October 2, 2015 - The Norwegian American

Transcription

(Periodicals postage paid in Seattle, WA)
TIME-DATED MATERIAL — DO NOT DELAY
Heritage
B arne bl a d
Old socks become
cute new dolls
Read more on page 10
« Dans er poesi med
armer og ben. »
– Charles Baudelaire
Knut Hamsun’s
literary legacy
Read more on page 14
Norwegian American Weekly
Vol. 126 No. 35 October 2, 2015
Established May 17, 1889 • Formerly Western Viking and Nordisk Tidende
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Leikarringen “Heimhug” hits 90
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Obituaries & Religion
In Your Neighborhood
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$1 = NOK 8.544
updated 09/28/2015
In comparison
08/28/2015
8.2734
03/28/20157.9757
09/28/20146.4559
A summer tour in the Holy Land
Emily C. Skaftun
Since returning from a hastily planned
trip to Israel this summer, everyone’s been
asking me how it was. Did I have fun? And
I don’t entirely know how to answer. Many
of the experiences one has in Israel can’t be
filed neatly under the heading of “fun,” but it
is definitely a trip worth taking.
The most prominent feature of the region is religion; therefore your experience
with Israel will vary depending on your religious beliefs. For many Christians, visiting
sites like the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (where, according to legend, Jesus
was born) and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (where he was crucified and buried) are
life-changing spiritual moments. Muslims
Photo: Arthur Andersen
have the Dome of the Rock, where some believe Mohammed ascended to heaven, and
which is, in any case, an ancient marvel of
architecture (or so I hear, as non-Muslims
are no longer permitted to visit the site) and
for Jews, almost the whole country is a sort
of miracle, not to mention housing many sacred tombs and the famous Western Wall.
Our group wasn’t particularly religious,
so I chose a “classical” tour that would give
us a taste of everything with a focus on history rather than faith—to the degree they can
be separated in Israel. There’s little variation
in what highlights are included in most package tours, so go with whichever best fits your
travel dates and budget. Ours was an “11-day
tour” (with two of those travel days) that had
us leaving Seattle on a Thursday to arrive in
Tel Aviv on Friday. The guided portion of
our tour began Sunday morning when we
swung north to spend two nights in the Golan Heights before going back to Jerusalem
for five more nights.
A few words of advice. One, do shop
around for your flights—it would have been
simple to use the tour provider for this, but
we would have paid hundreds more in airfare
and/or spent eight more hours in layovers
each way. I took to Travelocity.com and
found us an itinerary that was far superior.
Two, if your itinerary is like ours, consider spending extra time in Tel Aviv. We arrived on a Friday afternoon, when everything
was just about to shut down for Shabbat (the
Jewish Sabbath, which goes from sundown
Friday to sundown Saturday). Though more
See > israel, page 9
2 • October 2, 2015
Nyheter
Petra kostet over 120 millioner
Ekstremværet Petra førte til flomskader for mer enn 120 millioner kroner,
ifølge Finans Norge. Ekstremværet
som herjet i Sør-Norge forrige uke,
førte til omfattende vannskader på eiendommer og flomskader på naturen.
Det var Telemark som ble verst rammet. Erstatningene ser så langt ut til
å være på rundt 120 millioner kroner.
— Vi er fremdeles i en tidlig fase og
skadene meldes fortsatt inn, så beløpet kommer trolig til å endre seg, sier
kommunikasjonssjef Stine Neverdal
i Finans Norge. Det kan ta uker og i
de verste tilfellene måneder å få tørket
opp etter en vannskade, deretter kan
utbedringen begynne, ifølge Neverdal.
Finans Norge er hovedorganisasjon
for finansnæringen i Norge.
(Aftenposten)
Sylvi Listhaug vil myke opp 40 år
gammelt reptil-forbud
Det 40 år gamle forbudet mot å holde
krypdyr og amfibier som kjæledyr,
kan stå for fall. Men først vil landbruksminister Sylvi Listhaug (Frp)
høre hva fagfolkene mener. Mattilsynet får nå sende en liste på 18 fremmede dyrearter ut på høring, for å teste
en oppmyking av dagens forbud mot
å holde eksotiske dyr i norske hjem.
Statssekretær Hanne Maren Blåfjelldal (Frp) i Landbruksdepartementet
sier til VG at Mattilsynet har ønsket en
oppmyking og har sendt over en liste
med 18 krypdyr og amfibier som de
mener det er trygt å tillate. Listhaugs
forgjenger Trygve Slagsvold Vedum
(Sp) kvalte for to år siden et lignende
forslag om å tillate kvelerslanger og
andre krypdyr. «Vi sier nei til at folk
skal kunne ha slanger og krypdyr i
norske hjem. Det er ikke naturlig med
slanger i Norge», sa Vedum til VG i
2013. Men nå vil Listhaug ha debatten
opp igjen.
(VG)
Produksjonsselskap vil lage film om
Quisling
Selskapet bak norske filmer som
«Hodejegerne» og «Pioner» har fått
støtte til å fortsette arbeidet med et
prosjekt som kan munne ut i en film
om NS-leder Vidkun Quisling. Friland
Produksjon har fått et såkalt utviklings
tilskudd fra Norsk filminstitutt for å
kunne drive prosjektet, som befinner
seg i en tidlig fase, videre, skriver
Dagbladet. Det er ikke første gang
det gis penger til en film om offiseren
og politikeren som ble norsk fører og
ministerpresident og som ble henrettet
for landssvik etter krigen. I 2011 fikk
Bjørn Ekeberg støtte til å skrive manus. — Jeg kan bekrefte at vi jobber
med et Quisling-prosjekt og si at dette
oppleves som spennende materie for
oss, men ellers kommenterer vi ikke
prosjekter som er under utvikling, sier
produsent Christian Fredrik Martin i
Friland Produksjon. Historieprofessor
Øystein Sørensen ved Universitetet i
Oslo tror publikum er klare for andre
fortellinger fra krigen enn dem som
handler om motstandsmenn og -kvinner.
(NRK)
norwegian american weekly
Nyheter fra Norge
Norges nye jagerfly Trøbbel for
Nå er det første norske F-35-flyet avduket i Texas
Lundestad
Nobelkomiteen mener
at Geir Lundestad har
brutt sitt taushetsløfte
på flere punkter i boka
«Fredens sekretær»
NRK
Foto: Tove Bjørgaas / NRK
Forsvarsminister Ine Eriksen Søreide mener dagens avduking er historisk.
NRK
Den to år lange produksjonsprosessen er
nesten ferdig, og både forsvarsminister Ine
Eriksen Søreide (H) og forsvarssjef Haakon
Bruun-Hanssen var til stede ved Lockheed
Martin-fabrikken i Texas for å markere leveringen av Norges første F-35.
Trompetist og flyentusiast Ole Edvard
Antonsen åpnet seremonien med sin melodi
«Vidda», som er inspirert av en flytur i en
F-16.
Forsvarsminister Ine Eriksen Søreide
beskriver avdukingen som en milepæl.
— Dette er en historisk hendelse. Vi
markerer avdukingen av noe som vil utgjøre
kjernen til det norske forsvaret for flere år
fremover. Dette er det første stykket av den
største investeringen i Norge i dag, sa hun
under utdelingen.
Under seremonien ble Norge omtalt av
som en av USAs beste venner. Eriksen Sør
eide ser positivt på omtalen.
— Det er viktig for oss å være en nær og
god alliert av USA. Det legger vi stor vekt
på. Det er viktig både i en alliert sammenheng og bilateralt, sier forsvarsministeren til
NRK.
Forsvarssjef Haakon Bruun-Hanssen er
enig i med Eriksen Søreide.
— USA er den viktigste sikkerhetsgarantisten innenfor Nato, og Nato er forsvarssteinen i norsk forsvarspolitikk, sier
forsvarssjefen.
De to første flyene skal flys til Luke Air
Force Base vest for Phoenix, Arizona, hvor
de skal inngå som en del av det amerikanske
luftforsvarets 62. skvadron. Dette vil fungere
som en internasjonal treningsskvadron for
F-35 med blant annet amerikansk, norsk og
italiensk personell.
Første F-35 kommer til Norge i 2017 for
å begynne forberedelsene til at de nye kampflyene kan overta de første oppgavene fra F16-flåten fra 2019.
English Synopsis: The first Norwegian F-35 fighter
airplanes were unveiled in Texas on September 22.
Trenger frø fra Svalbard
Syria ønsker frø som har vært lagret i Norge tilbake
VG
Mens den blodige borgerkrigen har herjet i Syria, har landets genbank ICARDA
sendt sikkerhetskopier av store mengder
plantefrø til dette atom- og asteroidesikre
hvelvet på Svalbard. Nå trenger de frø tilbake for å sikre fremtidige generasjoner mat.
Den syriske genbanken tok før krigen
vare på frø fra i alt 148,000 landraser og ville
slektninger av matkorn, bønner og linser fra
store deler av verden som er tilpasset tørre
områder.
Det hersker stor usikkerhet om tilstanden til frøene ved ICARDA i byen Aleppo,
som i dag ligger i ruiner.
Allerede i 2008 begynte den syriske
genbanken å sende sikkerhetskopier til Svalbard. De siste to forsendelsene som kom i
2013 og 2014 inneholdt 90 kasser med mer
enn 30,000 frøposer med blant annet hvete,
bygg, og kløver.
Nå ønsker ICARDA en del av frøene tilbake. Det er første gang siden Svalbard globale frøhvelv åpnet i 2008 at en genbank har
bedt om dette.
— Genbanken ønsker tilbake noen av
frøene allerede i høst, for å produsere og
høste av dem. Deretter vil de sendte nye frø
opp hit igjen som en back-up. De vil bli sendt
Foto: Terje Mortenson / VG
Landbruks- og matminister Sylvi Listhaug, EUkommisær Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis og helseminister Bent Høie bar inn tre nye kasser med
plantefrø fra Tsjekkia.
til andre land i Midtøsten, siden Syria fortsatt
er rammet av krig, men av sikkerhetsgrunner
vil vi ikke si hvor, forteller landbruks- og
matminister Sylvi Listhaug til VG.
English Synopsis: Syrian gene bank ICARDA needs
seeds that have been stored in Svalbard’s seed vault
during the war to ensure food for future generations.
På et møte 21. september drøftet Nobelkomiteen enkelte sider ved Lundestads bok.
Ifølge komiteen undertegnet Lundestad og
komitémedlemmene en taushetserklæring i
2014.
«Som tidligere ansatt er Geir Lundestad
bundet av dette taushetsløftet uansett om
han selv mener regelen burde vært endret i
retning større åpenhet. Den Norske Nobelkomite mener Geir Lundestad på flere punkter har brutt sitt taushetsløfte», heter det i en
uttalelse fra komiteen.
17. september ble boken til tidligere direktør for Nobelinstiuttet, Geir Lundestad,
presentert. Der kom han med flere oppsiktsvekkende påstander.
Blant annet kritiserer han Nobelkomiteens valg av leder, da de valgte Thorbjørn
Jagland.
— Jeg kom etter hvert til at det var feil at
Jagland ble valgt inn i Nobelkomiteen, skriver Lundestad i boken «Fredens sekretær».
Han skriver at det var to grunner til at
han mener at Jagland ikke burde vært valgt
inn i Nobelkomiteen.
— Jeg ble stadig sterkere overbevist om
at tidligere norske stats- og utenriksministere
ikke burde sitte i Nobelkomiteen. Minst like
viktig var Jaglands rolle som generalsekretær
i Europarådet, skriver Lundestad.
Lundestad var direktør for Nobelinstituttet frem til han gikk av før jul i fjor, mens
Jagland ble valgt inn i komiteen i 2005.
Lundestad mener også at han hadde tvil
om valget av Barack Obama som prisvinner.
Leder av Nobelkomiteen, Kaci Kullmann Five sier til NRK at hun ikke ønsker
å gi noen kommentar utover det som står i
pressemeldingen.
Lundestad skriver også at daværende
utenriksminister Jonas Gahr Støre skal ved
minst to anledninger ha forsøkt å påvirke
Nobelkomiteen til ikke å gi fredsprisen til
Liu Xiaobo i 2010.
