tell me about stockholm

[J.A.W.]

And if you want something to read, now's the time to start Henning Mankell's wonderful Wallender detective series - about to be serialised over here on the TV with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role (there's been a long running German version).

That German version of Wallander was actually the second Swedish series, with Krister Henriksson and the late Johanna Sällström in the leading roles. It was adapted for German television. Sällström committed suicide in February 2007; she was 32.

Edited October 30, 2008 by J.A.W.

[AllenLowe]

here's some info I just happen to know off the top of my head:

Det preliminära arbetskostnadsindexet för den privata sektorn har för augusti 2008 beräknats till 163,3 för arbetare och 184,3 för tjänstemän. Sedan augusti 2007 har arbetskraftskostnaden ökat med 4,1 procent för arbetare och med 3,9 procent för tjänstemän.

30 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Vikande försäljning i september för detaljhandeln

Den kalenderkorrigerade försäljningsvolymen för den totala detaljhandeln minskade med 0,6 procent i september jämfört med samma månad förra året. Dagligvaruhandeln minskade med 1,8 procent och sällanköpsvaruhandeln ökade med 0,1 procent.

28 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet (pdf) »

Varuexporten ökade 9 procent

Den svenska varuexporten uppgick under september till 105,1 miljarder kronor medan varuimporten uppgick till 94,5 miljarder. Det ger ett handelsnetto på 10,6 miljarder kronor.

27 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Uppgång för korta utlåningsräntor i september

I september 2008 steg de monetära finansinstitutens (MFI:s) utlåningsräntor på nya avtal till hushåll. Den genomsnittliga räntan på dessa lån var då 6,19 procent vilket ska jämföras med 5,95 procent i augusti. De korta räntorna bidrog mest till uppgången.

27 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Storföretagen spår mörk framtid

Konjunkturen för de svenska storföretagen har försvagats kraftigt sedan i våras. Utvecklingen har blivit betydligt sämre än beräknat. Bilden är mycket mer splittrad än tidigare. För vissa branscher består fortfarande högkonjunkturen, men för de flesta branscher är läget nu mer normalt eller sämre än normalt.

27 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Rekordstor ökning av hushållens inkomster

Hushållens disponibla inkomster ökade med 7 procent förra året. Det är den största ökningen sedan mätningarna började år 1975. Trenden har varit stigande sedan år 1995. Samtidigt har gapet aldrig varit större mellan de med låg respektive hög inkomst.

23 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Lägre importpriser i september

23 oktober • Till pressmeddelandet »

Kurser och seminarier

• Miljö och hushållning, 30 okt
  
• Välfärdsdagen, 5 nov
  
• Statistikpaket för kommunal och regional planering, 19-20 nov
  
• Konferens om den officiella statistiken 2008, 20-21 nov
  
• Prognosdagen, 10 dec
  

Alla kurser och seminarier »

[AllenLowe]

and now some helpful cooking hints:

Swedish Meatballs:

Smörgåsbord Favorite

Swedish meatballs are probably one of the best-known Swedish cooking specialties, definitely a necessity on the smörgåsbord. Norway, Denmark and Finland have their own versions, too. Every Scandinavian cookbook has at least one recipe, usually several. The varieties are staggering to think about! Why so many? How should you pick one?

Remember that meatballs were probably a way to use up leftovers, and then the mystery of all the different recipes clears up. The cook used the meat that was on hand, a filler that was available, and ingredients for the sauce based on not only regional or family preference, but what was handy.

Some recipes call for half beef, half pork. Other recipes have half veal, half pork. Some have one-third each of pork, beef and veal. If you have dietary or political objections to any of the meats, substitute others. Once, as a way to include a vegetarian friend in a smörgåsbord I was serving, I made a recipe using only a vegetarian substitute for ground beef (and only vegetable oil, no dairy or meat products in the sauce). It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad, either.

For flavoring, some recipes use nutmeg and dry mustard for flavoring, others use minced onions and allspice, others use thyme and marjoram. White pepper is a common ingredient. I once made them with only minced capers for flavoring, and loved it.

Then you'll want to choose oven-frying or pan-frying. I think that oven-frying is a lot easier, but pan-frying gives a better result. I choose oven-frying when I'm short on time and patience.

Sauces? Some prefer a brown gravy, others a white sauce. Sour cream mixed with a bit of pan drippings tastes great. Gjetost (goat cheese) with some parsley or dill in the white sauce or sour cream makes a tangy treat.

So I've developed my own basic Swedish meatball recipe, building in the variations. Each time you make them, you can vary the meat, spices, filler, and sauce, depending on what you have in your refrigerator or pantry, or what your taste preferences are.

