The Swedish Yule begins on December 13 with Luciadagen, Saint Lucy's Day...Lucia was born in Syracuse, Sicily, in the fourth century. Tradition says she cut out her eyes because their beauty attracted a heathen nobleman. She was denounced as a Christian and condemned to death during the reign of Diocletian...Scandinavian observance of Lucia's festival has come down through the centuries. In some parts of Sweden old people used to say that the Lucia Bride, clothed in white and crowned with light, could be seen between three and four o'clock in the morning on December 13, moving across icy lakes and snow-covered hills with food and drink for parish folk.

On December 13, Yuletide is opened officially in cities and villages by a young girl re-enacting the role of the Lucia Bride, who visits each household at dawn with a tray of coffee and cakes. In Stockholm, Lucia is chosen by popular vote in much the same way as beauty queens are elected in the United States. In the homes, however, Lucia usually is represented by the oldest daughter in the family.

Of the many folk customs that exist in connection with Luciadagen, one of the most interesting is that the year's threshing, spinning, and weaving must be finished and everything put in order for the Christmas holidays. Before this day boys and girls finish making Christmas presents. The housewife completes her weeks of holiday baking and makes the tallow dips for table and Christmas tree; the lutfisk, traditional Christmas fish, is already buried in beech ashes, so it will be sweet for the holiday feast...

LUCIA CEREMONY CHARACTERS: Lucia Bride

Optional:2 Girl Attendants Little Stars (if there are little children , the family)

Optional Star Boys (Stjärngossarna) AGE: Pre-teen—Teen

NUMBER OF ATTENDANTS: As many children as in the family; additional friends and neighbors as desired

EQUIPMENT: For Lucia Bride, large tray, of copper if possible, set with small matching coffee service, two or three cups and saucers, plates of cakes; for Little Stars, tiny silver wands, decorated on top with silver Christmas tree stars; piano if desired

When it is time to serve refreshments, turn off the electricity and light all the candles. Luciadagen is the festival of light! Lucia and her attendants then enter singing the Swedish Lucia song, to the tune of "Santa Lucia":

Night goes with silent steps Round house and cottage. Over the earth that the sun forgot Dark shadows linger. Then on our threshold stands Whiteclad, with candles in her hair, Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia. (English version by Holger Lundbergh)

Lucia is the embodiment of the Christmas spirit in a simple long white robe, crimson sash and stockings, and a crown of huckleberry leaves (as a good substitute for the shiny lignon leaves used in Sweden). Wired to the crown are the traditional nine white candles which, to avoid fire hazard, should remain unlighted.

Lucia, carrying the coffee service on the copper tray, goes to the guests and holds it so they may serve themselves. Her attendants furnish china, silver, and napkins from the party table and replenish the tray.

Lucia's attendants are dressed similarly to herself, with the exception of the special crown which she alone wears. When there are small children in the family, they may be included in the ceremony as Little Stars, wearing simple white slips and peaked silver-paper caps and carrying the silver wands. If there are older boys, they may play the role of the Stjärngossarna), or Star Boys, who in Sweden often accompany Lucia as she makes parish rounds. The boys wear white robes and their tall peaked silver caps are adorned with moon and star cutouts. One boy carries an illumined paper star which is fastened to a pole and revolves like a pinwheel.

The Lucia Bride and her attendants serve traditional saffron-seasoned buns known as lussekatter, or "Lucia cats," which are made in the shape of an X, with curledup ends and raisin eyes, and ginger cookies called pepparkakor.

Much of the charm of the Lucia Fest lies in the opportunity it gives the young people of the family to help entertain. After refreshments have been enjoyed, it will be quite natural and enjoyable for the guests to gather around the piano and sing the beloved Christmas carols. Everyone will want to know about the Lucia custom, so the girls will tell the story of how this kind of coffee party originated centuries ago in Sweden, and how, even today, the Lucia Bride visits not only her own family, but hospitals, orphanages, and old peoples' homes as well. She calls on everyone who is ill or lonely, just as her medieval counterpart was said to have done.