Slik Jagland forsto Støre, sa Støre at
forhandlingene om en frihandelsavtale ville
stoppe opp, at menneskerettighetsdialogen
ville opphøre og at næringslivets sterke interesser i Kina ville bli skadelidende, framholder Lundestad.
English Synopsis: The Nobel Committee believes
that the committee’s former secretary Geir Lundestad
has broken his promise of confidentiality at several
points in his newly released book “Fredens sekretær.”
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Norwegian american weekly
Beers over the limit
60 percent of beers sold in Norwegian supermarkets exceed permitted levels, tests show
news page
Russian deal
on nuclear
accidents
Norway and Russia sign
a bilateral agreement to
notify one another of these
Michael Sandelson
The Foreigner
Photo courtesy of Nøgne Ø
Beer-bottling at the Nøgne Ø brewery.
Michael Sandelson
The Foreigner
Present legislation permits a maximum
alcohol by volume content of 4.7 percent
in supermarket-vended beers. According to
Norway’s Breweries and Soft Drinks Association, “a considerable amount” of those
sold that are produced by smaller, independent brewers exceed this level, however.
“Tests carried out on 138 different beers
show that about 60 percent are too strong,
and some contain over 7 percent alcohol by
volume,” they write in a statement.
Only government alcohol shop chain
Vinmonopolet is currently allowed to sell
shoppers alcoholic drinks that pass the stipulated 4.7 percent level.
Norwegian alcohol industry players
have also turned their noses up at supermarket wine sales, and alcohol consumption in
Norway is on the rise—something that bucks
European trends.
At the same time, Center-Right Parties
have expressed a wish to soften up alcohol policy—particularly regarding wine—
amongst falling sales for the monopoly.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge
Brende called the signing “an important milestone in the nuclear safety and emergency response cooperation between our countries.”
“The new procedures we are now establishing with Russia will ensure early notification in the event of a nuclear incident, which
is crucial for Norway’s emergency preparedness,” he added.
Environmental organization Bellona
comments that hazards include nuclear powered navigation beacons and lighthouses
along Arctic coastlines.
Some 200 rusted-out Russian Northern
Fleet nuclear submarines, leaky spent nuclear fuel, and radioactive waste storage facilities are also considered as being dangers.
There have been several Russian shipyard
See > nukes, page 16
Multimillion grant for neuroscience
Pauline Braathen and The
Kavli Foundation have
contributed to a NOK 100
million grant to establish
a new research center
Redaksjonen Gemini
NTNU
Pauline Braathen was married to Egil
Braathen for 46 years. He died in 2009 after
a prolonged period of advanced Alzheimer’s
disease.
Braathen announced today that she
would donate USD $5 million to establish
The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits at the
Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at
the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology. The center will be established
in cooperation with The Kavli Foundation in
the U.S.
“Through this donation, I want to recognize and encourage the world-leading neuroscience research in Trondheim, which is
led by the remarkable Nobel Prize winners
May-Britt and Edvard Moser,” says Braathen. “At the same time I wish to honor my
«
May-Britt and Edvard Moser in 2010.
deceased husband, Egil Braathen, who had
a lot to be grateful to St. Olavs Hospital for.
The research led by May-Britt and Edvard
Moser has great importance for a world in
need of increased knowledge about how the
brain works, in order to prevent and cure
brain-related diseases and illnesses. I believe
that this unique combination of research and
clinical excellence has the qualities we need
to find the answers to the Alzheimer’s mystery. It is therefore with a great joy that I and
There are no foreign
lands. It is the traveler
only who is foreign.
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo: Kavli Institute, NTNU / Wikimedia Commons
»
some of Egil’s heirs in Norway take action
in accordance with Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s call to give money to this purpose.”
Egil Braathen was an extremely successful property developer who became one of
Norway’s richest men and has been referred
to as “the unknown billionaire.” He created a
large property development business in Oslo
before he left Norway with his British wife
See > research, page 6
theforeigner.no is one of the top sources for English-language news
and features from Norway. Subscriptions start at NOK 49 per month
October 2, 2015 • 3
This week in brief
Norway launches competition to teach
Syrian refugee children to read
Norway is fronting an initiative to develop a smartphone application that
can help Syrian children to learn how
to read. This will take the form of an
international innovation competition in
cooperation with Norwegian and international partners. The application will
be a game-based learning tool in Arabic,
intended as a learning supplement. The
aim is to develop several applications in
the first half of 2016, and these will then
be tested so that the best application can
be put to use as soon as possible.
A large proportion of Syrian refugees have access to a smartphone,
which is necessary to ensure that such
a project has a broad reach. Many Syrian parents are well educated and will
be able to support their children in the
use of such a learning tool.
Possible contributors in disciplines
such as computer games technology,
Arabic, education in crisis, educational
theory, and psychology are invited to
take part in international dialogue conferences in Oslo on October 26 and in
Washington on October 29.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
More EU Member States must take
responsibility against fisheries crime
“Norway has been a driving force internationally for efforts to combat fisheries
crime. Now more EU Member States
should follow up on these efforts,” Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Elisabeth
Aspaker said when she spoke at the European Parliament on Sept. 23.
Norway took the initiative to establish INTERPOL’s work against fisheries
crime in 2013 and the Fisheries Crime
Working Group in INTERPOL is currently chaired by Norway. Five EU
Member States have participated, but
Aspaker thinks far more should join.
“Every sixth fish imported into
the EU is illegally caught. EU Member States have a clear responsibility to
combat fisheries crime,” Aspaker says.
“INTERPOL’s work against fisheries crime has yielded results... Investigations and criminal sanctions are essential in order to successfully combat
fisheries crime. The job is not done until
the perpetrators are caught and owners
on land are held liable,” the Minister
stresses.
(Ministry of Trade, Industry & Fisheries)
Svalbard population stable
Svalbard had a total of 2,667 inhabitants
on July 1, 2015. The number of inhabitants is unaltered in both the Norwegian
and the Russian settlements. The redundancies at Store Norske have not yet
had any impact on the population size
of Svalbard.
The most distinct change during
the first half of 2015 is a decline by
47 in the number of Norwegians in the
Norwegian settlements, while the number of foreigners has risen by 51. The
share of foreigners in the Norwegian
settlements has reached 25 percent.
(SSB)
4 • October 2, 2015
Business
Business News & Notes
Historic low key interest rate
Norges Bank cut its key interest rate by
0.25 percent points to a record low 0.75 percent. The three biggest banks in the country
followed suit to offer cheaper housing loans.
“Growth prospects for the Norwegian
economy have weakened, and inflation is
projected to abate further out. The Board has
therefore decided to lower the key policy
rate now,” says the Governor of the Central
Bank, Øystein Olsen, in a press release.
The current interest rate of 0.75 percent
is therefore historically low, and it may soon
become even lower.
Due to the fall in oil prices in the summer, Norges Bank assumes that the request
for goods and services from the oil industry
will decrease and that growth in the Norwegian economy will therefore be low for a
prolonged period. The Governor of the Central Bank also points out that many will be
unemployed in the near future.
A slight majority of experts had believed
at the forefront of Sept. 24’s announcement
that Norges Bank would continue at the current interest rate for a while longer.
Chief Economist for DNB Markets,
Øystein Dørum, is surprised over the cut.
“I had expected a rate cut, but only in
November. I am surprised that they decided
to react already because the exchange rate
is very weak, the registered unemployment
has not gone up very much, and the housing
prices and credit shows strong growth.”
The interest on housing loans is around
2.5 percent today. Lower interest rates from
Norges Bank do not automatically mean that
the banks reduce the interest for consumers.
All three of the largest banks in Norway,
DNB, Nordea, and Danske Bank, were nevertheless quick to apply the interest cut rates
to their customers.
DNB, which has over a quarter of Norwegian housing loans, forecasts cuts of up
to 0.40 percentage points on housing loans.
Nordea and Danske Bank decreased by up to
0.25 percentage points.
(NRK)
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Sealift Inc.
• Ship Owners •
• Ship & Cargo Brokers •
• Steamship Agents •
Shipping know-it-alls
Norwegian company Xeneta is changing
the shipping industry with organized data
Photo: Pixabay
Before you can improve something, you have to measure it. How much cargo is actually being
shipped, how long does it take, and how much does it cost? Xeneta knows.
Rasmus Falck
Oslo, Norway
The founders of Xeneta really wanted
to start a consulting business. Now they are
in the process of changing the way the shipping business operates. Shipping has deep
roots in Norway, which gives an advantage
to the new company. The founders have
international experience from the logistics
industry. They know the challenges related
to high volatility and lack of transparency in
the sea freight market. By combining a logistics background and information technology
expertise, they found the solution to these
challenges. Their solution is to gather and
organize the vast amounts of data and information generated constantly throughout the
industry, building and providing market intelligence with engaged stakeholders. If you
cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.
The company was launched in 2012 in
Oslo. After two years’ work on the new concept, Thomas Sørbø and Patrick O. Berglund
left secure jobs and started the company.
They were joined by developer Vilhelm
Vardøy. Now they have developed a software-as-a-service platform providing online
price comparison for the container shipping
industry, based on crowdsourcing data from
container freight buyers.
So far they have raised $8.5 million
from private investors, including $5.3 million raised recently. The last investments
was made by previous backers Creandum
(Stockholm), Point Nine Capital (Berlin),
Alden (Oslo), and new investor Alliance
Venture (Norway) to accelerate product innovation and growth.
In the containerized sea freight industry,
acquiring good information about rates and
(Sept. 28, 2015)
Phone: (516) 922-1000
Fax: (516) 922-6526
www.sealiftinc.com
E-mail: info@sealiftinc.com
Norsk Kr.
Dansk Kr. Svensk Kr. Canadian $
Euro
8.5437
6.6446
8.4722
1.3370
0.8906
Rasmus Falck is a strong
innovation and entrepreneurship advocate. The
author of “What do the
best do better” and “The
board of directors as a
resource in SME,” he received his masters degree
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He
currently lives in Oslo, Norway.
Oslo Børs: Week at a Glance
Exchange Rates
68 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York 11771
performance has been slow, too exhausting,
and too random. Xeneta promises their customers will get the facts straight and when
they need them. The typical customers are
companies doing an average of $20 million
per year in container shipping. Therefore,
even a small difference in price for a particular route can make a quantifiable difference
to the bottom line.
Selecting the best supplier for freight
does not depend solely on lowest price
quoted. The quality of the service, customer service, reactiveness by the supplier,
and timeliness often contribute to customers’ perception of the value for money and
might influence their final choice of supplier.
Therefore Xeneta built a new rating system.
With this the customer has the opportunity
to rate their suppliers on aspects other than
price. As more and more of the customers
rate their suppliers, they will aggregate the
results and report back insight as to how the
individual suppliers are perceived by others.
The startup provides actionable data on
shipping rates, giving insight into a global
sea freight market when it comes to prices
on a growing database with thousands of
shipping routes worldwide. The company
provides unprecedented market intelligence
and brings transparency to the freight industry!
Winners
Name
NOKChange
Intex Resources
0.33 13.79%
Birdstep Technology 0.577.55%
Itera
2.907.41%
DOF
6.206.71%
Skiens Aktiemølle
99.50 5.29%
Losers
Name
NOKChange
Archer10.85 -13.20%
EMAS Offshore
1.01 -12.93%
Dolphin Group
0.26 -10.34%
Norwegian Energy Co. 26.00 - 8.13%
RAK Petroleum
8.72 -8.11%
For detailed information about the Oslo Børs, visit www.dn.no.
October 2, 2015 • 5
sports
Old Timers take back Brooklyn’s streets
Norwegian-American Peter Syrdahl reminisces about playing stickball
Victoria Hofmo
Brooklyn, N.Y.
On the streets of Brooklyn, stickball
was the thing. The only equipment required
was a bat—the handle of your mom’s broom
would suffice—and a Spalding Spaldeen, the
ultimate high bouncing rubber ball. The city
street served as a field. The biggest obstacle
was navigating the game around traffic.
The game is almost extinct today. However, its nostalgic reverberations can still be
heard. Brooklyn filmmaker Jason Cusato
made a short film about the sport, When Broom
Sticks were King, which played at many film
festivals and has won many awards.
