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Henrik Lundqvist opens up about his heart surgery

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Swedes in the States
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Last year, Henrik Lundqvist left the New York Rangers after 15 years with the team. The legendary Swedish goalkeeper shared a heartfelt goodbye to his former club and moved on to Washington Capitals. Shortly after, Henrik Lundqvist had to cancel the season, due to a heart problem.

READ: Henrik Lundqvist bids farewell to the New York Rangers

In a preview of an interview, airing today on NHL networks, Henrik Lundqvist explains the terrifiying moment he was informed about his heart disease by his doctor.

“I get the call from one of the specialists that it was part of the process, and he’s like: I’m sorry but your tests came back worse than we thought”, he says.

Sitting down with Kevin Weekes, a former goalkeeper in the NHL and current broadcaster analyst at NHL Network, Henrik goes on to describe how within just two weeks of learning about his heart disease, he was being rolled into the operating room for his heart surgery. Despite the dire news and urgent operation, Henrik was calm.

“I think being an athlete and being focused on things, I think really helped me”, he says in the preview.

The interview with Henrik Lundqvist aired today at 4 PM ET on NHL networks.

Sweden ditches Harvard experiment to dim the sun funded by Bill Gates

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Swedes in the States
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The Swedish space agency, SSC, has announced that they are backing down from their decision to participate in an experiment to dim the sun.

The experiment named, SCoPEx, Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, is a push made primarily by Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program, which claims Bill Gates as one of its private donors.

SSC decided to withdraw from the geoengineering experiment after the project received much criticism both internationally but also from various groups and organizations in Sweden. The scope of the experiment was to release calcium carbonate into the atmosphere from balloons and rockets that would launch from the town Esrange, Kiruna in Northern Sweden. The calcium carbonate, also known as chalk dust would dim the sun, giving researchers the opportunity to study the effects of sunlight reaching, or in this case, not reaching the earth.

Because of the backlash following the announcement of the experiment, the Swedish Space Corporation announced that they will no longer proceed with the project.

“Climate change and its consequences is one of the greatest challenges we face on our planet. Research within this field is therefore important, and many of the experiments that are being conducted onboard balloons and rockets from Esrange Space Center contribute to such research.

To that end, the purpose of the SCoPEx project as such fits well into SSC services and mission to help earth benefit from Space. However, the scientific community is divided regarding geoengineering, including any related technology tests such as the planned technical balloon test flight from Esrange this summer”, they wrote in an announcement on their website last week.

Among some of the groups directing criticism at the project was the Saami Council, an organization advocating for the rights of Sweden’s indigenous population. In an open letter to SCoPEx, the company behind the project, the Saami Council wrote:

“It is noteworthy that Harvard University considers it reasonable for a committee whose role it is to decide whether this controversial project should go ahead, to not have any representation from the intended host country, Sweden. Instead, the committee is composed almost exclusively of US citizens and/or residents”

The Saami Council goes on to write: “The SCoPEx plans for Kiruna constitute a real moral hazard, and threaten the reputation and credibility of the climate leadership Sweden wants and must pursue as the only way to deal effectively with the climate crisis: powerful measures for a rapid and just transition to zero-emission societies, 100% renewable energy and shutdown of the fossil fuel industry”

The open letter was signed by representatives of the Saami Council, Swedish Society of Nature Conservation, Friends of the Earth Sweden, and Greenpeace Sweden.

How About A $500 Princess Cake Bag?

By
Elina Sundqvist
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There are few things more Swedish than the beloved Princess Cake, and it seems that this Danish Etsy Shop has decided to take the Scandinavian’s love for pastry a step further, and create cake bags. Yes, you heard that right. You can now purchase a Swedish Princess cake bag to go with that blue IKEA bag dress.

Photo credit: etsy.com/rommydebommy

This 100% handmade creation can be yours for the humble price of $529. Seller Rommydebommy guarantees that you’ll “you’ll steal the show on every occasion,” and that the purse is “almost good enough to eat.”




Photo credit: etsy.com/rommydebommy




Photo credit: etsy.com/rommydebommy

The bag takes 2-4 weeks to make since it is carefully painted and dried.

The Swedish Princess Cake not really your style? Rommydebommy doesn’t just make this marvelous design bag, but a whole variety of bags designed as cakes, desserts, food and household items. Check out the Etsy shop here.

This article was originally published on Jul 24, 2018. 

The Scandinavian concept of ‘Myggelig’

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Swedes in the States
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Editors note: This article was made as an April fools joke, published on April 1, 2021. There is no Scandinavian concept called ‘Myggelig’.

It seems like the Scandinavians have a number of words to explain ‘cozy’.

The Norwegians call it ‘koselig‘, Swedes call it ‘mysig’, and the Danes call it ‘hygge’. But have you heard of the Scandinavian concept of Myggelig?

A mix of the three Scandinavians words for cozy, Myggelig is the concept of Scandinavian carpet weaving together with your family. What can be cozier than sitting with the people you love – carpet knitting? The Scandinavians really have it all figured out.

