of the world has come to a halt and 90% of Americans are sheltered at home. This is an unprecedented time in our history. The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on the health of our loved ones, the businesses we rely on, the health of the global economy, and the way we lead our daily lives. No one knows for how long the present measures will last or how extensively the virus has spread. Our collective courage, generosity and resilience will determine how future generations reflect on our actions.
Not knowing leads to feelings of insecurity, a condition we all find difficult to manage. When we lack information, the brain draws us to speculate, create “what ifs.” The greatest evolutionary function of fear and anxiety is to help us survive. When constructive, it can make us empathetic, productive and help us focus on the problem. Let us do that, try to quiet the noise from pundits and act rationally. Advice and guidance from medical officials are abundant. Keep your distance (no contact—no worries), refrain from touching your face, wash your hands often.
In recent weeks, news reports of hoarding of certain goods have been common. Logically, we know we do not need three bales of toilet paper, but when we see someone fill their entire cart, we concern ourselves with the “what ifs” and fill our own. In order to plan for the future we must think rationally, consider the whole. The seemingly insignificant actions of the few holds greater influence than one might think. Turn to page 5 for a more thorough discussion on this.
You won’t see our usual events listing in this issue but rest assured, any cancelations are caused by the desire to fight the coronavirus. In our almost 150 years, Swedish America has weathered every storm conceivable—and NORDSTJERNAN hasn’t missed a beat. Since our first issue in 1872, it has held our community together through good times and bad, through war and peace, epidemics, political change and the Great Depression. We will continue to serve you with a printed copy in the mail to safeguard this tradition and hopefully hold our community together at a time when physical distance is paramount.
Please be safe and stay healthy.
Ulf
P.S. The situation in both the U.S. and in Sweden is changing daily—those of you who are looking for daily summaries from Sweden, please go to our website, www.nordstjernan.com
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March 15, 2020 - 01:42 pm
Dear reader and friend,
Our most recent issue, which follows after these two pages, was printed just prior to closures and cancelations of events throughout the country.
We have received reports of disturbances in postal distribution and rather than wait for the next issue we wanted to update you soonest; both on some enlightening work by Swedish researchers and of course, to remind you how important it is to contact an event organizer prior to any specific event. Most of the listings you find under EVENTS have been postponed or canceled.
Special added content: Why societies shut down - interview with Professor Tom Britton at Stockholm University. How many will be infected? When will it peak? What can we do to prevent getting sick and reducing the spread of the virus? / Coronavirus Research in Europe.
NORDSTJERNAN hasn’t missed a beat since 1872, always holding together our community through good times and bad, through war and peace, recessions, a depression and political change. And we will continue to serve you with a printed copy in the mail. This email is just an extra effort to offer an important update.
Following this page is the digital version of NORDSTJERNAN No. 5 (April 01, 2020)
If you have friends or family you would like to share this news with, just forward the link—knowledge is power, especially now when the actions of so few can influence the many.
Please be safe and stay healthy
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Why societies shut down - interview with Professor Tom Britton at Stockholm University. How many will be infected? When will it peak? What can we do to prevent getting sick and reducing the spread of the virus? / Coronavirus Research in Europe.
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March 15, 2015 - 11:51 pm
INBOX:
Dear Editor,
As a Swedish-American I understand and appreciate the sentimentality and sense of tradition that drives Nordstjernan’s reporting.
However, in reading in issue 3 of Feb. 15 that the recent “royal” visitors to Silicon Valley “are both very interested in Swedish entrepreneurs abroad”, I am disappointed at the paper’s fundamental lack of understanding of what Silicon Valley, and America, is all about. At its best, Silicon Valley is based on genuine meritocracy, the mixing of different cultures and complete disregard for nationality or lineage. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs represent the antithesis tired old European “royalty”.
One marvels at how Nordstjernan, an American publication, can provide such glowing coverage of the symbols of the rigidity and pomposity that make Silicon Valley an impossible idea for so many Europeans.
Jacob Wallin
Sunnyvale
Thanks Jacob.
Jacob Wallin has a point: Although America has always had its own version of classes, it was also the land of opportunities. It offered — and offers — immigrants the promise of a better life, a fresh start without carrying the weight of a more rigid society.
The relationship between modern Swedes and second and third generation Swedish-Americans and “their” royalty has been an interesting mix in the 20th and 21st centuries. The ancestors of the later generations signed their citizenship papers, including The Certificate of Citizenship from 1876, shown here, which included the words: “… and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly to the King of Sweden of whom he was heretofore a subject.”
They did this gladly.
The generation that left at the end of the 19th century left a feudal country where they were often oppressed by king, nobility and priests. People were starving, most commoners were poor and miserable in Sweden but the early Swedish immigrants to America also sought freedom. Freedom of religion, freedom from a rigid class society, from poverty and serfdom under the then Swedish system.
And yet, once people had arrived, with little or no knowledge of the new language, with two pairs of spare pants and sometimes a few tools of trade, the king and the old country started meaning something else. It’s no wonder our very first issue, Nordstjernan of September 21, 1872, covered the illness and death of his Majesty King Carl XV.
Today, more than 140 years later, when the king has become a mere symbol and no longer represents the ultimate power and the upper classes of society more than in name, it is precisely the ancestors of those who left to escape the “Kungl. Maj:t” (at present H.R.H. / His Royal Highness) that hold him highest. The royal family is a clear symbol of the “Swedish.”
The King of Sweden today represents something else. He has become a face of Sweden itself. The Sweden of our dreams and the Sweden we may sometimes idolize in a way that may have been unthinkable for our forefathers.
We humans have always created symbols. We need people or objects to represent something else entirely, often a feeling or an abstract entity not easily defined. And the royal family is a strong symbol of Sweden, of being Swedish and everything it represents. That particular symbol seldom becomes stronger than here — in the diaspora.
It would be useful for all the royal family’s detractors in Sweden to go to the Swedish communities in America in conjunction with visits by the royal house to get a sense of just how strong a symbol and how important the royal house is for the image of Sweden abroad.
Our Swedish-American friends, who are often more fond of the Swedish than Swedes themselves, are the royal family’s biggest supporters. Let’s face it: It’s nowadays not always easy to find the right symbols and representatives to fill the need to find common ground most of us share. When it comes to Sweden in America: Better friends of Sweden and the Swedish just do not exist!
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Editor & Publisher
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November 12, 2014 - 11:44 pm
A contribution from SuperSwede in our issue no. 17, “Pippi Longstocking censored…” has created a bit of a discussion in some Swedish expat circles. He was accused of being racist and Nordstjernan of being a racist paper and associated with the Sweden Democrats.
What immediately comes to mind is the storm surrounding an ad in Dagens Nyheter in Sweden in December 2013. The ad was for a book which, according to the authors — professor Karl-Olov Arnstberg and journalist Gunnar Sandelin — ”without blinders discusses Sweden’s problematic immigration policy.” The Swedish daily newspaper was at the time accused of being racist since the ad brought up official statistics that were also listed in the book.
Strangely, and to the best of our knowledge, no one in media wanted to discuss the statistics included in the book ”Invandring och mörkläggning” (Immigration and blackout ~ the suppression of facts). Instead of looking at facts, media and Sweden attacked the act of publishing an ad that promoted a book based on public statistics.
Now, due to Nordstjernan running commentary about the censoring of Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi, it was our turn. Based on these reactions, please allow me to straighten out a few things:
Even suggesting that things may have happened too fast or are creating difficulties when it comes to immigration or immigrants is in Sweden an absolute no. Sweden’s reluctance to talk about facts regarding immigration has opened up a witch-hunt for anything that can be interpreted as hostile to foreigners. It’s almost as if the deepening gaps in Sweden, between city and countryside, educated and uneducated — or wherever the gaps are — are partly created by an active search for controversy by finding what can be perceived as, but doesn’t necessarily have to be, racist.
At the time of the DN controversy Nordstjernan chose to rerun the open letter to Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask from award-winning Swedish novelist and playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri. Then a reply to Jonas by the immigrant Jasenko Selimović, artistic leader, director and politician (for the Liberal People’s Party) born in Sarajevo, Bosnia. And another reply by Swedish-Italian poet, author, columnist and second-generation immigrant, Marcus Birro. The coverage started a series of reactions from columnists and readers covering a variety of aspects and opinions. That is healthy.
Facts are facts, neither good nor bad, but we would also like to offer you the reader different opinions: various perspectives on the same subject.
Most of us working with or reading Nordstjernan are in one way or another connected to immigration. For us to be xenophobic or opposed to immigration in general would be shooting ourselves in the foot. And, once again — this time in English: We should all be deeply proud of Sweden being a sanctuary for refugees to a much larger extent than most nations in the world. Every nation should be just as humane and willing to open its arms and hearts to people from areas where, through war, famine or other hardships, their lives are constantly at stake. Unfortunately, no one is.
As for Sweden, it's important to make sure newcomers can receive proper care and deal with the societal changes that will surely follow — not just finances and practical set-up but the social platforms for both newcomers and established citizens. After all, this is no longer the land or gold rush years of 19th century America.
Sweden, with a population in 1980 of just over 8 million, has welcomed well over one million asylum seekers during the last 30 years. Often from regions and cultures that are widely separate from the Swedish way of life. It takes transparency from politicians and it takes openness in media to cover the changes in society that will follow.
When looking from the outside, it seems what's happening is the opposite. The Sweden Democrats, clearly a populist party with a well-known questionable background, would never have grown to the extent they have in Sweden unless there was such a widespread unwillingness to openly discuss sensitive matters regarding immigration. The Sweden Democrat party, SD, was founded in 1988 by several organizations with deeply rooted racist and xenophobic views. Among the founders were a number of people with connections to neo Nazi or fascist organizations. The fact that the foundation of the SD party is racist is irrefutable. Nobody can argue this. Yet, they receive more and more support among voters — and clearly not because people are racist but because more people are concerned about Sweden’s present policies regarding immigration. Today, although representing close to 13 percent of Swedish voters they’re not considered part of the democratic establishment and are purposely overlooked by other parties. Sweden’s so-called established parties (which strangely include the other extreme, the communist party) need to wake up. As does media.
People are not stupid. Censoring by suppressing facts will have the opposite effect on Sweden’s political climate. As for myself, I am surrounded by and living among too many immigrants to be comfortable with having the Sweden Democrats alone deal with the subject of immigration.
If immigration is such an important issue for so many people in Sweden, why is there no open dialogue about facts — sensitive or not? Looking in from the outside, the reason seems to be that no one other than the aforementioned SD dares bring it up. Anyone even trying to raise the issue will be outcast as a racist. Anyone and anything that for instance dares openly question the removal of the epithet “negerkung” from the classic Astrid Lindgren book on Pippi is instantly cut down as racist.
The paragraphs above really have little to do with the viewpoints by SuperSwede on the censoring of Pippi Longstocking. SuperSwede feels it is wrong to whitewash books. Others may not. He feels Swedish society is going too far with trying to be politically correct. Others may not. It’s as simple as that.
Does it make him a racist? Consider Mark Twain’s Great American Novel on Huck Finn. The use of words in old books has to be examined according to the author’s intention. Always consider context, time and intended meaning.
But, it’s okay to have a different opinion.
People who are picking apart media for anything that can be labeled racist are proof-texting, which is not conducive to a constructive dialogue. By doing so and putting themselves in a bully pulpit position they become part of the problem rather than the solution.
When it comes to overall editorial policy, Nordstjernan is not about controversy but we also don’t believe there is such a thing as 100 percent objective reporting. Only by letting different voices be heard can we offer you as a reader a way to form your own opinions. Only by seeing an issue from many subjective angles can we each arrive at our own “objective” opinion. This is especially important to remember for us at Nordstjernan. We are the preeminent source of Sweden information for many of our readers and this is a responsibility we take seriously. This is why during the last year we have run so many different voices on, for instance, the subject of immigration to Sweden.
Having said that, please remember that opinions expressed in the viewpoint column are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of Nordstjernan or Swedish News, Inc.
And we welcome your opinion. If:
- you feel differently about a subject,
- you feel we should do something differently,
- you want to add something you feel is important for the whole community,
- someone or a group did something that should be shared with a much larger group, share it and contribute: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Write us at editor@nordstjernan.com or upload your suggestion or contribution at nordstjernan.com or mail to P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan CT 06840
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Editor & Publisher
0 comments
September 15, 2014 - 12:11 pm
..att vara den som säger jag vet inte … jag tycker inte … att våga gå mot strömmen. Det är inget svensken i gemen är särskilt bra på sägs det.
Valet i Sverige är över. Det blev som många trodde, den röd-gröna koalitionen fick majoritet. Samtidigt förefaller valets enda vinnare vara Sverigedemokraterna som tagit röster från framför allt de största partierna och blir nu Sveriges tredje största parti. Nästan 30% av SD’s nya röster kom från väljare som röstat för moderaterna i tidigare val, 16% kom från tidigare socialdemokratiska. Alla etablerade partier liksom i stor utsträckning svensk media förfasar sig över SD, som inte anses vara ett demokratiskt parti. Och visst, det finns aspekter av partiet som inte är humana, direkt främlingsfientliga om man generaliserar, men samtidigt, nästan 13% av svenska folket röstar på dem—nära en miljon av väljarna i ett demokratiskt val.