Jone's Swedish Meatballs

Meat: (the main ingredient)

2 pounds ground lean meat: use beef, pork or veal

(may use some textured vegetable protein ground beef substitute)

Filler: (to give the meatballs the right consistency)

2 eggs

1 cup milk, cream, meat broth or water

1/2 cup all-purpose flour OR 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs OR 1 cup torn bread OR 1 cup mashed potatoes

Salt and Pepper:

Salt to taste (1 1/2 teaspoons suggested)

Pepper to taste (white or black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon suggested)

More Flavor:

Option 1:

1 minced onion

1/4 tsp dry mustard or 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Option 2:

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

By hand or on medium speed with an electric mixture, thoroughly blend the ground meat, filler, salt and pepper, and other flavorings. Beat until very well mixed. Form into balls about 3/4"-1 1/2" in diameter: do this by hand, or use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, or a melon baller. Makes 30-150 meatballs depending on how large they are. Serves 6-8, more on the smörgåsbord.

Cooking methods:

Pan-fried:

Heat a skillet with 2-3 tablespooons of cooking oil to medium-high heat. Fill the skillet about half full with the meatballs, and fry them for about 10 minutes. Shake the skillet gently during cooking to keep the meatballs turning and to cook them evenly, about 10-15 minutes depending on size. You may need a spatula to encourage some of the more stubborn meatballs to turn over properly. As soon as meatballs are browned, take them out of the pan, let them cool and drain a bit, and keep them warm (try using an oven-proof dish in a barely-warm oven) until ready to add sauce and serve.

Oven-fried:

Use ungreased baking sheets -- the kind with rims on all four sides. Separate the meatballs slightly, bake at 450F for 10-15 minutes. Remove carefully from the baking sheets..

For most sauces, you'll stir the meatballs into the sauce then transfer them to the serving dish. Meatballs can be prepared ahead, and refrigerated in a covered container for 2-3 days or frozen in airtight containers for several months. You can freeze cooled meatballs spread out on a clean, cool baking sheet, then transfer them to airtight containers, if you want to be able to make a large quantity of meatballs and remove just enough at one time. Thawed or refrigerated meatballs should be heated in a single layer on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 375F.

Brown sauce or red wine sauce or sherry sauce:

2 tablespoons pan fat

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth (may be made from bouillon) or 1 can condensed beef broth

1/2 - 3/4 cup water (to taste)

3 tablespoons red wine or sherry (optional)

Add the flour to the pan fat in a saucepan, mix thoroughly. Discard the rest of the fat from the cooking pan, then rinse the pan in some of the broth to loosen the bits of meat from the pan. Add the broth to the fat/flour base in the saucepan. (Tip: at this point, mixing the flour/fat mixture and the broth mixture in the blender removes all lumps thoroughly.) Heating this mixture, slowly add the water to taste. Bring to a boil. (Add red wine or sherry if desired at this point.)

Sour cream sauce or Gjetost sauce:

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded gjetost

Transfer the meatballs to the serving dish. Discard the fat from the cooking pan, stir the sour cream into the pan to pick up the rest of the pan drippings and the bits of meat. Heat slightly, do not boil. Stir in the shredded cheese if desired. Pour hot mixture over the meat.

White sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup half and half or cream

1/2 cup water or chicken broth (may be made from bouillon)

Fresh dill leaves or parsley leaves (optional)

Add the flour to the butter in a saucepan, mix thoroughly, turn on heat to low heat. Discard the fat from the cooking pan, then rinse the pan in the water or broth to loosen the bits of meat from the pan. Add the water or broth to the butter/flour base in the saucepan and mix thoroughly. (Tip: at this point, mixing the flour/fat mixture and the broth mixture in the blender removes all lumps thoroughly.) Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, and add the half and half or cream slowly. Simmer until a good consistency. Add dill or parsley if desired. Stir the meatballs into the sauce until heated through. Transfer to the serving dish and serve immediately.

Enjoy experimenting with your meatballs!

[AllenLowe]

and you cannot go wrong with these helpful hints on

SWEDISH ETIQUETTE

Meeting and Greeting

Business Personnel in Sweden are typically fairly reserved and as such it is important that all dealings are formal and serious until it is deemed acceptable by the respective Swedish personnel to allow events to become more relaxed.

Key suggestions are as follows:

. Ensure that, maintaining eye contact coupled with a firm handshake, you shake hands with all attendees on both arrival and departure.

. Ensure that you address your hosts with either their professional title or their honorific title and their surname - Mr. - Herr or Mrs. – Fru.

. Younger people are likely to move more quickly to a first name basis than older people.

. Personal space is important in Sweden and as such it is recommended that you maintain an awareness of someone’s personal space and that you do not invade it. Avoid any unnecessary touching.

