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Swedish Press N Y A
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July/August 2014 Vol 85:06 $4.95
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Interview with Mathias Dahlgren Lighthouses Princess Leonore’s christening
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WEBSITE www.swedishpress.com E-MAIL info@swedishpress.com TEL +1 604 261 2484 TOLL FREE +1 866 882 0088 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tatty Maclay tatty@swedishpress.com CO-EDITOR Anton Fredriksson anton@swedishpress.com ART DIRECTOR Joan Law Fredriksson joan@swedishpress.com
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CONTENTS ( July/August 2014 )
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Swedish Press
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Lifestyle 18 Top Sju 19 Theatre
Swedish Headlines Headline News: An overview of the 2014 Swedish General Election News at a Glance Swedes in the News
Business 7 Business News 9 Company File: Cloetta
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Summerhouse Lagnö. Photo: Åke E:son Lindman
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Hemma hos 20 Architecture: cool coastal dwellings 21 Treats à la Katarina and Bengt 22 Lär Dig Svenska 23 Barn Sidan: Gothia Cup special
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Feature 10 Svenska fyrar erbjuder unika boenden Interview 12 Mathias Dahlgren Photo: Gothia Cup
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In the Loop 24 Landskapsnyheterna 27 Canada & US Update 28 Calendar and Events
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Heritage 15 Erik den helige 16 Swedish roots, Oregon lives 17 Maclayhem
30 Sista Ordet Liberty and Gunnar Gustafson 31 Press Byrån On the cover: H.R.H. Princess Estelle. Photo: Kate Gabor, Royalcourt.se, Sweden
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Letters to the Editor Hi Swedish Press, I take this opportunity to thank you for this interesting magazine. It is for me a way to stay in touch with events taking place in Sweden and be able to have interesting discussions when I visit my in-laws. It is also a way to be able to read some Swedish. Josette Sergerie Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec Kära Swedish Press, Jag skickar med en check för fortsatt prenumeration såklart! Tack Tatty & the gang för min favorit tidning! Gillar speciellt att läsa “Maclayhem: Thoughts from the Motherland” med roliga insikter, och kommentarer. Själv växte jag upp i Göteborg men bodde sen i Texas, Canada och nu på Hawaii. Men känner mig fortfarande Svensk. But it’s good to be “from the world” now, too. Keep them coming my way. Kram, Anita Rossing simhopps tränare på Hawaii Godda’ – godda’ som vi säger i Sverige Jag läste med stort nöje sidorna 22 (Samuel’s Diary) och 23 (Maclayhem). Jag tror att alla som en gång flyttat till Nordamerika för gott kan känna med stor inlevelse med dem som tagit ett så drastiskt steg, särskilt som det skedde under andra och mer primitiva omständigheter. Vi kan känna en inlevelse med personerna som omnämns på sidan 22 (Samuel’s Diary). Tatty skriver bra på sidan 23 (Maclayhem). Hon gör en jämförelse mellan två jultraditioner: Sverige och England idag. Och skriver i näst sista paragrafen “I wonder what Christmas will mean to my children...” etc.
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I vår ålder, kan Anette och jag med ålderns rätt göra samma tidshopp bakåt och konstatera vilka skillnader som har utvecklats sedan vår barndom och våra föräldrars. Och uppenbarligen har julfirandet tunnats ut betänkligt; anledningen till julfirandet har i stort kommit bort i det allmänna medvetandet. Kristus har glömts. Majestätet har satts åt sidan, och firandet sker nu på lösa boliner i det att man mest firar sina nakna traditioner, the trappings, skalet utan verkligt innehåll. Tragiskt, tycker vi. Vi törs inte ens extrapolera. Så nog skrivande för nu. Lev väl och ta vara på varann, Birger Nenzen Coldstream, British Columbia Dear Swedish Press, My parents immigrated to Alberta in the early 1920’s – and, when I started school I could not speak English! I am now almost 90 years old (May) and I have a vision disability. I therefore am unable to read some of your articles printed in Swedish. Would it be possible for you to include the English translation for me. (I do have a Swedish dictionary but find it difficult to find the words I need.) Thank you. Agnes L. Sutherland Edmonton, Alberta Editor’s comment: For English translations of the Swedish Press articles in Swedish, we would generally advise you to visit the link http://members. shaw.ca/swemail1/ and register with SweMail or read the translations directly on their website. We understand, however, that you may not have access to the Internet, so we will be in touch to make alternative arrangements for you. Best regards/TM
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From the Editor’s Desk
Patrons Wanted Swedish Press is YOUR magazine! We love providing great stories, news and views about Sweden each issue, but a publication such as ours requires a huge amount of resources. Please support Swedish Press by making a donation (either online at www.Swedishpress.com or by mail) to enable us to help keep Swedish culture alive and well in North America.
