tagged w/ Sweden
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Cuba rocks to huge peace concert
Havana has hosted the biggest open-air concert since the 1959 revolution, featuring some 15 top Latin American, Spanish and Cuban performers.
An estimated one million people - many wearing white - attended the free event in Revolution Square, Havana.
Colombian singer Juanes, who organized the Peace without Borders concert, received death threats from Miami-based critics of the Cuban regime.
But he had the support from 20 high-profile jailed dissidents inside Cuba.
Air America: Republican revives racist Obama-as-monkey campaign themeAccording to a post over on the Air America blog, former Minority Whip Roy Blunt crossed the line, sharing an anecdote at a Values Voter Summit on Friday, in which President Obama is ultimately compared to a monkey. It feels like we've gone over this at least once or twice before. Anyway, here's what he had to say:
"Almost from the day the first ball was hit on this golf course something happened they didn't anticipate: monkeys would come running out of the jungle and then grab the golf balls. And if it was in the fairway, they might throw it in the rough. And if it was in the rough, they might throw it -- they might throw it back at you! And I can point to great and long detail about how many things they tried to eliminate the monkey problem, but they never got it done.
So finally for this golf course and this golf course only, they passed a rule and the rule was, you have to play the ball where the monkey throws it. And that is the rule in Washington all the time."
Parents sue Wal-Mart after children taken away over bath time photos
"Our family is very open and comfortable. We don't want our children to feel inhibited in their own house," A.J. Demaree said. "If they want to run around in their underwear, if they want to go run and grab an old Halloween costume and throw that on and run around the house, or if they want to run around the house naked and play around, that's what we encourage."
The police and Child Protective Services saw it very differently.
The three children, ages 1½, 4 and 5 at the time the pictures were taken, were removed from the home and placed into the care of Child Protective Services. It would be a month before A.J. and Lisa could regain custody of them.
From the Demarees perspective, the damage was already done.
"We went on a central registry of sex offenders. Our names went on that registry," Lisa said.
Atheists in America are the most widely mistrusted groupOver on Psychology Today, Gad Saad Ph.D digs into a recent article published in the American Sociological Review in which atheists favored poorly in the "trust" department.
In a recent article published in the American Sociological Review, Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis, and Douglas Hartmann reported their findings, on how atheists are perceived, based on data from a national survey. To the question, "This group does not at all agree with my vision of American society," ten groups were listed as options: religious groups (Muslims, conservative Christians, Jews), racial groups (Hispanics, Asian Americans, African Americans, and White Americans), homosexuals, recent immigrants, and atheists. By far, the most "detested" group were the atheists. To the question, "I would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group," eight of the latter groups were included (homosexuals and recent immigrants were excluded). Again, the least desired group were the atheists. This might be one of the saddest scientific findings that I have ever read.
Scandinavia steps up the fight against female genital mutilation
"When she was 11, a Swedish-born girl was taken on vacation to her mother’s native Somalia. The mother wanted to “make her daughter clean” and paid a man to cut off her daughter’s clitoris and labia while two women held her down. Afterward, the girl was stitched to her urethra. No anesthesia was used."
Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller has covered the practices of female genital cutting in Africa before, specifically in Sierra Leone while on assignment. If you haven't had the chance to see her report, give it a view:
Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller on Female Genital Cutting
Cuba rocks to huge peace concert
Havana has hosted the biggest open-air concert... more
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Dude, where’s my treehouse hotel?
That’s not the title of a bad sequel to an Ashton Kutcher movie of a similar name. It’s what you might be saying to your room mate were you and he guests at the Treehotel in Harads, Sweden. That’s because two of the accommodations options at the Treehotel are invisible.
Really!
http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/unusual-hotels/sweden/invisible-treehouseDude, where’s my treehouse hotel?
That’s not the title of a bad sequel... more
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Dozens of people have been arrested across Europe in a major crackdown on Eastern European mafias.
At least 24 were detained in Spain and another 45 were arrested in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy.
The suspects were said to be members of Georgian and Russian crime gangs. All are accused of drugs and arms trafficking, money laundering, extortion and conspiracy to murder.
Spanish anti-corruption authorities, who led the operation, said that the gangs were also involved in money laundering, extortion and other crimes in Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium and Turkey.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7062634.eceDozens of people have been arrested across Europe in a major crackdown on Eastern... more
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The Swedish government in 2009 announced new food guidelines that recommend eating habits based on greenhouse-gas emissions. Experts say these guidelines, if heeded by consumers, could decrease Sweden’s emissions by 20 to 50 percent.
More than 92 percent of Swedes want more information about the “green credentials” of their food, and producers responded to satisfy customers. Some Swedish companies have labeled their products to show how many kilograms of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere during production.
One Swedish burger chain, Max, offers beef alternatives and signed on enthusiastically to the new recommendations. It became the first restaurant chain to publish carbon footprints of menu items to encourage people to eat less beef.
