Sunday, June 1, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ship cannon found in Sweden may be oldest in Europe

Published 17 September 2023
– By Editorial Staff
The ship's cannon was found in 2001 off Marstrand on the Swedish west coast.

A ship cannon found off Marstrand has been dated by researchers to the 14th century. This means it could be the oldest artillery piece so far found in Europe.

In an interdisciplinary study published in the English maritime historical journal The Mariner’s Mirror, Swedish, German, and British researchers have examined a ship cannon discovered in 2001 off Marstrand.

The reason they believe it is a ship cannon, rather than a transported cannon, is because it still had remnants of a charge left in the powder chamber when found. In other words, it was loaded and ready for use. It is also thanks to these remaining charges that they have been able to date the ship cannon to the 14th century.

The results show that the Marstrand cannon is very likely from the 14th century, making it one of the absolute oldest artillery pieces found in Europe, says Staffan von Arbin, marine archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg, who led the study.

Researchers have documented the find, located at a depth of 20 meters by sport divers, using among other things 3D scanning. Further, they have conducted a chemical analysis showing that it is made of copper alloy and contains about 14 percent lead and only smaller amounts of tin. According to researchers, this was not optimal for casting cannons, and they therefore suggest it probably broke and was repaired.

– It’s clear that the person who cast the cannon did not have the necessary knowledge and understanding of different copper alloys’ properties, says von Arbin.

The next step is to try to locate the ship to which the Marstrand cannon belonged. The ship is likely heavily decayed, say researchers, but they believe it should still be possible to find wreckage.

Carlsten is a 17th-century stone fortress on Marstrand island. Artist unknown.

Marstrand is a picturesque seaside locality on the western coast of Sweden, known for its stunning archipelago and rich maritime history. One of its most iconic landmarks is Carlsten Fortress, a 17th-century stone fortress that offers panoramic views of the area. The locality is a hub for boating and sailing activities, and it has historically been an important trading port.

Marsrand is a popular tourist destination, particularly in the summer, offering a range of activities from kayaking to hiking in nearby nature reserves. Marstrand is easily accessible from major cities like Gothenburg, making it a convenient getaway for both locals and tourists.

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The Faroe Islands’ grand celebration

The popular national day celebration Ólavsøka brings the Faroese together for a colorful celebration in the capital Tórshavn, a tradition that goes back a thousand years.

Published today 7:45
– By Editorial Staff

The Faroe Islands consist of 18 small islands, mostly bordered by high mountains and narrow fjords in the North Atlantic Ocean between Scotland, Norway and Iceland, with a population of around 55 000. Faroese is a unique little Nordic language, descended directly from the Old Norse spoken by the Norse who settled the islands 1200 years ago. Formally part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the islands have been granted considerable autonomy. Fishing is a key part of the trade, with seafood exported to all six continents.

Góða Ólavsøku!

Centuries of relative isolation have resulted in the preservation of long-standing traditions that still characterize life in the Faroe Islands. One strong tradition is the national day celebrated on July 28 and 29, known as Ólavsøka.

The holiday is held in memory of the Norwegian king Olaf Haraldsson II, who died in the Battle of Stiklestad in Norway in 1030 and was later canonized as the patron saint of Norway. In Norway, a similar celebration called Olsok Day is also observed on July 29.

The death of the Norwegian king is believed to have contributed to the Christianization of Norway and thereby also the Faroe Islands, which during the Middle Ages were part of the Kingdom of Norway. The tradition of celebrating Olsok, still observed in Norway, has also lived on in the Faroe Islands and is today the nation’s national day.

The celebration of Ólavsøka thus stretches back about a thousand years, but in its current form, it has been observed since 1920.

A popular festival

Ólavsøka is celebrated with a large public festival lasting two days, during which residents often gather in the capital, Tórshavn. Men, women, and children frequently wear Faroese national costumes, known as føroyski tjóðbúnin, for the celebration. It is the largest summer festival of the year.

The opening ceremony is often described as both colorful and highly traditional. In a procession, athletes from local clubs, politicians, musicians, and riders march through the streets of the city accompanied by a brass band. Outside the parliament building, Ólavsøka is then officially opened with speeches and musical performances.

During these days, the streets of Tórshavn are filled with people of all ages. The joyful atmosphere is palpable as old friends reunite, families spend time together, and strangers meet.

900-year-old tradition

The Faroese Parliament dates back to the 9th century, making it one of the oldest parliaments in the world. In Viking times, for example, it was the highest authority on the islands.

The opening of the Parliament, which takes place on July 29, is a very long tradition that goes back over 900 years. Among other things, it is documented in the Sheep Letter, which is the oldest legal document in the Faroe Islands, dating back to 1298.

The Føroya løgting opens at 11 a.m. when members of parliament, government ministers, priests of the National Church of the Faroe Islands and other public officials walk in procession to Tórshavn Cathedral where a service is held. After the service, the procession goes to the parliament building where there are choral and musical performances.

At the formal opening of Parliament, the Prime Minister (Løgmaður) delivers his annual address to Parliament and the Faroese nation. The opening of Parliament is considered an important part of Ólavsøka and reflects the ancient connection between Parliament and the Church.

Kvaddans and Midnight Singing

During the celebration, there are art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural highlights in the Faroese spirit. One tradition is the so-called kvaddans, where participants hold hands and dance in a long chain or circle. It is a traditional Faroese dance dating back to the Middle Ages, where participants sing old narrative ballads – kvæði, an old word for song. In Sweden, the dance is known as ballad dance.

The Faroe Islands’ national sport is sea rowing, and the final of the national rowing competition is also held during Ólavsøka, one of the highlights of Faroese sports.

Local specialties such as skerpikjøt (dried mutton) and aquavit as a welcome drink are often served, and restaurants stay open late.