The history of Myggelig

In the 1600s, Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular, lost large parts of their population to the black plague. Because of this, the carpet factories in the region would lose the majority of their work staff, hence no carpets were being made.

To anyone who has visited Scandinavia in the winter, you all know how very cold this must have been.

Because of this, family members would take turns, to weave carpets together, in order to keep the family warm. Even after the population recovered from the black plague, the tradition of carpet weaving would still live on.

How to Myggelig

Today, most Scandinavians will meet up with their family or loved ones on a Sunday night, and have dinner, watch TV and sit down for some good old Myggelig. A great way to bond with your family, while keeping warm!

SAS to open up route between CPH- LAX again

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Swedes in the States
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Scandinavian Airlines is seeing a growing demand for travel come spring.

With the growing number of people vaccinated, the anticipation for international travel and the world to open up is growing stronger. SAS announced earlier this month, that they will open up 180 routes between Scandinavia and Europe again.

But there is one route in particular that has been sourly missed between the United States and Scandinavia, and that is the Copenhagen – Los Angeles route. According to the travel site Finalcall.travel, SAS will be opening up their CPH – LAX route as early as May 15, with tickets for the route already available on their website.

The CPH – LAX route is set to depart from Copenhagen on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday with return flights from Los Angeles taking place on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

SAS is also increasing their flights between Copenhagen and New York, and will be flying between the two cities daily.

SWEA International awards Crown Princess Victoria Swedish woman of the year

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Swedes in the States
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H.R.H Crown Princess Victoria has been voted by the members of SWEA International as the Swedish Woman of the Year 2021.

This honorary award has since 1989 been awarded to Swedish women for extraordinary accomplishments and for representing Sweden in the world. 

Barbro Osher, the Swedish Consul General in San Francisco, and a member of SWEA, nominated the Crown Princess with the following motivation: "The Crown Princess stands for everything that SWEA identifies with, a contemporary, modern Sweden with openness, inclusion, environmental thinking and care. Qualities that we Sweor bring with us into the world in a global sisterhood across borders, where we now welcome our Crown Princess."

Crown Princess Victoria’s award comes on the dot 20 years after her mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden was awarded Swedish Woman of the year. 

In a statement on their website, Suzanne Langeland Southard, President of SWEA International, concludes: "It's extra fun that this year it's exactly twenty years since H.M. Queen Silvia was named Swedish Woman of the Year. This year it was our dear Crown Princess, and we are happy to give these fantastic women and role models the tribute they so well deserve."

SWEA is a global non-profit organization for Swedish and Swedish-speaking women who have or are currently, living abroad. The main goal of the organization is to create a community among women who might be far from home by celebrating the Swedish language and cultural heritage. The organization also offers women living abroad support in form of a network, and has over 6000 members in about 70 local branches in more than 30 countries across the world. The organization was founded in Los Angeles in 1979, by Agneta Nilsson.

Agneta Nilsson has been awarded two royal medals for her work to support Swedish women abroad.

Featured image: Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Fredrik Eklund shares heartfelt story about addiction as he celebrates 160 days sober

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Swedes in the States
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It was in January earlier this year that the Swedish star broker, Fredrik Eklund, revealed on social media that he had made the decision to give up alcohol. In a post featuring images of him together with his daughter, Milla, Fredrik explained how alcohol had for way too long taken its toll on him as a father and businessman.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Fredrik Eklund (@fredrikeklundny)

 

In the post from January, he wrote:

“It was simply time to stop, actually overdue, and if you know me well you know it’s been the one and only thing that’s given me extra weight as a father, businessman, and health-nut for way too long. Alcohol took more than I it gave me towards the end.“

Today Fredrik offered us a glimpse into his life as a recovering addict, and looks at his future with hope.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Fredrik Eklund (@fredrikeklundny)

He starts of the post by saying:

“Today marks 160 days sober and it feels amazing.” 

Fredrik also admits that he was what is considered a high-functioning addict, which according to Fredrik’s post, most addicts are:

“I was a high-functional addict as many of us are, and it took me a while to realize and admit that. I’m a work in progress, still. The decision to stop wasn’t easy. But once I really decided, it was actually freeing. The pressure was off in a way. The pressure of not being honest. The pressure of often putting up a facade. The pressure and pain of not trusting myself towards the end.“

We are happy to see this Swede on the road to recovery and feeling better. Believe it or not, Fredrik claims that he is even funnier now than he was before.

“But now to the surprising thing: I’m actually more fun.“

Hopefully, Fredrik’s journey can inspire anyone out there who can relate to his story. High-functional addiction is harder to spot in friends, family, or even yourself, as the most common signs of addiction aren’t as obvious.

If you, or someone you love, is battling addiction, you can turn to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

Two Recipes: Sweden’s Tastiest Waffle & The Traditional Waffle

By
Jennifer Nyström
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Want to try making your own Swedish waffles? Here are two easy-to-make recipes on how to make the World’s Tastiest Waffle!