Man kan fråga sig varför. Fast, alla vet ju varför även om ingen i Sverige vill prata om det. Åtminstone 13% av befolkningen tycker att svensk flyktingpolitik gått för långt. Så långt att man röstar på ett missnöjesparti för att skapa förändring. Det finns ingen öppen debatt om det i Sverige men uppenbarligen känner många så. Att bevara det svenska – vad det nu är - är inte rumsrent. Har man åsikter om invandring är man rasist. Alltså pratar man inte om det. De s.k. etablerade politikerna säger ingenting. Däremot vill man vinna röster i områden med nya svenskar genom att öppna dörrarna lite till och ber svenskarna öppna sina hjärtan för nya stora flyktingströmmar. Senaste bedömningen var att det skulle komma ytterligare 80-100,000 flyktingar från Syrien, Irak, Somalia och andra krisdrabbade områden till Sverige under 2014.
Jag kom nyligen att prata om inflyttningen till Sverige från bl.a. mellanöstern i ett privat sammanhang. Ett par av våra goda vänner är födda och uppvuxna i Damaskus, de är alltså Syrier. Amerikaniserade och sekulariserade men uppvuxna i den muslimska världen och tron. De var chockerade över den svenska politiken och hade svårt se motiv till viljan att flytta till Sverige hos sina landsmän och menade att “..vad har Sverige uppe i norr med saken att göra? Om något så är detta ett globalt problem. Inget enstaka land kan ensamt bära en lösning.” Sedan stötte jag på en grupp svenskar på resa i USA. De berättade om grannar som tidigare flytt Libanon för sådär 30 år sedan men nu flyr Sverige eftersom landet “känns instabilt”… Det kan vara undantag och skrönor för inte kan det vara så illa. Eller hur?
Jag vet inte … men, jag skulle bra gärna vilja veta.
Jag är stolt över mitt födelseland—viljan att hjälpa och stödja människor som befinner sig i krigshärjade zoner och lever under ständigt hot borde vara en självklarhet för alla. Samtidigt undrar jag – som svensk i förskingringen - om det finns ett sätt att göra det på som inte innebär sådana enorma folkförflyttningar som de vi sett på senare år?
Jag vet inte. Men undrar.
När ni läser det här har vi passerat två andra viktiga dagar; vår första utgåva gavs ut den 21 september 1872, vi är nu inne på vårt 143:e år av kontinuerlig utgivning. Jag vill tacka er alla som gjort det möjligt — över 90% av er som läser förnyar prenumerationen och vår tillväxt under 2014 ser ut att bli lika hög som under föregående år. Tack för ert stöd!
Vi har också passerat Janssons-dagen, som firas sista fredagen i september varje år, i år alltså den 26 september. Vi kunde inte låta bli att åter igen dela med oss av lite kuriosa och två recept på “nationalrätten.”
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August 01, 2014 - 10:10 pm
In a recent op-ed in Sweden, the Swedish parliamentarian Henrik von Sydow (M) wrote about the half million Swedes who live and work outside Sweden. That’s one in every twentieth born Swede, and von Sydow explains they're becoming more and more important as ambassadors of Sweden, Swedish values, brands and traditions. It's election year after all....
"The growing number of Swedes abroad," von Sydow writes, "is also an expression of Sweden as one of the world's most globalized countries. Our history of mobility, traveling, and successful businesses have carried Swedish families out into the world."
A history of successful businesses indeed! Today’s Swedish software and game developers or communication and music entrepreneurs were preceded by developers of bus and boat lines, inventors of machinery and packaging, zippers, dynamite or pink grapefruit and the computer mouse.
The importance of Swedes abroad is growing, according to von Sydow, who also refers to a report from OECD that asserts how countries like Sweden may use their potential to revitalize the Swedish economy and further Swedish society. “... By the knowledge, experience and ideas which they possess, they also contribute to the strengthening of Sweden.” Swedes abroad do something important as they increase the world’s knowledge of Sweden and Swedish brands, and often give back to the home country through new ideas, and new thoughts lead to improved conditions and innovations.
Nowhere is this more true than in the United States — home to the majority of Swedish expats, but more importantly home to over six million Swedish Americans, who, although not born in Sweden, contribute just as much, if not sometimes more, to the awareness of Sweden and its traditional values. We do this by gathering to sing, to celebrate and share traditional food and culture or sometimes keep up the language traditions that make up our Swedish identity. It is yet another blessing of America that we can actually remain “American” while also carrying the blue and yellow colors. There are few other places in the world where you can fit in so well by adopting the language and local rules of engagement, and yet remain different in other ways.
In my opinion, the traditional American openness to novelties and new experiences gives new meaning to the expression Vive la difference. Well, everything in moderation of course … as not the least the interview with Greg Poehler on page 4 will attest to.
This week we also share images and impressions from a variety of Midsummer celebrations in America — Sweden in America — sharing what may be one of the loveliest pieces of Swedish traditions with the rest of the United States.
0 comments
May 30, 2014 - 12:30 am
And these days they all meet more often. In the midst of a time of disasters and dangers of war, there are also reassuring signs of increased tolerance and cultural exchange in the world. We just have to know where to look.
National borders no longer have the same meaning (pun intended, Vladimir P!). In this ever-shrinking world, just like we tend to go to Sweden to re-experience our roots or get a clear sense of our heritage or modern ways of distant relatives, individuals and families now shift from one country in large numbers because of political persecution, economic advantage or romance. This type of “globalization” is sometimes viewed as a problem and even a threat. But in the cultural arena, we will always argue that this type of cross-fertilization has overwhelmingly delightful consequences: We are ourselves a testimony of this.
Vasa Convention
We recently went to the Vasa District 6 Convention in Cape May. It was fun and a great experience; even the so-called business meetings were lively and informative, so thanks, brothers and sisters in NJ, for sharing. The visit made me realize a couple things.
First of all, few are aware of the significance and history of Bishop Hill, Illinois where the annals of the Vasa Order are archived. It is definitely off the beaten path but quite an adventure to visit. When the 150th anniversary of the beginning of mass emigration from Sweden to the United States was celebrated in 1996, the initiators picked that settlement as representative of the first wave of Swedish mass immigration to North America. These first immigrants were members of a religious group led by farmer/salesman/preacher Erik Jansson who left their country in search of religious freedom. The group founded the Bishop Hill colony in western Illinois in 1846.
Allow us to point out that this particular, and peculiar, group was randomly chosen by the Jubilee’s initiators, and is by far the only group that qualifies. The fact is, it would be close to impossible to pinpoint any specific group as the absolute trigger for the start of the mass emigration. As some of our exerpts from newspaper and magazine reports indicate, however, Jansson’s utopia in Bishop Hill was considered a most daring experiment at the time and is to this day a piece of living history of Swedish immigration. For more on the colony, turn to the stories on pages 4-5.
Secondly, while you may have read Nordstjernan for many years and appreciate it for its coverage of traditions or events, entertainment or informative values (or, we hope, all of the above), and despite all our efforts to provide information on all things Swedish and Swedish-American, we usually neglect an important piece of information: the pronunciation of the name Nordstjernan.
The Swedish sje-sound
Many of you are not familiar with the Swedish sje-sound so prevalent in many Swedish words, Nordstjernan among them. It’s a tricky sound for a couple reasons. For one, it doesn’t have an equivalence in English and also, since our written language changes much less than our spoken, the sound can be spelled in a variety of ways — all leading back to an earlier pronunciation of the word, different from today’s.
The skj in skjuta (to push or shoot) was likely at first pronounced the way it looks, pronouncing every letter s-k-j-uta just like Nordstjernan was pronounced Nords-t-j-ernan. Not so anymore. While the different spellings have survived, the pronunciation of them all is the same, and to an American English speaker it’s a bit of a cross between a hush sound and the sound of the wind blowing.
Several years ago we received a letter to the editor from Patric L., which tries to explain the pronunciation of the number seven —”sju” in Swedish— where the sj is identical to how a Swede today would pronounce the stj in Nordstjernan. The so-called sje-sound is one of the most difficult sounds of the Swedish language for a non-native. The rest of Nordstjernan is easy: “o” is pronounced like the double o’s in too; the “e” sounds similar to the “a” in carry; and the “a” is similar to the open sound of the vowel in father.
As for stj, an example of the sje-sound you’ll find in many, many Swedish words. While the spelling differs between different words, they are — dialect differences aside — in essence pronounced in the same way. So, whenever you encounter a sch, sj, skj, sk or stj, if you master the instruction below you’re safe. (As a born Swede you’ll recall the test rhyme of “7,777 sjösjuka sjömän sköttes av en sjuksköterska.…”)
Take the idea, use it on Nordstjernan and you will be able to explain to your friends how the title of this paper is pronounced. And, maybe you’ll even say sju next time a relative or Swedish friend is teasing.
How to pronounce “sju”
by Patric L.
Knowing how difficult this particular sound is to pronounce for a non-native Swede, I will try to build my way to the sound as follows:
Start by saying SHOE in English. Notice how your tongue is cupped toward the front of your palate and remains there for the entire word. The OE part of SHOE will closely resemble the U in SJU if you move your tongue during the pronunciation of OE so that the tip of your tongue touches the inside base of the teeth in your lower jaw by the end of the word.
So, you flip the tip of your tongue from top palate to lower teeth, exactly when the OE begins, and now your SHOE will begin to sound like SJU instead. Remember not to try to change anything else, as that flip of the tongue should suffice.
To make the SJ-sound, pout with your lips at the same moment you flip your tongue. Starting with your mouth and tongue back, you should end up pouting and touching the tip tongue in front.
And there you have the pronunciation of “sju.”
Bishop Hill, Cape May and the pronunciation of Nordstjernan—beginning with ‘shoe’
0 comments
May 15, 2014 - 12:29 am
Vi är tre Ulf som skriver i tidningen. Eftersom det är månader sedan jag grep mig an ärans och hjältarnas språk så skriver vi den här veckan alla tre med byline.
Ulf Kirchdorfer’s artikel om reklaminslag för de som är 50+ på sidan 12 blir en påminnelse, både om att jag själv kommit över det där 50-strecket men också om att tiderna förändras. Sverige har haft reklam-tv i en eller annan form sedan slutet av 1980-talet. Inte lika ensidig som de inslag Ulf K beskriver här i USA men ändå reklam. Det började med TV3 och TV5 som sände från Storbritannien eller Luxemburg för att komma ifrån de regler i Sverige, som förbjöd reklamvbrott inne i programmen. TV4 var först med marksänd reklamtv men kunde de första åren inte avbryta program för reklamsändningar. Istället gick man runt reglerna genom att dela upp sänd-ningen i småprogram som fick bära reklaminslagen före och efter. Det utvidgade kabelnätet, satellit-tv mm gjorde de svenska reglerna ohållbara och 2002 ändrades Radio- och TV-lagen så att även TV4 kunde börja göra reklamavbrott inne i programmen.
När, var och hur du vill…
Numera förändras hela vårt sätt att ta till oss information—oavsett om det är text eller rörlig bild, nyheter eller underhållning. NetFlix, Hulu, Roku och Amazon m.fl. erbjuder streamade program när du vill, var du vill och hur du vill. Det är inget konstigt med det.
För hundra år sedan träffade genomsnittsmänniskan kanske, högt räknat, 4-500 personer under sin levnad. Man åkte till torgs för att sälja saker, handla nödvändiga verktyg, rösta eller skattskrivas, därutöver höll man sig ofta i mindre gårdssamhällen och träffade inte mer “än man behövde”. För, vad ska det vara för mening med det? .. för att citera en sommargranne och vän, tillika fiskare vid inloppet till Bråviken vid Östersjön. Idag, med en fot i det nya, en i det gamla har jag fler vänner än så i sociala media, Nordstjernan i sig har över 20,000 “vänner” bara på Facebook och över 70,000 har sett filmen om vår historia på youtube.com/nordstjernan så … visst, tiderna förändras.
Perspektiv från rymden
Ulf Nilson’s artikel får mig att minnas månlandningen. Jag gick i små-skolan men var helt övertygad om att jag skulle bli astronaut och samlade urklipp på löpande band. Numera är rymdprogrammet i USA tillfälligt lagt i malpåse, men det fortsätter på andra sätt.
Några uppskjutningar görs inte men amerikanska rymdresenärer liftar med ryska raketer och NASA finns i allra högsta grad kvar. Helt i samklang med tiderna började man den 30 april i år streama högdefinierad film från den fortsatt aktiva internationella rymdstationen. Bilderna ovan är från de sändningarna—rymdstationen kretsar runt jorden på 90 minuter så du upplever solens upp eller nedgång ungefär var 45:e minut. Jag rekommenderar ett besök—känslan av att se jorden live utifrån är obeskrivlig. ISS HD Earth Viewing Experiment, ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payoad (Man använder olika kameror men minns att skärmen blir svart några minuter då rymdstationen är på nattsidan).
