Where did the day go?

 The clocks have been turned back one hour some time ago, but my body is still on the "Old Standard Time".

 - - - - - -

Just like income tax, daylight saving time was originally introduced as a temporary measure during the First World War. In 1915, Imperial Germany began expirimenting with the clocks  in order to better fit the working day within available daylight hours — and possibly save some energy that would then be used to light factories at night. Britain noticed and its empire quickly followed suit.

 - - - - - -

As days become shorter and temperatures drop, thoughts of winter creep into our minds. But when does winter really begin? Mother Nature cares little about the clock. Only the calendar and lack of sunshiny days.
                    - - - - - -.

 A barely noticeable event called the Winter Solstice was noted in Wisconsin, USA Wednesday, December 21, 2015 at 4:44 AM Central Standard Time. While no one celebrated or even cared, these annual winter solstices supposedly mark the first day of winter. However, the official date for the first day of winter varies depending on  climate, and location.This ‘Solstice’ is the shortest day of the year in our Northern Hemisphere. From that day on, nights become longer!

 - - - - - -

The term ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning 'the Sun stands still'. The sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses it's direction. It's also common to call it the day the Sun turns around,  the first day of Astronomical Winter. The days begin to be noticeably shorter and, of course, the nights much longer. To offset this, we turn the clock back one hour! Winter is in the air.

- - - - - -

Here in the US, We are accustomed to four seasons: Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Residents of Tromsø ,Norway claim five seasons. They claim two winters! Part 1 and part 2.

- - - - - -

Winter part 1  is The Dark Time-In Norwegian -' mørketiden' – the dark time perfectly describes the first half of winter, which lasts roughly from October through early January. As the name suggests, it’s the darkest time of year. It’s still wet and often  stormy with frequent rains which tends to wash away any snow, but the darkness is eased by  lights on the city streets and later, Christmas lights in every Norwegian house. The bright Christmas lights bring joy accompanied with  gifts and happiness for upcoming times. Christmas lights bring joy to everyone!
                  - - - - - -
        Winter part 2 –
The White Winter After Christmas . Everyone’s mood improves. Snowfall is heavier and more frequent, so although the days are still

short, available light is reflected off the snow, giving the impression of a much lighter environment. It’s at this time of the year that Norwegians take to the great outdoors to go jogging on sticks (cross-country skiing), eat waffles, drink coffee, and generally be really Norwegian.

- - - - - -

Kari Leibowitz,  a PhD student at Stanford University,  spent August 2014 to June 2015 on a Fulbright

scholarship in  in northern Norway. Tromsø is so far north that from November to  January, the sun never climbs above the horizon. Leibowitz wanted to see if residents’ rates of seasonal depression increased during the dark winters. She discovered that "people view winter as something to be enjoyed, not something to be endured."She added "There’s a saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."

- - - - - -

Norwegians also have a word, koselig, that means a sense of coziness. People light candles as they drink warm beverages, and wrap in fuzzy blankets close to crackling fireplaces.Tromsø has plenty of festivals and community activities creating the sense that everyone was in it together.people are enamored with the sheer beauty of the season.Norway’s winter season’s scenery is not

necessarily the color of “white snow”. Deep in the winter in Norway, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon, several hours a day can still look like sunrise and sunset. Residents enjoy scenic colors that are incredibly beautiful while the light is soft and indirect.

- - - - - -.

For those of us who are not so lucky to be enjoying The Nordland’s Winter Beauty, we tend to be happy when our snow is gone and spring warmth is back. Winter is long and some people really do enjoy it! Think positive. Apparently, we need to change our attitude!

A Mindset Shift?

