Sweden Travel Guide - Hotels in Sweden

The Impact of Finland's Healthcare Among Its Citizens

2010-10-26T14:15:00.001-07:00

Finland healthcare is considered to be one of the finest in the world, alongside its Nordic neighbors Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

The advanced healthcare system is distributed into three levels managed and funded by the local municipalities.

The primary level consists of district health centers which employ general practitioners and nurses. They provide for the basic medical services such as examinations and screening for infectious diseases, health counseling, dental work, and child and maternal care.

Secondary healthcare is offered by district hospitals. If a health problem couldn't be properly treated at a local center, patients are sent to district hospitals where services with some degree of specialization are available.

The tertiary level of Finland's healthcare comprise of university teaching hospitals. These hospitals provide highly specialized care in particular areas like orthopedics, epilepsy, rheumatism, or plastic surgery. Located in the major cities of Finland, these hospitals are the learning ground for the country's medical practitioners. Aside from possessing the most advanced medical facilities in the nation, Finland healthcare has a centralized data source regarding all patient information which can be accessed by computer.

Alongside this, the private sector, although small, contributes 4% of medical care to hospital patients. The main fields practiced by private hospitals are dentistry, physiology and occupational health services. Speaking of which, employees are given occupational healthcare services by their employers as necessitated by law. Schools are also obliged to provide the same for their students and staff.

Finland healthcare services are available to all, regardless of their income. Because of Primary Health Care Act of 1972, public health services are paid for from tax revenues. Municipal financial resources (plus subsidies from the national government) pay for two-thirds of all medical expenses and the rest is by the national insurance system. This insurance could either be nationally sponsored, funded by a patient's employer, or by the patient himself.

Another incredible aspect of Finland's healthcare is Patient's Injury Law. It protects patients' rights to compensation when an unanticipated injury happens due to medical treatment. It also protects medical practitioners from legal action thus, also preventing the development of defensive medical practices. The Finnish Law on the Status and Right's of a Patient is the first such law in Europe that was passed to guarantee a patient's right to information, informed consent to treatment, access to necessary medical documents, and autonomy. The Patient Injury Law also dictates the time frame a patient be allowed access to important medical care. However, these are just guidelines by medical experts and doctors are free to decide how to treat their patients.

The consequences of the exceptional quality of Finland's healthcare can be seen through the health of its citizens.

The child mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world. The life expectancy for females is 81 years, and for men 73 years.

Death due to cardiovascular disease has decreased as a result of effective health and nutritional education in recent decades. Smoking and drug abuse have also significantly lessened. Communicable diseases are no longer a problem as immunization programs have reduced the frequency of measles, mumps, and German measles. HIV infections have also been curbed.

Christmas Holidays Around The World

2010-10-25T14:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some Christmas Holidays from around the world. If you haven't decided what to do for this Holiday Season you might find some inspiration here.

Visiting a major City at Christmas can be a very exciting holiday for a couple or a family. There will be plenty to do and sights to see. Two favourite destinations at Christmas are New York City or on the other side of the Atlantic is London, England.

London is of course a world famous city to start with. There are an amazing number of sights to see even before you start looking at all the special events for Christmas. After the regular sightseeing, Buckingham Palace, Changing of the Guard, Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, The Crown Jewels, The London Eye, etc you can settle down and plan which festive sights to see in the run up to Christmas itself.

No visit to London is complete without a visit to the West End to enjoy a show at one of its famous Theatres. While there you might even try a visit to a Pantomime which is a traditional British Christmas event.

Shopping is a major event in all cities at Christmas time and London is no exception. The lights and window displays in Regent Street and Oxford Street are worth a visit in themselves add all the wonderful stores and restaurants and you have a great day out.

There are Christmas Trees to see, Christmas Markets and Fairs, museums, galleries, attractions, restaurants, palaces and castles, parks and zoos and so much more. London would be a fabulous city in which to spend Christmas.

New York is one of the most exciting places in the world. Christmas in New York must rank highly as a favourite destination. First class hotels and restaurants. Fabulous shopping. An abundance of attractions from the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty to museums, galleries, historic sites,Ellis Island, Wall Street, Central Park and so much more. There are fine restaurants, theaters, clubs and bars all dressed up for Christmas and ready to give you the time of your life.

Niagara Falls, Canada is another fabulous place for a Christmas Holiday. The Festival of Light is held during the Christmas Season. Niagara Falls and the surrounding area is transformed into an illuminated winter wonderland to the delight of the expected 1.3 million visitors. In addition to the illuminated Falls, there are 125 animated lighting displays and 3 million tree and ground lights along the 5Km of the Niagara Parkway. These imaginative displays include the world's largest Canadian Flag, Disney Classics and "Twas the Night before Christmas," an audio-visual spectacular. There are also the firework displays over the mighty falls. This is in addition to the already beautiful and exciting Falls themselves and the other Niagara Falls attractions. The "Maid of the Mist" boat trip, the Daredevil Museum, the Skylon Tower, the Cirque Niagara, Aquarium, Museums, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and family attractions. This is a year round favourite holiday destination for honeymooners, couples and families but Christmas in Niagara Falls is an extra special experience.

Europe has some marvelous places in which to spend Christmas. Paris for a romantic Christmas. Lapland for an exciting children's Christmas visiting Santa Claus. Sweden and its Ice Hotel for a very adventurous Christmas. The ski resorts of Austria for a traditional white Christmas, with skiing, snowboarding, log fires, mulled wine and delicious food.

Or you could chose a very untraditional Christmas and head for the sun. Australia has Christmas during its summer. All the festivities and sunshine, sandy beaches and a barbeque thrown in.

Finally right down to the bottom of the world. How about Antarctica for a Christmas adventure. Stay aboard an ice breaker and learn all about Antarctica and its wildlife. This would be a truly different way to spend Christmas, watching penguins at play and possibly seals and whales too, seeing magnificent icebergs and the awe inspiring scenery of the Antarctic.

From shopping for Christmas presents in a busy city to watching the sun set over the snow and ice there are so many wonderful and exciting places to visit around the world this Christmas.

4 Most Popular Dating Sites

2010-10-24T13:45:00.001-07:00

Online matchmaking has become big business these days. The online dating site has virtually wiped out the tired newspaper personals and that is for good reason. There is so much more that an online dating site can offer. Rather than just a short blurb with a bunch of confusing abbreviations, the online dating site offers the best in all around information. You can easily tell a perspective mate all about yourself, provide a picture and all the contact details that you want with just a few short minutes worth of work. This saves a lot of time and hassle later on, plus you have a better understanding of the person that you are wanting to meet.

Match.com is the premier online dating site to offer so much to so many. Using the very best in software, there is little that you can not tell that special someone with the information. They boast one of the highest success ratings in the business and readily offer to you the testimonies of those who have found love through their site. They often times run specials that make the price all that much more affordable and the deals just keep coming.

Yahoo Personals is one of the more established online dating site. For years Yahoo has been at the forefront of a good many things, including their search engine. To this they added the dating site and that has made them very popular. The easy to use format allows you to find that special someone without any trouble. For the basic service there is no fee, for the extras there is a small but well worth it fee. You will find what you need here if you have the patience.

EHarmony.com is probably the fastest growing online dating site. You will see their ads all over the television and that is no surprise. They are boasting the highest marriage rate of any site and have spent a lot of money to tell the world about it. If you get in at the right time you can get a great package deal price but that is only certain times of the year. They do offer a lot of services, not all of which are good for everyone.

Dating.com is one of the more popular sites that offer online dating. Their claim to fame is the safety and security that comes with their membership as well as the many matches that they have made. There are a good many success stories listed on the site but not all of them have made it to the altar as of yet.

How Much Does Dental Implant Cost?

2010-10-23T13:30:00.001-07:00

What is actually a dental implant? It is a metallic root of a tooth that is placed in the bone in your jaw by a dentist that specializes in dental implants. When the metal rod is placed into the bone, it takes a period of a few months for the area to heal. Once it's healed, a prosthetic tooth is put in place. Titanium is the metal that is in the implant and is actually stronger then real teeth.

Dental implants can be a very costly endeavor. They can cost any where from $1500 to $5000 depending on where you live. It can vary depending also on the make of the implant that is used. Branemark is the most popular implant, which is made in Sweden. There are other brands but Branemark was the original and is said to be the best one there is. The best way to find out is to shop around and check with different specialists that work with dental implants. Find out what brand they use and the cost per tooth. Don't always take what is cheap, because it might not be the best option.

During the time you are waiting for the healing process, the specialist can fit you a filler tooth so that you don't have to be without missing teeth. Chewing can be quite difficult with these filler teeth, but if the tooth is far back in the mouth, you can go without having the filler put in. The healing process can take 6 - 8 weeks depending on how individual bodies heal and if there is no underlying weakness in the bone or infection.

Dental Implant is very expensive so the best option is to have an affordable dental insurance plan to help you out.

Southern Sweden

2010-10-22T13:00:00.001-07:00

Imagine yourself coming out of a well-equipped cottage, and right across the threshold there is a picturesque coast, sea and a pure lake. And the neighboring village meets you with its delicate salmon - one of the main ingredients of the interesting and varied Scandinavian cuisine. This is a kind of an "ecological rest." Some think that its rather boring but for those who are tired of endless fuss and noise, for those who just want to relax this is the thing!

Start your trip with the south of Sweden - Scania region. This is a real fairytale, and it is no wonder why this is the homeland of Pippi Longstocking. Stunning sandy beaches stretched between steep coast and picturesque cliffs, ancient monuments, thousands of mysterious castles and beautiful palaces. Many of those who discovered Scania's beauty come here again and again.

Our next stop is at Blekinge province which local people often call the "Garden of Sweden". The unique coastal landscape and wooden houses with white platbands, painted in copper and surrounded with fir trees, create an incredibly lovely atmosphere. Unlike many other European regions, you can halt almost anywhere to enjoy the crystal clear air and wonderful landscapes. But mind that you should follow definite rules.

Let's move forward. Our next stop is in the naval city of Karlskrona, which is considered to be a true museum in the open air. This especially refers to the ideally restored old city with its nice wooden fishermen's houses. One of the main city's attractions is a Karlskrona Admiralty Church which is thought to be the highest wooden church in Sweden. Another local attraction is a Naval Museum, famous for its extensive collection of ship models (Sweden used to be one of the most important sea powers). As for Swedish people, they think that real Sweden is found in Smaland province.

Here you will find a Kalmar city with its famous castle. Thanks to its location on the country's south, the castle was once called "The Key of the Empire". In the end of the XIV century Queen Margaret united Denmark, Norway and Sweden into so-called Kalmar Union, which played rather an important role in history of Northern Europe. Many people say that the only place that can be compared to the old city in its beauty and antiquity is the centre of Stockholm.

Cross the 6 km bridge and straight from here you will get to the island of wind and sun - the scenic Oland. The island is famous for its sandy beaches and unique Swedish Stora Alvaret limestone barren plain. There is also another extremely interesting spot - Viking's village which bears all the attributes of that glorious epoch.

Let's leave the wonderful Oland island and move to the north to get into unique amusement park - Astrid Lindgren's World in Vimmerby city. It is a real village where characters from books by this world-known author live. Your children will be in raptures over it.

And, of course, don't forget about what it all started with: the breath-taking unique nature of the Southern Sweden. It is hard to imagine that more than 5000 lakes are found here, bathing in which can be compared to nothing else. There are many ecologically safe mushrooms and berries in local forests. And, what is most important, this is the place to enjoy quietness and peace, which are so rare for our everyday life.

Sweden - The Perfect Getaway

2010-10-21T12:45:00.001-07:00

There are many different places that you can travel in the world. However, if you would like to go to a place that is unlike any other, you probably want to seriously consider visiting Sweden. Other than the fact that the air is very clean and the atmosphere is very easy going, the scenery is breath taking. One of the most popular cities to visit in Sweden is Stockholm. This place is filled with great architecture, wonderful people, tasty food and much more. After taking a tip around Stockholm you will certainly appreciate the culture. When planning your trip, make sure to have all your documents prepared, this includes passports for children.

As you are getting ready to travel, keep in mind that any passport services that you may need can be easily found online. Since these websites are accessible both day and night, you can order yours at any time of day. There are also many different options for how quickly you would like to receive your passport. If you want you can get a next day passport application form so that you can ensure you will receive your passport in as little time as possible.

One of the reasons Stockholm is such a great place to visit is because the culture is unlike any other. For example, Gamala Stan is full of many different types of churches and taverns and is considered the Medieval center. The Nobel Prize banquet is held every year at the city hall, which is certainly a site to see. It is at this location that you can see a 10,000 piped organ and mosaic that is made up of 18 million pieces of gold leaf. There is an inn called The Royal Place that has become known for its very nice rooms.

As you visit Stockholm you need to be sure to take part in some fika. The translation of fika means "indulge in coffee and chat at leisure". Fika is a favorite activity of many of the people who live in this area so by doing this activity you are sort of finding a way to connect with the local culture.

Stockholm is also a hot spot for the arts. When you are in this area you shouldn't be surprised to come across many different types of clubs and cafe's where artists perform and people gather. This scene is a vital aspect to this culture.

The most notable part about Stockholm is probably the landscape. One of the reasons for this is because the city is actually made up of 14 islands. Also, the surrounding ocean is comprised of 24,000 smaller islets. It is also recommendable to take a boat trip to admire this scenery. So much of this area is comprised of water and greenery that these boat rides are very visually spectacular.

Deal With Cold Weather - I Don't Like This Country Because it is Cold There

2010-10-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

Look, I've heard this sentence so many times that I've decided to write an article about it. Being myself from Spain but living in Sweden I can say I get a taste of what cold weather is, and I can promise that to deal with cold weather is not something to do with physical or mental preparation. It's just clothes.

"Dani, I couldn't live up there in Sweden like you. It's so cold in the winter...!"

Let's analyze this sentence. What does this person mean when saying it is sol cold in the winter? It actually means that in the way this person is normally dressed in their home country, they would be feeling cold in Sweden. Wow! Impressive discovery, huh? Not definitely, but many people fail to see that part.

In fact, and being terribly sincere with you, the real problem in this world is not about how to deal with cold weather, but the opposite. How to deal with hot weather? No way, because the further you could take away is just your skin. But that'll probably kill you, so you would feel nothing at all. Does not seem like an adequate solution. Opposite to this, when you are in a country where it is really cold, you can alway use more clothes on.

On a more jokingly side, some people say that having sex in Sweden is like peeling an onion, because you really need to extract tenths of levels of clothes until you reach the real meat. Even if this guys are completely right, i think this can be taken as adding some more intensity to the moment. You really need to fight to get what you want, and there's nothing like discovering step by step what you have in front.

Whatever cold country you are going to visit as a tourist, take into account that to deal with cold weather is nothing but common sense again. If you are cold, put more clothes on. Are you still cold? Don't worry, there are more clothes you can put on. the important thing is that you have a good amount of warm clothes in your baggage. Ugh, that's a problem, I have now too much baggage! Well, in this case probably you should leave the suitcases where you keep that big teddy bear and the other one with the TV inside. You'll need more the clothes I promise.

10 Things Worth Doing While Visiting Copenhagen

2010-10-19T11:45:00.001-07:00

1.Observe the city from the observatory on its Rundetaarn - The Round Tower. Thousands of flues, gulls, basketball playgrounds and even a small part of Sweden (if you stand on your tiptoes) are seen from the roof.

2. Step over the most transparent and pleasant EU border straight in the city centre and get into the Christiania hippie community, or the Freetown. This is where you will find yourself at the eternal festival of disobedience, surrounded with the atmosphere of the 60's. Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Grandchildren of flowers sell aroma sticks, t-shirts and beads bracelets. A couple of years ago marijuana was also sold freely here, but the police has cut this business short. Still, drugs are sold under cover. Note that you are not allowed to take pictures of the Christiania - many signs will remind you of this. That is why the best way to see the community is to visit it. There is a sign saying "NOW U ENTER EU" at the exit.

3. Go to the youngest and most developed metro in the world (opened here in 2002), take the front seat and fulfill your childhood dream: imagine yourself a train engineer. All the trains are operated by computers, so there is only a windshield that separates you from the tunnel. Though taking your seat might be uneasy: there are lots of children eager to "operate" the vehicle. At the moment the map of Copenhagen metro is one of the most ergonomic in the world - there is only one line divided into 2 at the Christianshavn station.

4. Take a train and go to Elsinore, survey the Dutch province of Kronborg and the real Hamlet's castle. You will get pleasure from surveying gingerbread houses with geranium growing on their window-sills, strange postindustrial castle approach and even Dutch graffiti. Descend to the castle's cold cells illuminated by oil lamps only, listen to your own steps echoing, get easily lost (because there are no signs here) and found. Flip a coin into the international heap of money deep inside the courtyard well, join an excursion and listen to what a guide can say about Shakespeare.

5. Hang 63 meters above the ground, enjoy the landscape and then go down at an enormous speed. This is what the "Gold Tower", one of the attractions at the Tivoli amusement park is.

6. Sit on a bench in front of the domed Marble Church and read a book or simply enjoy the atmosphere. On workdays the place is empty. It looks simple and stately. When one mentions true calmness, I think of loneliness of the Marble Church.

7. Drop into local cemetery which looks more like a city park. Almost all the people Denmark is proud of are buried here: Niels Bohr, Soren Kierkegaard and of course Hans Christian Andersen. Walk along the paths, stand by Andersen's grave covered with children's paintings and visit the flea market along its walls.

8. Cross the bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden and visit Malmo, the neighboring Swiss city. Fellow travelers will tell you that some ten years ago one could hardly imagine a trip to Malmo in a car. People used ferryboats to get here. The bridge is large and two-storied: there are cars and buses driving along the higher level and trains along the lower one.

9. Wrap yourself into plaid and enjoy coffee in one of the Nuhavn cafes. Nuhavn is a harbour, with paved roadway, channel and mansions. Observe masts, "rain" from the ship ropes, tiled roofs and red Dutch matchboxes swimming by. Then go for a walk to Kongens Nytorv, the city's largest square with the old opera house, copper monuments and a huge shopping mall called Magasin.

10. Walk along the lakes that surround the city. The lakes bear royal names and are worth seeing. But before you go there you should step onto the bridge and decide what shore you like most - the left or the right one. There are twice as much seagulls and swans as people here.

Swedish Language - An Overview From A Translation Agency

2010-10-18T11:32:00.001-07:00

A descendant of Old Norse, Swedish belongs to the East Scandinavian group of languages, a subdivision of the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages.

Swedish is mutually intelligible with Danish (also a member of the East Scandinavian language group) and Norwegian (which belongs to the western Scandinavian language group). It is spoken by approximately nine million people worldwide, most of whom reside in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Estonia. Sweden is an official language in Sweden and Finland, as well as in a small region of Estonia - Noarootsi.

Chronologically speaking, we can distinguish three periods in the evolution of Swedish language: Old Swedish, New Swedish and Modern Swedish.

- The first refers to the language spoken on the Swedish territory in the Middle Ages. The most relevant sample of this language was found in a law code, Västgötalagen, written around 1250.

- Gustav Vasa's Bible is one of the first documents written in New (literary) Swedish and dates back to the 16th century.

- Since then Swedish language has gone through various changes and, under the influence of writers and intellectuals, as well as due to the industrial development and internationalization, it has developed into becoming Modern Swedish, the language spoken by the Swedes today.

"Rikssvenska" (or Standard Swedish), is the official language of Sweden. It is used in media, officialdom and administration and it was created in accordance with the dialects spoken around Stockholm.

Swedish uses a 29 letters alphabet, 26 of Latin origin and three specific letters: ö, ä, å.
Its vocabulary is predominantly of Germanic origin. Borrowings from German and English are quite common together with many French words that became part of the language in the 18th century.

Both Swedish syntax and morphology resemble the ones of the other Germanic languages. Swedish verbs fall into five conjugations; the nouns are divided into five declensions and are inflected according to number, case and definiteness; the adjectives agree with the nouns and pronouns; the number words are cardinals and ordinals etc.
Although apparently a difficult language, Swedish may prove easy to learn for a person who speaks a language of Germanic origin and it is sure to create no problems for someone speaking another Scandinavian language.

Swedish is a working language of the Nordic Council and one of the official languages of the European Union.

Considered one of the countries with the highest living standard, Sweden is famous for its worldwide appreciated industry represented by companies like Volvo, IKEA, Tetra Pak etc.

Most Green Countries

2010-10-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

The buzz word "green" has become increasingly popular in the last few years, and people all over the world are beginning to realize the importance of replacing the dependence on coal and oil with the independence of renewable energies. While some folks are still skeptical about global warming, science and obvious changes in the environment are making most countries take the threat very seriously.

One country that seems to be leading the way in the renewable energy revolution is the small island of Iceland. They have fully embraced geothermal energy and hydropower, and 82% of their primary energy consumption comes from renewable sources. The country has managed within one generation to ween itself from dependence on coal and oil to a system almost completely based on sustainable resources.

Another country leading the way to a greener planet is Sweden. Approximately 25% of Sweden's energy consumption comes from biogas. Biogas is power that is created from sewage. In the Swedish city of Linkoping, all of the garbage trucks and buses run on biogas, and there's even a biogas-powered train line! The government in Sweden has even converted confiscated alcohol into biofuel for green applications.

In 1973, the country of Denmark became independent of fossil fuel imports. Since that time, the country has continued to embrace green technologies, and now boasts the world's first profitable offshore wind park. Over 20% of Denmark's power consumption is derived from wind power, and that's after exporting 90% of their wind production outside of the country. Denmark is also using solar power to run heating plants as well as other applications, and they are also working on using rapeseed oil as a new type of biofuel.

Costa Rica is one of many countries that is working to become the world's first carbon-neutral country. They incorporate several green energies including geothermal, solar, wind and the burning of sugarcane waste. Their biggest source of clean energy is hydroelectricity, and more than 82% of Costa Rica's energy is provided by its hydroelectric dams. A quarter of the nation of Costa Rica is also devoted to park preservation.

In the United States, the green revolution has faced opposition most notably from the giant oil companies. Americans are just now beginning to realize the very real threat that global warming poses, and many are now willing to look at alternative energy sources. In recent years, the U.S. has become the world's fastest growing wind power market, and several major turbine manufacturing plants have either been opened or announced their intentions. Recently, the government has instituted tax credits, rebates and other programs to encourage Americans to purchase energy saving appliances, vehicles, etc. New homes and businesses are being built with environmentally friendly products and energy sources, and owners are receiving significant tax breaks for using green technologies.

There are many other countries implementing green technologies with the hope of saving the planet and making the world a better place - let's hope they succeed.

Gothenburg Tourist Information and Hotels - The Top 5 Must See Attractions in Gothenburg

2010-10-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

In the southwest coast of Sweden, the second largest city of the said country can be found. Known to its natives as the Göteborg, this place has lots of natural reserves and beautiful places. Founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus, the city of Gothenburg has been one of the most favorite tourist attractions in Sweden since.

For every tourist, the most important thing to consider when traveling to a different country is to be able to witness the beauty and splendor of that particular place, and at the same time have a taste of its culture. In Gothenburg, there are so many places that an expectant tourist can visit, all of which are more than just beautiful, as these places carry the history and culture of the Swedes. If one is bound for Gothenburg, these top 5 must-see tourist attractions should be present in the places to visit list.

1. Slotsskogen "Castle Forest" Park - Green as paradise, this park is the perfect place to visit if one wishes to enjoy a picnic, a Frisbee game, or a healthy walk. But that's not all; this park has a mini zoo, two tower restaurants, and even a pond with seals. In this park too is where the Natural History Museum can be found.

2. Liseberg Amusement Park - As one of the largest and superb amusement parks in Europe, the Liseberg Amusement Park offers fun and entertainment to the maximum level. Suitable for both adults and kids, this place has leisure parks, stadium, and sports facilities. In here, one can go scream at the top of his or her lungs at the roller coaster ride or simply be amused by the performance of artists and entertainers.

3. Museum of Art - For those who admire arts and paintings, this is the perfect place to visit. With a vast collection of Scandinavian artworks of Italian, French, Dutch and Flemish artists, any art lover's senses would surely be satisfied.

4. The Gothenburg Aquarium - Gothenburg is such a home for nature. With the many species of fishes and reptiles to be found in the Gothenburg Aquarium (Akvariet), every child and even adult would surely come to love the sea and its creatures. This tourist attraction is open daily and even has discounts for children.

5. Botanical Garden "Botaniska Trädgården - As the largest botanical garden in Sweden, this wonderful haven is home for more than a thousand plant species. It boasts of a beautiful bulb garden, herb garden, rock garden, greenhouses and bamboo grooves. This paradise is surely a peaceful place for tourists to visit.

The beautiful places mentioned above are just but five among hundreds of more reasons to visit Gothenburg. There are still so many exciting places to see and wonderful things to do at Gothenburg such as enjoying its beautiful beaches, riding boats and cruises, getting on a tram ride, tasting the local recipes, and of course shopping

Stockholm's Best - Gamla Stan and the Best Western Hotel

2010-10-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

Everybody has to be ready to take in the beauty, architecture and timelessness of Sweden. Be ready to enjoy its sights, sounds and tastes. First thing to consider is finding the best hotel in Stockholm.

The best place to stay is at the Best Western Hotel otherwise known as the Kung Carl, it has 121 rooms and offers the best experience being a classical hotel with the most modern amenities. It is located just a short walk away from Gamla Stan or the Old Town and a mere 100 meters away from Drottningsgatan, Stockholm's shopping district. All Best Western Hotel rooms are non-smoking areas, equipped with cable televisions, air conditioners and some even have balconies. The Best Western hotel even has its own beauty salon aside from its bar, restaurant, and laundry service.

Now that you have the Best Western hotel to stay in, it is time to enjoy the beauty of Stockholm manifested best in Gamla Stan. The Gamla Stan or the Old Town is a must see attraction when in Stockholm. It is the most visited place by tourists as it does not only show the modernity of Sweden but it takes you back in time. Walk back memory lane as you trudge along the cobblestone alleyways and watch in awe as Sweden's 13th century buildings are still very much intact in Gamla Stan.

Aside from the endless boutiques and shops that you see, there are also beautiful churches coexisting in this area of Stockholm. Gamla Stan offers the beautiful fusion of the old with the new. Here, you get the best of both worlds. Gamla Stan has so much to offer that it can very well take up most of your days in Stockholm.

Still in Gamla Stan, you get to visit the Royal Palace and watch in amazement the beautiful movements of more than 15,000 Royal Guards as they change position every noon. See the wonderful gardens and rooms of the Royal Palace, the residence of the Kings and Queens of Sweden from centuries past. Also, take the time to visit the Nobel Museum, which is located right at the heart of Gamla Stan. You can even buy a Nobel Prize replica for yourself, but this replica you can truly enjoy as it is made of chocolate.

The Storkyrkan, Stockholm's cathedral is also in Gamla Stan. This church was consecrated back in 1306 and since then has been the venue for Royal coronations and weddings. Also visit the Stortoget or the Old Square in Gamla Stan as this place is lined up with 18th century buildings and has a lot of history behind it. Shop at the Drottningsgatan, or the street shopping district and find treasures you can take home with you when your wonderful experience has ended.

All these sights just very near the Best Western Hotel, when you get tired after a day's sightseeing, it is time to head back to the wonderful warmth and ambiance of the Best Western Hotel. You can be assured of having a wonderful bath, scrumptious meal and the best bed to rest at the Best Western Hotel. What's more is you get to prepare yourself for another wonderful day ahead and discover what Stockholm has to offer. Another added feature of the Best Western hotel is it has a sauna and a gym. If you get tired of walking, you can always rent a bicycle from the best western hotel. Discover the infinite possibilities that Stockholm and the Best Western hotel has to offer and be ready to come back for more!

Soccer Field Measurements

2010-10-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

Following soccer field measurements apply to adult matches. However all this rules may even apply to all ages. Learning soccer field measurements is not necessary to become a good soccer player, but it can be fun to know for example the maximum allowed width for a soccer field or. Let's start...

The soccer field measurements for international adult games are in the range of 110-120 yard and the width is in the range 70-80 yard. Fields for non-international matches may be 100-130 yard length and 50-101 yard in width, provided that the field does not become square. The longer boundary lines are called touchlines or sidelines, while the shorter boundaries on which the goals are placed are called goal lines.

A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 8 yard apart and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must 8 ft above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required necessarily.

In the front of each goal is the penalty area or 18 yard box as some prefer to call it. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 18 yard from the goalposts and extending18 yard into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line and a line joining them. The 18 yard are has a number of important functions and the most important one is to mark where the goalie have permission to handle the ball with his/her hands.

Other important function is to mark where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kickoffs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.

Volvo Trucks

2010-10-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

Volvo trucks have been around for many years. Volvo was first established in 1927 with the release of their first cars and the first trucks to come from the company rolled off the line in 1928. The LV Series 1 was the first ever Volvo truck to be manufactured. Though the LV Series was a truck and trucks were not considered to be of the utmost importance during this era, this one was immediately successful and Volvo had sold 500 models shortly after its release.

Volvo is now operating in 17 different countries and has approximately 40,000 people employed from all over the world. The Volvo main headquarters is located in Gothenburg, Sweden but this company produces and distributes trucks on a global level. Volvo trucking company also includes Renault, Mack and UD trucks.

Today Volvo manufactures its truck cabs in Umea which is located in north Sweden. The engines are manufactured in Skovde and there are currently assembly plants located in various global areas such as Belgium, the United States, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, China, India and Russia. Volvo is currently one of the most global truck manufacturing organizations in the world. Offices and dealers can be found in virtually every major country. Volvo currently produces both the Volvo and Mack class 8 trucks in plants located in Dublin, VA and Macungie, PA. The Powertrain operation of Volvo currently manufactures both engines and transmissions at a facility located in Hagerstown, MD. This facility manufactures these parts for exclusive use in the North American market.

You simply have to take a trip down any interstate or freeway to see the popularity of these trucks. Volvo trucks, since their inception in the 1920s have slowly gained their status of being one of the most sought after trucks for truckers worldwide. You can buy new or used Volvo trucks in virtually every country in the world. Avid Volvo truck drivers will tell you that they simply trust the quality and craftsmanship that goes into each and every truck that the company produces. To take the reliability of Volvo a step further, the company is actively pursuing ways of providing a greener environment for us all by research into methods of burning cleaner fuel. Volvo is not only a name that truckers trust but it is also a name that the entire world has come to rely on for automobiles of all sectors.

Miss Universe Pageant

2010-10-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

1952: Long Beach, California. Miss Finland was the first Miss Universe.Miss Hawaii was the 1st Runner-Up.

1953:Long Beach, California. Christiane Martell became the first Miss France to win the Miss Universe title.

1954:Miriam Stevenson became the first American to win the Miss Universe Pageant.

1955: Long Beach, California. Miss Sweden was crowned Miss Universe. Miss El Salvador, Maribel Arrietta, was the big favorite.Miss El Salvador was compared to Marilyn Monroe by American journalists.

1956: Miss USA,Carol Morris, was crowned Miss Universe.

