January 2009

Sen. Lugar speaks at The Woman's National Democratic Club

Posted by Susanna at 10:59 PM, Jan 29, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

Barbara Stout, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (Republican, Indiana), and The Woman's National Democratic Club Chairwoman Karen Hansen Shook

THE WOMAN'S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB had the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate over to speak at a dinner on Wednesday night this week. Sen. Richard Lugar came to speak to the Democrats and was applauded and cheered for his remarks.

"PRESIDENT OBAMA is my friend," said Sen. Lugar. "He comes with good spirit. He's a president we are proud of."

SEN. LUGAR, from Indiana, addressed the issues of U.S. debt, troubled banks in the United States and Iceland, the stimulus bill, Afghanistan and Iraq, our carbon footprint, nuclear proliferation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the two-state solution in Israel, voting rights in Washington, D.C., making U.S. foreign policy more collaborative, and the need for more regulation in the nation's financial systems.

THE 76-YEAR-OLD REPUBLICAN Sen. Lugar was very eloquent, knowledgeable and gracious with the members of this club of Democrats. Would that all members of Congress were so good at being a statesman.

Sen. Richard Lugar

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Scenes from the Inauguration

Posted by Susanna at 11:03 AM, Jan 29, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

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Breakfast Celebration Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted by Susanna at 8:32 AM, Jan 29, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

Congressman John Lewis speaks at the event.

THE 18TH Annual Breakfast Celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., organized by Madeline Y. Lawson and the Institute for the Advancement of Minority and Multicultural Medicine, was held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Jan. 18, just two days before the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Among the honorees recognized at the breakfast were civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis, D-Ga., and Ambassador Peter N.R.O. Ogego of Kenya, President Obama's father's home country. Several ambassadors attended the breakfast as well as the Kenyan foreign secretary.

Congressman John Lewis, standing in the middle

The Willard InterContinental Hotel

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Expressionistic Portraits and Self Portraits by Peter Steiner

Posted by Susanna at 8:34 AM, Jan 17, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Design & Art

Peter Steiner

PETER STEINER, a former cartoonist for The New Yorker and now full-time portrait artist, presented his latest paintings in a show titled "Portraits and Self-Portraits" at an opening reception sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum at the Embassy of Austria on Thursday, Jan. 15.

THE SON of Austrian immigrants to the United States, Mr. Steiner's portraits capture a variety of emotions and personalities in a series of vivid expressionistic paintings.

THE EXHIBITION will run through April 17, 2009, at the embassy, located at 3524 International Court in Northwest Washington. For more information, visit www.acfdc.org.

Peter Steiner

Portraits by Peter Steiner

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"So Happy To Be Here" - Swedish Group Jaerv Plays at House of Sweden

Posted by Susanna at 3:49 PM, Jan 15, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

The Jaerv group members Markus Gustavsson, Tobias Hedlund, Anders Bergsten, Joel Hagen and Harald Nilsson, with Linda Tocchini-Valentini on the far left and Mats Widbom on the far right, who are staff members with the Swedish Embassy.

"WE ARE SO happy to be here. We didn't know what to expect," said Joel Hagen, the flutist with Jaerv, the Swedish folk music group, which performed on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.

JAERV'S LIVELY folk music thrilled the crowd with pieces that also often showed influences from folk music with origins beyond the shores of Sweden, as well occasional influences of jazz and pop music

THE MEMBERS of the group - Markus Gustavsson, violinist and vocalist; Tobias Hedlund, percussionist; Anders Bergsten, who plays what appears to be an old-fashioned version of the violin; Joel Hagen and Harald Nilsson, guitarist - are all students at the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg. Included in their two-week trip are also visits and performances in Pennsylvania, Maine and Massachusetts. They had to fly back to Gothenburg on Monday because their classes start then.

Jaerv performs at House of Sweden

Martin Johansson

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Obama-mania in Washington

Posted by Susanna at 8:44 PM, Jan 13, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Travel

 A WEEK BEFORE the American presidential inauguration -- on a cold and gray day -- several stores in Georgetown in Washington, D.C., were displaying their Obama decorations in anticipation of the inauguration celebrations. A festive cascade of red, blue and white -- and gold and silver -- was covering the shop windows to honor the President-elect.

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Roller Derby events in Washington

Posted by Susanna at 8:54 AM, Jan 13, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

SEVERAL ROLLER DERBY events will take place at the DC Armory in Washington during the coming months, starting on January 24th.

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Ben's Chili Bowl Attracts the Fancy Set and Guys from the Neighborhood

Posted by Susanna at 11:22 AM, Jan 12, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Food & Drink

Ben's Chili Bowl

President-elect Barack Obama's Friday visit to Ben's Chili Bowl was covered in The Washington Post and media nationwide.