Gift Giving Etiquette

. If you are invited to a Swede’s home then it is suggested that you take the same type of gift as you would give in the UK e.g. a bouquet of flowers or, a box of chocolates.

. If you choose to give flowers, then ensure that the bouquet does not include white lilies or chrysanthemums. The reason for this being that both types of flowers are typically given at funerals.

. Since Sweden is such a child centred country, it is always recommended that you take gives for any children who may be part of the family who you are visiting.

. If you are personally given a gift, then it is custom to open it upon receipt.

Business Cards

There are no particular protocols for the exchanging of business cards in Sweden.

What to Wear?

Business wear in Sweden is conservative. As such, we advise the following:

. Men should wear good quality suits with silk ties and shirts.

. Women should wear conservative business dresses or a suit.

. Due to the egalitarian values of Sweden, it is strongly recommended that you do not wear anything flashy. Even senior directors or executives do not dress any more elaborately than average employees. As such, avoid ostentatious or, obvious jewellery.

Business Meetings

. Ensure that you give at least two weeks notice if you are arranging a meeting in Sweden.

. Months to avoid if possible, include June, July, August and then late February through to early March as most Swedes will be on holiday during these periods. As with the UK, most Swedes are also absent during the Christmas period.

. Punctuality is absolutely essential. If you are late, then this will reflect very badly on you and will be viewed as discourteous.

. Swedes rarely engage in small talk at the start of a meeting. Instead, people will move directly to the topics at hand.

. Meetings are typically governed by an agenda which is distributed to individuals prior to the meeting. There is very little talk outside of the agenda topics.

. Although most meetings are managed by a particular person, all individuals are expected to contribute.

. Swedish business personnel are extremely detail focused and as such any presentations should be well prepared with supporting, accurate and relevant data. Be assured that your hosts will pay a great deal of attention to the detail.

. Swedes rarely make decisions during initial meetings and as such, the first meeting that you have with your hosts is likely to be fairly general and low key.

. Swedes are direct communicators and as such, "Saying what you mean and meaning what you say" is both practiced and expected.

. ‘Awkward silences’ are rarely seen as awkward in Sweden and as such, Swedes do not rush to fill conversation silences.

. If you are trying to sell something then try to tone down the use of emphasis or superlatives as it is very rare that a Swede will over elaborate during a conversation – even if they are trying to sell something. Failure to adhere to this could result in your delivery being viewed as insincere.

Negotiating

. It is essential that you are cool and controlled during negotiations and that you do not demonstrate any emotion as this will be perceived negatively.

. Additionally, always bear in mind that the egalitarian nature of Sweden means that decisions and consensus are made across teams. As such endearing yourself to the most senior executives and directors will be of no avail.

[AllenLowe]

and here's some shocking news about fat animals in Sweden:

24 Percent of Swedish Animas Overweight

Sweden, June 21 (UPI) -- Experts say that many Swedes love their dogs all too well, with one-fourth of the pets in the country suffering from obesity.

Edited October 30, 2008 by AllenLowe

[AllenLowe]

and now for some good clean Swedish fun:

Square Dancing in Sweden

It has flourished since 1982.

by John Brant

Before 1982 there was no Square Dancing in Sweden. There was no tradition and no negative image of old people dancing. This was an advantage when Square Dancing started in Sweden. The only image something was something they had seen on the movies - something with barns, action and country music. It was something completely new.

There were a couple of small groups dancing traditional square dance. One group was in the Stockholm area, led by Peter Myhr. This group is considered one of the pioneers in Swedish Square Dancing. They tried to dance Modern Western Square Dancing from a book. They had never seen or heard it so they did not know if they were doing it correctly.

One company played a major role in the starting of Square Dancing in Sweden. Ericsson Telecom received a large order for telecom equipment in 1978. Many Swedish Ericsson employees went to Saudi Arabia for several years. Anne-Catherine and Joergen Glimtoft, who learned Square Dancing in Brazil (on assignment for Ericsson) started a square dance club, The Dune Dancers. They also danced with U.S. dancers in Saudi and was visited by American callers Tony Oxendine, Jerry Story and Larry Letson. When the assignments were over, and they returned home, they started Ericsson Square Dancers in 1982. They met the Peter Myhr group and they now saw how square dance was actually danced.

Square Dancing caught on rapidly and now there are about 8,000 dancers in Sweden. Based on a per capita basis, this means Square Dancing is more than twice as popular as in the United States.

The average age of dancers in Sweden is much lower than the United States. In the beginning many teenagers started calling so now there are many talented callers in there twenties and early thirties.

Swedish Square Dancing started out for people in their thirties and forties and their kids. It is a fast energetic style of dancing not suitable for most older people. About three years ago this started to change. A club for older people was started called Seniorerna Club. Square Dancing caught on with the older people and now the club is one of the largest in the world with over 500 members. Dancing is going on in their hall several days a week with classes starting at 9 a.m..