1957:Long Beach (California). Miss Peru, Gladys Zender Urbina was elected Miss Universe. She was the first Latin woman to win the Miss Universe.

1958:Long Beach, California.Marina Luz Zuloaga became the first woman from Colombia to win the Miss Universe title. Miss Brazil was the 1st Runner-Up.

1959: Long Beach, California. Miss Italy,Maria Grazia Buccella, was the big favourite...but she did not qualify for the semifinals.Next day, Italian newspapers criticized Akiko Kojima. Miss Universe from Japan....

1960: Lynda Bennett, Miss USA and Miss Utah, became the third American to win the Miss Universe title...

1961:Long Beach, California.Marlene Schmidt became the first German to win the Miss Universe title.

1962: Miss Argentina, Norma Nolan, won the Miss Universe title. Miss Haiti, Evelyn Miot, was the first black woman to be a semifinals at Miss Universe.

1963: Miss Brazil, Ieda Maria Vargas, won the Miss Universe title. She became the first Brazilian to win the Miss Universe.

1964: Long Beach,California. Corina Tsopie was the first person from Greece to win the Miss Universe Pageant.

1965: Miss Thailand, Aspara Hongsakula, was elected Miss Universe.

1966: Miss Sweden, Margaret Arvidsson, won the Miss Universe.

1967: Miss USA, Sylvia Hitchcok (20 years/1,71/ 91-61-94m) was elected Miss Universe.

1968:Miami Beach, Florida.Martha Vasconcelos became the second Brazilian to win the Miss Universe title.

1969:Miami Beach, Florida. Miss Philippines, Gloria Diaz, became the third Miss Universe from the Asia.

1970:Miami Beach, Florida, Miss Puerto Rico, Marisol Malaret won the Miss Universe.

1971: Miami Beach, Florida. Miss Lebanon, Georgina Rizk became the fourth Miss Universe from the Asia.

1972:Dorado, Puerto Rico. Miss Australia, Anne Kery Wells, was elected Miss Universe.

1973: Athens,Greece.Miss Philippines, Margarita Moran, was elected Miss Universe.

1974: Under the leadership of Imelda Romualdez Marcos, First Lady of Philippines, Manila, Philippines´s capital, hosted Miss Universe. Miss Spain, Amparo Muñoz was elected Miss Universe.

1975: San Salvador (El Salvador).The winner was Anne Pohtamo, Miss Finland.She looks like Grace Kelly, who was an American actress and Princess of Monaco (a small country in Europe).During her reign, she went to the USA,Australia, Hong Kong, Dominican Republic and other countries in the Third World.She was crowned in El Salvador, the birthplace of Maribel Arrieta, one of the most beautiful delegates in the chronology of MU. Jackeline Gammarra, Miss Bolivia, was big favourite in San Salvador.Ironically, she had been eliminated in the semifinals. Miss Bolivia 1975 was one of the best South American delegates in the history of Miss Universe.

1976:Victory City, Hong Kong.Miss Israel, Rina Messinger, was crowned Miss Universe. For the first time, Miss USA, Barbara Peterson, did not qualify for the semifinals.

1978:Acapulco, Mexico. Miss South Africa won the title.The favorites were : 1-El Salvador, 2-Peru, 3-USA, 4-South Africa, 5-Israel, 6-Sweden, 7-Wales, 8-Costa Rica. The great surprise was Miss Chile.Marianne Muller spoke three languages fluently: English, French and German)... Miss Peru, Olga Roxana Zumaran Burga was a huge favorite in Miss Universe,but she did not speak English. Another eliminated was Miss El Salvador, Iris Yvette Mazorra, one of the best Latin American delegates in Miss Universe.

1979: Perth (Australia). Miss Brazil was a big favorite until last minute. Miss Venezuela, Maritza Sayalero won the Miss Universe title.

1981:New Yor City. Under the leadership of Osmel Sousa, President of Miss Venezuela Organization, Venezuela´s Irene Saez was crowned Miss Universe.The final ranking:1-Venezuela, 2-Canada, 3-Sweden, 4-Brazil, 5-Belgium. After the Miss Universe, Miss Brazil, Adriana Alves de Oliveira had worked as a professional model in Paris.In 1984 she went to London, the United Kingdom, where she was favourite by international journalism and houses of best.She had a perfect body and European profile...But she only came between 7 semifinalists.She was the best delegate from Brazil since Magdalena Sbairini, other big favourite in Miss World 1977...

1982:Lima ,Peru. The favorites were: 1-Miss Chile, 2-Miss South Africa, 3-Miss Brazil, 4-Miss Finland 5-Miss Canada 6-Miss Austria 7-Greece 8-Miss Wales 9-Miss Italy 10-Miss Australia. Miss South Africa, Odett Octavia Scrooby (18 years old, 173m, blue eyes and 54 k), was born in Skeerpoort. She had been a professional model in Johannesbourg, a city in SA.Her hobbies were drawing and painting. Her dream was to become an international supermodel. She did not win because her country was the birthplace of Apartheid...However, Miss Canada won the title. Karen Baldwin was a student at University in Canada.Her dream was to become a businesswoman.Her hobbies were water sports and playing tennis, squash and racquetball. Like Gladys Zender, one of the judges, Karen was a sportswoman."My idol is the Mother Theresa of Calcutta", said in an interview with Mario Vargas Llosa ( judge).Karen had had the support of Rod Duguay(judge), her countryman and a famous hockey player...

1984:Miami, Florida. Miss South Africa, Leticia Snyman, was a big favorite, but she did not win Miss Universe. After 1984,Miss Universe Company did not accept South Africa contestants until 1995,when Namibia hosted the Miss Universe.

1985:Miami, Florida. The final ranking was: 1-PR,2-Spain,3-Zaire,4-Venezuela,5-Uruguay. Miss Zaire, Benita Mureka, was the first black African finalist in Miss Universe. Miss Zaire had her own style and very beautiful. Miss Puerto Rico, a girl very common, was elected Miss Universe...very strange result.

1986:Panama City. Miss Venezuela, Barbara Palacios Teyde, was elected Miss Universe. Venezuela has had many judges in the Miss Universe since 1984:Carolina Herrera (1984 and 1997); Irene Saez (1983 and 1995); Maria Consuelo Alonso Bustillo (1993 and 1998); Lupita Ferrer (1986); Barbara Palacios Teyde (1988); and Jose Luis Rodriguez (1991). Different from Venezuela, Jamaica has not had a judge in Miss Universe history...as Bolivia, Paraguay, Portugal,Austria, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Namibia,Curacao, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland...

1987: Singapoore City. Miss Chile, Cecilia Bolocco was crowned Miss Universe Pageant. She had a sensational interview with judges. Miss Colombia, Patricia Lopez, did not qualify for the semifinals.She won both titles: Miss South America-Universe and Miss Photogenic. Patricia Lopez became the big favorite to win the Miss Universe, but she did not speak English very well. Good bye Colombia.

1989:Cancun,Mexico. Andrea Stelzer was Miss South Africa 1985, but when she arrived at Miami Airport Immigration did not accept her entrance to Miami.Reasons: Radical protests by American Anti-Apartheid activists.Like many South African, she became German citizen. In 1989 she won the Miss Germany title. She went to Cancun and was semifinalist at the Miss Universe.

1990: Venezuela was the dominant force in Miss Universe Pageant in the 1990s.

1991: Las Vegas,USA. Lupita Jones became the first Mexican to win the Miss Universe title.

1992:Bangkok, Thailand. Miss Namibia, Michelle MacLean, was elected Miss Universe.

1993:Mexico City. Maria Consuelo Alonso, international judge, did not support Miss Venezuela, Milka Chulina during Miss Universe contest. In Caracas, there was many critics towards Maria Consuelo.She was born in Cuba.

1994:Manila, Philippines. The ranking finalwas: 1-Miss India, 2-Miss Colombia,3-Miss Venezuela. Many people think that Colombia never winner Miss Universe...mainly for narcotrafic.Colombia have had spectacular girls like Aura Maria Mojica and Paloma Turbay Ayala...

1995:Windhoek, Namibia (Africa). Miss USA and Miss Texas, Chelsy Smith, was elected Miss Universe.

1996:Las Vegas, Nevada. Miss Venezuela, Alicia Machado, won the Miss Universe Pageant.She was always controversial and charismatic...

1998: Honolulu, Hawaii.Wendy Fitzwilliam became the second Afro-Trinidadian to win the Miss Universe title.

1999: Trinidad Tobago. Miss Botswana, Mpule Kwelagobe, became Miss Universe. Since 1999, she is an Anti-AIDS activist in the Third World.

2000: Nicosia, Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite.Miss India, Lara Dutta, was crowned Miss Universe. Miss France, Sonia Rolland, who speaks French, English and Spanish, was another bi-racial beauty. She has a Rwandan mother and a French father. Sonia was a child who lived at the time of the Rwandan War.

2001:Bayamon, Puerto Rico.Miss Puerto Rico, Denise Quiñones was crowned Miss Universe. She became the first person to win the Miss Universe Pageant in her country...

2002:San Juan de Puerto Rico. Miss Russia, Oxana Federova was crowned Miss Universe. The People´s Republic of China made its debut at the Miss Universe. Oxana Federova was dethroned by Miss Universe Organization.In New York City,Miss Panama, Justine Paseak, was elected Miss Universe. She was 1st Runner-Up.

2003:Panama City.Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega, won the Miss Universe Pageant.

2004:Quito, Ecuador. Miss Australia, Jennifer Hawkins, was elected Miss Universe.

2005:Bangkok, Thailand. Miss Canada, Natalia Glebova, was crowned Miss Universe.

2006: Los Angeles, California. Miss Puerto Rico, Zuleyka Rivera, was crowned Miss Universe Pageant... Did you know that... Puerto Rico has had several judges in Miss Universe History: Mapy Cortes (actress/1972); Marisol Malaret (former Miss Universe: 1977 and 2002);Deborah Carthy-Deu (ex-Miss Universe: 1987 and 2003); Dayanara Torres (2001);Marc Anthony (2001); and Maria Celeste Arraras (journalist/2003 and 2006).However, Chile only has had two judges: Cecilia Bolocco (1996) and Christian de la Fuente (20001).

2007:Welcome to Mexico...Miss Universe 2007

The Two Main Airsoft Games

2010-10-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

There are two primary games people play when they play airsoft. These two games are called CQB and Mil Sim. People take these games very seriously and they are a lot of fun to get into when you have enough people to play.

CQB is an airsoft game that is also known as Close Quarters Battle. Some people call the game CQC or Close Quarters Combat. This is a very popular way to play airsoft. When people play CQB they are usually in close quarters. The basic idea is to play the game in an enclosed area. The action of the game is usually fast combat action and there are many surprises.

During CQB the area is often setup as an urban war zone. Some people like to setup the area as a terrain filled with enclosing gates, walls, doorways, stairways, tunnels, and more. It may seem like a maze or a realistic scene with underground approaches, overhead openings, and more which allow shooters to get their opponent from only a few feet away. Some people like to play the game in dense shrubbery with the look and feel of playing in the forest; hiding behind trees, shrubbery, and tall grass. When people play airsoft in too close of range in CQB situations then they are usually sure to have guns with less firepower. Players usually wear extra padding and vests for protective clothing to avoid close range hits and ricochet hits. When a player gets hit too close with a BB from an airsoft gun then it can be very painful without the proper padding.

Mil Sim is another favored game when playing airsoft. This game is played while imitating military live action role playing elements. The game will be played with teams and each team will be given a mission. The teams will also be given equipment like short-range radios and headsets, batteries, rations, and a basic load of ammunition for their guns. Airsoft uses 6mm or 8mm pellets but in Mil Sim the 6mm pellets are used.

The staging area is considered a safe zone or an area for medical emergencies or for any other serious circumstance that would require you to be out of the game for a short period of time. All teams are required to remain in the field for the entire duration of the game. Mil Sim airsoft games can last for several days without any breaks. Sweden holds an event every year called the BERGET which lasts for 6 straight days in a row and there are no breaks. It is common for people to paint vans and trucks for use in the Mil Sim game in large scale operations of play.

Airsoft is a very popular game because people love to get dressed up in their combat gear and simulate like they are going to war. The two most popular ways to play airsoft with teams of people is by playing Close Quarters Combat or Mil Sim. These games can last for a couple of hours or they can last for days depending on how you want to play and how seriously you take the game.

Top 10 Winter Getaways

2010-10-10T09:27:00.001-07:00

Summer is typically the season that everyone thinks of when planning their vacations. But why not dare to be different and take a winter vacation getaway instead? If you are a skier, snowboarder, or just someone who enjoys the winter months, a winter vacation may be just what you have been looking for. There are plenty of spots around the world that make spectacular winter getaways.

Hershey. If you are traveling before or during the Christmas season, consider Hershey, Pennsylvania as your vacation destination. The home of Hershey's candy, Hershey Park becomes home to Christmas Candyland, where over one million Christmas lights are put on display. Christmas Candyland typically runs for a month prior to Christmas.

Sweden. Located in the small riverside village of Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, Sweden's Ice Hotel is famous worldwide for great winter vacations. The hotel is created each winter out of 10,000 tons of ice from the nearby river and 30,000 tons of snow. The hotel features the famous Absolut Ice Bar, a winter favorite for the 21+ crowd.

Yellowstone. During the winter the Yellowstone National Park, a popular summer destination in the United States, offers Lodging and Learning programs where guests of all ages can stay at Yellowstone and participate in educational lessons during the winter. These programs offer a great way for visitors of all ages to learn about the beautiful and fascinating Yellowstone Park.

Wisconsin Dells. This small Wisconsin town offers a great winter vacation at the Great Wolf Lodge, home of huge indoor water parks. Great Wolf Lodge is a popular destination for families. Visitors of Wisconsin Dells get the best of both worlds with summertime perpetually recreated indoors and snow falling outdoors. Wisconsin Dells is located near both Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin.

New England. One of the most historical areas in the United States, New England is where the country was founded. In addition to the number of historical sites throughout the six states that make up the region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont), you will also find plenty to do in the winter months. Maine offers one of the nicest ski resorts in the country in Sugarloaf USA, or you can try the beautiful White Mountain area of New Hampshire where you will find a plethora of ski resorts and the historical Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States.

Orlando. If skiing is not really your thing and you are looking to get away from the snow for a few weeks then travel to Florida, one of the most frequented states in the US by vacationers each year. Walt Disney World offers discounted rates during specific periods of the winter months, considered the theme park's off-season. Not only will the parks and restaurants be less crowded than during summer or a school vacation week, but you will be able to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather during your stay.

Caribbean. Why not take a cruise during the winter months? Like Florida, a Caribbean cruise offers a change of pace from the snowy, cold winter months that you may be used to. Winter is typically a perfect time for a cruise because the weather in the Caribbean has calmed down. Summer is hurricane season, spelling trouble for cruises but winter is perfect for calm seas and a relaxing cruise.

Mont Tremblant. Located in the spectacular Laurentian Mountains of the Canadian province of Quebec, Mont Tremblant offers its visitors over 600 acres of land for skiing and snowboarding. Perhaps the best choice if you are looking to take to the slopes, keep in mind that the US dollar is worth more in Canada and can go further than it would on a vacation in the United States.

Alaska. If you are traveling with children, Alaska may be the perfect vacation choice for you. Offering everything from dog sledding, one of Alaska's most popular sports, to viewing the Northern lights, Alaska is one of the best winter vacation destinations. Although it is notorious for its cold, wintry weather, Alaska also holds a number of entertainment options that are likely to keep the whole family busy.

Lake Tahoe. For decades Lake Tahoe has been one of the top winter vacation destinations in the world. Located on the border of Nevada and California just west of Carson City, Nevada, you will find that Lake Tahoe has plenty of activities for everyone in the family. Lake Tahoe averages 360 inches of snow each year, making for a winter wonderland of fun on your winter vacation. There are a number of high quality resorts around picturesque Lake Tahoe and the Rocky Mountains make a fabulous backdrop for the perfect getaway.

Wind Generators For Homeowners

2010-10-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

There are Some Great Wind Generators for Homeowners

Even though most residential wind generators are optimized for 20 mph winds there is a broad selection of designs to chose from. There are two different basic designs that all wind generators spawn from. There are vertical axis and horizontal axis wind power generators. This is about horizontal axis designs and they can vary from dual blades to multiple blades. Each design has a specific purpose. New designs are popping up more than ever as global electrical demands increase. New designs from Sweden to the U.S. Hopefully more companies start producing systems.

The Energy Ball Wind Generator From Sweden

The "Energy Ball" is a creative design that resembles a ball. The blades are long and bent back to attach to the tail end of the wind vane. The result resembles a ball. This Swedish design was made to take advantage of low wind speeds. A price and the kilowatts haven't been released yet, but the new design shows a lot of worldwide interest and is targeted for homeowners. As more companies compete with innovative designs the homeowner wins. Competition is a good thing, especially when it's worldwide.

Honeywell's New Multiple Blade Design

Honeywell has created a wind generator for homeowners that mounts to the top of the house. The unit weighs less than 100lbs and works in 4 MPH winds. The Honeywell wind generator resembles a fan and is an inverted permanent magnet generator. The magnets are attached to the end of it's blades and the coils are located inside the outer housing. Honeywell has priced this wind power system at $4,500 and it includes grid tie. The estimated monthly output, in class four winds, is 166 kilowatts per month. The date that this system will become public is in Oct of 2009, and will be sold through ACE hardware.

Swedish Recipes

2010-10-08T08:46:00.001-07:00

Swedish cuisine is such an interesting food to taste. Scandinavian ancestors and foreign immigrants have contributed a wide array of food ideas towards Swedish people. Hence, it gives them an insight to create an extraordinary kind of food which is very nutritious in flavor. Additionally, most people in Sweden are very proud of their culture because they had influenced a lot of practices to other foreign cultures and this include the smorgasbord cooking style. Nowadays, buffet table setting is one of the most famous styles of food preparation. The idea was influenced from the Swedish smorgasbord. Today, the traditional large smorgasbord with its lavish of food can be found in any restaurants, usually at Christmas time.

Aside from gaining international credits, normally, the typical Swedish families also eat three meals a day -- breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between the meals. They also loves to eat fish including herring, salmon, trout and whitefish. In addition to that, Swedes enjoy the abundance of berries which is often made to different kind of jam. Of course, cooked potatoes are always included on the list of every Swedish recipes.

To know more authentic Swedish recipes, here are the common traditional dishes which are usually present in every Swedish meals:
Artsoppa
Falukorv
Gravalax
Janssons frestelse
Kaldolmar
Kottbullar
Kottsoppa
Kroppkaka
Lutfisk
Pyttipanna

There could be other delicious authentic recipe in Sweden but the foods mentioned above are one of the best and popular recipes in Sweden. Eating Swedish recipes leave you an impression the luxury of life. With the influence of mass media, learning Swedish culture helps people to realize how complex and diverse life could be. Just by watching television and browsing over the internet you can able to learn Swedish remarkable history, its people and most especially Swedish culinary tradition.

If you love adventures and a food enthusiasts, then, visiting Sweden is an experience that you may never forget.

Famous Scandinavian Soup Recipes

2010-10-07T08:30:00.001-07:00

Scandinavia comprises Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. This cold northern area of the world is home to some of the most delicious soup recipes. If you love thick, rich, and warming soups, you might like to try a Scandinavian soup recipe.

Scandinavians like to use meat, poultry, or fish in their tasty soups, as well as rice or potatoes to bulk the soup up. Vegetables like cabbage, carrots and peas are added and herbs and spices such as parsley, thyme, ginger and more enhance the flavors of these delicious soup recipes.

You might be more used to pumpkin soup recipes or other famous soup recipes but Scandinavian soups are well worth a try as well, if you want to have a go at making something different.

You can also make Scandinavian soups in the crockpot, since many of them are a simple combination of meat, vegetables, water, and seasonings. Crockpot cooking draws every last bit of flavor out of the ingredients and slow cooker soups are incredibly tasty. Crockpot soups are easy to make and of course, you can leave the crockpot to cook the soup all day while you are out at work.

The Best Scandinavian Soups

Salmon soup is popular in Scandinavia and this is usually made with onions and potatoes and flavored with parsley. Yellow pea soup includes onions, potatoes, carrots, Vienna sausages and Canadian or Danish bacon.

Stinging nettles are used to make a Swedish soup called "nasselsoppa" and "orkdal soup" is a wonderful recipe, which combines lamb with cabbage, onions, carrots, and rice. Mutton is used in Scandinavia for soups and stews and cabbage, root vegetables, pepper, and ginger are often added to these recipes.

How to Make Scandinavian Pork Soup in a Crockpot

This thick, warming soup recipe combines salt pork with vegetables, hot dogs, and herbs. This makes a wonderful dinner on a cool evening and this recipe serves eight people. You can make this delicious Scandinavian soup recipe in a crockpot.

What you will need:

1 lb split peas
1 chopped onion
1/2 lb lean salt pork
6 cups boiling water
1 lb chopped hot dogs or smokies
3 sliced carrots
1 sliced leek
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

How to make it:

Rinse the peas under running water, and then add them to the crockpot. Pour the boiling water over them, put the lid on, and let them stand in the hot water for an hour. Score the salt pork and add it to the crockpot, nestling it down amongst the peas. Next, add the leek, onion, carrots, hot dogs, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cover the crockpot and cook the soup on high for five hours or low for ten hours, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle the parsley over the top.

The World Soccer

2010-10-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

INTRODUCTION:

I studied drawing at scool for many years, but I did not like it very much. My favourite subject at school were the olympic sports. I remember when I was a child and I played soccer with my friends. My best memory was when El Salvador,a small Central American country, qualified at the World Cup in 1982.I did not think "ES" defeat Mexico, sixth place in the FIFA World Championship in 1970.

Between 1978 and 1989, El Salvador had one of the worst civil war in the modern history of Latin America.Unfortunately, more than 70,000 people were killed by anti-communist dictatorships and marxist rebels.

Certainly, I was a big fan of Salvadoran soccer. I once said: "ES ganarà el Mundial ( El Salvador will be win the FIFA Soccer World 1982..!).However, the only thing that I clearly remember is that Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in the World Cup in Spain...Good Bye ES...!

Like many people, I think that soccer is "passion" in the world since 1910. When Cameroon, ex French colony in Africa, won its first gold medal at the XXVII Summer Olympics Games in Australia (2000)...Yaoundè, the capital city of Cameroon, was carnival for days.Cameroon was the second African country to win the gold olympic...

Unfortunately, Liberia was the nightmare of the Third World...From 1980 to 2005, more than 180,000 people were killed by dictatorships and AIDS...Currently, the poverty is a plague...Its percapita income of $ 80 a year is one of the worst in the World History. Hundreds of thousands of Liberian people fled the country. Like neighboring Sierra Leone, the African country has one of the highest number of orphans in the Africa in relation to its population.

Fortunately, Liberia is home to George Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah, one of the World`s most famous and charismatic players. In 1995 the FIFA selected George Weah as the best footballer of the Year.Certainly, he became a "World Star" in the 1990s.Like Iman (former super-model from Somalia) and Dikembe Mutombo (basketball player from the Democratic Republic of Congo), George Weah is an icon in the African continent. Since then, he made a great contribution to Liberian human development. Currently, George Weah is UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
He was national team captain for many years, but his country did not qualifity for the FIFA Football World. Ironically, Liberia was not one of the best teams of Africa in the 20th Century.

In 1994 Bolivia`s qualification for the finals was one of the surprises in the Third World sport. Under the leadership of Marco Etcheverry, Bolivia beat Brazil 2-0 in the Pre-World Cup in La Paz, Bolivia`s capital. I remember that Etcheverry, best known for his nickname "El Diablo", was the idol of millions of Bolivians.It was one of the greatest sporting moments in Bolivian history since 1978. At that time, Bolivia, under the leaderships of Guadalupe Yañez, qualified for the FIBA Women`s World Championship in Seoul, South Korea´s capital.

In my opinion, the FIFA World Championship is a world without frontiers. Ferenc Puskas, was born on April, 1926, in Budapest, Hungary, made his debut in the friendly against Austria at the age of only fifteen...In the past Century, Puskas represented both Hungary, a former communist State, and Spain.At the time, Santamaria played for Uruguay and Spain. Traditionally American players have Latin American and African roots: Hugo Perez (El Salvador), Tab Ramos (Uruguay), Claudio Reyna (Argentina), Josmer Altidore (Haiti) and Freddy Addu (Ghana).
Today Gerald Asamoah, was born in Accra (Ghana), is one of the best footballers in Germany at the moment. While Alex (Alessandro) Santos, was born in Brazil, is a Japanese player.Santos played many times for Japan, including appearances at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Personally, I think that this Century will be an era of "Sports Miracles" in the Third World. Cote D`Ivoire, best known as Ivory Coast, qualified for the FIFA Soccer World 2006...Angola made its debut in Germany...Trinidad-Tobago made its debut in the World Cup...Paraguay won the silver medal in football in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

CHRONOLOGY:

1930: FIFA World Cup in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, one of the most development countries in the 1930s.The final ranking:1-Uruguay,2-Argentina, 3-Yugoslavia,4-USA,5-Chile, 6-Brazil,7-France,8-Paraguay,9-Romania, 10-Peru, 11-Belgium, 12-Bolivia, 13-Mexico.

1934: World Cup in Rome. Uruguay did not participate. The final ranking:1-Italy, Czechoslovakia,Germany, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Argentina, France, Holland, Brazil, Egypt, Belgium and the United States.

1938:World Cup in France.The final ranking:1-Italy, Hungary,Brazil,Sweden,Czechoslovakia,Switzerland,Cuba,France,Romania,Germany,Norway,Poland,Belgium,Holland,Netherlands Indies.

1950:FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In Rio, the host lost the final 2-1 to Uruguay. Brazil was the big favourite... Uruguay had its second World Cup!

1954:World Cup in Switzerland.The final ranking:1-West Germany,Hungary,Austria,Uruguay,Switzerland,Brazil,England,Yugoslavia,France,Italy,Turkey,Belgium,Mexico,Czechoslovakia,Scotland,Korea.

1958: World Cup in Sweden...The final ranking:1-Brazil, Sweden, France, West Germany, Wales, USSR, Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia,Czechoslovakia,Hungary,England,Paraguay,
Argentina, Scotland,Austria and Mexico.

1962:World Cup in Santiago de Chile...Certainly, the people of Brazil produce the World`s best coffee, but also the best soccer...The final ranking:1-Brazil,Czechoslovakia, Chile, Yugoslavia, Hungary, West Germany,USSR, England, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, Bulgaria and Switzerland.

1966: World Cup in London,UK...The final ranking: 1-England,
West Germany, Portugal, USSR, Argentina, Hungary, Uruguay, North Korea, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil...

1970:Brazil won the FIFA World Cup on June 27th in Mexico City. The final ranking: Brazil, Italy, West Germany, Uruguay,USSR, Mexico, Peru, England, Sweden, Belgium, Romania, Israel, Bulgaria, Morocco, Czechoslovakia and ES.

1974:World Cup in West Germany...After Zaire, today`s Democratic Republic of Congo, qualified for the FIFA World Championship, a legal holiday was declared by Mobutu Sésé Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa zan Banga, tyrannical president of the African country......Haitian footballers sometimes use the language "creole" during games to confuse rivals... Brazil and WGermany were the obvious favorites.The final ranking:1-West Germany, Holland, Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Argentina, East Germany, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Italy, Scotland, Australia, Chile,Uruguay, Haiti and Zaire.

1978: World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The final ranking:1-Argentina, Holland,Brazil, Italy, West Germany, Poland,Austria, Peru, Tunisia, Spain, Scotland, France, Sweden, Iran, Hungary and Mexico.

1982: For first time, there were 24 teams. FIFA World Cup in Spain. Italy won the trophy. The ranking final:1-Italy, West Germany, Poland, France, Brazil, England, USSR, Austria, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Argentina, Spain, Algeria,Hungary. Scotland, Yugoslavia,Cameroon,Honduras,Czechoslovakia,Peru, Kuwait, Chile, New Zealand, ES.

1986: World Cup in Mexico. The final ranking:1-Argentina, West Germany, France, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, England, Denmark, USSR, Morocco, Italy, Paraguay, Poland, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Portugal, Hungary, Scotland, South Korea, Northern Ireland, Algeria, Irak and Canada.

1990:World Cup In Italy.The final ranking:1-West Germany, Argentina, Italy, England, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Ireland, Cameroon,Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Romania, Colombia, Uruguay,CR,Egypt,Austria,Scotland, USSR,Sweden, South Korea,USA and the United Arab Emirates.

1994: World Cup in the United States. The final ranking:1-Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Netherlands, Spain,Nigeria, Argentina, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, USA, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Colombia, South Korea, Bolivia, Cameroon, Morocco and Greece.

1998:World Cup in Paris. The final ranking:1-France,Brazil,Croatia, Netherlands, Argentina,Italy, Germany, Denmark, England, Yugoslavia,Romania,Nigeria, Mexico, Paraguay, Norway, Chile, Spain, Morocco, Belgium, Iran, Colombia, Jamaica, Austria, South Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia, Scotland, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, South Korea, Japan and the United States.

2002:World Cup in Japan and South Korea...1-Brazil, 2-Germany, 3-Turkey,4-South Korea...SKorea has one of the best sporting infrastructure in the world...

2006: World Cup in Germany...1-Italy, 2-France,3-Germany,4-Portugal...

REFERENCES:
-Laity,Paul. "Costa de Marfil Brujería: que forma de ganar", National Geographic,MexicoDF, junio 2006

-Matthews,Meter.Whitaker´s Almanac Internacional Sports Records and Results 1998-9, London:The Stationery Office, London, 1998.

-Vickery,Tim. "Paraguay:Rags and Riches",World Soccer Special Edition, London, Summer 2006

-1976 Almanaque Mundial Deportivo, Editorial América, Panama, 1975

-1977 Almanaque Mundial Deportivo,Editorial América, Panama, 1976

-2001 The World Almanac, World Almanac Books, New Jersey,2000

Swedish Toys - A Profile Of Swedish Toy Company - Playsam

2010-10-05T08:01:00.001-07:00

In 1984, the Swedish company Playsam was founded by Carl Zedig with the aim of producing well-designed toys that embodied "color, form and function, all combining to make an aesthetically pleasing whole."

Around this time, Zedig met Hans-Christer Ericson, who subsequently created a total graphic identity for the company, which included creating a brand-new font style for the company's logo, packaging and print advertising.

In 1985, Playsam was awarded the prestigious "Excellent Swedish Design Award" for its eye-catching graphic program. The toys manufactured by Playsam were similarly innovative and were designed by Ulf Hanses, who had previously apprenticed to the well-know industrial designer Sigvard Bernadotte.

Hanses had also designed a range of toys for handicapped children during the early 1980's, the rights to which were acquired by Playsam.

His later, well-known "Streamliner" car for the company, with its clean lines and bold use of color, was conceived while Hanses was sketching freely. Its obvious aesthetic and functional purity has meant that he has never had to alter the design.

As Hanses noted, "Playing with shapes, volumes and proportions is the basis of my work. I am constantly returning to geometry. When I work with toys, I can concentrate on expression without being disturbed by some complicated technical idea."