BEN'S Chili Bowl, a longtime neighborhood institution in the middle of the U Street neighborhood, got a presidential visit on Friday, when President-elect Barack Obama and Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty visited the place and posed for pictures before having lunch.

BEN'S HAS been at its location on U Street so long that it has seen the neighborhood go up and then down and then way down and then back up again. The food is simple, with the quintessentially D.C. half-smoke hot dog with chili as the centerpiece on the menu.

WHAT USED TO BE a black neighborhood hangout now has white women in fur coats and Louis Vuitton bags waiting in line to get a chili half-smoke to go while their fancy cars wait at the curb. Founded and owned by Ben and Virginia Ali, the restaurant is celebrating its 50th anniversary. They even have a book out with lots of pictures of the many famous and not-so-famous people who have stop by the famous eatery. Among the famous, comedian Bill Cosby is perhaps best known as a longtime patron of Ben's.

FOR MORE information, visit www.benschilibowl.com. 1213 U Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. (202) 667-0909.

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Finally, There's a Washington Restaurant with Swedish Cuisine on the Menu

Posted by Susanna at 11:01 AM, Jan 12, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Food & Drink

Kalem Jones and Sara Pette at Domku Bar & Café

Swedish style Pytt i Panna at Domku Bar & Café

THERE ARE NOT many places in the Washington area for the person who longs for a Swedish Pytt i Panna or a Polish Kielbasa or a Romanian beer - but Domku Bar & Café is one of those rare places. A restaurant with Scandinavian & Slavic comfort food, situated in the Petworth neighborhood just off Georgia Avenue at 821 Upshur Street (just four blocks from the Petworth/Georgia Ave. Metro stop), Domku is a refreshing change of pace. With several versions of aquavit, occasional Jansson's Temptation and pickled herring along with the pierogis, goulash and borscht that is mostly authentic, you will feel right at home. In fact, the word "Domku" means "little home" in Polish. Phone: 202-722.7475, www.Domkucafe.com.

Nordic Eggs Benedict at Domku Bar & Café

Domku Bar & Café

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Oberndorfer's Roller Derby Art Opens at the Gallery at Flashpoint

Posted by Susanna at 12:41 PM, Jan 10, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Design & Art

Philippa Hughes, The Pink Line Project, and artist Cory Oberndorfer

CORY OBERNDORFER likes to paint roller derby girls. And a lot of people like the result.

HUNDEREDS of people showed up at his latest show at the Gallery at Flashpoint at 916 G Street in Northwest Washington on Friday night. Titled "Flavor of the Month," the show is the latest in Oberndorfer's series of roller derby and candy-inspired paintings.

ACTUAL ROLLER GIRLS on skates hung out at the opening, promoting their roller derby series this spring at the Armory in D.C. Dressed in their colorful jerseys with their skating names on the back, along with short skirts and fish net hose they were a colorful addition to the crowd.

THE FABULOUS art impressaria Philippa Hughes, tanned and just back from a surfing getaway to Hawaii, had a hand in promoting the opening, which may explain why there were so many people there. Philippa's Pink Line Project continues to be the leading promoter of contemporary art in Washington.

REFRESHMENTS were delightfully retro, consisting of PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon for those of you not hip to this gourmet brand), white Wonder bread and PP&J (Peanut Butter and Jelly).

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the show, go to www.flashpointdc.org.
For more information about the fast emerging roller derby scene in DC, go to www.dcrollergirls.com.

Jessica Wolf and Anja Carpenter

Barry Woodman and Willi Colino

Jessica Wolf ("Shredica") and Mara Veraar ("Scarlet O'Shap")

Art by Cory Oberndorfer

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How Sweden Solved Its Financial Meltdown

Posted by Susanna at 11:20 AM, Jan 9, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

Jens Henriksson to the right

JENS HENRIKSSON, executive director of the Nordic-Baltic region for the International Monetary Fund, was the featured speaker at the Swedish American Cultural Union luncheon Jan. 9 in Washington. Mr. Henriksson, who is the former State Secretary for the Swedish Ministry of Finance during the Göran Persson/Social Democrats administration, shared his insights and analysis of today's world economic crisis and talked about what it would take to solve the problems.
Mr. Henriksson was a key leader in Sweden's effort to build a turnaround after its financial meltdown in the early 1990s, and he drew on his experience during that time for much of the prescription he outlined for today's crisis. He called for openness and transparency in all dealings between the government and the private sector, complete cooperation between the government and the banks, and tough medicine for the salvaging of good assets, the management or liquidation of bad assets, and giving bank shareholders nothing for their investment when the government is forced to bail out those banks.
Mr. Henriksson pointed out that even though Sweden invested about six percent of its Gross Domestic Product or 64 billion kronor in addressing its financial crisis of the 1990s, the Swedish government got all its money back and then some.