Determining food’s carbon footprint is difficult and nuanced. Complex production lines make it difficult to track the carbon footprint of an individual product, and consumer suggestions are not as simple as “eat less meat.” For example, the guidelines discourage Swedes from eating cucumbers and tomatoes because in Sweden they can only be grown in energy-consuming greenhouses. Low-impact vegetables like carrots are recommended over the less climate-friendly ones.The Swedish government in 2009 announced new food guidelines that recommend eating... more
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An investigation ordered by the Swedish government into the workings of Spyker and its Russian investors landed on the desk of the FBI and put a temporary stop to the Saab deal being reached.
A source close to the government told business daily Dagens Industri (DI) that Swedish security services (Säpo) were given the task of tracking the business interests of the Antonov family who were major investors in Spyker at the time.
The assignment was initiated by the Swedish National Debt Office (Riksgälden) which brought in private investigators to aid the mission.
Säpo is reported to have found connections between the Antonovs and organised crime as well as involvement in money laundering.
To prevent the Russians gaining any possible control over a new Saab-Spyker venture the government handed their findings over to the FBI.An investigation ordered by the Swedish government into the workings of Spyker and its... more
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Now there's ABBAWORLD - a new museum-cum-theme park in London with enough music, mementoes and memory-lane appeal to satisfy even the most fervent ABBA fan.Now there's ABBAWORLD - a new museum-cum-theme park in London with enough music,... more
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"The narrow site is sandwiched between very old neighboring buildings in Landskrona, Sweden. Since mid 20th century it has been empty, waiting behind a wooden fence. It is only 5 meters wide with a tiny area of 75 square meters. Immediately adjacent buildings are low, but the street is lined with buildings of various height, size, facade material, age, and approach. Behind the row of buildings is a colorful world of back yards, brick walls, sheds, and vegetation. We find this small-scale, motely, naturally worn place extremely beautiful."
Read more at the site."The narrow site is sandwiched between very old neighboring buildings in... more
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A floor collapsed beneath a group of about 20 members of Weight Watchers as they gathered to compare how many pounds they had shed over Christmas.
Members of the weight-loss club were lining up to compare readings on the scales when they heard a bang as the floor came away from the walls of their meeting room in Växjö in southern Sweden.
“We suddenly heard a huge thud – we almost thought it was an earthquake and everything flew up in the air. The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls,” one of the those present told the Smålandsposten newspaper.
They abandoned the room as the floor started to give way in other areas.A floor collapsed beneath a group of about 20 members of Weight Watchers as they... more
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Police in Oslo are to investigate suspicions that Norwegian drug gangs may be connected to the grisly find of two burned bodies in the boot of a car in western Sweden last week.
Swedish police have now confirmed that both victims of the suspected double murder near Halmstad were men, a conclusion which strengthens the theory that the bodies found off the E6 motorway were those of the car owner’s 25-year-old son and his 42-year-old uncle.Police in Oslo are to investigate suspicions that Norwegian drug gangs may be... more
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Stockholm - A zoo in southern Sweden said Sunday it was forced to put down its entire 12-strong wolf pack after several of the wolves escaped from their enclosure. The decision to destroy the wolves on Saturday was made after the pack's female and male leaders had escaped their enclosure at the Skanes Djurpark zoo.
"A wolf pack is centred around the alpha couple where the female is the most important. The chance of getting the rest of the pack to remain in the enclosure disappeared once she had escaped," said chief animal handler Johan Lindstrom.
The zoo near Hoor, some 570 kilometres south of Stockholm, specializes in Nordic fauna and keeps some 75 species. It also cooperates with other parks and zoos in Europe to preserve endangered species.
"This is an extremely tragic event for all of us at the zoo," Skanes Djurpark director Camilla Jonsson said.
Zoo officials said the first escapes occurred Thursday when two male wolves gnawed through fencing around their enclosure and moved into an adjacent red deer enclosure.
The two were shot Saturday when they managed for a second time to break out from the enclosure.
When three other wolves, including the female leader, escaped Saturday through a different opening, the zoo decided it had no alternative but to kill all the wolves.
Officials at the zoo, which draws around 200,000 visitors each year, said there was no risk to the public Saturday.
http://www.earthtimes.org/cartoons/
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302960,swedish-zoo-shoots-12-wolves-after-several-escape-enclosure.htmlStockholm - A zoo in southern Sweden said Sunday it was forced to put down its entire... more
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Buzz Erik Lightyear, (and yes reports do say this is his name) recently spent 300,000 REAL dollars on a “Crystal Palace Space Station” in the game Entropia Online. This now sets the record for the most money ever spent on a virtual item. This game is not well known in America, but is very popular in Europe. What sets this game apart is the currency is based on real world money, and has an exchange rate with the US Dollar of 10-1. The Swedish Government even recognizes the game as a legitimate bank, that it will exchange with. Apparently this Space Station sells items to other players, and reports indicate Lightyear will able to get a cut of this (no word on what Woody will be getting yet). Some could argue this is a good investment considering the popularity of the game? What do you think Elder-Geeks? Will he get his money back in the long run?Buzz Erik Lightyear, (and yes reports do say this is his name) recently spent 300,000... more
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Essential I (North Central Washington State, USA) & Promoe (of Sweden's LoopTroop Rockers) Combine to bring socio-political underground hiphop into the 21st century. Video directed by Tim Cash/Far From Earth Films (Bend, OR), Art Direction by Chris Kas, Song produced by Big Chris/Moodswing Records (Los Angeles, CA).Essential I (North Central Washington State, USA) & Promoe (of Sweden's... more
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Young Swedes have ever more fluid definitions of sex and sexuality, according to a new study from Mälmö University in southern Sweden. Women in particular are more likely to pursue sexual activities with others of the same gender.