Leibowitz. has some comments and suggestions:

"One of the things we do a lot of in the States is that we bond by complaining about the winter".
 She says: "It’s hard to have a positive wintertime mindset when we make small talk by being negative about the winter. Talk about ice skating, or building snowmen. Bundle up and go for a walk outside, knowing that

you’ll likely feel warmer and happier after a few minutes. Better yet, go with a friend. Social plans are a great reason to haul yourself out from under the covers”.( Maybe these people have an advantage: Small Norwegian communities are tightly knit, and strong social ties increase well-being everywhere).

- - - - - -

Some area of Scandinavia receive early snowfall, and snow causes upland roads to close while other roads remain open with limited plowing. Residents become accustomed to walking in snow and have, for generations, learned to adjust, dress accordingly, accept it, and enjoy the long snow season. Norwegian youth are skilled in skiing to school and home again.Snow is welcome and enjoyed by all.
- - - - - -
There has been a couple pair of cross-country skis in our Wisconsin attic that haven’t been used for some time, and we did enjoy getting out on ski trails ‘back in

the day!’. Now, getting older, it’s cribbage, dominoes and hot chocolate while we watch the snow fall in the yard. Leibowitz has a point. There are some good things about winter, but these Wisconsin winters can be “something else”!

 - - - - - -

Personally,  I’ll have to work on that “Mind Shift”. But first, I’ve got to get my body to accept this “Daylight Savings” thing! We gained an hour, but I‘m still tired. The days are getting short.

Winter is coming! It’s time...

Just Another Habit!

Try as I may, I am unable to find any graphic of a Viking attacking while smoking. Even Columbus was never seen on his deck with a cigar.

But there was  a show of violence from  the famous ‘Berserkers” who must have been inhaling mushrooms or perhaps an herbal-type plant to increase their battle-courage. No tobacco from anyone!

- - - - - -

And speaking about Columbus, one can only imagine Christopher’s reaction when he was first offered the Indian greeter’s ‘peacepipe’ in 1492 after he  inhaled his first breath of tobacco. It might have caused glee to the welcoming group as Chris coughed at the new sensation. He was introduced to tobacco and later presented with a gift of tobacco leaf. The Indians knew about tobacco.As early as 1 B.C., it has been suspected that American Indians began using tobacco in many different ways, for example, religious and medicinal practices.It is believed that tobacco began growing in the Americas about 6,000 B.C.!

 - - - - - -

Tobacco was a plant believed to be a cure-all, used to dress wounds, as well as a pain killer. Chewing tobacco was believed to relieve the pain of a toothache! Soon, sailors were taking tobacco back to Europe resulting in the plant being grown all over Europe.

- - - - - -

Cigarettes became popular  in WWI when soldiers brought it back to England from Russian and Turkish soldiers.

Cigarettes have become very popular amongst smokers since that time, but health issues, combined with the increased prices of the product to $5.50 per pack upwards to $12.85 has caused some to find alternatives. Smoke became a problem for non-smokers and smoking became banned in public places.

- - - - - -

Vipe-pens became  the rage for the ‘serious users’, but the tobacco was missing. To avoid the “Tobacco banned” problem, tobacco-users  turned to “No-smoke", but still  used "tobacco” products that remained legal to use. An alternate  to the cigarette was needed

   and the product came from Sweden.

Europe found chewing-tobacco to be the favorite habit-quencher. Sweden called it “Snus” (pronounced "snoose," like “loose”) which is a smokeless, moist powder tobacco concocted in Sweden. A little ‘pinch’  is placed under the top lip, and available in several flavors.There are not many things more Swedish than snus,  the popular tobacco product used by almost a quarter of the population. It's widespread use among Swedes is something of an oddity due to a EU ban preventing it from being exported to the rest of Europe.

- - - - -

“Snus is more dangerous for blood health than what we previously thought. It looks worse than we believed.” researcher Eli-Anne Skaug of NTNU commented to Norway’s TV2. Swedes don’t like being told what to do when it comes to their peculiar tobacco habit, but they took the study in good humor. Uppsala county in central Sweden attempted to prevent council employees from coming into work smelling of it, however the council was forced to quickly backtrack when the proposal faced huge public opposition, including loud objections from the leader of the national Left party.