Hanses' Swedish toys revived and updated the age-old tradition of wooden toy making in Sweden, and it is not surprising to learn that he comes form the Dalarna region, which is famed as the place where the colorful wooden toy horses originate from.

Acknowledging the importance of craft-folk heritage, Hanses' toys have a stripped-down and essential aesthetic that is akin to that of Shaker design.

Hanses believes that it is the ability to convey "soul" and "expression" within a product that differentiates design from draughtsmanship, and certainly his diminutive "Streamliner" has an endearing character that is as engaging for children as it is for adults.

As Carl Zedig has observed, "Most important is the simplicity. When you look at a 'Streamliner,' your imagination adds details." Apart from his "Streamliner" product line, which includes cars, boats, and planes, Hanses has also designed a simple rocking horse for Playsam that possesses a similar elemental quality.

The well-known Swedish designer, Bjorn Dahlstom, has also produced a number of designs for the company, including a toy car, a rocking duck and a rocking rabbit that complement the other products in the range.

Playsam toys exemplify the commonly held belief in Scandinavia that all sectors of society can benefit from good design. Ultimately, the company's international success lies in the innate simplicity of its products, which offers a welcome respite from an age of increasing technological complexity.

Many of Playsam's Swedish Designed Toys, like the "Streamliner," are smooth and simple designs made of wood. Their toys are innovative, timeless and yet sophisticated.

The toy designs appeal to the young and the young at heart and are made to last for many generations.

How Europe Can Be the Next Superpower

2010-10-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

Myth and dreams are more powerful than history and facts.

With numerous prestigious polls indicating the global decline of Brand America, the new EU can usurp the void if it can convey a dazzling new story about itself.

Today, even EU citizens feel vaguely disenchanted despite their new freedoms because the EU had failed to harness a unified and electrifying image that can out-brand Brand America:

Here are some compelling EU facts:

The EU per capita GDP is as strong as the U.S. And the euro is stronger than the dollar. The EU population exceeds America's 300 million by an added 200 million. It has the greatest number of cultures and diversity than any other continent. Seven of the World Economic Forum's top ten business friendly nations are in the EU: Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Britain; the other three are Singapore, the United States and Japan.

The EU dominates the Top 20 most educated global populations:

Number 1 is Norway, (2-Finland, (4-United Kingdom, (6-Sweden, (7-the Netherlands, (9-Belgium, 10-Denmark, (number 11 is France, (12-Spain, 13-Germany, (15-Portugal, number 16 is Switzerland, (17-Ireland, (19-Italy, and (number 20 is Austria. America is number 14 on the list.

The EU is the most visited continent on Earth. France the most visited nation.

France, though a small nation of 63 million compared with America's vast landscape and 300 million population, is the most visited nation on the planet, and the EU the most visited continent: France draws 75,500,000 visitors a year, the United States 50,900,000, (Spain 48,200,000, (Italy 41,200,000, (the United Kingdom 25,200,000, (Russia 21,200,000, and Germany 19,000,000.

The most visited world city is Paris, and in the U.S. NYC is the favorite among global travelers.

The EU has the most beautiful women.

Finally, the EU is also claims five of the world's Top Ten cities with the most beautiful women according to the famed magazine, 'Travelers Digest':

Amsterdam in the Netherlands tops the list, Moscow, Russia ranks fifth, Varna, Bulgaria is seventh, Copenhagen, Denmark is ninth, and (Stockholm, Sweden is number ten on the list for most beautiful women in the world.

The EU needs a story and a brand.

Mythologist Joseph Campbell said that humanity needed a new mythology. Anthropologist Margaret Meade said we need a new pattern. Eco-entreprenuer Paul Hawkin said we need a new global movement. And author Dave Kroten, 'When Corporations Rule the World', said that we need a new story.

What EU citizens have in common is that they most value freedom. But freedom will mean little if we don't solve the Climate Crisis. And France gave the U.S. it's brand and symbol with its gift of the Statue of Liberty.

Al Gore has said what is required is a sense of urgency, and a new generation of Heroes. The world needs something akin to France's 18th century Enlightenment, except the new enlightenment must be green.

Lacking a common language, media, or governmental voice, what can would elevate the EU to superpower status is to address Climate Change in a manner that makes heroes of us all. As Al Gore said, every one of us in the world needs to act as if the future of civilization depends on us.

Europe can frame it's own spectacular rebirth by stepping out in front of the invisible global parade and do for the planet today what it accomplished in the 18th century by sparking revolutionary ideas to recreate France and thus Europe, and America in the new world.

Paris at the heart of the EU was named for Isis, Goddess of Rebirth, Magic and Light. The EU needs to capture and harness that myth with a single, dazzling voice to focus the world on what we can do immediately, with the energy and determination of a global Marshall Plan to halt Climate Change.

By that mythical act the EU would become the light at the top of the world, and would own the 21st century.

Thinking Out of the Box - Not Always So Easy

2010-10-03T07:30:00.001-07:00

I live in Sweden, one of the most environmental conscious countries in the world. Sweden is clean, beautiful, safe and have resources like clean water, thousands of lakes and endless forests. The forests are "the green gold" here.

Lots of people really appreciate the beauty of all these resources and agree that we should all do what we can to protect them, locally and globally.

So far so good.

I, like most Swedish citizens, take personal responsibility for the waste that I and my family produce. We do not throw paper, metal, plastic or glass in the waste bin. Instead we regularly bring that sort of waste to a re-cycling site. The site is a place which the local government takes care of, empties the containers and keeps tidy.

So today I went there with a lot of garbage. And I noticed a funny thing!

The ground in front of the containers was littered with old milk packets, news papers, broken glass and plastic junk.

Strange, I thought, but it is because the containers are obviously overfull. The opening of each container was packed with litter, so a lot of it had fallen to the ground. Not very good care of our local environment...

With a couple of stuffed garbage bags in my hands, I then proceeded to the other side of the containers to have a look. And here is a practical example of thinking outside of the box. Literally. The boxes/containers have openings on all four sides!

The discovery made me really happy. It meant that there was plenty of room for my garbage.

In fact, I am sure that no or at least very few people had taken the trouble of even checking IF there was another possibility. That is, if the containers/boxes by any chance, had openings on other sides than the ones immediately visible to the eye.

In personal development, many teachers talk about "thinking out of the box". It just means to find new ways of thinking than the obvious ones, than the ones we have tried thousands of times before. When we do think out of the box, we often make discoveries and get new insights: "Oh, I have never thought of that before!"

So, my little household chore presented a valuable insight.

Thinking out of the box helped me get rid of my garbage. Otherwise I would have stood there like a fool thinking the containers are full, I have to bring my bags back home.

Never assume that the actions of others are based on wisdom. Think for yourself and discover that there is always a different possibility waiting around the corner. Sometimes literally.

Preventing Drunk Driving

2010-10-02T07:16:00.001-07:00

Too many people are seriously injured or killed or on our roads each year in accidents involving drunk-driving. It is currently estimate that around 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year on our roads in collisions where one or both of the drivers were over the drunk drive limit. As you would expect, motorcyclists have the highest fatality rate of all road users - with current figures showing big increases in young riders killed whilst over the limit.

So drunk driving is a huge problem, not only in the UK but all over the world resulting in many injuries and deaths. These drivers can't argue that they don't know the risks - so it's down right irresponsibility. They're not only putting themselves at risk but the lives of innocent motorists as well. The fact is that drink drivers have a lot to answer for and car insurance premiums generally have to be priced to cover the claims resulting from their actions.

But there might be a solution on the skyline. New technology is being tested in Europe and is already in service in the United States that could put an end to drunk driving once and for all.

It's called the "Alcolock". It's a revolutionary piece of equipment that prevents the car starting when it detects that the person sitting in the drivers seat is over the limit. It works by connecting a built breath analyser to the ignition. When a driver enters their vehicle they have to give a breath sample via a tube connected to the device, this is analysed and if the level of alcohol is above the legal limit, the ignition of the car is immobilized.

These devices are already in use in parts of Canada and the USA where a driver has already been convicted drink driving. This has enabled the Canadian and American governments to reduce the number of known drunk drivers reoffending. In America, to avoid any cheating of the system, some devices even require the driver to provide a breath sample before the journey and at random times during the journey.

These machines have been tested successfully in Europe and especially in Sweden but there are a few flaws that need to be resolved. For example, one tester in Sweden reported that he had to blow into the machine 76 times before the ignition would start - and he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol! Clearly, the manufacturers must be absolutely sure that the equipment totally reliable before launching it onto the market.

Sweden, a leader in car safety, is now fitting the devices to all new cars in a voluntary code which involves all Swedish car manufacturers. And by 2012 these devices will be compulsory for all the country's new commercial vehicles.

We believe Sweden lead will make all of Europe sit up and take notice extending to all new cars.

We know that this raises issues on people's rights as stressed by the Association for British Drivers. But surely, if preventative measures can be taken, they should. After all the lives of fellow road users are at risk and they have rights too.

Does God Hate? - Part 1

2010-10-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

Before I answer this we need to clear up one very important issue and that is the issue of whom we are talking about. Things that we often think are very straight forward frequently turn out to be not quite as straight forward as we first thought. They are still simple to understand (too simple for some) but not as straight forward.

The issue here is this: which God are we talking about - god the Devil or God the Godhead, consisting of the two personages - The Father God and The Lord Jesus Christ? This issue is crucial, for one is a God (Godhead) of love and the other is a god of hate, e.g. the god of all wars. He is the god that sets men against men and wherever there is a war the Devil is involved through his powerful agents on earth - the real powerbrokers behind the politicians. The fact that mankind in general is oblivious to the fact is by the by.

The Devil god is the god of this world - this age. When people use that expression or exclamation 'Oh my god!' they are not blaspheming God's name, they are making blind reference to the Devil. The Father God is not their God because they do not believe in Him so in their eyes and in their minds He does not exist, yet they are still saying 'Oh my god!' This is a god they claim to be theirs and of course he is their god, the god of this world (age) - the Devil.

2 Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Now there he is, as mentioned in Holy Scripture, the one who has blinded the minds of them i.e. those people or rather the great majority of mankind who do not believe and cannot believe. Notice: lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. There we have it, one of the most over read passages of Scripture in the Holy Bible and a Scripture that mainstream Christianity completely ignores. This Scripture plainly tells us that mankind cannot believe and it is not a matter of human choice to believe. Satan the Devil - the god of this world, has blinded them to The Truth i.e. Jesus Christ and His glorious Gospel.

So why is the devil the god of hate? He is the god of hate because we human beings are destined to hold positions of higher authority than him and just the thought of this makes him wild with jealous anger? Some of us (The Elect) will actually judge angels: 1 Cor 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? The Devil also knows that his days are numbered as the god of this world (age). He knows his days of power are soon to come to a dramatic end and his power taken away from him. We are now living in the last days of the last days and he knows it and his hatred for mankind grows stronger each day.

OK, that's enough about the Adversary, but what about The Father God, does He hate anything or anyone? He doesn't hate people, but He does hate the things people do. What things - sinful things? The Father God hates sin - all sin. There is not a sin that He does not hate and that is why He sent His Son The Lord Jesus Christ to deal with sin once and for all.

Hang on a minute, what about all those people who died in the flood - men women and children? What about all those Canaanites The Lord told Joshua and the Israelites to slaughter and wipe out, again, men women and children? If that's not hateful, what is? Then there were all the first born males in Egypt at the time of the Exodus, followed by the Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea, and all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah - this all sounds very hateful to me I hear you say. Yes and there are many in mainstream Christianity that think that way too - especially their clergy. These Biblical historical events give them all kinds of problems and that is because they do not understand The Godhead, they do not understand the "potter and the clay" arrangement, nor do they understand The Godhead's plan for mankind or the "big picture". In their deluded narrow view and mindsets they think the 'God is Love' portrayal of God's character is a contradiction of the God that brought about the above cataclysmic events. 1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

The Father God's vengeful acts also go against their insipid liberal contaminated minds. Minds that have been corrupted and poisoned by a hate filled false gospel on one hand, and liberal politics on the other. Many of these liberal ideas originated with the ideology of the liberal reformers and do-gooders who came to prominence in 19th century Britain and the USA. Am I saying liberal reformers were/are bad people? No, they were well meaning people, totally misguided yes, if they thought they were doing God's will, but misguided just the same. For a fuller explanation of this topic and on man and his 'achievements' please see my article "Was Jesus Christ an effeminate looking wimp? - Part 4"

We can now see from the events that took place in Old Testament times why people in general think God hates mankind or at best they think He is capable of very hateful actions. Now because they do not believe in God and cannot believe in God they can never understand God. What about 'Christians' though, for there are many them who have a similar opinion of God and also consider Him hateful? In theory they are supposed to know God and know Him personally, yet when you quiz them about The God that destroyed all those people in times past they are usually stumped for an answer. Why, they're believers aren't they!? Well yes in theory they are but in reality they're not. How do I know this? I know this because they believe a lie and part of that lie is the lie of the teaching that all unbelievers will be thrown into hell fire - about 95%+ of mankind!!

Just recently I was made aware, via a TV documentary, of the teachings of a so called minister of God in the USA who states quite clearly, on bold colourful placards, that God hates America, God hates Britain and God hates Sweden too. According to this 'minister', God hates all these countries because of their tolerance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles. In brazen ignorant boldness, this 'minister' sends forth his followers (mostly his own family) across the USA instructing them to tell their fellow Americans that God hates America, God hates fags (homosexuals) and God hates those in power who send their young men to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. This family group actually attends the funerals of deceased military personnel to tell their loved ones they died because God hates America and because God is not blessing their military campaigns. Needless-to-say God will also send them all to hell unless they turn from their evil ways. This is what this so called minister of God preaches and teaches. The thing is, is any of this stuff Biblical, is any of it The Truth or is it just evil religious bluster, hogwash and hot air? To find out we need to turn to the Scriptures:

Scripture 1 - Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

And so all Israel shall be saved, this means that all the Israelites and all the Jews that have ever lived from the time of Jacob/Israel to this day will be saved. Now the question we have to ask ourselves here is this. How many of these Israelites and Jews will have been homosexuals in this life and yet will be saved? How many of these homosexual Israelites and Jews will have been Americans? Answer, thousands upon thousands of them and all of them will be saved. There it is, a complete contradiction of everything this 'minister' is saying.

To expound further, here we have a little conundrum. This 'minister' is telling us that God hates all these homosexual Americans and is going to throw them all into hell - a fiery hell no doubt. Now this is very interesting because while he is saying that, The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that His Father will enable them all to be saved. How will He do that, by giving them new hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone and turning ungodliness (which includes homosexuality) from Jacob? It looks as though what this 'minister' is saying is the opposite of what the Godhead is saying and planning on doing!! Well would you believe it - I hope so?

I will continue with the remaining Scriptures in Part 2 and reveal whether or not this so called minister is a minister of God or a minister of the Devil.

Charles Crosby

Famous Swedish Brand Names

2010-09-30T06:45:00.001-07:00

This article offers some general background information on some well-known Swedish brand names, although some of them may not be commonly recognised as originally Swedish.
Sweden is quite unusual in that, for the size of the country, it has a relatively large number of world-class companies. Until recently, these were largely Swedish owned, and several still are, but some are now owned, wholly or partly, by non-Swedish groups but are still seen as Swedish. However, most of these companies are not familiar to the majority of people because they sell to other industries and not to the general public.

People working in those industries will readily recognise such names as Alfa Laval (separators, heat transfer and fluid handling systems), Aga (industrial gases - now part of the Linde Group), Atlas Copco (compressors, mining and construction equipment), ASEA (electrical equipment - now part of ABB), SKF (world number 1 in ball and roller bearings and seals), SCA (pulp and newsprint, packaging, hygiene products), Sandvik (special steels and high quality tools), Stora - originally the Great Copper Mountain mining company and now part of Stora Enso (world number 1 in paper, packaging and forest products) and Ericsson (telecommunications).

However, there are also some industrial names that are recognizable to the public at large. In no particular order, these include:

Volvo
'Volvo' means 'I roll' in Latin, and its familiar logo is based on the symbol for iron to illustrate the company's early links with the Swedish steel industry.
The general public recognizes Volvo primarily as a make of cars, and the first Volvo car was built as long ago as 1927. Today, however, the car division - Volvo Car - has been spun off as a separate entity, purchased by Ford and now forms part of Ford's Premier Car Division (along with the UK's Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin and the American Lincoln).
The Volvo Group now has no car-making operations and focuses on making heavy trucks (it is number 2 in the world behind DaimlerChrysler and owns Renault Trucks in France and Mack Trucks in the US), buses (where it is also world number 2), construction equipment (graders, excavators, backhoe loaders, etc) and aero-engine components. An additional and well-known division of the Volvo Group is Volvo Penta, which makes power units for leisure boats, workboats, industrial equipment, etc. For more information about the Volvo Group, visit their website at http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb

SAAB
The name is an acronym formed from the initials of Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolag (Swedish Aircraft Company) and the company was formed to develop a Swedish domestic military aviation industry.
The company later began building cars, but SAAB Automobile was devolved in 1990 into a separate entity and bought by General Motors in 2000. For many years, SAAB also made heavy trucks through its subsidiary SAAB-Scania, but Scania was also spun off as a separate company in 1995 (see below)
.
The SAAB Group now focuses on aviation, weapons systems, electronics and other systems and represents the major part of the Swedish defence industry. If you are interested, have a look at [http://www.saabgroup.com/en/index.htm]

Scania

Scania was formed in 1891 and since then has delivered more than 1,000,000 vehicles. It merged with SAAB in 1969, but was spun off as a separate company in 1995 when SAAB ceased making both cars and trucks. The company is the world's third largest manufacturer of both heavy trucks and buses and, like Volvo, heavy vehicles carrying its logo are a common sight on British roads. At the time of writing, the German MAN Group is attempting to take over or merge with Scania, which would create a truck and bus group larger than Volvo and second in the world. Volksvagen, which is the largest single shareholder in both groups, has blocked a hostile bid, but is believed to favour a negotiated merger. To read more about Scania, go to http://www.scania.com/

Liposuction As a Treatment For Lymphedema

2010-09-29T06:30:00.001-07:00

In Sweden, liposuction was carried out on patients suffering from lymphedema of the arm. Dr. Brorson performed this procedure on 70 patients who had had mastectomy and were suffering from this condition -a side effect of the surgery. The liposuction procedure was successful in reducing the arm swelling completely and the swelling did not recur. Although this is a new practice for the treatment of arm lymphedema in cancer patients, many doctors feel that it might aggravate the lymphedema rather than treat it. Hence, they recommend continuing with the decongestive therapy and bandaging which is a trusted and proven line of treatment.

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery where excess fat is removed, especially from the stomach or the thighs. In this procedure, incisions are made to remove the excess fat; similar surgical incisions are made on the arm for the liposuction lymphedema treatment. This is where the disagreement arises among doctors; some feel that the surgery will complicate matters even further. However, this procedure is recommended only for those who suffer from severe lymphedema symptoms and do not react to the normal lymphedema treatment of compression bandages and massage.

In the normal course, the body relies on the lymphatic system to heal swelling. Lymphedema is caused due to the malfunctioning of the lymphatic system. Liposuction is a surgery which may give rise to wounds and scars. A person with lymphedema has poor healing capacity and the immune system is also slow to react in preventing any infections. Many surgeons therefore believe that performing liposuction in the affected area will only worsen the situation because the healing process in lymphedema patients will be slow due to a sluggish lymphatic system. This may cause serious complications for the patient.

The concept of liposuction as a treatment for lymphedema treatment presented by Dr. Brorson has been acknowledged by the European Community. But, the procedure must be performed by trained surgeons and only on patients with severe lymphedema where there is no sign of skin pitting and regular treatment does not help. After liposuction, the patient must always use compression bandages. Compression sleeves are made according to the arm measurements and over the course of a year after surgery, they are replaced accordingly. This follow up procedure helps to maintain the reduction achieved after liposuction and prevents the return of the swelling.

Liposuction as a lymphedema treatment method may not really show improvements. Besides there may be complications due to the procedure; sometimes lymphedema may be the result of liposuction done incorrectly. Dr. Brorson's 70 patients will need monitoring for the next seven years to decide whether liposuction for lymphedema patients has long-lasting effects. Since liposuction does not endeavor to fix the lymphatic system, it cannot be termed as a cure for lymphedema. The condition can only be managed with arm exercises and bandaging. Above all, patients who have had lymph node removal should remain alert for early symptoms of lymphedema so that treatment can follow immediately.

Celebrate Christmas - Scandinavian Style

2010-09-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

Scandinavia, which includes the countries of Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has a variety of beautiful and unique Christmas traditions.

While there are a number of similarities, like the use of candles and a combination of red and white decorative elements, there are also many traditions that are unique to each of the Scandinavian countries. The length of the Christmas season also differs, ranging from an eight day celebration in Norway to twelve full days in Sweden.

Finnish Christmas Traditions:

The Christmas season begins after the first weekend of Advent. Advent, which means "coming," refers to the coming of the Christ.

With Advent comes a multitude of Christmas decorations and a number of pre-Christmas gatherings. After Advent, the next important holiday is Independence Day, which coincides with the feast day of St. Nicholas on December 6th. As is common with other Scandinavian countries, the main Christmas celebration and meal takes place on Christmas Eve. The meal frequently includes: pickled herring, roe, raw salmon, carrots, potato casseroles, ham, and a vegetable salad called rosolli.

For dessert, the Finns frequently serve cinnamon biscuits and a cold dish made of pureed plums.

One tradition, which seems to be unique to the Finns, is the honoring of the dead. Finnish families visit cemeteries and place lit candles on the graves of their loved ones. The flickering of candlelight grows throughout the day, creating a beautiful and unforgettable site beneath the dark blue sky.

Danish Christmas Traditions:

Danes main celebration is on Christmas Eve but continue their celebration through December 26th. The family gathers to decorate the tree with lit candles, paper decorations, fruits, sweets and small Danish flags. The families dance around the tree, sing traditional songs and exchange gifts. One of the gifts includes month-long "calendar candy" which is still given in Denmark today.

The Christmas Eve meal is traditionally either roast duck or goose stuffed with apples and de-stoned prunes. Side dishes include sweet and sour red cabbage and potatoes covered in rich brown gravy made from the juice of the roast duck or goose.

Norwegian Christmas Traditions:

Most Norwegian homes have a pine or spruce tree decorated with tinsel, white lights, small Norwegian flags and a variety of other ornaments. The children make Christmas baskets of colored paper and fill them with candy and nuts. A typical Norwegian Christmas meal includes "pinnekjott" - a rib of lamb which has been salted and dried and is sometimes smoked. It is frequently served with sausages, mashed turnip or rutabaga, boiled potatoes, mustard and a cold Christmas beer.

As with other Scandinavian countries, the Norwegians giver of gifts is called the "Nisse." The Nisse, which is an elf (or gnome) usually dresses in gray and likes to play little tricks. The children leave porridge about so that the Nisse will find favor with them and will bring them fine gifts.

Swedish Christmas Traditions:

In Sweden, the Christmas season begins with St. Lucia Day on the 13th of December and continues through to the end of Christmas Day.

St. Lucia Day (aka the Swedish Festival of Lights) starts first thing in the morning. The eldest daughter in the household dresses in a beautiful white dress and wears a crown adorned with candles. She serves saffron rolls, ginger biscuits and coffee on a tray to her family and sings the traditional Lucia carols.

The Swedish Christmas dinner is served on Christmas Eve and frequently includes a smorgasbord of meats such as pork, ham, sausage, meatballs and all sorts of herring. Sweets include cakes, pies and pepparkakor, which are Swedish ginger cookies.

Christmas day marks the beginning of a period of rest as most Swedes have another one to two weeks off work. Gatherings and celebrations continue during this resting period and the Christmas tree is normally left up for about three weeks after Christmas. While each of the Scandinavian countries has its own unique traditions, one thing remains the same... It's a joyous time filled with light, love and the giving of gifts.

The History of Downhill Skiing

2010-09-27T06:00:00.001-07:00

Long before skiing was a sport, skis were actually utilized for both transportation and work alike. Located in Sweden, the oldest ski known to man is short, wide and believed to be around 4500 years old. However, ancient rock and cave drawings reveal that skis may have existed even earlier than 4500 years ago. Originally, travelers or hunters may have used skis since they were used quite commonly during the extended winter months in Scandinavia and Northern Russia. Speed was a non-issue when making the early designs of skis as they were needed more to keep people on the snows surface while they moved around and traveled.

When looking into the history of downhill skiing, peoples indigenous to the Telemark region of Norway were credited with, in the 1700's, taking skiing and turning it into a sport. They also are credited with inventing both the Christie and the Telemark turns to control downhill descent speeds. And with a fondness of alpine ski jumping, these pioneers brought into existence the disciplines of Nordic and Alpine skiing. Of course the distinctions we make today between various skiing disciplines were not made hundreds of years ago. In fact, early renditions of skis simply had a boot which was secured to your ski at the toe area only, leaving your heel free to either move down or up. This is now what we call a Nordic style ski.

As you begin to look more closely into the history of downhill skiing, you will surely find that, in the 1800's, the original organized jumping, skiing and cross country events took place. And into the 1900's skiing began to flourish as the Norwegians neighbors, the Europeans, began to discover how enthralling skiing could be. During that time period, Nordic style equipment was still heavily used. This fact is highlighted in 1924 with the advent of the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. The games only featured five sports while the two skiing events were Nordic. Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping. And in 1932, the Winter Olympic Games opened in Lake Placid, NY and featured Cross Country Skiing as a new Olympic sport.

And as skiers forged on and tackled ever more difficult terrain, their equipment and skill levels needed to adapt to these challenges. This is because turns like the Telemark were sufficient for Norway's rolling, flat terrain but lacked the necessary control that is crucial for European slopes such as the Alps. Hence, this is how the idea of Alpine skiing was born. When reading about the history of downhill skiing, you will find that Alpine skiing equipment utilizes a boot which is mounted to a ski with both the heel and toe section of the boot attached to it. This provides the skier with more control in order to ski faster and negotiate steep terrain.

Slalom and downhill Alpine skiing came into being using this newer and more modern equipment. In fact, in the Winter Games in Austria in 1936, the first alpine skiing event was introduced to the Olympics. It was called the combined. Also during the period of the 30's, Europeans took up alpine skiing and its popularity continued to steadily climb. During this time, the first ski lifts were constructed which cancelled out the physically draining task of climbing up a mountain before descending. After World War II, ski areas began to open up when Switzerland and Austria developed Alpine ski resorts.

In 1952 at the Oslo Winter Olympics, the new discipline dubbed Giant Slalom was debuted. The GS actually combined aspects form previous alpine skiing disciplines. And Super G, a Downhill and Giant Slalom hybrid, was the fourth alpine skiing discipline added to both the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and the 1983 World Cup events as well. Over this period of time, skiing equipment manufacturers have been developing safer, faster equipment as athletes have taken and combined the new equipment with a higher skill level and better training in order to improve all facets of this sport. As the debate continues on about which skiing discipline is the premiere one, we know one thing for sure. All styles of skiing are growing in popularity, and skiing can be enjoyable for an entire lifetime.

Choosing a Telescopic Rifle Scope or Laser or Red Dot Sight for Airsoft or Paintball

2010-09-26T05:45:00.001-07:00

A scope or sight makes playing airsoft even more fun in a number of ways. If you don't have one you should get one!

While not as essential as say for air rifle shooting where you often need to hit a 5p size target at 30 metres an airsoft scope can help in other ways

Telescopic scopes improve longer distance aimed shot accuracy - Very handy for sniping.
Brilliant for spotting enemy in cover (ambushes!) and - or at ranges way beyond rifle range.
Red dot and laser sights improve hit rates in fast reflex CQB and mad skirmishes.
And of course they make any airsoft rifle look very cool and are loads of fun to use (which has got to count for quite a bit I reckon)

There are 3 types to consider -

1 - Telescopic scopes As the name suggests you get magnified vision. These are ideal for snipers and general rifle combat.

Come in a wide range of sizes, for example -

3-9x40 is the most popular general purpose type but what does that mean?

3-9 - Means the magnification. In this example can be dialed between 3 and 9x (and all the numbers in between)
Very handy for multiple situations and ranges.
40 = lens size in millimeters. 40mm is a very good size. Good light capture and a wide field of view but not overly bulky.
By contrast a 4x32 would mean 4 x magnification only through a 32mm lens.

Cross hairs - There are many different types but for airsoft use you don't need to worry about this to much except as a fashion thing!

The 30-30 type is pretty standard and is fine (similar to a traditional plain X hair)
You'll see others with Mil Dot which is the military standard cross hair.
Just the job you may think but they are more expensive and the mil dot stuff is basically a range finding and distance estimation aid that's of little use until distances over a couple of hundred meters are reached. A nice to have but you don't need it.

Types 2 and 3 Red dot and Laser sights
These are not magnified - what you see is the real size as it is.
Perfect for FIBUA, CQB and close quarter stuff where you need reflex from the hip or fast semi aimed eye to sight shots (a la SWAT style)
Great for pistols as well.

2 - Red dot sight
Projects a red (or green) dot onto the inside of the lens.
Only you can see this dot - hopefully on your target.
You fire and you hit.
Very handy for reflex combat and pistols.
The bigger the lens the better. 20mm is common and OK. 40mm more pricey but much better. (Tasco do some great ones)

3 - Laser sights
Similar principle to the red dot except the dot is "visibly visible"" on the target - anyone can see it.
Brilliant for scaring the hell out of the enemy, but it can give you away too so use with care!
Best in low light, but any decent laser will still give you visible dot even in standard daylight, though effective range will be much less.
Various types, some can go on top of a telescopic sight.
Others can be mounted slung under the barrel or pistol grip.

Makes include, the SMK LS1, LS2 and LS3 models, Hawke Tactical, Beamshot and Cybergun Universal. All are excellent with SMK being at the budget end (I sell loads of them on ebay)

Mounts and base rails - VERY IMPORTANT! An important area and one that causes a lot of confusion on ebay! - To fit a scope or sight to a rifle of pistol there must be somewhere to clamp it onto. Makes sense yes? (not to some people it doesn't!)

Look for dovetail type grooves running along the top of the rifle body - This is the scope or sight rail or base.

To this rail or base you attach the scope or sight by way of scope mounts

But just to make it extra fun there are different type of mounts as rails - bases differ in width!

But OK, assuming you have a base rail of some sort. Next - Measure the distance between the grooves of the base.

If it's no more than 13mm wide (3/8 inch) then you need what are called standard mounts
If it's 20mm wide (5/8 inch) then you have what is called a Weaver base and need weaver mounts (inventors name)

Most airsoft models need weavers. Examples that spring to mind are the TM M4, SR16, SG550-51-52 series, MP5.
Some sniper types have Standard.
It's not a problem if you measure up first and check that the sight or scope you are getting has the right type
Take extra care with models that have fitted mounts. These cannot be changed so if you get the wrong type they'll have to be sent back and swapped for a totally different model.
If in doubt read the product description carefully or email the seller to ask for clarification and include your gun make, model and link to website so the seller can check it out fast.