“We are seeing a greater openness among young people, particularly among young women. There is an increasing interest in experimenting and pushing boundaries, and a growing resistance to defining oneself as heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual,” Sven-Axel Månsson, a Mälmö University sociology professor, told Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
Månsson and colleague Kristian Daneback surveyed 855 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 via an online questionnaire.
The survey showed that 31 percent of young women and 7 percent of young men said that they were most often sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex, but sometimes they were attracted to people of their own gender.
Thirty-nine percent of the women and 8 percent of the men reported having sexual fantasies about both genders.
Young women were also far more likely than their male counterparts to act on their same-sex fantasies, with 13 percent of female respondents and 3 percent of male respondents reporting that they have had sex with both men and women.
“Girls are less bound by norms than guys are; it is not as taboo for them to have sex with (other women),” Månsson told DN.
http://www.thelocal.se/24026/Young Swedes have ever more fluid definitions of sex and sexuality, according to a new... more
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A giant straw goat - the traditional Scandinavian yuletide symbol - erected each Christmas in a Swedish town has been burned to the ground yet again.
The 13-metre (43-ft) high billy goat has been torched 24 times since it was first erected in Gavle in 1966.
The goat was set alight in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the city north of Stockholm.
City spokeswoman Anna Ostman said the incident, which is being treated as serious vandalism, was "sad".
"We had really hoped that he would survive Christmas and New Year's," she said.
Blogging goat
As well as being burnt, the goat has over the years faced other acts of vandalism including being run over by a car, having its legs removed and being smashed.A giant straw goat - the traditional Scandinavian yuletide symbol - erected each... more
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Saab motors, one of Sweden’s best-known brands, is to be wound down after its parent company General Motors, the US car giant, was unable to find a buyer.
GM said today that it had come to the decision after talks to sell the brand to Dutch car-maker Spyker Cars collapsed. Issues arose during the talks that could not be resolved, the company said.
GM said it will continue to honour Saab customer warranties, but the company’s workforce will be affected.
Saab employs 3,400 people in Sweden. About 3,000 people are employed at Saab’s 87 UK dealerships and 100 at its British headquarters.Saab motors, one of Sweden’s best-known brands, is to be wound down after its... more
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Yes, it's very scary, spine-tingling, all-out war! “The Duplicators” is a cute and awesome one-minute animated short film created by created by the Swedish Meindbender animation studio for The Cartoon Network. What a talented lot! In this very funny shortie, The Duplicators go to war with each other, with an astonishing, unexpected outcome.
Includes a number of colorful illustrations from the film, as well as the wonderful animated shortie, “The Duplicators.”
Please visit my website to view the colorful illustrations, and to watch this wickedly awesome, funny animated shortie:
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/the-amazingly-scary-war-of-the-duplicators/Yes, it's very scary, spine-tingling, all-out war! “The Duplicators”... more
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NoKo Jeans founders, from left to right, Jakob Ohlsson, Tor Rauden Kallstigen and Jacob Astrom pose with a pair of their North Korean produced jeans during the launch of their line of designer jeans at PUB department store in Stockholm, Sweden, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. A trio of Swedish entrepreneurs launched a line of designer jeans made in North Korea, saying Friday they hope to help break the country's isolation by joining the handful of foreign manufacturers operating in the communist nation. "Noko Jeans" come in two models, the slim-fit "Kara" and the loose-fit "Oke" _ an apparent play on "karaoke" singing popular across Asia. The price tag is 1,500 kronor ($220) _ more than two years' wages for an average North Korean.
A Stockholm department store on Saturday removed a new line of North Korean-made designer jeans from its shelves, saying it wants to avoid courting controversy through ties with the isolated communist nation
http://airamerica.com/lifestyle/12-07-2009/swedish-store-pulls-plug-on-n-korean-jeans/NoKo Jeans founders, from left to right, Jakob Ohlsson, Tor Rauden Kallstigen and... more
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:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews
I look at young people who affect the Goth look. I assume they want to keep a distance and make a statement. The leather can be taken off, the tattoos not so easily. It is relatively painless to pierce many body areas, not all. But what would it feel like to be pierced by a vampire's fangs? That would be more than a Look, wouldn't it? And you wouldn't want to advertise yourself as a vampire.
"Let the Right One In" is a "vampire movie," but not even remotely what we mean by that term. It is deadly grim. It takes vampires as seriously as the versions of "Nosferatu" by Murnau and Herzog do, and that is very seriously indeed. It is also a painful portrayal of an urgent relationship between two 12-year-olds on the brink of adolescence. It is not intended for 12-year-olds.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081111/REVIEWS/811129995/1023:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews
I look at young people who affect the Goth look. I... more
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