The game is still being played on one
Brooklyn street. Peter Syrdahl and friends
have been holding a stickball game for 46
years on 79th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues, and this year will be no different. It
is always held on the same weekend as Bay
Ridge’s Third Avenue Festival, Brooklyn’s
oldest street fair. This year the reunion takes
place on Oct. 3, starting around 1:00 p.m.
This annual event is very informal
and filled with humor. For one, it’s called
“Brooklyn Stickball Old Timers Games.”
The invite suggests: “Start Practicing... We
need it.” The celebrations last for three days,
beginning with a party at Skinflints, a local pub, on Friday evening, followed by the
stickball games the next day, and ending
with post-game refreshments on Sunday at
another local pub, J.J. Bubbles.
Victoria Hofmo: Peter, can you speak a little
about your Norwegian background?
Peter Syrdahl: Both of my parents were Norwegian and met on a dance pier they called
“Coney Island” in my Mom’s hometown of
Grimstad. Pop was born in Trondheim and
sailed in the Norwegian Merchant Marine
as a Chief Engineer. I spent parts of most
summers of my youth at my Grandfather
Salve’s farm near Grimstad... helping in
the hay fields, picking potatoes and cherries, and feeding the animals. It was heaven.
They came to Brooklyn after WWII, and I
was born on Oct. 9 (Leif Erikson day), 1946.
I was one of the many happy NorwegianAmerican children growing up in Bay Ridge.
Photo courtesy of Peter Syrdahl
The Stickball Old Timers at their big weekend in 1995. You don’t have to be old to be an Old Timer, just come out on October 3 and join in.
VH: When did you begin playing stickball?
PS: Every block in Brooklyn had lots of Baby
Boomer kids. About a dozen of us on 79th
Street started playing every kind of street
game you could imagine when we were
about seven or eight years old. We played
stickball, punchball, slap ball, off-the-point,
roller hockey, box-ball, Kings, Buck-Buck,
Ring-o-Levio, marbles, and any other kind
of game you could think of—from sunup to
after sundown, every day.
VH: How did the annual 79th Street stickball
tournament begin?
PS: The Brooklyn Stickball Old Timers annual reunion and games refers to mostly
different players and friends than my 79th
Street buddies. I played with my streetmates
until about the beginning of high school.
Some of us had a connection with Our Saviour’s Church and along with other new
friends, many of whom were Roman Catholic and lived around the block on 80th Street,
we also played on that street through college
years and early work years. In 1968 I graduated from Wagner College and like others,
I was waiting to be sent to Vietnam. Old
Timers co-founder Pete “Best” Perlett and I
agreed that we should not let go of this part
of our youth and looked forward to having
Sports News & Notes
Football: Norway wins EURO qualifier
Norway defeated Kazakhstan 4-0 in their
Group 8 qualifier on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for
the Women’s EURO 2017 championships
with two goals each for Ada Hegerberg and
Emilie Haavi in Kazakhstan.
(Norway Post / NRK / Aftenposten)
Football: Opdal Scores from Midfield
The match between Vålerenga and Start
ended in a 1-1 draw on Friday, Sept. 25.
Daniel Fredheim Holm scored Vålerenga’s
goal, while goalkeeper Håkon Opdal equalized for Start with a shot from the midfield.
(NRK)
Football: LSK Counterattacks Mjøndalen
Mjøndalen played well in Lillestrom, but
the home team was lethal on their counter
attacks and eventually won 3-0. Fred Fri-
day, Erling Knudtzon, and Malaury Martin
scored for the home team, which now stands
at eighth place with 35 points.
(NRK)
Football: “Kachi” Scores Final Point
18-year-old Kachi was the big hero for
Sarpsborg when he equalized in overtime
against Odd and secured a score of 1-1 on
Sunday, Sept. 27. This was Sarpsborg’s tenth
draw this season.
(NRK)
Cycling: Alexander Kristoff Fourth
Alexander Kristoff finished fourth in the
men’s mass start at the Road Cycling World
Championships, while Peter Sagan of Slovakia secured the gold in front of Michael Matthews and Ramunas Navardauskas.
(NRK)
at least one annual game of stickball to look
forward to when we got back from war and
were moving on in our lives.
VH: Can you explain about the Old Timers?
PS: The term Old Timers refers to every
player/participant of the games/reunions. We
all meet to play stickball and, most importantly, reconnect with our “old” times. Lots
and lots of old stories of escapades and disasters are heard throughout the day. Much
laughter and good feelings.
VH: What are the younger participants called?
PS: Also Old Timers. Usually denoted as simply Old Timers vs. the OLDER Old Timers.
VH: Why do you love stickball?
PS: We call it the King of Street Games. It
has everything an active boy could want:
you play with a team of friends, against
other friends, and you try to excel as an individual on your team. Not much compares to
the “whack” of a Spaldeen ball being hit by
your mother’s discarded broomstick made
into a bat as it travels two to three sewers up
the block for a good hit, or, when we were
younger, hit up on the roof of the apartment
houses on far-away 4th Avenue for an amazing Home Run.
VH: Do your kids play?
PS: Our kids and grandkids look forward to
watching and then playing with their parents. My 37-year-old daughter Kristi looks
forward all year to playing with us all. No
sex or age discrimination here. If you are big
enough to play with the big guys (and some
of us are really big—in the wrong places)
then you can play.
VH: Is there anything you’d like to add?
PS: Awards are given after the games, like
Big Broomstick—best all around player, Junior Broomstick—best young or new player,
Aging Athlete—best effort and sportsmanship, Home Plate—to the person who traveled the farthest to attend the games (Mike
from Seattle or Les from North Carolina are
known contenders this year), and Stoop-Sitter—the best sidelines supporter.
New neighborhood residents are always
welcome to join in.
Syrdal is so fond of stickball that he uses
the signature “Stickball Pete.” If you’re in
the Brooklyn area during the first weekend
of October, why not stop by and watch the
47th Annual Brooklyn Stickball Old Timer
Games? Or even better, why not put away
your cell phone cameras and join in!
Tippeligaen: Norway’s Premier League
resul t s
9/23
Strømsgodset 1 – 0 Molde
9/25
Vålerenga
1 – 1 Start
9/26
Lillestrøm
3 – 0 Mjøndalen
9/26
Strømsgodset 3 – 1 Bodø/Glimt
9/27
Odd
1 – 1 Sarpsborg 08
9/27
Roseborg
2 – 0 Viking
9/27
Sandefjord
0 – 1 Haugesund
9/27
Tromsø
1 – 1 Aalesund
9/27
Stabæk
1 – 0 Molde
To read more about football in
Norway, visit www.uefa.com
S t and i n g s
Tippeligaen
1. Rosenborg 2. Stabæk
3. Strømsgodset
4. Odd
5. Viking
6. Vålerenga
7. Molde
8. Lillestrøm
9. Bodø/Glimt
10. Haugesund
11. Aalesund
12. Sarpsborg 08
13. Start
14. Tromsø
15. Mjøndalen
16. Sandefjord
PLD
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
PTS
58
50
46
45
44
40
37
35
35
31
29
28
21
20
20
13
6 • October 2, 2015
opinion
On the EDGE
An opinion column about current issues in
Norway and the United States—Join the conversation!
< research
From page 3
in the mid-1980s. He continued his investments abroad and left behind a
substantial fortune, a small part of which went to his wife Pauline, who
has previously given substantial grants to medical purposes. Braathen is
donating the remaining amount of her inheritance to the Trondheim research center.
Braathen is joined in making this gift by three of her late husband’s
nephew and nieces, who were also named in his will. They are making
their own contribution of USD $1 million in lasting memory of their uncle.
The new Egil & Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical
Microcircuits will be a central part of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, directed by May-Britt and Edvard Moser. The grant donation
of USD $6 million will be matched with a corresponding grant of USD $6
million from the Kavli Foundation in the U.S. This will triple the foundation’s existing capital fund.
By building up the foundation’s capital in Trondheim, these gifts
will produce a yearly return that will give lasting contributions to brain
research. The money will also be matched with a grant of 25 percent
through a government fund called the “gaveforsterkningsordningen”
(“gift enhancement arrangement”).
Braathen recently dedicated the Egil and Pauline Braathen Centre at
the Cleveland Clinic in Florida, where she and Egil had a home, and to
which she gave more than USD $30 million. She said that she felt it was
also very important and appropriate to celebrate her late husband’s success in his home country.
“I have a personal and special respect and affection for the University
Hospital in Trondheim because I know that Egil owes the continuance of
his life to a team of doctors who, at my request, came from Trondheim to
Oslo in 1995 to perform a new surgical procedure when all others could
not,” Braathen said.
The center will operate within the framework of the integrated university hospital, and will carry out brain research and cooperate with St.
Olavs Hospital. One of several projects aims to study cellular and neuralnetwork changes in early stage Alzheimer’s disease. This project will be
conducted alongside a substantial body of basic research which draws on
the strengths of the researchers at the center, and which is necessary for
understanding the mechanisms and consequences of early-stage Alzheimer-related changes in the brain.
Scientists call the cooperation between nerve cells in the cerebral
cortex cortical microcircuits. These microcircuits are the basis for all cognitive functions. The greatest advances in neuroscience are now being
made in this area, and this is also where May-Britt and Edvard Moser and
their research colleagues have made great contributions.
By conducting research on cortical microcircuits, the center must
necessarily take a long-term perspective on its work. The cross-disciplinary nature of research on cortical microcircuits also means different research groups at the center will be involved in the effort, which also offers
an opportunity for the center to grow and expand.
A basic understanding of how the brain works is needed to develop
diagnostics and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. But alone, it is not
enough, which is why the establishment of the Egil & Pauline Braathen
and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits will speed up research in
the direction of diagnostics and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Mind the gap
Photo: mSeattle / Flickr
What sort of society do we want?
David Moe
Sun City, Calif.
The income gap between the average American
worker and corporate CEOs is appalling. In 2014,
the average pay of a U.S. worker was $47,230. The
annual salary of the CEO of Microsoft was $84.3
million, the CEO of Walt Disney made $46.5 million, and the CEO of Wal-Mart took home $25.6
million. Does this sound reasonable?
The Securities and Exchange Commission voted recently to require public companies to disclose
the pay difference between the chief executive and
the average worker. The new rule, required under
the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, would require the nation’s 4,000 publicly traded companies
to disclose this ratio.
When I worked for an insurance company in
San Francisco, I had some stock with the company,
so I attended the annual stockholder meeting in
our auditorium. I had just been given my little 3%
raise, but at the meeting, the president gave himself
a $500,000 increase in about 30 seconds. He said
in a soft voice, “The board of directors voted to increase the president’s salary by $500,000 a year;
all in favor say ‘aye;’ opposed say ‘no.’” Most of
the people in the audience were elderly and hard
of hearing, so a few said “aye.” No one said “no,”
so it carried, but I doubt that most of them even
heard what he was saying. So it is with corporate
America.
The “Occupy Wall Street” movement drew attention to the wealth of the upper 1% and this recent vote by the SEC will prompt the debate about
income inequality and the effect it has on our economy. We are living in an era where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, so how
long can this continue?
Think about it before you vote next November.
David Moe was born in Minnesota
and graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1964
and received his M.A. degree from
San Francisco State University in
1975. He spent four years in the
Navy and 32 years in the insurance business. He is married to his
wife, Thordis, and they have two daughters and four
grandchildren. They now live in Sun City, California.
The opinions expressed in “On the Edge” are not necessarily those of Norwegian American Weekly, and publication of those views
is not an endorsement of them. Comments, suggestions, and complaints about the paper’s editorials should be directed to the editor.
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October 2, 2015 • 7
opinion
Letters to the Editor
Published since May 17, 1889
Do you have something to say?
Write to us at Norwegian American Weekly, Letter to the Editor, 7301 Fifth Avenue
NE, Suite A, Seattle, WA 98115, or email us at naw@na-weekly.com, subject line
Letter to the Editor. Letters may be edited for style, clarity, or length.
Climate change
Dear Editor,
NAW’s Vol. 126, No. 32, 9/11 issue carries a remarkably well-written and balanced
eye-catching article on climate change by
Thor A. Larsen, catalyzed into being by the
views of bio-physicist and Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Ivar Giaever.