Nickwake (my) ebay shop fast guide to airsoft suitable scopes and sights

Telescopics -

4x20 - Only come with fitted Standard mounts. Do not buy or bid for if you have a weaver base.
4x32, 3-9x32, 4x40, 3-9x40, 4-12x42 and 8x56

All come without mounts so you choose mount type.
All models can all have the SMK LS2 scope mounted laser sights added to give you telescopic AND relex shooting.

Red dots -
Type 1 - "Open eye" with fitted standard mounts
Type 2 - Tasco BKR - with fitted weaver mounts (a very cool sight this one)

Lasers -
Type 1 - LS2 Scope mounted. A long term best seller. Available on own or as part of a combo set or add on if you win an auction.
Type 2 - Cybergun Laser and Torch - with various adaptors, can be barrel slung. Also come with a tactical torch. Very cool kit.

So, want to get one? I hope you know what you need to know now and to see you online soon! Or, for more scope guide stuff see my website zero rifle scopes

Swedish Real Estate Could Be the Key

2010-09-25T05:30:00.001-07:00

What is the fourth largest property market in Europe? Would it shock you to learn that it is also the home of Ikea, and Saab? Sweden, is the fourth largest land mass in Europe, and has a population of nine million. Britain, by comparison is home to about 59 million people who live in an area half the size of Sweden. Sweden is commonly perceived as being expensive and cold. It's true the cost of living in Sweden is higher than Britain; but property prices are lower, and its actually hotter in the summer than the UK, and not nearly as wet in winter.

Sweden is a member of the EU, although like Britain it has not adopted the euro as its currency, Sweden's GDP per capita is approximately 15% above the EU25 average, placing it well within the 10 wealthiest nations in Europe. The cost of living is high by UK standards, but property prices are surprisingly low with country cottages priced from EUR40,000 (£27,500) and villas from EUR100,000 (£69,000).

Gothenburg, on the west coast, is a major port and industrial centre. It's also home to a world-class opera house, and has a lively down town area. Malmo, on the south coast, arguably has the greatest economic potential of all Sweden's cities following the completion of a 16 kilometre-long bridge and tunnel linking it to Copenhagen, Denmark, where workers are choosing to work in in Copenhagen, and live in Malmo where house prices are cheaper. The disparity between house prices in Sweden and its neighboring countries is due to the Swedes - typically preferring to rent rather than buy property as supply and demand for tenanted occupation is one of the most favorable anywhere in the world. In Stockholm people often stay on housing lists for five years before finding something suitable. The downside is that the rental market is over-regulated, and rents have been kept artificially low. Vast numbers of properties are now being sold to the private sector therefore rents in the cities should rise fast. Depending on your finance arrangements, you may wish to hire an independent surveyor, which is common practice in Sweden. You are not obliged to have a solicitor but it is strongly recommended you do so when buying a property overseas. Once the transaction is completed, it is the buyer's responsibility to apply for deeds of title within three months of the sale transfer and submit them for registration.

In practice, your solicitor will do this on your behalf. Expect to pay 1-4% in solicitor's fees. Stamp duty is charged on registration of the title deeds at approximately 1% of the purchase price. Property tax is payable at an annual rate of around 1.5% of the property's regularly assessed value at 75% and will be charged on tax registered foreign ownership. Newly built homes or renovated homes are exempt from property tax for the first five years with the next five years at a 50% reduction.

Another popular method of property ownership/investment within the Scandinavian region is syndicated property ownership. These are typically set up as limited companies registered with the equivalent of companies house in the appropriate country. The single purpose of the registered business is to purchase, manage tenants, collect rental income, and sell the property, at the end of the investment term - and make all the necessary returns to all the investors involved. Returns from rental income are typically paid back to investors during the investment term either; quarterly or annually, and any capital appreciation of the property is paid in a lump sum at the end of the investment period.

Choosing A Static Caravan

2010-09-24T05:15:00.001-07:00

When choosing a static caravan you will probably look for the holiday park which meets your requirements and then move onto the caravan. Selecting the right holiday park is vital to ensure a long term ownership.

Now for the caravan and looking for the right caravan to suit your needs. Most of the Parks will deal with majority of the manufacturers. If buying directly from the park you will probably deal with a salesperson instead of direct with the manufacturers. You can collect brochures direct from the manufacturers to research all the models and specifications which will not only ensure you choose the correct model but also help you to understand what to look for and choice of different models. To see the caravan you can visit them at key caravan exhibitions as most top manufacturers will display there, see events.

The static holiday caravan has been designed for holiday use instead of full time living. With its modern construction and use of high quality materials the static caravan should be built to British and European standard: BS EN 1647 but some luxury caravans are built to BS 3632 confirming to residential standards.

Normal static caravan can come in either one or two sections with width up to 22ft and 60ft long. If you have a one piece model this is a single unit and the two piece is known as a twin and usually assembled on site.

Decide on how many bedrooms you require as most caravans can be from 2 to 4 bedrooms but up to eight berths. Manufactures will normally have their own layout but will offer a number of ranges depending on your budget.

When it comes to size and specifications you should not only look at all of your own needs but if you are sub letting then there maybe other requirements. This decision should be looked at before purchase, maybe make a list of what you need and what is needed for sub letting.

Budget will normally make your decision also how often you use the caravan and again if you going to sublet. If you will be there for long periods of time then it may be worth spending a little extra to gain more living space or an extra bedroom but if only there for short periods and subletting you may opt for the standard size and specifications hopefully providing you with a better return.

Want to Be ABBA This Halloween?

2010-09-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

Unintentionally but still just like music is divided into different genres, musicians and singers are also seen adorning different clothes. So, if you love rock music, you know they wear long hair and leather clothes with metal spikes; if you loved the disco era, singers wore bell bottoms and flare sleeved shirts.

Whether at a costume party, a theme party or Halloween, we love dressing up. And if we can dress up like the celebrities or band members of our favorite group, nothing like it! Different singers wear different costumes and these are easily available at stores and online merchants. You can sort costumes by the year, 70s, and 80s and so on. You could choose a costume by the music genre, like disco, rock, pop, country. You could also choose your attire to imitate a band or a particular singer. Perhaps the most imitated singer of all times has been Elvis Presley. Don't we just love those white flared shirts with ruffled- laced chest, white bell bottoms with silver accents, the blonde wig with that trademark hairdo and top it with a soulful ballad and you are ready to swoon girls!

Most singers had their own trademark styles of dressing up and were the fashion police of their own times. This is of vital importance as it is the main reason why youngsters then and now loved dressing up like them. It is a common psyche; we love to dress up like our idols or performers whom we simply love. This also explains the huge sales of Gene Simmons costumes, wigs and masks. Halloween is a time when you see an entire brigade of young people dressed up like Gene Simmons with his big silver shoes, heavily accented jackets and a mask with the famous tongue sticking out!

The ABBA costume from the 70s is one craze that will never end, just like their everlasting music. The band were the epitome of sweet love, couples making music and singing together were revered in Sweden! Mini skirts and bootlegs with ruffles below the knees, loose fitting shirts with bells and shiny men's shirts with ruffles. Broad belts and blonde wigs became big fashion since Frida and Agneta featured them on their tours and album covers. The ABBA look is still such a rage with the disco loving rage that the number of costumes bought despite them not being exactly cheap is staggering.

Remember Madonna in material girl? The look she feature din the album will remain immortal with youngsters dressing up as the material girl at parties even today. The proverbial little black number, the wig, leather chokers, black lace anklets and a lot of attitude is all you need to be the Madonna of the party!

The costumes, looks, hairdos are all as many in number as the number of known and unknown singers of past gone by and all of the present. It is probably right when we assume different singers wear different costumes and thank god for it! Wonder were would have the cult following channeled without our favorite singers leading the way in style, fashion and clothes!

Discovering Western Sweden

2010-09-22T04:45:00.001-07:00

Most Irish investors need rental income to pay down borrowings which makes it all the more bewildering that we have an uncanny ability for picking out the least rental friendly countries in the world as potential investment locations and avoiding some of the more obvious locations, for instance Sweden.

As a rental income investor there are some very key factors that must be present in a location before consideration of a purchase. The most obvious one of these is that there is a strong rental tradition in the country in question. From a residential property point of view this rules out most of eastern Europe for all but the more high-risk investor. The second necessity is a double taxation treaty so that you don't lose most of your hard-earned cash to tax by paying it in two different jurisdictions. The third most important factor is the availability of local mortgaging facilities at reasonable interest rates, a factor which, again, rules out a significant swathe of countries which may potentially look to enter the EU. Other factors which need to be considered are political and economic stability, the ease of carrying out a property transaction and the efficacy of the legal framework for purchasing. It is of course also imperative that there be a reason for stable property price inflation and the ability to purchase property at a price level which will allow a reasonable return on your investment.

On the basis of all these factors you have to wonder how we have all managed to miss out on Sweden? It has a culture of rental, a double taxation treaty with Ireland, mortgages are available at about a percent under Euro rates, it is one of the most stable countries in Europe, has the most transparent real estate industry in the world and treats foreign investors exactly the same as locals.

Economically, Sweden is a unique entity in that it appears to have successfully straddled capitalism and socialism to a degree unknown in any other nation. The result is a country with a very high standard of living and far less of the extreme highs and lows experienced by most entirely capitalist or socialist societies. There is a chance that this may change slightly because of a change in government last year, when a four-party centre-right coalition won power following 12 years of Social Democratic minority rule. Swedish locals say the 'new moderates' want Swedes to take some responsibility for their own long term financial affairs and the new government have intimated that they may look at abolishing property tax. It also seems that there is potential that their regulated rental system will be looked at as part of a lower tax regime. Sweden is, however, nothing if not reliable so the changes are unlikely to be sweeping or calamitous whatever happens.

Western Sweden is surprisingly close, just 2 hours flight from Dublin to Gothenburg with Ryanair. Much of its southernmost coastline, where most of the population live, is actually on the same line of latitude as southern Scotland, with some of it as far south as Northern Ireland. It is also a surprise to discover that the Swedish cost of living is not actually that high, particularly when taken in the context of average income levels. The cost of property is also significantly lower than the Irish are accustomed to at home, even in the main cities. Sweden comes high on the UN's Human Development scale because of their high levels of education, democracy, income and public health. The country contains a mere nine million citizens, which is incredible when you consider that six of the companies regularly featured in the world's top 100 companies are Swedish.

One thing that will be a deterrent for smaller property investors is the propensity toward urban residential property being sold in blocks rather than individually. This obviously means that the entry threshold is much higher than many other countries which really only makes it an option for those with EUR150k plus to invest. You can buy individual properties if you move into rural areas but those wanting this type of unit generally own rather than rent so potential income and market stability is vastly reduced. It is also difficult to raise bank finance for the purchase of individual units. There is not a lot of new build property in Sweden as the cost of building is significantly higher than the cost of existing product. Consequently, when new property does come on the market it tends to be at a price level that attracts a very poor yield.

Sam Roch-Perks of Swirish Property AB, a Swedish registered company specializing in sourcing and managing real estate investments for Irish investors, says that, Sweden has a unique variety of property micro-markets due to the system of rent control where the tenant organization and individual municipalities agree rate changes based on factors such as house prices, costs and indexation. Residential property investment only makes sense in secondary markets as rentals often do not reflect the high prices of property in major residential centres such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. Smaller feeder cities where prices have not spiraled, he says, offer better potential and stronger returns. The company targets cities with populations of 50,000 plus close to a main urban centre, he therefore decided to base his company in the town of Trollhattan, just outside Gothenburg, the primary base manufacturing and logistics in Sweden. Other cities of interest, according to Roch-Perks, are Uddevalla, Vanersborg, Skovde and Boras. The company is particularly active in Trollhattan because it has recently attracted a new university, infrastructure to the town is being greatly improved and manufacturers such as Volvo and Saab have bases there, although there are worries for the manufacturing side of Saab which is due to be switched to Germany.

Roch-Perks says the company try to source product with yields around 2% higher than Swedish interest rates and bank gearing of between 75% and 85%. Clients can generally borrow up to 80% for commercial purchases and often up to 90% for residential, as long as the client has a credit history with the bank as a strong cash flow statement can be presented for the investment. Property price rises are slow and steady rather than spectacular, but the property market does appear stable and sustainable with an average 7% increase in values over 2005.

The Swedish base rate is generally a half percent or so lower than the Euro. You will of course be crossing currencies as the Swedish Krona is not pegged to the Euro. It is, however, generally a very stable currency, although recent worries about sub-prime lending in the US has cause for more movement than usual. Residential rental in Sweden is regulated by a unique system where the tenant organization and individual municipalities agree rate changes based on factors such as house prices, costs and indexation.

The Swedish property market had a very large price crash in the early nineties. Those active in the real estate market at the time say that irresponsible activities by the banks, extremely out of character for the Swedes, were the cause of much of the damage. The market has, therefore, been very chastened since and the banks have cleaned up their act significantly. Purchasers are asked to show the origin of all cash being used to fund a transaction so the attraction for money of dubious origin is virtually nil.

Frank Greene, who handles Swedish transactions at Mazars says; "Purchasing as an individual in Sweden means you will be taxed there and allowed for this tax payment in Ireland. You can also form a Swedish company which raises gearing levels with the local bank and depreciation can be used to reduce tax payments. Swedish corporate taxation is presently 28% which can reduce to approximately 10% allowing for depreciation. These options are not available if you are investing directly as an Irish citizen. Due to the double taxation treaty between Ireland and Sweden, Irish investors will be only liable to Irish CGT, presently at 20%, on exit if correctly structured."

It is traditional to have no legal involvement in the property transaction process as licensed brokers must carry Professional Indemnity insurance guaranteeing that everything declared is completely correct. You have the right to legal redress against the broker should there be problems which were not outlined in the documentation presented to you prior to the sale.

Hagstrom Guitars - An Experience in Creative Playing

2010-09-21T04:30:00.001-07:00

Hagstrom guitars are, not surprisingly, made by Hagstrom, a company that started life in the town of Älvdalen in Sweden. The company name is correctly spelled as Hagström with a dieresis over the "o," but once the Hagstrom guitars hit the English speaking market, the name was changed to include only letters without accents.

Electric solid-body Hagstrom guitars have been produced since 1958. The company had been producing accordions since 1932, so the Hagstrom guitars were a considerable deviation from their usual line. The early Hagstrom Deluxe guitar, however, had a sparkling celluloid finish that had long been used on their accordions.

Hagstrom soon started making hollow-body guitars along with their solid-body guitars. The Viking and the rather strangely name Jimmy (named after Jimmy D'Aquisto of New York) are early examples of successful Hagstrom hollow-bodied products.

Hagstrom guitars expanded from making lead and rhythm instruments to making bass guitars in 1961. The Hagstrom Standard was their first model, but it was the Hagstrom H8 produced in 1965 that caused a stir in the world of music, for it was the world's first 8-string bass guitar.

The sixth Hagstrom H8 to be produced was owned by guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix. He had his bass guitar in 1967. Other well-known bass players who owned one of the famous Hagstrom guitars include Danny McCulloch who played bass for the Animals, and Mike Rutherford, bass player for genesis.

The innovation that is Hagstrom guitars probably reached its peak with the Hagstrom H8. It was based around a normal four stringed bass guitar, but the strings were simply doubled up, a bit like the way a 12-string guitar is.

It did have an interesting sound, however. This was mostly because of lighter gauge strings being arranged above the standard strings and tuned to a whole octave higher. The resultant tone was quite unique.

Hagstrom guitars were not the only thing the company produced. They also made a range of amplifiers and speakers. Swedish super group ABBA used Hagstrom equipment on their first tour of the world. However it is for their guitars that Hagstrom are best remembered.

The company stopped their Swedish side of production in 1983. They did some collaborative work with Japanese companies, but decided not to proceed in that direction. Hagstrom guitars, while much loved all over the world, could no longer compete with the cheap labour markets of Asia.

It took 21 years before Hagstrom guitars once again started in production in 2004. As they couldn't compete with Asia, they decided to go there and their current factory is now in China. There are plans to return production to Sweden, but at the time of writing this has not happened yet.

Hagstrom guitars, especially the early ones, have become highly collectible items. Elvis Presley used a red coloured Hagstrom Viking II on his Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special. In the early 1990s this guitar was sold for $50,000.

Hagstrom guitars have developed a cult following from people all over the world who have fallen in love with the highly distinctive instrument. Since 2006, fans gather every year for the Hagström Festival at Älvdalen in Sweden during the first week of June to exchange guitar stories and play some music - on Hagstrom guitars, of course.

Miss Universe Facts!

2010-09-20T04:15:00.001-07:00

California'55

Like Brazil and the States, Sweden was one of the world's beauty pageant superpowers in the 50s and 60s. In 1955, this Nordic nation won the global title.

Long Beach '58

Surprisingly, Dutch Guiana - present-day Suriname (South America) -- was one of the 15 semi-finalists, but did not make the list of the five finalists.

Miami '61

Miss Universe 1961 Marlene Schmidt was born in the former East Germany, but she moved to West Germany in search of political tranquility and new opportunities. She was the first and only German to win the international award.

America '65

After winning the event, Aspara Hangsakula (Thailand) embarked on a world tour, making stops in the United States, Asia and Latin America. The dark-eyed girl is Thailand's most famous beauty queen.

Florida '66

Inspired by Hangsakula's victory, Thailand's representative Jeeranum Savettanum was second runner-up.

Miami '71

Lebanon's Miss Universe Georgina Rizk, a native of Beirut, was the one of the first Miss Universes to appear on a national postage stamp. She, who participated in Miss World, is about five feet seven inches tall (she is taller than Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco ), weights 121 pounds and measures 35-25-35. In addition to this, Miss Lebanon Universe speaks four foreign languages.

El Salvador '75

One of the most famous archaeological treasures in Central America, the Tazumal pyramid, was selected by the Miss Universe Organization as the symbol of the 23rd Miss Universe 1975 in San Salvador (El Salvador).

Acapulco '78

Dewi Sukarno, former first Lady of Indonesia, was one of the international judges, along with Mario Moreno Cantinflas (Mexico's actor), Ursula Andress (Sweden's actress) and other famous celebrities. Dewi was the wife of former dictator Achmed Sukarno, one of the most brutal rulers in the 20th century.

Perth '79

In the face of international sanctions, Bophuthatswana, it was not recognized by the United Nations and Washington, sent a representative to Australia, site of the beauty contest. Unfortunately, Bophuthatswana's delegate, Alina Moeketse,a black girl, did not make the list of the 12 semi-finalists. Like Transkei, Venda, and Ciskei, Bophuthatswana was founded by the former South African apartheid regime.

Perth'79 & Paradise Island'09

Venezuela is often seen as a model for Miss Universe Pageant on Earth. In 1979, Venezuela's representative Maritza Sayalero was elected MU in Oceania. In August 2009, this rich-oil country was the first country to win back-to-back Miss Universe finals. Between 1979 to 2009, the Latin nation has won six global crowns: Australia'79, New York' 81, Panama '86, Las Vegas '96, Vietnam'08 & Paradise Island '09.

New York City '81

Venezuela's Irene Saez Conde, 18-year-old, did not learn English until that she won the Miss Universe award in the United States in July 1981.During her reign, under the watchful eye of her professor, Joseph Nassif, she learned to speak English very well.

Panama City '86

Miss Denmark, Helena Christensen, who had received little mention in the Panamanian press, did not even make the semi-finals of Miss Universe Panama '86, but seven years later she, who is half Peruvian, became one of the world's top super-models in the 90s, alongside names like Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, and Naomi Campbell.

Taipei'88

Four beauty queens from Asia -Thailand (Porntip Nakhirunkanok), South Korea (Yunjung Chang), Japan (Mizuho Sakaguchi), & Hong Kong (Pauline Yeung) -- were among the top five finalists. In this edition, Miss Thailand was crowned Miss Universe 1988. Apart from winning the universal trophy, she also won the "Best national Costume". In Taiwan, Nakhirunkanok ended Latin America's three year domination of international pageant. The three past events had been won by Deborah Carthy-Deu (Puerto Rico/1985), Barbara Palacios (Venezuela/1986) and Cecilia Bolocco (Chile/1987). Mexico's Amanda Olivares was the only one to challenge the Asian supremacy: She finished third in the global contest.

Cancun'89

After falling from the Miss World Pageant in Spain/ UK, Angela Visser, Miss Holland, became Miss Universe in Cancun. According to experts on Miss Universe, the blue-eyed woman, an ex fashion model from Rotterdam, was one of the most beautiful beauty queens of the Twentieth century.

Las Vegas '91

Ireland's representative Siobhan McClaferty, 20-year-old hostess, did not make the list of the 10 semi-finalists, but won the Miss Photogenic award. Miss Ireland Universe, a blue-eyed girl, finished 19th (swimsuit: 8.08 points/ interview: 8.88/ evening gown: 8.44) in the international contest in Nevada. Curiously, she came close to winning the 1990 Miss World -- MU's rival - in the United Kingdom.

Bangkok '92

Suriname - the only Dutch-speaking republic in the Americas - finished in the last place: 78th.

From Thailand'92 to Manila'94

By 1994, Miss Colombia placed second for the third consecutive year. Unfortunately, the South American country has not won a MU trophy in 51 years!

Las Vegas '96

In the preliminaries, Miss India had the highest score in the interviews: 9.48 points, ahead of Venezuela (9.43), USA (9.37), Peru (9.36), Chile (9.28), El Salvador (9.26), Trinidad & Tobago (9.23) and Norway (9.19). India's contestant Sandhya Chib made the top ten , but was not one of the finalists.

Trinidad Tobago'99

The African republic of Bostwana - an obscure country that had never won a beauty contest- earned the global competition in the Caribbean. It was the first time since Namibia (1992) that an obscure nation had won the prize.

Los Angeles '06

This year Puerto Rico won its fourth Miss Universe award after finishing second in the 2005 Miss Universe in Bangkok, Thailand. There were a number of celebrations in the island, after Zuleyka Rivera won the universal title in North America.

Paradise Island '09

According to MU experts, Miss France, Chloe Mortaud, was the pre-pageant favorite to win the MU title in The Bahamas, ahead of Rachael Anne Finch (Australia), Ada Aimèe de la Cruz (Dominican Republic), Iveta Lutokska (Czech Republic) and China (Wang Jungyao). Surprisingly, she, a dual French-American citizen, did not make the top 5, and finished sixth. France's Mortaud was the first black to be named favorite since Vanessa Mendoza, Miss Colombia, in 2002.

Qatar is Second in the Income Level Per Capita

2010-09-19T04:00:00.001-07:00

The results of the annual survey on world economies were published in Switzerland. Thereat, the specialists have identified the country with the best working conditions. USA still heads the list. Singapore and Hong Kong have also entered the list of the most attractive states.

Regardless of favorable conditions for work in USA, the highest salary is yet paid in Luxembourg. The income per capita there constitutes more than $65.5 thousand a year. The tiny European state is followed by the similar one from Persian Gulf - this is Qatar with the population amount of 744 thousand people. Here the income per inhabitant constitutes $65 thousand. The Swiss own the level of about $50 thousand. Then come Norway, USA, Denmark, Japan, Sweden and Germany.

On the other hand, the inhabitants of Core Europe can make boast of the leisure time quantity. The shortest business week is in France - only 35 hours. Though, the French still think this is not enough. Recently, local scientists have sent up a report in the government, according to which about 10 million of their countrymen lack sleep, which leads to illnesses and depressions. There is only one way out - to legitimate the afternoon nap break! The authorities were touched so deeply that even have appropriated 6 million Euro for the further investigation of this question. It was decided to allow a short break, to begin with - about 15 minutes. If the results are considered to be successful, the French government will legitimize this practice throughout the country. By the way, they have one of the longest vacations. Though, the longest one is in Germany - six weeks, 30 working days. The over-forties have one more day for the vacation and the over-fifties - also one more. The vacation can be taken by parts - several times a year. What Germans like to do - is to fill up working periods between holidays with leave days. For instance, they only have to take four days of vacation between Christmas and New Year in order to rest for 12 days.

To compare, vacation in Japan constitutes only 18 days. It is even less in America - 12 days. By the way, USA is the only country, where the paid vacation period is not legislated. As talking about the Koreans: though they do not disdain eating our fellow animals, they concede the rest of the world in the work place arrangement. In South Korea they have the lowest unemployment rate on the planet - only 3.6%.

Holland and Denmark can make boast of the same indicators. Then goes Australia - among the inhabitants of the Green continent only 6% of people are not working. In the EU countries the unemployment rate is 16%. It is so high due to the unemployment in Poland, which is almost 30%.

By the way, UNO has recently published another rating of the countries by their human development index. Thereat, Iceland was considered to be the best country in the world to live in. Over a period of last six years this list has been headed by Norway, which is second this year.

The Norwegians are followed by Australia, Canada, Ireland and Sweden. The world economy leader - USA - is only the 12th. There are 70 states in this list in all.

88 more countries are in the second group, with so-called "medium level of development". Here enter the developing countries, which are the most successful by the "third world" standards: Kazakhstan (73rd place), Ukraine (76th), Armenia (83rd).

According to UNO, the worst conditions are in African countries. Three of them - Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau are considered to be the most disadvantaged in terms of living conditions. People rarely live more than 50 years here, and only one third of them can read and write.

Sweden Casinos

2010-09-18T03:45:00.001-07:00

The Scandinavian country of Sweden, famous for its forests and lakes, in addition nowadays offers a wide range of choice for those looking to test their skill and luck in the casino. There are four Sweden casinos; all owned by the Cosmopol chain, located one apiece in the cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo and Sundsvall. These international-standard casinos have revolutionized gambling in the country.

The largest of the Sweden casinos is appropriately to be found in Sweden's largest city and the capital, Stockholm. The Casino Cosmopol Stockholm, located on Kungsgatan 65, offers a huge 37,674 square feet of international-style gambling opportunities, open seven days a week from 1pm to 5am. There are three hundred slot machines and 31 - yes, you read that correctly - gaming tables. Gamblers have six games to choose from, Roulette, Black Jack, Caribbean Stud Poker, other poker games (Texas Hold'em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud), Punto Banco, and Sic Bo, a Chinese dice game. Bets can be between 50 krona and 5,000 krona for most games, though some, such as Sic Bo, allow bets up to 14,400 krona. For those who like to pit their skills against other in tournaments, there are four international standard poker tournaments played at the Cosmopol Stockholm throughout the year. For when one is tired of gambling, there are three restaurants and bars in which to unwind.

The same chain owns the three other casinos which offer a similar experience to the Stockholm location. In Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, the Cosmopol is located in the old customs house at Packhusplatsen 7. It is open from 1pm to 4am and offers 240 gaming machines and 29 tables. It also gives guests the choice of three restaurants, the Casanova, the Castor (which serves Latin American cuisine), and the Jackpot Bar. In Malmo the casino is also open from 1am to 4am, and enjoys the setting of the 'King's Park', a famous local entertainment venue. The branch in Sundsvall, the smallest casino in the smallest of these four cities, still offers 3,500 square feet and 135 slot machines with ten table games, including 'Wheel of Fortune' a game similar to Roulette. It is aptly located at Casinoparken 1

For those who like to conduct their gambling outside of Sweden casinos, horse-racing offers another outlet for that betting nature. There are two racecourses of renown, the Taby Racecourse, in Stockholm, and the Sundbyholms Travet, in Eskilstuna.

History Of Raspberry Plants

2010-09-17T03:30:00.001-07:00

According to Luther Burbank, who studied and hybridized raspberries and blackberries more than any other horticulturalist, and wrote his classical 8 volume treatise on Small Fruits and Fruit Improvement in 1921; the red raspberry plant was cultivated in Europe for centuries, growing wild from Greece to Spain and to the North from Norway to Sweden.

Red Raspberry, Rubus idaeus, is a native berry bush to Turkey and was gathered by the people inhabiting Troy, (Troas, Turkey) from vines growing at the foothills there in the first century B.C.

The Romans spread the seed of raspberries throughout their empire as evidenced by seed of the raspberry vine in archaeological excavations in England that demonstrate that the English were gardeners growing richly with raspberry vines and raspberry bushes.

William Prince established the first plant nursery in the American colonies in 1737 in Flushing, New York, that offered among other things for sale, raspberry plants.

Luther Burbank introduced many raspberry hybrids into American horticulture. He described brambles, raspberries and blackberries, as being the most complex genetic fruits in American fruit research.

Burbank produced a multitude of crosses between the black berry, dewberry, and raspberry that showed every possible combination of both berry qualities in between. One of these raspberries was even white in color and delicious but too soft for commercial production and planting.

Raspberry has been hybridized with various blackberry plants to produce the boysenberry and loganberry. The loganberry was a hybrid cross between the California dewberry and the red raspberry. The 'Phenominal Berry' was a cross between a dewberry and an arctic raspberry that Burbank hybridized in 1905.

Luther Burbank made hybrid crosses between the strawberry plant and the raspberry plant that resulted in a hybrid bush, completely thornless, but the fruit produced on 2-5 ft canes was not good enough quality to succeed as a commercial raspberry.

The raspberry bush or vine grows up to 3 feet in height, and the berry when picked easily separates completely from the stem, requiring no further cleaning or preparation before eating. Wild raspberries are an important wildlife berry for animals and birds to eat, when they ripen in the summer and fall. Raspberries are best marketed by pick-your-own operations, due to the short shelf life, but the demand for raspberries has increased to a point that the berries are flown in by refrigerated air freight to satisfy to the demand for the raspberry.

The growth habit of raspberries can be described as trailing raspberry vines or as erect, upright canes. Many raspberry cultivars produce a non-bearing cane the first year, that flowers and grows berries during the second season. This non-bearing cane is called a Primocane. Ever bearing raspberry plants can bear two crops per year, one crop in the spring and the second crop in the fall. The ever bearing raspberry bushes can produce a crop the first season in the fall on primocanes. Popular everbearing raspberry bushes and vines are: Heritage red raspberry, Autumn Bliss and Amity red raspberries. The roots of raspberries are shallow and may require some supplemental watering during dry periods. The raspberries may be harvested by hand or by machine and frequent picking is required every 3-4 days over a period of several weeks.

The widespread occurrence of red raspberry is a diverse and complex gene pool in the fruit kingdom, growing as erect bushes or as trailing vines, but black raspberry grows only in the erect bush form.

The black raspberry, Rubus occidentalis, also known as the wild black raspberries or the black cap raspberry was introduced in America in the 1840s by Nicholas Longworth of Ohio and was a great addition to cultivated fruit to be grown everywhere. The purple cap type raspberry was evolved from the native, U.S. Raspberry Rubis neglectus, and was native to New York State. Black raspberries are native only to North America, mainly the Eastern portions excluding the Gulf States. The Black raspberry is also called, wild raspberry, and has been used for centuries to treat pregnant women. The tea made from this wild raspberry was published as a relaxing medication by a famous English medical study in 1941, that also treats morning sickness, birth assistance, uterine irritation and threatened miscarriage. Black raspberries, are grown as backyard garden berries more than commercial berries, because they are less cold hardy, less productive, and more subject to disease damage than the red raspberry.

