Nikki's Place

2009 - Pontus Marina

2009-11-20T07:45:00.002+01:00

Come join me at

http://saltsjo.posterous.com

2009 - Gisela

2009-09-04T12:35:00.003+02:00

Saying goodbye…

Ha. I don’t feel THAT strongly about it, but for ME – it’s time to give it a rest. I started this blog back on April 28, 2006 to see what all the fuss was about. Now I know. And I’ve enjoyed it.

I had been laid off by Cisco shortly before that, and, besides the obvious fun of sharing… well… myself with y’all, I think it simply felt familiar to get up in the morning and sit here in my little home office and do the ‘work’ of preparing the blog post for the day. That’s what I’ve been doing all my life! Getting up and going to work; usually to an office job.

But now it’s time to move on. Of course, I’ll reserve the right to come back some day if I want. :)

I’d like to thank all of you who have been with me. I know that my liberal political views don’t sit well with some of you but you have hung in there… probably for the food photos, eh?!?

I haven’t investigated Blogger to find out what happens when you shut down a blog, and I’m not in a hurry to do that either. (I might leave it up for a while just so I can play Hang Man!) So I suppose it might sit there ‘dead’ for a while until I decide it’s time to bury it. Of course you can NEVER truly bury anything you’ve put out into cyberspace… :)

Meanwhile, I was thinking I’d leave you with some of my favorite links. I have thousands, of course. You probably do, too. But to whittle them down…

My favorites on the subject of…

Aging – Time Goes By
Architecture – BLDGBLOG and Architecture for Humanity
Design – DigsDigs and The Design Blog
Documentarian – Michael Moore
Enlightenment – TED
Environment – The Good Human and The Daily Ocean and The Infrastructurist and everydaytrash.com and Tiny Choices and cityofsound
Food – locally it would be Anne’s Food; otherwise, no particular favorite. I look at SO many!
Health – RealAge and Dr. Mercola and Skin Deep (cosmetic safety database)
Infographics – Flowing Data and Cool Infographics and Information Is Beautiful
Liberal politics - Crooks and Liars and The Nation and World Can’t Wait (I don't just LIKE these; I support them with cold hard cash!) :)
Photography – Daily Dose of Imagery and The Big Picture
Swedish News (in English) – The Local
Technology – TechCrunch and the San Jose Mercury News
Travel – That Perfect Place and World Hum

Personal Blogs

LA Frog ” From Paris to Los Angeles : Musings of an expat in the Wild West”
Lost in Stockholm

Webcams

Moving On

You’re always welcome to visit my little Posterous blog (which I expect to use like you would use Twitter, so, there could be more than 1 post per day – or none at all), my Flickr photos, and/or my YouTube videos.

Posterous blog

Flickr photos

YouTube videos

SO

I guess there’s just one thing left to say.

Welcome home, Jones Family! Welcome home!!

Oh sorry…
thought I was Ty Pennington for a minute there…

Thanks for hanging out with me!
Stay in touch.
You know how to find me.
nlind (at) telia (dot) com

Take care and

Stay out of jail!

2009 - Alfhild Alva

2009-09-03T09:07:00.003+02:00

He's a winner!: Hasse won a golf tournament yesterday. Yippee! He's winding down his golf season with some real good play!

Go get ‘em, Danny!: Collectively, Americans Abroad Are 21st Most Populated “State”

... the US State Department has released these estimates of Americans residing outside the United States who are not affiliated with the US military or US government:
• Western Hemisphere: 2,222,000
• Europe: 1,488,000
• East Asia and Pacific: 754,000
• Near East: 586,000
• Africa: 109,600
• South Central Asia: 97,000
• Total: 5.25 million

Fun Stuff

A little funny (thanks Bev): Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to these men? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen could look for them while they deliver the mail? :)

Open House This is so cool!!! Have a look!
Ukelele Beatles Fun
MindCipher “The social repository of the world's greatest brain teasers, logical puzzles and mental challenges.”
Balloon Launch “The largest mass ascent of hot air balloons took place recently at the biennial Lorraine Mondial Air Ballons rally in Chambley, France. Pilots from around the world lifted off in 329 balloons on 26 July.” Oh, so gorgeous!!! Watch the time-lapse video! (I hope you can reach that without having to sign up.)
Sign Language “Each week we {the Telegraph in the U.K.} present a selection of strange signs and bizarre translations from around the world.”
An Amazing Example of Teamwork Incredible!
Forvo “All the words in the world. Pronounced.” a multilingual pronunciation guide with audio by native speakers
The Cheese & Burger Society Did you ever see so many scrumptious burgers?!?!? You’ll be inspired!
Pattern in Islamic Art
Ten things we don't understand about humans Like blushing, laughter, superstition, etc. Interesting.
Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy by Moving to Remote Village (it’s from Onion, so you know they’re kiddin’ around)
Top 10 Funniest Google Suggest Results
Probably Bad News There’s usually something in there that’s good for a laugh.
How to bake cheeseburger cupcakes
Obsolete Technology: 40 Big Losers
Physic Games (online)
Perpetually self-winding mechanical clock Neat.
Greenland Wonderful photos from Boston.com.
Giant Waterslide Funny. (thanks RodH)
U.S. Population Distribution by Age, 1950 through 2050
Reburbia announces the winners of competition to redesign the suburbs
Best Science Visualization Videos of 2009
Winners wear red: How colour twists your mind
The Letter Repository a database of historical personal letters from the early 1700s through the 1940s
Museum of Animal Perspectives “Collection of Remotely Sensed Wildlife Imagery” Some cool stuff in there!
50 Extraordinary and Attractive Billboards
Creative Bento Lunches SO CUTE!!!
Bald Head Tattoos Funny
Antarctica – All Neat photos from a research team at Antarctica.
In Flight
CChronicles “Watch the history of computers” Love this.
Help us solve a 175-year-old mystery “Help us solve the mystery of epsilon Aurigae, a star that has baffled scientists since 1821. You don’t need any prior scientific training — we will give you all of the tools you need to become a citizen scientist*.”
CereProc Voices This is kinda fun to play with. Enter some text and then listen to it spoken by computer-generated voices with various accents. (Roger Ebert’s Finding my own voice)
Apps for America: The Finalists (3 rather interesting finalists that might be worth checking out) GovPulse.us and ThisWeKnow.org and DataMasher

Videos

PCCB - Le duo des chats
Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale
Lewis Black on Broadway talking about how America ISN'T #1 (I think I love Lewis Black.)
Supercentenarian “Bernice Madigan looks back on the past 110 years.”
Kunstrad EM 2009 Carla und Henriette Hochdorfer Indoor Cycling from the Netherlands – OMG!
Awesome DIY water rockets with drop-away boosters WOW! The ones where they have a camera attached and you see the earth moving away… that’s much like a nightmare I used to have over and over! I loved the going UP part but the free fall was kinda iffy. :)

CU tomorrow!

2009 - Justus Justina

2009-09-02T12:04:00.003+02:00

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

Sep. 1: While my brother started his new job in Dallas, TX this week, Hasse and I went into Stockholm yesterday for another taping of our favorite ‘music’ tv show - Så Ska Det Låta!

Photos

Video

The artists this time were:

Markoolio (always fun)

Benjamin Wahlgren
(He's a kid! And - he's a natural!)

2 of the women from Afro-dite
(sorry… not sure which two)

(Pssst! AND, there's a new gal in the band!
A violin player! You see the back of her here.)

Sep. 27: Last Night of the Proms – we’ll be there!

Misc. news that caught my eye

Active U.S. Hate Groups - The Southern Poverty Law Center maps active U.S. hate groups (there are 926 +). Check out their map to see how YOUR state is doing. It looks like California leads the way with 84 hate groups; then Texas with 66; then Florida with 56. (Of course, those states have high population numbers, too.) It shows Iowa (my home state) with 6 Ku Klux Klan groups and 2 Neo-Nazi groups. Bummer.
For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics - Quoted: "I keep saying that the sexy job in the next 10 years will be statisticians. And I'm not kidding."
Reduce Your Odds of Dying in a Plane Crash
90% of U.S. money is laced with cocaine - “U.S. and Canadian currency had the highest levels, with an average contamination rate of between 85 and 90 percent, while Chinese and Japanese currency had the lowest, between 12 and 20 percent contamination.”
Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why

Dr. Mercola on flu vaccines and also diabetes

Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed
Swine Flu is NOT the Problem -- It is the Vaccine that May Harm or Kill You
Mayo Clinic DEAD Wrong on Diabetic Recommendations - “If you listen to the “experts” on diabetes you will be digging yourself an early grave.”

The Local - Swedish News

Some of the Swedish news from August that might be fun or interesting:

Swedish men make the best husbands: study

{However… a bit of news that reminds us that young men can be idiots} Chlamydia helps young men feel more 'manly': Swedish study - Young men who contract sexually transmitted diseases often view their afflictions as an affirmation of their manhood, a new Swedish study shows.

'Elk explosion' in southern Sweden - Hunters in the south of Sweden have reported an 'explosion' in the elk population in the wake of winter storm Gudrun that swept through the region in 2005.

Smacking kids is never acceptable: Swedish politician - Thirty years have passed since Sweden banned parents from smacking their children. But Liberal Party MP Helena Bargholtz is dismayed to learn that New Zealand is holding a referendum to reintroduce the practice.

'Chocolate is good for your heart': study - Eating chocolate two or more times per week strongly reduces the risk of heart disease for people who have previously survived a heart attack, new Swedish research has shown.

Sweden's Jerebko signed by NBA's Detroit Pistons - Swedish big man Jonas Jerebko was among three NBA Draft selections to sign for the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

Swedish school bans handshakes amid swine flu fears - In a bid to curb the spread of swine flu a school in Borlänge in central Sweden has forbidden teachers from shaking hands with their pupils.

Sweden to offer free swine flu vaccine for all - The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL) is set to recommend that the swine flu vaccine is issued free of charge.

Stranded Thai berry pickers on their way home - Some 200 Thai berry pickers left stranded in Sweden after staking their life savings to travel have had their return trips arranged for them through donations. The first of the berry pickers returned to Thailand yesterday.

Stockholm plays host to international laughter fest - Sweden's capital will this weekend welcome a host of international comedy stars when the very first Stockholm Comedy Festival opens on Friday.

Stockholm smokers hit with ban - Stockholm city employees will be ordered to stub out their cigarettes at work from May 1st next year as the city is the latest Swedish municipality to announce a ban.

Swedish archaeologists uncover 7th century ship - Swedish archaeologists have announced the find of a 7th century burial ship, the oldest of its kind to be discovered in Scandinavia.

CU tomorrow!

2009 - Samuel

2009-09-01T10:35:00.004+02:00

Welcome to September!
Hope you had a good August!
I did. We did.
:)

I’ve decided to stop doing this blog,
so this week I’ll be winding things down.

Let’s start with
What I/We Did in August

August Calendar

Aug. 1: We drove an hour or so up to a zoo/entertainment center called Furuvik and had a delightful day there.

Photos
Videos

This is my short video of a gal doing a wonderful bit of
performance art at the entrance to Furuvik.
Except for the obnoxious kid yelling at her
the whole time, it was delightful.

The Tree Lady at Furuvik

Aug. ?: Hasse won a golf tournament and had an eagle on one hole!

Aug. 7: I celebrated 7 years not smoking!! And we had a little dinner party.

Aug. 9: Dinner with friends at Fåfängan in Stockholm, where we arrived just as the gloriously huge Queen Victoria ship was leaving.

Video
Photos

Aug. 11: Hasse won another golf tournament! His handicap is down to 6+ now!!

Aug. 12: Old college-days friends came over for dinner.

Aug 14-15: Friday - Alan Jackson concert at the horse race track in Eskilstuna (pre-show was The Refreshments and then Jill Johnson); Saturday - Parken Zoo in Eskilstuna and later a stop at Öja Kyrka where Hasse has relatives buried.

Videos here and here
Photos

--> Our warm summer days ended about here. <--

Aug 22: I deleted my Twitter account.

Aug 25: dentist – no holes! :)

Aug 26: Ladies Night with Panthers at golf club

Videos here and here

Photos

Aug 28: Anniversary of meeting Hasse in Texas in 1984 and 6 trees were cut down across the street (plus, 2 were topped off next door).

Photos
Video

Aug 29: Hasse’s Name Day

Aug 31: I de-activated my Facebook account.

This photo was taken about a week ago.

As you see, the leaves are already turning!

CU tomorrow!

2009 - Per

2009-08-01T07:11:00.002+02:00

People!

If I told you ONCE, I told you a MILLION times.

Well, ok, I told you once yesterday…

I’m on vacation!!!

Thanks for stopping by, but…

See you again on September 1st !

Posterous blog
Photos
Videos
What's going on in Sweden?

Peace Out

2009 - Helena Elin

2009-07-31T13:56:00.002+02:00

See you in September!

Nikki’s Place is taking a vacation.

I’m not going to blog during August.

We all need a break.

Blogging made easy: I want to remind you again about Posterous. I really, really think it’s a neat tool for some of you who like to share photos and things (links, videos, photo albums, MP3s, files, etc.) but don’t want to mess with the normal setup for a full blog.

With Posterous, all you have to do is send an email to post@posterous.com. Do you want to put a photo(s) on your blog? Just create an email to post@posterous.com, attach the photo, and SEND. Bam! Done. A blog post was created for you. Want to send some text? Just create an email to post@posterous.com, type the text, and SEND. Bam! Done. A blog post was created for you.

It couldn’t be more perfect and easy for those of you who don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of a full-blown blog. (If you want, you can set a password, so that only certain people can see what you post. And I think you can make it so that more than one person can put things on.)