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Pecha Kucha Night in Washington, D.C. Brings Together Creatives

Posted by Susanna at 10:48 AM, Jan 8, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Design & Art

Rouzita Vahhabaghai, Ali Abbassi and Bita Vahhabaghai

Pecha Kucha events have also been held in Gothenburg, Sweden.

PECHA KUCHA IS an international movement that organizes forums in cities around the world for designers and other creative people to present and show their work in all media, including the visual arts, architecture, design, music, fashion, film and literature in an exhilarating kaleidoscope of inspirations, ideas and work..

THE PECHA KUCHA FORMAT allows presenters 20 images each shown for 20 seconds for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds of being in the limelight before their time is up. Presentations are concise, the interest level is constant and many people are afforded the opportunity to showcase their work. More importantly, people with creative energy can come together to meet and network.

THE WASHINGTON, D.C. version of Pecha Kucha, which is called Capitol Pecha Kucha, was organized and launched in March 2007 by architects Rouzita Vahhabaghai and Yiselle M. Santos Rivera, and artist and graphic designer Bita Vahhabaghai.

ABOUT 300 people gathered near Scott Circle in Northwest Washington Wednesday night, Jan 7, for what Capitol Pecha Kucha called "Volume 6," which focused on "Change," and specifically individuals who are addressing meaningful "Global Issues" in their work.

AMONG THE PRESENTERS were Keith Bellows, Traveler editor-in-chief for National Geographic; Maya Ajmera, Global Fund for Children (www.globalfundforchildren.com); director/producer Karim Chrobog (www.warchildmovie.com); photojournalist Chris Rainier (www.chrisrainier.com); Geeta Raj, The Global Sleepover (www.theglobalsleepover.com); environmental architect Travis Price (www.travispricearchitects.com); NGO Program Director for Sudan; Vahid Jahangiri (www.lifelinefund.com); Tegy Thomas, founder of SuperNova7 Productions; and environmental artist Shinji Turner Yamamoto (www.yamamotoshiji.com). The event music was provided by DJ Brien Zachary Watson.

PECHA KUCHA - Japanese for the sound of conversation - taps into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown. The brainchild of Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, Klein Dytham architecture, Tokyo, began in 2003 as a forum for designers to meet, network, and show their current work to the public, and has since spread to over 150 cities across the world.

PECHA KUCHA IN Sweden held several events in Gothenburg in 2008, and plans to hold its Volume 12 event on Jan. 29. For more information, visit http://www.pecha-kucha.se/

Marianne Drowne, Rasul Sha'ir and Neil Takemoto

Wesam Dawood and Karim Chrobog

Bita Vahhabaghai

Rouzita Vahhabaghai and Ali Abbassi

Maya Ajmera

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Young quintet performs at House of Sweden

Posted by Susanna at 7:00 AM, Jan 7, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Events

The Swedish quintet Jaerv

ON WEDNESDAY, January 14th, the young Swedish quintet Jaerv performs at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C. The group is playing an extroverted, vigorous and heartfelt folk music with influences from both jazz and pop music.

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Albright och Védrine diskuterar utrikespolitik i Washington

Posted by Susanna at 10:48 PM, Jan 6, 2009 (Comments)

Category: People

Frankrikes förre utrikesminister Hubert Védrine har utkommit med boken "History Strikes Back: How States, Nations, and Conflicts Are Shaping the 21st Century" (Brookings Institution Press, 2008).

I ETT REGNIGT OCH KALLT Washington infann sig på tisdagen USA:s förre utrikesminister under Clintonadministrationen (1997-2001), Madeleine Albright, och Frankrikes förre utrikesminister 1997-2002, Hubert Védrine, på tankesmedjan Brookings Institution, för att diskutera framtida utrikespolitik, och relationerna mellan Europa och USA. De båda politikerna har känt varandra och är goda vänner sedan 1990-talet, då de träffades på G8-möten. Samtidigt presenterades Védrines senaste bok, "History Strikes Back: How States, Nations, and Conflicts Are Shaping the 21st Century" (Brookings Institution Press, 2008). Albright har skrivit förordet till boken.