There are many useful products obtained from raspberries: Ice cream, jam, jelly, black raspberry petits fores, raspberry juice, and of course, fresh raspberry fruits.

Raspberries contain extreme quantities of antioxidants that are touted to fight cancer, intervene with heart disease and offer many other health benefits from the high content of Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, Vitamin C, Niacin, and the mineral, calcium, phosphorus, iron and potassium.

Guitar Lesson - Learn To Play Yesterday

2010-09-16T03:15:00.001-07:00

Guitar tablature is a great help for beginners to learn melodies. In this guitar lesson you will learn to read tab staff notation. We will use the popular song Yesterday as an example.

First, let us take a look at a guitar tablature staff:

--------------------------------

These six lines is a visualization of the six strings on your guitar. The top line represents the first string on your guitar. It is the string with the highest pitch. On these lines you will find numbers telling you which frets to press down to play a melody, chord or something else.

Here is an example:

-------0-------------------------

---1-----------------------------

--------------------------------

The number 1 on the second line tells you to press down the first fret on the second string. The number 0 on the first line means that you play the first string without pressing down a fret. This is also called to play an open string.

Now it is time to try to play the first notes of Yesterday by Beatles with the help of guitar tabs. I will show you the first line of lyrics and below the corresponding melody written with guitar tab notation.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

---------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------0---1---0-----------

-----------------------1---2---------------2---2---

---0-----------2---4-------------------------------

-------3---3---------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------

A great way to play this melody is to assign your left hand fingers to play the specific frets in this manner:

First fret: index

Second fret: middle finger

Third fret: ring finger

Fourth fret: pinkie

This will make it easier to minimize your left hand movements and also help you find your way around easier on the guitar fretboard. Yes, I know it is a bit tricky at first but have patience!

Now it looks as though they're here to stay

----------------------------------------

---2---2---0----------------------------

---------------3---2---0---3---2---2---

----------------------------------------

Oh, I believe in yesterday

------------------------------------

---0-------2---0-----------2---2---

-------3-----------0---3-----------

-----------------------------------

Now we have tried the first verse. The second verse have the same melody so we will jump right into the bridge:

Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say

----------------------------------------------------

---------------0---1---0-------0-------------------

-----------2---------------2-------2---0---2-------

---2---2---------------------------------------3---

---------------------------------------------------

I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

----------------------------------------------------------------

---------------0---1---0-------0-----------0---1---------------

-----------2---------------2-------2---0-----------0-----------

---2---2-----------------------------------------------3---2---

----------------------------------------------------------------

After this you can complete the melody by playing the verse again. If you want to play more melodies by Beatles you can buy books on the net with sheet music notation and guitar tablature.

Number One Welfare State in the World

2010-09-15T03:00:00.001-07:00

Australia could be described as the number one welfare state in the world, with the percentage of GDP going to welfare setting the record, ahead of former communist nations and traditional welfare states like Sweden - this is clearly unsustainable. And yet the government is being urged to add another 20 weeks of taxpayer funded parental leave to the equation.

Some 42 per cent of the nation's 9.7 million families actually receive more in handouts than they pay in income tax. This situation is causing damage to both the welfare recipients and the community at large and is encouraging a culture of dependency.

Furthermore, just consider the massive administration costs of one department (ATO) collecting the income tax of 42 per cent of families and another army of bureaucrats (Centrelink) returning it via a complicated and intrusive system of assessing eligibility and a complex system of administering the payments.

Notwithstanding that there is widespread support for the concept of self reliance, government policy has been going the other way for years. Some forty five years ago only 3 per cent of working age adults depended on welfare; now it is 17 per cent. At that time there were 22 people workers to support each working age person living on welfare. That ratio (called the dependency ratio) has now degenerated to five workers to support one.

We need to concentrate on how to prevent people from becoming needy rather than how to give them more money; that is, how to become more self reliant. There needs to be conditions attached to welfare to encourage people to return to work. It is wrong to consider welfare an unconditional right and oppose a system where penalties apply for those who refuse to work.

Increased welfare must mean higher taxes and very few Australians would support that. I expect, though, that they would support welfare recipients being required to be obligated, in some way, to the taxpayers who carry them.

Ancestor Surname: Do You Belong to an Ancient Noble Family?

2010-09-14T02:45:00.001-07:00

The purpose of this article is to show what you should look out for if you are searching for an ancestor's surname and want to know if it is noble.

The most common noble predicates are "von", "de", "di" etc. (meaning "of") before the surname. A predicate among your ancestors is by no means proof of nobility, and some families have wrongly assumed predicates to make themselves appear to be noble. In some countries the noble families do not have any predicates, but are noble nonetheless. A predicate is an indispensable part of a surname if the surname was originally constructed with it - if it has been assumed later (after the family was ennobled or generally recognised as noble) it is sometimes called a "prefix".

A surname of a noble ancestor with a predicate or prefix should properly be registered on the first letter of the main name, not on the predicate or prefix. Hence my name, von Wowern, is registered under "W", not under "v".

Many noble surnames include words such as "gold-" or "golden", "silver-", "sword" or symbols which are used on the family's coat of arms. Among your ancestors you may also find names constructed from animals ("Wolf", "Lion") etc. Noble surnames often, but not always, seem unusual and different (which of course was a way to make it stand out).

An incholate is typically the geographical predicate attached to a noble family. E.g. for the Prince of Wales, "Wales" is the incholate. Incholates in another sense can be used by Church dignitaries, e.g. "Titular Bishop of X Y ". In many cases the incholate was the family's domains, but later developed into a titular attribute. In some families the loss of the geographical domain caused them to write the nobiliary title between their first name and the surname - hence it was no longer "Count X Y", but "X Count Y", as the family name became the new incholate. Any incholate found among your ancestors should be carefully examined.

Gender Equality in Different Countries Has Been Rated

2010-09-13T02:30:00.001-07:00

World Economic Forum released the annual "Global Gender Gap Report" in Geneva.

Socio-economic indexes of 128 countries of the world (90% of the world population) were analyzed in this report. The best equality between the genders was found in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The gap between men and women's salaries became narrower and this achievement accounts for these countries' progress. Sweden ranked first according to the results of investigation.

Free democratic United States were only 31st in rating. Russia appeared to rank as 45th, what is actually a little bit higher as expected for a post-Soviet country. Belarus became a "Gender leader" among the eastern Slavic countries - it took 23rd place.

According to the data from report, all the countries, which entered the top twenty, significantly stepped forward in solving the question of gender equality, as compared to the previous year. The best progress in this direction was reported in Latvia (13th place) and Lithuania (14th place). They increased their ranking by 6 and 7 positions respectively. In particular, the women's salaries and work conditions were greatly improved in these countries, as it is noted in the report.

The access to education and health care has almost been evened in the world but there is still a rather long way to equality in politics and economy.

The authors of investigation indicated in summary that complete equality between men and women yet have not been achieved anywhere in the world.

Top ten of the leaders in gender equality looks as follows:

1. Sweden

2. Norway

3. Finland

4. Iceland

5. New Zealand

6. Philippines

7. Germany

8. Denmark

9. Ireland

10. Spain

Daytime Running Lights - Can Leaving Your Car Lights on Improve Road Safety?

2010-09-12T02:15:00.001-07:00

The European Union is currently planning to make the use of Daytime running car lights compulsory on all new vehicles by 2011. The driving force behind this new ruling are studies that have shown daytime running car lights reduce day light crashes by up to 12% for cars and 10% for motorbikes. However, it is true to say that not all safety or environmental groups are happy with this proposed new ruling, so what are the pros and cons of keeping your car lights on in the daytime and can it benefit you.

Rules on daytime running car lights first appeared in 1977 when Sweden became the first country to adopt this new safety feature. Due to the low levels of ambient light experienced during the day, other Scandanvian countries soon followed suit and now daytime running car lights are compulsory in Finland, Norway and Iceland.

Failure to see the other vehicle is cited in 50% of day time road traffic accidents, with this figure rising to up to 80% for collisions that occur at road junctions. One of the reasons why daytime running car lights are believed to have the ability to reduce road accidents, is that a vehicle with its lights on appears closer than it actually is. Resulting in drivers being less likely to take a risk when pulling out of a turning or attempting to overtake in the face of oncoming traffic.

Critics of compulsory daytime running car lights say that they put more vulnerable road users at risk and increase fuel use and ultimately the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Most motorcyclist already use their dipped beam headlight during the day to clearly indicate their presence to other drivers, and it is feared that if every vehicle has its lights on this effect may be lost. It is also a concern that pedestrians crossing the road could be masked by the glare of daytime running lights.

So if you are now contemplating driving during the day with your car headlight bulbs or sidelight bulbs on, what is the best way to make sure you get all of the benefits whilst also saving the planet at the same time. The first decision to make is which type of lights you are going to use as your daytime running lights. Are they going to be your dipped beam headlights bulbs or your sidelight bulbs?

If you are thinking of using your dipped beam headlights then you are going to find that you will need to replace them more often, as most standard headlight bulbs only last around 400 hours. You would benefit from switching to long life headlight bulbs, which can last for over 1000 hours. Two of the leading long life headlight bulbs are the Osram Light At Day range, which last up to three times longer than ordinary halogen bulbs, whilst the Philips Eco Vison last two times longer and use 20% less energy.

Alternatively you could use your sidelight bulbs as your daytime running lights, however in most vehicles you will find that the standard sidelight bulbs are not bright enough. Factory fitted sidelight bulbs are filled with a basic inert gas, however if you fit upgrade sidelight bulbs which are filled with halogen or xenon gas you will find they are up to three times brighter, and will stand out more clearly to other road users. For the more adventurous driver, you could fit LED sidelight bulbs, these upgrade car bulbs will fit your existing bulb holders and have a super bright chip LED which produces a really intense light, whilst also drawing less power and hence improving fuel consumption.

The safety evidence for daytime running car bulbs is certainly very compelling, and with their use soon to become law on new vehicles, now might be a good time to consider using you car lights during the day, especially in low ambient light conditions. The development of low energy long life headlight bulbs, sidelight bulbs and high performance LED lights will also mean that using your car lights during the day, won't have an adverse effect on your running costs.

World Divorce Rates and Trends

2010-09-11T02:00:00.001-07:00

Divorce is rising all around the world. There are, however, some places where it is still fairly rare. Generally divorce has become more acceptable but there are trends as to which countries it is more common in. Some geographical areas seem to have higher divorce rates than others while different lifestyles seem to have their impact as well.

India and Sri Lanka are the two countries that have the lowest divorce rates, around one and one and a half per cent respectively. In this part of Asia divorce is still very rare, although it is more common in South East Asia. In India, for example, arranged marriage is still fairly prominent although not as common as it once was. Divorce is not deemed as acceptable as it is in other cultures and therefore many either make a concerted effort to work through relationship problem or remain in unhappy marriages. This is much less common in parts of Europe and North America. There are two ways of looking at this. It might be considered a positive that people do not get divorced as soon as any problems occur in a marriage, something that is considered by many to be a negative of the American family law system, where it can be very easy to obtain a divorce should you wish to. However it could also be considered a negative if people remain in unhappy marriages just because they feel that it is wrong to divorce.

No European countries have anywhere near the same low divorce rates. The lowest divorce rates in Europe are Macedonia and Bosnia with five per cent, nearly five times more than India. Much of the rest of Europe have much higher rates than this. There is a similar trend in North America. Sweden and the United States have the highest divorce rates, both with nearly fifty-five per cent of marriages ending this way. Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia, have particularly high rates. As mentioned above Sweden has the worlds highest, with Finland, Denmark and Norway all at over forty per cent. Other European countries such a Luxembourg, Belgium, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and France also have a high rate of divorce.

Although many of the statistics in Europe are high the Mediterranean countries do not follow this trend, with Italy, Spain and Greece having less divorces than most of the continent. This could be due to their lifestyles. Much of their culture revolves around the family, with large families often spending a large amount of time together. Due the importance put of family values, divorce may not seem as much of an option to those in these countries.

Andrew Marshall ©

Cruising Scandinavia and Baltics

2010-09-10T01:45:00.001-07:00

For all winter travelers... I must say this is not for you. For the rest and main part of you that are used to travel during the summer, this is certainly your place. My proposal is to discuss a bit about the possibilities we have when it comes to plan a cruise within Northern Europe, as the options are many but the real deals are hiding (and written in Swedish, in fact!)

Let's get started. First of all, let me define northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are considered to be Scandinavia while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are called the Baltic countries. I want to put them apart as I understand that each group fits different traveler dreams. While Scandinavia fits into the so much called "model for Europe" countries, specially when it comes to welfare state, security, cleanliness and general economic standards of living, the Baltic region is in the process to get developed. Too many years under Russian influence (with all my respects for Russia) and too few within the scope of the European Union.

For those wants looking for the paradise to live in, probably a trip to Scandinavia will fit most your ideal holidays. You will find the most fashionable and refined population you can ever imagine, beautiful very well preserved old buildings, large green parks and gardens and specially, cities that claim to the sky that they are there to make a difference and to be followed. Walking the streets of a Nordic capital will make you feel like the king you have inside. If you are looking to bury your brain in the past, if you enjoy discovering places that have recently been involved in conflicts and where this feeling can still be found in the atmosphere, then the Baltics is your place. You will find there the most extreme contrasts between the remaining and hardly standing old buildings that survived bombings (Tallin, the capital of Estonia, got more than 50% of its residential buildings destroyed) and the new glass-made skyscrapers. This different parts of the story are placed really close one to each other, and sometimes even wall to wall.

After you make this decision, or you choose the both of them, the next step is to decide on the transportation. Traveling by plane with Sterling Airlines or with FlyNordic can be a very good option within the region, but in this case, and if you have a minimum amount of time, I highly recommend to take the sea option. There exist many possibilities, all them good enough to be considered, but one that rises as a real hot deal is the one offered by the Viking Line. The only thing you will need is somebody that can help you with the Swedish language. Or an adequate dictionary, of course.

Viking Line serves mainly Stockholm (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland). A first vessel will do this itinerary normally. They also have a second vessel, the Cinderella, which goes for a kind of Night Party trip, where you spend the whole night... as you prefer, and then it arrives to an island at 7:00 a.m, leaving again at 8:00 am. You can imagine the amount of visitors that land on this island, probably around the 0.5% of the total passengers in the boat. For the service to this island you will need to pay a very small fee, but for the trip to Finland, you have a great opportunity to travel for free that I'm going to explain.

On the Viking Line web-page, you have the opportunity to get registered with them, in a way that they will e-mail special offers constantly. Some of this offers will tell you that you have the opportunity to travel for free to Helsinki, departing in the afternoon from Stockholm and arriving there on the morning of the next day, allowing you to visit the city for about 8 hours, and then come back to Stockholm on the afternoon of the day you arrived. Thats a quick trip, yes. The accommodation you will get is a little 4 beds cabin, probably on the interior, yes. But you can book as many persons as you want under your name, so I think it is a very good option for families and groups of friends, as you have the opportunity to avoid a hotel night by spending it for free in the boat, have access to a variety of shows on board and different activities, and also make a quick visit to Helsinki, which is not as big as Stockholm and can be made in 8 hours.

Thats one. The second deal, maybe not as great and easy, but still good, is the Tallink Line. They provide the route that links Stockholm with Riga (Latvia) and Tallin (Estonia). The deal is specially in the trip to Riga, as often they have some special discounts that make you able to do the same you did with the Viking Line, for about 7 euros (11 dollars), which is not bad at all.

After all, just a quick note. The Tallink option can be booked in advance, but normally Viking Line deals will be told to you with maximum one month advance, so it is really an option that you can take improvising at last minute or even already on your holidays. Just remember to have your Swedish translator close to you. And no, I live in Stockholm, but I do not speak Swedish, so that is not an option!

Give Your Home a Fresh, Clean Scandinavian Look

2010-09-09T01:30:00.001-07:00

The Scandinavian look is a bright, airy style that makes you feel like you can breathe easier just by stepping into it. This look is carefully constructed to give the illusion of light and sprang from Sweden's harsh, long winter evenings. The overall look is homey and inviting.Color here is viewed as an opportunity to create the brightness of a summer sky with marshmallow clouds and its cheerful vibes. For your base, you'll want something like white, cream or sky blue, complemented with touches of warm yellow and gold, baby pink and bold red, gray and light green. Use these colors to stencil hearts, ribbons, scrolls and gatherings of wheat upon walls.

Like your walls and draperies, keep your floors light and bright! Consider blonde or pale woods, or a light hued paint for your floors. If you want to jazz things up, stencil or paint pale designs (like stripes and diamonds) on the floor's surface. And don't forget your floor coverings! In this case, pick up an eco-friendly sisal rug, like the kind found here, for a natural, attractive covering that protects your floors and family's feet.

Wall sconces are the key to your success with this look. Choose relatively simple, small sconces with a tin, gold or brass finish and place them in sets along your wall for artful framing and light play. Plain table lamps and unfussy chandeliers also help add light to an already bright interior. Keep your furniture uncomplicated and clean for the Scandinavian style. Curvilinear designs reign in blonde woods like birch, beech, and alder and may come painted white. Legs are often tapered or fluted and tables sometimes bear scrolled borders for extra style. For the bedroom, opt for upholstered head and footboards, or go for basic wood in a canopy bed, trundle or daybed style. Keep in mind there should be nothing imposing or ostentatious about Scandinavian furniture, considering it takes its cues from country and folk styles. For ideas, browse GREENCulture's large furniture site.

If you want to dress up walls, keep things uncomplicated. You can use moldings, some restrained stenciling and uncluttered floral patterns on your walls. Match any florals you do use to freshly cut flowers displayed in pitchers, vases or on wreathes for windows and bookcases. Flowers that match the Scandinavian color scheme include yellow daisies, pink roses and white flowers.

Lastly, don't feel the need to fill up every space with knick-knacks and accessories, as it can work to undermine the light, airy feel you've worked to create. Use mirrors to create the illusion of even more open space and to reflect light, and use light colored accents like blue and white china, silver and glass to add shine and style.

How American Football Got Started

2010-09-08T01:15:00.001-07:00

Football points can be scored in many different ways, including catching a pass over the goal line, carrying the ball over the goal line, tackling a football player in his own end zone, or a kicker kicking the football through the goal posts on the opposing side. The football team with the highest score when the game is over is the team that wins the game. American football is also played in other countries outside the United States. Their are National football leagues that are in Sweden, Isreal, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom as well as Mexico, and a few that are in Pacific Island nations. The NFL had a developmental league in Europe from 91-92 and 95-06.

American football history can be found in the early versions of soccer and rugby. Both types of games have origins in different types of football that was played in the UK from the mid 19th century, in which the ball was run over a line or the ball was kicked at the goal. American football as well as soccer is played with 22 players on the field that they play on. Some terms from player positions from soccer are used today in American football such as fullback and halfback.

Rugby and American football do have a few major differences, some of the rule changes were started by Walter Camp who people would call the Father of American Football. Some of the Major changes that Walter Camp made were down and distance and line of scrimmage as well as the rule of down and distance. College coaches like Glen Pop Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Knute Rockne in the late 19th and 20th centuries changed the gameplay by intoducing the forward pass. College football grew in popularity and was the dominant version of football for the first part of the 20th century. College football had a huge national audiences with the football Bowl games. College football had big rivalries as it does today in the United States.

From the year 1892 the origin of professional football can be traced back to, with a $500 contract to play football William "Pudge Heffelfinger played football for the Allegheny Athletic Association playing against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The american Professional Football started in 1920. The first football game was played in 1920 in Dayton, Ohio on the 3rd of October with the Triangles winning the game by a score of 14-10 against the Columbus Panhandles. Two years later the football league changed the name to National Football League which is known as the NFL and would become the major league of American football. Professional football eventually became a national phenomenon after starting out the sport in the US industrial towns and Midwestern towns. Football after it's NFL Championship Game in 1958 grew in popularity, the game that was known as the "Greatest Game Ever Played. The American Football League also known as the AFL started in 1960 a rival football league to the National Football League, with the pressure it put between the two football leagues before the merger of the two leagues is how the start of the Super Bowl game began. The Super Bowl turned out to be the most watched television event each and every year in the United States.

Swedish Recipes and Cuisine

2010-09-07T01:00:00.001-07:00

Due to its northerly location, Sweden experiences long Winters. As a result, traditional Swedish recipes often contain relatively few fresh vegetables other than those that would have been available in the Winter months such as turnips (including rutabaga which is native to Sweden, and known in British English as "swede"), potato, cabbage preserved as sauerkraut, or a jam made from lingonberry (a small flowering plant with edible red berries). On the other hand, due to the country's long coastline and seafaring traditions, fish forms an important part of the Swedish diet.

On the whole, Swedish food is relatively plain, although some local herbs and spices are used. Traditional Swedish food is also relatively high in saturated fat and sugar, but as most other Western countries, supermarkets are increasingly offering healthier alternatives, such as low fat milk.

The traditional Swedish practise is to eat three meals each day - breakfast (Swedish: frukost), lunch (Swedish: lunch), and (Swedish: middag) - with the evening meal being the main meal of the day. However, nowadays it is increasingly common to have the main meal at lunch time and a lighter dinner. Additionally, snacks (Swedish: mellanmål), particularly sandwiches and fruit are popular between meals.

Here are some popular Swedish dishes:

- Ärtsoppa - Pea soup.

- Blodpudding - Black pudding - A sausage prepared by cooking blood with filling.

- Gravad lax - Cured salmon with salt, sugar, vinegar and dill. It is popular as an appetizer, and eaten with a dill and mustard sauce, on bread or with potato.

- Inlagd sill - Pickled herring.

- Janssons frestelse - A baked dish containing potato, onion and cream, with pickled sprats (Swedish: ansjovis).

- Kåldolmar - Rolls made from cabbage filled with pork and rice. They are usually eaten with boiled potato, gravy and lingonberry jam.

- Knäckebröd - A crisp cracker-like bread, made mostly from rye. It is often eaten for breakfast (Swedish: frukost) in the form of open sandwiches which are buttered and then topped with caviar, cold cuts, hard cheese or messmör (cheese spread).

- Köttbullar - Meatballs made either from ground (minced) beef, or a mixture of ground (minced) beef and pork. Before cooking, the meat is mixed with breadcrumbs and finally chopped onions, and seasoned with salt, and white pepper or allspice. Köttbullar are traditionally served with boiled potato, gravy, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam.

- Köttsoppa - A meat and root vegetable soup. Beef is normally used, but sometimes elk or reindeer is used instead. The soup is sometimes eaten with klimp, which are small simple dumplings made from wheat flour, egg and milk.

- Kroppkaka - Potato dumplings, filled with pork and onions. Served with butter or cream, and lingonberry jam.

- Lutfisk - An unusual dish made from stockfish (air-dried white fish) prepared using a long process involving soda lye (a caustic soda solution).

- Pyttipanna - Potato, onions, and sausage or ham, chopped and then fried together in a pan.

- Raggmunk - Potato pancakes.

- Smörgåsbord - A buffet-style meal, with many small dishes to which guests can help themselves. Popular at holidays and Christmas, the latter being known as "Julbord".

- Smörgåstårta - Literally translated, smörgåstårta means "sandwich cake". It is prepared from layers of buttered bread, with fillings in between the layers and a topping. The fillings and topping may vary, but egg and mayonnaise fillings are popular, and they are usually accompanied by one or more of caviar, liver paté, olives, prawns and smoked salmon. Smörgåstårta is served cold, and cut into slices like a dessert cake.

- Surströmming - Fermented Baltic herring in brine.

Some popular Swedish desserts include:

- Kanelbulle - A cinnamon-flavored pastry roll.

- Knäck - A toffee eaten at Christmas.

- Ostkaka - A baked cake made using curded milk (or nowadays cottage cheese as a substitute). Eaten with jam and whipped cream, or ice cream and fruit.

- Saltlakrits - Salty liquorice.

- Spettekaka - A hollow cake prepared by cooking on a skewer over an open fire. Served with vanilla ice cream, dark roast coffee and port wine.

Promession - An Organic Burial Process

2010-09-06T00:45:00.001-07:00

Set to launch in Sweden next year and in Korea the following year, promession is an eco-friendly method of disposal for human remains based on freeze drying. It was invented (and patented) in 1999 by Susanne Wiigh Masak. The word 'promession' is derived from the Italian word for 'promise' (promessa).

Promession takes place in 7 steps:
1. The body is frozen to -18 degrees Celsius (normally this occurs between 24 to 48 hours) and then put into a sealed unit called a Promator.
2. The body is weighed to determine how much liquid nitrogen is needed to freeze the body to -196 degrees Celsius; 1kg of liquid nitrogen is required for 1kg of body weight. This process takes approximately two hours, and the liquid nitrogen evaporates into the atmosphere as nitrogen gas.
3. The frozen body is then moved onto a belt that gives off small (5mm) vibrations. This takes approximately 60 seconds and reduces the body to particles.
4. The particles are then transferred into a vacuum chamber where water is evaporated and released into the atmosphere as steam.
5. The dry powder is then passed through electrical currents and magnets that extract any existing metals.
6. The existing residue, which is approximately a third of the original body weight, is placed into a biodegradable coffin, which can be lined with an iron net which will rust away.
7. The coffin is buried at a depth of about half a meter, and in approximately 6 to 12 months, the remains, the coffin, and the net will become part of the soil nutrients.

While the volume of remains left by promession is up to twenty times that left by cremation, heavy metals (for example, mercury from dental fillings) are filtered out instead of released into the atmosphere as pollutants so the procedure meets the requirements of the new European Union Industrial Emissions Directive, which imposes strict limits on air, soil, and water pollution.

The first 'promatorium' will open in Sweden and will process approximately 1,500 bodies per year and South Korea is building memorial parks to support the process as well. "This is going to be the future solution for Korea. Traditional burials as they are today may not be allowed in future, as most graveyards in the country are now running out of space... It's really a good chance for the planet I think," stated Wiigh-Masak at a recent funeral expo.

How to Dress For a Winter Holiday

2010-09-05T00:30:00.001-07:00

Winter is a wonderful time of year for a holiday, but while the dry air may mean that you feel the cold much less than with equivalent temperatures in the UK, it's nevertheless important to dress properly in order to make the most of your holiday in the snow. When you are out and about enjoying your activities, whether you are dog sledding, ski touring or tobogganing with the kids, dressing appropriately is the key to enjoying your winter holiday.

In this article we outline some basic advice for dressing for the cold - it is not necessary to spend a fortune on specialist equipment to keep warm, though good quality outdoor clothing will almost always perform better and last longer than budget-priced gear, so why not treat yourself to some new kit before you set off?

The Layer Principle

The advantage of layering is that you can easily adjust your clothing to achieve a comfortable temperature depending on your level of activity and weather conditions.

Base layer:

A good-quality base layer is one of the most important parts of your outdoor wardrobe ("base layer" sounds much cooler than "thermal underwear"!). The base layer manages moisture, wicking sweat away from your body. One important thing to remember is not to have any cotton material next to your skin. Cotton absorbs sweat and chills you.

Good synthetic base layers are available, but merino wool is one of the most popular materials. There have been some animal welfare concerns connected to the practice of "mulesing", cutting around a sheep's rear end to prevent disease, so it is important to ensure that your merino wool comes from an ethical source. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer or supplier of your chosen base layer. Your base layer should have long-sleeved top and long-johns. Merino underwear is also available.

Mid-layer:

The function of the mid-layer is to insulate you from the cold, trapping and heating air close to your body. A good winter fleece or woollen sweater is ideal as a mid-layer.

Shell layer:

An effective shell (or outer) layer should keep out the wind, rain and snow. Suitable shell layers include windproof fleeces, softshells, mountaineering jackets, etc. For winter conditions in Sweden, a good mountaineering or ski/snowboard jacket is often ideal.

Breathability and ventilation are important considerations - a shell layer with zips under the arms and/or on the sides can make it much easier to regulate your temperature, preventing sweat from building up, making you damp and chilling you.

On Your Legs

On top of your (non-cotton) underwear and base layer, you should have a good warm, windproof, snow/waterproof pair of trousers. Ski pants are ideal for many winter activities, including dog sledding and snowshoeing. Again, zips down the side allowing greater ventilation can be enormously helpful. It's also good if the trousers are elasticated at the ankles or can be fastened by other means to keep out the snow. A pair of gaiters can also be useful for this purpose.

If you do not have or do not wish to buy dedicated winter/ski trousers for your trip, an effective "budget" alternative can be to use warm tracksuit trousers (over a suitable thermal base layer) with windproof and waterproof rain trousers over the top.

On Your Hands And Feet

Extremities such as fingertips and toes can feel the cold very easily. A good pair of windproof and snow/waterproof gloves is essential in cold weather. Cold hands and feet can not only ruin your experience of the winter wilderness but can also be potentially dangerous. Mittens are warmer than gloves with separate fingers. If you don't wish to be restricted by mittens all the time, overgloves which convert standard gloves to mittens are an ideal solution and offer greater flexibility. If out on an extended tour such as one of our dog sledding holidays or snowshoeing expeditions, make sure you have a spare pair of gloves with you. Gloves are easily lost and the consequences may be very serious.

Socks should be thick and woollen or synthetic (non-cotton). One solution recommended by an experienced expedition leader is to use a thin (non-cotton) sock next to the skin with a plastic bag over it and a warm woollen sock on the outside. The idea is that the plastic bag will contain any moisture and keep the outer sock and boot dry. Always carry spare pairs of socks if out for more than one day.

The 3-season hiking boots commonly used year-round in the UK are not really suitable for sub-zero temperatures. Your boots should be waterproof/snowproof and properly insulated (with some room to trap and warm air between the boot and your feet) with a good grip to give you stability on ice and snow. This is one piece of equipment which many travellers may not have as standard, and if you are not planning to do activities regularly in winter conditions, you may wish to hire suitable boots for your experience.

On Your Head

A lot of heat can be lost through the head, and a thick woollen or fleece hat is important in regulating your overall temperature. Windproof hats can be even warmer, and it is useful if the hat can be adjusted to cover your ears. A scarf or multi-purpose "Buff"-style headwear is a versatile piece of kit that can be used both to keep your neck warm and also to cover your face and nose.

Finally, ski glasses or goggles will not only keep the wind out of your eyes but also make it much easier to see where you're going! If you wear glasses and are planning activities such as dog sledding, contact lenses can be a more convenient solution during your holiday - using goggles will be more comfortable and you will have fewer problems with fogging.

Down Jackets - ideal for breaktime

Down jackets are excellent for cold nights around the campfire and during rest breaks. However, they are likely to be too warm when active. As down is so light and compresses very well, down jackets are ideal for carrying in your pack for use in the evenings or when standing still for extended periods. As with merino wool, there are some ethical considerations regarding the sourcing of down for your chosen clothing.

10 Reasons Why Australians Should Visit Sweden

2010-09-04T00:15:00.001-07:00

It's not easy to be a tourist these days. An American dollar has become 25% more expensive for Swedes since summer. Luckily, there are other destinations we can choose where we don't feel like being ripped off when paying for a breakfast. While we're stuck up here on on the tip of an ice sheet we can still attract some other mates. We have a lot in common with Australians, for example. And there are a number of reasons why they should drop by.