- - - - -

Being unable to export their product to the US, an alternative was developed and the result became a hit in The New Country.

 Instead of “In the Mouth”, how about  “In the Nose”?

Luktsnus ("smelling snuff") in Swedish became “Snuff” (pronounced like ‘snuff’) in the USA. The the word "snuff" is often confusingly used in English to refer to both the nasal form and both the oral forms of snus and dipping ( lip) tobacco. Regardless, the US became an eager and important market. Americans have a choice!...

 - - - - - -

In Norway in 2008, approximately 17% of adult men used snus daily or occasionally, while 4% of adult women used snus daily or occasionally. In secondary schools in 2000-2004, 21% of boys and 4% of girls used snus daily or occasionally. Many people both smoke and use snus.

- - - - - -

 But there is governmental opposition! In a drive towards a smoke-free society by 2035, the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA) is pressing the government to back its proposal for a ban on tobacco sales to citizens born after the year 2000.In Norway, snus has helped cut down on smoking . People there have either used it to help them quit cigarettes or as an alternative to cigarettes if they hadn’t successfully licked the tobacco habit completely.

- - - - - -

Marit Hermansen, the president of the NMA, told Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that "access to cigarettes was not a basic human right".

"We have long had the policy of phasing out smoking by 2035. This is a measure to achieve this goal. We want a tobacco-free generation," she said.

- - - - - -

 The smoking-ban may be easier than phasing out the sniffing variety. Here, at home, Copenhagen is a popular brand of dipping tobacco made by the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. It is available in mouth pouches, much like tea-bags, and there are different cuts of tobacco available at the check-out areas of our American  grocery-stores. Currently, while still popular with those craving smoke-free tobacco, warnings of health issues and cancer-causing have caused a decrease in the numbers of female users, but ‘habit-hooked’ users remain loyal to ‘their brand’.

- - - - - -

 But to be clear, when you request your snuff choice  at the check-out display, remember, snuff used in the nose is referred to as luktsnus ("smelling snuff"), while the moist form placed under the upper lip is simply called snus .

Snuff and snus are distinct products.Then, there’s choices of Wintergreen, cherry, mint, etc. from which to choose. Your cashier should be impressed.      Maybe not.

Bad habits are hard to break.

History Repeats Itself

 Something is happening in the Northland! Due to the mountainous terrain, settlements have always kept their particular practices with little regard to their neighbors across the fjords. Social  activities within the church are unusual with the exception of Christmas or weddings, etc. Norway is not known for religious attendance. Only a small percentage of the population attends services, although they are registered most often as Christian members at birth.

But there may be changes in the air.

Back in the Viking age, active raiders began finding areas they found desireable. Early explorers found one island to their liking.Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlements have  been found back in 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks had settled Iceland before that date.
                                   - - - - - -
The land was settled quickly, mainly by Norwegians who may have been fleeing conflict or seeking new land to farm.  Towards the end of the tenth century, Christianity came to Iceland through the influence of the Norwegian king Olaf

Tryggvason. When the wily Vikings settled in, they decided  they would accept this “Christianity” thing and also keep their own pagan beliefs in their gods of Thor, Freda and the like.

 - - - - - -

In time, Christianity overtook common beliefs and pagan practice became quietly practiced by the devout few. The Christians, mainly Lutheran and Catholic, became the norm, but the majority of the population was not responding well and the stories of Odin, Thor, and The Giants were still heard.

- - - - - -

Everyone of Scandinavian background knows of the incredibly strong Thor and his hammer Miollnir, that

was crafted by the dwarfs. He was the main defender of the gods against the giants. He was also the god of thunder, and  worshiped by seafarers who wore amulets of Thor’s hammer for good luck along with a dragon’s head on their ships to scare vicious seas-creatures. These items are sold today by visitors and tourists.