Humans have a way of being either-orish and their holding on the climate issue is
no exception to that. Like so many, Thor understandably finds himself pulled this way
and that re his own position on the issue after having listened to both sides and humbly
shares his confusion for the benefit of your
readers. Many can readily identify with him.
Ivar likens the global warming worldview to a religion, and I think he has got that
right. His speeches, however, do not reveal an
understanding of the deep significance of that
observation. Why are so many fanatic about
global warming to the point of fundamentalist extremism? Why do so many on spaceship
Earth believe that global warning is the most
important issue ever to confront humankind?
Such mythological Hegelian extremism deserves an explanation, even though
the faithful of global warming do not wish
to hear it. They much rather prefer the view
that their interpretation of the issue is factual
(scientific). Why? Because they are mostly
atheists (apart from a slowly increasing
number of believers who have decided to see
the environment as “Creation” and nature as
global endowment for which the children of
God have been entrusted as stewards. Until
rather recently people of faith have shown
very little interest in environment affairs).
The hard fact-focused “science-people,”
those who “know” that it all started with a
Big Bang followed by unguided evolution in
a growing universe with no purpose, are increasingly suffering from the consequences
of deicide. They feel lost and need a story
which explains it all.
Those among them who are not blind
can see that humanity is doing all that it can
to destroy the biosphere as they fill it with
themselves. They suffer from “Growthmania” and even if Ivar is right in reminding
them that progress has made life better for
many, the continued physical growth that he
prefers (business as usual) is not ecologically sustainable. Ecological economics needs
to be given the place conventional economics now holds. A new paradigm is needed; a
self-imposed revolution.
A Nobel Prize is not needed to realize
that measuring global average temperatures
accurately is impossible. No thermometer
is required, however, to detect that human
nature and global nature are on a collision
course and to realize that modern humans do
not know how to derail onto the path of an
ecologically sustainable future.
I am a retired octogenarian Norwegian
environmental scientist who has personally
experienced the pilgrimage from concern
over point source pollution issues 60 years
ago to recognizing the importance of primary presuppositonal worldviews.
Sincerely,
R. Overby
Arlington, Va.
Dear R,
Thank you for your kind words in support of the article.
It does seem to be a problem when anything becomes like a religion, when people
take up beliefs without evidence—or even
despite it—and refuse to change them for
any reason. Surely some on both sides of the
climate change debate are guilty of this.
It seems to me, though, that it remains
possible to be a scientist in that dispassionate, fact-focused way. One who would never
claim to “know” about the Big Bang, having
not seen it, but who thinks it’s the most likely
explanation given the evidence at hand. Remember, most scientists—the overwhelming
majority of them—look at the data and see a
giant problem.
Here in Seattle, we just finished the earliest and hottest summer on record. Washington State had fires so huge that the smoke
choked us from hundreds of miles away, over
a mountain range, and against the prevailing wind. Yet these fires were dwarfed by
the ones still burning in California, again.
Hurricanes batter New York City, of all
places, while the Midwest and Northeast
freeze through one freakishly cold and snowy
winter after another. In summer, the Arctic
Ocean is more and more clear of ice, and
glaciers are shrinking worldwide.
It’s true that using limited human memory to judge what constitutes “change” is a
flawed tactic, but doesn’t it seem to anyone
else like the climate is changing?
Sincerely,
Editor
Hjalmar
by Nils Axle Kanten
Of course, that
doesn’t always
apply...
Siblings,
yet such
different
interests.
Yes, our environment
shapes us! Society
creates gender
stereotypes!
I just read that biology has
a great deal to say. Girls
and boys are different!
Han Ola og Han Per
Boys choose macho
toys and girls often
choose feminine toys...
by Peter J. Rosendahl, with new translations by John Erik Stacy
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My goodness, she has the
kidnappers up in a tree!
8 • October 2, 2015
Taste of Norway
A soup to herald the arrival of fall
Whether you engage in the beloved Scandinavian
pastime of mushrooming or simply find some at
the market, give this cozy autumn soup a try
Kyle D. Fulwiler
Former Washington State Governor’s Chef
Cream of Chanterelle Mushroom Soup
From Tasty Traditions, reprinted with permission of the Nordic Heritage Museum
2 1/2 pounds chanterelle mushrooms
4 ounces (1/4 cup) butter
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 cup flour
3 quarts chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. freshly ground pepper or to taste
2 cups cream
Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and stir well. Cover
pot and reduce heat to low. Sweat onions for 10 minutes until they are soft.
Add mushrooms and stir well. Add flour and stir mixture until the onions are evenly
coated.
Remove pan from heat. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Return pot to medium heat. Stir
frequently until soup boils. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook.
Add cream and cook just until soup is heated.
Photos: (above) Tine Mediebank, (left) Daytona Strong
Above: Nothing says autumn like creamy soup from in-season foragables.
Left:Recipe
Chanterelle
mushrooms
grow wild inamany
parts of by
the U.S.
Norway,
but be careful
if harfrom
Tasty Traditions,
cookbook
the and
Nordic
Heritage
Museum
vesting your own, You
as similar-looking
mushrooms
can
cause
gastrointestinal
distress.
can buy Tasty Traditions in the Gift Shop!
THIS YEAR! nordicmuseum.org
More info at
EXHIBITIONS
Finland: Designed Environments
March 12 – July 26, 2015
Diana Velasco: Dual Exposures
April 4 – June 21, 2015
Keep Clam and Carry On:
The Life of Ivar Haglund
August 13 – November 8, 2015
Skål! Scandinavia Spirits
December 4, 2015 – February 28, 2016
This week’s recipe brought to you by Scandinavian Specialties
the premiere Scandinavian marketplace in the Northwest
03.10, 07:30pm: Concert in Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood
STAVANGER CATHEDRAL BOYS’ CHOIR
04.10, 10:30am: Service in Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood
STAVANGER CATHEDRAL GIRLS’ CHOIR
04.10, 05:30pm: Concert in Lagerquist Hall, Tacoma
Ivan Sarajishvili, Organ and Piano
06.10, 07:00pm: Concert in Silverdale Lutheran Church, Silverdale
Elisabeth Barstad, Flute
08.10, 03:30pm: Small Concert in The Norwegian Seamen’s Church, San Francisco
Jorunn Lovise Husan, Mezzasoprano
08.10, 07:30pm: Concert in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco
Oddgeir Kjetilstad, Conductor
09.10, 07:30pm: Concert in Grace Lutheran Church, Palo Alto
10.10, 06:00pm: Service in Ascension Lutheran Church, Thousand Oaks
10.10, 06:45pm: Concert in Ascension Lutheran Church, Thousand Oaks
11.10, 11:00am: Service in The Norwegian Seamen’s Church, San Pedro
(8 7 7 ) 7 8 4 - 7 0 2 0 • 6 7 1 9 1 5 t h Av e N W, S e at t l e , WA 9 8 1 1 7
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travel
October 2, 2015 • 9
Ancient yet modern, safe yet violent, Israel is a land of contradictions
< israel
From page 1
things in Tel Aviv remain open than in Jerusalem—like restaurants and some shops—this
still limited our ability to see the city. On our
only day in town, most of what we wanted
to see—museums and two supposedly bustling markets—were closed or open for such
brief hours that we missed out. This left us
with Yafo and the beach (which, don’t get me
wrong, are both incredible). To get our lower
airfare we spent an extra day in Jerusalem,
but I wish we’d had it in Tel Aviv instead.
Three, don’t let the tour people bully
you into an upgrade; we went with base-level hotels and they were entirely acceptable.
Only upgrade if amenities like swimming
pools are vital to you. But if your trip is anything like ours, you won’t be spending much
time at the hotel anyway.
What’s awesome:
The age of the place. From Yafo (Jaffa),
the ancient port city at the south end of Tel
Aviv, to Tsfat (Safed), home of Jewish mysticism, to Jerusalem itself, it’s incredible to see
how history has layered itself in these places,
some of which have been continuously occupied for many thousands of years. For an
American, this can be hard to quite understand. It’s hard to know how much of any
given site is ancient and how much is new,
because the construction matches so well. In
many places it feels as if you’ve time-traveled
thousands of years—until you catch the blue
flicker of a television inside a building.
In Jerusalem, be sure to find your way to
the “roof” of the city. The level at which you
fight your way through aggressive vendors
and crowds of tourists is only the middle.
Older passageways are laced below, and
newer ones above. The locals use the roof to
bypass the throng below, but you can simply
use it as a place to enjoy the view.
The food. Your mileage may vary, but I
love falafel and shawarma in pita, hummus,
and cucumber and tomato. The only downside is that there’s no bacon anywhere.
I found the implementation of kosher
rules very interesting. Most restaurants do
not keep kosher, but those that do are labeled
as either meat or dairy (since the two are not
allowed to mix). You can have pizza, but
no meat toppings. Or you can have falafel
(Israel’s national food—possibly in a semiironic way?), which I never even noticed
was dairy-free. You can even go to kosher
McDonald’s (we did not) and get a “Big
American” burger, but you can’t add cheese.
Photos: Emily C. Skaftun
Top: An example of the ancient ruins of Roman aquaduct outside Caesarea, a port city built by Herod the
Great.
Above: Silhouette soldiers point their guns toward Syria.
Right: Bedouin hospitality in this case included dressing up for photos. Unfortunately, the sword and helmet were out of our price range, and had to stay in Israel.
The people. Get out of your tour group
and meet some real Israelis. We did this by
having dinner in a woman’s home (there are
any number of people willing to do this, but
we visited Iris: www.amechayeisrael.com).
For the cost of a rather expensive dinner we
had a truly fantastic dinner (with an obscene
amount of delicious food), two or three bottles of wine, and hours of conversation on
everything from American TV to cats to psychic powers to religion and politics. This was
easily the most enjoyable part of the trip.
Another high point was allowing ourselves to accept a little Bedouin hospitality in
the Old City. Of course, the shopkeeper would
have been happier if we’d ended up buying
one of his soft silk rugs, but he didn’t seem to
begrudge the conversation and tea we shared.
What’s challenging:
The heat. Ohmygod, why did we go in
July/August? I don’t recommend this. It was
around 100°F most of the time, and we always seemed to end up out in the open during the hottest parts of the day, like when we
visited Masada, the ruins of an impressive
200-year-old mountaintop fortress, at noon. I
like hot weather, but there are limits.
The ubiquity of religion. Even a religious person will feel the strain of this, I
suspect, because the three big “Western”
religions are all heavily represented and
have differing customs. Men have it relatively easy: for you it’s mainly a question of
whether hats are required or forbidden. As a
woman, I felt religion’s effects keenly. All
of the holy sites require “modesty,” but they
have differing standards and this is largely at
the discretion of the man (always man) at the
entrance. Is that skirt too short? Are elbows
immodest? This leaves as the safest course
wearing a lot more clothes than the summer
heat makes reasonable. Female travelers, I
recommend you carry a scarf in case your tshirt is suddenly deemed unacceptable.
Another issue is that many of the
Jewish holy sites, such as the Western
Wall, are gender-segregated. Couples
traveling together might find this inconvenient. Conditions on either side aren’t necessarily equal, either. I was shocked when
looking at my husband’s photos how large
the men’s section at the Western Wall was!
The fact that ideological violence is always just under the surface. Whatever your
feelings about Israel—and there are definitely
points to be made by all parties—the fact remains that the region is barely keeping itself
together. During our week there, we learned
of two ideologically motivated acts of violence. A house was set fire in the West Bank,
probably by Jewish extremists, and a toddler
inside was killed. And then, at the gay pride
parade that wound right past our hotel, an
ultra-Orthodox man stabbed six people.
(A quick look at the news shows that the
violence has only gotten worse since our trip,
with another war with Hamas looking like a
possibility. Yikes.)
One of the more interesting stops on our
tour was at a hilltop overlooking the Syrian
border. Part tourist stop, part military emplacement, it had metal soldier silhouettes
with weapons, and it also had real soldiers
with real weapons. The hill was catacombed
underneath with bunkers, but it also had a
café and gift shop. Coin-operated binoculars pointed toward the war-torn neighboring country, and from time to time we heard
large-caliber weapons in the distance.
