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November 2008
Swedish Advent Service in Augustana Lutheran Church
Posted by Susanna at 10:03 AM, Nov 29, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
ADVENT SERVICE in Swedish will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at 4 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2100 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. The Rev. Ib Pihlblad from the Church of Sweden in New York will officiate. Ambassador Jonas Hafström will extend Christmas Greetings to the Swedish Community. There will also be a Lucia procession, and after the service “kyrkkaffe” (coffee) in the social hall. The Swedish congregation is collecting unwrapped toys to be distributed to children in a Washington shelter. Augustana Lutheran Church will hold its annual Lucia Fest (in Swedish and English) on Sunday, December 14, 2008, at 5 p.m.
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Swedish Christmas Bazaar at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.
Posted by Susanna at 10:51 AM, Nov 28, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
SWEDISH CHRISTMAS BAZAAR at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.: Saturday, December 6, 2008, 12 noon – 6 p.m., with participation by the Swedish organizations of the Washington, D.C. area. Lucia procession at 5:30 p.m. Suggested donation $2 at the door. House of Sweden, Embassy of Sweden, 2900 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007.
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Short Takes
Posted by Susanna at 11:36 AM, Nov 27, 2008 (Comments)
Category: People
PAUL VOLCKER, at 6 foot, 7 inches or about 2 meters tall, towers above most folks and has a commanding presence. Although a lot of people grumbled about his tough anti-inflation policies when he was chairman of the Federal Reserve in the 1980s, he is widely credited with doing a lot better job of managing the economy than his successor Alan Greenspan. As key adviser to President-elect Barack Obama during his campaign, he warned of a credit collapse. Now at the age of 81 years old the poor guy is going back to work. President-elect Obama has picked him to head a new economic advisory panel. Who knows, maybe Mr. Volker’s 401K tanked like everybody else’s, and he needs the money.
MEANWHILE, Vice President-elect Joe Biden was re-elected to a seventh term in the Senate on election day, even though he was also elected to the vice presidency that day. Seems he wanted to make sure he had a hand in the selection of his successor who will be appointed by the Delaware governor, Ruth Ann Minner. Gov. Minner announced earlier this week that she will be appointing Sen. Biden’s longtime aide and chief of staff Edward Kaufman to fill Sen. Biden’s Senate seat when he resigns to accept the vice presidency. Kaufman, 69, says he intends to retire in two years, leaving open the possibility that Sen. Biden’s son Beau, who currently serves as the Delaware state attorney general, to run for the Senate seat in 2010. Beau Biden, 39, declined the opportunity to be appointed to his father’s Senate seat now, saying he wanted to fulfill his obligation to the Delaware Army National Guard. He is currently serving a tour with his Guard unit in Iraq.
AFTER A BRIEF but heated competition among the top private schools in Washington, Sasha and Malia Obama will going to the fancy Sidwell Friends in Northwest D.C. Top Obama aide Greg Craig was lobbying for the girls to go to Maret, while Eric Holder, the future Attorney General in the Obama administration, was said to be rooting for Georgetown Prep because that is where his kids go to school. However, it is reported that the two ultra-cute Obama girls have bonded with Sen. Biden’s grandchildren who are enrolled in Sidwell, which was founded by the Quakers and operates in the Quaker tradition. Moreover, Sidwell has the advantage that its programs and facilities for both 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha were on the same campus. The combined tuition for the two girls may run as high as $60,000 a year.
THE SIDWELLL mission statement argues, "The Quaker belief that there is 'that of God' in each of us shapes everything we do at Sidwell Friends School." Unlike many Quaker schools, Sidwell is not attached to a particular Friends meeting, but many of its trustees are Quakers and the emphasis on open-minded pursuit of excellence and understanding is enforced by weekly worship meetings. Community service is integrated into the school day.
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Jackson Art Center Winter Open Studios in Georgetown
Posted by Susanna at 9:56 AM, Nov 26, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
JACKSON ART CENTER'S traditional Winter Open Studios, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., will be held on Sunday December 7th, 12 to 5 p.m. Address: Jackson School in Georgetown, 3048 1/2 R Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007
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American Artwork
Posted by Susanna at 9:35 AM, Nov 25, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
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Historic Swedish Ship Kalmar Nyckel Still Under Sail
Posted by Susanna at 1:44 PM, Nov 24, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
KALMAR NYCKEL was one of two ships dispatched from Gothenburg in 1638 to establish the first Swedish colony in the New World. The Kalmar Nyckel brought 24 settlers to a “country so divinely beautiful that they called the area Paradise Point,” and they established New Sweden on the Delaware coast.