Round Dancing is not part of Square Dancing. It is done at a different time as a separate activity. Line dancing is popular with the young dancers as a separate activity.

There are few breaks between Square Dancing tips. They usually are just long enough to square up again. When they do break they will have coffee and cakes. The dancers rarely bring food dishes.

A significant difference between dancing in Sweden and America is at what levels they dance. American clubs generally try to bring the students up to the level the club dances on their party nights. In Sweden they only have multi-level clubs. Most of the activities of the clubs are based on the classes. To give you an example,the Ericsson Square Dancers have six different classes on four different days of the week. There is a club dance once a month.

This way of holding classes requires a large commitment of callers and club members. But, it allows people to dance at the level they feel comfortable. It allows the clubs to have many members, which helps to keep the clubs "healthy". In America the clubs are specialized to usually one level of dance, so they become small in numbers and the chances of the club folding is higher.

In Sweden a little over 40% of the dancers dance below the Plus level. A little over 20% dance at the Plus level, and about 30% dance at the Advanced or Challenge level.

The dancing is not as couple oriented as in America. Dancers tend to dance with many different partners during the evening and there are many singles.

Square Dancing in Sweden is another example of how global the dance form is. With influences from people in other countries the dance is now flourishing in a country that only vaguely knew of it prior to the 1980's.

[AllenLowe]

whatsamatter, you guys got a problem with Swedish culture?

[AllenLowe]

let's get old together in Sweden:

<H1 class=abstract-heading>Support for very old people in Sweden and Canada: the pitfalls of cross-cultural studies; same words, different concepts? </H1>Authors: Miedema, Baukje (Bo); de Jong, Jennifer¹

Abstract:

The Swedish and Canadian 80+ studies are collecting longitudinal data regarding medical, psychological and sociological aspects of the lives of people who are 80 years of age and older. A paper entitled 'Informal and formal support from a multidisciplinary perspective: a Swedish follow-up between 80 and 82 years of age', was based on the Swedish 80+ study. It examined psychosocial and health measures by support type (i.e. no support, and formal and informal support). Support is defined as care given by either friends and family (informal support) or healthcare professionals (formal support). The present paper compares participant characteristics between two groups of 80-year-olds from two study sites (i.e. Lund, Sweden, and Fredericton, NB, Canada), using the Swedish study site data. Only those participants who participated at both 80 and 82 years of age were included in the analyses. The intent of the descriptive analyses was to compare cross-culturally the two groups of participants and the level of support that they received. Between the two groups, the level of support received by the participants was rather dissimilar: Canadians reported receiving far more informal and formal support compared to Swedes. This finding was despite the fact that the Swedish state provides more funded support than that of Canada to its citizens. Therefore, the present authors speculate that the concept of support has a different meaning in Sweden than in Canada. This speculation raises concerns about cross-cultural studies, particularly when survey questions involve culturally ambiguous concepts such as the term 'support'.

[AllenLowe]

personally, if I go Sweden, I want to build something there - so I will need some Swedish tools:

Swedish tools, machinery and installation products supplier Ahlsell AB said on Friday (27 April) that it has agreed to acquire industrial supplies distributor Industripartner in Smaland AB.

Industripartner, based in Emmaboda in southern Sweden, distributes tools and machinery, industrial supplies and merchant steel to industrial customers. It has 11 employees and an annual turnover of approximately SEK40m.

Related Results Swedish industrial supplier B&B Tools AB divests Specialpapper... Swedish industrial supplier B&B Tools AB acquires Finnish industrial... Duroc AB acquires Swedish Tool Holding AB Duroc AB acquires Swedish Tool Holding AB Swedish Tool Holding acquires machines and tools supplier Ernst Gerber AB "Industripartner is a well established and profitable company. The acquisition strengthens Ahlsell's position in [the Smaland region] within the product range of Tools & Machinery," commented Goran Nasholm, president and CEO of Ahlsell.

Ahlsell, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is the Nordic region's largest trading company with products and services for the heating & plumbing, electricity, tools & machinery, refrigeration and DIY sectors. The group has 4,500 employees and an annual turnover of approximately SEK20bn.

[AllenLowe]

also, when I go to Sweden, I will want to buy some meat - HOWEVER, I will clearly need to purchase it with care:

Lidl has been caught in a new scandal in Sweden. The German hard discounter has been selling 'meat', which in laboratory controls has been shown to contain also other ingredients.

By adding citric acid, sugar, salt and soy, Lidl avoids having its steaks or its ground beef tested for the dangerous salmonella bacteria. Why? - Because this is legally speaking not meat anymore.