To be in a country that in many ways
seems just like home, and then realize that a
horrific civil war is raging mere miles away
causes some cognitive dissonance. The fact
that Israel refuses to take in refugees, despite
being a country founded by refugees, despite
the memory of millions of Jews in need of
refuge during WWII, and what happened
to them when all the countries turned them
away… let’s just say I found it interesting.
I’ll sum up with a representative example from our trip, which can stand as a metaphor for the whole: our visit to the Dead Sea.
Everyone knows the Dead Sea is salty
as all get out. As of 2011 it was 34.2% saline
(and given that it’s losing around one meter
of sea level per year, that number is probably
higher now), about ten times more saline
than the ocean. In contrast, Utah’s Great Salt
Lake ranges from 5% to 27%—so even at its
saltiest it’s got nothing on the Dead Sea. But
this fact is pretty abstract. Going in we knew
were going to float, and that’s about all.
What we didn’t realize was that the
“beach” we’d be going to was made of sand
pure salt crystals (sharp!). We also didn’t realize the water would be quite so hot—like
shower water when someone else in the
house flushes the toilet. Even the freshwater
showers on the shore were uncomfortably
hot on that uncomfortably hot day. Finally,
we knew that we didn’t want to get the saltwater in our eyes or mouths, and we knew
not to shave before the visit, but we didn’t
realize that the water would sting the skin a
little bit even so—and more than a little bit
on more sensitive skin. It’s hard to keep water off one’s face when it’s on one’s hands,
and when one’s own salty sweat (less than
1% saline, and think of how much that can
sting!) is dripping into one’s eyes.
We did float, of course. You really can’t
help but float in it, even those who sink to
the bottom of swimming pools. It’s a strange,
funny feeling, and there was much laughter.
Am I glad to have had that experience? Absolutely. But overall, was our trip to the Dead
Sea fun? All things considered, I’m not sure
I can call it that.
And that’s exactly how I feel about the
trip as a whole: I’m entirely glad we went,
but it hasn’t made my list of places to return
to again.
10 • October 2, 2015
A monthly feature to share
with kids and grandkids
Barneblad
Brought to you by
Heidi Håvan Grosch
Sokk kosedyr
(Stuffed toys made from old socks)
What is trash, really? Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called Hector the Collector. It is about a boy who collected everything. He loved his treasures...
but "all the silly sightless people, came and looked... and called it junk." I love
what others throw away because almost everything can become art. In Norway ReDesign is popular. That is when you take something and make it into
something else. So over the next few editions of Barneblad, I will be sharing
some craft ideas that I tried with fourth through eighth graders this summer
at an art camp here in Norway.
Do you ever have the problem that when you go to sort your socks after
laundry day you have only one of a pair? Perhaps you have used that lone
sock to make a hand puppet, but have you ever tried making a stuffed animal? It’s easy and all you need is stuffing, an old sock, and some small rubber
bands (the kind you use in your hair or in crafts).
I got this idea from this website where you will find more complete directions: www.daneillesplace.com (Sock crafts for kids).
Instructions:
These are general instructions, but my Norwegian students didn't always care which part of the
sock was facing up. Some liked doing this so much
they made five stuffed toys! Use your creativity
and uncover which creature takes shape for you.
A tip: these would make great presents!
2. The arms: Use the same procedure as the
feet to make the arms.
3. The neck: Continue to fill the sock with
stuffing and wrap a rubber band around the neck
part. Before making the head, wind some yarn or
string around the rubber band legs and arms and
neck. This makes them stronger and if you don't
1. The feet: Take an old sock (or a new one if do this the rubber bands might pop off.
you want a specific color or type of sock) and stuff
4. Stuff the head and wrap a final rubber
the toe (have the heel part up). Make two feet by band at the top. Look at the examples to see what
wrapping a rubber band around a ball of stuffing some of my students did. Do you notice that some
in the filled sock. It is easier if you stick your fin- made a ponytail with the extra sock, and one
ger out from inside the sock to make a little ball pulled the stuffing out of the top to make hair!
of sock and stuffing you can then wrap a rubber Some sewed a mouth while others went without.
band around.
Anything goes, so have fun!
Photos: Heidi Håvan Grosch
norwegian american weekly October 2, 2015 • 11
obituaries & Religion
In Loving Memory
Do you have a loved one or friend who has recently passed?
Contact us at (206) 784-4617 or naw@na-weekly.com to place an obituary.
Geraldine “Gerry” Wells Hazel L. (Dahll) Adams
September 23, 1914 –
July 30, 2015
November 6, 1932 –
September 17, 2015
Geraldine “Gerry” Ellen Lansinger
Wells, age 100, of Friendship Village of
Dublin, died peacefully in the compassionate care of Kobacker House hospice on July
30, 2015.
The youngest of four, she was born in
Akron, Ohio, on September 23, 1914, to a
Norwegian immigrant mother, Sophie Rask,
and builder Fred Lansinger. She was a graduate of Mount Sinai School of Nursing in
New York City and later worked as an operating room nurse at Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland were she met
her husband, the late Dr. Jay Ross Wells, a
general surgeon, who practiced in Newark,
Ohio.
She is survived by her children, Dr.
Richard (Nancy) Wells of Guntersville,
Ala., Inga (Lary) Marler of Hendersonville,
N.C., and Eric (Marlene) Wells of Upper
Arlington. She was the loving grandmother
of Spencer (Alexandra) Wells of San Francisco, Calif., Catie (Ed) Kellett of Huntsville, Ala., Christopher Wells of New York
City, and Inga Wells of Upper Arlington;
and great grandmother of Emily, Henry, and
Tucker Wells. She was especially close to
her niece, Janice Frey, of Washington, D.C.
Hazel L. Adams, 82, of Aztec, passed
away on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, in Aztec. She was born Nov. 6, 1932, and raised
in Kimberly, British Columbia, to Johan and
Haldis Dahll. She had dual citizenship with
the United States and B.C. until she was 21.
Hazel worked as a Boeing analyst from
1964 to 1989, where she had the opportunity
to be part of Air Force One.
Hazel loved to travel with her husband,
George. They flew their planes all over the
country and took an RV road trip throughout
the United States in the late 1980s. She spent
time during the 1990s as the coordinator of
the Mangum, Okla., Rattlesnake Derby. As
someone interested in her Norwegian ancestry and the royalty from which she was
a descendant, she loved to paint, including
rosemaling, a decorative Norwegian type of
folk painting. She was active in the Lutheran
Church, teaching Sunday school and vacation bible school, but her greatest accomplishment was the influential role she played
in her grandchildren’s lives.
Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, George Adams; and grandchildren,
Rachel Hodges and Kris Willhight. She is
survived by her son, Bill Adams; daughter, Dian Jackson; grandchildren, Bethanne
O’Keefe, Jamie Willhight, Byron Willhight,
Leeah Leonard, Andrew Willhight, Crystal
Chatterton, Amanda Adams, and Mark Adams; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Pastor Larson’s Corner
Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years
in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he
published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose,
preaching with power.” Contact him at jerlarson@visi.com
Servants
During my teenage years my mother
worked for Dayton’s, a major department
store in downtown Minneapolis. She enjoyed her work, but one thing that frustrated her was Dayton’s liberal return policy.
She worked in dresses and she knew that
some people would buy a dress, wear it for
an occasion, and then return it to the store
with a complaint. The idea that the customer is always right bothered her when
she knew otherwise. As it turned out, Dayton’s was way ahead of its time in the area
of customer service. Today, every business
seminar in the country tries to get businesses to see the importance of putting the
customer first. It can be very difficult to
convince business owners that their success depends upon good customer service.
Someone else who was way ahead
of his time when it comes to serving was
Jesus. When His disciples began to argue
about who was the greatest among them
Community Connections
G rat u l erer m e d Dagen !
Happy birthday /
engagement / etc!
Your name and
message here!
Leif Kenneth Halverson
Minneapolis MN
JoAnne Jorud
Alexandria MN
Adelaide Lyng
San Diego CA
Kristin Sundt
Minneapolis MN
2. oktober
Heidi Dragston Barcia
Reno NV
Susan Gaw
Scottsdale AZ
Reidar Hammer
Marysville WA
Ingrid D. Nass
Portland OR
Joan Rodican
Reno NV
Elizabeth Tharaldsen Samuelsen
Ft. Detrick MD
Inger Strand
Belmont CA
3. oktober
Anne Petersen Bugge Staten Island NY
Carl H. Christensen Santa Monica CA
Margit Erlenmeyer
Thief River Falls MN
Alf G. Nelson
Redlands CA
Ralph Norland
Duluth MN
Clifford Røsby
Wautoma WI
Wilhelmine Schytte
Vardø Norway
4. oktober
John Holmes
Arne Lorentzen
Stanwood WA
Staten Island NY
5. oktober
Drew Gardner
Seattle WA
6. oktober
Borghild Helland
Santa Monica CA
Marie Johnson
Bothell WA
Marie Erstad Johnson
Seattle WA
Chris Mebust
Seattle WA
Darlene Nordos
Minneapolis MN
Mona Olsen
McLean VA
Thomas Ostby
Thief River Falls MN
Susie Schroeder-Knudsen
Simi Valley CA
Hilma Tvede
Sacramento CA
7. oktober
Ivar Bidne
Northwood IA
Eddy Collins
APO
Nathan Gaw
Scottsdale AZ
Marlene Isane
Badger MN
Melvin Larson
Fargo ND
Emma Nordgaard
Bellingham WA
Clifford Røsby
Wautoma WI
Arlys Schlick
Portland OR
Olga Titland
Seattle WA
8. oktober
Jean Easop
Raleigh NC
Torres J. Kvia Valley AB Canada
Norman Eric Nass
Boise ID
Alf B. Soma
Redwood City CA
Want to see your birthday in the Norwegian American Weekly?
Email naw@na-weekly.com or call (206) 784-4617. Must be submitted one month in advance.
NB: Has someone on our birthday list passed away? Please notify us!
and who would lead them in the future,
Jesus said this: “Anyone who wants to
become great among you must be your
servant.” Jesus surprised His disciples by
making it clear that leadership and greatness would come from service.
Traveling the road of servanthood can
be a difficult and taxing way to live. Like
putting the customer first, it might seem
like foolishness to some. During the past
few weeks the media has been reflecting
upon the life and work of former president
Jimmy Carter. After his presidency Carter
devoted himself tirelessly to serving others. He journeyed far and wide promoting
peace and working to improve habitat for
people all over the world. His life of service has set him apart as a world leader
and has produced a lasting legacy. President Carter’s life of service can be both an
example and an inspiration to all who seek
to follow the way of Christ.
For more information, call
us at (206) 784-4617 or email
naw@na-weekly.com.
SOlie
Funeral Home
and Crematory
Honoring • Caring • Serving
3301 Colby Ave. Everett, WA 98201 (425) 252-5159
The Scandinavian Hour
Celebrating over 50 years on the air!
KKNW – 1150 AM
Saturdays 9 – 10 a.m. PST
Streaming live on the internet at:
www.1150kknw.com
LEWIS O. TITLAND
C e r ti fi e d P u b l i c A c c o u n tant
(206)789-543 3
2 2 1 1 s t A ve . W . St e . 4 0 0
Se a t t l e , WA 9 8 1 1 9
Quality Accounting & Tax Services for:
Sma ll b u sin e sse s
In d ivid u a ls
Sp e cia lize d Assista n ce
12 • October 2, 2015
in your neighborhood
What’s going on in your neighborhood?
alaska
19th Annual Scandinavian Bazaar
Oct. 10, 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Anchorage, Alaska
Please join Bernt Balchen Lodge! Visit the
Velkommen Café; the menu includes pølse—
reindeer hotdog wrapped in lefse with Swedish mustard—open face sandwiches, soups,
and Scandinavian desserts. The Bake Sale
features handmade lefse and homemade
cookies, cakes, and breads. The Silent Auction will have many items. Vendor tables will
feature jewelry, knives, artwork, blankets,
woodcarvings, rosemaling, and more! Call
Viking Hall at (907) 349-1613 for more info.
california
Vikingfest
Oct. 10, 10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Vikingfest is Freya Lodge’s annual celebration
of all things Norwegian: from live Viking reenactments to modern art and pottery, Nordic arts and crafts, traditional foods, cultural
demonstrations, genealogy, Taste of Norway
lunch, fresh waffles, and coffee. Free admission. At Norway Hall. For more info contact
(707) 894-1807 or visit www.freyalodge.org.