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Swedish Press July/August 2014
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ife can sometimes seem like one long to-do list, so it’s vital to stop sometimes and celebrate life’s pleasures. Swedes are very good at this (helped greatly by having plenty of bank holidays and long summer vacations!) and, in true Swedish summer spirit, this issue is all about the the best things in life – food, leisure, travel and coastal living. Many years ago, I used to work for the Swedish Tourist Board, now Visit Sweden, in London, just when an international interest in Swedish food was beginning to take off. Since then, Sweden has become an established foodie destination with Swedish chefs and restaurants winning world-wide awards and acclaim. I met Michelin-starred chef Mathias Dahlgren for this month’s interview and asked him his thoughts on Sweden’s food scene. I was also lucky enough to go on a guided food tour of Stockholm recently, something I would highly recommend – read about this on my Maclayhem page. If you’d rather be in the kitchen yourself, especially on one of those inevitable rainy summer days, have a go at making the delicious Tosca almond tart on our Treats page. Sweden has around 26,000km of coastline, varying from the rocky drama of the west coast to the calm serenity of the Stockholm archipelago. Lighthouses have always held prime coastal locations and many of them are now available to hire and stay in. Read our guide to lighthouse accommodation on p.10-11. Kristi Robinson also looks at some stunning cutting-edge coastal design properties on p.20 – read and dream on! We will be back with our September issue in August. In the meantime, have a wonderful summer break and enjoy life’s pleasures!
Tatty Maclay Editor-in-Chief Tatty@Swedishpress.com
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Swedish Headlines An overview of the 2014 Swedish General Election by Anton Fredriksson
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n September 14th, for the second time this year, Sweden will head to the polls. 2014 is being billed as a “super election year” for the country, with the upcoming vote taking place just months after the recent European Parliament elections in May. Held every four years on the second Sunday of September, Sweden’s general elections play a fundamental role in determining the political direction of the country at all levels of government. Swedes are determining the make-up of their municipal assemblies, county councils, as well as their national legislature and supreme-decision making body – the Riksdag. As with most multi-party parliamentary systems, the results of the election will only determine the distribution of the Riksdag’s 349 seats between the various parties. They will
© Metapolls.net
Swedish General Election: 10 June 2014 poll
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not, however, necessarily decide who will govern for the next four years, as the system is such that multiple parties may need to band together to form a majority and, in turn, a government. Sweden’s current minority government is a centre-right coalition led by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who is also the leader of the Moderate Party. His coalition includes the Liberal People’s Party, the Centre Party and the Christian Democrats. They face strong challenges from the left, led by the Social Democrats, and a growing threat from the Sweden Democrats on the far right. The current government, at least in its current form, is not expected to remain in power. The Social Democratic Party has traditionally been the dominant power in Swedish politics for much of the past century. Between the postwar period and 2006, there were only 9 years when the Social Democrats were not in charge. This all changed in 2006 when the centre-right parties
led by the Moderates joined forces in a unique pre-election coalition known as the “Alliance for Sweden” that carried them to victory and, most significantly, allowed them to form Sweden’s first majority government since 1981. For the 2010 election, the Social Democrats formed the RedGreen pact along with the Green Party and the Left Party but disagreements between them undermined their authority and paved the way for a second Alliance government, albeit a minority one in 2010. Hopes of a majority government were thwarted by the alarming gains of the xenophobic Sweden Democrats. Approaching the upcoming election, the Social Democrats, led by trade unionist Stefan Löfven, are seeing their emphasis on employment and education pay off. A recent report by the OECD that gave a poor grade to Sweden’s schools has only helped their rhetoric. Although the Moderates are holding their own, of grave concern to them is that two of the four parties in their coalition (the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party) are polling at less than four percent, the minimum threshold necessary to participate in the allocation of seats. Not to be disregarded is the worrisome rise of the populist far-right Sweden Democrats who blatantly campaign on an anti-immigration platform. Their performance will be closely watched as it is their first national contest since they entered the Riksdag in the 2010 election. Although the latest predictions at press time point towards a Social Democratic government, a lot can change both before and even in the political jockeying after the election this coming September. Besides, as history has proven, anything can happen on election day.