Lidl's latest trick, which puts its customers under a considerable health risk, was uncovered earlier this week by the large Stockholm daily

Aftonbladet. The country's health authorities are upset and may end up raising a court case against the discounter, if the allegations are proved right.

- I have never heard about this (kind of a thing) earlier, says Barbro Ljung, leading veterinarian at the National Food Administration of Sweden to Aftonbladet.

- If I should speculate (why this is done) I would say that one can, on one hand, camouflage bad meat with salt and spice, and on the other hand one can avoid a salmonella guarantee.

Aftonbladet interviewed also Karin Fransson, a dietician at the Swedish meat information centre. The newspaper says that she was first speechless when they had told her about how the meat had been treated:

- In Sweden one cannot do like that. Ground beef is a hundred per cent ground beef.

Åke Rutegård, a leading representative of the Swedish meat producers, is upset:

- This is a studious attempt by Lidl to try to circumvent the legislation, regarding both the salmonella controls and the laws requiring to mark the origin of products. It is scandalous and an insult to the consumers, he says to the Swedish farmers' publication

ATL Nyheter.

Lidl is marketing this product as 'German quality meat'. With the additives that the discounter has used, only 97 or 98 per cent being meat, the product is classified as a meat preparation. Therefore, the 'information' about its origin does not have to mean that the meat actually comes from Germany, only that its final treatment - adding the other substances - has been done in Lidl's home country.

This is not the first time that Lidl gets exposed for

shady operations in Sweden. Recently, the hard discounter was caught for social dumping and exploitation of low-wage foreign labour in its transport operations. Here, also European Union legislation was violated, and the company was forced back in line by local authorities.

It is no wonder that

consumer confidence in Lidl trails far beyond that of its Swedish competitors. When 90 per cent of the Swedish public had confidence in market leader ICA, only 47 per cent declared that they had confidence for Lidl.

The latest example of how Lidl misleads its customers shows that there is indeed a reason to be suspicious if one is shopping for food in its Swedish discount stores.

[7/4]

slow day at work Allen?

.

[AllenLowe]

and it is quite reassuring, before I make this complicated and momentous trip, to realize that there have, indeed, been Swedes in space:

30 January 2007

On January 25, Sweden's own space hero, Christer Fuglesang, returned to Sweden for his first visit after his successful mission to the International Space Station.

Christer Fuglesang arrived at Arlanda Airport at 07.30 and was welcomed by music from Arthur C. Clarke's and Stanley Kubrick's 2001 – A Space Odyssey, and Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. The press gathering that awaited him was immense.

In addition to a complete roll call of national media, several local media was present, as well as the Norwegian Aftenposten. Christer Fuglesang has ties to Norway, as his father was born there.

Not only was media present. There were also several representatives of Swedish space organisations who wanted to greet Christer, as well as a group of students from the Thunman school (Thunmansskolan) from the town of Knivsta. The school had the opportunity to talk to Christer via radio while he was onboard the ISS. This was an exclusive for the students of the Thunman school, due to an intrepid radio amateur and committed teachers.

In the arrival hall at Arlanda Airport, Christer was also greeted by a "Christer Fuglesang Fan Club" – all with "Space Shuttle Discovery" shirts with the STS-116 logo on them. The members of the club were retired civilian pilots, and they had also been in Florida to watch the launch. "We've waited three years for this now, so we wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Sweden's Space Minister, who is also Minister of Industry and deputy Prime minister, Maud Olofsson, was also present at the event.

Shared joy

Together with Christer Fuglesang, Maud Olofsson uncovered a portrait photograph of Christer that will be displayed in Arlanda's Hall of Fame.

"Here are a hundred famous Stockholmers, and now there is one more," said Maud Olofsson. "You have experienced amazing things, and I'm very jealous! I am also proud that you've made such good publicity for Sweden. You've also made us learn new words. I for one now know the meaning of a 'scrubbed launch'."

She didn't pass up the opportunity to point out the importance of science and technology, both related to Christer's mission and in general.

Christer was thankful for all the kind words, and recounted how inspiring the incredible interest his mission had generated in Sweden had been. "I'm a bit surprised – and deeply honoured! – by all the attention."

He confessed he hadn't quite realised the extent of the interest in him and his mission. "There is a Swedish proverb that says 'shared joy is double joy'. And if you share the joy with nine million, that's quite a lot of joy."

He also shared the hopes of Maud Olofsson that his mission can inspire more young Swedes to study science and technology. "If we continue with our commitment to space, and hopefully even increase it, maybe more Swedes can go up into space eventually."

He ended by thanking everyone, especially the Swedish National Space Board, who helped and supported him throughout the years.

Then Christer was off to the next item on his busy schedule, a government lunch in Rosenbad. "And the WHOLE of the government will be there waiting for you", Maud Olofsson said.