Turid Jespersen Heritage Day
Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Mission Viejo, Calif.
Join Turid Jespersen #44, Daughters of Norway for this year’s Heritage Day at Norman
Murray Community Center. There will be baking demonstrations, Scandinavian vendors,
the display of Olaf Engvig’s Viking ship (full
size), and a portable store with food for sale
provided by San Pedro Norwegian Seamen’s
Church. Contact Berit at (949) 496-2554 with
questions. Free.
florida
Gulf Coast Vikings Lodge
Oct. 9, 5:00 p.m.
Fort Meyers, Fla.
It’s time to reconnect and embrace old friends
as well as meet and make new friends! Sons
of Norway, Gulf Coast Vikings Lodge 3-683
will hold their first meeting of the 2015-2016
season at the Plantation at Somerset. After
entering the gate, continue straight until you
get to the fourth right turn. The community
center is the large building on the right. Bring
a dish to share and BYOB, and a $5 donation
as always. Please RSVP to Maxine Batrawi at
(239) 405-4026.
Florida Viking Fest
Oct. 10, 2:00—8:00 p.m.
Tampa, Fla.
Join the Scandinavian Trade Association—
Tampa Bay for a Buffet Dinner, stage performance, outdoor reenactment by Wyrd Brothers Entertainment, Viking Folklife Village, and
silent auction at the Florida Viking Fest! The
dinner is $25 for adults and $10 for children
under age 10. Please make dinner reservations asap at www.statampabay.org. The outside event is $5 for adults and free for children K-12. At the Tampa Garden Club.
illinois
90th Anniversary of Leikarringen
“Heimhug” Norwegian Folk Dancers
Oct. 11, 12:00 p.m.
Park Ridge, Ill.
Celebrate the 90th Anniversary Celebration
of Leikarringen “Heimhug” Norwegian Folk
Dancers of Chicago at the Park Ridge Country
Club! Meet and greet, performance, dinner,
and music for dancing by The Dave Kyrk Trio.
Reservations with $50 payment (to Leikarringen “Heimhug”) should be sent by Oct. 3
to Barbra Kronborg-Mogil at 815 Sylviawood,
Park Ridge, IL 60068. For more info, contact
(847) 823-7596 or kronmo815@gmail.com.
Visit the Viking Ship
Oct. 17, 1:00—4:00 p.m.
Geneva, Ill.
Visit the Viking ship, a real, full-size replica of a
ninth-century Viking ship that sailed across the
Atlantic in 1893. Docent-led tours begin every 30
minutes. You’ll learn of Viking construction, journey, and significance. Cost is $5 to enter the park
and $5 for adults, $3 for teens to tour the ship.
Skjold Lodge Meeting
Oct. 18, 3:00—5:00 p.m.
Palatine, Ill.
Skjold Lodge supports the Sons of Norway Foundation, and this meeting includes a free pot luck
meal where everyone is encouraged to bring a
dish to share. While making a tax-deductible donation is not required as part of the meeting, Skjold Lodge hopes you will help the foundation as
you can. The afternoon’s raffle includes a variety
of nice gifts. At the AUYA Ukrainian Center.
iowa
From Underwear to Everywhere: Norwegian
Sweaters
now—April 24, 2016
Decorah, Iowa
From humble beginnings as a warm layer under
a vest and jacket, Norwegian sweaters are now
worn all over the world, for almost every occasion. Learn about the symbolism behind patterns
and colors and consider the technology and artistry of this iconic garment. At Vesterheim.
Massachusetts
Boeur Sabat Concert
Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m.
West Newton, Mass.
The Scandinavian Cultural Center and Sons of
Norway Norumbega Lodge present Boeur Sabat.
Combining profound love of folk music and extensive jazz training, Elise Boeur (Violin, Hardingfele) and Nate Sabat (Upright Bass) reach into the
depths of the Norwegian and Swedish folk traditions to bring out the inner pulse. At the Scandinavian Cultural Center.
Minnesota
Jim Plumier Lecture on “The Runestones”
Oct. 9, 7:00—9:00 p.m.
Isle, Minn.
Minnesota’s Runestone is a 200-pound slab of
greywacke covered in runes. The inscription purports to be a record left by Scandinavian explorers
in the 14th century. There has been a drawn-out
debate on the stone’s authenticity, and Jim will
share his expertise and experiences related to the
stone. At Isle Recreation & Education Center.
NAHA 90th Anniversary Celebration
Oct. 10, 12:00 p.m.
St. Paul, Minn.
Celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Norwegian-American Historical Association at the Minnesota History Center with a festive luncheon
and panel discussion, “The Future of Our Past.”
Cost is $45, which includes admission to History
Center exhibits. To register or for more info, visit
naha.stolaf.edu or call (507) 786-3221.
Myths of the Rune Stone Book Talk and Signing
Oct. 14, 7:00 p.m.
St. Paul, Minn.
Author David M. Krueger will give a talk and sign
copies of his new book Myths of the Rune Stone:
Viking Martyrs and the Birthplace of America at
Subtext Books.
Myths of the Rune Stone Book Talk and Signing
Oct. 16, 12:00 p.m.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Join author David M. Krueger for a brown bag
lunch as he gives a talk and signs copies of his new
book Myths of the Rune Stone: Viking Martyrs and
the Birthplace of America at the Institute for Advanced Study, University of Minnesota. Visit ias.
umn.edu/2015/10/16/krueger for more info.
Check www.na-weekly.com/events for complete listings
Calendar of Events
Afternoon Recital
Oct. 24, 2:00 p.m.
Moorhead, Minn.
Sponsored by the Rosanna Gutterud Johnsrud
Daughters of Norway Lodge, the concert will feature the lodge namesake’s daughter Sonja Johnston, pianist, and Rosanna’s granddaughter, Joanna Johnston, vocalist, performing music by Grieg
and other composers. Free will offering. Light refreshments served following the concert. At the
Concordia College Christiansen Recital Hall.
new york
Two plays by Marius Leknew Snekkevåg
Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m
New York, N.Y.
Marius Leknes Snekkevåg’s plays will be performed as part of the SATContemporary Reading
Series. Based on comments posted on Norwegian
internet newspapers and sewn together with
the playwright’s own words, We Are the Voice
of Our People juxtaposes internet debates with
real human interactions. In I Love You, Let Me Go
the couple Jon and Siv meet regularly with their
neighbor, Martin, who suddenly announces he
has a new boyfriend. The mysterious relationship
mirrors the couple’s inability to move on from a
tragedy in their lives. At Scandinavia House; free.
The Northern Lights: A Magic Experience
Oct. 17, 11:00 a.m.
New York, N.Y.
With photographer Fredrik Broms, Norwegian
solar physicist and director Pål Brekke created a
documentary combining animation, time-lapse
cinematography, and NASA satellite solar imagery that takes the viewer on a journey through
space. Pål Brekke will introduce the film. A talk
about his experience as a longtime observer
of the Northern Lights follows. At Scandinavia
House. Cost is $7 or $5 for ASF members.
ohio
Leif Erikson Luncheon
Oct. 9, 11:30 a.m.
Cleveland, Ohio
Scandinavians and friends are invited to the
Ohio Norsemen’s annual Leif Erikson luncheon
at Shooters Restaurant on the left bank of the
Flats. Gather outside the restaurant at the bronze
sculpture of Leif at 11:30 a.m. At noon there will
be a traditional Skål, followed by lunch on your
own. Please reserve by Oct. 5 by calling (440)
979-0681.
oregon
The Princess and the President Talk
Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.
Salem, Ore.
Roosevelt Historian Scott W. Larsen will discuss
the friendship between Crown Princess Martha
of Norway and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. At
Thor Lodge #42 Sons of Norway Masonic Temple.
texas
NST Leif Eiriksson Banquet
Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m.
Richardson, Texas
Norwegian Society of Texas celebrates its 40th Jubileum at Canyon Creek Country Club. The guest
speaker will be Ambassador of Iceland to the
United States, Geir H. Haard. Tickets are $45.00.
For registration and more info go to www.norwegiansocietyoftexas.org or contact mamoore@
NorwegianSocietyofTexas.org by Oct. 8.
virginia
Discussion of Thomas Enger’s Burned
Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Fairfax, Va.
The Reading Circle of the Washington D.C. Sons
of Norway will meet to discuss Thomas Enger’s
Burned. Enger is considered one of the top four
crime novelists in Norway today, and Burned is
his chilling debut novel. Contact Christine Foster Meloni to RSVP at cfmeloni@hotmail.com
and to receive info about the location.
Washington
Ornamental Woodcarving with Erik Holt
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25, 9:00 a.m.—3:30 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
Learn Baroque Acanthus, Rococo, and Viking/
Dragon styles in this class. Tool sharpening
and basic carving techniques will be covered
for beginners. Continuing students will develop their own projects. There will also be
a special beginners-only class on Oct. 3. No
tools or experience necessary. Visit Instructor
Erik Holt’s website for more info about cost,
tools, and supplies: www.nordicdragon.com.
Nordic Festival
Oct. 10, 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Edgewood, Wash.
Enjoy traditional music, arts & crafts, Viking
artifacts, and traditional foods. There will also
be prize drawings all day; tickets are $1 each.
Admission is $2; children under 12 free. For
more info contact: Festival Chair Diane Nelson
at (253) 370-0730 or dlnelson25@comcast.
net. At Edgemont Junior High School.
Soup and Cinema: Elling
Oct. 13, 12:00 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
Join the Nordic Heritage Museum for soup and
a showing of Elling. When his mother, who
has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a would-be poet, is sent to live in a state
institution. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a
gentle giant and female-obsessed 40-year-old
virgin. Pumpkin soup with fresh bread, coffee,
and cookies will be served. $10 for members;
$15 general. Purchase tickets at www.eventbrite.com/e/soup-and-cinema-october-ellingby-petter-nss-tickets-18124214012?ref=estw.
Scandia Fall Fest
Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m.
Port Townsend, Wash.
Enjoy a bake sale, Nordic arts & crafts, pea
soup lunch, kids’ craft area, Nordic Knits jewelry and vendor booths, Leikkaringen dancers,
live Scandinavian music, and demonstrations
of lefse, krumkake, and æbleskiver. Contact
(360) 379-1802 or katrina4u@cablespeed.com
for more info. At Blue Heron Middle School.
Taste of Scandinavia
Oct. 17, 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Kennewick, Wash.
Join Sol-Land Lodge for a free, fun family
event showcasing the arts, crafts, stores, music, and culture of Scandinavia. There will be a
Kaffe Stua with traditional soups, open-faced
sandwiches, coffee, and cookies from 11:00
a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At Kennewick First Lutheran
Church. Free! For more info contact Nancy
Holter at sol.land.lodge@gmail.com or (509)
375-0919 or visit www.sol-land.org.
Mead Making
Oct. 17, 2:00—5:00 p.m.
Seattle, Wash.
Erik Newquist, founder of Everett’s Æsir
Meadery, leads this hands-on introduction
to the art and science of mead-making at
the Nordic Heritage Museum. You’ll depart
with handouts, instructions on caring for and
drinking your mead, and a tasty gallon of
this ancient drink. Bring your own materials
and ingredients or Erik will provide them for
a materials fee of $50. Cost includes a ticket
to return to see the museum’s upcoming
Skål! Scandinavian Spirits. $50 for members;
$55 general. Buy tickets at www.eventbrite.
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norwegian american weekly October 2, 2015 • 13
In your neighborhood
Dancing for decades Trio from Rogaland
Leikarringen “Heimhug” celebrates 90
years of folk dancing and friendship in a
special performance this October
tours the Midwest
Nancy Andersen
Chicago
What could give a better glimpse of
Norwegian folk culture in action than a good
folk dance group? Leikarringen “Heimhug”
has been doing just that for 90 years now, in
the Chicago area and many other locations.
Leikarringen “Heimhug,” founded in 1925,
is the oldest Scandinavian dance group in the
Chicago area. “Leikarringen” means “ring
dance,” and “Heimhug” is a longing for
home, the feeling experienced by the Norwegian immigrants who originally formed
the group.