You can see mine at http://saltsjo.posterous.com/. The guys running it (Sachin Agarwal, founder, and Garry Tan) are very responsive, if you should have any issues. And – NO, they’re not paying me to say this! I just think it’s beautifully simple and cool and some of you would like it if you gave it a try. :)

Friday Fun

What’s Special About This Number?
A 17th century mission to the moon “The world is celebrating the amazing journey that Apollo 11 made to the Moon 40 years ago. But few realize that an early bid to reach the Moon was launched from England, way back in the 17th century.”
How To Get Rid of Things
The Present Sound of London
CT scans become art Beautiful and interesting.
My other car's a jet... Or how to turn a garage door into a work of art (I think I like the empty garage the best.)
The longest solar eclipse of the century Neat photos from Boston.com
Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule Velly intelesting... no, really!
HowPack Really?!? (with printable templates for all types of containers)
Cat Ladders Mostly in Sweden
Camel milk chocolate anyone?
Accidental Mysteries There’s some really cool stuff on this page.
Forgotten Bookmarks Things left behind in books, used as bookmarks.
Amazon Acquisitions and Investments It’s starting to look like Cisco’s did some years back. :)
Gauging Your Distraction “New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.”
Death & Taxes 2010
Odosketch It records and animates your drawing process. Cool.
The Crow Paradox Fascinatin’! (from NPR)
Slow Cow The anti-energy drink
How to Behave: New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans
The World Electric Guide “This is a guide to some important issues when deciding to use your electrical appliances in another country. It includes a table describing electrical systems worldwide, illustrations of electrical plugs you may run across, advice on using your computer and other general advice that you may find helpful. Finally, there is a list of sources for electrical travel accessories.”
Creative Blueprint Art Installation
Camouflage Photography by Desiree Palmen
Modern Outdoor Fireplaces Very cool…
Very Functional Tiles
11 Volcanoes in the Americas That You Can Climb
Tipping Guide Global. From CondéNast
Senior City-zens: The 10 Oldest Still-Inhabited Cities
Top 10 Travel Gadgets Under $50
Insane Sandwich Fun
3D Pavement Art by Edgar Mueller (This is new stuff that I haven’t seen before.)
The Big Corona (The sun’s corona, that is.) (photo)
A Solar Airship From New York to Paris (I don’t think so… )
The Disappearing Detroit In this case, houses consumed by vegetation. But check out all of them. Looking incredibly bleak. (photos)
GIANT JELLYFISH PICTURES: Japan's Nomura Invasion
Top 10 Ironic Ads From History
Phew!!!

The Truth About Amsterdam,
RE: Bill O'Reilly loves Amsterdam
{IMHO, Bill O’Reilly is such an ass.}

Overpopulation: The Making of a Myth

CATcerto. ENTIRE PERFORMANCE.
Mindaugas Piecaitis, Nora The Piano Cat

RDF TV -
Comparing the Human and Chimpanzee Genomes -
Nebraska Vignettes #3 - Richard Dawkins

Hellman’s – It’s time for Real
{this pertains to Canada, but still… }

Hellmann’s - It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.

Joke
(thanks Julie)

Three Norwegians go down to Mexico to celebrate college graduation. They get drunk, and wake up in jail, only to find that they are to be executed in the morning, though none of them can remember what they did the night before.

The first one, Sven, is strapped in the electric chair, and is asked if he has any last words. He says, "I yust graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota and believe in the almighty power of God to intervene on the behalf of the innocent."

They throw the switch and nothing happens. They all immediately fall to the floor on their knees; beg for Sven's forgiveness, and release him.

The second, Lars, is strapped in and gives his last words, "I yust graduated from the Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and I believe in the power of justice to intervene on the part of the innocent." They throw the switch and, again, nothing happens. Again, they all immediately fall to their knees; beg for his forgiveness, and release him.

The last one, Ole, is strapped in and says, "Vell, I'm from the Nort' Dakota State in Fargo and yust graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and I'll tell ya right now, ya ain't gonna electrocute nobody if you don't plug this t'ing in."

See you again on September 1st !

Other blog: http://saltsjo.posterous.com/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/saltsjo/collections/
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/nlind47
What's going on in Sweden? http://www.thelocal.se/

Peace Out

2009 - Algot

2009-07-30T11:51:00.005+02:00

The people you meet: … at the gym, for instance. One of our gym buddies for the past couple of years has been a nice lady named Ingela. She looks classy and carries herself in a classy way. I thought she might be a model or flight attendant. I guess she’s in her 50’s. She and her husband and 2 boys lived in the U.S. for several years, so she has always been perfectly comfortable speaking English with me. Hasse has seen her at the golf club now and then.

Not that long ago, she started talking about how they were selling their house (in our town), buying a flat in the city (Stockholm, that is), and building a summer home in the archipelago. She often mentioned how much work it was to pack up and move. Well, we saw the little blurb in the local paper the other day about the sale of their house and it sold for 13,900,000KR which is about $1,876,000! So, evidently it isn’t a small house. :) No WONDER it was a big job to pack!

In fact, as it turns out, it’s in the ‘exclusive’ part of our town. Not surprising. Anyway, the little blurb also gave their names and they are Peder and Ingela Matsgård. He’s the founder of Qbrick, a streaming media company in Sweden. We’ll miss Ingela at the gym… Here’s Peder (source is Qbrick):

Tennis, anyone?: When Hasse’s mom first left the ‘country’ life and came to the big city for work as a teenager (I believe), she landed in our town and got a job as the cook for a somewhat wealthy family who lived in a nice house. Now, after all these years, the house has been bought by Jonas Björkman, of tennis fame, and renovations are ongoing. (photo source is Wikipedia)

… a former World No. 4 Swedish professional tennis player. He is also a former World No. 1 in doubles. Bjorkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup - Doubles.

Quoted: How To Hijack 'Every iPhone In The World' “On Thursday, two researchers plan to reveal an unpatched iPhone bug that could virally infect phones via SMS.”

If you receive a text message on your iPhone any time after Thursday {today} afternoon containing only a single square character, Charlie Miller would suggest you turn the device off. Quickly.

That small cipher will likely be your only warning that someone has taken advantage of a bug that Miller and his fellow cybersecurity researcher Collin Mulliner plan to publicize Thursday at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.

"This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your phone," Miller told Forbes. "Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this."

If you blink, you'll miss it!: Synchronised blinking stops viewers missing the action (emphasis is mine)

The flow of visual information to the brain is halted by up to 450 milliseconds with every blink, and we lose up to 6 seconds of information every minute, says Tamani Nakano at the University of Tokyo in Japan. This means moviegoers who sit through a 150-minute film have their eyes shut for up to 15 minutes.

Yes!: Don't Be So Square “Why American drivers should learn to love the roundabout.”

I had no idea!: LAX parking lot is home away from home for airline workers “Buffeted by their industry's turbulence, airline employees save money by living part time in a motor home colony at LAX.”

2009 - Olof

2009-07-29T11:43:00.003+02:00

CARS: I got to thinking last night about the word “car”. For one thing, where did that word come from? It was an automobile first, wasn’t it? Wikipedia says:

The word automobile comes, via the French automobile, from the Ancient Greek word αὐτός (autós, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); meaning a vehicle that moves itself, rather than being pulled or pushed by a separate animal or another vehicle. The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre ("cart") (from Old North French), or karros (a Gallic wagon).

OK, that makes sense. Then I read in Time-Europe, July 20, 2009 edition:

7,689 = Number of U.S. motorists who died in highway accidents during the first 3 months of 2009 – the lowest casualty tally since 1961.

It may be the lowest count in years, but I’m thinking… that's a LOT of dead fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, babies, grandparents, friends. We all take cars far too lightly. They’re such an ordinary part of our day, we don’t give them much thought. We just use them to get from here to there.

I think it’s easy to forget that a car is a big and heavy object that can so easily kill and/or maim. Maybe we should call it what it CAN be… a killing machine. “Go hop in the killing machine now, kids, and I’ll take you to school.” Maybe we would more likely remember the responsibility we take on as we get in and turn the key.

Choppers: No, not the teeth kind… the flying kind. Yesterday we were over in Gustavsberg next door to where the area rescue helicopters have their ‘home’. We’re used to seeing this red one fly over our house all the time.

Incidents and accidents, you know. Boating accidents in the summer; ice-skaters falling thru the ice in winter, etc. Don’t know anything about the yellow one. Assume it’s just an addition. (I went back today to return something, so got the 2nd shot of both of them together.)

Helicopters to the rescue

2009 - Botvid Seved

2009-07-28T09:19:00.007+02:00

Night racing: Here’s a new photo of friend Bev’s son Scott Randall’s car. Bev says it’s so hot and humid in the Houston (Texas) area that they race in the middle of the night. Yikes! They must have a young audience… :)

Oh, brother!: My brother, Dan, who has been working at the Denver Art Museum for a few years now has just accepted a new position in Dallas for the Museum of Nature and Science! Evidently about 3 years ago the Dallas Museum of Natural History, the Dallas Children’s Museum and the Dallas Science Center merged and are now building a new $140 million facility related to science and technology in downtown Dallas. Thom Mayne is the architect.

Dan will primarily be coordinating the exhibition design with the staff (incl. scientists), the architect and three exhibit design firms. He starts Sept. 1st. Neat!! CONGRATULATIONS, Dan!! I really hope you and Maria learn to enjoy the Dallas/Ft. Worth area!!

Here’s Dan (on the right) and a buddy, the day before Dan’s wedding back in ‘04.

Reservation made: Later in August when we go to Eskilstuna for the Alan Jackson concert, we’ll be staying at this hotel/palace – Sundbyholms Palace. I guess I can live with that. :)

Coming along: My coneflower plant, that is. It's not quite full-grown yet, but getting there. The blossom, I mean.

2009 - Marta

2009-07-27T13:07:00.003+02:00

m The Local - Swedish News

Swedish ferry crash: 'everything shook'
Two passenger ferries have collided in heavy fog near the port of Nynäshamn off Sweden's east coast. Five people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Swine flu Brit flown to Sweden for care
A gravely ill pregnant woman from Britain who is suffering from the swine flu is in Sweden for treatment due to a lack of specialist beds in Britain.

Docs tell 83-year-old Swede she's 'too old' for treatment
An 83-year-old Swedish woman was forced to pay for back surgery out of her own pocket after doctors at her local public hospital told her she was too old for the treatment.

Bunny pic unmasks Swedish benefits cheat
A Swedish man who claimed to be wheelchair bound has been asked to repay millions of kronor in social insurance benefits after authorities obtained a picture of a him dancing with a life-sized rabbit.

Sweden to close New York and LA consulates
The Swedish foreign ministry announced on Thursday it was closing its consulates general in New York and Los Angeles due to budget constraints.

Wallander: a Swedish detective in America
Kurt Wallander, the brooding protagonist of Henning Mankell's famed crime novels, recently came to United States' television screens in a performance by Kenneth Branagh, giving viewers an unexpected opportunity for reflection, The Local's Marge Thorell explains.

Job losses driving Swedish men back to school
The current recession has put increased pressure on Sweden's institutions of higher education as more and more men head back to school due to the shaky job market.

Abortion register splits Alliance parties
A proposal to include the identities of women in a national abortion register has divided the governing Alliance coalition parties.

'Missing' footballers prompt new entry rules
The disappearance of five Tanzanian youth footballers has prompted the Swedish Migration Board to tighten entry requirements for non-Europeans playing in the Gothia Cup.

Dramatic rise in identity theft
Cases of identity theft in Sweden have shot up by 79 percent over the past three years, a new survey published on Monday shows.

Lesbian couples cause run on Swedish sperm banks
A shortage of healthy sperm and a spike in demand from lesbian couples has caused a backlog of artificial insemination applications at Swedish fertility clinics.

Iranians barred from Swedish universities
Iranian nationals have been banned from Swedish university programmes with ties to nuclear and missile technologies following a warning from the country's security service Säpo.

2009 - Jesper

2009-07-26T08:09:00.004+02:00

Dinner last night: ... was our favorite baguette appetizer,

marulk (angler) baked by Hasse,

a new little French potato
(don't remember the name),

a salad,

and the pistachio/berry dessert.

Then coffee and lavender cookies.

Yum.

The Best Ford Commercial Ever
~ (HQ) ~ (Best I Could Get It)

Sunday Fun

I don’t know if I’ve had these on the blog or not. Anyway, they’ve been in the “holding” folder forever, so I’d like to get rid of them. They’re all yours! :) And that’s all for Sunday Fun, since we’ve had company…

2009 - Jakob

2009-07-25T11:37:00.003+02:00

What We Did Yesterday

Appetizers at Nacka Strand, 1 of 5

Appetizers at Nacka Strand, 2 of 5

Appetizers at Nacka Strand, 3 of 5

Appetizers at Nacka Strand, 4 of 5

Appetizers at Nacka Strand, 5 of 5

A snail in the garden

Photos

2009 Eva and Bengt Visit

2009 - Kristina Kerstin

2009-07-24T08:23:00.004+02:00

Animal Kingdom: Hasse had a dinner party at the golf club last night (80th anniversary of the club); I drove him there and picked him up – so that he could have a drink. The laws here are strict when it comes to drinking and driving, thank heaven.

Anyway, he called just after 10:00 to say he was ready to be picked up, so I grabbed my purse and jacket and just as I opened the garage door to go out, what should scurry by right in front of me but 3 big old fat BADGERS!!

That was a 1st for me… to see badgers here. They must’ve been right in front of the garage door ‘cause they weren’t more than 1-ft away from me. I ran upstairs to get my camera, even though they had high-tailed it outta there and over to the neighbors. By the time I came back downstairs, I couldn’t find ‘em anywhere.

This isn’t my photo (the source). But, just to remind you what a badger looks like… Phew! That was my thrill for the summer.

Side of the road: I was taking a walk around the neighborhood the other day and look at what I saw on the side of the road! An odd thing to find there…

Famous people I’ve met or been within 50 yards of

Previous entries:

King and Queen of Sweden, royalty
John F. Kennedy, politician
Bette Davis, actor
Richard M. Nixon, politician
Richard Chamberlain, actor
Buffalo Springfield, singing group
Richard Boone, actor
Charley Pride, singer
Jimmy Carter, politician
Michael Dell, COB and CEO of Dell
Don Knotts
Glen Campbell
Mary Kay Ash

Eva Marie Saint

Her Wikipedia page
(... where you'll see she has been married
to the same man for over 50 years!)

I think it was 4-5 years ago that we saw her
in front of us at the check-in line at O'Hare airport.

Company Coming: Hasse’s playing in a tournament today. Later this afternoon, one of his cousins (Eva) and her husband (Bengt) will come for the weekend. Unless it’s raining, we’ll take them, the appetizers for dinner, and some wine over to Nacka Strand to watch the big ferries go by.

2009 - Emma

2009-07-23T09:07:00.003+02:00

Uni-sex bathroom: If that topic left you questioning things yesterday, go back and read the comments on yesterday’s blog.

Bunny Report: What did my friend Bev do with those baby bunnies, you ask? She called Animal Control and they came immediately to get them. They told her “the mama will probably be back with her next batch as they like barrels 'cause they feel safe and warm”.