Perspektiv från Sverige
Vår Göteborgskorrespondent Lisa Mikulski, som flyttade till Sverige för snart två år sedan fick många reaktioner på sina krönikor om ny-anlända till Sverige: “Sweden, you have opened your heart, now open your mind.” (Nordstjernan March 15, 2014) och “We don’t like to talk about it” (Nordstjernan March 30, 2014). Texterna beskriver hur olika det offentliga Sverige hanterar inflyttade professionella invandrare respektive flyktingar.
Lisa ifrågasatte hur regeringen hanterar bägge grupperna liksom också bristen på hänsyn till redan etablerade svenskar, nya som gamla.
Hennes inlägg på sidan 6 är en konversation med två andra “nya svenskar” med nordamerikanskt ursprung; om Sverige, om svenskarna och om att hitta sin plats i en ny kultur.
Ett angeläget och omvänt perspektiv för oss som själva valt att göra USA till vårt hem.
Earthlings can catch an awe-inspiring view of our domicile, live and in real time: Image of earth courtesy the International Space Station HD Earth Viewing Experiment - www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload (visit is a must).
0 comments
March 12, 2014 - 12:02 pm
In this issue (Issue 04, 2014. Volume 142), Bo Zaunders, one of Scandinavia’s most capable storytellers, shares the story of visiting Disneyland in three of the five Nordic nations. Whether you’re American by birth, Scandinavian by heritage or the other way around, we know this story will strike a chord within you.
At the end of his story he mentions a chance meeting with one of my own personal favorite Scandinavians, the late author Astrid Lindgren. Lindgren made Sweden a superpower in the field of children’s literature and will live on forever through her fantastic characters and stories. She is also my own personal choice for all-time honorary Certified Swede.
Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson was born on Nov. 14, 1907, the second of four daughters of a farmer, in the two-story, wood frame house that she later devoted to Pippi Longstocking. She began writing at an early age. Her first published piece was an essay written at age 13 for the local Vimmerby News in 1921; she later worked there as a proofreader. Her ability to use a typewriter got her office jobs, and in a short documentary film produced at the time by the Department of Labor, she was filmed as an example of the modern “working girl.” During World War II, Lindgren served as a correspondence censor in the Swedish Department of Intelligence.
In 1944 she began writing again, and the oft-retold story behind her first great work, “Pippi Longstocking,” was recounted regularly on Swedish television during the days after her death.
“Karin was ill and asked me to tell her a fairy tale. I asked her what about, and she said ‘about Pippi Longstocking.’ So I did,” Lindgren explained simply.
What she did was spin a yarn about the strongest girl in the world, an independent spirit with her own home (her father was off sailing the South Seas), who could lift policemen and horses over her head, who feared nothing and no one, who didn’t go to school, who had a bag full of gold coins to buy anything she wanted, who carried a monkey called Mr. Nilsson on her shoulder ... and who bounced on beds, walked on ceilings, ate candy and cakes at will and slept with her feet on her pillow.
A dubious beginning
Containing hand-typed sheets interspersed with sketchy illustrations of the freckled Pippi, with her unmistakable braided red hair and mismatched stockings, Lindgren’s first manuscript was rejected by Swedish publishing magnate Bonniers. The editors objected that it was too violent, would instill dangerous behavior in children and, moreover, poked fun at adult authority figures.
But by then, Lindgren had rediscovered the joy of writing. Her first book, published in 1944, was a story for teenage girls, called “Britt-Mari Opens Her Heart,” which won second place in a literature competition by publishers Rabén & Sjögren. In 1945, “Pippi” took first place in the same contest, and Lindgren persuaded the company to publish the work. It was a smash, and successive manuscripts launched a writing career that continued until 1987, when Lindgren wrote her last manuscript, a short mystery. Criticism of her fables followed Lindgren throughout her writing career, although no evidence that the concern was warranted ever arose. The author herself retorted to critics once that her own daughter would never dream of sleeping with her feet on her pillow!
Censor and critique but love from children
While many of her characters’ rowdy mischief unquestionably bordered on youthful insurrection, Lindgren’s works broke ground with the realities of everyday contemporary life, portraying death, alcoholism, unemployment, poverty, tyranny, cruelty, sexuality and numerous other issues that traditional children’s literature had long avoided.
Despite the modern themes, clear symbolism and well-developed plots in her books, Lindgren said she never made notes or outlines of her manuscripts beforehand. She simply sat down and wrote.
“I write to amuse the child within me and can only hope that other children may have some fun that way too,” she said. And that they did.
Astrid Lindgren died peacefully ten years ago at the age of 94 in her Stockholm apartment, where she had lived since 1941.
My memory
I met Astrid Lindgren through a mutual friend in her home in central Stockholm. She was petite, but beneath her physical appearance was a giant in person. She gave me a new name to bring with me in some autographed books I will always cherish. As she hugged me when I was about to leave, she barely reached my chest. I kept thinking that if I scratched her skin just a tiny little bit, sunshine would come pouring out. All the sunshine her stories spread came from a source deep within an extraordinary human being. She continues to make the world a little bit richer every day. And she will forever.
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Editor & Publisher
I was searching our archive for images from meeting the author, can not be sure I picked the right one but this image, of Astrid Lindgren at 86, better than anything tells her story, and also would have been her choice for sure...
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March 07, 2014 - 12:10 pm
The American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia (www.americanswedish.org) is organizing a new exhibition, “Do You Know Pippi Longstocking,” to open at the end of March. The Swedish American Museum in Chicago (www.swedishamericanmuseuom.org) will host a “Pancakes with Pippi” on March 8 where, among other things you will learn how to make pancakes Pippi-style, serve and eat them. (The actual International Pancake Day is a bit earlier, coinciding with Semlans Dag, Fettisdagen or Shrove Tuesday on March 4 (turn back to last week’s issue for the recipe).
Speaking of pancakes, not from Pippi but from my own family’s origin—the region and island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic. These days it’s become an active food island, with many farmers, artisanal producers, specialty food shops, restaurants and cafés. What I remember is always lamb, fish and a Gotland specialty, the saffron oven pancake. Turn to page 9 for the recipe. /Ulf
The saffron oven pancake is a specialty of Gotland, Sweden’s largest island and also the largest island in the Baltic Sea. Image from “Wonderful Sweden” - book published by ICA Förlaget in Sweden. Recipe (in print and elsewhere) and images by permission of the publisher. Photo: Bruno Ehrs
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January 06, 2014 - 12:00 am
Gott Nytt 2014
The holidays are over as I write this in early January—except for Twelfth Night or Tjugondag Knut, celebrated on top of Epihany, still a national holiday in Sweden, which makes even more of the festive Christmas season.
Regardless of how you celebrate, this is a time to look both forward and backward as did the god Janus for which January was named. Janus, the Roman god of doorways, beginnings and transitions, is usually depicted as a two-faced god who looks both to the future and the past. As such he presided over journeys, traveling, trading and exchanging, and also the beginning and end of conflict, war and peace. Let us hope Janus looks favorably at the transition to peace this January as we’re bombarded with news of atrocities in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and other parts of the world.
Inspired by another quote elsewhere in this issue by Kierkegaard I’d like to limit my comments about the past year a bit. The Danish philosopher wrote, “Life must be understood backward. But then one forgets the other principle, that it must be lived forward.”
Looking backward for Nordstjernan, we understand we must be doing something right; with a substantial increase in print circulation (of over 10 percent) and now over 50,000 regular online “friends” as well, the need—or use—for a vital, living legacy of Sweden in America is getting stronger. It is as it should be. To appreciate America, we need to also understand and appreciate where we came from and be equally respectful of both cultures. Thank you all for the signs of appreciation and trust—a true inspiration, an honor and an obligation we all take seriously. Expect even more from your Swedish newspaper in the future.
Rewarding allegiance and loyalty
For the first time in 19 years our subscription prices will go up this year. Substantially. As of February 1, our annual subscription price for new subscribers will be $55, up from $41, a two-year subscription will be $99, up from $75. Postal fees have more than doubled since 1995, as have costs for printing and paper. The new price is a better reflection of the cost structure in the industry although the effect on YOU current subscribers reading this will be minimal. The increase allows us to reward loyal readers better—as a current subscriber, you can renew for just $3 more than you currently pay for a year, $44. That’s a 20 percent discount off the new higher subscription rate. However, if you have planned to buy a gift subscription for someone near or dear, this would be a good time.
Hope and expectation
One of the many human wonders is our ability to hope. As we look forward to a new year, most of us are hoping for things to be getting better. In every growing thing, the tender buds of early spring or a growing child, we see a promise of renewal and of better things to come. Whatever surprises, good or bad, 2014 may bring, we should always keep looking for better times ahead. Rest assured when it comes to Nordstjernan, this is what you can and should expect.
Gott Nytt År | Happy New Year - God Fortsättning!
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Editor & Publisher
Plundering the Christmas Tree, "Julgransplundring" at Nordiska Museet in Stockholm.
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December 23, 2013 - 05:44 pm
Christmas is indeed a serious matter in all of Scandinavia. Not serious in the true meaning of the word, but rather it's considered a time of year when on a mandatory basis you take time off to celebrate with friends and family. Whether due to pagan traditions, the generally dark Scandinavian winters or an urge to socialize during a time when travel inside the countries isn’t always so inviting, it is there, and it is important to make the most of it. Wishing you just this, this Christmas.
GOD JUL
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December 15, 2013 - 05:44 pm
With this issue of Nordstjernan and Vestkusten, we bring you something new and different: a combined, truly nation-wide newspaper—the largest independent Swedish-American periodical in the U.S. (Actually, competition is scarce these days.) This combined periodical will have a slightly different format, remain tabloid-size, is printed on better paper and on both coasts to avoid a postal delay. Indeed, the latter change will bring advantages to the growing national audiences of both newspapers.
I wrote this in 2007 after it had been decided that Nordstjernan, founded in 1872, was to continue the legacy of Vestkusten, founded in 1886, after publication of Vestkusten ceased in San Francisco.
The way I see it
Nordstjernan is and always has been an institution. Institutions have no owners, no principals other than their audiences, their constituents, who in essence "own" them. That makes me, for instance, more of a caretaker, just as Barbro Sachs Osher was a devoted, hard working caretaker of Vestkusten for so many years. We have equally hard working help to accomplish the task of safeguarding these institutions, but they (the institutions) will in reality never be stronger than their audiences, the real principals—you, the reader and fellow Swede or Swedish American.
It brings me immense joy with this issue to once again tie together the histories of Vestkusten and Nordstjernan—always part of the same universe. Muriel Nelson Beroza’s article on the Alexander Olsson family, truly a dynasty in the west will put our contributing editor Ted Olsson in perspective. Ted, a third generation Olsson involved with the Swedish American newspaper business, is an immense resource for all of us, as is Muriel herself.
Never better!
In calendar years, we’re entering our 142nd consecutive year of publishing in 2014. Things have changed drastically since our start but never faster than since that issue in December 2007, and they will continue to change. Change, as we all know, isn't necessarily good or bad, but it becomes what we make of it. We live in fascinating times to make the best of change, a time when we can share our thoughts and actions easily. It’s never been easier to communicate over state or country borders, over generations, groups or organizations—there truly is “… neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,” to use a relevant fraction of Rudyard Kipling’s Ballad of East and West of 1895. We have the tools today to reach out and make our institution a forum for our interests, for ourselves, for what matters to us. We just have to continue to raise the bar and look beyond what is today.
At no other point in time did the individual—person or organization—possess better means to communicate his or her opinion fully and freely to a large group of recipients.
Nordstjernan is no exception. In addition to offering the framework of summaries of Swedish and Swedish American news and a selection of columnists that together bring a variety of viewpoints to the pages, we’ve successfully launched easy-to-use platforms to share stories and images, communicate with readers, friends and contributors, and have simultaneously over the last few years created an unequalled presence in a variety of rich and social media.
I took some of the words above from my original message of 2007. It was easily done—I ”own” the words, and besides, I still feel the same. The difference is that we now reap the benefits of all the work that went into setting up new platforms and systems to engage the many people we interact with, these days on a daily basis. Whether in print or digitally we reach more people today on a daily, weekly and monthly basis than Nordstjernan has since the 1940s or 1950s.
Publishing has never been more fun, and to use a greeting by the late Franklin Forsberg, former Ambassador, successful publisher, creator of grand institutions, friend and supporter, rest assured and in peace [for it’s truly been] never better!
Privilege and obligation
The road ahead won’t always be easy, but then again, happiness is really about the anticipation along the way. Everything we do, we do to make it easier to deliver a better publication, to create new means of contact and to support the individuals and organizations in Swedish America. And at no point in history were the tools more appropriate or the times better than right now to make good things happen for the preservation of updated traditions and the safeguarding of our heritage into the 21st century. Upholding this is indeed both our privilege and an obligation.
“One for all …”
There are many different kinds of interest groups in Swedish America. Nordstjernan is there for all of us, not just the few. Nordstjernan is a forum for discussion and a living bulletin board for Swedish-America, and one thing is certain: We will continue to increase our coverage of life in Sweden and Swedish-America today.
At the pace things change these days it is our wonderful fate to be at the beginning, in all areas. “Most things still remain to be done—a glorious future!” is one of the phrases coined and lived by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, a role model for us all. (Excepting chocolate and a few other items in the shops ...)
