The Flag Counter
I didn’t keep track of my visitor stats for a long time, but a few days ago I added the cute little flag counter on the right. According to today’s stats, 177 (55%) of my visitors this far have come from the United States of America. Can that be true? Are you all real people? Give me a sign if you’re a real person, please. (Although I don’t have anything particularly against AI:s, I wonder if they like my comic too.)
EDIT: The most interesting is the “long tail” of visitors. From these locations, I’ve had 1 visitor each: Portugal, Honduras, South Korea, Puerto Rico, People’s Republic of China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Lebanon, Hungary (köszönöm!), Greece, Czech Republic, New Zealand - and the European Union (?!). Special mention goes to Kenya. Asante, kwaheri!
May 12th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Hello punalippu girl,
I found your sites today looking for info on Punalippu. I live in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada. I have enjoyed reading your postings. I like your graphic art/comics! I found the Tartari info interesting as I recently met a Finnish tatari man here, and was surprised to find out there is such a thing as Finnish Muslims (besides more recent immigrants). Recently, I found some old music books in the Finlandia Club (built 1910). One music sheet is called Punalippu. It must be from the 20s or 30s? I am making an art installation with some old oak chairs and this Puna Lippu song. One old Finnish woman came to visit me and I showed her the old music sheet. She looked horrified and said, Ei vain oo Communisti laulu? Of course, I believe it is, which is why I want to make the art installation. Do you have info on this song? If you go to my blog, under “Painted Chairs” you can find a bit more about my idea. Kiitos!
May 12th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Hello Taina from Canada! Your stories are amazing. I would love to see that sheet music. The stories of the Finnish immigrants in North America are fascinating - and it’s even more fascinating that you met a Finnish Tatar! They/we are quite rare in the world (only about 800 in Finland today). I’ll check out your blog right away.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I will take some photos of the Puna Lippu song and post them on my blog when I get a moment. There is a whole big box full of old music books and sheets that would be interesting to many, I am sure. Indeed, you would find the archive at our university interesting as it is full of old Finnish newspapers from the early 1900s and other “red” materials. Up to now most of that stuff has been sitting collecting dust.
My Tatari friend, Deniz, is/was the manager of Jukka Tolonen’s band (Jukka, as you may know, has been sent to jail for 2 yrs for knifing his girlfriend), who came here to perform a few years back. I will email Deniz your page on Tatari history. I’m sure he will find it interesting.
May 26th, 2008 at 6:08 am
I am real, I am American, and I adore your comic! I’m in love with Lou and want her to sweep me off my feet, but failing that I’ll just wait for more updates.
In all seriousness, though, Goldenbird combines a lot of the things I love in a story: great art, great characters, scandal, politics, lesbians, the Weimar era, issues of race and religion… the list goes on.
Anyway, thought I’d offer my praises unto thee, and acknowledge my existence. And perhaps make a feeble defense of my poor, stupid, self-aggrandizing country. We didn’t all vote for Bush, I promise.
May 26th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Hi Zheyna! Thanks a lot for your comment! I’m so happy that somebody loves Lou, she needs a lot of love…
As do the United States of America. Don’t apologise for Bush, I didn’t vote for my current government either (luckily Sweden is so tiny that nobody else has noticed). I’m proud that my comic has acquainted me with lots of nice Americans of all kinds. It means a lot to me that f.ex. African-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Americans with Jewish heritage (as well as Finnish-Canadians ;-) approve! American history is a great source of inspiration, and I’m planning a future episode where the whole gang goes West and experiences some less well-known 20’s action (maybe Mayann will star in an all-black blockbuster silent movie by Oscar Micheaux!).
May 26th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Hello from Pasadena, Ca. (USA),
I discovered your site through a link on the ‘Art Deco’ blog. Always looking for art inspired by those richly decorative times, and the fact that you are building this narrative, on your own initiative, is fascinating and inspiring.
Best Wishes,
Milt
May 27th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Puna lippu girl, I posted the music sheets of the Puna Lippu song on Flikr. Tell me if they look familiar to you at all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21323257@N08/
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:16 am
Yup, “Americans with Jewish heritage” would be me, actually. My screen name is a derivative of a more traditional Yiddish one.
Sad to say, you’re entirely correct about Sweden. I’m more politically aware than most people I go to school with, and I couldn’t know less about your country’s current political situation.
It’s a strange world we live in.