Park bench. Sort of… : (photo in DN by Paul Hansen) You can’t call it a bench anymore… it’s a park chair. There are 7 of them in a park in Stockholm. Älvsborgsparken, to be exact. Are they meant to keep homeless people from using them as a bed at night or are they a statement about how asocial we as a society have become, not wanting to be that close to the stranger next to us? (sorry for sideways photo)

Walkers go electric!: Sometimes when I go to the grocery store at our little mall, I practically feel left out because I don’t have a walker. :) I mean, sometimes if I get there at just the right (or WRONG) time, the mall seems inundated with elderly people (usually women) with walkers.

I don’t know if they all just got out of a meeting somewhere or WHAT, but sometimes they show up en masse. If you’re in a hurry or if you’re an impatient type, you wouldn’t want to be at the back end of this group as they make their way through the narrow (compared to America) isles.

Well, things have changed in the 20 years I’ve lived here in Sweden. The other day as I was leaving the mall, coming toward the entrance/exit was a wall of these women (well, 4 or 5) but NOT with walkers. This time they all had ELECTRIC carts! Real nice-looking carts. Looked well made. Looked expensive. I think they’re called scooters these days.

I’m guessing most of these ladies live in the apartment complexes that are about 1 city block away, and this is their way of getting over to our little mall. I don’t know if they could actually walk or not. It was kind of startling to see them coming, though! Kind of comical in a way, too. I can easily see myself behind the wheel of one of those one day… !!!

I had my camera with me and really, really wanted to take a picture, but decided it wouldn’t be the thing to do. Thinking back on it now… they probably would’ve LOVED being photographed!

The process: I’m finished with the blueberries now, unless Hasse brings in another load. It’s tedious but worth it! I guess I’ve got about 10 pints now. (We always forget to take note of how much we USE each year... )

What Hasse brings me.

The (dry) cleaning process.
That is, just picking out all the garbage.

The first freeze before boxing them up.

Little jewels of nutrition.
And, for US, with the forest 3 houses down,
they're FREE!
:)

Celebrating Cronkite while ignoring what he did

Somewhere in there, gradually, but systematically, there has been an abdication of responsibility within the profession, most particularly in the networks. . . . So, if we look at the media today, we ought to be aware not just of what we are getting, but what we are not getting; the difference between what is authentic and what is inauthentic in contemporary American life and in the world, with a warning that in this celebrity culture, the forces of the inauthentic are becoming more powerful all the time.

…

So, too, with the death of Walter Cronkite. Tellingly, his most celebrated and significant moment -- Greg Mitchell says "this broadcast would help save many thousands of lives, U.S. and Vietnamese, perhaps even a million" -- was when he stood up and announced that Americans shouldn't trust the statements being made about the war by the U.S. Government and military, and that the specific claims they were making were almost certainly false. In other words, Cronkite's best moment was when he did exactly that which the modern journalist today insists they must not ever do -- directly contradict claims from government and military officials and suggest that such claims should not be believed. These days, our leading media outlets won't even use words that are disapproved of by the Government.

2009 - Magdalena Madeleine

2009-07-22T07:39:00.006+02:00

Uni-sex: I was at our newly expanded and beautified (is that actually a word?) mall yesterday (Forum Nacka). Had to pee so found the restroom. It’s a uni-sex bathroom! I’ll bet you don’t have many of THOSE in America! Or… ? :)

Not worth it: The reason I went to the mall was that I was curious to try the new thing Burger King is advertising on TV all the time lately. The Transformer 6-pack burgers. They look so cute on TV and I might be the only American who has never been near a White Castle burger place, and have always been curious about THEM. Long story short… yuck. I’ll never have THAT again. Pretty bad.

That time of year: Do you tend to buy new books at a particular time of year? I didn’t use to, but in recent years I have - at the beginning of summer. Evidently I have big plans for summer reading, but they rarely pan out. I keep buying them though. Just got my order today, consisting of:

Eat This, Not That! – “Thousands of simple food swaps that can save you 10, 20, 30 pounds – or more!” by David Zinczenko {just curious}
Stiff – “The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach {just curious}
Fishing in Utopia – “Sweden and the Future that Disappeared” by Andrew Brown
A Freewheelin’ time – “A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties” by Suze Rotolo (ex-girlfriend of Bob Dylan)
The Long Emergency – “Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century” by James Howard Kunstler
Parky – “My Autobiography” by Michael Parkinson

Spending Spree: As if that wasn’t ENOUGH, at the same time I ordered these 2 CDs:

Canciones de mi Padre by Linda Ronstadt
Favorite {old} TV Theme Songs by TV Land

A touch of America: Over by our gym at Nacka Strand, there’s this big poster advertising an upcoming dinner-and-a-show event in our area… Cabaret Cartwright! Might have to check it out! :)

Pretty sight: When I drive home and pull into my carport and turned the ignition off and looked over to my right… this is the view… and it’s so pretty…

Bunnies!: Look at what my friend Bev found under her flower bushes in Texas. So cute…

2009 - Johanna

2009-07-21T09:18:00.004+02:00

Bery many berries: The berries are comin’. Yikes. Hasse is out picking blueberries right now. Raspberries are coming on like gangbusters. Currants are ready for picking. And the cherries are close. It’s a busy time for us farmers. :)

Silence: You never saw/heard such a quiet country as Sweden in July. Most of our neighbors are off to their summer homes or to islands off the coast of Sweden or just traveling to other countries… for several weeks at a time. So it’s a VERY quiet neighborhood. Often you’ll see the husband come home for a day to mow the lawn and then he rushes back. They don’t want their house here in town to look like no one is home…

From the business side… I remember when I started at Ericsson in Texas in 1984 and summer rolled around. Ericsson in the U.S. was a baby just then and depended a lot on the home office back in Stockholm. Then July came and Ericsson in Stockholm practically shut down! It really pissed me off, I must admit. We NEEDED stuff from them to do our jobs and they just TOOK OFF?!? What kind of way is THAT to run a business?!?

That was then. Now I say… we Americans could take lessons from the Swedes (and Europeans in general) when it comes to giving everyone a chance to completely relax. J Last I knew, EVERYONE in Sweden, and when I say EVERYONE, what I mean is EVERYONE, gets a minimum of 5 weeks vacation. :)

Salad the other night: … was this Dubuque Salad which I made for the first time this year. I don’t know why, but I think of it as a summer salad and only make it in summer. Anyway, I really like it and it would be perfectly good ANY time of year. (The source is the Dubuque Inn in Dubuque, Iowa, I assume.)

Dubuque Salad
Bowl of torn lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing
½ c oil
4 Tbsp regular vinegar
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Dash of Tabasco, optional

Speaking of food: My nephew Erik, the organic farmer, is harvesting his garlic this week. I think he takes most of it over to my sisters barn where everything is set up for drying garlic and onions. It’s a big project every year…

Here's the garlic.

Garlic, up close.

Here are onions.

Onions, up close.

Here’s his stand at Farmer’s Market in their
town (as of a few years ago, anyway), and that’s
my sister helping him (behind the ‘counter’).
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to get my hands on
some of those veggies…

My photos from our trip to Iowa Sept. 2005
are here, where you’ll see lots of photos of
Erik’s organic vegetable farm.
And here’s Erik with daughter #2, Mairi.

What?!? I forgot?!?: Did I REALLY not put my Ireland photos into Flickr??? And - did I REALLY not put my photos from Copenhagen into Flickr??? Really?!? Yikes. That was 3 years ago! I’m going to be doing a thorough cleaning of photos this summer. Getting organized. There’s nothing I love to do more than get organized.

Anyway, here is some catch-up from 2006. I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. I could’ve SWORN I did that…

2006 Ireland
2006 Copenhagen
2006 Öresundsbro
2006 Nyhamnsläge (Skåne; southern part of Sweden)
2006 Ingelstorp (Skåne; southern part of Sweden)

2009 - Margareta Greta

2009-07-20T14:23:00.001+02:00

Walk-about the house - July 20, 2009

2009 - Sara

2009-07-19T11:22:00.006+02:00

An interesting little quiz: Mother Jones has a special report called “Totally Wasted”. In it, there’s this “Drug War Quiz: Just Say Know” (I missed 2.)

Green development: The shop at our little mall that does the photo developing was the first in Sweden to get Kodak’s ‘green’ equipment (a few years ago). The machine ran out of “ink” when I was there the other day, so I took these pictures.

Here's the photo printer.

This is where the color comes from that
goes onto your photo.

She's putting the new color roll on.

A bug’s life: Here’s a cute little bug of some sort, on the windowsill… We don’t have screens on windows here in Sweden, y’know. No problem. (The bug isn't much bigger than a pencil eraser.)

Who SAID you’d never use the stuff you learned in school?!?: Pea shooters fight it out for world championships

If Americans aren’t going to deal with it… : From the UK: 20 Bold Schemes That Could Save The World

Sunday Fun

Real or Fake? Judge for yourself. (I missed 2 out of the first 10… )
PicFog – watch all the photos flowing into Twitter
101 Muppets of Sesame Street (Gosh, I’ve never even SEEN Sesame Street, let alone be able to name the characters in it!)
i dream of a world without you “a catalog of people who have been less than helpful.”
Animated Engines Could be quite informative for a beginner!
Utterly intriguing: The Thirteenth Room
Beautiful and Creative Sand Sculptures
12 Unusual and Creative Hotels (2 of them are in Sweden!)
Massive Multi-touch RFID Wall by Schematic
WEEDROBES: Clothing Made from Leaves!
The Old House and the Sea About Clingstone house in Rhode Island. Neat. (thanks Bev)
Driving costs Which cities charge most for parking?
Don’t Judge My Hair That hat hair is too funny!
Hot where you are?: Car-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, step by step
Dark Doings Do the Slideshow. Spooky. An artist (Dan Witz) creates an NYC street art series.
Aerial Photography's photostream Click on Slideshow and enjoy!
Taking a Closer Look at Airplane-Bird Collisions More than you ever wanted to know about this… :)

Videos

650 Million Years in 1.2 Minutes
Watch this very cool time-lapse video.
Love the comment from someone on BoingBoing:
“150 million years into the future, Sarah Palin
really will be able to see Russia from her house.”

digital water pavilion

VB Regulars new beer campaign
(Australian beer ad)

History of Golf by Robin Williams
(thanks Julie)

Misprints

(thanks, Julie)

No matter HOW many times I’ve read these and others like them over the years, I ALWAYS end up crying from laughing so hard. It just can’t be helped. :)

*****

"Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services."

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.

Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.'

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?'. Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

The 8th graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: ''I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'.

'nuf said

2009 - Fredrik Fritz

2009-07-18T10:52:00.004+02:00

Name Changes: There’s an article in DN, “Namnbyte blir valigare” – Name changing becomes more common. Most popular is putting two last names together or spelling Svensson (the Swedish equivalent to Smith in the U.S., I guess) with z’s – Svenzzon or Svenzon or Zvensson, etc.

Another trend is where a couple gets married and instead of taking HIS name or HER name or HYPHENATING both names, they create a whole new last name to share. I think that’s kinda neat. Some new names created this past year include Palethu, Doublet, Grufvik and Koltsson. Doublet… huh… clever…

Others doing that try to create a name related to where they live or a ‘fantasy’ name or a ‘noble’ name. In the end, people change their name mostly for 2 reasons: to stand out from the crown by being different or to melt into the crowd, e.g. an immigrant who wants a Swedish-sounding name in order to fit in better. (Two names that were rejected are Asterix and Lovejoy.)

P.S. It costs 800KR (ca $100) to change a first name and 1,500KR (ca $190) to change a last name here.

Look out, Ikea!: Buy to Last

Wig Zamore, a Massachusetts environmental activist who was recently recognized for his work by the Environmental Protection Agency, is working with IKEA and supports some of the company’s regional green initiatives. But as he put it, “IKEA is the least sustainable retailer on the planet.” And in real costs—the kind that will burden our grandchildren—that also makes it among the most expensive.

Fences: I did a little walkabout Thursday with the camera to see what flowers could be found in the neighborhood. My eye must think flowers look better against a fence, ‘cause I came away with several fence photos without realizing it. I like ‘em, though. (These are cropped, of course, to be small enough - memory-wise - for the blog.)

If I PURPOSEFULLY went out looking for fence photos, I could get a bunch around here. Never the high privacy fences like y’all have so much of in the U.S. Just cute little wooden fences and the neat branch type.

The Local - Swedish News

Suicide risk rises as grades sink: study
Youth and young adults who receive low marks in primary school are more likely to attempt suicide or self-mutilation compared with those who achieve high marks, according to a Swedish study.

Swedish man attacked by tattooed girl gang
Police in central Sweden are on the hunt for a gang of tattooed women who sexually molested a 50-year-old man as he was riding by on his bicycle.

Migration Board bans 'racist' lawyer
An asylum lawyer from Skåne in southern Sweden has been blacklisted by the country's migration authorities following revelations about his personal blog on which he referred to Islam as a "psychosocial disease".

Pandemic fears prompt new flu guidelines
Swedish health officials have revised their strategy for dealing with a swine flu pandemic, arguing that it is no longer realistic to focus resources on preventing a major outbreak that is becoming increasingly inevitable.

Stockholm to host Detroit Red Wings NHL opener
A number of Swedish stars from North America's National Hockey League (NHL) will have the chance to open their 2009-2010 season in Stockholm, the league announced on Wednesday.

What's on in Sweden: July 17 – 23

Y'all stay out of jail this weekend, y'hear?!?
And, no wild parties behind those privacy fences!

(There's a real cute TV commercial here...
you see grown-ups having a party...
it gets pretty wild...
riding a motorcycle inside the house...
a guy on the roof on a tiny tricycle,
making a leap into the swimming pool...
stuff like that.

The end message being something like...
"What are your parents up to while
you're on vacation?"

It would help if I could remember the
product, wouldn't it?!? I think it's just
a retirement account thing.)

2009 - Bruno

2009-07-17T14:30:00.003+02:00

Lost & Found: I found some missing videos from earlier in June; the day we took our visiting American friends to their cruise ship so that they could start their cruise. I video’d most of the drive back through Stockholm and to our front door at home.

So, that will only be of interest if you want to see what it looks like driving through Stockholm. They’ll be (probably) on this page, or close; called “Ride-Along, Stockholm, Sweden, 1 of 9” etc.

EXCEPT… the part I really wanted to show you was the Studenten kids. The kids graduating from high school who hire a vehicle of some sort (as a small group) and ride around town making noise and drinking on graduation day, etc. You’ll find a bit of THAT in THIS one:

Ride-Along, Stockholm, Sweden, 1 of 9

“Swing it magistern”: Here are 5 more little ones I found that I hadn’t uploaded from last September. Neat! They’re probably all on this page and are called “Alice Babs bust unveiling ceremony, Saltsjöbaden, 1 of 5”, etc. Or, it starts here:

Alice Babs bust unveiling ceremony,
Saltsjöbaden, 1 of 5
(Alice Babs is sitting down with a pink scarf around her neck.)