- - - - - -

 On land, dragon heads were mounted on high points of Norwegian stave churches to ward away the devil. These old stories and myths have not been forgotten.

- - - - - -

Some people think differently ‘Up North’.
Icelanders  and the Sami in Northern Norway have their own way of life and nature plays a large part in it.

Tree of Life

Sami, who had remained pagan long after the conversion of their neighbors see life as a circular process of life, death and rebirth and Vikings have tales of mythical gods that control nature. Sami beliefs and Viking myths are beginning to mesh as one. People have been talking about this!
                                            Now, This, just in!

       The latest News From Scandinavia reads:

 "Due to the resurgence of neo-paganism, Iceland is planning the construction of the first temple  to the Norse gods since the Viking Age.“A Norse temple for the 21st Century”. The planned Icelandic temple will be a domed, circular structure on a hillside overlooking Reykjavik, the Islandic capital . Worshippers will practice their belief called

                                  Ásatrúarfélagiðf "

The worship of Odin, Thor, Freya and the other gods of the old Norse pantheon has now become an officially recognized religion 973 years after Iceland’s official conversion to Christianity.In recent decades, membership in Ásatrú ( it’s shortened name)  has grown to about 2,400 in a country of only 330,000 — and has become the largest non-Christian religious community in Iceland.

- - - - - -

Followers are able to satisfy their spiritual needs within a framework that feels authentic ancestral identity, but at the same time, flexible enough to fit in with modern values and concerns. Not using a Bible or Koran, believers gain their knowledge in “The Edda”, the major source of ‘knowledge on Norse
Mythology’, written down in the 13th century as a collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic medieval manuscript “Codex Regius” (Royal Book)

 - - - - - -

The Old Norse word Edda means “Great Grandmother”. It refers to the lore of the ancestors (or more literally, the ancestral mothers). In Asatru it is believed that we are not only the worshipers of the Gods but that we are spiritually and even physically related to them.

 - - - - - -

 Included in rituals,Among accepted rituals,The Blót is the most common  within Asatru. In its simplest form, a blót is making a sacrifice to the Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting and drinking from an animal’s horn. Currently, the most common blót is an offering of mead or other alcoholic beverage to the deities.

- - - - - -

Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson

The leader and High Priest of Ásatrú, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, has been a sheep-farmer and writer of ‘rimur’, a form of epic poetry founded the association in 1972.Sveinbjörn is regarded with much respect and affection among  Ásatrú. Not only is  he a well- known rímur singer in Iceland with followers in Europe and North America, he sometimes performs at rock concerts and is the opening act in the film Rokk í Reykjavík.

          (This is for real!)

More, as details become available.                              

 

The Wall

                                                       A Wall?

The secret is out. Someone here in the United States is determined to build a wall that will serve to protect us all from the dangers of uninvited  individuals who are 'flooding our country, causing alarm and danger to our democratic system and economy'. This wall will be built in a short time and paid for by the country that is sending these people to us. Details might be released in a few weeks. Maybe not.

 Wall of China

    Building walls and barriers is not really anything new. Walls have been used for decades. Many exist today. Everyone has heard of the famous Wall of China, built in the 14th century to stop the attacking nomadic tribes of the time. This huge barrier was 8,550 km, or 5,313 miles in length. The largest man-made barrier built.It’s still standing, but people have found other ways to get in to China..

- - - - - -

Berlin Wall

    The world-famous Berlin Wall was built with a different function in mind. It was erected to keep residents
in! Too many Eastern Germans were escaping to the Western side of the Berlin citylimits after WWII, and the wall stopped their immigration from tyranny. Residents on both side of the wall rebelled and, in time, forced the wall to be destroyed.Meanwhile, western German residents decorated the stark ediface with mocking graffitti before it's demise.