It's cheaper in Sweden nowadays, mate. The Swedish Krona has dropped almost 20% compared to the Australian Dollar from July to October this year.
You can celebrate Christmas the way it should be. With lot's of snow, Santa & his reindeer. This is his home country (whatever the Finns say).
We've got an Outback too. You'll feel at home as soon as you've headed north from Arlanda Airport.
Escape Australia's summertime heat and cool down with a couple of nights at The Swedish Ice Hotel. No sweating. No mosquitoes. Promise.
I admit the Great Barrier Reef is wonderful, but the Stockholm Archipelago is just as beautiful. And no sharks!
There are no dangerous crocs, snakes, spiders or bugs in Sweden. No polar bears either.
...but lot's of nice, blonde girls. Most of them would love to meet an Aussie.
No dusty deserts to cross. Nature scenerys with 60,000 lakes & rivers are waiting for you. Fishing, anyone?
Most of our youngsters are out backpacking downunder. We need some company up north.
For some reason, Swedish politicians goes on regular study trips to Australia. So far they haven't brought anything back. Come tell us about your tax levels, please.

How To Make Mulled Wine

2010-09-03T00:00:00.001-07:00

Mulled wine has been enjoyed by Europeans for centuries and Americans have barely been introduced to it. Tales of good times had trickle to The States from overseas travelers and after a friendly host shares his mulled wine, the imbiber is a convert to the hot spicy goodness. Here's a recipe and a little history.

First, it should be said that mulled wine goes by multiple names depending on where you are drinking it or where the recipe came from. You might see any of them around and not recognize it for it is. I think this is actually part of the reason the hot spicy drink has not caught on in the US - people are a little confused. Here are some of the names you might see and the countries/language the name comes from:

vin chaud - France
vin fiert - Romania
glogg - Sweden
gluhwein - Germany, Austria, Switzerland
...there are others

Mulled wine has a long history going as far back as 500 BC when spices and herbs were added to wine for health reasons and probably also to improve the flavor of wine that had gone bad. Recipes have been varied but the main idea was also the same - hot spiced wine.

Here is a mulled wine recipe

*note - the recipe is referred to as "Sweet Gluhwein Recipe"*

Ingredients

1 750ml sweet red table wine

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp crystallized lemon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp whole cloves

1/2 cinnamon stick (broken)

Directions

Put broken cinnamon stick and whole cloves into a tea ball and hang into kettle. Pour wine into a kettle and add remaining ingredients. Heat (do not boil) for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Total time to make is about 35 to 40 minutes.

That is a very tasty recipe that will make 4 to 5 servings. Now, if you want a super easy way to make mulled wine then get a bottle of mulled wine mix which involves only three steps:

Heat Wine
Pour a Tablespoon of Mix into Wine
Stir

That process is even a little stretched out since you usually pour and stir at the same time. *semantics* The total time to make is about 10 minutes. Remember not to boil the wine when you heat it as boiling releases the alcohol and maybe a little of the fun, depending on your view about such things.

Whichever way you decide to make mulled wine, whatever recipe you use, and whatever you call it make sure to enjoy it with friends. One of the most intriguing things about mulled wine is its innate ability to bring people together.

Sweden: A Time to Choose

2010-09-01T23:45:00.001-07:00

There are many who scoff that politics should have much to do with investing. When selecting ETFs, I look at several factors such as fundamentals of companies in the ETF basket, capital flows, technical factors, macro indicators, currencies and so on. But the direction of market reforms which is what politics is all about sometimes rises to the top. Think of the Reagan led Republican sweep in 1980 and the significant tax cuts and market reforms in Ireland and Australia which preceded their strong economic growth and sustained bull markets.

Sweden is just such a case with a key election on September 17th. For 65 of the last 74 years and the last 12 years, the center -left Social Democrats have been in control but the center-right opposition led by Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt is mounting an effective campaign for change. The issues of deregulation, tax cuts, privatization and job creation are leading his reform agenda.

In January, Ericsson's CEO Carl-Henric Svenberg announced his support for change and other key Swedish industrialists have followed suit. Sweden's public sector accounts for 30% of its total workforce (15% in US and EU) and the state oversees 57 businesses with a market value of $70 billion while employing 200,000 people. There was some deregulation of the telecom, auto and banking sectors in the 1990s which led to good growth but this time the impact and stakes could be much higher.

The Kingdom of Sweden, with a population of 9 million and area exceeding that of California, has many attributes which investors should appreciate. King Carl Gustav (no relation) has reigned since 1973 over a well educated citizenry. It is blessed with ample natural resources like iron ore, copper, gold, timber, lead, zinc and hydro power but 70% of its economy is driven by services. Sweden's per capita GDP is $30,000 and it has a balanced budget surplus, current account surplus, opted out of euro in 2003 and a vigilant central bank (Riksbank) which is targeting an inflation rate of 2%. Sweden's stockmarket is also reasonably priced at 12.2 times earnings.

We have had the Swedish ETF (EWD) in some portfolios for some time with positive results. This year it is up 14% and over the last 12 months 19%. Ericsson accounts for 21% of the basket with quality companies like Svenska, Sandvik, Volvo and Atlas Copco all top ten holdings that readers might be familiar with. Capital good, technology and banking each contribute about 20% of sector exposure.

Below is a point and figure chart for (EWD) and some commentary provided by Don Smith, President of go2mypv.com.

I also recommend some exposure to the Swedish Krona which I think will marginally outperform the Euro. Rydex has an ETF (FXS) which tracks the Krona.

The ruling Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Goran Persson are fighting back furiously raising fears of radical change and attacking venture capitalists for calling for change at companies like Volvo. Given Mr. Reinfeldt's assurances of moving smartly and incrementally and his strong and broad support amongst the business community, his party will be victorious.

Don't wait until the election later this week, act now.

Sweden Colleges - Tips on the Best Swedish Colleges

2010-08-31T23:30:00.001-07:00

Interested in how you can earn your degree from any of the leading Sweden colleges? Colleges in Sweden are among the best colleges all over the world. Getting to study in one will prove to be a great challenge to you - both academically and socially. Fortunately, we are speaking of a fun challenge on that you would actually enjoy.

To begin with, you first step should be to familiarize yourself with the system of education in Sweden. You can do this easily as information online is plentiful. The first thing you should to is look for school in capital cities like Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg.

Learn about the different degree programs that the Sweden colleges offer. In particular, engineering, business, law and political science related subjects are very popular. Yo should see which of these programs from the right Swedish colleges actually suits you. Evaluate yourself, list your interest - your likes, dislikes, academic budget and the like. Double check them with the degree programs to find out which one is for you.

Colleges in Sweden are known for being student centered. This is to facilitate more learning in preparation for the real world. They cater to their students' needs which in turn motivates the student to yearn for more learning.

This definitely explains why there are a number of foreign students in Sweden's colleges. In fact, this is one of the top Northern European destinations for students who want to study abroad.

Studying in any college in Sweden need not be that expensive. There are numerous tuition free colleges that offer great quality education in Sweden. With the great support that Sweden gives to the education sector, it is no wonder that they are able to offer courses that are tuition free.

These are just a few tips that can get you started on the right path towards a top notch college in Sweden. Find out more so you can get a leg up on other students and be first in line for any kind of grants, scholarships or special programs. It pays to do your research - so don't wait.

Sweden's Best-Selling Wagon Evolves Sensibly

2010-08-30T23:15:00.001-07:00

Analysts in the industry say that Sweden's best-selling station wagon is evolving sensibly with time. Now in its third generation, the Volvo V70 flaunts a gentle evolution over its predecessor. The architecture and auto philosophy used include the use of sleeker touch mated to athletic design and dynamic lines.

The third model to use the Volvo V70 moniker was officially introduced to the industry on the second of this month. Compared to the previous generations, the latest V70 is an estate version of the Volvo S80, the automaker's executive-class car. It shares the same sheet metal with some of its brethren however it showcases different bodystyles, grilles and front bumper.

The Volvo V70 and S80 have similar dashboards though and this goes true to the majority of its interior. The V70, being an estate version of the latter, is not a direct replacement for the old versions of the vehicle. The current version is designed to rival the estate versions of the estate versions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series. The predecessors of the model were aimed at the class below.

The Volvo V70 is one of the important vehicles of the automaker on the market these days. Volvo said ever since the introduction of the Volvo PV445 in 1953, the vehicles has dominated the premium estate market. However, the evolution was kept in line with the automaker's traditional features like Volvo C30-inspired tail lights, egg-crate front grille and a silhouette.

The interior of the wagon is maintained Volvo's essential Scandinavian elements reflected in the cabin design, chunky headrest and large seats. The automaker has also given the Volvo V70 new cool and hot air ventilation for the front seats. Tight competition in the segment prompted Volvo to make its cabin more spacious and functional. In addition, the legroom size is also increased by 48 mm.

How sensible could the V70 get? Well, the automaker has significantly boosted its versatility factors. Boot space was increased by 55 liters, 40-20-40 three-part split rear seats that can be folded, and a sliding boot floor for more convenient loading. Said feature is also offered by the Mercedes-Benz E-class estate. With regards safety, the Volvo V70 offers adjustable bolster cushions in the rear seats for children. To enhance safety further, active cruise control with collision warning system is also given.

The exterior of the V70 also entertained modifications. The fascia is no longer inclined towards the driver. The said Volvo trend is also apparent in the automaker's new vehicles - the C30, S40, V50 and the S80.

Aside from the use of distinct Volvo performance chip, the Volvo V70 also uses a functional chassis with high-strength steels and torsional rigidity. Said chassis is linked to 15 percent benefit on handling and ride. The driving benefit is not offered in the previous V70's. Also, stability and traction control are made standard across the range. Higher models are given all-wheel-drive with automatic torque distribution and electronically controlled suspension called Four-C chassis technology.

All engines of the V70 are hooked to either automatic or six-speed manual transmissions. The biofuel E85-compliant T version generates 145 horsepower while the T63.0-litre turbocharged inline-six produces 285 horsepower good for 0-100 kilometer per hour in 7.2 seconds. Other engines used in the model include the inline-five petrol and diesel, both with turbos: 2.5-litre D5 producing 185hp and 400Nm and 2.5-litre T with 200hp and 300Nm - both carried over from the previous V70. But it comes with tweaks in turbo, fuel injection and engine management systems.

With the sensible evolution, Volvo expects a positive feedback from its wagon aficionados.

Hotels - Enjoy a Long Awaited Vacation

2010-08-29T23:00:00.001-07:00

Are you planning a visit to Sweden? Your choice is not surprising, considering that Sweden is a beautiful country, which is perfect for the long awaited vacation that you were planning. Whenever we plan a vacation, the first and foremost task is to book proper accommodation, so that you can have a pleasant and comfortable stay.

By proper accommodation, it means that you get clean and spacious rooms with attached bathrooms, a modest amount of facilities like room service, television or radio, and of course a restaurant. You must also take your budget into account. The rates should not be so high that it will burn a hole in your pocket.

There are three kinds of hotels that you can take your pick from:

Cheap Hotels - These hotels will easily fit into anyone's plan. This option is feasible for those who are on a limited budget. The rooms are spacious, the bathrooms are clean, and the staff is competent. The rooms have modest amount of necessities like television, radio, and air-conditioner. You can expect to have a comfortable stay.

Budget Hotels - These are slightly more expensive than the cheap hotels. You can expect rooms that are better decorated and more facilities like business centers, multi-cuisine restaurants, or fitness centers. The quality of service is also a notch above a cheap hotel.

Luxury Hotels - As is evident from the name the five star hotels come under this bracket. The interiors of the rooms will be tastefully decorated and will be equipped with Jacuzzi and mini bar. Some of the rooms can provide you with marvelous views of the city. Five star accommodations usually include swimming pools, bars, night clubs, spas, and various other facilities. If you want to splurge on your hotel accommodation, then putting up at a five star is your best bet. The staff is efficient and well trained so they will take care of all your needs.

Choosing the right accommodation in Sweden is extremely hassle-free and it will involve no hidden charges. The best part about these hotels is that they can fit into anyone's budget. Sweden hotels are famous for their world-class hospitality so you will have a most comfortable and enjoyable stay.

All you have to do is go to this website and search for Sweden hotels.It will list all the available options along with details such as location of the hotel, room rates, and its facilities. If you need any kind of help you can contact the customer care department. They will guide you through the entire process of booking and reservation. Have an amazing vacation!

Stopping Drunk Drivers Before They Start

2010-08-28T22:45:00.001-07:00

In many instances, technology is a major cause of auto accidents - particularly when drivers use their cell phones for calls or texting when behind the wheel. Now, however, two U.S. Senators have teamed up with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) in an attempt to use new technology to avert tragedy and wrongful death instead.

Near the end of 2009, during the approach of the holiday season, which traditionally sees a spike in the number of DUI-related auto and motorcycle accidents, Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced a bill requiring the use of an "ignition interlock" for convicted drunk drivers.

The ignition interlock device, when installed in a car, prevents a would-be driver from starting the vehicle unless they can pass a breathalyzer test. This device is gaining in popularity all across the country - ten states, including Washington where I practice law as a personal injury attorney in Seattle, already have laws in place requiring some degree of usage of the interlock by convicted DUI offenders who wish to drive. In the case of Washington, a drunk driver who has had their license revoked can apply for a special IIL (Ignition Interlock License), which allows them to drive any vehicle that has the interlock installed.

It's making even more of a splash internationally. In Sweden, you'll find the interlock is standard equipment on buses and all service vehicles - in addition, all Volvos come equipped with an interlock. Legislation was also just passed in South Australia to require serious or repeat DUI offenders to have an interlock in their cars.

The reason the interlock is becoming such a center of attention? It works. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ignition interlocks reduced re-arrest rates by an amazing 73 percent, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found wrongful deaths dropped a welcome 30 percent.

Who could argue with such a great solution to such a tremendous - and potentially lethal - problem?

Well, who else but the American Beverage Institute (ABI), which has worked against the interlock since it was first introduced. The ABI's position is that the Senators' new proposed bill is "the first step in a campaign to require interlock technology in all cars."

Perhaps the only reply to that argument is, "...and your point is?" But Mothers Against Drunk Driving went a bit further with their response. "We will gladly stack up the credibility of MADD versus the credibility of these groups any day," MADD President Chuck Hurley said. "Obviously, they're funded by the angry wing of the alcohol industry."

The ignition interlock looks to be an amazing weapon in the ongoing war against DUI-related auto accidents and wrongful deaths, a war that has seen much progress in recent years. Drunk driving auto accidents have declined in 40 states, as well as the District of Columbia, and the interlock, should it gain widespread acceptance, will probably add much momentum to that welcome trend.

Soccer Free Kick

2010-08-27T22:21:00.001-07:00

A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in soccer following a foul. Unlike an indirect kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.

There are two types of free kick in soccer; a direct and an indirect. There is also one special type called penalty kick, but we will not discuss it in this article.

However, the most common is a direct free kick which is a great chance to score, especially if you have a good technical shoot. You don't have to be the hardest shooting player in your team to become good a good free kick taker; instead, you should focus on hitting the goal. A hard shot is more difficult to control and will often end up 50 yards behind the goal.

The opposite of direct free kick is the indirect kick. Before the ball finds your opponents net masks some of your teammates must touch it first otherwise the goal would not be approved. So, how do you know if a kick is indirect? Well, the referee will usually raise his/her arm above the head and leave it up until you kick the ball.

When performing an indirect kick you should have one teammate gently tap the ball so that another teammate who will stand behind the ball can kick it or pass it back to you. Keep in mind that ball must be touched by a teammate otherwise the goal would not count. This is very important to because many players tend to forget this rule.

Things to Do on Holiday in Sweden

2010-08-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Travelers to Sweden would have no trouble finding things to do. It is a culturally rich and progressive nation that boasts of a very high standard of living. There are some great holiday chalets and self catering holiday apartments available to rent direct from their owners in Sweden.

Many tourists go on vacation to Stockholm and stay in self catering apartments. When there they can visit the Vasa museum. This museum in Stockholm houses the fruits of some ground breaking labour, the 17th century warship Vasa. The ship sunk during its maiden voyage in 1628, and was recovered in 1961. The resurrected skeletons and relics remain the only existing example of ship architecture from the period.

Stockholm, Sweden's capital city houses numerous museums, aside from the Vasa museum, you can check out the Nordic Museum, Museum of Natural History and Museum of Modern Art. The city is peppered with examples of historical architecture, like Riddarholmskyrkan, which is the oldest building in Stockholm, pretty much every district and neighbourhood in the city has its own unique charm and character. Families on vacation can rent self catering accommodation in Stockholm.

Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia; about a million people live here and there is a plethora of attractions to keep the tourists busy. Take a leisurely saunter in the scenic Castle Wood Park, listen to a wide genre of music from Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, art enthusiasts can head over to the Museum of Art. Sweden features a stunning expanse of rugged beauty which is yet to be tarnished by commercialism, these makes for perfect hiking spots.

Lovers of the outdoors may rent a holiday cottage or log cabin and use them as a base to explore the beautiful countryside. The law provides rights of access for anyone, provided they respect the local culture and nature. Sweden comprises of over 24,000 islands and 100,000 lakes, so it's not much of a surprise that boating is an integral part of Swedish life. Most tours take you on a sightseeing trip around the Swedish archipelago. The Gota Canal is a favourite tourist haunt but there are loads of other places that interest the water-craft bound traveller.

Stop by the Linkoping Cathedral in Ostergotland to treat yourself to some splendid Gothic architecture. This massive cathedral is the burial site of a 15th century bishop, and is embellished with some priceless paintings which were gifted by King John III. Skiing enthusiasts would find no dearth for fun as Sweden offers some of the finest locales for the sport. There are some great ski chalets available to rent and many families rent them while on vacation. Hemavan, in Lapland is a great ski precinct with its vast open areas and mountains. Arefjallen resort is said to be the world's largest with a ski run of more than a hundred kilometers, the ski race in April draws hundreds every year. Riksgransen in the extreme north is famed for its snowboarding championships and non-stop skiing during the spring. During the spring it seems the sun never goes below the horizon, perfectly symbolizing the spirit of this country where the fun never seems to end.

Many families take a family holiday to Sweden and stay in self catering holiday accommodation. Sweden has a great selection of self catering holiday apartments in the city areas. There are also some beautiful log cabins and ski chalets available to rent in the mountainous areas of Sweden. Many families come back to Sweden year after year to spend there vacations and stay in a holiday home.

Will Sweden's New Government Lift Uranium Ban?

2010-08-25T21:47:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week, Sweden's Alliance Party ousted the long-time ruling Social Democrats. The coalition party won a Swedish majority in parliament by promising to sell off its holdings in state-controlled companies. Many expect a three-stage privatization over three to five years. During this period, Sweden's nuclear power paradox may also find a resolution.

Nearly 50 percent of Sweden's electricity is generated by its ten nuclear reactors. About the same percentage comes from hydroelectricity. Over two decades ago, a referendum decided to decommission Sweden's 12 nuclear plants by 2010. Only two were retired.

Before the country can close its remaining plants, Swedish law dictates a replacement source must be found, which may be easier said than done. For the time being, a deal cut between members of the coalition party freezes changes in Sweden's nuclear policy. The Alliance will neither close remaining nuclear reactors nor begin construction of new plants for now.

Ironically, Sweden has the fourth highest per capita use of nuclear energy and is a world leader in spent fuel disposal. Sweden's mining department has issued special permits to foreign companies to explore for uranium, but presently bans the mining of any uranium discovered. Uranium was last mined in Sweden in 1969 at Ranstad, where 215 tonnes of uranium oxide were extracted from alum shale.

In 2003, Australian geologist Michael Hudson began acquiring uranium properties when uranium prices were still depressed. A recent spot price record high of $53.25/pound makes them more attractive. The properties had been well explored by Sweden's Geological Survey Unit, showing the potential for a deposit. During the current uranium boom, Hudson's publicly traded Mawson Resources is now continuing where previous drilling ended in the 1980s.

Hudson believes there is hope, "A major uranium discovery might become reason enough to lift the uranium ban." His company has 12 exploration permits on the 200-square kilometer Tasjo project, which was previously drilled. According to the World Nuclear Association, Sweden has an estimated 15 percent of the world's uranium deposits.

Adapted Low-Impact Aerobics

2010-08-24T21:19:00.001-07:00

The total economic cost of back pain and its treatment is on the rise. Over 27 relevant studies from Australia, Belgium, the Isle of Jersey, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and United States show increasing costs connected with treatment of back pain. Low back pain (LBP) is common among people all over the world and is an increasingly prevalent disorder in the developed world. Upper back pain is usually caused by self inflicted problems or bad habits such as sedentary lifestyles with little or no exercise coupled with overexertion of the body. Muscle tension and weakness in general can result in chronic back ache. Sometimes muscles are very prone to developing some form of irritation which is very painful. Muscular irritation may be due to lack of strength in the muscles.

Another economic factor that we can not ignore anymore is excess weight. It is estimated that over 52 million workdays are lost per year because of excess weight, costing approximately $4.8 billion in lost wages and productivity. Today's health care cost of obesity is estimated to be more than $70 billion per year, including the 33.3 million physician visits and 69.8 million hospital days.

It is also known that for many people, losing weight is a matter of life and death. Weight-related conditions are the second leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in an estimated 300,000 lives lost each year. Excess weight is linked to high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, certain cancers, and other diseases and is triggered mostly by a sedentary life style.

Since most back pain and over-weight problems are related to back and abdominal muscle weakness, there is a need for a simple, safe and effective exercise of strengthening these muscle groups.

If you are confined to sitting activities on a temporary or permanent basis, low-impact aerobics can be the most effective and convenient your exercise program. Gather up some music with 140 beats per minute for the aerobic activity and under 120 beats per minute for warm-up/cool-down. The following activity is an example of an adapted workout session. Increase one beat per minute every day.

Warm-up: Arm flexes--Bend elbows, move arms in opposition, extend downward and back up, use some shoulder movement to give the exercise "style." Increase intensity by straightening out the elbow joint or lifting the arms in front of the body. Decrease intensity by using smaller movements. If you are able, lift legs while sitting in time to the music. Do not twist the body. Maintain balance and do not overuse the muscles.

Aerobic activity: The swim--Incorporate the swimming movements into your low-impact aerobic session. You can use the upper-body swimming strokes such as the crawl, dog paddle, and breaststroke. Be careful of strokes that lift the arms overhead or move the arms in a backward motion. Start out slow and increase intensity by increasing the range of motion. Maintain balance throughout activity. Stay within your target heart range and do not overuse the muscles. Be creative in your combinations. Use only exercises appropriate for your physical ability.

Cool-down: Upper-body stretch-Clasp your hands in front of your body and press your palms forward. Release and repeat three to five times. Wrap your arms around your body as if giving yourself a hug. Squeeze and release.

The ideal choice of low-impact aerobic exercise with resistance would combine massage, acupressure, and reflexology in one single system with five important benefits:

Enjoyable - A pleasant, positive response from the program insures compliance. Safe & Simple - Reaching your goals should not interfere with other health conditions. The program is simple to follow.

Effective - In a shorter period of time you should be able to reach all goals. The energy you spend during the exercise program is applied for achieving more health benefits.

Universal - The exercise can be applied to different areas of the body to reach different goals by people with different conditions, age, life style, etc.

Affordable.

Local Saami Leader About Prospective of the Kola Saami, Russia

2010-08-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

The Saami broadcasting was reopened in Lovozero due to one of the joint projects. At one point during the Soviet period, a local radio performed programs in the Saami language. Without the aid from "abroad," Kola Saami would not be able to conduct this project. The Saami Union of the Scandinavian countries (with Lappish radio stations of Sweden, Norway, and Finland) participated in this project. They bought equipment and trained young journalists from Lovozero. Now, as a result, inhabitants of the Saami "capital" are listening radio programs in their language.

In conclusion of my visit to the National Saami cultural centre my hostess decided to introduce me to one of the Saami leaders. We entered into a large, bright room that was a Saami broadcasting station.

When we entered, two men in their early forties and another in his fifties were busy preparing a program. The older man looked very distinctly Saami; he had a short, thick set, with large features and narrow eyes, but with lighter skin than most local aborigines. After proper introductions were made, I asked permission to do an interview.

Our short conversation solved a puzzle which I had pondered since I came to Lapland. Honestly, I don't remember every detail of the long story he told me about the importance of foreign relationship and assistance from Saami organizations of Norway, Finland, and Sweden. He made a point about intermarriages as leading factor in declining of the Saami population.

However, there are two of his remarks I clearly remember, and his unforgettable responses to one of my questions made my visit to Lovozero completely worthwhile. He, while sharing his opinion and looking straight into the eyes of my hostess, told us, "Saami have to be united. We have to unite, not only our numerous organizations and sources, but also people of our small ethnic group." His aptitude immediately changed, becoming sadly wise. My hostess looked confused. At that moment, I realized that all this time, she had been working out her own agenda trying to divide a small Saami community while others were desperately trying to preserve the identity and uniqueness of their people.

Who is this brave and wise man? I wondered. His name is Alexander Kobelev. He is Saami and from a Saami reindeer herding family. Now, he is a Chairperson of the Saami Public Organization of Murmansk region and involved in other public associations.

Kobelev's aptitude, loyalty, courage, and approach to the needs of the small Saami community impressed me; particularly when he mentioned his attempts to pursue Saami to return to reindeer herding, hunting, fishing, picking of berries, and being involved in tourism. Thus, Saami could earn enough to give them self-confidence and keep a traditional way of life. He was convinced it was only one way out of the current situation.

On December 14, 2008, all local Saami associations, organizations, and communities (under pressure from Moscow) participated in the First Congress of Saami, Olenegorsk. It was a first step to the creation of Saami Parliament in Russia. I was excited by this news. Maybe it will give the Kola Saami a small chance to survive. Alexandr Kobelev was chosen by the First Congress of Saami with several other Saami (Larisa Avdeeva, Nina Afanasyeva, Andrey Danilov, Vasily Kramarov, Ivan Matrehin, Anna Prahova, Andrey Sakmarsky, and Valentin Sovkin) to serve on the committee for the preparation of necessary documentation needed to establish a Saami Parliament of Russia within two years.

Nothing could be changed overnight. However, behind them are Saami Parliaments of Sweden, Norway, and Finland with financial and legal assistance. The fact is that the Saami Parliament was formed for the benefit of only 1,991 persons (or possibly less)! How many delegates would there be? What will their responsibilities and duties be? Who will finance them and their activities, and how?

For the preservation of their culture and crafts, many public associations of Kola Saami are receiving today notable help from fellow tribesmen from abroad. Many projects on the Kola Peninsula have been carried out by financing granted by Scandinavian countries: workshops on manufacturing products from deer hoofs and horns, training of administrative staff from the Saami community, training young reindeer breeders on pastures of Norway and Sweden, etc. In the last fifteen years, a lot was done for the restoration of national crafts. Scientists and enthusiasts worked hard to collect experience and skills in leather, dear skin, hoofs, and horns from old residents. Now, any interested person can learn how to sew traditional Lappish overcoats, clothes, footwear, or headdresses in the Lovozero cultural centre.

Thus, the unpredictable interview changed my view on the situation with Saami, their way of life, their aptitude, their courage, their possibility of surviving as ethnic group in Russia, their environment, and their traditions, spiritual values, and beliefs. The bravery of Alexandra Kobelev in describing the current situation of Kola Saami was impressive. At this moment, I realized that the Kola Saami community is not afraid to find solutions in revealing their heritage and surviving.

Typical European!?

2010-08-22T20:49:00.001-07:00

Germans wear 'Lederhosen,' drink beer and eat sausages, are always on time, humourless and cold blooded. The French eat croissants and baguette, wear berets and are lazy to speak another language. Italians eat Pizza and Pasta, talk loudly and are chaotic. Sweden is the country of Pippi Langstrumpf and blond girls. The British have a queen, love football and eat fish and chips. In Holland everybody wears wooden shoes, eats cheese and rides a bike through the flat countryside with its windmills. The Spanish enjoy bull fights, eat paella and take siesta while the Austrians live in the mountains, wear a "Tiroler hat" and listen to Mozart.

Many languages, many voices, many attitudes, many different opinions, national histories and cultures. What is typical European? A complex topic which is shaped by contradictions and conflicts. Nevertheless, thinking about Europe has a long tradition. It reveals a European self-conception and its dependency on the cultural, socio-political and ethical developments. But how is Europe going to look like? Is it possible to unite people from different countries and with different histories? Every country possesses its individual charm which they want to keep. But does an alliance of countries need to include containment or a decrease of consisting rights and situations? Should Europe not be a meeting point of different nationalities that are open for learning new languages and discovering the beauty of other cultures? A meeting point where humans exchange experiences and opinions, where you profit from each others heritage and learn to help one another to grow together to something bigger? European countries should not see themselves apart from the rest. People should discover that there are more advantages than open borders when going on holiday. They have to experience Europe as a community and a unit, not only in an economic sense. They need to see the positive effects and opportunities that are offered. Europe should not be just a point in the discussions of politicians but a project which is taken forward. It is nothing static but can be seen as "work in progress". The only question is where to start. We all have different traditions, a different past and different climates and landscapes. We have different life styles and all speak a different language. How are we supposed to communicate? But is it really necessary to have one common language and one common tradition? Is being European not looking beyond our own nose and experience new things?

Times have changed, haven't they? People are not spending their lives in one place anymore. They take their traditions and ideals with them and mingle with other people and their attitudes. That leads to a development of new commonalities and new opinions. Nowadays communities are mobile and mixed and not static anymore. You can find Italian and Greek restaurants in nearly every part of the world. Everybody eats French cheese and drinks French wine. Radios play worldly music and we learn different languages at school. We have to open our minds and see that we are not loosing anything from our history and our past but that we gain a part of another history and another past. But do we built up a unit or can we find a common identity if people in one country are already prejudiced towards each other? Take East and West Germany! After now 17 years of unification there are still conflicts and big differences in thinking and behaviour. We see that we cannot create feeling of a European community and force people to accept it. It has to develop by making clear that tolerance and a view on others are necessary and that Europe does not destroy the diversity of culture but tries to improve the interpersonal relationships. Somebody once said that Europe is a phase; it is progress, movement and standstill at the same time. It creates possibilities and chances. It is a feeling and somehow like a rainbow presenting a richness of different colours in one single thing or like a salad bowl where all ingredients are mixed together but still keep their originality.

(resource: http://www.tobook.com)

Goth - A Brief Introduction

2010-08-21T20:30:00.001-07:00

What mental picture does the word "goth" evoke? Perhaps you imagine an acne-ridden teenager, with bad posture and a slight pudge, traipsing around the mall in an oversized black t-shirt. Or you think of certain movies, like Beetlejuice, The Addams Family or Dracula. You might picture Dita Von Teese, burlesque dancer extraordinaire, strutting about the stage in progressively fewer fabulous clothes. Her ex-husband, Marilyn Manson, might also come to mind.