4 deer pass by the house
(last February)

OTHERS

Dinner with friends, summer of 2008 (last summer)
Hasse, Måns, and back yard (last Fall)
Golf o Garden (May 30, 2009)

Not too thrilling, I know.

But that's what you get for FREE sometimes!

Happy Weekend, all.

2009 - Reinhold Reine

2009-07-16T09:27:00.004+02:00

This morning, 8:00 a.m.:

Back porch. Petunias are surviving the

intermittent drenchings just fine!

I saw a little red raspberry yesterday...

2009 - Ragnhild Ragnvald

2009-07-15T12:25:00.007+02:00

Yesterday’s weather: … started out real nice and ended real nice, but this took up the whole middle part. :)

Rain, rain, rain...

To the moon, Alice!: Starting tomorrow, you can follow a real-time re-creation of the Apollo 11 mission, now that it’s 40 years after the fact.
We Choose the Moon.

Last year’s videos: I’m trying to get old videos loaded up during these quiet summer days. Here are 9 shorties from a Classic sailing ‘regatta’ in Saltsjöbaden last summer. There were some 95 participating sailboats from (besides Sweden) Germany, England, France, Hungary, Switzerland, Finland, and the USA.

We didn’t know about the competition until it was over, so these are just videos of some of the sailboats right before they left town. They start on this page and are called “Classic Sailing Regatta in Saltsjöbaden, 1 of 9”, etc.

Darn deer: Y’know that video I showed you a couple of days ago where an adult deer had been sitting at the side of our house… now I know why the deer was taking that little break. 99% of the blossoms on these 2 plants have been nibbled off. I reckon his/her belly was full, so he/she had to rest a spell. :)

Hasse started the blueberry picking in the forest
yesterday. They’re not quite ready yet, though, so he’ll
wait a couple of weeks to do the serious picking.
And, we’ve picked about the last of our strawberries.
Our raspberries are still totally green.

My lavenders are almost mature enough now to
make some lavender cookies.
Oh my… they are SO yummy…

You’d never guess these will turn into wonderful, juicy cherries!

2009 - Folke

2009-07-14T09:23:00.003+02:00

The blue bird of happiness...

High-school classmate DougS sent these shots of a
bluebird enjoying a bath at their house back in Iowa.

Beautiful.

When's the last time YOU enjoyed a bath that much?!?

2009 - Joel Judit

2009-07-13T11:15:00.002+02:00

Just before our overnight guest left this morning, I stepped out on the back porch and there was a deer lying in the grass, pretty as you please. So I ran for my camera, but he/she was on to me and took off. You can see him/her jump the fence, barely, only in the first second of this video.

Oh well... have a look around the back yard instead. :)

A deer, but mostly back yard

2009 - Herman Hermine

2009-07-12T09:16:00.004+02:00

This is politics, I know. But given the nature of it, it seems fitting to put it here on Sunday Fun day.

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin: A Round-Up

Today’s news: This is the whole front page of the Culture section of the newspaper today (photo by Helena Davidsson Neppelberg). Concern over how much info about us Google is amassing, etc.

Sunday Fun

Eternal Moonwalk
George Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation This is so much fun to read!!! Have a look!
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport I WANT ONE OF THESE! For going to the store to get groceries! :)
If extraterrestrial civilizations are monitoring our TV broadcasts, then this is what they are currently watching.
2009 Sunscreen Guide (not fun; for REAL) from the Environmental Working Group
Take some WebWalks in Paris

50 Movies for 50 States “Every one of the 50 films we've picked features something special about the geography, history, or people of a particular state.” (Iowa’s movie is “Field of Dreams”, of course!)
How come cheap airlines are so cheap? (infographic)
Colored Tree, Cookies, and Stairs in Visualization Ad Interesting way to show something.
High Crimes Using Low-Tech Attacks (Not funny. It’s actually something to be aware of if someone calls you supposedly from your bank.)
Endangered Speech: 5 Dying and 5 Rising Car Tech Terms
Origami city: model crafted entirely from paper
How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck (an infograph)
Medical Mysteries Stanford U’s School of Medicine put these 10 old photos on Flickr and asks if anyone can identify them.
50 Years of Pantyhose from the Smithsonian
What every parent of a teenaged son needs - World's Biggest Alarm Clock Shakes You Out of Bed, is Computer-Controlled
Dumpster Diving
How Much Is A Petabyte?
Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality (in photos)

Reburbia competition: a design competition dedicated to re-envisioning the suburbs. Could bring some very interesting results.

In a future where limited natural resources will force us to find better solutions for density and efficiency, what will become of the cul-de-sacs, cookie-cutter tract houses and generic strip malls that have long upheld the diffuse infrastructure of suburbia? How can we redirect these existing spaces to promote sustainability, walkability, and community? It’s a problem that demands a visionary design solution and we want you to create the vision!

Roundabouts: Y’all know I’m always tooting my horn for the lowly roundabout concept. Love ‘em. Here’s some more stuff about them.

A bunch of roundabout photos

A video - Roadguy takes on roundabouts

From One-Way Rotary System to Modern Roundabout

installing a roundabout led to a 20% reduction in delays
roundabouts reduce crashes by 75% at intersections where stop signs or automated signals were previously used for traffic control

Videos

(As always, it's best to watch the videos on YouTube - or wherever - versus here, because I've had to make them smaller to fit here.)

SOUR '日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)'

sardine run

Regarding Michael Jackson

Swedes join public King of Pop dance tribute: A large crowd led by the Bounce dance troupe performed a collective dance tribute to deceased pop legend Michael Jackson in Stockholm's city centre on Wednesday.

Michael Jackson Tribute -
Stockholm. July 8, 2009

From a different angle:

Michael Jackson Beat It:
Flash mob @ Sergels Torg, Stockholm

Company coming tonight for dinner and stayover.
Gotta get hoppin'.

2009 - Eleonora Ellinor

2009-07-11T11:29:00.005+02:00

Dinner last night: … was sort of a Toast Skagen type thing (herring, h.b. egg, red onion, dill, on toast) with Caesar salad. Dessert was poor man’s fruit fondue with the little bucket of chocolate chips you nuke. (In this case, the chocolate was from Belgium.)

The Local - Swedish News

US food giant sues Swedish filmmaker
A Swedish documentary filmmaker has been sued for defamation by banana giant Dole Foods for a new film featuring a Los Angeles lawyer's fight for Nicaraguan fruit workers.

Swedish strip club continues McDonald's-inspired expansion
Having settled a logo dispute with McDonald's, an enterprising Swedish strip club owner is courting new controversy as he attempts to build an empire echoing that of the fast food giant.

Sweden fifth best country for trade: report
Sweden is the the fifth most trade-friendly country in the world, according to a new international ranking.

Swedish extremists pose 'serious threat'
Political extremists in Sweden are generally more violent than their counterparts in Germany and Denmark, a new report shows.

Swedish press in Britney Spears boycott
Sweden’s four national newspapers plan to boycott Britney Spears' upcoming concert in Stockholm to protest what they see as unreasonable demands for the use of pictures taken at the concert.

British journalist fishes for the real Sweden
British author Andrew Brown talks to James Savage about living in Sweden in the seventies, fishing, and how immigration has changed the country.

Sweden moves closer to nursing homes for gays
Elderly homosexuals in Stockholm are hopeful that their long-held hopes of having a nursing home of their own may soon become a reality.

Ikea founder calls for more job cuts
Swedish furniture retailing giant Ikea needs to shed more employees, company founder Ingvar Kamprad said in an interview published on Monday.

Ericsson inks 'game changing' US deal
Sweden’s Ericsson has signed a contract with Sprint Nextel worth up to $5.0 billion to take over daily management of the US telecom group’s network, Ericsson announced on Thursday.

2009 - André Andrea

2009-07-10T14:04:00.003+02:00

Nacka Strand & wind: I stopped down at Nacka Strand after the gym this morning to get a video for you as I walked out to the sculpture on this very windy day. I've never seen the water come out of the sculpture at such an angle!

Nacka Strand, July 10, 2009 1 of 2

Nacka Strand, July 10, 2009 2 of 2

Göta Canal videos ready

I know. It’s the definition of overkill… 43 little videos. Some hints on watching them are below. And, by the way, whenever you hear me talk about the pretty “lin” fields and that lin is what you make linseed oil from, e.g., I learned after we got home that lin is flax! So the beautiful pale blue fields are actually fields of flax.

So, to get started, go to the first video (below) and, as it starts playing, click on “Play All” as shown in the image below and then you won’t have to select each one; it will play them one after the other.

Although, you WILL have to hit the “HQ” (high quality)
button each time. Well, you don’t HAVE to, but
to get a better quality picture, you do.

And, y’know, you can usually speed it along
a bit by moving the button to the right

(as shown below).

Good luck, and don’t worry –
I’ll never ask if you watched them!
:)

Göta Canal day trip, 1 of 43

Notable News

Are you ready for a standing place on your next plane trip, instead of a seat?!? Not me! One Day, That Economy Ticket May Buy You a Place to Stand (Click on the graphic to see the examples. No way!!)
Study: Long-Distance Travel Triples the Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis “Travel is associated with a nearly 3-fold higher risk for VTE, with a dose–response relationship of 18% higher risk for each 2-hour increase in travel duration.”
French tourists seen as world's worst: survey
Construction Continues On Border Fence As Drug Violence Escalates In Mexico (22 fence photos)
Freeway Air Pollution Is So Much Worse Than You Thought I know this isn’t the time to be selling a house, what with the economy and all, but after reading this, if I lived within 1½ miles of a freeway, I think I’d still try.

I urge you to… : … read Ronni’s entire post, Dr. Butler and the Longevity Revolution and also watch the video of Dr. Butler’s speech. Here is one little part from Ronni’s post:

…Dr. Butler is a physician, geriatrician, Pulitzer Prize-winner, founder of the first geriatrics department at a U.S. medical school, general expert on all aspects of aging and the author of The Longevity Revolution, published last year.

A few of the facts he gave us:
• Since 1960, we have achieved a 60 percent reduction in heart disease.
• In terms of human rights, old women are the most abused group on earth.
• There are only 11 departments of geriatrics in the 145 U.S. medical schools.
• People 65 and older commit suicide at a larger rate than any other age group.
• Social Security provides more life insurance benefits than all private life insurance combined.
• Twenty-five percent of elders live on $39 or less per day – just $14,234 per year - at the high end.
• There are somewhere between 48,000 and 96,000 hospital deaths per year due to human error – in other words, preventable deaths. An additional 100,000 die from drug incompatibilities, many because drugs are not tested on old people who metabolize drugs differently than younger people do.
• Ninety percent of nursing homes do not meet federally-mandated staffing requirements.
• Eighty percent of all U.S. deaths occur after the age of 60.

Anyway, Happy Weekend!

2009 - Jörgen Örjan

2009-07-09T08:47:00.005+02:00

Have you seen a space ship?: I don’t know how long this will last, but…

Space Station Marathon By Rob Goldsmith; Published: 04 July 2009
If you’ve never seen a spaceship with your own eyes, now’s your chance.

The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built.

Check NASA’s ISS Tracker for flyby times.

Haircut: Got my hair cut yesterday by Anrietta. Had to catch her before her long vacation starts. Here she is preparing…

Pretty in pink: At least THIS flower (lavendelturm) is surviving the drenching we’ve been getting. Very dainty. Very pretty. (The red-leafed stuff at the bottom is alunrot.)

Nacka Strand:

Here’s the ship I can’t get to…
I wonder what kind of ship it is…

A private sailboat from… Germany?
It’s always a test of a person’s flag knowledge… :)

Yes, Germany.

Three kayakers.

How’s the weather here, you ask?: Wet!

2009 - Kjell

2009-07-08T08:31:00.004+02:00

Golf: It didn’t rain on Hasse’s parade Monday!! The spell has been broken! :) The big tournament went off without a hitch, more or less. It was perfect golf weather. Hasse was at the club just after 6am and got home at about 9:45pm. Yikes. He had to be exhausted, although he was smiling. I went over after lunch and spent about 4 hours going back and forth between the 1st tee and the 18th green (and scoring tent) taking pictures and I was exhausted!

As Tournament Leader, Hasse was on-hand at the scoring tent to make sure all of that went smoothly. Here he is (standing):

As it turned out, a neighbor of ours who lives just a few houses away won! Neat!! He had his son with him all day. (His final score was 1 over.) Here he is in the all-white outfit:

The whole thing was a success.

Congratulations, Hasse!

They’re lucky to have such a
competent and dedicated volunteer as yourself!

Photos

Videos

(The photos aren’t much, but if you want to watch
some UNDER 5 handicap guys tee off,
you might enjoy the videos.)

Rain, Rain: All the rain that DIDN’T disturb Hasse’s golf tournament came yesterday instead. We got drenched. Heavy rains. Rather unusual in these parts. My petunias are lookin’ pretty sad…

Cherry, Cherry: The cherries on our cherry tree are showing the first blushes of pink. Yum.

Thru the car window:

One of the old Ericsson buildings

A tunnel...

Seaside: This bird posed for me, giving 2 perfect profiles.

2009 - Esaias Jessika

2009-07-06T09:22:00.004+02:00

The Golf Tournament: Hasse was off very early this morning, to make sure everything is set up for the big tournament. The GOOD news is – it isn’t raining. The BAD news is – (and it’s not THAT bad) it’s totally overcast and about 60F. If he’s LUCKY, it’ll stay just like this all day. It’s actually a very nice temp for golfing, I reckon.

The whole WORLD has talent: First we had Kelly Clarkson then England had Paul Potts and Susan Boyle. But then Sweden had these guys… :) (thanks, DennyG)

The Crisp Bread Dance - English Subtitles

As seen at our little mall:

As seen in our strawberry patch:

I’m off to the gym now.

2009 - Laila Ritva

2009-07-05T12:25:00.004+02:00

(I added a little video to the 4th of July

stuff yesterday afternoon… )

Following THAT, here’s how things looked just
before time for Hasse to grill our dinner…

4th of July 2009 at our house – UPDATE

Dinner last night:
But then it stopped raining and dinner proceded,
as originally planned. Not particularly festive, but…

Pork and the wonderful tomato pie.

A parfait of blackberries, strawberries,
blueberries, and raspberries.