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News at a Glance Minority parties win EU seats The recent European Parliament elections saw surprisingly strong results for minority parties such as the Sweden Democrats and Feminist Initiative, bringing them into the EU parliament for the first time with two seats and one seat respectively. The Social Democrats had the largest number of votes, at 24.5%, followed by the Greens with 15.2%. The Moderates, the largest party in the conservative coalition alliance, took 3.5% – their worst ever European Parliament vote. Fifty one percent of Swedes voted, which was an average turnout within Europe. Southern train strikes Southern Sweden has been badly affected by ongoing train strikes
The Swedish ski resort of Åre has been chosen by the International Ski Federation (FIS) to host the World Alpine Ski Championships in February 2019. The resort previously hosted the championships in 1954 and 2007. Niklas Carlsson, Secretary General of the Swedish Ski Association, stated: “We came here with the goal of bringing the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships to Sweden and Åre, so it obviously feels unbelievably great that our work has been rewarded with the trust of the ski world. We knew that it would be a tight race between us and Cortina, so to win in this way is fantastic.”
Photo: Öresundståg
and, at the time of going to press, the Seko union involved said they could not see an end in sight. Around 250 workers on the southern Sweden train lines went on strike on June 2nd over the use of hourly workers, affecting some 75,000 people traveling on Öresundståg trains in southern and western Sweden each day. A new survey by Novus showed that 70% of Swedes back a return to a state railway monopoly.
[Business] News The US market provides more than a third of Skanska’s revenue and has been instrumental in the growth of the company, now valued at $10 billion. Saab to build Swedish submarines Reeling from the recent loss of a $3.5 billion fighter jet order to Switzerland, Saab has secured new business, this time not in the sky but under the sea. Saab reached a deal with Sweden’s Ministry of Defence for $70 million to build the next generation of A26 submarines and provide upgrades to Sweden’s existing fleet of Gotland-class
submarines. More significantly, the agreement includes a letter of intent for future work up to $1.7 billion. The agreement comes at an interesting time as Saab is currently in talks to acquire German company ThyssenKrupp’s Swedish operations, which include a submarine shipyard in Karlskrona. “With today’s orders and the letter of intent,” explains Gunilla Fransson, head of Saab’s Business Area Security and Defense Solutions, “we take the next step toward becoming a full-service provider of submarines for Sweden.”
Photo: Bidness Etc
Work has begun on Apple’s new $5 billion campus in Cupertino, California, with construction led by a joint venture between American builders, DPR, and Swedish construction giant, Skanska. Apple Campus 2, as the new site is called, will boast 3.42 million square feet of office and research space with room for 14,000 employees. The new headquarters will be built on a 176 acre property just 1 mile east of its current headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop. Colloquially known as the “Spaceship”, the main building features a futuristic circular design courtesy of Foster + Partners. The project marks a geographic shift in Skanska’s US operations which primarily take place on the East Coast. They are currently the second-largest building contractor in New York.
Photo: Apple
Skanska to build new Apple HQ
Åre to host 2019 Ski Championships
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[Swedes] in the News Princess Leonore christening
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Photo: Jessica Gow/TT
rincess Leonore, the three month old daughter of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill, was baptized by Archbishop Anders Wejryd on June 8th in the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace. It was the first visit to Sweden for the country’s youngest princess, and the
Above: H.R.H Princess Madeleine, Mr. Christopher O’Neill, H.R.H. Princess Leonore. Photo: royalcourt.se, Sweden. Left: Princess Madeleine and family on Sweden’s National Day. Photo: Martin Høien/Billed Bladet
Pirate Bay founder arrested Peter Sunde, the co-founder of file sharing website Pirate Bay, was recently arrested in Skåne, after two years on the run. Sunde and his fellow Pirate Bay cofounders Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, together with financier Carl Lundström, were convicted in 2009 of facilitating copyright infringement and
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fined 46 million kronor in damages. Warg was extradited to Denmark in 2013, Lundström has served his time in prison, while Neij is still on the run. Sunde is now expected to serve his eight month prison sentence.
would cost, but Genberg is looking to crowdfunding for donations and has backing from Sweden’s only astronaut Christer Fuglesang.