But whatever you picture, a quick mental survey will show you just how diverse goth culture (or dark wave culture, as it's sometimes called) actually is. From Nick Cave to Morticia Addams, this subcultural style has evolved while retaining its individual character.

The Goths were an East Germanic tribe, perhaps from modern-day Sweden or the Baltics. They invaded the Roman Empire many times between the 3rd and 5th centuries A.D. Because of these invasions, and their unusual culture, "goth" became synonymous with "barbaric."

During the European Renaissance, cathedrals like Notre Dame, Chartres and Bad Doberan were considered barbaric and uncivilized. The appellation "gothic," then a synonym for "barbaric," stuck. Over the course of centuries, the word's meaning transmuted to mean the gloomy, mystical aesthetic of these cathedrals.

Authors like Mary Shelley, Horace Walpole, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe experimented with this aesthetic, creating what we now know as horror fiction. These writers emerged out of the Romantic movement, which emphasized emotion and passion, especially gloomy and doomed passion, over logic, reason and sunny optimism. Mary Shelley, for example, was the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, romantic poet and contemporary of Byron and Keats.

After 1970s punk burnt itself out, UK post-punk bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees emerged with a darker, more introspective sound. These bands were called "dark wave," "punk gothique," "new romantic" or just "post-punk," as many diverse groups were then called. These bands borrowed heavily from the punk and new wave traditions of music and dress: early photos show lots of red lipstick, black leather, torn fishnets, even army boots.

It wasn't until the early 1980s that "gothic" was recognized as a distinct subculture. Clubs like "Batcave" in London created visibility for this nascent scene; early goths were sometimes called "Batcavers," and an early Birthday Party song, "Release the Bats," parodies the "bat horror vampire" aesthetic.

In the 1990s, new minicultures and sub-subcultures emerged; the label "goth" became more contentious, as performers like Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson drifted into the mainstream. These contentions were parodied, quite successfully, by Jhonen Vasquez in his comic strip, "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac."

Music

Traditionally, the goth movement started when Bauhaus released "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in 1979. The song was used for the cult vampire film the Hunger, shown below.

Goth: A Brief Introduction

What Does "Goth" Mean?

Siouxsie Sioux.

Traditionally, the goth movement started when Bauhaus released "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in 1979. The song was used for the cult vampire film the Hunger, shown below.

Most early bands were from the UK, with a few exceptions (e.g. the Birthday Party, who were from Melbourne).

A similar but distinct movement, called No Wave, emerged concurrently in New York City. After 1983, however, No Wave was no more, and the prominent members in the scene, such as James Chance, Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore, moved on to other projects.

Later bands, such as the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, eschewed punk rock for a more dreamy aesthetic, while death metal bands combined monochromatic fashion with heavy metal music. The "New Romantics," like The Cure's Robert Smith, wore poet's shirts, dark jackets and tight pants.

Industrial artists, such as KMFDM, incorporated PVC, Vinyl, straitjackets and other artificial elements into their wardrobes. The popularity of gauged piercings among industrial fans earned them the nickname "rivetheads."

Films

Old horror films, like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dracula and Nosferatu, had a profound effect on the aesthetic of the early goth movement. Theatrical makeup, vampiric elements, pale skin and wild hair were all incorporated into the subculture, becoming almost a uniform for young people.

Campy 1950s and 60s horror films also added to the aesthetic; tv personalities like Vampira and the Addams Family (later remade into a movie) played on the spooky aesthetic.

In the 1980s and 90s, movies like The Addams Family, Interview With a Vampire and Elvira appropriated and improvised on gothic themes.

Tim Burton is probably the best-known director of these features, with titles like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas in his repertoire.

Philosophy: "Always Look on the Dark Side of Life"

Sorrow, pain, even violence are all part of the human condition. Rather than being eternally perky and optimistic, goths favor finding beauty and even joy in darkness. Otherwise, how can you be considered fully alive?

Western culture is too materialist/conformist/vulgar (answer depends on whom you ask), and we should return to the elegance/depravity/poetry of a bygone time, or at least create a more enriching alternative to the mainstream.

This article originally appeared in Enjoy Your Style magazine.

Living the High Life in Denmark's Whiskey Belt

2010-08-20T20:15:00.001-07:00

Denmark's so called 'Whiskey Belt' is the gold coast of Denmark. A world of beaches, luxury villas, green verdant forests and high life attractions. In an egalitarian nation which loves it's beer (think Carlsberg and Tuborg) it is said that the regions affluent residents prefer a tipple of whiskey - hence the name. Stretching along some 40 kilometers of coastline north from Copenhagen, the region is a refreshing and easily accessible alternative to city sightseeing. Here are some of the highlights.

1. The Daisy Route

The 40 kilometer Strandvejen (beach road) from Copenhagen through to Helsingor runs the full length of the Whiskey Belt. It is also known as the Daisy route. This is because it's road signed with the 'Daisy' of Margrethe II (popularly known as Queen Daisy) which indicates an area of outstanding natural beauty. The road runs parallel to the narrow Oresund strait which separates Denmark from Sweden.

Although hire cars are readily available, it's just as easy to explore the route by train (the 'coastal line') and bicycle. Bicycles can be hired cheaply locally and may be taken onto trains.

2. Bellevue Beach

Possibly Scandinavia's most glamorous beach, Bellevue is the place for Denmark's 'Beautiful People' to see and be seen every summer. The chic and charm extends to the stylish architecture of the resort. Much of this was created in the mid 20th century by 'Danish Modern' architect and designer Arne Jacobsen. Even the blue and white striped lifeguard towers and white beach side kiosks are his work. At the 'Restaurant Jacobsen' everything from the building, interior design, furniture and cutlery bears his mark.

3. The Deer Park

Chill out in this cool, dark, fairy tale forest of majestic oaks. Indeed, even Bambi himself would feel at home here. The Dyrehaven (deer park) was formally the royal hunting grounds. It was first fenced off by the King of Denmark in 1669. Today it is home to around 2,000 deer and a favorite haunt of walkers and picnickers. And be sure to enjoy some traditional Danish cuisine in the oldie-world restaurant 'Peter Lieps Hus', a former gamekeeper's cottage.

4. Bakken Amusement Park

Located deep in the depths of the Deer Park, the world's oldest carnival park is a blaze of light and sound. This is where the Copenhageners loosen up and have fun in a bawdy, burlesque environment. The park features over 100 rides and amusements, food stalls, dancing, ice cream, cabaret, open
air restaurants and bars. Not to be missed !

5. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

With delightful gardens overlooking the sea towards Sweden, the Louisiana museum features one of the largest and finest modern (20th century) art collections in the world. A large part of the museum's charm lies in it's unique location. Spaciousness and the relaxed outdoor environment of the gardens make this a popular family destination. The name Louisiana stems from the former estate owner's three successive wives, each of whom was called Louise !

6. Karen Blixen Museum

Set in a densely planted 40 acres park lies the charming manor house of Rungstedland. This is the former family home of Karen Blixen, famed romantic authoress of 'Out of Africa' and other works. Since her death in 1962, the estate serves as both a museum and bird sanctuary.

The house is a reminder of the privileged elegance of a bygone era. The gardens remain as they were, a tribute to Blixen's own horticultural talents and her vision of beauty.

7. Hamlet's Castle

At the end of the Whiskey Belt, where the Baltic and North Sea meet, lies the magnificent renaissance castle of Kronborg in Helsingor. This is actually better known as the castle of 'Elsinore' from William Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet - Prince of Denmark'. Hamlet himself is probably based on the Danish legend of Amleth detailed in the writings of medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus.

Best time to plan a visit to the Whiskey Belt is mid June through late August, when the weather (and beach life) is at is best and the scenery at it's greenest. Out of season it's still a pleasure to visit - with the benefit of less crowds.

Sweden - Where Brain and Beauty Meets

2010-08-19T20:04:00.001-07:00

A place where eminent scientist Alfred Nobel was born and highly useful invention happened is none other than Sweden. Dynamite and ATM conceptualized and invented in Sweden today are in extensive use. It is one of the most affordable tourist destinations in the world. Beautiful landscape, giant lakes and free culture present this country as the most favorable place for tourists. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden is reckoned amongst the most progressive cities with both urban and rural look and feel. Swedish are great lovers of literature.

The most suitable time for visiting Sweden is between late May and Late July. A wonderful mix of urban delights and rural feel, the country has many worth visiting destinations. And you go away from the cities you come across the amazing scenic coastline and pleasant islands. Arctic Scandinavia's highest mountain and hiking trails are marvelous. Stockholm, Gothenburg and Visby are some the cities which lave a lot to show to the tourists. Sweden's capital, Stockholm does justify its status of being one of the most beautiful capitals in the world.

Every city is full of attractions to entice travelers. Museums, parks and architectural excellence are very much explicit as you start wandering in the cities. Ajtte museum, Sarek National Park, Royal Palace, Tyresta National Park and Vitlycke museum store some precious assets to satisfy the traveler's appetite for something amazing. The Ajtte museum is one of the greatest highlights which display amazing antiques and precious notebooks. Royal palace is another highlight of the country. Hotels in Sweden are of world class which provides excellent amenities to the guests.

Why We Build Cities on Swamps

2010-08-18T19:45:00.001-07:00

One man's single-minded determination built this city on a swamp, on territory claimed by the enemy. Years later, Hitler decreed it should be wiped off the face of the earth. The name of the city? St. Petersburg, Russia's Window on Europe, Venice of the North, City of Light, is quite simply the most beautiful city I've ever seen. It overwhelms the eye, and the soul.

It was conceived in the mind of Peter the Great, aptly named, as he stood 7'2" tall and cast an even longer shadow, and born by his will, built, as they say, with the bones of thousands of serfs, and built where no city could or should be built.

"The history of the city," writes the BBC, "is a story of the triumph of human will over the elements." It was the Russian winter, after all, that finally defeated Napoleon, and St. Petersburg is nearly parallel to Helsinki.

It is said that one day the tsar of Russia, who, determined to make Russia a country in its own right, not the colony of one of the super powers busy at the time dividing the world amongst them, single-handedly dragged his country into the appropriate century, galloped across the swamp to where the Neva River meets the Gulf of Finland, dismounted, plunged his saber into the mire, and declared, "Here shall be a city."

Not only was it built on a swamp, it was built on a swamp that Russia didn't own. Perennially at war with Sweden, the land was at the time claimed by the Swedes. Early settlers immediately experienced floods, and it was considered inhabitable ... none of which mattered to Peter.

Or perhaps it did. The man had a vision and a statement to make, and it was a politically strategic location.

Peter's mission was to drag the Russian people, kicking and screaming, into the modern world. For what's a city with no people in it? Peter commanded the boyars to move from Moscow to St. Petersburg, to dress and behave like Westerners, and to shave their beards. In the Russian Orthodox religion, the longer one's beard, the greater the likelihood he would enter heaven. Peter the Great didn't care.

St. Petersburg was a political statement, and so was its reconstruction for its 300th anniversary two years ago. With roads and houses in disrepair, the people watched as hundreds of millions of dollars were poured into reconstruction of the presidential palace and other cultural treasures. The total for renovation was said to be $2 billion.

Of the restoration, Bob Parsos, BBC, wrote: "The people of this, the most European of Russian cities, are proud of the city's cultural heritage...But the hundreds of pensioners whose country cottages and gardens were razed to the ground to make way for the restoration of the Konstantinovsky Palace are seething with rage." It was done without their input or consent, so as not to be an embarrassment when dignitaries visited for the celebration.

Like most of us, about many things, they were "grudgingly happy" with the outcome. Shall we say ambivalent?

Does the city, does the world, need The State Hermitage, one of the world's great museum, which is comprised of six buildings and sprawls along the Neva in the heart of the city?

The city has its history. Stalin's purges in the 1920s included as many as a quarter of the city's inhabitants, and more than a million died while the Germans held siege to the city for 900 days during World War II. That's three years.

Standing inside the Hermitage, we saw pictures of the devastation. On the Hermitage website, you can read an excerpt from the instructions of Hitler's high command on the destruction of Leningrad, dated September 29, 1941:

"...2. The Fuehrer has decided to wipe the city of St Petersburg from the face of the earth. We have no interest in the preservation of even a part of the population of that city.

4. It is proposed to tightly encircle the city and by shelling from artillery of all calibres and constant aerial bombing to raze it to the ground..."

Nearly two million civilians, including about 400,000 children, plus troops were trapped inside the city. According to 'The History of St. Petersburg.':

"Food and fuel supplies were very limited (enough for 1 or 2 months only). All public transportation has stopped. By the winter of 1941-42 there was no heating, no water supply, almost no electricity and very little food. In January 1942, in the middle of an unusually cold winter, the lowest food rations in the city were only 125 grams (about 1/4 of a pound)..."

Just down from the Heritage is the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first stones Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, laid. We toured this as well. Over the years it housed Russia's most famous political prisoners.

We human beings are not reasonable creatures. If we were, half the wonderful things in the world would not exist. But we are capable of being reasonable. If we were not, the tilting at windmills would have broken us eons ago.

It requires the wisdom of Solomon to know and be both, and to choose when and in what proportion.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him, "wrote George Bernard Shaw. "The unreasonable man adapts surroundings to himself. All progress depends on the unreasonable man."

The International Freight Sector - Supporting Sweden's Free Trade

2010-08-17T19:30:00.001-07:00

Sweden is a staunch advocate of free trade and this is enshrined in Sweden's liberal trade policies. The whole concept of free international trade is at the heart of Sweden's economic policies and its roots were established as much as a thousand years ago. Sweden is not blessed with a terrain or climate that is good for agriculture and this led to Sweden starting to import from Russia and South East Europe as long ago as the 11th century. It is strange to think that even at that time and long before the phrase was invented, Sweden was engaged in freight forwarding!

The long tradition of international trade has continued to evolve since that time and a thriving international freight sector has sprung up to service the needs of both importers and exporters.

Both the imports and exports from Sweden are now at a high level. Sweden has a very strong export sector and has made large surpluses on its trade for the last decade. The largest single export category is machinery and equipment, making up a third of all exports from Sweden. This has evolved directly from the important iron ore industry that began to be formed in Sweden as early as the seventeenth century. After machinery and equipment, the next most important exports are motor vehicles, paper products,chemicals,iron and steel products and pulp and wood. The vast majority of these exports are bulky items and some, such as chemicals, require freight forwarders to pay especially close attention to their safe freight transport. So the shipping companies that service Sweden's exporters are highly experienced and have developed systems to ensure that every load is transported safely and securely.

Nearly 60% of all Swedish exports go to other countries in Europe. Of these, Germany is the most important, accounting for a share of 11%, followed by the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States of America, which account for 9% each. Stockholm Airport is an important freight forwarding hub for the transport of goods overseas and especially to the United States, although shipping by sea is also used extensively.

Of slightly less importance as trade partners are the neighbouring countries of Denmark and Finland, accounting for 6% and 5% of Swedish exports respectively. Trade with Denmark is now made easier since the creation of the Oresunde Bridge, which spans the kilometres of water separating the two countries. Freight forwarders have been able to trim journey times and costs since the bridge was opened.

Although much of Sweden's exports are raw materials and resources such as pulp, wood and iron ore, Sweden also exports branded products. Some Swedish export brands are incredibly well known right across the globe. Indeed, there surely cannot be many people who have not heard of household names such as Ericsson, Volvo, Saab, Electrolux or IKEA.

European countries also account for the majority of the imports into Sweden. The main imports are chemicals, clothing, foodstuffs, motor vehicles, iron and steel, machinery, petroleum and petroleum products.

Indeed, nearly 70% of all imports to Sweden come from within the European Union, with the most significant amount coming from Germany, United Kingdom, France and Norway. The United Kingdom is single-handedly responsible for 10% of all of Sweden's imports.

This steady stream of international trade between Sweden and the United Kingdom has spawned the development of an effective infrastructure for international freight between the two countries, with a number of freight forwarders having established expertise and robust systems, so that the whole process of the freight transport of goods can be relied upon to be speedy and trouble free.

In recent years, freight forwarders have started making increasing use of IT and technology to make the systems still more streamlined and customer-focussed and freight forwarding between the UK and Sweden is at the forefront of this trend.

Sweden has a long and illustrious history of international trade and the freight services sector is now embracing modern technology to ensure that it has a bright future too. The economy in Sweden is robust and has been less rocked than most other countries by the current period of economic turbulence. The freight company or shipping company involved in Swedish international freight can face the future with confidence, despite the downturn, knowing that for Sweden, imports and exports are its lifeblood.

Web Internet Marketing Gone Viral - How to Boost Your Business Using These 4 Hot Strategies

2010-08-16T19:15:00.001-07:00

Marketing Your Business

Whether you're involved in network marketing or any other home based business, web internet marketing has to be the cornerstone of your success. It is impossible to survive in these tough economic times without a great marketing campaign. Keep reading and I will share a few viral marketing strategies that can really boost your business.

Recession Marketing

Web internet marketing for your small business during the current economic recession can seem difficult. Most people look to their marketing budgets as the first thing they will cut to decrease costs. However this is a fatal mistake. Studies indicate that companies who not only maintain their marketing efforts but increased them do significantly better than companies who pull back during a recession.

Okay, so you know you need to increase your marketing efforts but that doesn't mean you have the resources for it. Many are cash strapped right now, so what can you do? Luckily the following four strategies can be implemented for free. If you're willing to spend some extra time on your marketing efforts you'll be much better off than your competitors in the long run.

Four Viral Marketing Strategies

Networking - Take stock of the current networks you have access to and spend time promoting your business in these arenas. Online discussion groups, forums and blog comments are each great ways to get the word out and to build some more of those valuable backlinks to your site. When leaving comments in these sites try to make yourself stand out above the rest. A simple "nice post" won't do it. Add some value to the discussion and always present yourself as an expert in your given niche.

Marketing Medium - When approaching web internet marketing, consider which media you have available and what you will focus your time on. Email campaigns, blogging, free ebooks or training courses are all ways you can attract new business leads despite difficult economic times.

Word of Mouth - Truly nothing in marketing is more valuable than word of mouth advertising. If your marketing campaign is going to go viral you will have to generate significant word of mouth advertising. Find out what makes your business prospects tick and then get the word out that you and you alone have all the answers they need.

Social Media - Take advantage of the powerful networking tools offered by the current frenzy of social media sites. Twitter, FaceBook pages and LinkedIn profiles offer instant credibility and the opportunity to drive your viral marketing campaign.

Persistence

As with many things in life, persistence really pays off with your web internet marketing efforts. Have confidence in yourself and what you're selling and don't miss any opportunity to try to make a conversion, generate new leads and get those profits soaring.

FIFA World Cup - A History 1930 to 1958

2010-08-15T19:00:00.001-07:00

If the number of television viewers watching a sporting event is any guide to its popularity, then the FIFA World Cup is the world's favorite, with an estimated viewer ship of nearly 30 billion. How very different from the early days.

In the early 20th century, the only tournament where national teams could compete, albeit on an amateur basis was as part of the Olympic Games. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) recognized the Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs" in 1914 and undertook to organize the event under the Olympic umbrella.

Due to the First World War the introduction of the FIFA organized event was delayed until the 1920 Summer Olympics. Belgium won the tournament that year with Uruguay winning the next two titles in 1924 and 1928. During the early planning stages of the 1932 Summer Olympics the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the football tournament because of the low popularity of football in the United States. In response, Jules Rimet, the then President of FIFA passed a vote initiating a tournament to be held in 1930 totally under FIFA' s control. Thus the World Cup was born. 1930 To honor its 100th birthday and to acknowledge the fact that it had won the last two Olympic competitions, Uruguay was chosen as the first host of the World Cup. Only four European teams took part despite Uruguay's willingness to pay travel expenses.

The first match was France versus Mexico. Less than 1000 fans turned up to see the French win 4-1. In another match, again involving France, but this time against Argentina, the referee set the depressing pattern of poor decisions in the World Cup by ending the game over six minutes early. The ensuing invasion of the pitch by the Argentinean fans persuaded the referee to play the extra six minutes once the pitch had been cleared. Just as well for Argentina. They won 1-0. The final was a real grudge-match between Uruguay and Argentina. They couldn't even agree on what type of ball to use so a compromise was reached where a different ball was used for each half of the match. Over 90,000 fans watched Uruguay become the first World Cup Champions by beating Argentina 4-2.

Statistics Host Country: Uruguay

Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, United States, Uruguay and Yugoslavia.

Final: Uruguay 4, Argentina 2

Top scorer: Guillermo Stabile, Argentina (8)

1934 On to Benito Mussolini's fascist Italy for the 1934 World Cup. The Italians didn't offer traveling expenses so the previous champions Uruguay so they chose not to defend their title. The USA in their second World Cup suffered a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the eventual winners Italy who beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.

Statistics Host Country: Italy

Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Final: Italy 2, Czechoslovakia 1 (after extra time)

Top goal scorer (Joint) : Conen, Germany, Oldrich Nejedly, Czechoslovakia, Angelo Schiavio, Italy (4)

1938 With war clouds heavy over Europe the World Cup moved to France. Italy were the favorites but their future allies Germany fancied their chances. The Germans, who had recently annexed Austria invited the Austrian players to choose to play for either Austria or Germany. Six of the Austrians chose to play for Germany. It wasn't a good move as Switzerland knocked Germany out in the first round. The Italians cruised to the final, beating France and Brazil on the way. Hungary were no match for them in the final itself, Italy winning 4-2.

Statistics

1938

Host Country: France

Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dutch East Indies , France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland

Final: Italy 4, Hungary 2

Top goal scorer: Leonidas da Silva, Brazil (8) The Second World War After 1939 the world had more important matters to think about other than football and Italy kept the World Cup Trophy under the bed of Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice president of FIFA, who feared it would be a prime target for Nazis. Thankfully this action kept the trophy safe and in 1946 as a tribute to Jules Rimet, whose initiative led to the creation of the World Cup Competition, the trophy was officially named The Jules Rimet Trophy. As most of Europe lay in ruins and the world's economies were devastated by the war the next World Cup competition did not take place until 1950.

1950 After a twelve-year lay off, the World Cup competition returned to South America, this time Brazil. The lack of participating countries caused the organizers a headache so the format was changed. Instead of a final Brazil, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay played in a league format that ended with Brazil just needing a draw in its final game to win the cup. But it was not to be. Brazil's opponents spoiled the party by winning 2-1.

Statistics Host Country: Brazil

Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, England, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Yugoslavia

Final: Uruguay 2, Brazil 1

Top goal scorer: Ademir de Menezes, Brazil (9)

1954 This was the first World Cup to be televised and the few people with television sets in those days were treated to a feast of goals, the average being 5.38 per game. Some of the highest scoring games were - Hungary 9 South Korea 0, Hungary 8 West Germany 3, (a group stage match that the West German coach wanted to lose to avoid meeting Brazil too early) and West Germany 7 Turkey 2. The highest scoring match in World Cup history took place during this competition. It was the quarter final where Austria beat Switzerland 7-5. The final was a re-match of the earlier game West Germany versus Hungary. This time the West German coach Sepp Herberger fielded his strongest side and beat Hungary 3-2

Statistics Host Country: Switzerland

Countries: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, West Germany, Yugoslavia

Final: West Germany 3, Hungary 2

Top goal scorer: Sandor Kocsis, Hungary (11)

1958 Again in Europe, this time Sweden, the 1958 World Cup saw the debut on the world stage of a 17 year old Brazilian destined to become the most famous footballer in the world - Pele. He scored a total of six goals in the tournament including three in the final against hosts Sweden that Brazil won 5-2.

Statistics

Host Country: Sweden

Countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Hungary, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Scotland, Sweden, USSR, West Germany, Wales, Yugoslavia

Final: Brazil 5, Sweden 2

Top goal scorer: Just Fontaine, France (13) Still the record

A Taste of Sweden with this Swedish Meatball Recipe

2010-08-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

Sweden is a great region, and Swedish food is a great ethnic food. At its best, Swedish food is excellent, largely meat-, fish- and potato-based, but varied and generally tasty and filling.

In the last few decades immigrants from all over the world have enriched Swedish food culture with a host of exciting dishes.

Typically classical Swedish cooking includes lots of seafood, herring in particular; open faced sandwiches; and Swedish meatballs, a smörgåsbord favorite: Swedish meatballs (köttbullar).

Swedish desserts may include lingonberries - a high bush cranberry, and used a lot in Swedish cooking.

If you equate Swedish food with smorgasbord, meatballs and dill, think again! Although these are great delights, you'll enjoy a wide range of tasty, fresh-cooked food in Sweden.

A quarter of my family are Swedish, originating from Gothenburg. These genuine Swedish recipes have been collected by our family over the years and are now being shared with you as a celebration of Swedish traditions and food.

Farmors Köttbullar

1lb of minced beef

onion - finely chopped

1 cup of soft breadcrumbs or oats

1 egg

Milk (about 1/2 decilitre)

Soak oats or breadcrumbs in milk for 1/2 hour

Add mince and mix until smooth and well blended together

Add onion - mix well

Finally add egg and salt and pepper

Roll into little balls and fry in margarine for about 10 minutes

Served kottbullar with freshly mashed potato (potatismos) and a salad. Enjoy!

Many thanks to Ulla who shared this genuine Swedish recipe with our family.

The Essence of Logistics Management in a Modern-Day Organization

2010-08-13T18:30:00.001-07:00

Logistics can be defined as possession of the right quantity of a substance at the accurate time as well as for a suitable price. It is a field that deals with the procedural requirements of any organization. Moreover, it has a financial and operational impact. The procedure is a part of every industry segment and facilitates the completion of supply chains and project life cycles. This imparts the much needed efficiency and competency to a procedure. Logistics freight entails working with specialists who are capable of merging their expertise in freight transportation with focused knowledge of specific industrial segments.

During the recent times, the significance of supply chain and logistics has witnessed a tremendous increase. Never before were these activities so important for organizations. Moreover, a number of freight companies have established joint ventures with organizations that focus on specific sectors. This also helps in achieving optimization of their services. In addition, there are many companies that offer outsourced or third party freight logistics services to organizations. Such service providers specialize in shipping as well as warehousing that are integrated with their systems. Not only this, the services can be modified according to the requirements of the customers and addresses to the delivery service requirements and demands of the market.

Irrespective of the kind of shipment involved, all the organizations seek exceptional service standards in terms of safety and quality of goods. This is the general trend that pervades the market. Therefore, a number of organizations have developed integrated solutions that are accepted by freight businesses.

Contract tracking as well as online freight disbursement systems are available. Such systems provide authoritative control for logistics procedure. Moreover, the use of this Internet based services makes it possible for people keep a track of supply inconsistencies. In addition, the single source information center also provides access to shipment data for transporters as well as carriers. Besides this, the product also eliminates the need of merging freight invoices and bills. It also ensures precise as well as quicker payments. Logistics freight solutions can be utilized as an important tool for enabling better decisions by the management. Apart from all this, it has also ensured superior customer services.

Network Marketing Internet Business - How Marketing Through Facebook Can Increase Your Profits

2010-08-12T18:15:00.001-07:00

Internet Marketing

For anyone starting out in the network marketing internet business, learning how to get the word out about your home based business can be difficult. However in order for you to have any success you must have an effective marketing campaign. Keep reading and I'll share with you a great method of free advertising.

Facebook

Although many of you probably already use Facebook as a way of keeping track of your friends and family, this can also become a powerful network marketing internet business tool. This is one of the most often overlooked resources for increasing web presence and driving site traffic.

Most of us prefer to keep our private lives separate from our business image. Sending all your new customers to your Facebook profile is not always a wise thing to do. It can also be frustrating to get hundreds of unrelated updates through Facebook from potential customers you have no personal relationship with.

While creating new Facebook accounts for your business may seem like a solution, Facebook has tight limitations on how many accounts any one can have. Facebook ads are a potential solution but can be costly and out of reach for most new small business owners.

Facebook Page

There is a way to take advantage of Facebook traffic without having to commingle your personal contacts. Creating a Facebook page is the perfect solution. Facebook pages are free and easy to set up.

Once you set up a Facebook page for your network marketing internet business, you can invite your friends, family and leads to become fans of that page. Facebook page fans' updates do not show up on your home page but your updates will show up on theirs.

By setting up a Facebook page, you can promote your blog by setting up feeds to the page. Also, you can easily promote your Facebook page on your blog.

Results

Like anything else in the network marketing internet business, your results will be proportionate with your efforts. The more time you spend promoting your page, the more fans you can accumulate. Set aside a few minutes each day to your campaign and you'll get the results you are looking for.

Swedish Credit Union - Scam or Not

2010-08-11T17:15:00.001-07:00

Today on the internet we see numerous entities selling Swedish Credit Unions. The presentation is obtain what is basically a bank inexpensively and operate it offshore using a Panama Financial Services Company which does not let you operate as a bank. Will this work, theoretically yes. Practically the Swedish Credit Union will break down when it comes to the correspondent bank. What is usually done is an ordinary bank account is opened with a bank that has correspondent banks. Please bear in mind the fees to open a correspondent bank account usually are in the $200,000 + range. When your Swedish Credit Union starts pumping through 40 or so wires a week the correspondent bank, the bank that you have is using, will think their customer bank is operating as a correspondent bank and find some excuse to cut them off if they do not drop your account. Remember they want people to pay $200,000 to have a correspondent bank. Having the wires go through a Panama Financial Services Company mitigates the situation some since the credit union name does not appear in the wires. If one were to say process 3 or 4 wires a week with say three or four checks and the wires and checks were all made out to the financial services company, not a credit union, the scenario would probably have a reasonably long life. Of course you now really don't need the credit union.

Bank Secrecy - Missing altogether. The Swedish Credit Unions do not have bank secrecy since they are from Sweden which is not a privacy jurisdiction. The Swedish authorities do not have reportage requirement for these companies but rest assured they can conduct an audit or request and require books and records readily because these entities are subject to Swedish taxation at a rate of about 30%. If one failed to comply they could cancel your corporation or credit union if you wish to name it such, or worse even going after you personally for fraud, income tax evasion, etc. Not a comforting thought. I should say the Panama Financial Services Company bank account would be covered by bank secrecy in Panama. If the Swedish Government alleged that you were operating some sort of financial institution like a bank taking deposits and making loans in Panama through this Panama Financial Services Corporation along with a corporation named as a credit union in Sweden, the Panamanian authorities would think you were trying to evade buying a Bank License (expensive licenses) and shut you down. Would they turn records over to the Swedish? That would depend on the allegations and if there was criminal case on file in Sweden for money laundering. If such a case was in the Swedish Criminal Courts I think under the circumstances the records would likely be turned over. Panama would likely deem you to be operating beyond the scope of a Financial Services Company if the Swedish government was complaining about one of their credit union named corporations, I would not think the Panama Government would be standing up for your company.

Legal Structure - The name of this so called Swedish Credit Union is an EKONOMISK FÖRENING. It is an economic association actually and what the sellers of these structures do is name them as a credit union like; ABC Credit Union and sell them for inflated prices as a credit union just because the Swedes allow you to use credit union in the name, it is nothing like the American Credit Union. It is almost an oversight in the law that has been exploited.