HUBERT VEDRINE skriver i sin bok att i den nya multipolära världen har amerikanerna varit för krigiska och européerna för naiva. Han presenterar en pragmatisk vision för att bygga en bättre värld och beskriver vad européerna förväntar sig av den inkommande Obamaadministrationen. Han anser att USA och Europa måste bli partners i en ny form av "smart Realpolitik" -- för vägledning av relationerna med tredje världens makter, och hur man skall hantera globaliseringen och miljöutmaningarna.

DET VAR I SAMBAND MED Kosovokrisen som de två arbetade tillsammans. Och Védrine berättar att de fortfarande ofta talas vid. Den förre franske utrikesministern nämnde Fareed Zacharias bok om en postamerikansk värld, och berörde motsättningarna mellan västvärlden och den islamitiska världen. Han poängterade att det är nödvändigt att tala med sina motståndare - och att palestinafrågan är central inom den muslimska världen. Även Kinas inflytande berördes.

DE BÅDA UTRIKESMINISTRARNA betecknade Bushadministrationen som ett fiasko, med sin karikatyriska förenkling av världsproblematiken.
Albright - "Hyper-Madeleine", som en del kallade henne -- menade att de två har både samstämmiga och olika uppfattningar i en hel del frågor. Exempelvis om de europeiska länderna - och Frankrike - kommer att skicka fler trupper till Afghanistan. Samtidigt som USA kritiseras för övermod och att vara dominant, klagas på att landet inte uppfyller sina obligationer, hävdade hon.
-- Jag tror att Barack Obama kommer att rådgiva med de allierade, och samarbeta internationellt, sade Albright, som om och om igen poängterade att hon enbart talade för sig själv - och inte den ingående administrationen.

OCH HON FORTSATTE: "Bushadministrationen har givit demokrati ett dåligt namn. Vi måste stödja demokrati, men inte påtvinga demokrati. Demokratin måste leverera både föda och fria val. Och USA måste hjälpa till med att återställa demokratins goda rykte.
Hon konstaterade också att Bushadministrationen "inte tagit ut 'the road map' (vägkartan för fred mellan israeler och palestinier) från handskfacket", och att "Obama uppskattar mångfald".

Hubert Védrine till höger

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Delicious mussels at Granville Moore's in Washington

Posted by Susanna at 9:02 AM, Jan 6, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Food & Drink

Granville Moore's in Washington, D.C.

IF YOU ARE in Washington and are in the mood for some wonderful mussels, head off to Granville Moore's, the delightful Belgian-flavored restaurant in the relatively new happening neighborhood of H Street Northeast. You might miss it the first time you go down the block because it's in a relatively nondescript row house in the middle of the block where Dr. Granville Moore used to live upstairs and see patients downstairs.

WITH MORE THAN 50 Belgian beers on the menu, and hand-cut twice fried pommes frites to go with the moules smothered in great sauces, this is a place to go when you have an appetite. If you're not in the mood for mussels, there are lots of great sandwiches and other entrées, among which the buffalo burger is a stand-out.

GRANVILLE MOORE'S is at 1238 H Street, N.E. For more information, check out their Web site: http://www.granvillemoores.com/. If you go by, tell manager Brook Tarbell we sent you.

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Old Swedes Church i Wilmington, Delaware

Posted by Susanna at 8:30 AM, Jan 5, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Travel

 Old Swedes Church i Wilmington, Delaware

NÅGRA KVARTER från varvet där Kalmar Nyckel ligger förtöjt i Wilmington, Delaware, ligger kyrkan Old Swedes Church eller Holy Trinity Church, som den numera heter. Kyrkan byggdes 1698-1699 för de svenska nybyggarna i Fort Christina i kolonin New Sweden. Old Swedes Church är en av USA:s äldsta kyrkobyggnader som fortfarande ar i bruk. Från att tidigare varit en luthersk kyrka, blev den 1791 anglikansk. Predikstolen är den äldsta i USA.

Den anglikanske prästen "El" Smith-Guide visar runt i Old Swedes Church.

Prästen Erik Björk

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Besättningen på skeppet Kalmar Nyckel i Delaware hoppas på kungabesök i oktober

Posted by Susanna at 4:28 PM, Jan 4, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Travel

Kopia av skeppet Kalmar Nyckel, som 1637 avseglade från Göteborg till Nya Världen.