We hope you’ll enjoy our upcoming changes as much as you seem to have enjoyed what we’ve done so far. Let me know what you think, in a regular letter or via email, through editor@nordstjernan.com.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Publisher, Swedish News, Inc.
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November 01, 2013 - 02:00 pm
What makes you a Swede? Certainly not the occasional visit to IKEA as Super Swede pointed out last week. Neither is it being blond, eating meatballs every day or filling your home with Dala horses. Inasfar as the giant theme park is concerned, we’re still working on that here in Connecticut. As for the Nordstjernan Academy, you’re reading, or at least holding, it.
To get as many points of view as possible on the subject of what constitutes being a certified Swede we asked our many friends in social media. The results were staggering—with close to a thousand responses. Most people in the U.S. will for reason refer to bloodline or love of a person in their lives or a symbol, be it Dag Hammarkjold, Henke, Björn Borg or Greta Garbo, parents, grandparents or great grandparents who came from Öland, Gotland, Småland, Dalarna, Göteborg or Mora and any and every other part of Sweden. Some do shop at IKEA, eat lingonberries or Kalles Kaviar. They drive SAABs or Volvos and have an instinctive affinity for pepparkakor (spicy gingersnaps) and strong coffee. Super Swede may be giving the right (lagom) description by saying it’s how you do things that will show who you are. Prefer using an osthyvel? –check. Enjoy strong coffee? –check. Feel drawn to the often understated design of Swedish furniture? –check.
Lagom as a national trait?
Sweden is a country of understated beauty—whether it's the gentle, unspoiled landscape, architecture and design or the nature of the Swede himself. Swedes are direct. Or they’re not, depending on the situation. Truth be told, the traditional Swede probably has to have a reason to both ask a question and to answer it. With no reason, he may well remain quiet. You don’t ask questions trivially, there has to be a reason for everything.
These days most Swedes are so influenced by American television shows and the omnipresent American movies that they may no longer react as they did 20 years ago when the visiting American greeted them with “How do you do?” and they would most likely have replied, “How do I do what?”
The Swedish language is not known for having too many synonyms while the English language is considered “richer” with upwards of 200,000 words in common use. There are exceptions in Swedish, however. When it comes to conversation there’s a long list of varied ways of identifying levels of something. For example, “kallprat” is most likely small talk in English, but it isn't among a Swede’s favorite things to do: The word “kall” (cold) in combination with “prat” (talk) suggests subjects and a conversation many aren't willing to warm up to. “Småprat” (literally small talk) has a bit more content but not a lot and is usually used as a warm up to get to the actual subject for a meeting. A “diskussion” (discussion) is usually a quite civilized exchange of different opinions while a “meningsutbyte” (literally meaning exchange of opinions) clearly addresses that there’s a difference of opinion.
You’ll find the Swede has a way of cutting to the chase both in his way of answering and posing questions; you rarely ask questions out of politeness, but to receive an answer. Questions will be answered in the same manner—the Swede will instantly get to the point. So don’t expect people to ask you questions for no particular reason. Next time you’re in Sweden and greet someone with ”How are you?” don’t be surprised if the answer is “Well, I broke my left leg last winter and it still hurts when it rains. Other than that and aside from the usual autumn cold, life goes on.…” You ask questions for a reason and expect other people to be genuinely interested in what you have to say if they ask a question. Conversation is supposed to lead somewhere, to offer knowledge, answer questions or clear the way for a subsequent agreement on something under dispute.
Lagom no longer lagom
Then again, as mentioned earlier, Sweden is changing. Swedes are getting more and more tuned into American idioms, they’re exposed to other ways of life and are themselves in many ways changing.
These days, not even my favorite explanation of the word lagom (Vikings passing around mead, making sure everyone gets an equal sip) stands up to the scrutinizing eye of linguists. No, the expression Super Swede picks up from his mother, “lagom är bäst” (just enough is enough) is probably a step closer to the traditional truth … lagom ÄR bäst.
* “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” — Oscar Wilde (Agreed to by Julia Child, who not likely ever encountered Swedish meatballs with lingonberries the IKEA way.)
0 comments
September 15, 2013 - 02:58 pm
I just met a third-generation subscriber at a festival—that is, a subscriber whose grandparents read Nordstjernan in the early 20th century then transferred the readership to the next generation and most recently to the third. The best compliment we’ve received in a long time was when he said he felt Nordstjernan is “... personal, and a companion rather than ‘just’ a commercial entity. It feels as if a friend is arriving in the mail box.”
Thanks Dave, comments such as yours happen to be why so many of us could not imagine a more fulfilling way to pass the day, and night.
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‘Välkommen’
- Regular readers: We are back after our traditional August hiatus.
- Vasa readers: Some of you may be seeing this, America’s only classic Swedish newspaper, for the first time.
Last year we introduced color on our pages. We’re happy to say this, our first issue of fall 2013, also brings something new to the readership: a section dedicated to Vasa Order of America, the largest independent Swedish/Nordic-American organization in the United States. Nordstjernan will include the organization’s quarterly membership news, the Vasa Star, on four occasions throughout the coming year.
We hope the addition and mutual cooperation will be valuable to you all. Don’t hesitate to let us know via editor@nordstjernan.com—if you’ve subscribed for some time, you know we’re always there for you. The Vasa Order is present almost everywhere; whether you’re born Swedish or American, don’t hesitate to become a member—this group is open to new ideas and attitudes—and like many other groups, it needs fresh blood. I’ve not belonged to any organization in Swedish America, so the Vasa membership will be a first; there’s indeed a first time for everything and I will let you know what my first impressions are. /UBM
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Nordstjernan has been a lifeline and a live connection to friends and family, traditions and roots for such a long time—it really takes a full year’s cycle of traditions and news to grasp what we’re truly about. Nordstjernan hasn’t missed one single edition since that day in September 1872 when our first issue hit the streets of select cities along the eastern seaboard. We have since published over 7,000 editions of the newspaper—at first weekly, then later and at present on a twice per month basis, or 22 issues per year with the exception of August.
We all need companions; we all need to belong. Case in point: Vasa Order of America. VOA, as it’s often abbreviated, was founded in 1896 to offer companionship and create a safety net for the early immigrants, as a way to create instant friends, if you will, much like today’s Facebook, but genuinely and in the real world. The Vasa Order is comprised of the Grand Lodge, 19 district lodges, and close to 300 local lodges. Membership is open to anyone “committed to the promotion and advancement of Swedish and Nordic heritage and culture.”
What is in a name?
“You are your name” is one of our stories in this issue (page 12) about how Swedish first names reveal so much more than gender, age or roots. We don’t know why the immigrants of the late 19th century specifically picked the name Vasa for their organization. The name was supposedly proposed since Gustav Vasa, just like George Washington, had been called the father of his country, liberating the Swedes from the Danish King. Also, the Royal Order of Vasa (Kungliga Vasaorden) was a Swedish Royal order of chivalry instituted by King Gustav III in 1772. We can assume that the name was meant to instill reverence for the organization, yet we find the name choice a bit peculiar, especially in light of the underlying social causes for the Swedish mass emigration.
Vasa or Wasa
The name is no doubt closely related to the history of Sweden. After all, the House of Vasa is the historic Royal House of the country.
It should be noted that the name was never used at the time of the first king (Gustav Vasa, who established Swedish sovereignty independent from Denmark), Gustav 1 or Gustav Eriksson, as was his birth name. The name Vasa came later; its origin has been disputed but two aspects are unquestionably facts: Gustav Eriksson’s family has its origins in the village Vasa in Uppland, north of Stockholm, and the symbol on the coat of arms of the family, which came into use in the 15th century, can be—and was—interpreted as a “stormvase” (tied together brush used as a shield in battle while storming a fort or encampment). It is not the only interpretation of the Vasa coat of arms, however; some experts say it’s a decoration for a helmet, while others consider it related to iron armaments.
Be that as it may, the name Vasa or Wasa later became the dynasty’s name, and while the symbol transformed into something that often looks like a sheaf of corn rather than the stormvase of olden times, it is still part of the Swedish National Coat of Arms. The Swedish Coat of Arms (The “Riksvapen”) has since 1818 incorporated the Bernadotte Dynasty’s coat of arms at the center, which holds both the Vasa symbol, the symbol of Ponte Corvo (the first Bernadotte was made Prince of Ponte Corvo by Napoleon prior to his election to Crown Prince of Sweden) with a golden eagle over it and the Big Dipper in gold.
We are what we do
A lot is indeed in a name but even more true is how we are who we are through what we do. Being Swedish may be a bit more than a state of mind. What’s with the little red horse on your desk and why does Blue and Yellow resonate with you just like the Red, White and Blue? Ever get into an argument about the merits of potato sausage or how aquavit is not just flavored vodka ... how lutefisk is just as edible as Swedish fish … whether to use salt or sugar with gröt? And, how singing at the table is actually good manners and keeps things grounded?
We introduce Certified Swede in this issue, a label and title you could be qualified for. We’ll continuously cover the people, stories or bits and pieces we feel are certifiably Swedish, and as always welcome your input as well! We are on a quest to find all the certified Swedes and certified Swedish in the United States. Without question a subject to be continued.
Albert Camus, the African born French philosopher, journalist and Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1957, once said about the season we’re entering: “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Welcome back after the summer, subscribers, and welcome Vasa members—we at Nordstjernan are happy and proud to be working together.
Ulf Martensson
Editor & Publisher
PS. While on the subject of Vasa: in our next issue we’ll offer a different view of “the occupant” of one of Stockholm’s most visited museums: the 17th century warship Vasa.
Not yet a subscriber? It does take a year to fully grasp our width and depth when it comes to Swedish culture - in and out of America. Check our digital issue here: http://www.qiozk.com/paper/nordstjernan/issue-15-2013 [Nordstjernan Edition 15, Vol. 141 at Qiozk] FREE app and the issue itself is 99¢ (and so worth it!) - best with iTunes or Google Play.
The 'additional cover' constructed for the Vasa 16-page addition to Nordstjernan.
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August 10, 2013 - 04:48 pm
En havsörn cirklar långsamt runt över utsiktsberget. En mindre fågel, det ser ut som en tärna, gör ständiga aggressiva utfall medan örnen majestätiskt flyttar sig utåt, mot Bråvikens strand. De nykläckta ungarna ligger någonstans i en skreva bland klipphällarna. Tärnan, nybliven mor, ser ut att vinna tvekampen med rovfågeln trots sin ringa storlek. De båda antagonisterna har nu seglat ut över vikens solblänkta vatten.
Den här gången sitter jag och skriver på en utlöpare från bergsknallarna i Kolmården mot Bråviken någonstans halvvägs ut mot Östersjön. Det är stilla där jag sitter. Mot solen ser jag ett moln av knott som för en kort stund nästan döljer de vindpinade tallarnas spretiga armar. Knottens intensiva surrande, som nästan känns i hela kroppen, ersätts av en humla som upptäckt ett stånd av fackelblomster alldeles intill. Den bulliga insekten ger ifrån sig ett förnöjsamt brummande medan den envetet rör sig runt de blålila blommorna. Ljudet blir intensivt i tystnaden och jag påminns om den gamla myten, att humlor inte borde kunna flyga eftersom den har helt fel egenskaper. Men det vet inte humlan, så den flyger ändå.
Det är så klart alldeles fel. För sådär tio år sedan kom brittiska forskare på att det skapas ett särskilt undertryck som ger lyftkraft när humlans – och för övrigt de flesta insekters – vinge viks vid nedslaget. Det kallas fördröjd vikning på fackspråk.
Som ni förstått producerar jag den här utgåvan från Sverige. Den ska tryckas i natt, i Kalifornien och i Connecticut och större delen av materialet har förstås sitt ursprung i Amerika. Var jag befinner mig just nu spelar inte längre så stor roll. Vi redigerar och planerar innehåll via säkra servrar online och de slutliga tryckfilerna skickas upp av mig till servrar på tryckerierna senare i natt.
Nu, i mitten av vårt 141:a år känns det så här i backspegeln lite med Nordstjernan som med humlan. Då en gång, den gång, jag först mötte Alvalene P Karlsson på tidningens kontor i Brooklyn (1985) talade hon om en utredning svenska staten gjort om de svensk-amerikanska tidskrifternas framtid i slutet av sextiotalet. Det var efter att Svenska Institutet som ursprungligen arbetat mycket med just Amerika lagt om sin verksamhet för att ägna sig åt mer exotiska platser och SIS (Swedish Information Service) lagts ned eller gått upp i UD:s organisation. SIS hade tidigare på olika sätt varit en stor hjälp för de svensk-amerikansk tidskrifterna och svensk-amerikanen ansågs vara en viktig mottagare av Sverigeinformation.
