Sweden Checks In: A Report From the Field

A Friend of the Blog located in Stockholm filed the following.  She and her husband were rather startled Sunday morning to read in the Washington Post about the dastardly incident in Sweden that occurred Friday night.

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Dateline 19 February 2017

Stockholm, Sweden

 

Hard-working, safe and prosperous: it’s not often Sweden gets international headlines. So we’re mostly bemused by President Trump’s comment on Saturday:

“We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in Germany. You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this?”

So what happened in Sweden on Friday, February 17, 2017?  Is it a day that will live in infamy?

  • The Exhibition for Agricultural Machinery, Cattle and Horse Supplies was in full swing in Malmö.
  • The Sail-Yacht Festival opened in Stockholm.
  • The Royal Institute of Technology, as is their wont, held a workshop in product realization and industrial engineering.
  • The Antiques Fair did a brisk business in Stockholm.
  • The government and court prepared for the upcoming visit 20-24 February of Canada’s governor general, David Johnston.
  • The queen held a meeting with Mentor International, a youth organization.
  • “The Weeknd” held a concert. So did Björn Skifs and Tommy Körberg.

Did nothing news-worthy happen in Sweden on Friday, February 17, 2017?

Well, yes. At the concert hall “Berwaldhallen” Robin Ticciati directed the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. They played Wagner (prelude to Lohengrin), Bruch’s 1st violin concert, and Bruckner’s 6th symphony. The star of the evening was a 15-year-old violin soloist, Daniel Lozakovitj. This Stockholm native wowed the audience with his interpretation of Bruch. Keep your eye on Daniel, he’s a rising star.

Well, that’s about it for Friday night in Sweden. Perhaps we need to keep our country safe from Wagner; anyone who tries to make me listen to the whole Ring cycle has got a fight on his hands. Maybe the Canadians are plotting something. Or perhaps there’s more to the Exhibition for Agricultural Machinery, Cattle and Horse Supplies than meets the eye.

swedish-flag

 

EDITORIAL UPDATE:  President Trump indicated in a tweet on Sunday, February 19 that he had no personal knowledge of the incident in Sweden and was only passing on what he mistakenly heard on Fox News. Because, you know, he would rather rely on what he hears from Fox News than the #$&&@*@ briefings he receives from U.S. intelligence agencies.

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