IN THE 1990s, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation was formed to build a modern, full-scale replica of the original ship, and Peg Tigue headed the foundation and its efforts to raise money to pay for the construction. In 1997, the new Kalmar Nyckel was launched commemorating the 360th anniversary of its arrival on the Delaware coast.
PEG TIGUE, who is now retired from the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, shared the story of the building of the replica of the famed ship in a presentation to the Swedish American Cultural Union at a luncheon on November 19 at the Pier 7 Restaurant in Washington, D.C. She described the painstaking work of the craftsmen who sought to recreate the details of the original ship, showing colorful photographs of the ship’s woodwork, its launching and its voyages.
THE KALMAR NYCKEL is now berthed at the riverfront on the Christina River in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, and tours are possible by making arrangements in advance. For more information, call (302) 429-7447 or visit www.kalmarnyckel.org.
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Traditional SWEA Bazaar highlights celebration of Christmas
Posted by Susanna at 3:18 PM, Nov 23, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
ONE OF THE high points of Swedish culture and tradition is the celebration of the Christmas season – the food, the music, the trappings provide a rich environment of wonderful celebration and good times with family and friends. All combine to create a time of joy and delight in the darkness of the season.
SWEA (the Swedish Women’s Educational Association) in Washington, D.C., helped Swedes and non-Swedes alike in the Washington area celebrate these traditions with its annual Christmas Bazaar at St. Columba’s Church in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, November 22.
THERE WERE hotdogs, shrimp and salmon sandwiches (open-face Swedish-style), hot Glögg and lots of tasty sweets to eat. There were also tablecloths and other textiles, and homemade baked goods like cardamom cakes and saffron buns for sale, as well as Swedish Christmas music CDs, advent candelabra and foodstuffs such as Swedish cheeses, red cabbage and mustard. The temptations were many, and surely no one left with an empty stomach or without a lot of Christmas goodies.
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New Perspectives at Photo Show at Parish Gallery in Georgetown
Posted by Susanna at 3:29 PM, Nov 22, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
Gwen and Norman Parish, together with artist Patricia UnderwoodTHE PHOTO exhibition “More Than You Know” debuted at the Parish Gallery in Georgetown on Friday, Nov. 21. Featuring a select group of diverse photographers, most of whom or maybe all of whom are people of color, the show presented an eclectic mix of realism, stories, and abstract images that express a range of emotions and perspectives.
FEATURED ARTISTS included Irene Abdou, Harlee Little, Sonnie Mason, Bruce McNeill, Aida Muluneh, Chinaedu Nwadibia, Stan Squirewell and Zoma Wallace.
THE SHOW was an important part of Washington’s Foto Week, a celebration of the works of many photographers as a multiplicity of venues throughout the city.
THE PARISH is owned by Norman Parish and is located at 1054 31st Street, N.W. in Washington. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12 noon to 6 p.m. Telephone: (202) 944-2310.
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Glamorous Grand Gathering At The Lumas Editions Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Posted by Susanna at 9:58 AM, Nov 21, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
DURING FOTO WEEK DC, Lumas Editions Gallery in Washington, D.C., held its grand opening on Thursday night, November 20. The gallery already has locations in New York, Boston, Miami, Berlin, Paris and Zurich.
THE HOSTESS for the evening was Susannah R. Pegg, the gallery's lovely director, and the guests could listen to wonderful lounge music by Mobile DJ Donald Syriani.
LUMAS HAS created a new space on the popular M Street in Georgetown for art, which offers collectors and art lovers a diverse selection of works by over 120 established and emerging artists. On the occasion of the grand opening, Lumas presented DOUBLETAKE, a show of works by the artists H.G. Esch and Robert B. Haas. Architectural Digest describes the show as “Contemporary photographic editions by exciting newcomers and renown artists, expertly chosen, captivatingly produced and, above all, affordable.”
LUMAS GALLERY is located at 3307 M Street, N.W. It's open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Telephone: (202) 510-9725.
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Annual Book Fair at the National Press Club
Posted by Susanna at 10:34 AM, Nov 20, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB 31st Annual Book Fair and Authors Night in Washington, D.C., was held at the club on Tuesday, November 18. It is one of Washington’s largest literary events, and hosted more than 80 authors this year. Children’s books, cookbooks, photography books, Washington exposés, histories, and best-selling fictions were all represented.