Dåtidens utredare kom fram till att de aldrig kunde överleva utan att man borde stödja tidskrifterna i Amerika (då något tiotal överlevande) med ett pekuniärt engångsbidrag för att låta dem “läggas ner under värdiga former.” Så blev aldrig fallet. De flesta har somnat in men, tiderna har också förändrats:
- De av UD fullt bemannade generalkonsulaten i USA har visserligen lagts ner men i gengäld har representanter för näringsliv och samhälle med lokalkännedom och ofta stort engagemang tagit över. Vidare har ambassaden de senaste åren lagt mycket stor vikt vid att åter igen väcka liv i de historiskt goda relationerna med svensk-amerika. Det började redan under ambassadör Jan Eliasson, mest på basis av hans eget livliga intresse och enorma kontaktnät. Under ambassadör Jonas Hafström, som i år återvänder efter sex år i Washington, har UD:s nya riktlinjer blivit tydliga. Sveriges ambassadör i USA har synts och träffats på fler traditionella evenemang än någonsin tidigare.
- Likaså har Amerikas enda kvarvarande klassiska emigranttidskrift – det är vi det. Nordstjernan. Din tidning – börjat växa igen. Starkt. Vi flyger vidare. Vi har aldrig nått så många—förvisso i stor omfattning genom nya kanaler men de senaste fyra till fem åren har också den tryckta upplagan ökat. Den utvecklingen kan vi tacka en trofast läsekrets för. Varmt tack ni alla som stått fast och spritt vårt namn.
När det gäller nya kanaler har vi fått ett enormt gensvar. För att nå ut till fler och utan alltför stora distributionskostnader var vi tidiga med att söka oss ut, både på internet, inom sociala media och med nya uttrycksmedel som film. Med de stora, twitter och facebook, har vi numera nämare 50,000 vänner och de filmer vi producerat har nått en publik på långt över 100,000 tittare. Våra filmer med Guy Clarke från första säsongen av TV-serien Allt för Sverige har varit enormt uppskattade och samarbetet med Guy har varit både inspiration och glädje. Mest uppskattat har ändå filmen om tidningen blivit som hittills setts av 60,000 tittare (den nås via websidan, nordstjernan.com eller på youtube.com/nordstjernan om du inte sett den). Det blev möjligt, i begynnelsen och fortsatt genom en ung “digital trollkarl” från Göteborg som varit en del av Nordstjernans familj nu i sju år, Anders Hallsten, och ifråga om film en energisk, kunnig ‘intern’ och arbetskamrat, Hanna Aqvilin. Det nätverk av kollegor och mer eller mindre fasta “stringers” som bidrar till innehållet gör att sådana extra insatser får fullt genomslag, så Eva, Olle, Ulf, Ulf, Valorie, Leif, Ted m.fl.: Det har onekligen aldrig varit roligare under min tid som utgivare! Det känns härligt och humlan flyger vidare.
Få kommentarer har glatt mig så mycket som då vi fick följande från Kenneth T. Jackson, Professor of History at Columbia University och Editor-in-Chief, The Encyclopedia of New York City:
Over the past century and a half, more newspapers were published in New York than in any other city in the world, in large part because of the huge foreign-born community and the variety of publications that the different ethnic groups spawned. Most had a brief and almost ephemeral life, but Nordstjernan has been remarkable for its long life and high quality. It not only helped Swedish immigrants adjust to life in a new world and a giant city, but it set a standard that other newspapers worked hard to emulate.
Vi gör uppehåll med det tryckta nu under augusti—inte för semester men för att komma upp med nya ideer, om innehåll och inslag som passar vår ganska brokiga favoritläsekrets.
Nordstjernan is entering its summer hiatus with this issue, not for vacation only but to regroup and prepare for another season of fun leading up to the Holidays—wishes, thoughts and ideas on future content are more than welcome, write me at editor@nordstjernan.com and write ‘Reader suggests’ in the subject or write me at Nordstjernan, Box 1710, New Canaan CT 06840; we’ll do what we can to meet every realistic suggestion from you.
Back in September!
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Originally published in Nordstjernan in print July 30, 2013
A Swedish summer at its best.
View of the Bråviken Baltic inlet from "utsiktsberget."
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April 15, 2013 - 02:42 pm
.. för trygga? Frågeställningen dök upp i samband med att vi fick information om ett event i San Francisco den 15 april (som presenteras här: http://tinyurl.com/coz6j6q|[Are Swedes too Safe?])
Vi lyfter på hatten för en orädd man med mycket känsla och förmågan att väcka mycket känslor:
Naturligtvis kan man aldrig vara för trygg. Samtidigt blir din reaktion på frågan beroende av var du vuxit upp. Som amerikan tänker du i termer av sådana katastrofer som Columbine eller nu senast i Newtown, du tänker på det meningslösa oförståeliga våldet, ondskan som i endast begränsad omfattning drabbat Sverige. Som svensk tänker du i termer av det kollektiva ansvar samhället, staten erbjuder eller ibland påtvingar den enskilde. Ett kollektivt ansvar som tar ifrån individer kraft och kanske också initiativ.
Svenskar som landat på den här sidan Atlanten är mer orädda säger de flesta som varit här en tid. I så fall får David Eberhard’s föredrag den 19 april mer drag av ett väckelsemöte i södern. Och ändå intressant för… var går gränsen mellan förmyndarskap och omsorg om den enskilda?
Många orädda svenskar har under åren jobbat med din tidning. Nordstjernans historia är, som många vet, kantad av färgstarka profiler som gjort utgivningen möjlig. Det är i år 40 år sedan Gerry Rooth pensionerade sig. Han var en trotjänare på tidningen, började redan på 20-talet under Charles Johansen, son till en av grundarna och likaså en viktig person i vår historia. Gerry betydde allt under 50-och 60-talen men hade sin storhetstid dessförinnan. Vi kommer återanknyta bekantskapen med Gerry i nästa utgåva.
Inspirationskälla, påläst ögonöppnare, orädd ... Ulf Nilson!
Under min tid – i en eller annan form 28 år nu i sommar – har få betytt så mycket som vår definitivt orädde kolumnist Ulf Nilson. Som inspiration, ögonöppnare och, då och då, nagel i ögat. Världsmedborgare, konservativ i frågor som gäller samhälle och stat men liberalare än de flesta i sin människosyn. Samtidigt, ja, som Juttan, Christina Jutterström, kortvarig chefredaktör på Expressen (som gav Ulf sparken från tidningen) kanske skulle sagt, han kan vara en “svår jävel” men ack så professionell. Hon glömde kanske det senare, hennes tid blev kortvarig medan Ulf återanställdes omedelbart efter att hon lämnat efter ett år på sin post. En av Sveriges och Nordstjernans mest lästa skribenter är inte svår, han är sin egen.
Ulf är påläst, kunnig, berest och ett vandrande uppslagsverk över nutids-historia. Och, en vänfast “grabb” som ställer upp för dig, dem och det han tror på i alla väder. Det här senare kommer kanske från bakgrunden—uppvuxen i Slöinge, några mil utanför Falkenberg där pappa var stenhuggare, sedermera ombudsman för facket. Han bestämde sig tidigt för journalistbanan och blev volontär på Falkenbergs Tidning. Året var 1949 och efter bara några månader blev han avlönad och började skriva ..för två öre raden. Har man bestämt sig så har man.
Efter några år på landsortstidningar landade han jobb på Åhlén & Åkerlunds förlag och tidningen Se varifrån han skickades ut för att rapportera om Ungernrevolten 1956. “Jag var yngst och ingen annan vågade väl,” säger han själv om det stora uppdraget. Han är orädd världsreportern och han skriver vad han tycker utan omsvep.
Det är nog vad som krävs när man skriver om allt från Ungernrevolten, avrättningen av Lumumba i dåvarande republiken Congo, jordbävningar, krig och katastrofer, till undre världen i Stockholm, undren i Asien, med mera, med mera… listan över världshändelser Ulf rapporterat är längre än för någon annan nu eller sannolikt någonsin levande svensk journalist.
Nordstjernan skrev om hans ankomst till New York. T Edvard Karlsson, Värmlandsfödd make till Alvalene P. Karlsson, fångade den unge nye korrespondenten från Expressen efter hans ankomst 1963 för nu femtio år sedan. Själv fick jag kontakt med Ulf genom en av våra läsare, Bengt Fast, som tyckte vi behövde en stark, oberoende röst.
Visst gjorde och gör vi det. Minns att de fullständigt objektiva sanningarna är få i nyhetsströmmen. Genom att ge röst åt flera åsiktriktningar vill Nordstjernan låta läsaren själv bestämma sin sanning. Det är ju själva grunden för beteckningen oberoende liberal. Tidningen Expressen har f.ö. varit både liberal och oberoende—liksom Ulf, som har en alldeles unik förmåga att få oss att tänka om, tänka till eller tycka till, vare sig vi håller med eller ej.
Han började skriva ganska snart efter att jag blivit fast bosatt i landet men innan jag börjat dagligen engagera mig i tidningens framtid, form och innehåll. Ulf är orädd på det mest osvenska vis; han säger vad han tycker. Han har varit politiskt inkorrekt nu i närmare 65 år med en osedvanligt vass penna. Att spendera en kväll med Ulf är som att resa i tid och rum. Du joggar med Olof Palme i Kyoto under statsbesök i Japan, går sida vid sida med Martin Luther King Jr., droppar ner i stridszoner i Vietnam eller besöker någon av de fyra presidenter Ulf själv besökt i Vita Huset.
Han har just fyllt år ‘grabben’. Vi lyfter på hatten för en man med mycket känsla som alltid haft förmågan att väcka mycket känslor.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
PS. Det finns en framsida till den svenska tryggheten. Tryggheten i folkhemmet, från vaggan till graven gör att ingen behöver bekymra sig över hälsovård, dyra försäkringsavgifter eller utbildning—allt finns serverat som något självklart och gör att fler har mod att ta risker och möjlighet att få kompetens till att genomföra våghalsiga ideer.
PPS. Det David skriver om i sin bok handlar om den mer onaturliga rädsla som skapats av regler och lagstiftning i Sverige. Han ser ett paniksyndrom” i landet där i hans tycke ofarliga företelser väcker krav på förbud i “trygghetsnarkomanins” kölvatten. New York’s Borgmästare Michael Bloomberg vill förbjuda super-sized sodas över en viss storlek att serveras på stadens snabbmatsrestauranter. Allt för att minska onaturlig övervikt. Rätt eller fel? Själv skulle jag aldrig drömma om att dricka en liter Coca Cola. Men många gör det och ska då samhället reglera för att minska konsumtionen och därmed följder i form av sjukdomar, diabetes, övervikt? Var går gränsen för var samhället eller staten ska låta individen få förstöra sitt eget liv? Och, vem betalar? För det är ju ytterst det det handlar om.
Ulf Nilson photographed visiting "his" New York. Photo: Henrik Olund.
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December 21, 2012 - 04:59 pm
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the year gone by. You have the time to think about ups and downs, any errors or mistakes you did or didn’t make and express gratitude to all those who have made a positive impact on your year. As such a positive impact, I want to thank you for being a loyal Nordstjernan reader and friend.
You are the reason we go to work each day, cover events, sit by our computers, crack out words or lick labels, and you are the reason we constantly strive to be the best we can given our resources. I thank you for the opportunity to keep you informed and entertained. I know that everyone who has been part of creating the content for each issue shares my thanks.
Allow me to take this opportunity to also thank those who one way or another contributed to the content of Nordstjernan. Amanda, Anders, Bo, Bob, Carl, Cecilia, Chipp, Chris, Eva, Emilia, Erik, Guy, Hanna, Jessica, Jim, Kerstin, Klas, Leif, Lisa, Marianne, Mette, Mona, Mitch, Muriel, Niclas, Nils, Olle, Pernilla, Roxie, Ted, Ulf x 2… everyone! Without you, Nordstjernan would not be what it is and my life would be a lot less fun.
We pride ourselves on open communication with our readers and this year we ventured into some new channels online, started supplying some of our material in a video format and further developed our presence in the social media world. This opens up even more lines of contact with you and has made us all feel an additional amount of gratitude and connection with each and every one of you. We read every comment in every channel, so please keep them coming!
As most of you know, the way I see it, working with Nordstjernan is both a privilege and an obligation—and that privilege, that honor, has never been more fun than today. And, working with and for Nordstjernan has never felt better. Never better!
Ulf Nilson is hopeful but not overly optimistic about the world we’re in today. No one can be solely optimistic with so much evil around but as for me, with the opportunities I have, I adhere to the principle of every man trying to do as much good as he can here and now to those lives we touch or can reach out to one way or another. Now.
Not too long ago, someone—I think it must have been one of our religious leaders—said: “Do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, as often as you can, wherever you can, for any reason you can, for as many days as you have.”
Begin today. Begin with just a smile.
Continued Happy Holidays! Christmas may be over when some of you read this, and let’s make 2013 a good, safe and happy year together.
Wintery view of Strandvägen, Stockholm from the water. Photo: Henrik Trygg – Stockholm Visitors Board
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October 15, 2012 - 09:56 pm
Det har varit en period av Aquavit och kungligheter. Aquavit med stort a. “Vår” skandinaviska restaurant, som blev riktigt Skandinavisk igen under Marcus Jernmarks säkra hand, fick i månadsskiftet september-oktober en Michelinstjärna. Det är stort, inte lika stort som i Europa men innebär ett erkännande för Marcus, som tog över efter den omåttligt populäre Marcus Samuelsson. Inte för att vi tvivlade: Nordstjernan har tillhört Jernmarks fan club sedan han första gången dök upp på 600 Park under dåvarande generalkonsuln Kjell Anneling.