Last spacewalk was the climax

And so it was, as Christer Fuglesang reported when he later arrived at the Swedish National Space Board offices in Solna for yet another event. "I've been to lunch with the government. Everybody wanted autographs for their children," he said with a broad smile.

At the Swedish National Space Board Christer, backed by a movie, remembered the cheerful reception the crew got when Discovery docked with the ISS and the hatch between the two craft was opened.

"There was a lot of hugging. Especially Thomas (Reiter, the German astronaut that had made up one third of the ISS crew the preceding six months) was very happy to see us. His bus home had arrived," Christer laughed.

Christer also spoke of the mission's fourth spacewalk, his third. "There were many improvisations. We had suggestions from the ground crew on how to assemble the tools. We had to make them longer and isolate them, since the solar arrays carry 160 volts."

The work itself was also largely improvised, Christer Fuglesang said. "We had to work by trial and error. The team work was amazing, between the two of us on the outside, the ISS crew, and the hundreds in the ground crew. And in the end we made it. That, for me, was probably the best part of the whole mission."

Later in the day he related how happy the ground crew was after the successful EVA. "They went out and partied late in the evening. We couldn't do that." On the other hand, the ground crew didn't get to float 350 km above the Earth either ...

He also freely admitted he was a bit jealous of those who got to stay onboard the ISS. But Christer's chances of making it back are good. "The probable time frame in that case is 2009/2010."

First weightless reporter

To conclude his official itinerary in Sweden, Christer visited his old university, the Royal Institute of Technology (Kungliga tekniska högskolan, KTH). In addition to having studied there, he was also very active in the social aspects of the student union. It was there that he met his wife-to-be, presently a researcher and an affiliated professor.

Jointly hosting the activities with KTH was Dagens nyheter, the biggest Swedish daily. The 160 seats reserved by SMS-booking by its readers had been gone in three minutes. The rest of the seats in the huge auditorium were in the main reserved for upper secondary school students.

Dagens nyheter's editor-in-chief, Thorbjörn Larsson, praised Christer Fuglesang's accomplishments as the paper's first weightless reporter. He also said that Christer hadn't been satisfied with aiming for the treetops, but had aimed for the stars, and that he was a shining example of patience and perseverance. He also assumed that the honour of "Stockholmer of the Year" and "Swede of the Year" were earmarked for Christer Fuglesang.

"I'm also Christer's employer," the vice-chancellor of KTH, Anders Flodström, chimed in smiling. "I don't doubt that he'll be named person of the year here at KTH also, and that's probably an even greater distinction!"

Anders Flodström also talked about how he had been to Florida for the launch, and the enormous spectacle with all kinds of arrangements around the launch. The whole of the old Apollo hangar were fitted out as a party area, with McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and other representatives of American culture in each and every nook and cranny.

"They claim the first launch was scrubbed because of bad weather, but I think it was scrubbed because they still had T-shirts to sell!"

<A href="http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Celsius/SEMHOQSMTWE_1.html#subhead4">The minister's door mat

After a talk on the possibilities of life in space and a movie demonstration of the inside and workings of the ISS guided by the Spanish ESA astronaut Pedro Duque during the Cervantes mission, Christer Fuglesang entered the stage to thunderous applause.

"This was where I had my first lecture", he remembered. "I think it was 1-dim analysis. But I suppose that's not what you've come to hear", he said, laughing. "But that was a good starting point for space."

Christer Fuglesang then recounted his experiences before, during and after his mission, to an even more fascinated audience.

During the closing question time he told of a initiation event for new students at KTH where one of the assignments for the new students was to guess the colour of the Minister of Finance's door mat.

"One group was more successful than the one before, so we ended up with the door mat at the party. But the minister wasn't too pleased with that, so the senior student in charge had a call from the vice-chancellor, who'd had a call from the minister, and the student in charge had to go and apologise to the minister."

Christer also said that he didn't think the choice of academic subject was all that critical for anyone wanting to be an astronaut. "It won't hurt to have a background in science or technology. But most of all it's important to excel at what you do. And you only excel at something you like, so I strongly recommend doing what you are really interested in." A victorious Roman general returning to the eternal city could hardly have had a more triumphant reception than Christer Fuglesang had this January. It was enormously stimulating as well as hard work for the Swedish ESA astronaut. But since he's made of the right stuff, the first is what he'll remember. Three spacewalks down the line, he has some experience to lean on ...

[AllenLowe]

work? Who the hell has a job anymore?

[Ted O'Reilly]

And if you want something to read, now's the time to start Henning Mankell's wonderful Wallender detective series - about to be serialised over here on the TV with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role (there's been a long running German version).