Macerated Berry and Creme Fraiche Parfait
from Martha Stewart

Big tournament: It’s time for the big, annual “kannan” at Hasse’s golf club and, again, he is responsible for it. Guys come from all over to play in it and there’s a waiting list of guys very anxious to be called if someone drops out at the last minute. You have to qualify (handicap of under 5) to play, of course. It starts tomorrow; 2 rounds; 1 day only.

Hasse’s phone has been very busy. Earlier today the guy who is at the head of the waiting list called to say that he will be there in the morning, ready to play, just in case… Wise move, because he lives on the far side of Stockholm. He’s clearly anxious to play. Won’t necessarily GET to, but… (Their webcam is here.)

Worried about old age?: You MAY be unnecessarily worried. Check out Ronni Bennett’s post on TimeGoesBy. Maybe it will help. It helped me a LOT!

Expectations of Aging: Young vs. Old

Sunday Fun

Baloney Detection Kit
Crap Detection 101
How the human brain works
Recent scenes from the ISS
Cows that burp less methane to be bred “A cow that burps less is being bred by Canadian scientists in an attempt to reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.”
There, I fixed it - the Fire Alarm is a classic!
The 50 Greatest Trailers of All Time (#4 - Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is pretty neat)
The Toughest Canada Day Quizzes Ever Oh my… I couldn’t BEGIN to get these right! My knowledge of Canada is painfully slim.
Fancy Fast Food (they try to make fast food look good)
Financial Responsibility in the United States (not fun, but… a neat infographic)
Bikinis: A History in Pictures
Celebrities Upside Down pictures
10 Animals to Watch Out For This Summer (Because They Might Kill You)
Unveiled: First American-Made Streetcar In 60 Years
Virtually waterless washing machine cuts water use by 90%
Pulp Friction Books used to make roads
Dog Does Squats With Owner cute
The story of nail art

Beautiful Pictures

Fireworks for the 4th
Owyhee
Who needs fireworks? Mount Rushmore's Starry Night

3 Misc Videos

Imagine Leadership
By XPLANE & Nitin Nohria

Hendrix plays National Anthem

Eeeeeewwwwwww!

Unknown Lifeform in North Carolina Sewer!

2009 - Ulrika Ulla

2009-07-04T08:40:00.007+02:00

Happy 4th of July,
all you Americans!

There’s no wind at the moment, but…
Hasse put our flag up before
he went golfing.

Here's a neat infographic on the American flag.
Check it out!

Added later in the day:

4th of July 2009 at our house

Dinner last night: … was Monte Christo’s and gazpacho - ON THE PORCH.

A bug: This was in my bathroom sink yesterday. Teeny, tiny thing. Almost as big as the head of a standard pencil eraser. A knat of some kind, I suppose. Looks like it has bat wings on it!

There really are tons of weird-lookin’ bugs around all the time… it’s just to catch ‘em holding still long enough to get the photo, then you can blow it up a bit and see it better. NOT that it’s a subject I want to delve TOO far into…

Do you know?: I watch a lot of the animal rescue tv shows, y’know. NYC, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, some in England, New Zealand, S.Africa. Recently, I was reminded of the old days when the cartoons showed dogs running away from the Dog Catcher truck as it drove down the city streets looking for strays, I suppose.

The implication was always that the dogs KNEW it was the Dog Catcher coming, so they took off. Back in the old days, did they just pick up strays and kill them? And, even if they DID, the strays that weren’t caught wouldn’t know that, would they? I mean, dogs can't read, so... was it just part of the joke to have them run away from the truck? Dumb questions, no doubt, but… just wonderin’.

Droopin’: On Thursday, there was just a brief moment of a real hard rain. Very unusual around here. And I guess my “licorice” tree is very top-heavy at the moment, being in full bloom and all. So – what happens when heavy downpour meets full bloom? It’s not a pretty sight…

In case you missed it: As of July 1st, Sweden took on the task of the presidency of the European Union (for 6 months).

The Local – Swedish News

Economic crisis and climate top Swedish EU priorities
The global economic crisis, soaring unemployment in Europe and climate change top Sweden's agenda as it takes over the European Union six-month presidency in difficult conditions on Wednesday, writes AFP's Francois Campredon

Russia snubs Sweden summit plans
Sweden's fraught relationship with Moscow has come to the fore on the first day of the Swedish EU presidency as Russia objects to plans to hold a major summit in Stockholm.

US judge bans Swede's Salinger 'sequel'
A judge in New York has indefinitely banned publication in the US of a Swedish author's unauthorized follow-up to J.D. Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye.

Swedish becomes official 'main language'
Swedish is now officially considered the main language in Sweden, according to a new language law which, along with more than two dozen other laws, took effect on Wednesday.

Sweden's pharmacy monopoly finished
Sweden's state-run pharmacy monopoly ended on Wednesday, paving the way for new entrants into the market for drug sales and for the eventual sale of non-prescription drugs in other retail outlets.

German firm plans 100 pharmacies in Sweden
German pharmaceutical company Celesio has revealed plans to open a chain of more than 100 pharmacies in Sweden.

Umeå's women footballers to challenge American all-stars
The reigning champions of the Swedish women's professional football league, Umeå IK, are heading to the United States to play a team of stars from the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).

German court convicts high-speed Swede
The 52-year-old head of one of Sweden most infamous gangs was sentenced in Germany on Tuesday to three years and three months in prison.

And, just to prove there are ignorant idiots eveywhere...

Police avoid charges in 'Niggersson' case
Public prosecutors have been unable to identify the source of racist names that cropped up in police training materials in southern Sweden and will not press charges in the case.

2009 - Aurora

2009-07-03T15:07:00.003+02:00

A couple of special things from our trip Wednesday.

It's the time of year for the rape fields to be in

full color. As far as I know, rape is canola.

But one thing I have NEVER seen before is
flax (lin) growing in the field. And we saw LOTS
of it! It's beautiful to see. Very pale blue.

Here is some (below).

And here are some huge fields of flax, as seen

from the boat. It's like you're looking at a

lake, but nope - that's flax.

And then there was this neat Midsommar maypole

some folks had in an open area. They've actually

mowed a heart around it. Very cute.

Happy Weekend, all!

2009 - Rosa Rosita

2009-07-02T15:44:00.005+02:00

Yesterday’s event: I must be brief, ‘cause it’s very warm here now and not that nice to sit at the computer.

For Christmas, 2008, my in-laws gave us this Day Trip on the M/S Wasa Lejon for the Göta Canal. We chose yesterday, which was a very warm summer day in Sweden and had a delightful, interesting trip which we can recommend!

Some bits from Wikipedia: The Swedish Göta Canal was constructed in the early 19th century. It formed the backbone of a waterway stretching some 382 miles, linking a number of lakes and rivers to provide a route from Gothenburg on the west coast to Söderköping on the Baltic Sea. The canal itself is 118 miles long. It has 58 locks and can accommodate vessels up to 105 ft long, 21 ft wide and 9 ft in draft.

Here are my Flickr photos. Videos will take a while, as always.

We passed through many locks, a variety of bridges, and 2 aqueducts on this 7-hour trip. It was definitely a notable engineering feat in its day.

Here are just a few photos I picked out (and cropped) to give you a flavor… and, miracle of miracles, they’re all right-side-up! :) Go figure.

Where we entered the lock system (below).

That's a private sailboat up there,

one lock ahead of us, you could say.

(below)

An example of the neat draw bridges (below).

Another type of bridge (below).

Here, we pass over an aqueduct! (below)

2009 - Elof Leif

2009-06-30T09:49:00.004+02:00

Summertime: Summer has arrived here, by the way. Did I mention that? Yep. All windows open. All fans going. Particular shades drawn to keep heat out. My heated bathroom floor is turned OFF. (It provides the only heat in that room.) My heated footrest here at my computer is turned OFF. Using the oven is avoided. There’s no a.c. here, y’know.

Wooden knives: I suppose this is one of those things we have plenty of at our house and you Americans have none of at yours. In fact, when I’ve given these as gifts to Americans, they’re rarely actually USED. They’re treated more like something you put on the shelf to look at. But in Sweden – they’re part of everyday life.

The wooden knife. Not used for cutting, of course. But for spreading whatever onto whatever. Here are ours (and pardon the sideways pictures):

The whole bunch

If I take out all the duplicates,
this is what's left.

Close-ups of the painted knives.

How they do it in Italy: In a piece of a Facebook conversation with Dani, the Italian gal I worked with at Cisco, she was explaining to me something she had said to her Italian friends in Italian:

Yesterday was the first day of exam for the last year of high school, where I work; a day of writing an essay on one of 7 subjects that are the same for all Italy, secret until the morning they arrive at school with police from Board of Education. Two of the subjects proposed were about Facebook:
1) FB as an example of young people's culture like punk, '68, the Mary Quant skirt, etc.
2) Social networking as a phenomenon today

Big Brother?: Lancaster, Pa., keeps a close eye on itself “A vast and growing web of security cameras monitors the city of 55,000, operated by a private group of self-appointed gatekeepers. There's been surprisingly little outcry.”

From Ray Bradbury: A Literary Legend Fights for a Local Library

“Libraries raised me,” Mr. Bradbury said. “I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

… and …

“Yahoo called me eight weeks ago,” he said, voice rising. “They wanted to put a book of mine on Yahoo! You know what I told them? ‘To hell with you. To hell with you and to hell with the Internet.’
“It’s distracting,” he continued. “It’s meaningless; it’s not real. It’s in the air somewhere.”

Favorites: This is a favorite tree of ours… don’t know it’s name… smells like licorice… take a whiff… oooooooh… nice…

R.I.P.

Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett's Cancer Battle

Michael Jackson, Come together
(FAN VIDEO!)

(I like this fan video, in particular, because I’ve
never seen most of the photos before
and they’re pretty neat.)

Something Special

… is happening tomorrow…

I’ll blog about it Thursday…

:)

2009 - Leo

2009-06-28T13:00:00.003+02:00

Dinner last night: Our first burgers! Yummmmmmm! With catsup, mustard, pickles, tomato, cheese, red onion. And French fries. And this little cake thingy from the bakery. Not only THAT, but, we sat outside to EAT our dinner! THOSE are the nights you remember here in Sweden; when it’s still warm enough in the evening that you can comfortably sit outside without a jacket.

Microsoft… ARGHHHHH!: When I powered ON this morning, a message came up saying there was an installation ready for my computer. Normally that’s just small stuff, so I said OK. But then it was getting started and asked if I was ready to install Internet Explorer 8! Va?!? Now, THAT’S not a small thing! It didn’t present any INFO about IE8 whatsoever. Just – Yes or No or Ask Me Later. I chose the latter. Now I have to investigate. I’m just sayin’… they coulda been more helpful…

More flowers

Late-blooming peonies

Lily

Sunday Fun

Kinetic Sketch Fun!
GRAPHIC: An exclusive look inside the {Disney} Matterhorn
The Ideological History of the Supreme Court of the US 1937-2007 - to measure "the relative location of each U.S. Supreme Court justice on an ideological continuum."
Go ahead! YOU try to balance California’s budget! California Budget Challenge
Abandoned Places In The World Fascinating, IMHO.
Have you seen Alice? "You tell Alice what you buy — choosing from great deals on 1000's of products — and we go to work. We organize all of your products, find coupons and deals for you, remind you when you might be running low, and help you order just the items you need so you can avoid the chore of household shopping. And all this convenience comes direct to your door with free shipping included."
The Book Seer – suggests what to read next
Love Seat Toilet by Amigo Zhou Uh… no thanks.
The Universal Record Database (BETA) “The definitive site for human achievement.” Well… that might be stretching it a bit… “Most American Pennies Balanced On Elbow And Caught” ?? Really?!?
London Sound Survey “Welcome to London Sound Survey, a small and growing collection of stereo recordings of places, daily life and events in the capital. Historical references too are continually added to find out how London's sounds have changed.”
200 Characters from Dick Tracy 1931 – 1977
Soviet Russian Album Covers
Movie Body Counts We don’t REALLY wonder what influences our insensitivity to violence, DO we?!? The movie with the highest body count, according to this, is “LotR: Return of the King (ex)” with 836 kills.

From Toxel:

Baseball

Baseball stats: If you love baseball AND statistics, you’ll love these infographics from Flip Flop Fly Ball.

And, if you’re NOT one of the over 3 million people who’ve seen this video…

Josh Womack's crazy bat skills
at Long Beach Armada 2009 Training Camp

Babies & Elders

Are women born this way?

Romancing the Road

Improv Everywhere

The Mp3 Experiment Six

2009 - Selma Fingal

2009-06-27T10:37:00.004+02:00

Is it summer yet?: How do you know when summer has arrived in Sweden? Let me tell you. Summer has arrived when me, myself, and I can sit in pj’s in the shade of the big umbrella at the ‘picnic’ table on our back porch at 8am and eat my breakfast – and be 100% comfortable (at about 23C which is about 73F). THAT’S when you know summer has arrived in Sweden. So – alert the media!! Today is that day!!!!!!! :)

Playing: Hasse is playing in a golf tournament in Bålsta (yesterday and today) with the likes of Annika Sörenstam’s father. He’s borrowing ‘my’ car ‘cause it has a.c. which will make the ride home more comfy.

What good/horrendous reminders: 12 Of The Most Iconic Photographs Ever Taken (in this person's opinion, anyway)

From Dr. Mercola: I’ll give you his headline and the quick answer. You can click the links to read the details…

This Potent Spice Taken as Little as Once a Week Can Fight Dementia
ANSWER: curry
The Real Reason Why Breast Cancer is Plummeting
ANSWER: “largely due to a decreased use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has been shown to increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.”
Who Knew Preventing Kidney Stones Was this Easy?
ANSWER: “the best remedy is also the best prevention, and also happens to be the least expensive: simply drink more water” {NOT cola; NOT tea)
Vaccine Doctor Given at Least $30 Million Dollars to Push Vaccines “New revelations shed some disturbing insight into a key vaccine safety defender’s real motivations.”
ANSWER: Read further about this controversy - Will This Doctor Hurt Your Baby?
“Thanks to celebrity anti-vaccine crusaders like Jenny McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Children’s Hospital doctor and vaccine inventor Paul Offit gets death threats from parents frantic about autism — and worse. He’s had enough. He’s taking his critics on”
Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease ANSWER: “… follow this three-step hand-washing technique: 1. Use warm water, 2. Work up a good lather all the way up to your wrists for at least 10 or 15 seconds, 3. Don't forget to get all surfaces including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and an area often overlooked -- your fingernails. There is one important caveat to remember, and that is your skin is actually your primary defense against bacteria -- not the soap. So resist the urge to become obsessive about washing your hands.”