Most of the Leikarringen “Heimhug”
members are of Norwegian heritage, but
they welcome anyone who would like to
learn Scandinavian dances. Dance experience is not necessary. Their costumes are all
authentic folk costumes, mostly “bunads”
(folk costumes) representing various regions
of Norway, but also a few Danish and Swedish costumes.
Leikarringen “Heimhug” tries to keep
their repertory as authentic as possible.
Some dances are learned from research, or
from guest instructors, but they say the best
way to learn is from dance groups visiting
from Norway. Most of their dances are Norwegian, but they also perform dances from
other Scandinavian countries. A new twist
is their “Nygammel” (“New old”) dances,
which they have choreographed to go with
new versions of old folk tunes.
The first thing viewers notice after seeing their beautiful costumes and their confident execution of various dances is that they
are having fun! And the dancers’ enjoyment
of what they are doing is infectious: smiles
spread across the watching crowd, heads nod
and toes start tapping. Karl Pearson, dancer
and dance instructor for the group, states, “In
order for the group to be successful it must
have fun… If you have a passion for what
you do, it shows.”
Folk dancing and Leikarringen “Heimhug” have actually brought about some romantic connections over the years. Lynn and
Tom Maxson laughingly told me that when
they met years ago at a Sons of Norway
International Convention, they danced, he
stepped on her toes a few times, and she told
him, “You’re the worst dancer I ever met!”
Later, he was convinced to join Leikarringen
“Heimhug” and learned to dance from patient members, and no one could ever guess
that he was once less than polished. Two other couples in the current group found their
mates through the dance group. In fact, Karl
Pearson was lured away from another dance
group by a fascinating young lady dancer in
a green bunad, who would become his wife,
Glenna.
The theme, past and present, has been
having fun as well as preserving their Norwegian heritage. Barbra Kronborg-Mogil
recounted that she and her sister joined as
teenagers, and that some members have been
with the group through raising their children
and even dancing as a group at their children’s
weddings. The dancers meld into a kind of
family, supportive of each other in tough times
and celebrating good occasions together.
The current dancers tell of wonderful
experiences with Leikarringen “Heimhug.”
They have performed at many different
Scandinavian festivals throughout the Midwest. Current president Tom Maxson recounted how the group performed at Navy
Pier in Chicago and was asked to serve as a
color guard for a visiting Tall Ship from Norway, after which they met then-Mayor Daley.
Another time, at a Wheaton College concert,
they performed to some of Edvard Grieg’s
Norwegian Dances. Every year they are the
face of Norway, dancing at the “Christmas
Around the World” event at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Leikarringen “Heimhug” will celebrate
their 90th anniversary on Sunday, October
11, 2015, with a performance, dinner, and
dancing to live music. If you would like to
help them celebrate, search the group online,
download the reservation form, and send it
with payment by October 3.
Photos: (left) courtesy of Kjell Inge Torgersen, (right) courtesy of Uppstad and Waade
Norway’s “Sting,” Kjell Inge Torgersen (left), will perform with comedic storytellers and musicians Per Henning
Uppstad and Odd Ragnar Waade Ommundsen (right) on a Midwest tour.
Leslee Lane Hoyum
Rockford, Minn.
Prepare for an awesome and entertaining evening with three very talented guys
from Stavanger, Norway. You can see them
In Dalton, Minn., Fargo, N.D., Brookings,
S.D., and Minneapolis, Minn. Their programs are exceptional opportunities to experience contemporary Norwegian music and
lively storytelling that appeals to all generations.
Per Henning Uppstad and Odd Ragnar
Waade Ommundsen, a well-known duo in
western Norway, represent a new kind of
storyteller—the kind who doesn’t take cheap
shots at others. Rather, they put words and
music together to represent the small things
in life, occasionally frustrating or absurd,
and so small that they may be experienced
in only fleeting moments, moments to which
we all can relate.
Uppstad and Waade Ommundsen are
seasoned entertainers, and their humor is
deeply rooted in the traditions and peculiarities of everyday life in Norway. Their music
is inspired by Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon,
and James Taylor, and Charlie Chaplin inspires their humor.
The third member of the dynamic trio is
Kjell Inge Torgersen, who combines his extraordinary musicality with playful humor.
He’s a musician, singer, composer, and lyricist. In Norway, his countrymen liken him
to Sting. Why not? He’s translated most of
Sting’s work to Norwegian and he somewhat
resembles him.
This is an exceptional opportunity to
experience contemporary Norwegian music
and lively storytelling. It’s a program for all
ages.
Tour dates:
Dalton, Minn. (near Fergus Falls)
Oct. 4, 2:00 p.m.
Dalton Opera House, 109 Summit Ave.
Contact John Halvorson at (218) 589-8157.
Open to the public and free.
Fargo, N.D.
Oct. 6, 6:45 p.m.
Kringen Club, Sons of Norway, 722 2 Ave.
N. You are welcome to have dinner at
Kringen, too, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. for just
$11 per person. For information, call (701)
232-9222. Open to the public and free.
Brookings, S.D.
Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Fiordland Lodge, Sons of
Norway, First Lutheran Church, Mission
Coffeehouse Activity Center, 8th Street and
Main Ave. For information, call (605) 6933763. Open to the public and free.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Oct. 11, 5:00 p.m.
Danish American Center, 3030 West River
Parkway. $15 at the door and includes a
light meal. For more information, call (612)
874-0716 or go to www.leifmn.org.
Headed south for the winter?
Call us to have your address
change automatically to your
winter address so you don’t miss
a single issue of the Weekly!
The “Heimhug” family poses for a group portrait.
Photo courtesy of Leikarringen Heimhug
Call (206) 784-4617 or email
subscribe@na-weekly.com to set
up your snowbird account.
14 • October 2, 2015
norwegian heritage
A Norwegian Enigma in America
Oslo literary festival explores Knut Hamsun’s literary legacy
M. Michael Brady
Asker, Norway
At noon on Saturday, September 5, the
main auditorium of Litteraturhuset (“The
Literature House”) in Oslo, was filled to
capacity. The mélange of writers, literary
figures, students, and readers had come to
hear a panel of five discuss “Knut Hamsun
in America” on the final day of the annual
Norwegian American Literary Festival. After a round of applause an hour and a half
later, they left, having benefitted from new
insights into the life, work, and mentality of
the great Norwegian writer who when still
in his 20s had spent four years in America.
The scope of the panel discussion reflected the expertise of its members. Ane
Farsethås, who moderated the discussion, is
recognized for her benchmark essay “Knut
Hamsun and literary merit.” She is now the
Culture Editor of Morgenbladet, the Norwegian weekly known for its literary coverage.
Two other members of the panel were Norwegians. Tore Rem, a professor of English
literature at the University of Oslo, is also a
writer. His most recent book is Reisen til Hitler (“Trip to Hitler”), an analytical account
of Hamsun’s visit to Hitler on June 26, 1943.
Karl Ove Knausgård is a contemporary Norwegian author, best known for six autobiographical novels, Min Kamp (“My Struggle”).
Two members of the panel were Americans. John Jeremiah Sullivan, the keynote
speaker, is a contributing writer to the New
York Times Magazine, a Harpers contributing editor, and an editor for The Paris Review. English-born James Wood was the
principal reviewer for The Guardian before
relocating in New York in 1995. He is now a
critic for The New Yorker and a Professor of
the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard
University.
In just 15 minutes, keynote speaker Sullivan presented his recent research on Knut
Hamsun’s two stays in the U.S., from February 1882 to the autumn of 1884 and from the
autumn of 1886 to the summer of 1888. His
first stay began in Elroy, Wisconsin, where
his elder brother Peter had a general store.
Peter was unable to provide financial help or
lodging, so Knut took odd jobs at low wages.
He couldn’t afford to rent a room unless he
shared its expense with another renter. He
found a man willing to share, Will T. Ager,
an American of British heritage who taught
at the local high school. The two got on well,
and much of what Sullivan discovered about
Hamsun’s stay in Elroy was written by Ager
and published later in The American Book
Collector, a monthly magazine for biblio-
Photos: (left) Public domain, (right) Whitmore Rare Books
Left: Hamsun in public transit conductor uniform, Chicago, 1884.
Right: First edition of Hunger, 1899.
philes. Sullivan reckons that many of the
traits that were to mark Hamsun’s character
surfaced during his stay in Elroy, including
his dislike of the British and his disenchantment with American society.
In 1889 Hamsun published his first book,
Fra det moderne Amerikas Aandsliv (“From
the Cultural Life of Modern America”), an
amusing and occasionally vitriolic attack on
the New World (first English translation in
1969). The book was widely regarded as diatribe. But Georg Brandes, the Danish critic
and scholar who at the time greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature,
praised it. That encouraged Hamsun to continue unabated.
He had been working on his first novel,
Sult (“Hunger”), of which one of its four
parts had been published anonymously in
Ny Jord (“New Ground”), a Danish literary
journal. Rumors that something larger was
in store circulated in Danish-Norwegian literary circles. It was. Sult was published in
1890 by Philipsen of Copenhagen.
That was a turning point at which a
chance encounter first made Hamsun’s work
accessible in English. Writer George Egerton
(the pen name of Mary Chavelita Dunne
Bright) had spent two years in New York
and then two years in Norway, where she
met and had a brief affair with Hamsun. She
acknowledged her infatuation by dedicat-
ing Keynotes, her first book, to him with the
words: “In memory of a day when the west
wind and the rainbow met.” She went on to
translate Sult. The translation was finished in
1895. But at the time, the literary community
of London was in crisis. Oscar Wilde, one of
its foremost figures, had been imprisoned for
homosexuality. After his trial, no publisher
would consider a new radical literary work.
But one did. Leonard Smithers, a publisher involved in the Decadent Movement,
accepted the Sult translation, and published
Hunger in 1899. Its reception was chilly. The
Academy, a review of literature published in
London, was shocked by the book’s storyline
and even more so by its minimalistic cover,
designed by illustrator and mystic William
Thomas Horton. In its “Literary Week,” The
Academy sniffed that “Scandinavia’s contribution to the world’s store of morbid literature is increased this week.”
Despite the cool initial reception of
Hunger, Hamsun went on to be the most
prolific of the Scandinavian writers prominent in twentieth century literature, of which
three Norwegians had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1903), Knut Hamsun (1920), and Sigrid
Undset (1928). The list of Hamsun’s publications includes 20 novels, six plays, three
collections of short stories, and two volumes
of poetry. He was an innovative literary styl-
ist whose works influenced many authors,
including Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Henry Miller, and Ernest Hemingway. Polishborn American author Isaac Bashevis Singer,
who was awarded two U.S. National Book
Awards and the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature considered Hamsun to be “the father
of the modern school of literature in every
aspect.” Yet Hamsun remains not very well
known in America.
That conundrum was the challenge of
the panel discussion that followed the keynote presentation of Hamsun’s life in America in the 1880s. The panelists agreed that
though the details of Hamsun’s unconventional career were well known, their underpinnings were not. What, for instance, was
the source of Hamsun’s enchanting grip on
his readers? Writer Knausgård reckoned that
tragicomedy might be involved, as Hamsun
had associated with the poor figure played by
Charlie Chaplin. Keynote speaker J.J. Sullivan pointed out that pinning down any one
cause might be elusive, as Hamsun’s influence was “everywhere yet nowhere.” The
panel discussion ended with more perplexing questions than it had faced at the outset.
Yet it had shed light on the place of America
in the life of an enigmatic author.
This year’s Norwegian American Literary Festival (NALF) was the fourth. The
first was put together by Frode Saugestad, a
Norwegian literary scholar who specializes
in the modern novel. He has ties to America
and lives in part in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From 2007 to 2010 he was a post-doc
in comparative literature at the Center for
Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) at Harvard
University and is now a visiting fellow there.
The NALF has few of the frills of a literary conference. It has no printed program.
Its website at www.nalf.info provides only
a schedule of the times and venues of its
events. There are no nametags. Its promotional material consists of postcard-sized flyers, printed on both sides. It has no publisher
backing. Attendance is free. Founder Frode
Saugestad still MCs the NALF and is its oneman press corps. A free video of the 2015
keynote event, “Hamsun in America” is online at: livestream.com/accounts/11147584/
events/4316265.