That German version of Wallander was actually the second Swedish series, with Krister Henriksson and the late Johanna Sällström in the leading roles. It was adapted for German television. Sällström committed suicide in February 2007; she was 32.

I've read and enjoyed all the Wallender books, so an English-language series is welcome. Do you know if they'll be shooting in Sweden, for authenticity? It seems that half the story in a Wallender book is about the countryside itself.

(I assume the German version is a dubbed-from-Swedish one?)

[J.A.W.]

And if you want something to read, now's the time to start Henning Mankell's wonderful Wallender detective series - about to be serialised over here on the TV with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role (there's been a long running German version).

That German version of Wallander was actually the second Swedish series, with Krister Henriksson and the late Johanna Sällström in the leading roles. It was adapted for German television. Sällström committed suicide in February 2007; she was 32.

I've read and enjoyed all the Wallender books, so an English-language series is welcome. Do you know if they'll be shooting in Sweden, for authenticity? It seems that half the story in a Wallender book is about the countryside itself.

(I assume the German version is a dubbed-from-Swedish one?)

The German version is the Swedish one, with German actors dubbing the voices of the Swedish actors.

By the way, the title of the series/name of the principal character is Wallander.

Edited October 30, 2008 by J.A.W.

[Ted O'Reilly]

[J.A.W.]

The German version is the Swedish one, with German actors dubbing the voices of the Swedish actors.

By the way, the title of the series/name of the principal character is Wallander.

Right you are. I know better. (It's amazing how we repeat what we've just read, isn't it?)

Do you know anything about the English version? BBC or independent production? Likely to turn up on PBS Masterpiece/Mystery?

No, the only thing I know is that Kenneth Branagh is playing the leading role, that's all. Maybe the BBC site has more info.

[Ted O'Reilly]

[A Lark Ascending]

Apologies - Wallander it is! And I just assumed the series I'd seen advertised as in German was German. Thanks for the correction.

There was a short feature about the Branagh programme/s in the BBC listings magazine (Radio Times) in September. This is usually when they flag up forthcoming series for the Autumn. So I'm expecting it soon.

This site has three of the novels as 'planned':

http://www.inspector-wallander.org/guide/film-tv/index.html

Sidetracked Sidetracked 2008 BBC IMDB Kenneth Branagh Planned

One Step Behind One Step Behind 2008 BBC Kenneth Branagh Planned

Firewall Firewall 2008 BBC Kenneth Branagh Planned

I hope they're not going to try and polish off each in a two hour episode. Though that seems the way over here.

Each of the novels is rich enough both in plot and characterisation to warrant a multi-part series.

There's also a final Wallander book due - a set of 5 short stories based on his early years. I wonder if he is continuing with the daughter or is moving onto something else.

Edit:

The BBC details are here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressrele...wallander.shtml

Sadly, one 90 minute episode for each book!

Edited October 30, 2008 by Bev Stapleton

[J.A.W.]

I wonder if he is continuing with the daughter or is moving onto something else.

I read an interview with author Henning Mankell, who was closely involved with the Swedish series, and he said that the daughter would be written out of the series. He was extremely upset by Johanna Sällström's suicide - as was Krister Henriksson, who played Wallander - and didn't want another actress to replace her.

Edited October 30, 2008 by J.A.W.

[A Lark Ascending]

I wonder if he is continuing with the daughter or is moving onto something else.

I read an interview with author Henning Mankell, who was closely involved with the Swedish series, and he said that the daughter would be written out of the series. He was extremely upset by Johanna Sällström's suicide - as was Krister Henriksson, who played Wallander - and didn't want another actress to replace her.

Written out of the TV series?

What about the novels? In the last couple she moved centre stage.

It'll be interesting to see what he does next. The last novel to published here was 'Depths' - a World War I naval story. I couldn't get past the first 70 or so pages. Very dour.

[AllenLowe]

I see we are back in Sweden - well, if, when you arrive, you need a place to slaughter your donkey, do not fear - you are not alone, as illustrated by this note from a fellow internet traveler:

Donkey slaughter houses Dear Italymag members,

I am very new to this forum, but i have to say that this forum have alot of information about Italy , and the members in this forum seems very friendly, my request might be very strange for some of you, but i have to ask if i can get some help from you if possible.

I live in Sweden and i have been searching through the internet for donkey slaughter houses but unfortunatlly with no successe. can some one help me to find some of the slaughter houses for donkeys or donkey farms in Italy.

Many thanks for your time and i hope to hear from you soon.

Regards

Azeedo

[AllenLowe]

now I know that Sweden, land of tall women, free medical care, and smorgasborg, seems like paradise on earth - however, a little digging and we find that there is TROUBLE in Paradise:

Tuesday, March 7th, 2006:

Dog poop disposal in Helsingborg What I think:

Ever since I moved here, I've been impressed by the absence of dog turds on the pavements (US/CAN: sidewalks) or other public walkways in Helsingborg.