Restauranten som i år också firar 25-årsjubileum har gått igenom några kockar genom åren men de allra starkaste korten, Marcus och Marcus, har varit unga, relativt oprövade när de rekryterats. New York är en av världens krogtätaste städer. Konkurrensen är benhård. Det krävs mod att starta up i en miljö som är långt ifrån ljummen, lagom och ändå mer av uthållighet och kompetens för att hålla sig kvar. Eloge och en varm applåd till det namn som funnits i kulisserna hela tiden: grundaren och huvudägaren Håkan Swahn, som startade upp nu för 25 år sedan och klarat många turer under årens lopp – några vi sett och säkert många vi inte tagit del av. Grattis Håkan.
Att Kungen har stort K är det inget tvivel om. Vårt svenska kungapar bidrog dels till glansen i New York under SACC New Yorks Green Summit och den kungliga galamiddag som följde på kvällen – för övrigt sponsrad av Aquavit. Senare samma vecka reste de ut till Midwest för att dels närvara under 150-årsfirande på Gustavus Adolphus College, dels närvara under den formella dedikeringen av den nya paviljongen på American Swedish Institute, Carl and Leslie Nelson Cultural center.
Det är almänt känt i mediakretsar att vår svenska kung inte alltid är så lätthanterlig och inte alltid lätt att fotografera. Om det nu inte var så att han var kung skulle flera kanske givit honom epitetet “lite tjurig”. Å andra sidan, om han inte varit kung hade vi inte haft anledning att ha några åsikter alls och om sanningen ska fram, vill vi egentligen att kungen ska vara tillgänglig? Kanske, kanske är det alldeles på sin plats att han inte alltid är så tillgänglig. För, var vore strålglansen om vår monark valt att vara som alla andra?
Kungahuset har ett symbolvärde. Det blir sällan tydligare än “härute” – i diasporan. Ju mindre symbol, ju mer människan skymtar fram med de fel och brister vi faktiskt alla har, desto mer bleknar symbolen. Det är vad som händer i Sverige just nu.
Olle Wijkström skriver i den här utgåvan om ett arrangerat fotomontage. En satir som är direkt förnedrande för kungahuset. Det har tagits fram av en av Sveriges bästa fotografer, en person vi samarbetat med vid flera tillfällen, Elisabet Ohlson Wallin. Bilden är spektakulär och får anses som ett sensationellt sätt att fånga tidsandan i Sverige – för det gör den efter de senaste årens öppna kritik av kungahuset. Det känns samtidigt som att en av Sveriges skickligaste fotografer rider på massmediavågen. Helt i onödan.
Ohlson Wallins porträtt är träffsäkra, tidigare konceptuella serier och egna projekt har varit starka och alltid tillfört något. Hennes bilder väcker alltid känslor – oavsett om hon fotograferar prostituerade sprutnarkomaner, aidssjuka kvinnor i Afrika eller våld bland barn. De har fört fram aspekter av livet, människan, samhället eller omgivningen som leder till eftertanke och kommentar.
Den bild som debatterats på sistone av kungen, hans vänner och drottningen blir mer elak än satir men ska också ses mot ljuset av Ohlson Wallins senaste projekt, den serie där Kungasatiren skall ingå hon kallar “Ack fosterland du sköna.” Hon tar i den upp teman som av en eller annan anledning sällan får kraft i medierna och sällan debatteras öppet i Sverige, den Svenska “flatheten” eller tystnaden då skandaler eller felgrepp träffar
Det känns osmakligt och onödigt att personerna i den satir som publicerades häromveckan förminskas och förnedras. Vi är alla människor. Vi gör misstag. Det gäller kungar, det gäller fotografer och även publicister.
Vi människor behöver symboler. Det vore nyttigt för alla kungahusets belackare att bege sig till svenskbygderna eller till New York i samband med att kungahuset sprider glans för att få en känsla av hur stark symbolen kungahuset är för bilden av Sverige i utlandet. Hur stark konstaterade vi på tidningen redan vid starten 1872, då vi skrev om Hans Majestäts Kung Karl den 15 insjuknande och död.
När jag den här veckan gick igenom gamla läggar kom en tår fram. Jag sökte just vår hantering av de kungliga och fann en förstasida om Prins Bertils besök i Minnesota i samband med 100-årsjubileet av delstatens grundande. Året var 1958. Reporter var en ung korrespondent på Expressen som frilansade för Nordstjernan. Jag kom att lära känna Minnesotakorrespondenten långt senare, riktigt väl först under hans tid som Generalkonsul för Sverige i New York. Hans namn, Arne Thorén; mångårig vän, till mig och min familj liksom framför allt, tidningen. Vi saknar honom.
Som New York “korre” på Expressen kom han senare att ersättas av en annan ung journalist som gjort kometkarriär efter sin bevakning av Ungernrevolten ‘56. Just det, Ulf Nilson, en annan stark röst och god vän. Ingen är felfri men Arne hade på sitt och Ulf har på sitt sätt en egenskap som jag kommit att värdera mer än mycket annat, de var eller är, vänfasta.
Detsamma gäller våra svensk-amerikanska vänner, som håller så hårt tag i det svenska men inte alltid har så lätt att numera finna rätt symboler och representanter för det de strävar efter att tillhöra. Kungen fungerar “härute” och Sverige: Bättre vänner än de Kungen och Drottningen just besökt finns inte!
Ni finner tidningssidan från 1958 på sid 16. Ni ser den omtalade bilden av kungen och hans vänner bara online, på http://ohlson.se – men, tittar på egen risk.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Man svalt och hade det fattigt och eländigt i Sverige men de tidiga svenska invandrarna till Amerika sökte också frihet. Frihet från religion, frihet från ståndssamhället, från fattigdom och livegenskap under det dåvarande svenska systemet. Ett medborgarrättsbevis från 1876, återgivet här ovan, innehåller texten:
..that it was bona fide his intention to become a citizen of the United States of America, and renounce forever all allegiance to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly to the King of Sweden of whom he was heretofore a subject.
..and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly to the King of Sweden of whom he was heretofore a subject.
Idag, nästan 140 år senare, då kungen blivit marionett och inte längre representerar övermakten och de högre stånden i samhället mer än till namnet är det just anförvanterna till de som lämnade för att undslippa “Kunglig Majt” som håller honom högst. Kungahuset blir en tydlig symbol för “det svenska.”
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September 14, 2012 - 12:14 pm
We asked if you’d enjoy color with our last issue before the hiatus. We’ve gotten hundreds of responses. Here’s one we particularly enjoyed:
“I don’t think that color makes any difference to me but it might for any potential reader. I’m mostly interested in the different stories that one might not read in a regular newspaper. Regards”
Ben Olofson
Ben’s comment illustrates why we have been able to increase readership while most general newspapers have been going down in circulation in recent years—allowing me to stress that the more you interact with us, and the more you keep sending us comments, tidbits, photos from events or special people in your area, organization or circle of friends, the better we can—and will—serve you as YOUR paper. I may be signing this column but it is you, the reader, who “runs” it.
Nordstjernan turns 140 years old on September 21. I’ve spent a lot of time going through its historic pages this year, and one thing became clear: As fascinating as many of the writers, editors and contributors are, the newspaper itself is larger than any individual, and those of us working on it are really no more than caretakers while you are the real “boss.”
We’ve chosen to run a page from the newspaper’s 50th anniversary in this issue (p16)—from September 1922—at the time considered a major feat. The first and last paragraphs of reader Emma Blomquist’s poem says it all:
Femtio år vår “Stjerna” har
Lyst och lyser lika klar
Ännu för vårt svenska folk
Alltid rätt och sannings tolk
[The Star for fifty years
Shone and shines as ever bright
Still here for our Swedish people
Always truthful always right.]
- - -
Hur än tiden skifta må
Blif vår “Stjerna” du ändå,
Lys vårt goda svenska folk,
Bliv dess talisman och tolk.
[However times may shift
Stay our Star don’t go adrift
Enlighten our Swedish kin
Become its voice, its ear.]
We will continue to increase our coverage of different aspects and opinions in and of Sweden and Swedish America. We are as hitherto interested in EVERYTHING that goes on in Swedish America. No news is too small to cover in Nordstjernan or at nordstjernan.com. I have sometimes called Nordstjernan a bulletin board for Swedish America.
We will always remember our roots, not only our mutual roots in Sweden but also the roots of Nordstjernan. Working with this newspaper is, as always, both a privilege and an obligation. An obligation to history and tradition. We’d like to think we have met the obligation so far. And we’ve certainly enjoyed the privilege. Guiding principles for the future are brighter, better, more and always “in keeping with the times.” Never better!
We are continuing with color. Here are a few examples of the comments we received:
Yes, the color is beautiful. I hope you will continue using color because it greatly enhances the newspaper. Nordstjernan is getting better with each issue!
Louise Heath
Please, keep the color in Nordstjernan it really makes a difference!
Ann-Margret Westin
Color. Yes!!!
Viktoria Sundqvist
Color. Great!
Walt Anderson
Color wows, its instant appeal makes pictures stand out and thereby provides additional subject information and enjoyment. Nordstjernan’s learning readers’ feelings results in a “Crossing the Rubicon” event. Cordially,
Ernest Zappulla
The use of color in several of your photos is TERRIFIC! Keep it up ... add more! If my hometown weekly newspaper, the Cannon Falls Beacon, in Minnesota, can produce a goodly amount of color each week, I certainly encourage Nordstjernan to do the same.
Also I find the articles on the various provinces very interesting, but the accompanying maps sometimes confusing. Add more photos to these articles.
Thank you and CONGRATS!
Dale Munson
In my opinion, it’s a great look! Nordstjernan was due for a little bit of updating. Added was a welcome color splash. Was more drawn to picking it up to read it.
Kerstin Chalupa
Color YES!! The Vaxholm photo was gorgeous, the soccer team “so Swedish.” Keep using color!
Eric Lund
Överaskning i brevlådan. WOW! Färgbilder fram och bak. Snyggt, trevligt och definitivt en fröjd för ögat. Hoppas det blir permanent och kanske också på flera sidor? Ser fram mot nästa nummer med färg. Vänligen,
Sture Skarin
Dearest friends/kära vänner,
Absolut!! Yes-ja-tusen tack för färg! It’s a beautiful, beautiful upgrade. Well worth the wait. Thanks so much.
Birgitta Ericsson
Who would not like color! I have liked your newspaper for many, many years. Now, with color I will like it even more. Hoppas ni får en skön semester och tid att njuta av den. Med vänlig hälsning
Anita Taylor
Yes, the color is great and adds a lot to your paper.
Kaisa Killam
Jag gillade verkligen färgtrycket på senaste upplagan av Norstjernan. Tidningen ser modernare och mer attraktiv ut. Helt klart ett steg i rätt riktning inför nästa sekel.
Robert Åkerblom
Yay! Color, at last, I love it. Of course it’s important. It adds a lot of interest and I’m sure will add to the number of subscribers. Sweden’s landscape is so beautiful—we need to see more of it (in color of course).
Bob Burman
Color adds a very nice touch, thanks.
Jon Carlson
Color has made a difference!
1. The paper stays visible amongst other papers and periodicals.
2. I have shared it with more people because of the color making it more visible when guests visit.
My name is Susan Bianucci. I chair the Swedish American Hall Library and Archives in San Francisco and work with Muriel Beroza, Astrid Olsson and Ulla Sabelström. So many of us are thankful beyond words for both Muriel and Ted and Nordstjernan for printing their articles and having a record of our west coast history in print. Thank you for all you do to put out the paper. A group of us are working on getting you new subscribers.
Susan Bianucci
Wishing everyone a wonderful autumn and rest of the year!
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Editor & Publisher, Nordstjernan
P.S. Thank you, all who responded, Susan Bianucci for mentioning new subscribers—and thank you Leif, Muriel, Ted and all of you (I do mean ALL) who make Nordstjernan possible. We look forward to another century, at least. And, as a matter of fact, if every subscriber brings in one new subscriber we’ll carry only color before Christmas ... it’s a promise!
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June 07, 2012 - 01:18 pm
A legend that is still much alive and thriving was born in the offices at 52 Broadway in New York City: At noon on Saturday, September 21, 1872, the first issue of America’s Swedish newspaper, Nordstjernan, appeared on newsstands in the Manhattan district of New York. J.P. Hollers was its first editor-in-chief and Carl Nordell the first business manager.
When Nordstjernan published its first issue, Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious Union military commander from the American Civil War, was in the last weeks of campaigning for what would be his reelection to a second term as 18th president of the United States. Meanwhile, in Sweden, crop failures were forcing families whose ancestors had tilled the soil for hundreds of years to flee famine and certain annihilation.
Before Nordstjernan celebrated its first ten years of publishing, more than 4,000 Swedes a month were arriving at the docks in New York. A few made golden fortunes and sailed triumphantly back home to Sweden. Others put down roots and sent money home for other family members to join them. Passenger traffic statistics on emigrants from Gothenburg from January-July 1880 show that 26,410 departed to the U.S., while only 383 returned to Sweden.
