Ear: Sweden

Thanks to Astoria maritime writer Peter Marsh for this tidbit: Those clever Swedes at Visit Sweden have done it again. This time they took advantage of an embarrassing blooper President Joe Biden made — he mixed up Sweden and Switzerland in a speech last summer — to make a “Welcome to Sweden (not Switzerland)” video.

“ … Leaders and citizens of Switzerland, this is a message from Sweden,” the announcer says. “We’re contacting you regarding our mutual problem. Yes, I’m talking about this. It’s time we make the distinction between our two nations as clear as day by deciding who talks about what.

“Our proposition is as follows: First of all, Switzerland gets to talk about banks. And Sweden gets to talk about sandbanks … Switzerland gets to promote loud noises, such as yodeling. In return, Sweden gets silence. And a lack of yodeling. LSD goes to Switzerland, because you invented that. And Sweden will get the Northern Lights. A different kind of surreal experience.”

And on and on it goes. And yes, there is a proposal for Swiss officials to sign, along with an extended list of topics, such as Switzerland: cheeseballs, Sweden: meatballs; Switzerland: mousse, Sweden: moose, etc.