- - - - - -

    A seventy-five mile wall, known as the Hadrian

Hadrian Wall

Wall was built in England to protect their colony of Britiannia from the invasions of Scottish tribes.This wall was the north-west frontier of the Roman empire for nearly three hundred years.Built by the Roman army on the orders of the emperor Hadrian in AD 122, Hadrian’s Wall was made a World Heritage Site in 1987.
                         - - - - - -
Even in the US, The United States erected a wall dividing the border between Mexico  and the southern border of the US designed to control many immigrants who still wish to work in American fields and domestic services in order to help support their Mexican families back home. In the north, our US  Canadian border is 5,525 miles long, while our southern

border with Mexico is 1,989 miles erected on  a variety of terrain easily crossed in many locations. One southern section of our existing barrier, this desert wall runs through  ‘The Cactus Pipe National Park”.

- - - - - -

Another portion of the Brownsville, Texas barrier protects Americans from southern immigrants with a ‘moveable wall’. A Texas farmer is able to move a section of ‘The Wall’ to provide new grazing areas for his

farm animals, temporarily separating his horse from the barn for the moment.

                                                                        - - - - - -

 Another section of ‘The Wall’  runs through a resident’s Texas back-yard.

Both are sections of a barricade between the US and Mexican territory covering 1,254 miles of  The Rio Grande River area.

- - - - - -
In Europe,

   “I can’t see a need for a fence”, Rune, the mayor of the Soer-Varanger region on the Russian-Norwegian border, told Reuters. “There are too many fences going up in Europe today.”
                                                    - - - - - - 

Immigrants crossing into Norway.

Among our European friends, immigration has become a problem as residents are attempting to

escape war-torn countries. To ease the country’s burden of these immigrants, Russian authorities have given bicycles to escaping travelers, urging them to continue their journey into Norway. Norway has recently decided to secure that portion of this Russian-Norway border with added border security and a new fence border.This steel fence is expected to be 600 feet long and eleven feet high.

- - - - - -

Barriers and walls have been utilized for ages to control tribal conflicts. Raids were frequently small groups of raiders, rather then large armies, and shorter length of earth or available material served as defense and usually a deterrent.  Until the 9th century,  Scandinavian people lived in

small Germanic kingdoms and chiefdoms .  The Scandinavian people   appeared as a group separate from other Germanic nations, and at this time there was a noticeable increase in war expeditions (Viking raids) on foreign countries from the seas, which were easier to travel than Europe's inland forests.

Queen Thyra ordering the Danevirke.

- - - - - - 

Linear earth barriers built for defense.

Legends mention a queen named Thyra, who ordered a barrier known as“The Danevirke”, to be built in the mid 930s. "Dane’s Dyke” was constructed to control the sea-borne Vikings who used their shore as a landing area. Mounds of earth in long banks were constructed to control the invader’s landing site  providing defending archers higher ground upon which they could attack the invaders who were forced to file through the narrowed approaches, providing easier targets.
                           - - - - - - 

Swedish Götavirke barrer

Remains of Götavirke at the farm of Hageby, in Östergötland. In this image the remains of the dyke run from the bottom right up towards the trees and parallel with the road.
Remains of these barriers or walls have worn down in time, becoming part of the current European landscape and history. It is difficult to imagine the proposed "barriers" proposed in our country to be seen in the future as our scenery or landscape.

 US and Mexican border area.

 Perhaps, there is another way. 

What Could Go Wrong?

The Olympics are over and all events have been completed and evaluated. Competitors trained for years to reach their peak and expected a successful ‘finish’. After all that work, what could go wrong?

A high-diving athlete had trained for years, perfecting a polished routine. The graceful approach to the board was as expected and the diver poised and tested the board with little bounces.Then, something unexpected happened. The diver slipped, falling off the the board, and attempting to regain control, plunged into the
water much as a common cannonball . After all that practice and expecting to score highly, the scoreboard recorded “Zero”. With high expectations, what went wrong?

