Swedish News:

A reality show for Swedish Americans. Sweden’s missing horse. Heated tents wanted for refugees.  

  • The American cast of Sweden's Allt för Sverige (“Great Swedish Adventure”), season 5. Photo SVT.se
  • A reality show for Swedish Americans
    Earlier this year Nordstjernan shared a casting call for the hit Swedish reality show Allt för Sverige (“Great Swedish Adventure”) that features Americans exploring their Swedish roots on location in Sweden. After four hit seasons, a fifth has been playing out in Sweden, the cast selected this spring to participate in this exciting reality television series. It showcases 11 Americans with Swedish ancestry as they travel throughout Sweden to discover their land, roots and cultural heritage. Participants compete against each other, in teams and individually, in extreme cultural challenges to discover their rich and fascinating roots while trying to win the grand prize: meeting their Swedish relatives. Season five starts Nov. 1, and we might be able to watch it at http://www.svtplay.se, but we'll keep readers posted if there's other coverage in the U.S. This year's participants are Alexis Bunten, 37, of Monterey, CA; Nathan Arling, 36
, of Chicago, IL; Kurt Engstrom, 45
, of Tustin, CA; Charles, 66 and Beverly Wassberg, 65
 of Plano, TX
; Karen Berg-Rylance, 46, of 
Fruit Heights, UT; Jamie Lystra, 30
, of West Olive, MI
; John Winscher, 33, of Atlanta, GA
; Brooke Langton, 44, of 
Los Angeles
, CA; James Morgan, 42, of Chicago, IL; and Jenna Wroblewski, 20
, of Madison, WI. Go here for more information.

  • Watch the start of season 5 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfIJ6rSCsCU
  • Sweden’s missing horse
    “Brunte” the horse showed up on a busy street in Säve, near Gothenburg, in early October. Persistent inquiries of ownership were sought all over Sweden while the person who found her has been caring for the affectionate 10- to 15-year-old chestnut mare, who appears to be in good health. Where Brunte comes from remains a mystery; all the horse lovers in Säve would recognize her, but no one does and no one has stepped up to claim her. After three weeks, police are now looking for a new owner, someone with experience and interest in caring for horses. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the police with their desire to take the horse, which it would then be within their right to sell. The deadline is Nov. 1; if the rightful owner doesn't step forward by then, the mare will go home to a new farm.

  • "Brunte" the horse should have a new home very soon. Photo hippson.se
  • Heated tents wanted for refugees
    It was hoped that the first tents for asylum seekers would already be in place in southern Sweden, but it may still be several weeks because the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), whose plan it is to provide tents to incoming refugees, does not have the required building permits. The lack of housing for refugees coming to Sweden is acute and the number of asylum seekers rises daily; the MSB wants 75 heated tents set up to accommodate 375 just-arrived refugees. This now desperate race for living places has increased gradually as the Swedish Migration Board has appealed to municipalities for help, using every imaginable vacant space around the country to accommodate refugees as the weather gets colder. Where the tents will be placed is still unclear, but there’s a focus on southern Sweden where most refugees arrive; a likely spot is adjacent to a military field in Revingehed, east of Lund in Skåne. “Everything really depends on the neighbors’ attitudes about the building permit,” said Malin Sjogren, city architect in Lund. MSB in Kristinehamn is also preparing to send for tents to serve at arrival places. “We are ready to start building within two days of when we get the information about where they should go,” says Ann-Charlotte Zackrisson of MSB.