REFRESHMENTS Lussekatter (Lucia Buns) Pepparkakor (Ginger Cookies)





lussekatter

battery-lit.

This brings back pleasant memories. When my daughter was young, we chose a country at Thanksgiving and we celebrated Christmas in the was it was in that country. The most magical were the Scandinavian Christmases, especially Finland. I made a Scandinavian dinner (try finding fresh fish in New Mexico), and traditional goodies. She got to be Santa Lucia and I liked breakfast in bed. She was at the right age to enjoy the celebrations. I miss our Christmas of the world ceremonies. We also celebrated similar winter holidays in other traditions too.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

Dog kisses for everyone!

http://www.businessinsider.com/swedens-euro-hostility-hits-a-record-2012-12

As the Eurozone flails about to keep its chin above the debt crisis that is drowning periphery countries, and as the European Union struggles to duct-tape itself together with more “integration,” Sweden is having second thoughts: never before has there been such hostility toward the euro.

Sweden is a special case. It joined the EU in 1995 after its people had graciously been allowed to express their will in a referendum in 1994—with 52.3% voting in favor.

As every country that joins the EU, Sweden signed an accession treaty that obligates it to adopt the euro, but without deadline. So in 2003, the government thought time had come to make the move. It asked the people in a non-binding referendum if they wanted to accede to the Eurozone. September 14 was the day.

The people rebelled. And demolished the euro, with 55.9% voting against it and 42% for it. They didn’t want to trade in their beloved krona for the newfangled currency. They didn’t want to give up sovereignty over their monetary policy.


Read more: http://www.testosteronepit.com/home/2012/12/12/swedens-euro-hostility-hits-a-record.html#ixzz2EwMzGf44

http://www.businessinsider.com/initial-jobless-claims-8-2012-12

Initial claims rose 343K versus expectations of a 369K rise.
Continuing claims fell slightly to 3198K versus expectations of 3210K.
Below is a snapshot of part of the state-by-state breakdown provided in the report.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-13/home-seizures-rise-as-banks-adjust-to-foreclosure-flow.html


Home seizures in the U.S. rose 5.4 percent last month, the first annual gain in two years, as lenders seek to manage the flow of distressed properties without disrupting the housing recovery, according to RealtyTrac.

Banks repossessed 59,134 homes, up from 56,124 from November 2011, the Irvine, California-based data firm said today in a report. The increase was the first since October 2010, when foreclosures slowed after allegations that lenders were using faulty practices to take property from delinquent homeowners. Seizures climbed 11 percent from the previous month.

“Lenders have figured out how to play the foreclosure game in this new world where they’re getting a lot more scrutiny,” Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac vice president, said in a telephone interview. “Everybody involved in the foreclosure industry has finally got a good handle on how to manage these properties to create a more managed and stable flow.”

The five largest lenders in February agreed to a $25 billion settlement of the charges and have since been pursuing foreclosure alternatives such as short sales, where a property is sold for less than the amount owed. Repossessions since March have slowed to fewer than 60,000 a month, an “acceptable” level for servicers that previously had struggled to process a flood of distressed homes, Blomquist said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-13/retail-sales-increase-as-americans-snap-up-autos-electronics.html

Retail sales in the U.S. rose in November as demand for automobiles rebounded and holiday shoppers snapped up electronics and clothes.

The 0.3 percent gain followed a 0.3 percent decrease in October, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 81 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.5 percent rise. The biggest drop in service- station receipts in four years, reflecting lower fuel costs, restrained the gain in total purchases.

Car sales jumped last month to a four-year high, in part because Americans in Sandy’s path replaced damaged vehicles. Federal Reserve policy makers yesterday expanded stimulus in a bid to reduce unemployment and spur the economy as chains such as Macy’s Inc. (M) cut prices to lure customers increasingly concerned about looming tax increases and government cutbacks.