- - - - -

The US men’s relay confidently ran their event after long hours of perfecting their time and technique and were happily expecting to, at least, qualify for a medal. Looking at their scoreboard, they were shocked to see “DQ”- “Disqualified” . Electronic monitors detected that

the baton was,at one time, exchanged  outside of the designated exchange area. After all that practice, how could that happen? No one could possibly expect these results. All preparations and routines seemed to be progressing smoothly.  Who knew?

- - - - -

This has been a very unusual year. Record-high temperatures in one area, floods caused by unusually extreme rain amounts for others while  another area suffers drought conditions all within our US boundaries. While some will say “There’s the way it goes. Just a cycle”, others suspect “There’s something in the air.”  Climatologists have recorded changes in the atmosphere and the presence of heavy smog at times.  We enjoy the products and tend to think these good conditions will never end. But, perhaps, the unexpected is happening.

- - - - -

Smog is a type of air pollutant. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century as a combination of

the words ‘smoke and fog’ sometimes known as 'pea soup' fog, a familiar and serious problem in London from the 19th century to the mid 20th century. Much like our Olympics, factories around the world have been accelerating their production  for public consumption and profit . Cars and traffic have provided happy travelers and all is well until we begin to see air quality change and problems grow. Who knew this could be a problem?

- - - - -

Our politicians protect constituents' business interests and are naturally slow to suggest changes,

but changes are ‘in the wind’. Solar and wind energy have been topics of discussion to lessen the need for fossil fuel, but even Wisconsin is reported to be at the bottom in both projects according to the American Wind Energy Association. Electric cars are being produced and improved. Drivers of these ‘electric powered ‘ vehicles comment on high horse-power, but disappointed in range of travel and improvements are desired. The change from ‘fossil fuel’ is slow. Our ‘overseas’ relatives seem to be more highly ‘energized’ to make the change. They seem to know!

- - - - -

The Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven, has announced that his country will work towards becoming "one of the first fossil fuel-free welfare states in the world," in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

- - - - -

 Nordic countries already lead the world in renewable energy, with Sweden generating around two-thirds of its electricity through renewable sources.
On one unusually windy day in July, Denmark produced 140 per cent of its electricity needs through wind power alone, exporting the rest of the energy to its neighbors, Germany, Sweden and Norway (one of the biggest oil producers in the world).

 - - - - -

 Almost 100 per cent of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources, due to its investment in hydropower and geothermal energy production.Nordic countries already lead the world in renewable energy, with Sweden generating around two-thirds of its electricity through renewable sources

- - - - -.

 But the change is not cheap nor easy.

Making the jump to eradicating fossil fuels entirely in Sweden is a much more difficult task altogether.

In a speech to the Swedish Parliament in which he announced these green policies, Löfven said: "Children

should grow up in a toxin-free environment. The removal of dangerous substances and the idea that the polluter should pay are the basis of our politics."

- - - - - 

In Sweden's planned budget, the government announced it would allocate 4.5 billion kronor next year to  funding  solar panels and wind turbines that will utilize a smarter energy grid and energy storage system. They are getting serious!

- - - - -

Perhaps this will send an "important signal" to the West. In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell suggested the use of  ethanol from corn, wheat and other foods as an alternative to coal and oil, stating that the world was in ‘measurable distance’ of depleting these fuels. Biofuel and Ethanol are plant-derived gasoline substitutes for powering vehicles.Even algae can be a biofuel  derived from algae( produced quickly in Olympic diving pools, much to the chagrin of RIO Olympic officials). Geothermal energy of the earth's internal heat can be used  to boil water for heating buildings or generating electricity. There are several sources of alternative energy available to replace our fossil fuels.

- - - - -

Perhaps concentrating on these sources might improve our environment before we find our aquatic athletes diving into pristine green water while‘scoring a zero’ and track-runners unable to see in the smog and we realize that we can no longer cleanly ‘hand off the baton’ to the next generation.

Maybe we already know!