Elin Nordegren. Photo: Scott Cook for Rollins College/Getty Images
Genberg’s moon stuga Artist Mikael Genberg plans to send a sculpture in the shape of a typical redpainted Swedish house to the moon, in an art project called Moonhouse. The self-building house will be rocketed up to the moon, where it will unfold by itself. The only barrier to the project is the small matter of the 100 million kronor it
date also marked the one year anniversary of her parent’s wedding. Leonore, who was born in New York, is fifth-in-line to the Swedish throne after her mother and holds the official title of Duchess of Gotland. The little princess slept peacefully through most of the ceremony, which was attended by 150 guests, mainly friends and family.
Photo: Västmanlands Teater
Elin Nordegren moves on Elin Nordegren, ex-wife of golfing star Tiger Woods, recently broke her silence since the split in an interview with People magazine. The
Swedish former model and nanny, who is the daughter of politician Barbro Holmberg, talked about how she and Tiger had managed to forge a good relationship for the sake of their children and her pride on graduating with a bachelors degree in psychology with top honors from Rollins College.
Company File Swede Tooth: Cloetta
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sk almost any Swede what they miss most from Sweden and there’s a good chance that candy will top the list with the mention of names like Kexchocklad or Ahlgrens Bilar. These classic Swedish brands have been around since 1938 and 1953 respectively and have changed relatively little over the past decades. The same cannot be said for the company behind them. Cloetta, which owns both Kexchoklad and Alhgrens Bilar, as well as the brands Malaco, Center, Plopp and Läkerol, has undergone a number of changes since it was founded in Copenhagen by three Swiss brothers in 1862. Today, Cloetta is a leading confectionary company with a presence in over 50 markets worldwide and a turnover of 5
billion Swedish kroner operating from its headquarters in Kista, just outside of Stockholm. The original Cloetta family sold the business in 1917 to Svenska Chokladfabriks AB controlled by the Svenfelt family. In 2000, Cloetta merged with Fazer only to separate 8 years later due to legal feuds between the two families. Since then Cloetta has grown rapidly merging with LEAF and through the acquisitions of the companies Goody Good Stuff and Nutisal. Nutisal is, as the name suggest, in the nut business which is a new area for Cloetta. The acquisitions are in line with the strategy of satisfying what Cloetta calls, “Munchy Moments”. Depending on the local market, Cloetta satisfies these “moments” with unique brands. The company has a particularly strong presence in Finland, Norway, Denmark,
[Cloetta] the Netherlands and Sweden, its largest market. In each of these countries it markets a few leading brands that are as well known to the local Finn or Dane as Kex and Bilar are to a Swede. One of Cloetta’s more successful strategies is its strong presence in the travel retail space and as a result Cloetta’s product tend to be very visible at airports, on ferries and in train stations, where Swedish Press readers are likely to have come across Cloetta’s products. Looking to the future, the Cloetta company has plans to continue spreading its sweets to additional markets. North America is not yet a focus for Cloetta, so any Ahlgrens Bilar, Kex Chocklad, Plopp or Center that you may pine for will still need to brought to you by friends, family or yourself next time you visit the sugar loving North. www.cloetta.se
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Svenska fyrar erbjuder unika boenden av Monika Nordqvist Om du söker en unik semesterupplevelse nära hav och natur finns det ett antal svenska fyrar som erbjuder sina gäster övernattningsmöjligheter. Från norr till söder kan besökare uppleva en avkopplande ledighet i natursköna miljöer som ofta har en intressant historia.