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Dramatic Late Fall Day in Maryland
Posted by Susanna at 1:29 PM, Nov 18, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Travel
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Privatskola för Sasha och Malia?
Posted by Susanna at 7:44 AM, Nov 17, 2008 (Comments)
Category: People
NÄR BARACK OBAMA nu valts till USA:s näste president, blir det en stor omvälvning för familjen Obama att flytta till Washington och Vita Huset. Och för döttrarna Sasha, 7 år, och Malia, 10 år – ”The First Children” – blir det att byta privatskolan, University of Chicago Laboratory School, i Chicago mot en skola i Washington, D.C. Många undrar om det blir en kommunal skola eller privatskola. I Washingtons storstadsområde finns det ett oändligt antal utmärkta – och kanske mindre bra -- privatskolor, men det är alltid ett lika känsligt ämne för politiker – främst demokrater -- som förespråkar bättre kommunal eller statlig (icke-privata universitet är delstatliga och militärhögskolorna är federala) utbildning och sedan sätter sina barn i privatskolor. Så var det när Hillary och Bill Clinton valde exklusiva Sidwell Friends School i Washington för dottern Chelsea. Det fanns de som talade om hyckleri. Amy Carter, president Carters dotter, var det sista presidentbarnet, som studerade vid kommunala skolor, Washingtons Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School och Hardy Middle School. Det som gör det än svårare är att Washington är ökänt för dåliga kommunala skolor, med undermålig undervisning, bråk, nedgångna lokaler, bristande säkerhet, sociala problem och med den stora majoriteten av elever från mindre bemedlad minoritetsbakgrund.
MEN DET ÄR mycket dyrt att studera vid privatskolor, med en årsavgift på 25.000 dollar och däröver per år – och då är det inte internat! Många barnfamiljer väljer därför att bo i förorter som Chevy Chase, Bethesda och Potomac i Maryland, och McLean, Fairfax och Great Falls i Virginia, där de kommunala skolorna är utmärkta. Nämnas kan också att privatskolorna inte sällan har religiös anknytning. Det kanske mest kända undantaget är Washington International School.
En anledning till att många familjer väljer privatskolor är att det är tradition i familjen, att tidigare familjemedlemmar gått i samma skola, och att det ger utmärkta kontakter och innebär prestige. Privatskolorna har större betydelse i USA än exempelvis Sverige.
I skolkretsar – efter vad jag har hört -- diskuteras nu vilken skola Michelle och Barack Obama väljer för sina två döttrar. Det troliga är att det blir en privatskola, och det innebär en enorm prestige för den utvalda läroanstalten. Precis som i Sverige med de kungliga barnen.
DEN KANSKE MEST berömda läroanstalten är del av den stora och imponerande anglikanska (Episcopal i USA) katedralen, Washington National Cathedral, där det finns tre skolor: St. Albans (för pojkar), med före detta elever som Al Gore, Beauvoir School (småskolan för flickor), och National Cathedral School (för flickor från fjärde året och uppåt), och med elever som döttrar till exempelvis toppolitiker som senator Ted Kennedy och vice-president Dan Quayle. Några kvarter längre upp på Wisconsin Avenue ligger Sidwell Friends School. En annan av toppskolorna är Maret School, där kung Hussein och drottning Noor av Jordanien hade barn. Men det finns många fler privatskolor i området. Jag hörde från en bekant, en fransyska som är chef för franskavdelningen på en av dessa privatskolor, att det går många rykten om skolvalet, exempelvis att Clintons rekommenderar Sidwell Friends. Eller att en av Obamas verkliga topprådgivare, som var elev på National Cathedral School, förespråkar Maret (måste haft en dålig erfarenhet?). The Washington Post berättar att det dock är möjligt att det blir Georgetown Day School (med en avgift på 28.000 dollar per elev och år!), en skola som liknar barnens skola i Chicago och som var Washingtons första rasintegrerade läroanstalt. Tidningen påpekar också att Obamas juridiske rådgivare Eric H. Holder, Jr. (det var han, som tillsammans med Caroline Kennedy, gick igenom vice-presidentkandidaterna och var ansvarig för valet av Joe Biden), som är av afroamerikanskt ursprung, sitter i styrelsen i den skolan.