As Swedish immigrants arrived by the shipload daily, the need for a publication to serve them became clear. Thus, the Svenska Tryckföreningen i New York began publishing Nordstjernan. It sold on newsstands each Saturday for six cents per copy, or $3.00 per annual subscription (later reduced to $2.00 per year and five cents per copy after reader protests). In that day, a salary of about $25 per month was considered respectable for the average worker.
The fact that all articles were in the Swedish language indicates that most readers hadn’t become comfortable with English. Each issue of Nordstjernan was only four pages, and about one third was advertising. With space tight, significant news items were seldom more than a paragraph long. Presumably, international events were no longer as important to Nordstjernan’s readers as the notices from the Royal Household, deaths, ship sailings and even unclaimed letters, which were listed by the New York post office and held for Swedes to fetch. This service continued well into the twentieth century.
Over time, Nordstjernan’s format evolved into a reliable weekly assortment of vital information, news of Sweden and America, thought-provoking political and social commentary and, in what comprised a good portion of each issue, serialized novels. Rather than act as a platform for deep discussion and debate in the Swedish American community, one of the paper’s most important roles was entertaining its readers.
It’s all about the people
The Svenska Tryckeriföreningen i New York was a group of immigrant families: Among the early investors were local businessmen Sven Rydén, Isak Edenborg, Andrew Lefvrén, Martin Nilson and Håkan Johansen. Johansen, an immigrant watchmaker from Kalmar, secured sole ownership of Nordstjernan around 1879, and it would remain under Johansen reign for three generations. Håkan’s son Charles took over in 1897. Charlie K, as he was generally known, was the only one of the Johansen owners who devoted his entire life to the newspaper, and he did so quite successfully. JP Hollers faithfully stayed on as editor until his death in 1891, succeeded by Vilhelm Hallander, later Vilhelm Berger and later still, in 1910 or 1911, by the Swedish-American author Ernst Skarstedt, who previously had edited the San Francisco paper Vestkusten (since 2007 incorporated with Nordstjernan).
For nearly half of Nordstjernan’s 140 years, there was one man who maintained the ties between those who migrated from Sweden and those who remained in the old country: Gerhard Theodore Rooth. Rooth, known to everyone as “Gerry,” joined the paper in the late 1920s as sportswriter and assistant to the editor. He went on to found Swedish-American groups and welcome illustrious Swedes visiting the U.S. for over half a century. With his enthusiasm and outgoing personality, he rightly deserved the title he earned over the years, “Mr. Swedish American.”
During the many years of his work with Nordstjernan, he hosted hundreds of Swedish groups in the U.S. and escorted hundreds of Americans to Sweden. It was jokingly noted that those who knew Gerry were familiar with four major Swedish cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö — and Surahammar. For it was in that middle Swedish industrial city that Gerry first saw the light of day, and to which he returned whenever possible. He was master of ceremonies for the Swedish presentations at the New York World Fairs in 1939 and 1964 and at the first Sweden Day in 1941 and for many years thereafter. In 1953 he bought Nordstjernan from George Johansen, son of Charles K. and the third-generation Johansen with the paper.
1972 was an important year for Nordstjernan, as it celebrated its 100th anniversary with Princess Christina as a guest, and for Gerry himself as he was chosen “Swedish American of the Year.” Gerry transferred ownership to a stock company, Swedish News, Inc., and he became Editor Emeritus, still writing about sports and his many other interests. His love of Sweden as well as Swedish America, his joy in people, his devotion to his family, and his deep feeling for Nordstjernan continued until his passing in June 1983.
Nordstjernan would not have existed if it weren’t for the efforts in the 1970s and 1980s by iconic personalities like Gerry, who left the reigns to Gunnar Björkman as publisher, and Alvalene and T. Edward “TEK” Karlsson as editors, in 1973. Björkman left his position in 1986 but Alvalene would continue on for several years, for the last ten alongside Ulf. She remained a popular weekly columnist until her passing in 2005.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson first became involved with the newspaper in 1985, a little over 1,200 issues of Nordstjernan ago, as Swedish News Inc. issued new shares to ensure a smooth transition to new production techniques and to meet the demands of a rapidly changing publishing industry.
Since taking up full residency and later becoming naturalized citizens, Ulf and Mette have worked to insure the newspaper’s and the services of Nordstjernan Swedish News’s survival into the 21st century. Supporting every single institution and group in Swedish America by supplying a platform to reach larger groups of Swedish-Americans and Americans with an interest in the Nordic region and Sweden: First through Nordstjernan, which started publishing books again in 1997, later through the quarterly Nordic Reach Magazine and today through digital issues of all of the periodicals, through a long list of social media and other channels, including film and video documentaries and a digital newsletter aptly named Sweden Today.
Electronic work platforms and a long list of part time stringers and colleagues have enabled Nordstjernan to once again become a true heart of the Swedish-American universe. We are proud to say that at no point in its history has Nordstjernan touched as many hearts and minds as it does today.
Ulf Barslund Martensson
Editor & Publisher, Nordstjernan
Covering presidents and kings, notables from John Ericsson to Ann-Margaret; from Charles Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing to Buzz Aldrin’s setting foot on the moon; from the Swedish-American colony in Jerusalem to the Great Depression, Prohibition and World Wars, Nordstjernan has covered it all, with over 7,000 issues through 140 years of continuous publishing and is today the only remaining Swedish-American classic periodical, out of the over 1,500 that once existed.
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June 05, 2012 - 01:08 pm
So many of our readers that are not fluent in Swedish were wondering about the card image we ran in our latest issue. It’s repeated here and was included in a letter to us with a congratulatory note from a subscriber.
The card was part of a stack of letters that had belonged to our subscriber’s grandmother, who emigrated from Sweden in May 1892. Like so many other young Swedish girls she found work as housekeeper and ended up in the Bronx A couple of years later she met her husband. Soon after the marriage in early September 1894, she started a subscription to the Swedish newspaper and received the card and receipt in the mail from the then publisher.
To me it felt unreal.
I had at the time just finished a brief history of Nordstjernan for Sweden Day on June 16 where Nordstjernan and its heritage is celebrated (you find the story on page 5 in this issue as well).
Every time I do, I end up spending hours going through the old archives, disappearing into the people, stories and world events covered by us through the years.
It is really all about the people. They say that the history of Sweden is the history of its Kings. It is equally true to state that the history of the Swedish press in the United States is the history of its publishers and editors and I would like to add an even more important ingredient—its readers.
As you will find in the brief history, the publisher in 1894 was Håkan Johansen, a watchmaker originally from Kalmar, Sweden. The Johansen family had secured sole ownership in 1879 after a few tumultous years after the start in 1872. The newspaper was to remain under Johansen reign for three generations.
Håkan Johansen kept up his job as a watchmaker but must have spent some time at Nordstjernan as well because it’s his signature on the card above.
This is what he looked like, Håkan Johansen, in a photo from a commemorative issue as Nordstjernan turned 50 in 1922:
We cannot offer a photo of Emma Mogren and it is really too seldom we have an opportunity to meet with our readers.
One opportunity soon is Sweden Day, in June. If you come—we are not the hosts for the event but please seek us out—consider yourselves guests of honor, each and every one of you!
Sweden Day has been celebrated every year since 194. It is a day to celebrate Sweden, being Swedish and the traditions and heritage we all share. Sweden Day’s first Master of Ceremonies in 1941 was Gerry Rooth, sports writer, editor and later publisher of Nordstjernan—he was connected to the newspaper one way or another for almost half of our 140 years.
Sweden Day is celebrated at Manhem Club in the Bronx, just off I295 - easy if you have a car but public transportation is a bit limited, you have to catch the Throggs Neck Express bus. See http://www.swedenday.com for directions.
Welcome to your and our celebration on June 16!
Håkan Johansen, watchmaker originally from Kalmar and publisher of Nordstjernan during the early years. First of three generations Johansens to run the paper.
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June 01, 2012 - 01:13 pm
Det gör det ofta men den här gången kändes det lite extra. En prenumerant skrev och gratulerade till våra 140 år - och det värmer alltid - men nu fick vi också reda på lite mer. Vår prenumerants farmor föddes 1867 i Åmål och kom till Amerika 1892. Som så många andra nyanlända svenskor tog hon arbete som hushållerska och hamnade i the Bronx. Här träffade hon sin man, de gifte sig i September 1894 och kort därefter beställdes en prenumeration på den svenska tidningen. Ja, ni ser kortet härintill. Det skickades ut av urmakare Håkan Johansen från Kalmar, som vid det laget drev tidningen – första generationen av tre Johansens vid rodret.
Det känns overkligt.
Jag har just avslutat en nedkortad text om Nordstjernans historia för Sweden Day i New York i Juni. Det blev en djupdykning ner i mina gamla textarkiv som inte rörts så mycket sedan 1996 då vi firade 125. (Urmakaren och andras historia kommer också i nästa utgåva)
Man brukar säga att Sveriges historia är dess kungar. Inget kunde vara längre från sanningen men om vi använder den liknelsen så blir Nord-stjernans historia en berättelse om dess redaktörer och utgivare. Så grep jag mig an Nordstjernans historia då, 1996. Av praktiska skäl, hur skulle jag egentligen kunna skriva om de som alltid betytt mest för tidningen, nämligen dess läsare? Det är du som läser detta som “gör” tidningen, är tidningens själ. Tveka inte att dela med dig av åsikter, historier som den ovan eller ideer. Kan vi så möter vi förväntningar eller önskemål, lyssnar; gör vi alltid.
Jag får inte sällan frågan om vi kommer överleva lika länge till som tidning. Svaret är givet. Som tidning i sin nuvarande form finns vi kvar i 10-15 år som mest. Appar och digitala format kommer att finnas sida vid sida med tryckta tidskrifter under en tid, lite som förr i Sverige med manuella växellådor och automatväxlade bilar; de samexisterar men förr eller senare tar det praktiska över. 60-70 procent av kostnaderna för en tryckt tidning är papper, trycksvärta och distribution… Hur ska fortsatt tryck kunna motiveras i ett längre perspektiv? Redan i januari i år hade 19% av Amerikas befolkning en “tablet” – en iPad eller liknande. Kombinera det med elektroniska läsare, Kindle, Nook mm så har över en tredjedel av befolkningen tillgång till digitala publikationer. Antalet användare dubblerades bara under julsäsongen 2011 och det fortsätter.
Paragrafen ovan ska inte tas som en varning. Vår tryckta upplaga har konstant ökat under de senaste tre, fyra åren så vi fortsätter, med manuell växellåda parallellt med andra modeler online under lång tid framåt—just kontakten med läsare, generellt och när den går genom flera generationer, värmer och gör att vi växer och får ständigt ny kraft. Nordstjernan som institution är evig, det känns när man går över alla de historiska kast och stora och små händelser tidningen speglat och själv levt i.
Nordstjernan, vi, uppmärksammas alltså i juni på Sweden Day i the Bronx. Se det som att var och en av er är hedersgäster. Vi är inte värdar, det är Sweden Day själva, men det är en tillställning öppen för alla där alla är välkomna och varje läsare bör känna sig delaktig i orsaken till årets firande. Sweden Day är en organisation och en festdag som inleddes 1941. Min företrädare Gerry Rooth var med från början och från starten i Scarsdale har “Dagen” numera flyttat till the Bronx, till Manhem Club.
Det är svenskarnas och svenskhetens dag i NYC. Den påtagliga stoltheten och glädjen över svenska rötter man möter här känns som född svensk lite som ett besök i ett parallellt universum… Men, när den första överraskningen släppt blir man snart lika förstummad över all den spontana värme och gemenskap som är legio under dagen. Så, välkommen till ditt och mitt, vårt firande den 16 juni. RSVP ej påkallat.
Det kom ett brev i posten... med brevet kom kopia av ett kort från 1894, som skickades ut av urmakare Håkan Johansen från Kalmar, som vid det laget drev New York-tidningen Nordstjernan – första generationen av tre Johansens vid rodret.
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March 29, 2012 - 10:34 pm
Page 3 of Nordstjernan’s premier issue, 139 years and 7 months ago. Look at the upper left corner: A telegram has reported the death of the Swedish King, HRH Carl XV in the night between September 17 and 18, 1872.
To read the first page of our first issue clearly on your screen, see http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/emigration/3773/
Tongue-in-cheek, Nordstjernan was most definitely interactive from the start. The reality? Much like today, shouts from the editors of “Stop the press!” for late-breaking news became mournfully founded in Nordstjernan’s first issue, on September 21, 1872.
On the first page, a short report described that King Carl XV, regent of Sweden and Norway, was ill and dying in Malmö. In fact, he had died on the night between September 17-18, and as the third page of the modest four page newspaper was being printed, news reached the editors by telegraph, and they quickly inserted a small box in the as-yet-unprinted section which announced the King’s passing. The early Swedish Americans remained loyal in their hearts to their monarch, and for weeks to come, his passing was mourned in articles about him and his life, and many sorts of memorials to his honor were reported for decades.
Tedious hand labor
During these early days, stories in publications were painstakingly composed by hand. From shelved sets of intricately divided drawers, one letter at a time was plucked, set in place in a hand-held carrier, spaced with tiny metal strips to make the lines of even length and finally, when about a single paragraph was assembled, it was tied with string and set into place in a metal form which eventually grew to become the page itself. Due to the direct printing process, all this hand work was, of course, backward reading.
