a small paper for a small planet
Saft is a delicious berry concentrate that is enjoyed throughout Scandinavia. It is generally non-alcoholic but is enjoyed mixed with spirits or in the bottom of a glass of champagne as much as it is enjoyed as a refreshment served simply with sparkling water. [Read More]
Anglo-Saxon “angels” became ideals of Germanic warrior manhood: loyal to their brotherly bands, stoic in fighting and loving, and noble in death. They were recruited posthumously into the army of white supremacy, incorporated into a mythology that canonized “Nordic” peoples as the angels and supermen ordained to dominate the earth. [Read More]
A deep human drive for freedom will always resist rule by the few — whether those few are feudal monarchs, communist dictators, fascist oligarchs, or mob capitalists who rise through the ranks of business as usual. [Read More]
House Tomtes are in every house in Sweden. These little spirits can be good or bad and can cause a great deal of grief for the home’s people when they want to be naughty. [Read More]
Whereas the Viking ships sought adventure in conquest of outer seas, Odin leads us on an inner adventure in the deep Sea of Self. [Read More]
Winter used to begin in October and end very late in March … maybe. This year Christmas was without any snow, and no snow appeared remotely in the forecast. [Read More]
I was born in Astoria and raised in the lower Columbia region with such a strong Finnish identity that I have no perspective on Finnish social values or politics – no perspective except if it’s Finnish, it must be good. [Read More]
By contrasting everyday life in her native Finland to that of America, her newly adopted country, Partanen holds up a mirror that very kindly shows us where we stand as a modern nation. [Read More]
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a month since I’ve been back from an epic trip to Europe which I shared with Nancy for 2 weeks in England, and then soloed in England, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. The details are starting to fade, so it’s time to write it all down, based on […]
I fear you summer, I fear the way you hurt my chest, I fear the way I try to hold onto the slick sides of mirrors sliding efficiently down the heart of my fingers as I’m trying to hold onto images, reflections of the shelter I love….[Read More]