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Art viewing of American-born artist living in Sweden
Posted by Susanna at 10:52 PM, Nov 16, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
ON SATURDAY November 15th the Millennium Arts Salon in Washington, D.C., had a viewing of new prints by Rachelle Puryear and Billy Colbert. This represents the 2nd print collaborative between Millennium Arts Salon and Pyramid Atlantic. The prints follow the theme “Between East and West,” in this case artists living in Eastern United States and Western Europe. Rachelle Puryear was born in Washington, D.C., and now lives in Stockholm. Her etching called “Litchen Rock,” reflects her love of nature and abstraction.
AMERICAN-BORN artist Rachelle Puryear has lived in Sweden since 1974, the year she followed in the footsteps of her brother, sculptor Martin Puryear, by attending the Swedish Royal Academy of Art in Stockholm. Although she has a master’s degree in African art history, Puryear is primarily a printmaker and was one of the first silkscreen instructors at the Royal Academy in the Swedish capital. Despite her physical distance from her native country, this project suggests the artist’s ongoing engagement with the American experience and the cultural history of black Americans.
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Fixation party draws over 700 Washingtonians
Posted by Susanna at 2:32 PM, Nov 15, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
THE ARTS IMPRESSARIA Philippa Hughes’ big Fixation event on Friday night, November 14, at The Fight Club on Ninth Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., drew well over 700 “ultra-cool” Washingtonians to enjoy a wonderful photography exhibit, listen to the House Music presented by The Jones and DJ Anish and watch the skateboarders strut their stuff on the indoor skatepark at the Fight Club. Peruse the photos below of the ultra-cool denizens who showed up in their edgy outfits – everything from latest designer duds to thrift shop finery.
PHILIPPA IS making quite a name for herself. And she is quite the party fixer. Her latest PR coup was getting her photo in Washington Life Magazine’s list of “Nightlife” people and being included in what the magazine calls D.C.’s “sexy and sophisticated set.” (On a personal note, I formerly worked for Washington Life, which is Washington premier society magazine and is the publication of record for who’s cool and hip, stylish, rich and famous.)
WASHINGTON LIFE called Philippa the “queen bee of the D.C. creative scene and founder of the Pink Line Project (www.pinkline.org). As the magazine points out, Philippa is dedicated to promoting local artists, and paints the town in unique fashions that no one else is wearing. If you wannabe cool in D.C., or if you’re just passing through, hook up with the Philippa’s exciting parties and events.
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Grey and dreary day… almost like in Sweden
Posted by Susanna at 11:22 PM, Nov 14, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Travel
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Parties and Events in Washington, D.C.
Posted by Susanna at 9:20 AM, Nov 13, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
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Art at the French Embassy, Washington, D.C.
Posted by Susanna at 9:25 AM, Nov 12, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
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Swedish Clothing Chain Ad Everywhere
Posted by Susanna at 8:40 AM, Nov 11, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Design & Art
EVERY YEAR the giant Swedish clothing chain H & M calls on a designer to put his or her imprint on their clothing lines for the holiday season. This year, H & M has a beautiful red, white and black full-page ad in many newspapers including the Sunday New York Times Styles section and everywhere on line announcing that the designer is Comme des Garçons.
MEANWHILE, while retail stores are suffering and are more or less empty in the United States and elsewhere, IKEA, the Swedish furniture chain, appears to be doing just fine. At their College Park, Maryland, location, customers were fighting for a parking space this past weekend… No recession at IKEA…?
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Howard Dean Declares the Republicans are going through a ‘Dr. Phil-moment’
Posted by Susanna at 9:41 AM, Nov 9, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
I FOUND Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean in triumphant, even euphoric mood on Wednesday, the day after Barack Obama’s victory in the national election. Being his usual handsome self, his eyes were sparkling with the excitement of winning, beating the same Republicans who had won the last two elections with George W. Bush, a man many Americans had come to view as “the worst president in history.” Mr. Dean was at the Press Club to join with Republican National Committee Chair Mike Duncan to talk about and analyze what happened and why the majority of American voters chose the man with the funny name to become the first African American president in history.
MR. DUNCAN was a game participant in the discussion, but he obviously was not having near as good a time as Howard Dean. “The Republicans are going through a Dr. Phil moment,” Mr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont and presidential candidate in 2004, declared. The Republicans were struggling to figure out where they had gone wrong. ”You can’t write off big parts of the country,” he added. It was Howard Dean who was one of the primary architects of the Democrats’ 50-state strategy to have an aggressive presence in every single state, including the red states, and be more competitive in purple states or swing states. Of the never ending primaries: ”They were never part of the 50-state strategy,” laughed Mr. Dean.