Typewriters did not exist until after their invention in 1878, and because each printed word required tedious labor, journalists carefully composed their articles in long hand writing to make the maximum use of both labor and newsprint paper, which was, relative to modern prices, quite expensive.
In the first issue, manager Carl Nordell asked for a youngster, 12 to 15 years of age, to apply to learn the printing trade at their offices on 52 Broadway, in New York. Later we see that the applicants he hired were actually somewhat older, but they would prove to become pillars of the institution that Nordstjernan was to become. Following a rearrangement of the association under which Nordstjernan was published, the offices were relocated to 43 Chatham Street about one year later.
Engraving was a valuable talent within the printing trade. All the illustrations which appear, mainly in advertisements, in the first decades of Nordstjernan were carved by hand as mirror images into metal. Photo-engraving arrived much later, but the earliest years’ pressrooms were filled with teams of craftsmen who worked, often without sketches, to laborously carve the delicate lines and minuscule details of every illustration.
Articles in early issues which dealt with news in the still-wild western frontier of America, told of wars with Indians, rugged journeys and amazing discoveries by venturesome Swedes who dared to conquer the vast and virgin territory. But America was nonetheless a new horizon of promise, hope and prosperity to Swedes who disembarked for the first time from steam-powered ships and set foot in the bustling city of New York.
Some few made golden fortunes and sailed triumphantly back home to Sweden, where hard cash could procure a better life for them. Others struck roots and sent money home for other family members to join them in their newly found homeland.
Turn to next page for a look at Page 1 of Nordstjernan 1, Volume 1.
Appearing in the first issue of the Swedish language newspaper, sold on the streets to the blossoming communities in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, advertisements from dozens of passenger ship lines support the fact that the trans-Atlantic tickets to board the steam-driven clipper sailing ships were being frequently purchased, and Swedish immigrants were arriving in New York by the shipload on a daily basis.
The need for a publication was clearly to serve them, and to produce it, the "Svenska Tryckföreningen i New York" began publishing Nordstjernan. On newsstands each Saturday, at noon, it sold for 6 cents per copy, or 3 dollars per annual subscription (later reduced to $2.00 per year and 5 cents per copy after protests from readers). In that day, a salary of about $25 per month was considered respectable for the average worker.
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March 13, 2012 - 08:54 pm
Det är sent, eller rättare sagt tidigt på morgonen den 21 september 2011. Det återstår fortfarande några texter och sidor för veckans tryckta produktion. Det digitala nyhetsbrevet är förberett, jag har stämt av hur rörelserna är på facebook och twitter och sett över hur websidor ska förändras under morgondagen. För att kunna leverera en så bra produkt som möjligt jobbar vi numera med teknik som gör att allt åker ner i en “tratt”. I slutet av den tratten sitter jag. Tiderna förändras. I förra produktionen, No. 15 såg vi för första gången QR-koder bland annonsörerna. Det handlar alltmer om att vara interaktiv — fast, det var Nordstjernan från första stund, dvs. för exakt 139 år sedan när detta skrivs.
Lower Broadway Manhattan under tredje veckan i september 1872: En grupp svenskar jobbar frenetiskt för att få till en sida av den tidning som ska bli tongivande för svenskheten i New York och Amerika under många år. Trycktekniken är direkt, dvs varje bokstav ska sättas in med hjälp av spegelvända trätyper i en träram baklänges. Av olika skäl görs förstasidan tidigt under veckan. Det är viktigt att man får med en programförklaring och ett ordentligt inslag om tidningens syfte, något som fyller en stor del av förstasidan. Andra stora nyheter för veckan: Kung Karl XV har insjuknat under en resa i Tyskland och förs till Malmö Allmänna Sjukhus. Den snabba uppbyggnaden av det svenska järnvägsnätet får en rubrik och redaktionen slår ett slag för att “de fredliga idrotternas tidehvarf nu är inne. “O! låtom oss der skörda de lagrar och den ära som anstå svenska friborne män.” Man häpnar över den snabba återuppbyggnaden i Chicago efter den stora branden 1871 “..sedan den 15 sistlidne April har ett från 4 till 6 våningar högt och 120 fot bredt sten eller tegelhus fulländats under hvarje arbetstimme, då man räknar 8 arbetstimmar på dagen.”
Året är som sagt 1872. Utanför redaktionen på 52 Broadway, några kvarter norr om Bowling Green är det uppståndelse. Bak häst och vagn valtalar den från inbördeskriget segerrike generalen Ulysses S. Grant med basun; han skall senare samma år komma att omväljas till USA’s18:e president. Suffragettrörelsen har tagit fart och den första [olagliga] kvinnliga väljaren, Susan Anthony kommer att arresteras efter valdagen.
New Yorks hamn sjuder av liv. De stora immigrantströmmarna har just inletts, varje dag anländer nya svenskar, lockade av löften om jobb, land, rikedomar eller friheten i det förlovade landet, Amerika.
Tidningen är nästan klar när telegrammet kommer: Kungen har avlidit efter ankomsten till Malmö. Förstasidan har redan monterats och tryckts. I hast görs sidan 3 av tidningen om och telegrammet förs in högst upp. Kungen insjuknar således på “Ettan” och avlider på “Trean”.
Man gjorde allt för att tillgodose läsarnas intressen. Tidningen levde och blev på ett alldeles eget sätt “interaktiv” långt innan ordet fanns. Det gör vi fortfarande och mer än någonsin. Allt vi gör interaktivt och online gör vi för att nå fler som delar vårt intresse – av det svenska, nyheter, svensk kultur och traditioner. Men “själen” och det som håller allt uppe den håller du i nu.
Den första utgåvan, daterad 21 september, 1872 började säljas i svenskkvarteren längs hamnstäderna på Atlantkusten men framför allt, i New York. Ett lösnummer av tidningen kostar 6 cent, årsprenumerationen $3.00 – ett pris som senare sänks efter grava klagomål från läsekretsen.
Vi kommer under en längre period inkludera historiska sidor ur Nordstjernan, liksom små smakprover ur tidningens historia. Det kommer bli trångt—vi lägger också till nya kolumnister, mer om svenska språket och nya delar av Svenskamerika.
Vår viktigaste uppgift är och kommer alltid att vara att lyssna på dig som läser. Om du har synpunkter eller förslag är de välkomna. Enklast över epost, till editor@nordstjernan.com, annars i brev till Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840
Och de där grafiska streckkoderna då, QR-koder? Inte så märkvärdigt egentligen. QR står för Ouick Response och är gjort för en ny typ av streckkodsläsare du enkelt installerar på en s.k. smartphone. Det är gratis applikationer eller appar och användandet av dem och inläsningen av koder är självklart när appen väl är installerad (point & click).
Här är vår QR kod för ett digitalt veckonyhetsbrev:
Väl mött i etern till vi ses “på riktigt” igen här på sidorna.
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Editor & Publisher
Och så här ser QR-koden ut för ett av våra digitala nyhetsbrev.
1 comments
March 12, 2012 - 11:19 pm
“No one in Sweden can dream of the advantages America offers temperate, dependable and industrious persons. For people of this type the country is a real Canaan, where the abundance of nature may be called a flow of milk and honey. But those who are neither willing nor able to work, who have other hopes when they depart from Sweden, will here find a Siberia from which they must sooner or later return to the fatherland or find themselves sunk into the deepest misery and poverty.”
- Letter to Sweden by Peter Cassel of Kisa parish, Östergötland, published in Östgöta Correspondenten, 1848. Translated by Allan Kastrup.
Det här skrevs och publicerades 24 år innan den första Nordstjernan publicerades men beskriver på ett bra sätt den svenska bilden av livet i Amerika strax före massemigrationens början. De tidiga utgåvor vi hittills fört över till digitalt format vittnar både om de strapatser immigranterna gick igenom och det liv som väntade i det nya landet.
Vi befinner oss i tidningarnas förlovade land. Historiskt och traditionellt är det så. Även om man idag läser mer tidning per kapita i de flesta europeiska länder är just Amerika platsen där en gång alla som kunde läste en tidning. Tidningen var en del av det sociala livet, blev källa till samhörighet, trygghet och var en central del av familjelivet.
En del av bakgrunden till nyhetshungern var säkert allt det nya och främmande, kanske också skrämmande i det nya landet. Många var nyanlända med ett ursprung någon annanstans. Det må ha varit det förlovade landet för en del men för många blev det en stor missräkning och sättet att hålla kontakt med det gamla hemlandet och den egna etniska gruppen, att finna tryggheten i det välkända, blev tidningen. Den uppgiften kom också tidigt att prägla Nordstjernan.
Nordstjernan sammanfattade nyheter som kommit med de senaste båtarna eller i någon mån per telegraf från Sverige och beskrev svenska och allmänna insatser i den fortsatta expansionen västerut. Tidningssidorna talar om danser och sociala träffar, nya klubbar och tillfällen till att möta landsmän. Annonserna ger också de en bild av det liv som mötte de nytillkommna – arbetsförmedlingar sökte “tjensteflickor” för omedelbar anställning, valutaväxlingskontor, tolkservice och dussintals nya ångbåtslinjer saluförde sina tjänster.
Fransmannen Alexis de Tocqueville, som reste igenom det unga landet 1831-32, kommenterade i Democracy in America (1835, 1840) att “..[this] nation of conquerors who… shut themselves in the American solitudes with an axe and some newspapers.”
En stor del av hans två band ägnar sig åt demokratiseringsprocessen, rasfrågor och religionens betydelse men han undgår inte heller att se hur de nyanlända bryter ny mark i ensamheten, med yxan i ena handen, en tidskrift i den andra.
Till att börja med, fram till 1800-talets mitt kom relativt få svenskar till landet i väster. De var ofta tillhöriga en grupp, en familj, släkt eller ett geografiskt område eller anförda av en stark, ofta religiös, ledare som sökte friheten i Amerika. Fram till 1840-talet var det också relativt välbeställda som gav sig av men det ändrade sig sedan snabbt. I folkräkningen 1850 sades 3,600 svensk-födda vara fast bosatta i Amerika, redan tio år senare var siffran uppe i 19,000 och i snabbt ökande. När Nordstjernan grundades hade den stora utvandringen bara precis inletts men New Yorks hamn tog nu emot våg efter våg av svenska utvandrare med drömmar om ett bättre liv. Redan folkräkningen år 1890 fastställde siffran svensk-födda till strax under 800,000. Amerikas lyskraft minskade under depressionen på 1890-talet men tog snabbt fart igen.
Den svenska utvandringen fick stora effekter i hemlandet och reformer under tidigt 1900-tal påskyndades sannolikt av en vilja att stoppa utflödet. En av regeringen tillsatt emigrationskommission slog 1907 fast att landet borde sträva efter att “överföra det bästa av Amerika till Sverige.” (Läs f.ö. Ulf Nilson’s krönika denna vecka)
Kanske påskyndade emigrationen reformer inom utbildning, bostäder, sociala skyddsnät och almän rösträtt. Det talas ofta om införandet av kvinnlig rösträtt (i Sverige införd 1919) men vi ska komma ihåg att under 1800-talets slut var det fortfarande ett litet fåtal i landet som kunde rösta. Enligt Nationalencyklopedin var det bara runt en femtedel av landets vuxna manliga befolkning som hade rösträtt vid ingången av det nya århundradet. Den allmänna rösträtten infördes i Sverige år 1907. Det var 35 år efter att första Nordstjernan trycktes och blev därmed också nyhetsstoff för Amerikas egen tidskrift.
Så här 140 år efter vårt grundande befinner vi oss fortfarande i nyheternas förlovade land – numera nyheter i alla dess former och genom nya medier. Att Nordstjernan finns på facebook och i andra sociala media är knappast någon nyhet—vi har också börjat filma, dels för att nå ut till nya grupper, dels för att föra ut och bevara den svensk-amerikanska kultur som idag kanske är mer ‘svensk’ än det du finner i dagens Sverige (Ulf Kirchdorfer’s funderingar på sidan 5 stämmer till eftertanke). Med en uppkoppling till internet finner du filmer från konserter, festivaler och en genväg till uttalet av Nordstjernan på svenska över vimeo.com/nordstjernan eler t.v. också på youtube.com/xoxosweden (Kanalen, “the channel” heter så.)
Vi återkommer med några första tidningssidor ur historien i vår nästa utgåva.
Väl mött,
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
Editor & Publisher
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The Editor & Publisher
Inte som andra bloggar.... this entry will be sometimes in Swedish, sometimes 'på svenska' - Just så händelsrikt är livet som utgivare av Amerikas äldsta och numera enda Svenska tidskrift.
Här ovan poserar jag “on location” kl 6 på morgonen i Minneapolis St. Paul för två år sedan. Henrik Olund tog bilden som förberedelse för en porträttbild av Vice President Walter Mondale. (Det var en bra intervju med en bra person) Jag skriver sällan med byline i Nordstjernan men jag är alltid ansvarig för innehållet, även om jag inte alltid håller med om allt.
(PS. Intervjun med Mondale hittar ni på nordicreach.com DS.) |