Litteraturhuset, the venue for NALF,
was inspired by the German tradition of
Freie Literaturhaus, of which there are many
in Germany and now in other European
countries. Each year Litteraturhuset hosts
some 700 events and attracts nearly a quarter
of a million visitors, a record for European
houses of literature. If you’re in Oslo it’s
worth a visit; further information at www.
litteraturhuset.no (in Norwegian, with information pages selectable in English).
MULLAVEY, PROUT, GRENLEY & FOE
Attorneys and counselors at law
2709 SAN PABLO AVE — BERKELEY, CA 94702
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norwegian american weekly arts & entertainment
Reel news
From the Norwegian Film Institute (nfi.no)
Bølgen (The Wave) is Norway’s first disaster movie.
In a historic year, Norwegian cinema is
more present on the international scene than
ever, according to the CEO of the Norwegian
Film Institute.
Fourteen new Norwegian films—from
Norway’s first disaster movie to five family
pictures, drama, comedy, horror, scheduled
for domestic release during the rest of year—
were introduced at the Norwegian Film Institute’s presentation of the upcoming season at
Oslo’s Film House on August 11.
The Norwegian Oscar Committee decided on Sept. 2 that Norwegian director Roar
Uthaug’s The Wave (Bølgen) will be Norway’s
official candidate for the Oscar-nominations
as Best Foreign-Language Feature.
Based on the April 7, 1934, real-life
tsunami in Norway’s Tafjord, which left 40
people dead, the first Nordic disaster movie
opened at August’s Norwegian International
Film Festival in Haugesund and was domestically released on August 28 to register
136,293 admissions in the opening weekend,
the third best result ever for a Norwegian film.
In John Kåre Raake and Harald Rosenløw Eeg’s original screenplay, history is
about to repeat itself at the Geiranger Fjord,
where a geologist realizes there are 10 minutes till the inferno hits. Kristoffer Joner,
Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, and Fritjof Såheim star in Uthaug’s fourth feature,
which was produced by Martin Sundland
and Are Heidenstrøm, for Fantefilm Fiksjon.
Three weeks after its national opening,
The Wave was this year’s best-performing
Norwegian feature, having reached 523,847
admissions as No. 1 on the charts.
“The Wave is Norway's—and the Nordic countries’—first disaster movie; as a
genre film with a well-written script, superbly directed, with great acting performances,
the committee believes that it will make an
impression in the Oscar race,” said chairman
of the Norwegian Oscar Committee, CEO
Sindre Guldvog, of the Norwegian Film Institute.
Photo courtesy of Norwegian Film Institute
The committee made the final choice
from its own shortlist, also including Norwegian directors Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken’s
Returning Home (Å vende tilbake) and Anne
Sewitsky’s Homesick (De nærmeste).
Martin Dahlsbakken’s Returning Home
is the first feature by the director, who also
wrote and produced the film about two
young brothers who are forced to track down
their missing father. He has recently returned
after serving as an officer in Afghanistan for
nearly a year, and now he has disappeared
during a reindeer hunt in the mountains.
Anne Sewitsky’s Homesick follows
Charlotte (27) who meets her brother Henrik
(35) for the first time as adults with no idea
what a normal family is. Ragnhild Tronvold
and Sewitsky scripted the unusual family
drama with Ine Marie Wilmann and Simon J.
Berger in the leads. It was produced by Synnøve Hørsdal and Åshild Ariane Ramborg,
for Maipo Film.
The Wave celebrated its international
premiere at the Toronto International Film
Festival on September 16. The Wave and
Joachim Trier’s Louder than Bombs (Norway’s first Golden Palm contender in Cannes
for 36 years), both sold to almost 100 countries, accompanied Homesick in the Contemporary World Cinema sidebar and two
entries in the Short Cuts program, Halfdan
Ullmann Tøndel’s 32-minute Bird Hearts
(Fuglehjerter) and Det sporadiske filmkollektivet’s Oslo’s Rose (Oslos rose).
Roar Uthaug’s The Wave was also selected for the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas,
and the BFI London International Film Festival.
In addition, it has been sold for American distribution to Magnolia Pictures. Magnolia has previously released several Norwegian films including Headhunter, Trollhunters, Ragnarok, Pioneer, and Happy Happy,
and is eyeing a U.S. release of The Wave in
early 2016.
Join our community!
******
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Call (206) 784-4617 or email naw@na-weekly.com for details
October 2, 2015 • 15
Book review:
Thomas Enger’s Pierced
Christine Foster Meloni
Washington, D.C.
Pierced, the second novel in Thomas Enger’s Henning Juul series, is just as
breathtaking as the first.
In Burned, investigative reporter Henning Juul has just returned to work after taking an extended leave of absence. He was
scarred physically and emotionally by a fire
in his apartment and the resultant death of his
young son Jonas. Henning suspects the cause
of the fire was arson, but he has no evidence
and no suspects.
His arson theory continues to obsess
Henning in Pierced. He is surprised and encouraged when he receives a call from Tore
Pulli, a man incarcerated for murder in Oslo
Prison: “If you clear me, I will tell you who
was responsible for your son’s death,” Tore
tells Henning.
Henning desperately wants to know who
is responsible, but can he trust Tore? Doubt
lurks in his mind. If I help Tore, will Tore or
can Tore help me? Who framed Tore? Was he
framed? Is he actually guilty? Is he simply
using me? Henning decides he has no other
promising options, so he agrees to help Tore.
In a parallel story, Torleif Brenden, a
cameraman for TV2, is approached by a
criminal and ordered to carry out a murder.
When Torleif objects, he is told that he had
better follow orders unless he wants to see
his girlfriend and children dead.
Like Henning, Torleif feels he has no
choice. He is given a deadly needle and
ordered to pierce the victim with it (hence
the title). To his surprise, he gets away with
murder. However, he realizes that he must
disappear. He knows the identity of the men
responsible and they will certainly want him
dead so that he will not talk.
Suddenly, the paths of these parallel stories cross. The man Torleif is ordered to kill
is none other than Tore himself, the man who
may have key information related to Henning’s apartment fire and son’s death. Henning is devastated at Tore’s death. Now he
has yet another case to solve.
Enger is very skillful at developing
strong, believable characters and at creating plots that engage the reader. We want
to know who caused the fire. We want to
know who framed Tore. We want to know
who killed Tore. We are constantly in a state
of high anxiety as both men, Henning and
Torleif, are pursued by dangerous men. Henning is out in the open and vulnerable; Torleif tries to hide, but he too is vulnerable. We
find ourselves on the edge of our seats!
Scarred, the third novel in the Henning
Juul series, is currently available in English
translation. Enger now has a total of six novels in this remarkable series.
Christine Foster Meloni is
professor emerita at The
George Washington University. She has degrees
in Italian literature, linguistics, and international
education. She was born
in Minneapolis and currently lives in Washington, DC. She values her
Norwegian heritage.
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16 • October 2, 2015
back page
< nukes
Norwegian Language Corner
NORWEGIAN FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES and TROLLS
From page 3
Norway
Sweden
Volume 2
With 21 classic folk tales, fairy tales, and trolls from Norway in Norwegian and English, “Tuss og Troll” is now
serialized in the Norwegian American Weekly’s Norwegian Language Corner. The stories are from the collections
of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, and retold by Øyvind Dybvad, Gard Espeland, Velle Espeland,
Johannes Farestveit, and Nana Rise-Lynum. Translated by Alexander Knud Huntrods and Odd-Steinar Dybvad
Raneng. Illustrated by Solveig Muren Sanden, Jens R. Nilssen, and Ralph A. Styker. “Tuss og Troll” was edited,
designed, and published by Deb Nelson Gourley of Astri My Astri publishing. Copyright © Norsk Barneblad.
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blazes in recent years while submarines have
been under repair.
2011 saw a serious fire occur aboard
Russian Delta class nuclear submarine the
Yekaterinburg while she was dry docked
at a shipyard in the northwestern Russia
Murmansk Region. The blaze was believed
to have been in the torpedo compartment.
While officials denied the vessel was loaded
with nuclear weapons, two subsequent disclosures indicated otherwise.
“After the 2011 fire, Norway understood
this to be an event it should have been informed about,” said Bellona executive director and nuclear physicist Nils Bøhmer.
The current bilateral deal is a strengthening of one signed in 1993. This occurred at
what Bellona terms “a time of utter collapse
of nuclear and radiation safety in the former
Soviet Union.”
According to the Norwegian Foreign
Minister, the agreement will include observation of large-scale nuclear naval exercises
on a regular basis. These operations, which
Russia has invited Norway to observe, are
scheduled to take place more often, where
the new procedures will be tried out.
“The joint notification procedures confirm once again that cooperation between
Norway and Russia in this field is helping
to build trust and enhance security on both
sides of the border,” concluded Brende.
Other bilateral deals between Norway
and Russia include a 2013 agreement allowing Norwegian experts to help Russia handle
radioactive waste in a safe manner.
And then along came the fourth SatFor further information contact:
Diane Nelson, Festival Chair
urday evening. You guessed it! There were
253-370-0730 or
three knocks on the door of the fox’s house.
dlnelson25@comcast.net
Sápmi
“You go out and see what is going on,” said
the widow to the servant girl. When the cat
went out, there stood a fox on the doorstep.
“Good evening, thanks for the last time
we met,” said the fox and bowed.
“Thank you and the same to you,” answered the girl servant.
“Is Mrs. Fox at home?” he queried. Aye,
that she is.
EIVIND FUNNEMARK
“What is she doing this evening, is she ill
or is she well? the fox asked.
Fra din Berit og alle
“She grieves over her husband’s death
dine venner i Sons
and weeps so that her nose is sore and red,”
said the girl servant, “the poor dear is at her
of Norway, Vinland
wits end, she is!”
Lodge, Temecula
“Just ask her to come outside, and she
og Turid Jespersen
will be given good advice,” said the fox. So
Daughters of Norway,
Kate went back inside.
“Who is it that is scampering about and
Laguna Hills.
banging on my door so there is no rest to be
had?” asked the mistress of the house.
Ønsker deg lykke til
“Well,” said the cat who was the ser2.NAW.Holand.CMYK.20March2014.qxp_Layout 1 3/20/14 7:37 PM Page 1
vant, “it is your suitor it is. I am to ask you to
med den store dagen!
go outside and you will receive some good
advice.”
“What color is his coat?” asked Widow
Fox.
WINNER of 2 National Awards!
“Beautiful, a lovely red, just the same as
History of the Norwegian Settlements:
the one who is dead,” answered the cat.
A translated and expanded version of the
The widow smiled like the sun. “Dear
1908 De Norske Settlementers Historie and the
1930 Den Siste Folkevandring
me, well ask him in, he has good advice!”
Sagastubber fra Nybyggerlivet i Amerika
said she. But then she came to think about
By Hjalmar Rued Holand
dressing herself up for this fine suitor.
• Immigrants in the Midwest 1830-1870
“Give me my socks so small, so with him
• 512 pgs, hardcover, 6″x9″, Smyth sewn
I can stroll; give me my shoes to lace, as with
• Includes 32 pgs of full-colored maps
• = $39.95 with FREE shipping in the USA
him I would go any place,” said Widow Fox.
She dressed in front of her mirror and made
The 63-chapter non-fiction book lets readers
trace the trails of 3,800 indexed immigrants
herself as beautiful as possible, and finally
through Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota
the suitor was allowed to come inside.
and the Dakotas as they explore new frontiers
Aye, him she wanted, and so there were
and tame the wilderness. In English only.
invitations to make and suddenly there was
Call, send a check or visit website
a wedding at Widow Fox’s house. All the foxMade in America!
es in the forest were guests, they flickered
Astri My Astri Publishing
www.astrimyastri.com
and scurried and they hopped and danced.
Deb Nelson Gourley
Phone: 563-568-6229
And if the bridegroom has not been to the
602 3rd Ave SW, Waukon, IA 52172
gourleydeb@gmail.com
henhouse, then he and Widow Fox are still
living in their house this day today.
Community Connections
Gratulerer med 90 års dagen Oktober 5. 2015!
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October 2, 2015 - The Norwegian American

Transcription

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