The beautiful and talented young Scarlett Johansson will host the Nobelfredspriskonsert (Nobel peace prize concert) in Oslo on Dec. 11. Her co-host is yet to be determined, but her presence will no doubt draw an eager and supportive crowd. In fact, she came to my hometown, Northfield, MN (a small southern suburb of the Twin Cities,) to stump for Barack Obama at Carleton College. I had heard that she was going to be in town and thus thought I might spot a big black van or a limo amongst the other vehicles that transport the 20,000 some citizens of Northfield. Not only did I see the vehicle in which she rode, but she came into a small shoe and clothing store that I work at called the Rare Pair. What would you guess that she would buy in a small retail store in a small midwestern town? Scarlett Johansson bought a pair of Converse and a pair of Smartwool socks. She made it clear that she was not used to this Minnesota weather (needless to say, it wasn’t even that cold…). Anyways, my friend and I sold her the items and were quite starstruck. Imagine my chagrine when I read in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten (aftenposten.no) that she would host the Nobelfredspriskonsert.
Although I was unable to hear her speak on behalf of Barack Obama, I heard that she was not the best public speaker, but that all the students were mesmerized. One can only hope that she does not accept such politcal roles just for fame or money, but because she is dedicated to these causes and knows how much influence she has on young people in the United States and globally!
The Norwegian Nobel committee has chosen Martti Ahtisaara, former president of Finland and longtime mediator of peace efforts in numerous world conflicts. For those of you who are unaware, it is slightly peculiar that the Nobelfredspris is awarded in Norway and the candidate is chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee (who is chosen by the Norwegian Parliament). Alfred Nobel was Swedish and the other prizes are awarded in Sweden. The Nobelfredspris is the only Nobel prize that is awarded outside of Sweden. It is always awarded in Oslo, Norway in the presence of the King on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death in 1896.
It is also peculiar that Alfred Nobel elected to create a category for peace given that he was a scientist who developed destructive weapons including dynamite and ballistite. There are many theories regarding Alfred Nobel, the peace prize, and it’s relation to Norway. For further reading on the Alfred Nobel, please consult a different source (always good to start with Wikipedia, right?). Another good one is: nobelpeaceprize.org.
The following is useful information concerning the word peace-fred.
fred is a noun.
fredelig means “peaceful”
fred i sinnet means “peace of mind”
slutte fred means “make peace”
the verb å frede means “to preserve or protect (by law).” Present tense is freder and past tense is fredet.
fredhellig means “sacred”
There are many other words with the root fred but these are the most frequently used.
Have a fredelig day and stay tuned to the Nobelfredspris!
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