Misc. Photos

Taken the other day, looking past Nacka Strand
toward Stockholm. The Swedish brig, Tre Kronor,
is coming down the waterway.

Sorry... sideways.
Anyway, another view of "Ericsson 4" in the
Volvo Ocean Race, with all the spectator boats.

This poor fella was stuck up there for 40 minutes
before the firetruck came and got him down.
It doesn't say why he was stuck...
just that he found he couldn't get down
the way he had expected.

Our 'furry' bush.
Don't know it's real name.

Here come the gladiolas.

The Local – Swedish News

'Miracle' gibbon birth at Swedish zoo
A nearly 40-year-old gibbon has given birth to a healthy baby at a zoo in central Sweden, much to the surprise of zoo officials who just a few months ago thought the mother may be dying.
(We’ll be in Eskilstuna in August for the Alan Jackson concert, so hope to go to that zoo the day after and see the gibbons.)

Jerebko becomes first Swede drafted into NBA
Jonas Jerebko, a native of Borås in western Sweden, became the first Swedish national to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA), being picked by the Detroit Pistons as the 39th pick overall.

Svanberg to ditch Ericsson for BP
Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg has been appointed as new chairman of British Petroleum and will leave his post as head of the Swedish telecoms giant at the end of the year.
(This was a surprise!!)

Inmates commit crimes using prison phones
Swedish inmates are routinely able to bypass blocks put on prison telephones, allowing them to make calls to fellow criminals with instructions for carrying out new crimes.

Swedish parents keep 2-year-old's gender secret
A couple of Swedish parents have stirred up debate in the country by refusing to reveal whether their two-and-a-half-year-old child is a boy or a girl.

Malmö win for topless Swedish bathers
Women in Malmö have been given the right to bathe topless in the swimming pools of Sweden's third largest city.

Björn from ABBA: There's probably no God
"Freedom from indoctrination ought to be a basic human right for all children," argues ABBA star Björn Ulvaeus in a passionate plea for Sweden to rethink its policy on faith-based schools.

Sweden summons Iran's ambassador
Sweden's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to a meeting on Tuesday regarding Sweden's "serious concerns" about the ongoing violence and restrictions on free speech in the middle eastern state.

2009 - Rakel Lea

2009-06-26T15:53:00.002+02:00

T.G.I.F.

A selection from my YouTube Favorites:

Kransky Sisters - Pretty Woman

Happy Weekend, y'all!

2009 - David Salomon

2009-06-25T14:12:00.002+02:00

Volvo Ocean Race – Last Day

Well, I went down to Nacka Strand at 9:30 this morning ‘cause the racers were supposed to leave Stockholm at 10:00 (and they have to pass by Nacka Strand to get out to sea). BUT – as it turned out, they changed plans (not sure why yet) and left Stockholm at 7:30 this morning! Bummer.

I did get to watch one of the official Volvo Ocean Race sailboats cast off (you can see that in one of the videos) and then near the end the “guest” boat for the Puma team went by (you can see that in the photos).

Oh, and… the Russian boat joined again yesterday, after an absence due to lack of funds, I guess. AND, another spectator this morning said he saw one of the race boats being towed by Nacka Strand this morning.

OK, that’s all I know. Sure sorry to miss that this morning but, that’s the breaks! I was up at 6:00, actually, and could've been there, no problem! Oh well. You’ve gotta be flexible (and informed) when it comes to sailing since you’re at the mercy of the elements.

The videos from this morning:
Volvo Ocean Race - the end - 1 of 2
Volvo Ocean Race - the end - 2 of 2
Nacka Strand, June 24, 2009 - 1 of 2
Nacka Strand, June 24, 2009 - 2 of 2

The photos from this morning

-- THE END --

Moving along with life now...

House foreclosures in the U.S.: Some things you don’t think about…

False alarm calls increase with foreclosed homes. That is to say, house alarms go off for any number of reasons in these empty houses but the fire department isn’t allowed to go in unless they see smoke or get permission from the owner. But these days, the owner is most likely a bank somewhere and finding out could take weeks. So neighbors have to listen to an alarm sometimes for weeks. OMG!
As hurricane season meets housing crisis, fears deepen. That is to say, what if you’re living in Hurricane Alley and all the houses around you have been foreclosed, so no one lives there and can secure the houses for an approaching storm? All those houses could easily disintegrate and the debris could be flung at YOUR house, etc. (How about turning them into hurricane shelters? Vacant homes could be used as hurricane shelters)

If you thought the Vasa story was fun… : … you’ll love this story. Watershed Down

Interesting concepts:

Polyhedron Habitable by architect Manuel Villa - A contemporary shelter
Estudio en Verde by Selgascano Arquitectos

2009 - Johannes Döparens dag

2009-06-24T07:09:00.006+02:00

If you haven’t seen this yet…:

… you really must.

It’s nature at its most awesome.

Best to look at it BIG, though.

MISC PHOTOS

Here’s a baby lavender…
couple more days of sunshine and it’ll be all grown up.

My fav thirst quencher is this stuff.

A corner of the glass house.

Flowers in our yard

Have a good one!

2009 - Adolf Alice

2009-06-23T14:01:00.004+02:00

Volvo Ocean Race – Stockholm Stopover

Pro-Am

June 22, 2009

As they describe it: “Pro-Am is a new concept developed by Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo Open 70 yachts sail in a race with six of their regular crew but also have limited places for invited guests, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience onboard a Volvo Open 70. This also adds an extra dimension to the race for the public. The course will be designed so the start, finish and rounding marks maximise the publics’ ability to watch from docks and other viewpoints on the Stockholm waterfront. Standings for the Volvo Ocean Race are not changed by the results of the Pro-Am Race.”

For my 11 videos, go to this 4th page of the Playlist for “Ships” and scroll down to “Volvo Ocean Race 09 Stockholm - Pro-Am, 1 of 11” to get started. A general outline:

1-3 of 11 are all in Nacka Strand as I wait and wait… you WILL see the Ericsson support boat, however.
4-7 of 11 are in the city (Stockholm) at Fåfängen, a wonderful place to view the harbor area, and you’ll see the racers come in and also the Swedish-made brig Tre Kronor.
8-10 of 11 is mostly watching the big Cinderalla ferry arrive and “park” behind the other Viking Line ferry.
11 of 11 is a view in the opposite direction – draw bridge, ski mountain, Globen, Hammarbysjöstad, etc.

The photos for the Pro-Am (plus) are here:
(and, as usual, I recommend using the Slideshow option)

2009 VOR Pro-Am - wait at Nacka Strand
2009 VOR Pro-Am - racers in the city
2009 VOR Pro-Am - Cinderella arrives

And, just because it tickles me…

2009 Cruiser comes in the back way

OR

If you want to skip all that, here are the “money shots”, as far as I’m concerned (although, I’ve cropped them for the blog).

Here I'm at Nacka Strand WAITING for the racers, but they never come. I can see them, though, between the rigging of the trimaran near where I'm sitting... they're down there! They just circle and circle where they are! Why won't they come to Nacka Strand like they're supposed to?!? Ah, yes, because there isn't enough wind to bring them! :)

This Ericsson support boat came first, but after we all waited and waited, it finally went back to join the racers.

So I drove to Fåfängen and managed to see them. Yippee!

The "Amerian" Puma and one of the Swedish Ericsson boats competed like crazy...

Across the way, there's the tivoli, Gröna Lund, and the new ride called "Insane" and also the Vasa Museum (the dark angular building).

Here comes the Swedish-made brig Tre Kronor (Three Crowns).

And finally, the race was over, but Cinderella was coming into port, so I stayed long enough to get her 'parking' dockside. Quite amazing.

The only thing left for me now, possibly, is when the racers leave town Thursday. They'll have to pass by Nacka Strand, of course, so - weather permitting - I'll bet I'll be there. I can't seem to stay away from these water events. But - they're so beautiful, don't you agree?!?

2009 - Paulina Paula

2009-06-22T09:03:00.002+02:00

Dinner last night: … was grilled pork, corn, and this strawberry/spinach salad. Delish! (thanks for the kick in the pants, Doug!)

Longest Day of the Year:

That would be – YESTERDAY. I normally get up between 1:00am and 2:00am to pee, so planned to take a picture out a window to show you how light it is here at that time.

As a reminder, Stockholm is on about the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. Well, last night I didn’t make that trip til just before 4:00am – so – not what I had hoped for, but still… here’s what it looked like then. Daylight, basically.

Videos Explained

The introduction on each video: “It’s Midsommar 2009 (June 20) and Hasse and I drive into Stockholm to the area where they have set up many events around the Volvo Ocean Race – Stockholm Stopover, including the racing boats themselves. The general public was not allowed very close to those boats, however.

These short videos start as we park the car on Söder Mälarstrand and walk toward Slussen; then they take us through the temporary ‘park’ where the boats are; then we walk through Gamla Stan (Old Town) to get back to the car; then we drive through areas of Södermalm; then home.”

18 videos

1-2 (of 18) = Walking down Söder Mälarstrand toward Slussen (the lock)
3-4 = Approaching-and-at Slussen
5-6 = Inside the Volvo Ocean Race ‘park’ area now
7-11 = The 6 racing boats
12-14 = Walking the rest of the length of the ‘park’
15 = Back at the Slussen area
16-17 = Driving through the Södermalm area of Stockholm
18 = Driving through the Nacka area toward home

They’re all in the “Ships” Playlist, if you’re following playlists. They start near the bottom of this page and go on to page 4.

There you have it. If you ever wondered what Stockholm looks like… I can’t do much more for you than these videos! At the same time, if you’re completely uninterested, that’s ok, too. Well, it’s curious… but it’s ok. :)

2009 - Alf Alvar

2009-06-21T08:32:00.004+02:00

Happy Father’s Day
to all you American dads!

Dinner last night: … was tortellini salad w/toast. Yum

Volvo Ocean Race – once more: Hasse and I went into the city (Stockholm) yesterday to see the boats and all the hoop-la that you can see in the middle webcam. Then we walked back to the car via Gamla Stan (Old Town) with its narrow streets, etc.

It was a beautiful day, too! Videos will come eventually. The photos are here, but this is the closest we could get to the boats.

Numbers: Time-Europe, June 15, 2009

52% = Percentage of Americans who believe torture is justified to prevent terrorist attacks, according to a recent survey.

Man-oh-man... are we watching too much tv?!? Have we become totally desensitized (sp?) to this?!? 52%... kinda scary, if you ask me.

Sunday Fun

Twinzes Cute
Common Craft “Our three-minute videos help educators and influencers introduce complex subjects.”
Carrotmob “Carrotmob is a network of consumers who buy products in order to reward businesses who are making the most socially responsible decisions.” Hmmm… They call is reverse boycotting. Instead of avoiding (or actually having conflict with) environmentally ‘backward’ stores, they ‘swarm’ stores that promise to use some of the proceeds for environmental stuff. I just don’t know. Maybe that would work for smaller stores. But Big Business? I think Big Business has shown us again and again that it often needs a hearty kick in the ass. I mean, we have to keep an eye on BB. It isn’t enough to ignore them and buy from whoever says they’ll be environmentally kind. I don’t think so, anyway. Could be wrong, of course.
Have You Ever Been So Tired?
Nikon travel photography competition: The natural world 16 cool pictures
Atlas Obscura “A compendium of the world’s wonders, curiosities and esoterica
http://www.unitconversion.org/
Most frequently looked-up words on NYTimes.com, 2009 (The first 10 are: sui generic, solipsistic, louche, laconic, saturnine, antediluvian, epistemological, shibboleths, penury, sumptuary.)
Weed, Booze, Cocaine and Other Old School "Medicine" Ads
Game: Card Toss
The longest story ever
Abramovich Launches the World's Biggest Yacht
Marco Brambilla – Civilization (requires Quicktime) This video mural is in an elevator at the Standard Hotel in New York and you see it as you go up and down.
Live interactive ships traffic a neat live, interactive map of global shipping
15 Most Alien Looking Caterpillars on Earth WOW!

How does our language shape the way we think? (I haven’t read this yet, but look forward to it.)

For a long time, the idea that language might shape thought was considered at best untestable and more often simply wrong. Research in my labs at Stanford University and at MIT has helped reopen this question. We have collected data around the world: from China, Greece, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, and Aboriginal Australia. What we have learned is that people who speak different languages do indeed think differently and that even flukes of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world. Language is a uniquely human gift, central to our experience of being human. Appreciating its role in constructing our mental lives brings us one step closer to understanding the very nature of humanity.

If you TASER Old Women For Swearing...

Jim Stoten Artist Profile

Hasse goes golfing - 2009

2009 - Linda

2009-06-20T12:44:00.006+02:00

Happy Midsommar Day!

Midsommarafton (yesterday): As it turned out, we had almost NO rain yesterday! Yippee! A bit of a sprinkle now and then. Very dark, menacing clouds now and then. But, Midsommar in our area, anyway, was not ruined for anyone. Hasse and I took a morning walk down to seaside.

The videos are here, called “A walk to seaside and home again, 1 of 8”, etc. (I might have to re-do the last one… it was flaky.) The few Flickr photos are here.

This boat was at our neighbor’s marina. I asked the Ausie guy working on it if it could go a long way but he said no. Said it was a very lightweight boat and would fall apart if taken out on rough seas or whatever.

Dinner last night: … was our traditional Midsommar dinner. The few photos are here. In a nutshell...

The table is set in our little 'glass house'.

Dessert

The party's over...

took this at about 2:00 a.m. when I went to bed.

Midsommarafton dinner at our house - 2009

A good read: Media Blasts Oprah for Supporting Alternative Medicine (read the comments, too)

Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By: … was invited to the Age Boom Academy in New York for a conference recently. She will have lots to say about it as time goes on, but you really should start here where she gives an overview and some facts to pique your interest. It worked for ME!

Home from the Age Boom Academy

We are a permanently aging society which means the number of people older than 60 will soon be greater than the number of people younger than 15. This will not change when the boomer generation dies which requires that the fundamental institutions of our society be restructured. -- Jack Rowe, MD, Chair, MacArthur Foundation Research Network, Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

2009 - Germund Görel

2009-06-19T08:55:00.005+02:00

Midsommarafton

Glad Midsommar, alla!

Today is the eve (afton) of Midsummer (Midsommar) and this is the day we have our Midsommar meal. It’ll probably be almost exactly the same as last year’s meal, since it’s a simple, traditional meal. Pictures tomorrow. I noticed that last year we had jasmine on our Midsommar dinner table, but THIS year our jasmine bush hasn’t even started blooming yet!