In general, people here tend to walk around armed with little black plastic bags, ready to grab any droppings that may plop out from their beloveds' tongueless ends. And in most places, there are bins to accommodate such laboriously-produced offerings. And most people will dutifully place the aromatic produce into these receptacles.

Don't get me wrong; one can still have an occasional laugh at a stilettoed nineteen year-old deeper-than-rouge-faced Friday-night girl, cursing at a rogue doggy-poop that has somehow placed itself beneath her daintily-shod and painstakingly-painted toes (with a most satisfying squish, I'm happy to add). Ahh, squishy-bliss.

But these momentous occasions are few and - alas - 'mush' too far between.

So, all in all, an impressively dog-poop-free environment. Or is it? Could there perhaps be a hidden poop-culture right here in Helsingborg? I'm here to tell you that there may well be.

One day last year, I noticed something on my walk to work (I notice lots of things on my walk to work, don't I? I'm starting to wish that I'd been this observant at school). There's a couple of little adjoining tunnels that go beneath a main road and Helsingborg's main railway line. On one side, between these tunnels, on a kind of up-sloping paved bank, I spotted a few small black plastic bags containing - something. I didn't bother to stop and investigate, because I suspected that they probably contained dog poo. I remember finding it vaguely amusing, but just shrugged, and carried on walking.

The next day, or perhaps a couple of days later, I happened to glance in that direction again, and noticed that these bags had multiplied considerably. This was getting weird.

I started thinking about it. Most places where people would normally walk dogs have nice bins for the disposal of dog poo bags. But this area does not.

It's considered terribly uncouth and rude to let your dog crap anywhere they like and just leave it there, so people will go through the motions of picking up their doggy-done-deeds and, realising that there are no bins in the immediate vicinity for instant disposal, and seeing a load of discarded bags similar to the ones they're holding, they'll simply chuck their personal canine contributions onto the pile. Sorted and forgotten.

Consequently, within the space of just a few days, I'm walking past a huge reeking heap of bagged dog turds to brighten up my journey to work. What a refreshing way to start the day.

I think it's good that the people of Helsingborg are considerate enough to refrain from leaving their pets' poops on the pavements, but there should be enough bins in populated areas in which these bundles of relief can be disposed of as hygienically as possible.

It's time that the Swedish government did something about it. That's what I think.

Edited October 31, 2008 by AllenLowe

[AllenLowe]

and now, some more trouble in paradise:

Sweden highlights bestiality problem

Published: 29 Apr 05 16:25 CET

Online: http://www.thelocal.se/1357/20050429/

(AFP) Bestiality, or sex with animals, is a growing problem in Sweden and in many cases the animals suffer physical injury, according to the country's first government-commissioned study on the issue presented on Friday.

Horses are the species most often abused, the Swedish Animal Welfare Agency said in its report, which it handed to the government.

A total of 209 cases of bestiality, of which 161 involved horses, have been documented since the 1970s, the agency said. It based its figures on responses to more than 1,600 questionnaires sent to veterinarians, animal welfare inspectors and police agencies across the country.

The government last year tasked the agency with determining the scope of the problem, which species are most often abused and whether the animals suffer psychologically from the abuse.

"Horses are most often subjected to violations. Even if it is difficult to assess an animal's degree of psychological suffering, it is likely that it experiences discomfort or is subjected to psychological suffering even in cases where there is no evidence of physical injury," the agency said.

"Some of the animals suffered injuries to their genitalia due to vaginal and anal penetration as well as cut and stab wounds," it said.

In the period 2000 to 2004, 119 cases of bestiality were documented, compared to just three known cases in the 1970s, 17 in the 1980s and 70 in the 1990s.

But the author of the report, Katarina Andersson, told AFP that the rise in documented cases did not necessarily mean that there was a de facto increase.

"We know that there must be cases that have not been documented," she said, adding that people have also become more aware of the problem in recent years and are therefore more likely to report suspected cases to the authorities.

Andersson said it was difficult to determine whether sex with animals was more common in Sweden than in other countries.

"It's impossible to say. We have not been able to find other studies from other countries because they haven't done extensive studies," she said.

Bestiality is not illegal in Sweden. A ban on the practice was lifted in 1944, along with a ban on homosexuality.

However, a person can be found guilty of cruelty to animals if prosecutors can prove that the animal suffered physical or psychological injury.

The Animal Welfare Agency said it considered the current legislation to be insufficient to protect animals from suffering, but stopped short of calling for a ban.

[Daniel A]

Thanks for your insightful posts, Allen. They will certainly make me think twice before visiting Sweden again.