http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/scandinavia/ en-us Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:37:33 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2381899/posts Seriously, Why do America think it rules the Earth? It does not. My home country, Sweden, has 9 million inhabitants and we rule Europe, aka the largest economy on the planet. Test me. Does a Koenigsegg embarrass a Lamborghini or what.. China, the US as well as Germany are loosers in the game of industrial achievments compared to my "little" nation. Why is it so hard for you to manufacture real world products? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2381899/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:37:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381878/posts We are not the French. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgFdvwIh1xo YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381878/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:05:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351988/posts Bismarck, N.D. - BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former White House political adviser Karl Rove says he has an appreciation for all things Norse. Except lutefisk. "Any food that's key element is lye takes an acquired taste," Rove said of the dried cod dish that is reconstituted by soaking it in the alkaline solution. Lutefisk aside, the top strategist for former President George W. Bush said Tuesday that his Scandinavian roots run deep. His stepfather was of Norwegian ancestry, he said. "I have a brother, uncle and great-uncle named Olaf," Rove said. Rove is to North Dakota to be inducted into... Crookston Daily Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351988/posts#comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:55:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343727/posts I live in Gothenburg, the eternal "second" town of Sweden. But today, it's hats off to big brother! Stockholm is expensive, but marvelous and has recently become home to two million inhabitants. Like it or not Denmark, Stockholm is THE capital of Scandinavia. Varsegod, smörgåsbord; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbNnw5Z0V6k&feature=PlayList&p=B965A4BE393A70A5&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343727/posts#comment Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:11:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2328696/posts Quite contrary to the received wisdom concerning Islam's advance on Scandinavian soil, recent birth statistics from Stockholm, sole Scandinavian city boasting more than two million inhabitants, indicate that Muslim immigrants of Stockholm fail to keep up with native Swedes in this domain. According to today's edition of the free daily newspaper of City Stockholm, the inhabitants of Sweden's capital have lately been catching up with the rest of Sweden in terms of breeding, which actually is something rather unique. For a long time, Stockholm has been way behind the rest of the nation in this regard (- during the last... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2328696/posts#comment Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:38:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316252/posts The far-right Sweden Democrats have increased their support to a record 5.6 percent, according to a new voter poll published on Thursday. The Pirate Party, fresh from its success in the EU elections, has however fallen 1.3 percentage points and enjoys 2.9 percent support, according to the poll by United Minds and Cint which was published in the Aftonbladet newspaper. Since the previous poll in July the Sweden Democrats have increased their support by 1.5 points. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson is aiming for even higher in the general election to be held next year. "Our goal is to land on... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316252/posts#comment Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:48:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282728/posts Scandinavia of today has, to a great deal, abandonded Socialism. Yes, Nordic taxes still lead the world, but so do Nordic companies. In several fields. Not only in the domain of cheap furniture and safe cars. Today, (Finnish) Nokia and (Swedish) Ericsson might well decide our common IT future to a larger degree than IBM and Microsoft do. Perhaps, Capitalism is a force so strong it could even survive European Socialism. I'm an optimist regarding my corner of the Eart. I feel the vast majority of the Scandinavians are beginning to realize companies like Lego, Electrolux and ABB buy us... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282728/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269825/posts FRANKFURT — General Motors is close to a deal to sell Saab, the Swedish carmaker, to Koenigsegg, a manufacturer of high-end sports cars that is also from Sweden, a person close to the negotiations said Thursday. “We are still working on the deal,” the person said, requesting anonymity because the agreement is not final. “It is not the done deal that some people in Sweden seem to think it is.” Swedish television reported that a group of Norwegian investors are also part of the deal. The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269825/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:08:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269714/posts Good vid on what is going on in Malmo. vodpod http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269714/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:54:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256914/posts Nearly half of the predominantly Iraqi-refugees residing in Vännäs in northern Sweden have decided to permanently move out of the area after being terrorized by what police called “a lynch mob” in early May. “I thought that Vännäs was the perfect place for us. And there are many, many friendly people here. But we still don’t dare to stay; I’m seriously concerned about my children’s safety,” said father of five Ismail Ramadan to the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper. Ramadan’s family and several others have decided to abandon plans of starting a life in the small community outside of Umeå less... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256914/posts#comment Sat, 23 May 2009 16:32:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237876/posts For decades following WWII, any discussion regarding Germany was bound to deteriorate into a discussion of Nazism and Hitler. If I post something here on this great site about, say, the Swedish National Ice Hockey Team, that thread will sooner or later end up in a discussion about Malmö and how the Muzzies have taken over large parts of Sweden as well as other places in Europe. As a Swede/European, I don't mind. Eurabia is reality and I'm convinced Americans who accuse us Europeans of being naive do so not out of malice or hatred towards Europe, but out of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237876/posts#comment Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:39:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2213173/posts H*ll no! Scandinavia is evidence Capitalism works and Socialism does not. Yes, our taxes are high. But seriously speaking, does this mean we have surrendered to Marxism - or that we wish to impose this yoke on others? Our high standard of living isn't a question of luck. I'm poor by Swedish standards, but drive a very nice car. In any case, the Swedish government and our unions have very little to do with this. I'd say it has much more to do with the ethics I've been taught by my father and my grandfather. Today, the Scandinavian/Nordic ("Nordic" includes... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2213173/posts#comment Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:05:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211014/posts Fewer people are seeking asylum in Sweden, with the number of applications dropping 33 percent last year, according to new statistics. "During 2008, 24,342 persons sought asylum in Sweden, which is a decrease of 11,865 applications compared to 2007," Statistics Sweden (SCB) said in a statement on Friday. Two-thirds of applicants were men and one-third were women, a common proportion since 2000, it added. Over 100 nationalities were represented among the asylum seekers. The largest group was Iraqis who accounted for a quarter of applications. However, SCB noted that the number of Iraqi asylum seekers was down dramatically. "Iraqis represented... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211014/posts#comment Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:49:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2198776/posts Government health care advocates used to sing the praises of Britain's National Health Service (NHS). That's until its poor delivery of health care services became known. A recent study by David Green and Laura Casper, "Delay, Denial and Dilution," written for the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs, concludes that the NHS health care services are just about the worst in the developed world. The head of the World Health Organization calculated that Britain has as many as 25,000 unnecessary cancer deaths a year because of under-provision of care. Twelve percent of specialists surveyed admitted refusing kidney dialysis to patients suffering... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2198776/posts#comment Wed, 4 Mar 2009 06:57:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197468/posts Sweden's Court of Appeal has issued a lifetime deportation order to a man who has lived in Sweden for 27 years. The man, who came to Sweden from Croatia in 1981 and received a permanent residency permit in 1985, has 18 criminal convictions on his record. His latest arrest came in 2007, when a divided Court of Appeal sentenced him to several years in jail followed by permanent expulsion from the country. With four children and one grandchild in Sweden, all of whom are Swedish citizens, the man called on the Supreme Court to rip up the deportation order and... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197468/posts#comment Mon, 2 Mar 2009 19:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2191113/posts My granpa over here in Sweden worked as a salesman in the 1950's. I never experienced the 1950's myself (too young, unfortunately), but I can tell people here in Sweden were thrilled over the cars coming from across the Atlantic at that time. My granpa bought a brand new Ford Customline around 1950. Not a flashy car, but a very decent vehicle for being Sweden (nearly) 60 years ago. At that time, middle class Swedes were poorer than average Americans of those days. The 1950's are gone, for better or for worse, but the spirit remains. When it comes to... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2191113/posts#comment Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:21:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2190944/posts The times they are a-changing. However, in some parts of the world, the winds are blowin' in quite a different direction than they are in the US. At least in terms of political support for Conservatism vs Socialism they are (no offense, as a Scandinavian I sure don't mean any malice towards America!). Scandinavia (and Finland) still is more PC, Liberal and Socialist than America, but people are beginning to wake up. The article: "The opposition Social Democrats are now at their lowest level of voter support since the 2006 general election, according to a new poll. "The gap is... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2190944/posts#comment Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:15:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186276/posts New documents have emerged that Swedish finance minister, Ernst Wigforss, approved secret Swedish bank credits to Nazi Germany in 1941. The documents were recently uncovered in a filing cabinet at the finance ministry. Historian and ambassador Krister Wahlbäck and cabinet office archivist Bo Hammarlund reveal the existence of the documents, which indicate Wigforss' approval of loans to Hitler's Germany, in a full page debate article in Dagens Nyheter on Sunday. The loans served to increase Swedish exports to Nazi Germany, of far greater importance, the pair argue, than opening the country's borders and train lines for the use of German... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186276/posts#comment Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:13:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182808/posts Background: Volvo Cars (owned by Ford Motor Company) claims their all new Volvo XC 60 to be the world's safest car. The consequence: The Toyota people have worked themselves into a rage and now take legal actions. (The following is a translation of a Swedish article. My English isn't perfect, but I hope what follows at least is comprehensible:) "Toyota disapproves of Volvo's claims of the new XC60 to be the world's safest car. Toyota now sues Volvo in the Swedish Market Court (Marknadsdomstolen). In their application to the court, Toyota argues that there indeed are cars around the Globe... www.bilsport.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182808/posts#comment Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:17:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179675/posts With today's economy, wouldn't it be nice if we knew how to make an economy grow? To know what works and what doesn't? Well, we do. We just prefer to ignore the truth.What works is economic freedom. What doesn't work is more government. I'm sorry that those words sound simplistic and like Republican "ideology" (or at least what used to be Republican ideology - before the Bailout Fairy arrived). But they have the benefit of being true. If you were to start from scratch, ignoring all ideology and going simply by the evidence of what produces prosperity, you would come... americanthinker.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179675/posts#comment Fri, 6 Feb 2009 15:25:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179438/posts Power Sources: Our new energy secretary predicts dire consequences due to global warming. Meanwhile, Sweden ends its 30-year ban on nuclear plant construction to curb carbon emissions. Something to Chu on.In his first interview since becoming energy secretary, Nobel-prize winner Steven Chu painted an apocalyptic picture of California's future if climate change proceeds unchecked. California's farms, he told the Los Angeles Times, could be wiped out by the end of the century as a result of the destruction of up to 90% of the Sierra snowpack that supplies water to the nation's top agriculture state. "I don't think the American... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179438/posts#comment Fri, 6 Feb 2009 03:26:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175763/posts America has lost a true friend, Sweden a true champion and my home city, Gothenburg, mourns a great son. Although the quote below is fiction (as far as I know), I think this scene from a certain tv-series depicting the flower power-generation (by Peter Birro, Swedish author/playwriter) says a lot about the spirit of Ingemar Johansson and - not the least - his feelings towards America: Anno domino 1968. Mr Johansson, sitting in a café, notices a bunch of hippie protesters shouting anti-American slogans in the street. Johansson walks out of the café, halting the group with the question: "-... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175763/posts#comment Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:48:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175194/posts The biannual Bocuse d'Or culinary competition in Lyon, France, ended on a familiar note Wednesday: A chef from Norway won again. It was a disappointment for U.S. contestant Timothy Hollingsworth, who placed sixth. www.latimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175194/posts#comment Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:29:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173745/posts Please allow me to pose a question besides posting this article. If you really don't have the time, just skip all of the text preceding the below sentence reading "The article:". --- "The mind is a powerful tool", it is commonly said. There sure are several things which we humans can not accomplish assisted by our sheer intelligence and power of will, but there are much fewer things we are unable of achieving by using these gifts. This insight is not merely inspirational. It also is intrinsic to understanding the development of world history since the days of the Renaissance.... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173745/posts#comment Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:08:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165959/posts Mobile broadband users in Stockholm will soon be able to surf the internet on a new high speed 4G network, following the signing of a deal between Ericsson and TeliaSonera. The order from Finnish-Swedish telecom provider TeliaSonera marks the first commercial deployment of Ericsson’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology and will provide mobile internet users with data speeds up to ten times faster than those offered on current networks. "LTE brings the highest possible performance and network capacity, which is needed to meet the needs of the fast growing group of mobile broadband users around the world,” said Ericsson’s... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165959/posts#comment Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:28:05 GMT