All around Sweden today you’ll find maypoles going up (as we Americans call them) with dancing all around them by all ages, etc. This is probably the biggest holiday in Sweden.

Dancing around the midsummer pole

Here are 14 little videos I did last year when we went to the local celebration (since we won’t be going today). Look for “Midsommar in Sweden 2008, 1 of 14” e.g.

It isn’t raining yet today but the skies are very dark. Of the 19 Midsommarafton’s I’ve experienced in Sweden, I’d say that 16 of them have been rainy, gray, and cool. You can ALMOST count on it. :)

Here are two Swedish grandmothers teaching their
grandkids one of the Midsommar songs. Cute.

Sång på midsommarafton

Here are some delightfully experienced traditional dancers.

Midsommar - midsummer in Sweden

The Local – Swedish News

Web pioneer to be next US ambassador
A 38-year-old internet entrepreneur who went on to become one of Barack Obama's top fundraisers will soon be nominated to become the United States' next ambassador to Sweden.

Swedish and US yachts do battle over Stockholm stage
Sweden's two Ericsson yachts were neck and neck with US entry Puma Ocean Racing Monday as the boats sprinted for Stockholm on the ninth stage of the Volvo race around the world.

New list reveals common Swedish and English spelling mistakes
People struggling to straddle what can sometimes seem like a cavernous divide between the Swedish and English languages will likely appreciate a new list of common misspellings in both languages.

China's Geely to buy Volvo Cars: report
Volvo Cars is to be sold to Chinese automaker Geely following an initial agreement with Ford, according to media reports in China.

Agency puts its foot down in Sweden's battle with killer slugs
Agriculture authorities in Sweden are setting up battle stations in the country's continuing struggle to fight off killer slugs.

'Sex education a must for Swedish learners'
Sex education should form part of the curriculum for all adults attending Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes, a new government report has proposed.

Koenigsegg buys Saab: confirmed
Saab Automobile is to be sold to Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg, Saab has confirmed.

Behind the lens of a legendary Swedish photographer
Exhibition: Swedish photographer Hans Hammarskiöld is associated with influence and innovation, both in his homeland and internationally.

Brussels blasts Sweden over excessive press subsidies
Sweden has received a rap on the knuckles from the European Commission for maintaining a system of press subsidies that "distorts competition".

Swedish navy locates German WWII mines
The Swedish Navy has uncovered a ten-kilometre band of German World War II mines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Misc. Photos

If you had been watching the webcam when the
Volvo Ocean Race boats came into port in Stockholm,
it would’ve looked like this (thanks Doug):

Saw this old car on the way to the grocery store
yesterday (pardon the reflection of my clothes
in the photo... ):

Blooming around the house just now:

Peonies

Firewitch

Rhododendrun

Poppies

Happy Weekend, y'all!

2009 - Björn Bjarne

2009-06-18T09:16:00.003+02:00

The Volvo Ocean Race
Five continents and five oceans in nine months

Start: Alicante, Spain, October 2008
Final Stopover: Stockholm, June 17-25, 2009
Finish: St Petersburg, Russia, June 2009

Here they come yesterday!
Led by Ericsson 3 & Ericsson 4!
(These are 2 website photos; not mine.)

Here you see them once they're
in the harbor of Stockholm.

It was quite wonderful to watch the racers come in. They were actually racing. Not as part of the official Volvo Ocean Race, but a fun race they called The Stockholm 'City Sprint'. It’s explained a bit in the quote below.

The fun race format added a bit of spice to the delivery trip from the leg 9 finish line at Sandhamn to the race village in Stockholm. Although no points were at stake, the teams sailed with their regular crews on board for the 12 mile race.

Sunny afternoon weather provided the perfect excuse for thousands in Stockholm to play hooky from work to take in the action. The race course, which twisted and turned through the narrow waters between the islands off Stockholm, was filled with spectator boats. As was the shoreline around the city. It was all too much for Magnus Olsson.

"Did you see all the people everywhere?" he asked after the race. "There were thousands - millions - 10 million people watching!! I think you cannot have better propaganda for sailing. Lots of boats around us and everybody behaved very well.

"It was fantastic. I think we did a good show for what sailing in these boats is all about. I think everybody did a good race and it was very close. Even if it is a fun race, you want to win. That's how we work. I cannot help but to want to win all the time."

In the event, the racing - even if it was just for fun - turned out to be very, very close. Ericsson 3 nipped Ericsson 4, with Telefonica Black just ahead of Delta Lloyd, PUMA and Green Dragon.

I was about 45 minutes early in picking a spot seaside there at Nacka Strand. There weren’t as many spectators at Nacka Strand as when the Tall Ships were in town. Still… a few hundred, I’d guess. Thousands altogether, if you include folks lined up in all possible spots along the shorelines heading into Stockholm.

And there were probably a couple hundred private boats enjoying the event. When I first sat down, there was a constant stream of small boats headed out to sea, to meet the racers as they came in. And then when we finally saw the big sails of the racers, you saw a whole armada of little boats escorting them.

It was one of those sights that takes your breath away and brings a tear to your eye. Well, mine anyway. What a cry baby. But it really was a sight to behold. I get choked up now just remembering that sight and feeling from yesterday! :)

VIDEOS & PHOTOS

I’ve got 16 videos for you, like so:

This is the BEFORE video. Before I went to the gym yesterday morning, I went down to see if anything was happening seaside.

Volvo Ocean Race 09 from Nacka Strand,
1 of 15

The next 5 videos are after lunch and I’m just showing you what’s happening on the water from the time I sat down and started waiting.

Volvo Ocean Race 09 from Nacka Strand,
2 of 15 THRU 6 of 15

In videos 7-10 of 15, you’ll see the racers.

Volvo Ocean Race 09 from Nacka Strand,
7 of 15 THRU 10 of 15

The aftermath, including Celebrity Century, Tre Kronor, Qrooz.se, Sjöö Sandström, True Look, taxi boats, helicopters, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.

Volvo Ocean Race 09 from Nacka Strand,
11 of 15 THRU 15 of 15

This was on the news last night. It gives a feel for what it all looked like from the Stockholm point of view.

Volvo Ocean Race - Stockholm Stopover - NEWS

The normal link to my videos is: http://www.youtube.com/user/nlind47. But, I’ve put all of these into the Playlist called Ships, so go to the Ships page and you’ll see (at the bottom) that there are 3 pages of Ships videos. These from yesterday start at the bottom of Page 2.

My Flickr photos are here. There aren’t many. I was too busy with videos. Here are a few.

Here's the Swedish Navy boat that came out about
15 minutes before the racers showed up.

Now you start to see them coming...

And there they are!!!

This is the Nacka Strand trimaran that
I've shown you photos of before.

As I said... wonderful.
There's not much of anything I could do today
that would top THAT!

2009 - Torborg Torvald

2009-06-17T07:39:00.002+02:00

Volvo Ocean Race –
Stockholm Stopover

Mid-Race Promo

Need I say more?????

I’m going to the gym now, then home for lunch,
then back to Nacka Strand to watch the racers
go by on their way into Stockholm. You can, perhaps,
watch them come in via the webcam’s
2nd and 3rd pictures (if you scroll down):

The Gondolen webcams

They're supposed to tie up in Stockholm between

1:00 and 2:00 p.m. here, so that would be between

6:00 and 7:00 a.m. Chicago time.

Once they’re tied up, it looks like you won’t be able
to see them that well. You’ll have to depend on
photos from others. I hadn’t really planned on heading
into the city, but I might change my mind. :)

Peonies are comin’:

My keyboard: The letters on my keyboard have
been fading out. I’m a pretty good touch-typist, but
still… now and then I have to look down;
especially for numbers.

I went to the hobby shop to see if they had some tiny
stick-on letters. They didn’t. Only these BIG ONES.
So that’s gonna have to do!

To farm or not to farm:
What You Need to Know Before You Ever

Order Fish at a Restaurant

“Jean-Michel Cousteau explains why the common practice
of farming carnivorous fish like salmon
is devastating marine life,
and why fish farming in general is a bad idea.”

(The sun is shining again today!!!)

2009 - Axel Axelina

2009-06-16T08:25:00.003+02:00

Delirium: I was nearly delirious with happiness late afternoon yesterday when the sun came out! When you come through a long Swedish winter, you really feel that you deserve some sunshine, y'know?!? :)

Here comes the sun!

Wayne Engle and retired electricians help CR

The Engle's are old friends of our family.
We probably wouldn't have grown up in such

a nice house if it hadn't been for Wayne.

He has done many good things for us over the years.

LATER:

After I published this, I found this other article/video:

Retired electricians, plumbers help flood victims

Retired electricians work on flooded homes

Misc. things noticed when we went to the movies
in Stockholm the other night.

Against the gray sky, you can hardly see it, but -

there's Globen!

Lots of these flags on street light poles

announcing the Volvo Ocean Race.

A new sign for Amnesty International!

Back to our house... some bloomin' stuff.

2009 - Margit Margot

2009-06-15T12:17:00.003+02:00

Dinner-and-a-movie: We saw "The Reader" last night and very much recommend it.

Sneak Peek: 'The Reader'

It wasn't over til 8:00 and things were closing at that place, so we had a quick pizza type dinner of calzone and my usual - Hawaii pizza. I'm so boring...

I love Michael Moore's work, as you know.

I think he is an American hero.

'Save our CEOs'
Teaser for Michael Moore's New Film Hits Theaters!

Miscellaneous

Duh… !: Michigan Governor: Use Car Factories To Make Trains

America’s Streetcar Renaissance

The UP side of Twitter: I quit using my Twitter ‘cause it just seemed useless. Sorry, but I don’t really CARE what you’re having for breakfast, etc. THIS, on the other hand, is a GOOD use of Twitter. Well, it’s a good use of it if it did/does any good. Twitter Users Shame CNN For Not Covering Iran Elections, Riots

And there’s this - Can Twitter help fix San Francisco's potholes? “Residents can now "tweet" the city about public problems, part of growing efforts to use online and social networking tools to get better customer service.”

Other news: Reindeer herds in global decline “The first global review of their status has found that populations are declining almost everywhere they live, from Alaska and Canada, to Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia. The iconic deer is vital to indigenous peoples around the circumpolar north. “

Across the Great Divide Pictures of the bridge being built over the Colorado River to connect Las Vegas and Phoenix without having to drive over the Hoover Dam. WOW!

Next Generation Airport

Technology/Science

Analyzing trends on TV with SnapStream TV Trends “Enter a couple of keywords (up to 5) into TV Trends and you’ll get a graph showing you the relative frequency of mentions of those words on mostly-news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, MSNBC and CNN.”

IAC's Diller: The iPhone is our crystal ball

I absolutely believe that the Internet is passing from its free phase into a paid system. Inevitably, I promise you, it will be paid. Not every single thing, but everything of any value. Again, take commodity away from it. ... People were so frightened of not being dinosaurs, and burying their heads, and not having what happened to the music industry happen to them, they just slapped everything up on the Internet for free. That's an accidental historical moment that will absolutely be corrected. – Barry Diller

Drinking Water From Air Humidity

Wireless Power Harvesting for Cell Phones Nokia hopes to create a device that could harvest enough power to keep a cell phone topped up.

Health

Sugar Stacks This site uses "regular sugar cubes (4 grams of sugar each) to show how the sugars in your favorite foods literally stack up, gram for gram. Compare foods, find out where sugar is hiding, and see how much of the sweet stuff you're really eating.”

Dr. Mercola’s response: Swine Flu Alert Moves to Highest Stage “This promotion to Stage Six is still fear mongering, plain and simple. While it certainly qualifies for a pandemic in the strict definition of the term, they are using that term to instill fear in the population."

2009 - Håkan Hakon

2009-06-14T11:34:00.003+02:00

Weather Report:
It turns out that the first half of June 2009
has been the coldest in 50 years here in Sweden!
I can vouch for that.

Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race (which used to be called Whitbread) is often referred to as “sailings Mount Everest.” And, since thousands upon thousands of Swedes have a boat… and, since we’re surrounded by water here… and, since we ARE talking about Vikings :) … and, since this is almost more of an endurance sport than anything else and Swedes are BIG on sports, there is great interest in the Volvo Ocean Race here. (Plus the obvious Volvo connection, of course.)

Having said all that, it doesn’t seem quite as fascinating to me as the Tall Ships, so it will be interesting to see how many people show up.

The festivities started today at 11:00 a.m. Here’s what’s on today (from the calendar). I just checked the webcam and there aren’t many people down there at the moment. Of course it’s raining and cold, and the boats won’t be here til Wednesday, so…

Sunday 14 June

11.00 - Race Village opens, Skeppsbron and Kungsträdgården
12.00 - De Sotos performing
12.50 approx - Live feed on big screens from the start of Leg 9 in Marstrand
13.00-16.00 - Face-painting artists will be on hand for the children
14.00 - Opening ceremony Race Village; Charlotte Perrelli and Daniel Lindström performing
19.00 - De Sotos performing
00.00 - Race Village closes

Sunday Fun

Data.gov is now live. “The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.”
Smell of Books “If you’ve been hesitant to jump on the e-book bandwagon, you’re not alone. Book lovers everywhere have resisted digital books because they still don’t compare to the experience of reading a good old fashioned paper book. But all of that is changing thanks to Smell of Books™, a revolutionary new aerosol e-book enhancer.” Scents include: Scent of Sensibility, and Eau, You Have Cats, Classic Musty Scent, Crunchy Bacon Scent, New Book Smell.
Hunch.com: Caterina Fake's Hunch.com, launching Monday {tomorrow}, is already redefining 'decision engine'
Sheaff : ephemera Some interesting old stuff…
Fontpark 2.0 I couldn’t begin to explain this one... (click on Play & Create and it will show you how to do it)
Daily Routines “How writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days.”
The Goat Tower Neat!
Vintage Supermarket Photos
1949 NWCA CANDY SALESMAN BOOK
Trolley good show - metallic art. “Dumped supermarket trolleys litter our rivers and canals. Now one artist is rescuing them... to create these incredible wire sculptures that celebrate our water wildlife...”
Polite Umbrella
The Top 10 Most Absurd Time Covers of The Past 40 Years
How to move a lighthouse
Some photographs taken at night
Great resource!: Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites “Looking for great cultural and educational video? Then you’ve come to the right place. Below, we have compiled a list of 45 sites that feature intelligent videos.” And then in the Comments section you’ll find even more sites.