“The details look pretty solid,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “The consumer is continuing to support the recovery, which is important because identifying the sources of growth is becoming increasingly difficult. The burden is really starting to fall on the consumer.”

http://www.thenation.com/blog/171728/emerging-fiscal-cliff-deal-spares-corporations-not-safety-net



The Wall Street Journal has news of some actual developments in the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations: this morning, it reported that President Obama will add corporate tax reform to his offer to House Republicans, in an effort to bring them along and invite a buy-in from the pesky CEOs crowding up the airwaves during most of this saga.

The Journal says “The White House’s corporate-tax suggestion wasn’t specific” but that “White House officials, in making the suggestion, cited a corporate-tax plan the administration unveiled in February.” The plan the White House outlined earlier this year, if you don’t recall, was to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent while closing corporate tax loopholes to a degree that enough revenue is raised to offset the rate reduction.

So you can immediately see the first problem with Obama’s proposal—since it’s revenue-neutral, it asks corporate America to contribute nothing to a final deficit reduction passage.

Citizens for Tax Justice immediately flagged Obama’s revenue-neutral plan as problematic when the White House released it earlier this year. CEOs like to whine that the statutory corporate tax rate in America of 35 percent is the highest in the world, but CTJ studied the Fortune 500 companies that had profits in each of the past three years and found that their average effective tax rate was actually just 18.5 percent, thanks to a variety of loopholes, exemptions, and offshoring. Thirty of those corporations had negative tax rates, meaning they actually got money from the Treasury over that three-year period.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSD1nJH3QNiEqfpnoj3gZOf4M-klK_sOt9L-jDV-jMTMwcD8hAD2GZT1SQJ

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/09/791487/-The-Nobel-Clue-Stick

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20695129

European finance ministers have reached a deal on rules for supervising eurozone banks, ahead of an EU summit.

Around 200 of the biggest banks will come under the direct oversight of the European Central Bank, which will act as chief supervisor of eurozone banks.

The agreement - a key step towards banking union - will be put before European leaders later on Thursday.

New rules on prudent banking are seen as vital to bolster the euro, as bank failures triggered the financial crash.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121212-france-montebourg-rio-tinto-nationalisation

The French government denied a newspaper report Wednesday that Industrial Recovery Minister Arnaud Montebourg was considering nationalising an aluminium plant owned by Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto.

Le Monde newspaper reported that the move was being studied by officials working for Montebourg, just 10 days after the government rejected a similar proposal for Indian steelmaker ArcelorMittal's Florange steel plant in eastern France.

But his ministry issued a terse statement saying it "denies the information appearing in Le Monde about Rio Tinto Alcan's Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne factory."

There was no immediate comment from Rio Tinto.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121213-tax-exile-depardieu-puts-paris-mansion-sale


French actor Gérard Depardieu, under fire for becoming a tax exile, is selling his historic Paris mansion, real estate agents Daniel Féau confirmed on Thursday, amid reports of a 50 million euro price tag.

French actor Gérard Depardieu, amid fierce criticism for expatriating himself to Belgium for tax reasons, has put his palatial Paris residence up for sale, a top Paris estate agent confirmed on Thursday.

Depardieu wants 50 million euros for his “Hôtel Particulier” [a French term for a grand privately-owned town house] in Paris’s posh 6th arrondissement, according to French daily Le Parisien.

The historic Hôtel de Chambon, at the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Près quarter on the left bank of the Seine, is listed exclusively by estate agent Daniel Féau as a “property of 1,800 square metres with adjoining gardens and terraces, with a secondary living area at the other side of the garden”.

Prices per square metre in the upmarket 6th arrondissement can be in excess of 18,000 euros, according to French property site Meilleurs Agents.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121213-france-french-irrational-mittal-montebourg-steel-florange


Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal spoke of his shock on Thursday at being told he was “not welcome in France” by a French minister. Mittal said a government threat to nationalise his steel plant would have been a “giant leap backwards” for France.