”THERE IS a huge generational divide in this country. It is important for the new political generation -- led by president-elect Barack Obama -- to put partisanship and divisiveness on the side,” said Mr. Dean.
“There is a mandate to stop fighting about things that were relevant 20 years ago. Elections are always about the future in the U.S. Barack Obama is a historical candidate, and his campaign may be the best one ever. Previously, we lacked the skills to communicate a message. We are now turning a page on history.”
He noted that 26% of the voters have been contacted by the Obama campaign, and 64% of them voted for the democrat. Mr. Obama’s campaign even reached out to groups that the Democrats traditionally have had difficulties.
“When it comes to the traditional evangelicals, we can try to come to some common ground -- for example on poverty, the climate change and Darfur.”
MR. DUNCAN countered with the Republican position that “we are still a center-right country.”
“No, this is a moderate country,” declared Mr. Dean.
Mr. Duncan acknowledged that the Republicans would have to ”listen to the voters all over the country” after their defeat on Nov. 4. “We were outspent 4 to 1. Obama has liberal ideas, but embraced a moderate agenda and campaigned as a moderate.”
One of the questions from the luncheon audience asked Mr. Dean about negative advertising. He admitted that negative ads do work, “but if they go too far, they work against you.”
MR. DEAN did manage to find an opportunity to compliment Mr. Duncan and the Republicans. “I don’t know how good you (the Republicans) are to run the country, but you are good at running the RNC and especially fundraising.” The RNC has raised about five times the money that the DNC – about $59 million compared to the DNC’s $11 million.
Howard Dean also noted the importance of internet-based media in President-elect Obama’s successful campaign. When he ran for president in 2004, he said, “YouTube didn’t exist. Instead we had Dean-TV,” he said, to big laughter.
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November Evening in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Posted by Susanna at 9:45 AM, Nov 8, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Travel
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Road to Freedom Exhibition at The Smithsonian
Posted by Susanna at 10:48 AM, Nov 7, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
AN OPENING reception was held on Thursday night, November 6th, for the ”Road to Freedom” -- an exhibition about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement -- at The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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Election Day in Washington
Posted by Susanna at 1:38 PM, Nov 6, 2008 (Comments)
Category:
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Ed's Election Erection Update
Posted by Susanna at 1:33 PM, Nov 4, 2008 (Comments)
Category: People
MONDAY MORNING, bright and early, it seems a Democrat just couldn't take looking at Ed's big McCain sign. She stopped, got out of her car and managed to knock the sign down, even though it was made with two stout 4" x 4"s. (She must be one strong woman.)
Fortunately, for Ed, his neighbors, most of whom are Obama supporters, came to his rescue and helped him re-erect his McCain sign. After all, everybody has a right to have their say.
No doubt the feelings are running high. But it will all be over tonight.
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Ed’s Election Erection
Posted by Susanna at 9:27 PM, Nov 2, 2008 (Comments)
Category: People
ED, OUR FRIEND, is a Washington lawyer who lives in the upscale Washington suburb of McLean, Virginia, and a good Republican. He was tired of seeing all the Obama signs in his neighborhood. They were everywhere. Once more, his neighbor was holding several fundraising events for Barack Obama. What was he to do?!?!?
TWO NIGHTS AGO we were invited to his house for dinner. As we came around the corner and approached his house, the first thing we saw was a huge McCain-Palin sign. It turns out he went down to the local McCain headquarters and bought the biggest sign they had. Then he erected it in front of his house, along a busy thoroughfare so that everybody would know who he stood for. That would show them, right?
Except a few days later, an equally huge sign for Obama/Biden appeared just down the road. The competition responded and the fight was on.
So it goes during the closing days of the presidential campaigns in the neighborhoods of hotly contested Virginia.
WHEN IS THE LAST TIME you saw a political sign of any size in the front yard of a Swede? Don’t know if that has ever happened.
The Americans sure have a different way of dealing with presidential campaigns. But who knows, maybe the Swedes will be not far behind. More than a few Swedish politicians have made their way to the U.S. over the last few weeks to observe the tactics of the American campaigns. Maybe next election season in Sweden, we will see the big signs in the front yards as well.
Ed says that if McCain wins on Tuesday, Nov. 4, his sign will stay up a long time. What about if Obama wins? Ed’s not saying what he’s going to do. But it won’t be a happy day for him.
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Amerikanska presidentvalet närmar sig
Posted by Susanna at 3:22 PM, Nov 1, 2008 (Comments)
Category: Events