Earth Speaks

“If we discover intelligent life beyond Earth, should we reply, and if so, what should we say?” People from around the world are invited to submit pictures, sounds, and text messages that they would want to send to other worlds. The project aims to foster a dialogue about what we should say to extraterrestrial intelligence, as well as whether or not we should be sending intentional messages.

Tired of housework?: Think again.

The History of Household Technology

Giant Steps

Zap Mama - Hello To Mama

(Best watched on the larger YouTube display.)

Kaki King rocks out to "Pink Noise"

From TED 2008

“Kaki King, the first female on Rolling Stone's
"guitar god" list, rocks out to a full live set at TED2008,
including her breakout single, "Playing with Pink Noise."
Jaw-dropping virtuosity meets a guitar technique
that truly stands out.“

2009 - Aina Aino

2009-06-13T08:12:00.003+02:00

Dinner last night: … was Bev’s pinto beans (we love, love, love these) (recipe here), Caesar salad, and rhubarb/strawberry crisp with vanilla sauce.

When it rains, it pours: I see that Los Lobos and Fleetwood Mac are coming to Sweden. I’m not going to get tickets, though. Los Lobos is tempting. But Fleetwood Mac… I think when they were big, I was busy being a workaholic and not that into music. If I went to see them, it would just be because I know they were so hot once upon a time. And I’d rather have a better reason to spend my money. :)

To the sea, to the sea: After the gym yesterday morning, there wasn’t much traffic around so I took you with me as I drove down to “my spot”, seaside.

Drive to seaside at Nacka Strand June 2009, 1 of 2

Drive to seaside at Nacka Strand June 2009, 2 of 2

America vs. Sweden: “My” grocery store chain, ICA, has started a new thing where instead of sending me coupons for various random things, they’ll send coupons for things they can see that I purchase using my ICA card. Brilliant!

And that’s just what they did! Here you see them. Those are 3 things I buy all the time!

And I don’t even have to take the coupons in-hand to the store; they’re already registered in my card. How cool is THAT?!?

So my question is… do they do that in the U.S., too?

Bloomin’ stuff: We don’t have these but I see them everywhere. Beautiful. They remind me of Iowa where I grew up.

The Local – Swedish News

Koenigsegg 'no wet dream' for Saab: expert
Despite the excitement generated by Thursday's news that Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg was set to buy Saab, a number of automotive journalists in Sweden remain sceptical.

Astrid Lindgren books fund political extremists
Sweden's extreme right wing National Democrat party has outraged the family of Astrid Lindgren by selling books penned by the popular children's writer on its website.

EU gives failing grade to eight Swedish beaches
The water at eight Swedish bathing areas failed to meet European water quality standards last year, according an annual report from the European Commission.

'God probably doesn't exist': Swedish humanists
The role of religion in public life in Sweden has been brought into sharp relief by a provocative ad campaign questioning the existence of God.

Swedish Pirate Party headed for Brussels
Sweden's pro-file sharing Pirate Party is on its way to Brussels having secured more than 7 percent of the country's votes in the European Parliament elections, according to early exit polls.

Salinger 'sequel' writer reveals identity
A Swedish publisher has revealed that he is John David California, the pseudonymous writer being sued by reclusive American author JD Salinger for an unauthorized sequel to The Catcher in the Rye.

Gangsters forced boy to replace 'trademark' tattoo
Two members of a criminal gang were indicted on criminal charges on Wednesday after forcing an 18-year-old boy to replace a tattoo they claimed had infringed their "trademark".

WHO declares swine flu pandemic: Sweden
The Swedish government on Thursday announced the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a swine flu pandemic, nearly two hours before the world health body's expected announcement.

Swedish yacht secures home win in Volvo race
Sweden's Ericsson 4 docked at Marstrand in southwest Sweden on Thursday morning as the clear leader of the nine-month yacht race, which is set to conclude later this month.

Ikea dismantles plans for stores in India
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has scuttled plans to open stores in India due to regulations preventing foreigners from owning single brand retailers, the company announced on Thursday.

What's on in Sweden: June 12 - 18
Neil Young & Ikea exhibition in Stockholm; Euro 2009 U-21 football in Gothenburg; Orchestra Baobab in Malmö.

2009 - Eskil

2009-06-12T11:55:00.003+02:00

Pot-stickers: All of a sudden (like, in the past month) I keep hearing the term pot-stickers coming out of Americans. Deb mentioned them last week, too. Are they just Chinese dumplings that somehow got renamed by the Americans??? Do you buy them fresh or frozen or… ?

Purity Movement: I watched a documentary about America’s “Purity Movement” on Swedish TV the other evening. I guess it’s old news to you Americans, but I hadn’t heard about it before. (on the Huffington Post) It just seems completely-utterly-totally-100% creepy to me. Sleazy and creepy.
Completely.
Utterly.
Totally.
100%.
Sleazy.
Creeeeeeeeeeepy.

No blossoms, but… : It isn’t just flowers that sprout, of course. Here’s some tree action.

Check it out!:

Amazing choir (Perpetuum Jazzile)
uses there hands to simulate storm

This is so cool! Have your sound on, maybe turned up just a bit above normal, and don’t watch – listen. Well… maybe you should go back and watch to see how they make the thunder… Fun! (thanks Dan)

A funny: (thanks Monika)

GOTTA LOVE LITTLE BOYS
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter. The man at the counter asked the older boy, 'Son, how old are you?' 'Eight', the boy replied. The man continued, 'Do you know what these are used for? 'The boy replied, 'Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these, you would be able to swim, play tennis and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do none of those'.

On a more serious note:

END TORTURE

And then back to T.G.I.F.
Happy Weekend!

2009 - Bertil Berthold

2009-06-11T09:43:00.002+02:00

You see this ad?

Well, guess what?!? We’ll BE THERE!!!

Garth Brooks came to Sweden many years ago.
Otherwise, I don’t remember ANY big C&W artists
coming here. So I was THRILLED to see that
Alan Jackson, of all people, is coming!
And I managed to get tickets. Yippee!!
So, Hasse and I will have an over-night in
Eskilstuna that evening.

His tour during that little period of time looks like this:

Aug. 7 – California
Aug. 13 – Denmark
Aug. 14 – Sweden
Aug. 15 – Norway
Aug. 21 – North Carolina

So, he’s giving himself time to get over the jetlag on
each side. But man-oh-man, one day for each country…
THAT can’t be enjoyable! I want to say – Why bother?
But – I’m delighted he’s bothering.

The Volvo Ocean Race

OVERVIEW EXCERPT (source)

The Volvo Ocean Race is an exceptional test of sailing prowess and human endeavour which has been built on the spirit of great seafarers - fearless men who sailed the world’s oceans aboard square rigged clipper ships more than a century ago.

Their challenge back then was not a race as such, but recording the fastest time between ports. This meant new levels of pride for themselves and great recognition for their vessel.

The spirit that drove those commercial sailors along the web of trade routes, deep into the bleak latitudes of the Southern Ocean and around the world’s most dangerous capes, emerges today in the form of the Volvo Ocean Race, a contest now seen as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.

SOME BEAUTIFUL PICTURES

The Volvo Ocean Race, photos by Oskar Kihlborg, team photographer for Ericsson Racing with nearly 15 years experience as a sailing photographer.

THE STOCKHOLM STOPOVER

June 14-25

The calendar of events

The City of Stockholm will host the Stockholm Stopover and Ports of Stockholm has the operating responsibilities for the event between 14-25 June 2009. Stockholm is also the home port for Ericsson Racing Team that has two boats competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4. It is the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race has come to Stockholm.

Coming and Going?: I had some email exchanges with Torbjörn Persson, Ports of Stockholm, Deputy Harbour Master, trying it pinpoint WHEN the boats will be passing by “my spot” at Nacka Strand on their way IN to town and on their way OUT of town. He tells me: “The VO70´s are probably passing Nacka about 13.00 June 17th. Departure from Skeppsbron is 10.00 June 25th."

SO. I’ll see what I can do about getting photos.
You can be sure I won’t be the ONLY one there
at Nacka Strand to get a look…
I can guess there might be hundreds of people.
We’ll see.
:)

2009 - Svante Boris

2009-06-10T12:15:00.002+02:00

Neighboring blossoms: Across the street from us you’ll find this view. The white something-or-other bush, the purple rhododendron, and the strange yellow Laburnum (Golden Chain) tree. Neat!

Swedes love ‘em some Bruce: And he was here last weekend giving 3 concerts. You might’ve seen the lines of people queuing up around Stockholm Stadium in my videos of Deb & Rob’s visit. That’s what they were queuing up for; the standing-only section of the arena.

Bruce Springsteen - Outlaw Pete -
Stockholm Stadion Live

Just because I love it:

Linda Ronstadt - "All My Life" -
featuring Aaron Neville
(Embedding disabled by request)

Pat’s passion flower: PatS, in Iowa, has this climbing Brazilian looker. Did you ever… ?!? (I had to crop it a bit to reduce the photo size.)

Interesting concept in meeting people: 4 Private Parties that Will Open Doors to a Whole New Paris

2009 - Börje Birger

2009-06-09T09:54:00.003+02:00

In port: You may have noticed the big ship in port just now (on the bottom webcam). Probably won’t be there long, though.

You can also see (in the middle webcam) that there is a lot of prep work going on along the Skeppsbron area for the Stockholm Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, coming up June 14-25. The white tents, etc. When Deb and Rob were here, we also passed a lot of tents going up on Kungsträdgården for the same event. It’s quite a big deal. More about that later as the time approaches.

Weather report: When Deb and Rob were here last week, I probably mentioned already that I don’t think it ever got above 50F here. And it was a bit rainy and sprinkly, if that’s a word. A bit wet. Stockholm did NOT put its best face forward for them. But that was LAST week. And THIS week?, you ask. I’ll be darned if it isn’t just about the same. When does summer come in this country?!?!? It’s JUNE, for heaven’s sake!! :)

Here’s what’s blooming today, although I can guess you get sick and tired of seeing the same old flowers every year…:

Mixture of things on front slant.

Poppies and lupin.

Our rhododendrun to the left and
two types of lilacs to the right.
Peonies, center, haven't opened up yet.

A rhododendrun blossom.

The firewitch is just starting to open up.

Good times: Improv Everywhere is at it again. Imagine that you and your love just want a quickie wedding at City Hall with immediate family. You do that and as you’re leaving, you’re asked if you want to have a free reception, of all things! What a cute concept! Fun, fun, fun!! Not so much FUNNY, but really quite fun.

Surprise Wedding Reception

For our latest mission, we picked a random couple getting married at the City Clerk’s Office in Manhattan and threw them a surprise wedding reception. The couple was treated to dancing, toasts, cake, and gifts, all with complete strangers. Enjoy the video first and then check out the mission report and photos…

2009 - Eivor Majvor

2009-06-08T08:12:00.003+02:00

Dinner last night: … was prepared entirely by none other than Hasse! Yippee! Cod with asparagus and potatoes. Delish! It's a sideways photo but, just like when it hits your stomach, it all comes out in the wash...

Numbers, Time-Europe, June 8, 2009: "2,272 = Number of text messages sent and received by the average American teen every month, according to the Nielsen Co. – almost 80 messages a day." And to think... I don't even know HOW to text... and couldn't care less...

Relations: It turns out that Debbie (who was just here visiting) is related to Jennifer Coolidge. Fun!

Jennifer Coolidge (born August 28, 1963) is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the consummate "MILF," in the film American Pie (1999), Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story (2004), Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde (2001) and its sequel, and the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots (2005).

Speaking of funny… :

Lewis Black on Broadway talking about how
America ISN'T #1

Dr. Mercola says:

Cigarettes Are Deadlier Than They Used to Be

Sowing Seeds of Starvation: Monsanto Hype in Growing Food Crisis

2009 - Robert Robin

2009-06-07T10:41:00.003+02:00

Vote!: The European Parliament elections are today. I’m not allowed to vote in this one since I’m not a citizen of a country within the EU. Hasse will vote when he gets home from golfing. (The Local’s election guide.)

Re Deb o Rob’s visit: I’m still way behind on email, etc., but at least I’ve got the photos and videos uploaded now, as follows:

All photos are here.
All videos start on this page 3 and continue on page 4.

I don’t think it ever got above 50 degrees F while they were here! And sprinkled or rained a bunch. Bad luck. But we managed. Two examples from our day in Stockholm (where we used public transportation consisting of a train, bus, tram, and boat to get around):

Deb o Robs visit to Sweden June 2009, 1 of 18
(Here, we stand at a lookout place above one
of the harbors and look over the Slussen area.)

Deb o Robs visit to Sweden June 2009, 14 of 18
(Here, we’re getting onto a ferry taking us from the
island where the Vasa Museum is – AND the brand new
roller-coaster called “Insane” – back to the Slussen area
to catch the train home.)

By the way, when we were standing at that lookout spot, we saw this being pushed down the waterway and wondered exactly what it was:

Turns out it was a band “shell” and was used last night for a 2½ hour entertainment program to celebrate Sweden’s National Day, which was yesterday. Here’s a shot off the TV.

Sunday Fun

The Best How-To and DIY Sites “Looking for answers, tips, or instructions? These Web sites have them. They can show you how to do just about anything.”
Scientific Tattoos Cool!
The Interview Project from David Lynch and I just LOVE his weird stuff… This is a 70-day roadtrip across the U.S. where they interview a variety of people they meet.
Space Monkey Pictures: 50-Year Anniversary
Literal Video Version These are pretty funny. Must be fun to make ‘em. (Especially “Anything for love” and “Total eclipse of the heart”.)
Mieks Fabergé Eggs Gorgeous!!
U.S. shells out $10M for unmanned aircraft that can perch like a bird “... the diminutive aircraft that can fly into tight spaces undetected, perch and send live surveillance information to its handlers.” “… the Stealthy, Persistent, Perch and Stare Air Vehicle System (SP2S)” That’s kinda funny by itself. J Perch and stare. Ha. They must be running out of technical names…
World of Change “Inspired by our 10th anniversary, the Earth Observatory has pulled together a special series of NASA satellite images documenting how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—has changed during the previous decade.”
EFF Launches TOSBack - A 'Terms of Service' Tracker for Facebook, Google, eBay, and More “New Tool Documents Changes in Policy on the Internet's Biggest Websites”
Petite Cargo Pickup Plays Transformer I want one!
Hypnotic Iceberg

Reef Cuttlefish, Sangalaki Island, Indonesia

1930s Futuristic Fashion Predictions
“Amusing predictions by american fashion designers from
the 1930s of what the well-dressed man and woman
would be wearing in the year 2000.”