Excuse me, your goat’s on fire.
I know it is not the Christmas season anymore, but there is one heart warming (or is it “goat warming?”) story I would like to share.
Apparently there is a town in Sweden where they make this great big goat for Christmas. I think this stems from the biblical references to giant Swedish goats, but I am not sure of that. Anyhow, they make this big goat that gets everyone into the Christmas spirit. It seems, however, that someone else got into the Christmas spirit (if you know what I mean) and decided that burning down the goat would be another fine Christmas tradition (or perhaps it was a Kwanzaa tradition, I will have to research that). So each year has become a tactical match between the pro-goat crowd and the left-wing goat oxidation radicals as to whether the goat burns or not.
Fig. 1: Goat prior to oxidation
The Following article describes the victory of 2006.
Swedish ‘goat’ defies arsonists
A Swedish straw goat frequently attacked by vandals over the Christmas period has been taken down - unharmed - at the end of festivities.
The giant 13m (43ft) goat in the city of Gavle was dismantled after surviving Christmas for only the 11th time.
Goats of Christmas past have been burned down on 22 occasions, ram-raided or simply smashed to pieces.
Authorities said the goat’s longevity in 2006 was down to a special flame-resistant chemical coating.
“If the Gavle goat hadn’t been impregnated with flame-resistant chemicals, we would have been left with a black skeleton,” said Anna Oestman, a member of the city’s goat committee.
In 2005, arsonists dressed as Santa Claus and the Gingerbread Man burned the goat to the ground.
Secret storage
Gavle’s Christmas goat was first installed in the town’s central square in 1966.
Some have been burnt down within hours of being erected during the first week of December.
The culprits are seldom caught. However, a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight in December 2001.
The successful flame-proofing of the 2006 goat was not the first time authorities have put their faith in retardants - a substance tried once before washed off in the rain.
The undamaged goat would be stored at a secret location before being wheeled out for Christmas again at the end of this year, officials said.
Goats have a special place in Swedish tradition, delivering festive gifts - according to Swedish folklore - before Santa Claus took over that role.
Fig 2: Goat Oxidization
Wikipedia has a great article on this goat (I did not realize that I had been in the dark about something so important) which includes the following table:
| Number of goats built | Number of goats burned | Number of goats vandalised | Number of goats run over | Total destroyed goats | Survival rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Merchants | 31 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 42% |
| Natural Science Club | 35 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 51% |
| TOTAL | 66 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 47% |
- Number of goats built includes goats rebuilt after an initial burning.
- Number of goats burned includes goats burnt down more than once and goats only partially burnt.
- Number of goats vandalised includes goats thrown in the river.
- Number of goats run over includes goats run over by motorized vehicle.
- Number of goats burned includes goats burnt down more than once and goats only partially burnt.
As I said, I find this quite touching. Saving goats through the wonders of science. Wow, what a wonderful time we live in where now giant Trojan goats are now safe from evil Santas and Gingerbread men.
If we can find a way to save the goat, then maybe there is hope for American healthcare. What do you think?
Fig 3: Oxidized Goat
January 10th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Maybe, by using a suitable retardant, we can preserve the few things that are good in our “lack” of a healthcare system, yet allow us the space to rebuild something more suitable? We could then take it out for special occasions but hide the details from politicos so no one will have the opportunity to destroy it?
January 11th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Why stick at US healthcare? Why not go for world peace?
Regards - Shinga
January 11th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Yes, Shinga. Whirled peas would be nice.
My hope is to discuss some opportunities I think exist to actually improve the situation we are presently in.
Rob
January 11th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Go + At + Ar* -> Go + At + Charcoal - Ars* -> Ars - $$
*Ar = Arson
*Ars = Arsonists
Some scientific interpretation is called for…and balance.
January 11th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
OK Charlotte. I am a little dense on this one. Please explain to our viewers at home.
I do appreciate the scientific approach, however.
Rob
January 11th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Hehe.
If I correctly remember my Norse mythology, the goat was a symbol of one of the Aesir, or the Norse gods, adapted from pagan traditions to a more acceptable Christian symbol. In shops that specialize in Scandinavian imports, you can buy all kinds of Christmas ornaments that represent the goat.
My maternal great-grandmother was actually a goat girl in rural Norway (Gudbransdal). During the summers she and her sisters would go up the mountainside to live at the saeter, where they tended the goats, milked them every day and made cheese. The family story is that it was a lonely, hard-working existence and that great-grandma hated it. She emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800s when she was 19 years old.
Don’t know why I felt compelled to share that story. I guess I’m just oddly partial to goats and quite amused to see that someone has discovered the Gavle Goat.
Skoal!
January 12th, 2007 at 9:03 am
It warms my heart that your great-grandmother was a goat-girl, PJ. I guess that would make you 1/8 goat, wouldn’t it? Thank you for giving an explanation of the association of goats with Christmas.
Skoal to you as well! (although you should give up that filthy habit).
Rob
January 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Uh… “Skoal” is the Scandinavian equivalent of saying “Prosit” or “Cheers,” especially when rounds of drinks are being shared. I didn’t mean the chewing tobacco.
Or maybe you already knew this and are just pulling my leg…
January 12th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I was applying traction on your lower extremity.
Rob
February 26th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
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