I WILMINGTON, Delaware, nästan mitt emellan New York och Washington, D.C., och knappt två timmars bilresa norrut från Washington, ligger skeppsvarvet där kopian av det svenska 1600-talsskeppet Kalmar Nyckel byggts (www.kalmarnyckel.org). Det var här som de svenska kolonisatörerna landsteg 1638 och grundade kolonin New Sweden. Delaware - USA:s första delstat - är numera ett finansiellt centrum och en lågskattestat. Den största staden Wilmington har vackra omgivningar, inte minst det kuperade landskapet i Montchanin mot Pennsylvania och den tidigare du Pont-egendomen Winterthur, har omvandlats till en fantastisk museianläggning. Delstaten är kanske just nu mest omtalad för att den blivande vice-presidenten Joe Biden är en av dess två senatorer. Svenskars - eller skandinavers -- sjöfarande till den amerikanska kontinenten och kolonin i Delaware har uppmärksammats tidigare, bland annat med 350-årsjubiléet av New Sweden-kolonin 1988 och vikingautställningen i Washington, D.C. år 2000.

Tony Bosworth, "top man", och Lauren Morgens, Kalmar Nyckels kapten

DEN TREDJE HELGEN i oktober firar Swedish Colonial Society (www.colonialswedes.org) i Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 100-årsjubileum, och hoppas på kungligt besök av kung Carl Gustaf och drottning Silvia, bland annat till Kalmar Nyckel.
-- Kronprinsessan Victoria besökte skeppet för två-tre år sedan, berättar Tony Bosworth, som är "top man" och en i besättningen på skeppet. Men huruvida kungaparet kommer att infinna sig vid firandet i oktober är dock ännu oklart.
Efter att ha hört talas om Kalmar Nyckel ville jag se det. Och visst är det imponerande!

DET URSPRUNGLIGA skeppet Kalmar Nyckel byggdes i Holland 1625 som ett beväpnat handelsfartyg, för passagerare och skeppslast. I december 1637 avreste skeppen Kalmar Nyckel och det mindre Fogel Grip från Göteborg till Nya Världen. Båtexpeditionen, med 24 nybyggare (bestående av svenskar, finländare, holländare och tyskar), och som leddes av guvernören från kolonin Nya Holland Peter Minuit (1580-1638), gick via England, Holland, Spanien, och ner till Västafrika, där man korsade Atlanten. Väl över Atlanten färdades expeditionen upp efter den amerikanska östkusten, och nådde tidigt på våren, den 29 mars 1638, Christina River i Delaware -- där det inte fanns några kolonier -- och där man landsteg. Vattendjupet var också tillräckligt stort i Christina River för Kalmar Nyckel. Här grundades Fort Christina och den nya kolonin New Sweden. De svenska kolonisatörerna handlade med den indianska ursprungsbefolkningen, de sålde järnredskap, och indianerna i sin tur päls och skinn till de svenskarna nybyggarna.

1986 BILDADES Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, med målsättningen att bygga en kopia av Kalmar Nyckel, vid varvet alldeles nära den ursprungliga landstigningsplatsen 1638. Skeppet stod färdigt 1998. Idag representerar Kalmar Nyckel staten Delaware vid olika festligheter från New York i norr till Virginia i söder. Och man anordnar utflykter för grupper på Delaware Bay.
-- Numera är vi 20-25 personer i besättningen, anställda och frivilliga. Vi får bidrag för verksamheten från delstaten Delaware, berättar Tony Bosworth.

 Kaptenshytten i Kalmar Nyckel

En av tre skeppskatter

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Old Town Alexandria on a Winter Afternoon

Posted by Susanna at 9:20 PM, Jan 2, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Travel

THE MANY INTERESTING shops and restaurants of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, on a cold winter day attracted many visitors, including many from international origins. Among them was an Italian tourist, with a Canadian headband, who got excited about posing with a cut-out of President-elect Obama. Meanwhile, the Potomac River flowed wide and quiet past the town dock on a late afternoon in suburban Washington.

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Swedish Smorgasbord going mainstream in the U.S.?

Posted by Susanna at 10:35 AM, Jan 2, 2009 (Comments)

Category: Food & Drink

"Go Swedish" in The Washington Post Food Section, December 24, 2008

"GO SWEDISH" was the surprising headline on The Washington Post's Food Section on Christmas Eve, and the article featured all the traditional food of Julbord or the Christmas table. The writer, Jane Black, chose to label the resulting food as "brunch," probably because she ate it as brunch in Marcus Samuelsson's Aquavit restaurant, but Swedes know you can eat these tasty offerings any time of the day, especially during the holiday season. Recipes for Glögg, Jansson's Temptation, Saffron Buns, Smörgåstårta and Cured Tenderloin of Beef were included. And Ms. Black notes, you can go to IKEA and get a lot of traditional Swedish food cheap or at least inexpensive.

COULD IT BE that Swedish food is becoming mainstream in the U.S.? If it does, we have Marcus Samuelsson and IKEA to thank. 

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