An important part of the celebration is also Midnáttarsangurin, which translates to “the midnight song”. It takes place at midnight between July 28 and 29 in Tórshavn, where Faroese people gather at the town square near the parliament to sing together. Both old and new Faroese songs and ballads are sung, and kvaddans is danced here as well.

WakeUpTV aims to challenge the Nordic establishment media

Published 29 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Oddane, the focus of the TV house will be on news and social programs as well as investigative documentaries and interviews.

The creators behind the WakeUpGlobe channel, the Nordic network WakeUpFriends, and the WakeUpConference announce that they are planning to build a new Nordic television network focused on “truth and awareness”.

The stated goal is extremely ambitious – they say they want to seriously challenge and offer an alternative to the major Nordic TV companies with their millions of viewers.

It’s time to build a new Nordic TV house under the WakeUpTV brand that can seriously challenge the big Nordic commercial and state-owned players, such as SVT, TV4, DR in Denmark, and NRK in Norway”, says founder Michael Oddane in a press release.

With WakeUpTV, we want to take everything to a whole new level, where we will operate in professional TV studios on a par with the major TV houses in an environment where the masses feel at home”, he continues.

According to Oddane, hundreds of millions of people around the world have lost confidence in the narratives broadcast by traditional channels and are instead looking for new alternatives.

We will create truth-focused and life-affirming TV that will both be a force for changing society for the better and help people develop both personally and spiritually”, he says.

“Traditional media obscures and distorts”

The plans began five years ago, and the property where the TV station will be built is located in a scenic area outside Lund. Two large TV studios, control rooms, and offices will be built on the property.

Initially, the TV station will have five permanent employees, and various external presenters will be brought in for different projects. It will launch its own streaming service but will also broadcast much of its content via social media to achieve the widest possible reach.

Our focus will, as always, be on uncovering the truth about what is happening in the world and sharing knowledge about personal and spiritual development. It is quite obvious that traditional media both obscures and distorts the truth, contrary to the mission they claim to have. They seem to operate largely according to the wishes of those in power and have lost their function as the third estate. Even spiritual and personal development seem to fall outside the scope of public service and commercial television, which is highly remarkable”, Oddane continues.

Holistic health and alternative medicine

WakeUpTV will also focus on areas such as holistic health, alternative medicine, and treatments – but not on sports or pure entertainment programs.

There will be news-related and socially oriented programs, investigative documentaries, and interviews. There are also plans for debate programs and talk shows with live audiences and, as I said, a separate section where we will share knowledge about spiritual and personal development together with a large number of Nordic actors. Everything will be packaged with high production values”.

Oddane is now trying to attract investors – both micro-investors and those who are willing to invest larger sums. However, it is currently unclear when the TV station is expected to be ready and start broadcasting programs.

Israel’s Eurovision public vote record sparks suspicion of coordinated campaign

Published 20 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Israeli representative Yuval Raphael performing at this year's Eurovision.

Israel’s contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 has become a hot topic – not only for its performance, but also for the record-high number of votes from the audience. Now, suspicions are growing that organized campaigns may have influenced the result.

According to the Schibsted newspaper SvD, both experts and Eurovision fans have reacted to Israel receiving so many votes from TV viewers. Israel’s representative Yuval Raphael won the public vote by a large margin, but Austria took home the final victory thanks to higher scores from the jury groups.

As in Malmö last year, Israel’s entry was controversial even before the final, mainly because of the ongoing war in Gaza.

It is worth noting that Yuval Raphael survived the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and she says that the experience has shaped her and her entry, “New Day Will Rise”, which she believes carries a strong message of hope and reconstruction.

EBU will investigate

According to SvD, there are suspicions of coordinated efforts on platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, and X, where users have shared instructions on how to vote from different countries and use VPN services to circumvent geographical restrictions.

Similar patterns have been seen in previous years, but this year’s mobilization is described as unusually extensive. There have also been reports of automated bots and paid advertisements targeting the Eurovision audience.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, has confirmed that it is following up on the information and analyzing voting patterns. In a statement, the EBU says it has advanced systems to detect and stop cheating, but that it always reviews its procedures after the contest.

Journalist asked critical questions about Israel – banned from Eurovision

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk, banned from Eurovision 2025.

Polish journalist Szymon Stellmaszyk has been denied accreditation for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. He believes this is due to a critical question he asked Israeli artist Eden Golan last year – something the EBU denies.

Szymon Stellmaszyk has covered the Eurovision Song Contest for 20 years and runs both the Facebook page “Let’s talk about ESC” and the industry website “Radio Newsletter”. This year, for the first time, he has been denied accreditation to cover the contest in Basel.

The background, according to Stellmaszyk himself, is a critical question he asked Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, during Eurovision in Malmö last year. He asked whether Golan, given the political situation and the war in Gaza, thought her presence could pose a security risk to other participants and the audience.

The question attracted attention and was criticized by some, but Stellmaszyk emphasizes that it was not intended to be offensive or “anti-Semitic”. In an email to Stellmaszyk, which the Swedish state broadcaster SVT has seen, the EBU justifies its decision by saying that the platforms Stellmaszyk uses do not have sufficient reach.

“Restriction”

Szymon Stellmaszyk himself is convinced that the EBU is making excuses and that it is in fact about the question he asked last year.

– This is some kind of revenge and, in practice, a restriction of freedom of expression, he says.

It should also be noted that this year’s EBU media handbook contains a new rule stating that published content must be “respectful” towards Eurovision and the EBU. Eurovision boss Martin Green says the wording is unfortunate and promises that it will be reworded for next year.

At the same time, he does not want to comment on individual cases, but points out that there are a limited number of places for journalists.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland.

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