Global steel giant Lakshmi Mittal expressed his surprise on Thursday at his treatment at the hands of an “irrational” French government minister who had told him his company was no longer welcome in France.

Last month France’s outspoken minister for industrial recovery, Arnaud Montebourg, attacked Mittal over his company’s controversial decision to close two blast furnaces in Florange, eastern France, with the loss of around 630 jobs.

Montebourg, known for being a loose cannon, slammed ArcelorMittal for not respecting France and said it was “no longer welcome" in the country.

I can't take the continuous, world-wide and domestic duplicity and foolishness on so little sleep.

I also need to invent a Weekend theme. All ideas welcome! I have a rehearsal Friday night, but I'll try to get the thread up before I go.

So...what would we explore this weekend, everybody?

have a good day -- and a good rehersal...

Something different?

yule?

holiday recipes?

i'm cooking for a christmas eve dinner -- i thought i might try a beef loin -- i know my ideas aren't very original.

(no piano smilie)

Beethoven it is!

I love classical music, across the spectrum from Gershwin to Monteverdi, but Beethoven's got to be my favorite. When I listen to his 9th Symphony and Choral Fantasy w/piano, I wonder if he was an alien from an advanced type of people. These pieces are beyond sublime. He was an absolute genius!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/executives-push-for-fiscal-cliff-deal-even-if-their-tax-concerns-have-to-wait/2012/12/12/3647ccbe-4488-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html

With corporate tax rates and tax breaks up for grabs, chief executives are personally stepping forward to lobby Congress and the White House on taxes, seeking to set priorities while conceding that some taxes will have to go up.

The business executives, while unenthusiastic about higher taxes, say that avoiding the “fiscal cliff” is their No. 1 priority and that many other key issues can be taken care of in broader tax reform negotiations they hope would take place next year.

“Most have focused less on the particulars of a tax agreement and more on just the need to get something done to provide certainty,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

The executives have been coming in waves, starting with a group brought in by Democrats last week to help push Republicans closer to making a deal. Although many of them supported GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who opposed tax hikes, the executives are now ready to swallow higher rates for the wealthy and are leaning on both parties to compromise.

The executives also need the cluestick.

i thought this might get your attention.

I've never been more certain that I'm about to get screwed, big time!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_AIRLINES_OUTLOOK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-13-09-22-17

GENEVA (AP) -- U.S. airlines will lead a recovery in the global sector's profits next year, mainly thanks to cost cuts and restructuring measures taken to address weak economic growth, the industry's trade group forecast Thursday.

Carriers in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America will also enjoy an improvement in earnings, while those in Europe are expected to only break even as they continue to suffer from the region's economic crisis.

The industry expects global net profits of $8.4 billion in 2013. It anticipates $6.7 billion for this year, based on strong second and third quarters - particularly for larger carriers - despite high fuel prices and weaker demand.

The 2013 results would still be below the $8.8 billion earned in 2011 and $15.8 billion in 2010. The net profit margin, at 1 percent, would also be well below the 7 to 8 percent officials say is needed to recover capital costs.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WHOLESALE_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-13-10-11-35

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Cheaper gas drove down a measure of wholesale prices in November for the second straight month, a sign inflation remains mild.

The producer price index fell 0.8 percent last month, the steepest drop since May, the Labor Department said Thursday. That follows a 0.2 percent decline in October. The index measures the cost of goods before they reach the consumer.

Gas prices fell last month by the most in more than three years. Food prices, however, rose by the most in nearly two years, pushed higher by costlier beef and vegetables.

Beef prices jumped 8.2 percent, the biggest gain in four and a half years. Vegetable prices rose nearly 12 percent. Grocery stores may mark up the prices of those products in the coming months, but probably not by as much.

I just paid $3.29. It's been that (or higher) all fall.

One week proved that the people couldn't afford to keep up with the executives...

and if say -- milk -- goes up just a few cents every so often -- it fuckin hurts.