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ör den som drömmer om att upptäcka Sveriges vackra övärld och kuster finns det en uppsjö av resmål att välja på. Det Svenska Fyrsällskapet listar 25 boenden som alla har någon slags anknytning till fyrar, fyrplatser, lotsplatser eller fyrskepp. De flesta av dessa boenden kan bara nås med båt och erbjuder därför en unik semesterupplevelse i en avskild havsmiljö. Här kommer sju tips på boenden för dig som någon gång har drömt om att ta fyrvaktens jobb, eller kanske bara för dig som vill ha närhet till hav, natur och svindlande utsikter på semestern.
Halland: Nidingen, Gottskär Hotell Ön Nidingen är en del av Gottskär Hotell, i Kungsbacka, och mellan april och september erbjuds det charmigt boende i de gamla fyrvaktarbostäderna från 1800-talet. Nidingen var Sveriges allra första fyrplats, de första fyrarna byggdes redan 1624, när Halland fortfarande tillhörde Danmark och ön ligger härligt avskilt med bara sälar och sjöfåglar som närmsta grannar. www.gottskarshotell.se/hav/
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Foto: Gottskär Hotell
Bohuslän: Pater Noster Fyr På ön Hamneskär, 5.5km utanför Marstrand, ligger denna heidenstamfyr som byggdes 1868. Fyren har nu tio unika rum att välja mellan, med utsikt över Marstrand och västerhav. Besökare transporteras till och från ön med specialbyggda RIB-båtar. Vattnet runt Pater Noster är känt för sitt fina hummerfiske och mellan september och november erbjuds det hummerfiskepaket där man får uppleva den vackra skärgården och hummerfisket på nära håll. www.paternosterlighthouse.com
Gotland: Fyrhuset Stora Karlsön Stora Karlsön ligger 6,5 km sydväst om Gotland och ön nås genom en 30 minuters båtresa från Klintehamn på Gotland. Stora Karlsö är ett naturreservat och är öppet för besökare från maj till september. På Stora Karlsö kan man bo i fyren som byggdes år 1887. Därifrån har man som besökare en vacker utsikt över Stora Karlsö och Östersjön. www.storakarlso.se
Stockholm/Sörmland: Landsorts vandrarhem
Stora Karlsön sydväst om Gotland. Foto © Mats Jansson
Lite drygt en timmes resa från Stockholm ligger ön Öja, Stockholm skärgårds sydligaste punkt och ett naturvårdsområde sedan 1985. Det går att åka bil eller tåg nästan hela vägen fram till Öja, men den sista biten från fastlandet åker man med Waxholmsbolaget. På Öjas sydligaste udde ligger fyren Landsort, uppförd 1678 och Sveriges äldsta fyr. Landsorts vandrarhem ligger nedanför fyren och är öppet året runt. www.landsortsvandrarhem.se
Skåne: Smygehuks vandrarhem och fyr Smygehuk i Skåne är den skandinaviska halvöns sydligaste udde och ett populärt turistmål med över 200 000 besökare varje sommar. Smygehuks vandrarhem och fyr erbjuder boende i den gamla fyrvaktarbostaden med havet runt hörnet och Smygehuk fyr som närmsta granne. Smygehuk fyr byggdes år 1883, och efter att ha varit nedsläckt under många år återtändes den 2001. Fyren är öppen för besök och har en underbar utsikt över hav och ängar. www.smygehukhostel.com
Norrland: Fyrhotellet på Rödkallen Rödkallen är en ö som ligger i det yttersta havsbandet i Lule skärgård i Norrland. Ön har en fyr som byggdes 1872, och som var i bruk fram till 1972. Fyrhotellet erbjuder olika typer av boende med fyrplatsen som bas. Besökare tar sig till ön genom hotellets egna turbåt och ön har inte några fast bosatta. www.fyrhotellet.com
Foto: Utklippan
Blekinge: Utklippan Utklippan är Sveriges sydostligaste ögrupp och består av öarna Norraskär och Södraskär. Ögruppen, som är nästan helt kal, ligger i Karlskrona skärgård och är ett naturreservat sedan 1988. På Södraskär ligger fyren som uppfördes 1840 och i anslutning till fyren ligger vandrarhemmet som har 22 bäddar i tre olika byggnader. Till Utklippan tar man sig med egen båt eller sjötaxi som bokas i förväg. På ön finns även restaurang och café. www.utklippan.org
Foto: Landsorts Vandrahem
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