For 10-12 waffles

Ingredients: 

  1. 100 grams (½ cup) butter
  2. 4 dl ( 1 ⅔ cup) of flour
  3. A pinch (½ tsk) salt
  4. 1 teaspoons (1 tsk) baking powder
  5. 5 dl (2 cups) milk
  6. 2 eggs

For serving: Whipped cream and jam (preferable raspberry or blueberry, which can be found at IKEA) but any jam works.

 

Directions

  1. Melt the butter and let it sit for a bit. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt). Mix half of the milk in with the dry ingredients until smooth, then add the rest of the milk, eggs, and butter.
  2. If you have a waffle iron, heat it up. A sandwich press works fine too, or just make them as you would make pancakes.
  3. Brush on a little bit of butter before pouring ½ cup (1 dl) of the batter into the iron.
  4. Bake them until they are crispy with a nice golden color.
  5. Try to serve as warm and crispy as possible for best taste, together with whipped cream and jam.

The world’s tastiest waffle, according to SVT.se

Ingredients

  1. 8,25 dl (3 ½ cup) flour
  2. 4,5 teaspoons (4,5 tsk) baking powder
  3. 4,5 dl (1 ¾ cup) milk
  4. 2,5 dl (1 cup) water
  5. 2.5 dl (1 cup) Sprite (sockerdricka)
  6. 225g (1 cup) butter
  7. A pinch of salt

For topping: Whipped cream and jam 




 

Directions

  1. Heat up butter on the stove and let it cool.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients.
  3. Pour in a little bit of the milk and mix until smooth, then add the rest of the milk, water, and sprite.
  4. Add butter.
  5. Pour in ½ cup (1dl) of the batter into the iron.
  6. Bake them until they are crispy with a nice golden color.
  7. Try to serve as warm and crispy as possible for best taste, together with whipped cream and jam.

The Scandinavian Concept Of Friluftsliv And How It Can Make You Healthier

By
Luda Berdnyk
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1




You’ve probably heard of popular Scandinavian concepts like fika (coffee break), hygge (coziness), or lagom (living a balanced life), but have you heard of friluftsliv? If not – we are here to explain this useful, and healthy, Scandinavian concept!

Although the name might be hard to pronounce, the concept is very simple.

Friluftsliv, pronounced free-loofts-liv, means “open-air life.” It was popularized by Norwegian poet Henrik Ibsen in the mid-1800s when he described the value of spending time in nature to increase a person’s spiritual and physical wellbeing.




Frida Harju, a nutritionist with a passion for friluftsliv, explains: “It’s a way of living — and an essential and obvious part of the lifestyles of most Scandinavians.”

There are no set rules for living a friluftsliv-based life: the main point is making sure you get enough time outdoors. This can include hiking, mushroom picking, trail running, skiing, picnicking, walking through the woods, swimming at a summer house, and so much more.




Friluftsliv is even alive in the workplace, with many Nordic companies choosing to hold meetings and one-on-one discussions outside.

But what about the cold weather?




“We do it all year round. You get so much energy from it,” says Tina Holm, a scientist, “We have a saying in Sweden ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.”

Fun fact: In Sweden, there are 1.7 million memberships across 900 regional and local friluftsliv-related clubs across the country.




It’s no wonder Nordic countries like Denmark and Finland are consistently at the top of every World’s Happiest Countries list, thanks to their great outdoors habits and opportunities. In addition to boosting of endorphins, friluftsliv also helps with circulation, reduces stress, increases creativity while releasing mental blocks, and even helps with hangovers.

Do you plan to incorporate more friluftsliv into your life? Let us know in the comments below!

This article was first published on October 15, 2018. 

Iceland opens its borders again

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Swedes in the States
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0

In a move that might offer hope of a world slowly returning to normal, Iceland has decided to open up its borders – to visitors who are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 and carry antibodies.

Iceland has previously only allowed vaccinated tourists from the Schengen-area to enter the country but is now taking the lead as the first country to open the borders to those who can prove immunity either through recovery or vaccination.

In a statement released on the government’s website from last Tuesday, Thórólfur Gudnason, the Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland wrote:

“Our experience and data so far indicate very strongly that there is very little risk of infection stemming from individuals who have acquired immunity against the disease, either by vaccination or by prior infection. When people are protected against the same disease, with the same vaccines that are produced by the same companies, there is no medical reason to discriminate on the basis of the location where the jab is administered. Our experience shows that the risk of infection from vaccinated individuals is very small or negligible.“

Iceland saw steady growth in tourism before Covid-19 would throw the country into a crisis due to a 75% decrease in tourism in 2020. This devastating drop contributed to Iceland’s economy shrinking by 6.6%.

“The world has been through a lot in the past twelve months, and we are all hoping for a slow and safe return to normalcy. This also includes the resumption of the opportunity to travel, which is valuable to culture, trade and enterprise. The decision to apply border exemptions for vaccinated individuals to countries outside the EU/EEA area is a logical extension of our current policy,” says Iceland’s Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir in the same statement.

The only vaccines that will get you across the Icelandic border are the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency.

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