Practical Applications - None that we know of. No bank is going to let you push a high volume of wires through the system. The wires will be a dead giveaway to the correspondent banks outside of Sweden and you will be cut off.

Suggestion - Forget this one. It is not really a scam, but it is not really a credit union per se either. It will not work in the banking system so drop this one.
For more information go to: http://www.panamalaw.org

Holidays - Top Ice Hotels

2010-08-10T17:03:00.001-07:00

The idea of the "Ice Hotel" dates back to 1689 when Yngve Bergqvist decided to build an igloo to showcase native Sami art. After a few tourists enquired about staying the night, Yngve saw the potential, and shortly after the ice hotel was born.

Along with the original ice hotel in Sweden, there are numerous other locations that have recreated the authentic ice hotel, each offering their own twist. Some of the most notable of which are covered below

Sweden

The ice hotel at Jukka is the original and possibly the best, at least in terms of "things to do", with a range of safari treks and arctic trails on offer.

The Swedish ice hotel has a notably large range of accommodation.
For instance, for those wishing to sleep somewhere a little warmer, there are the luxurious "Aurora Houses". The skylight in each house makes it possible to fall asleep under the famous Northern Lights.

Albeit it's not the cheapest location, with the cheapest option for a double bed costing around £250 a night.

Norway

If location and remoteness is what you are looking for, then Norway is the perfect option. The ice hotel situated in Kirkenes is a staggering 1,550 miles from Oslo, so you'd be hard stretched to find another ice hotel as remote!

The ice hotel here is essentially a smaller version of Sweden's, with a couple of suites, ice sculptures and an ice chapel.

Finland

For a more personal experience, there is Kakslauttanen, situated in Northern Finland. Of the 20 igloos on site, each sleeps 5 people.

For around £93 each a night, you can't get much cheaper ice holidays. Reindeer, husky and snowmobile safaris are also available at an extra charge.

Dog Sledding in Sweden

2010-08-09T16:46:00.001-07:00

Klocka is a must visit for anyone who ever liked the idea of dog sledding. The icy temperatures, vast fir forests and placid mountains make this place a wonderful winter wonderland. After a hard day of Sledding out here you can sooth your exhausted muscles in the warm Swedish saunas and satisfy your hunger with the delicious Swedish cuisine on offer.

Klocka is situated around the Sylarna mountain region along the Norwegian border of Sweden. Klocka is a small old rural village on the shore of the captivating Lake Annsjon. The wonders of nature are a joy to behold here as reindeer graze along the waters edges as birds of prey stalk overhead.

The husky dogs though are the element of nature you will learn the most about on your trip to Klocka. As you arrive at the kennels the dogs immediately become animated jumping on their hind legs and barking in an exited frenzy. All this canine energy is used to power your sled and be warned that is a lot of power. As Klocka musher Kari-Mette advises 'You don't have to teach them to pull, you have to teach them to stop'. The Huskies are admirable animals what with their formidable strength, fervour and friendliness. It is a great feeling when you get to grips with sledding after what begins as an uncontrollable power surge from the dogs and eventually calms into simultaneous loping rhythm from the dogs pulling as the sled now slides easily through the snow.

The winter sun casts long shadows of the dogs and their sleds as you skid through the forests and on through the scenic Vallrun hills. The gentle sun at this time provides soothing warmth to relieve you from the biting cold. One word of advice put on all your warmest clothes when sledding because the cold is unforgiving.

The untamed mountain lake of Sodra Grasjon is the only open plateaux of the journey and as such provides you with the perfect arena to experiment with your new found sledding skills. The dogs will obey you by now more confident and daring orders but they are smart enough to know a novice musher. At the end of the plateaux things return to normality as the dogs stride up the steep incline to a beautiful hillside viewpoint and a food stop at Grasjolien.

The beauty of dog sledding is that it blends perfectly with the immaculate landscape. The mountains are high but their slopes are gentle and do not plunge dangerously making them more user friendly for sledding. The dogs love their work and their tails will wag at the taught of another sledding journey. The dogs will dutifully charge home to the warm saunas at the command of the musher in the fading sunlight. This is a journey that will make you feel more at one with nature more so than any other.

The dog sledding season of Klocka runs from mid December to late April depending on weather conditions of course. February onwards is the best time as the weather is not as chilly. Osterand is the nearest airport 125 kilometres away. This is served several times a day by Scandinavian airlines (SAS) from the capital Stockholm. I would advise any potential visitors to stay in the Klocka Fjallgard hotel as it organises snowmobiling, dog sledding as well as numerous other activities and arranges transport to and from the Osterand airport.

Book Cheap Flights to Sweden and take a Europe Holiday you will not forget.

Welcome to Sweden!

2010-08-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

A crazy morning that ended up great, that was my Sunday.I woke up 7, 30 and it was raining outside. My cats were a sleep and so were my youngest daughter Beatrice.I had a glass of water and went to bed again. Lying there and planning the day. To go for a long walk and do some interior decoration in my bedroom.Bang! Fell a sleep again and woke up past 11! Wow I did not know that I was so tired.

Rise and shine! Made some breakfast for us and thought about the long walk and suddenly it started to pour down rain. Well the Universe wanted me to fix the bedroom first. Said and done. It ended up really nice thanks to advice from Beatrice she is good at it. After that I went in to the city by car. Beatrice was driving me in to the city. I was dropping of two bottles of xango juice to a new distributor of mine. I talked a while with him and decided to walk home. It is about an hour walk.
The sky was blue and sunshine. What a great day for a walk.

Stockholm is a beautiful city especially in the summertime. The way home to me is by the water the whole way. Half way through I stopped at a porch were they serve wine. I had one glass white wine and sitting over viewing the water. It is stunning beautiful Stockholm with all the water surrounding the city. It is like all the citizens have been hiding in their apartments the whole year. Now they are all out.

The air is so fresh. It is a very friendly town. Not much crime happening, thank lord. So you can feel quit secure even late nights. During the summer time we have a lot of bars, restaurants and pubs to visit. It is an international city. We all speak English good as well so you can communicate easily with the folks. Even though we belong to the European Community we have Swedish kronor in the currency. That's a shame I think. It would be so much easier with common money. There are so many good things about Sweden.

Many times I think we are too far north up but the more years go by I can see the benefits. Just look at the global warming. If the heat is moving further north we will be safer from all he floods and water. We also have a lot of land. Our population is only 8, 5 million people and the area is so huge. You can from the middle of Sweden up to the north go many miles without seeing any people. So there's lots of space. The prizes for properties are fairly cheap too. Look at the forest. Wow! It is amazing what you can get. No pollution, fresh air, lots of space, forest around the corner and surrounded with water.

The politics is good too. We take good care of foreigners.
The education system is well known. The social, health care system is unique.
So where was I? From the morning wake up to the walk in the city to the politics in Sweden. Well that's what could happen when you are out in the nice, friendly and beautiful environment. You will get caught up in the beauty of life.

I finish my walking back home. I gave my cats dinner. Sitting by the computer tell the world how lucky I am. To be healthy, to be able to wake up every morning. I am thanking every morning for that. I also than Universe for all my friends I have met and those I will meet some day.
Thanking that my girls are healthy and vital. Most of all I thank you for reading my articles. I love to share thoughts, visions and future dreams. Take care and be happy!

Sweden Has Third Best Property Market in Europe

2010-08-07T16:15:00.001-07:00

Although Sweden is the largest of the Nordic countries its population of about 9.3 million is quite spread out. This peace-loving country has not been involved in any major wars for more than 200 years and has a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The combination of Sweden's stability with the high standard of living means that the country is very multi-cultural and this diverse population live together in relative harmony. There are no legal restrictions on foreigners buying property in Sweden.

Privacy is well respected in Sweden and famous people who have visited have been pleasantly surprised to find that they don't get bothered. Swedish is the main language but most people speak English making things easy for visitors and expats. Property prices are surprisingly reasonable too. Though, like most of the world, the property boom in Sweden finished in 2008, there are still some great bargains to be had. The average price for a property in Sweden is £153,374.

Sweden has some fantastic deals on a whole range of properties from flats and apartments to villas and country houses.

The capital Stockholm has an extremely dynamic market. A recent survey had Stockholm property listed as the third best in Europe, behind only Paris and London. Carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute the survey concluded that there was a lot to gain from investing in hotels as well as retail and office space. The average price of a property in Stockholm is £274,365.

In Sweden it is possible to buy a two bedroom flat in Vasterbotten which is in the forest and close to the sea for only £12,000. Financing is available on this property. For about double the price you can get a countryside villa in Norrbotten which has two bedrooms and is close to all amenities. These are available on the Move Channel. There is even an eight bedroom house in Halland which goes for only £54,000 on the same website.

Some more mid range properties are available in the Sydsverige region in the south of Sweden. Through Green-Acres.com you can find a four room, three bedroom house in good structural condition for £269,759.

Not only is property cheap but transaction costs are low and range from 4.5% to 7.5%. When the buyer and the seller reach an agreement, the former pays a deposit ranging from 2% to 10% of the purchase price. The buyer then pays stamp duty of 1.5% and a registration fee of £81. Meanwhile the seller pays the real estate agent's fee of anywhere between 3% and 5%.

A New Series For PBS Fans in HD - Wallander

2010-08-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

Scandinavia is known for being something of a cold, somewhat gloomy and aloof place, with vast outdoors that stretch beyond the horizon. During the summer solstice, with the looming of the midnight sun, people seem to act a little awry, as this exaggered, high definition summer, gets to their heads. In the new PBS series Wallander, we follow the comings and goings of one Swedish police office, after whom the Masterpiece Mystery HD series is named. Wallander is played by the famous English actor Kenneth Branaugh, whom you can watch in any number of movies playing on satellite TV on any given night (he's been in quite a few different productions, among them Woody Allen movie, and several takes on Shakespeare's classics). Wallander sports a look worthy of not a famous Shakespearean actor, but rather of someone down on his luck. He's got a puffy, swollen visage, and a physique that has nothing to do with a football player you'd find on the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Wallander is actually a three episode affair put on by the popular Mystery series. It's based on a set of fashionable crime novels by the Swedish author Henning Mankell. Wallander, the character is a bit of a romantic hero, even though he may not seem like it upon first glance. He works alone, obsessively at times. He's a police officer who's always on the job, even when he's not. Other than that, there's really nothing extraordinary about him. He's no Sherlock Holmes, nor is he Inspector Clouseau. Wallander isn't a tragic figure. He drinks. He's divorced (no tearful widow stories here). He eats, probably too much for his own good, in fact. You can see the sort of regular distress in his red-rimmed eyes, so patently visible in HD.

Wallander does have a daughter, but he doesn't spend time with her. His father has Alzheimer's disease and spends his time painting the very same landscape over and over and over again. He lives in Ystad, a small seaside town near Malmo in the south of Sweden. It's cold, bleary and often shrouded in fog as much as it is in mystery. The cinematography is noticeable for his high contrasts, the dark darks, the dreary gloom, enhanced by the power of high definition.

The crimes that Wallander investigates are what really what make this series gripping and interesting. Most of the crimes have an air of oddness and they are certainly bloody, grisly things. In the first episode, a girl sets herself afire, after dousing her body with gasoline. Other such brutal crimes follow as it appears there is a serial killer set loose in this quiet town by the sea.

Branagh's performance alone is well worth watching. The other cast members, Sarah Smart as Wallander's daughter, Tom Beard as Svedberg, Wallander's colleague and David Warner as his father also put out some marvelous, if less obvious performances.

You can catch Wallander on PBS. Check your local satellite TV guide for listings.

The Phenomenal Big Brother Sweden

2010-08-05T15:48:00.001-07:00

Big Brother is a reality TV show that houses a group of people in a large house. This group of people will be isolated from the outside world even from their families. The goal of these individuals would be to avoid eviction from the house. This way, they will be able to when huge cash prizes. The evictions will be based according to the votes of the televiewers. Each country who franchised this reality show has made formats that suit their cultures and traditions well. However, the basic format remains.

The Big Brother Sweden edition actually started on 2000. They have broadcast it at the same time as Norway's version did. The two countries enjoyed an exceptionally high rating that they actually decided to co-produce a BB show together. So in 2005 they actually created a show together. This earned them more viewers and the ratings were good. In their 2005 show they mixed nine Swede and nine Norwegians together in one big house. Initially, each country has separate houses for their housemates. However, after the first eviction, they have joined the two sets of contestants in one house but still on a two different team. They still have to fight for their individual immunity and can vote someone from the other team for eviction. In a twist during this first joint production, the viewers were given the choice, which among the three evicted housemates can go back to the Big Brother House.

Big Brother Sweden use cameras around the house to monitor how the housemates interact with each other. They are given tasks to accomplish and the success of these tasks will earn them a reward from Big Brother. This creates a big wave of curiosity among the viewers of television. Everything about the housemate's environment is controlled. There are no phones, televisions or even radios. It depends on the franchisees' prerogative on what materials to provide their housemates. Even books and special gadgets like ipod are not allowed. Some countries even went as far as not letting the housemates bring their toiletries. These factors bring out the vulnerability of an individual. This becomes especially for the housemates because they would also have to deal with their new environment and adjust to their new housemates. The show thrives when there are a conflict or love affairs those blossoms in such event.

In Big Brother Sweden and Norway, only the team captains can vote who among their team will be evicted. For example, if team Sweden won the given competition in the house, the captain of team Norway would have to nominate of them for eviction. Usually, when they bring in a new housemate, that housemate could nominate but the rest cannot nominate him or her. There are also twists involve in the show where some housemates are supposed to be evicted but in reality, they were just hidden in a secret room. One of Big Brother Sweden and Norway's ideas that really gets the attention of the public is the Big Brother Exchange program, where a housemate from Big Brother Thailand gets to exchange places with one of the housemates.

FIFA World Cup - A History 1962 to 2002

2010-08-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

1962 Hosts for the 1962 edition were Chile despite recently having suffered a devastating earthquake. Brazil were favorites to retain the trophy but Chile thought they had a world-beating plan of action. Before they played Italy they ate spaghetti and won. Before they played Switzerland they ate Swiss cheese and won. Before they played Russia they drank vodka and won (must have been an interesting game). So when they came up against Brazil in the semi finals, what did they do? Did they eat Brazil nuts? No, they drank coffee and promptly lost 4-2. Brazil once again claimed the trophy by beating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final.

Statistics Host Country: Chile

Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, England, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia

Final: Brazil 3, Czechoslovakia 1

Top goal scorer: Drazen Jerkovic, Yugoslavia (5)

1966 In 1966 the World Cup came back to where the modern game of football began in 1863, England and the trophy was destined to stay there for four years. It might have stayed there permanently because when it was put on show at the Westminster Central Hall in London four months before the tournament was to start it was stolen. Seven days of acute embarrassment ensued while authorities tried to find the missing cup without any result. Eventually a black and white dog called "Pickles" found it underneath a hedge wrapped in newspaper whilst doing what dogs do under hedges. Pickles shot to stardom and the English Football Association had a replica of the trophy made - "just in case". The replica can still be seen at the English National Football Museum.

The 1966 World Cup was memorable for several reasons. It was the first World Cup to have a mascot - "World Cup Willie", a lion dressed in the English strip. It was a World Cup marred by vicious tactics on the field and by poor refereeing that saw Brazil literally kicked off the pitch in the first round. The final against West Germany was also memorable due to one of the most controversial goals in Cup history. In extra time Geoff Hurst of England launched a shot that hit the underside of the goal crossbar and bounced down. The referee ruled that it had landed behind the goal-line and was therefore a goal. The West Germans protested that it did not go behind the line but the linesman upheld the referee and the goal stood. Hurst put the matter beyond doubt in the last minute by scoring.

Statistics Host Country: England

Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany

Final: England 4, West Germany 2 (after extra time)

Top goal scorer: Eusebio, Portugal (9)

1970 Mexico 1970 was Brazil's and Pele's World Cup. After 1966 when Brazil were knocked out in the first round, Pele had vowed never to play in the World Cup again. Fortunately he was persuaded to make a final appearance in 1970. Hopes were high in England for a repeat of the 1966 success but matters were not helped when the England captain was jailed for four days on manufactured charges of stealing a bracelet in Guadalajara a couple of weeks before the opening game. Those, the humid playing conditions and Gerd Muller in devastating form, were enough to see West Germany take their revenge in the quarter final for the defeat in the previous competition's final. But Brazil seemed unstoppable thanks to their magnificent attackers but their defense was questionable. Could the Italian front line turn this to their advantage? At half time it seemed that they could with the score line at 1-1 and the Brazilians obviously demoralized. But after half time Pele took charge laying on passes that led to two Brazilian goals and finding the net himself. Brazil had won the World Cup for the third time and therefore was allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. Some year later it was stolen and never recovered. It is presumed it was melted down.

Statistics Host Country: Mexico

Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, England, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Sweden, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany

Final: Brazil 4, Italy 1 (after extra time)

Top goal scorer: Gerd Muller, West Germany (10)

1974 In 1974, West Germany played hosts for the competition for the new trophy, the FIFA World Cup. West Germany had a tremendously strong side but then so did Holland with its brand of "total football" and Poland. Holland beat Brazil 2-0 to face West Germany in the final in Berlin but the German ultra efficient football machine held out against the inspirational Dutch to grab a late winner.

Statistics Host Country: West Germany

Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, East Germany, Haiti, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, Uruguay, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Zaire

Final: West Germany 2, Netherlands 1

Top goal scorer: Grzegorz Lato, Poland (7)

1978 1978 saw the FIFA World Cup being held in Argentina and it was one of the most controversial with very strange refereeing and organizational decisions seeming to favour the home country. In a second-round match Argentina needed to score at least four goals against Peru. It scored six and Peru were heavily criticized for giving the game away. In the final Argentina seemed to have an extra man in referee Sergio Gonella. His decisions were so blatantly pro Argentina that there were calls (particularly by the Dutch) for the match to be re-played in a neutral country - calls that fell on deaf ears.

Statistics Host Country: Argentina

Countries: Austria, Argentina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, West Germany

Final: Argentina 3, Netherlands 1 (after extra time)

Top goal scorer: Mario Kempes, Argentina (6)

1982 An expanded World Cup was launched in 1982 in Spain. Eight more teams participated bringing the total to 24. The idea was to allow the lesser footballing countries to enter the tournament. The idea was vindicated by impressive displays by Algeria and Cameroon. Italy proved to be unstoppable that year and defeated the strong West German side 3-1 in the final even after Antonio Cabrini of Italy became the first player to miss a penalty in a World Cup final.

Statistics Host Country: Spain

Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, England, France, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia

Final: Italy 3, West Germany 1

Top goal scorer: Paolo Rossi, Italy (6)

1986 Colombia had been chosen to host the 1986 World Cup but was unable to due to economic considerations so the venue was switched to Mexico despite strong efforts by Holland and the United States to have the competition on home soil. Brazil, the favorites were knocked out in the quarter finals by France on penalties. Another quarter final saw Argentina's Diego Maradona famous "hand of God" goal against England. Several billion TV viewers saw him use his hand to punch the ball into the back of the English goal but the referee did not. It was a blatant cheat that still rankles with English fans today as it saw their team go home. In the final against West Germany he showed that he didn't need to cheat to win as he brilliantly led his country to a hard fought win by 3 goals to 2.

Statistics Host Country: Mexico

Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany

Final: Argentina 3, Germany 2

Top goal scorer: Gary Lineker, England (6)

1990 The 14th World Cup was without doubt the most boring so far. Every team was so scared of losing that games became low-scoring brutal chess matches. Both semi finals went into extra time and then went on to be decided by penalty kicks. The final contested by West Germany appearing in its last World cup before unification and Argentina. In a dour and dirty struggle with two sendings off. West Germany won 1-0 by way of a penalty.

Statistics Host Country: Italy

Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, England, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, United States, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia

Final: West Germany 1, Argentina 0

Top goal scorer: Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, Italy (6)

1994 FIFA saw the United States as an untapped market as far as football (or soccer as the Americans call it) was concerned and so decided to award the 1994 tournament to them. Italy were on song with their play-maker Roberto Baggio playing some sublime football. Argentina were hopeful that a newly re-called Maradona could steer them to success but the hope evaporated when he proved positive for a banned substance and was sent home in disgrace. The U.S. on home ground had a better than expected tournament finally going out to Brazil. Earlier they had beaten Colombia thanks to an own goal by Colombian Andres Escobar who was shot dead when he arrived back home. The final between Brazil and Italy was an absorbing game of Brazil's irresistible attacking force meeting Italy's immovable defensive force. Predictably the match ended 0-0 after extra time so it went to the penalties and sudden death. Roberto Baggio of Italy sent his kick high over the cross-bar and Brazil were the winners.

Statistics Host Country: United States

Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, USA, Sweden, Switzerland

Final: Brazil 1, Italy 0 (3-2 on penalty kicks)

Top goal scorer (Joint): Oleg Salenko, Russia and Hristo Stoitchkov, Bulgaria (6) 1998 France, played host to an expanded World Cup with the number of participants brought up to 32. Nobody thought that France had a chance of winning and everyone was very surprised when the made it to the final. Amazement took the place of surprise when the managed to destroy Brazil 3-0 in the final. To this day nobody who isn't French can explain how they did it. Serious hooliganism reared its ugly head during the early stages of the tournament when English fans rampaged through Marseille and German fans attacked a police officer with an iron bar and left him permanently brain damaged.

Statistics

Host Country: France

Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia, United States, Yugoslavia

Final: France 3, Brazil 0

Top goal scorer: Davor Suker, Croatia (6)

2002 For the first time the World Cup had co-hosts in Japan and South Korea. It was also the first to be held on the continent of Asia. Fears of major rioting due to hooligans proved unfounded due to the superb preparations by the co-hosts and the whole tournament had a party atmosphere. It was also a tournament of upsets. In 1998 the United States had finished last but in 2002 they sailed into the quarter finals before being knocked out by Germany. France, the holders were eliminated in the first round without scoring a single goal and Italy left the tournament early after some poor refereeing. In the end it was Brazil and Germany who contested the final with Brazil winning by two goals.

Statistics

Host Countries: Japan, South Korea

Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Uruguay

Final: Brazil 2, Germany 0

Top goal scorer: Ronaldo, Brazil (8)

Portable Gas Stove For Camping

2010-08-03T15:00:00.001-07:00

When camping one of the most important pieces of equipment that you require is that of the portable gas stove. These very useful tools were first invented in the 19th century and now in the modern day there is a huge variety of models and designs to choose from, depending of course which activity and situation you require one for. Portable gas stoves used to be solely run using the fuel kerosene but because of safety reasons other fuels were developed. Butane and propane gases are most popularly used today but companies such as Coleman, the very successful American company that specializes in producing products for the camping sector, have even developed their own fuels for camping stoves. Coleman has it's own fuel that is called White Gas or Camping Fuel. This fuel is ideal for campers in all weathers as it even burns in freezing conditions, is very clean and refined and actually burns hotter than other liquid fuels.

If you are looking to upgrade your existing portable gas stove or indeed looking to buy your first then the Coleman 425F499G 2 burner portable gas stove is well worthy of your consideration. It is ideal for any camping adventure whether it be staying in a cabin, a tent or just plain outside under the stars. This Coleman stove operates on 2.5 pints of fuel (Coleman White Gas) and just one tank will give you approximately 8 hours of burn time. To boil a quart of water just takes only 4 minutes! How good is that? It also has a 11500 BTU burner and the whole package weighs a mere 12.5 pounds making it very easy to transport. One of the main attributes however of this camping stove is the fact that it is almost maintenance free and providing that you clean it after every camping trip it should stay in perfect condition. It is not the most beautiful of looking stoves on the market today, but if you are like me, then looks are not that important and you will fall in love with it anyway because of it's superb qualities and function abilities.

Don't Lose Height As You Age

2010-08-02T14:45:00.001-07:00

The bones of your spine are separated by pads called discs. As you age, these discs dry out and become smaller. However, regular exercise compresses and relaxes these discs as you move up and down. This helps to keep the discs from shrinking and maintains your height. Regular exercise also helps to strengthen bones and keep them from bending or being crushed. One study from Israel showed that people who exercise regularly lose only half as much height as people who never exercise -- just 2.6 centimeters compared with 5.5 centimeters. If you have not already started exercising to prevent heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and loss of mental function, and just to keep you feeling good, you should exercise to help you stand taller as you age.

When it comes to preventing osteoporosis, it matters little what you did when you were young, it's what you do now that counts. A study from Malmo University in Sweden shows that men who were highly competitive soccer players in their youth and then gave up active sports did not have bigger and stronger bones and did not have fewer bone fractures than people who never exercised at all. On the other hand, people who did not exercise in their youth, but started and continued their exercise programs into later life did have larger and stronger bones.

In spite of this study, you still should start exercising when you are young. Good habits are usually developed when you are young. People who start exercising at an early age usually benefit by learning how to exercise. They take a harder workout on one day, followed by easy workouts until their muscle soreness disappears and they learn to take off when their muscles are sore.

How to Develop Your Soccer Speed

2010-08-01T14:31:00.001-07:00

You are training for that all important soccer game and need to increase your speed, but don't know how to go about it. Do you dream of being the next Pele or Maradona? Don't worry! Here are a few tips for you to build up your stamina and speed and become formidable on the field!

The first important thing to remember is that developing your speed as a soccer player is not the same as developing your swimming or running speeds, because soccer is not just about running faster, it's about thinking, reacting and adapting faster too.

First, lets get an idea of what speeds do you need to develop. You need to think faster on your feet, you need to analyze and adapt faster, you need to accelerate and change directions faster, match your speed to your opponents and learn to kick at different speeds etc.

You must remember that a fit athlete is the best athlete, so start your speed training by becoming mentally and physically fitter. Some ways in which you can develop your speed are discussed in this article.

You can practice by placing markers in two lines at slight angles between both the lines, now run from one marker to another, bend down and touch the marker, before moving on, this is good for agility and leg muscle development, you can also try this with a ball. Weaving the ball between the markers develops your speed, your leg muscles and your ball techniques too. Yes! That is how Spanish internationally acclaimed star Bojan Krkic began on his journey of 961 goals in just 7 seasons!

Divide your selves into two teams and pair up players from the opposite team. The leader of the pair runs at random around the field and the other player has to shadow their movement, keeping a minimum distance at all times. This helps you to adapt and match your speed to your opponent and develop stamina.

Before you start any work out, warming up is essential, so if you are in an open area then walk, jog, run and sprint in different speeds in a random cycle, do squats and crunches to warm up the muscles etc before you start your high intensity workout. To develop powerful core muscles, do a lot of different kind of crunches. Develop strength in your lower body, by weight training with squats, calf raises etc. It's your mental strength and strong lower body muscles that will allow you to 'bend it 'like Beckham!

Along with speed you also need to develop your stamina. Stamina can be developed by regular jogging and running, weight and circuit training are also a must. You might need to use exercise equipment like a stair master, weights, treadmills and cross trainers. Stamina is basically about completing rounds of moderate activities in a monotonous speed to help preserve strength and speed. You must remember that strength and speed are useless without stamina.

Before you start your exercise routine, visit your doctor to get his advice. Also remember that it all starts in the head! So psyche your self, be prepared for a lot of hard work, don't ever give up, and remember that nothing in life is easy, Ronaldinho or Beckham or Alexandre Pato did not have it easy! If you want to achieve greatness, then you need to work hard! All the best!

Sweden Weather - How Hot is it?

2010-07-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

In Sweden, weather is a much talked about subject. That is how it usually is in many of the northern countries because the weather is often not very good, especially in winter. The country is long-shaped, roughly north to south, and because of this the weather can be very different at either end.

The Sweden weather you experience depends on where you are. It is actually possible to have snow in summer, but also sunbathe at midnight - all in the same country. The southernmost tip of the country is around 55 degrees latitude north and the northernmost tip around 69 degrees north, inside the Arctic Circle.

The Sweden weather in winter ranges from around -40 degrees Celsius to 2 degrees Celsius. In summer it tends to be from around 15 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius - sometimes even hotter.

January through to March is when snow can be expected, though in the far north this is more variable and less contained. It can rain at any time, and rather unfairly, it is the warmest months of July and August that gets the most rain.

The Sweden weather is mostly temperate. This is mainly because of the Gulf Stream waters that lap its shores and bring temperate winds from the west. Southern Sweden can be surprisingly warm and a lot less cold than many would expect for its northern position. In the mountains of the north, however, a bitterly cold sub-Arctic climate prevails most of the time.

Some 15 percent of the country is within the Arctic Circle. This means that from around the end of May until the middle of July that part has no night. This is the Midnight Sun. Any traveler who is not used with this amount of continuous daylight will most likely have difficulty in sleeping in the north of Sweden during the summer months.

The converse is true for the northern 15 percent; in winter they have perpetual darkness from the middle of December until the end of the first week of January. During this time, Stockholm, the capital to the south, has only five and a half hours of daylight.

The Sweden weather is enhanced by two major factors. One we have touched on already; the effects of the Gulf Stream, which brings pre-warmed winds over the land providing a temperate climate. The other factor is the continental high pressures that develop to the east. These create Sweden weather that is sunny, often quite hot in summer, and while cold in winter, they do relieve a dark days considerably.

In winter in the far north, the average Sweden weather temperatures can plunge to -40 degrees Celsius. In summer in the southern parts it can exceed 32 degrees Celsius on occasion. This is a vast temperature range that few countries can equal, and it aptly demonstrates the great diversity of weather to be found within Sweden.

The Sweden weather has a lot of precipitation throughout the year. The rainiest season is during late summer, especially in the southeast where they get around 24 inches of rainfall a year. By contrast, in Lappland in the north the annual rainfall is only half that amount.

Alternative Fuel - American Cars Ready for E85?

2010-07-30T14:00:00.001-07:00

Many people wonder about the ethanol/gas mixture known as E85, named for the 85% ethanol that mixture contains, and whether or not their vehicles will run on it. You may be surprised to learn that there have already been some two million vehicles sold in America that can run on E85 with no modification at all. Check your vehicle's owners manual or contact your dealer to find out if yours is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV).

The key is fuel injection. When vehicles had carburetors, engines needed to be modified to run on E85. However, most modern vehicles are fuel injected, using an oxygen sensor to control the air/fuel mixture to run the engine most efficiently. That sensor is controlled by a computer chip, and even if your particular vehicle doesn't currently have the chip necessary to allow it to run on E85, it can often be changed to the chip that will make that possible. Again, first check with your dealer to see if your own vehicle's chip can be changed--if it isn't already able to use E85.

If your vehicle can run on E85, you can thank the Brazilians, because way back in the early 1980s, the Brazilian government mandated that all new vehicles in that country be able to run on 180-proof alcohol. That legislation forced automakers like Ford and GM to begin making vehicles that would meet that criteria if they wanted to continue selling to consumers in Brazil.

Since then, worldwide consumer demand for vehicles that can run on E85 has continued to increase. For example, in 2005, the demand in Sweden for FFVs outstripped the demand for standard fuel vehicles by more than four to one, according to Ford statistics. As is the case in America, worldwide demand is driven by whatever is cheapest, and E85 is often as much as $1.00/gallon less at the pump, which is a significant savings--no matter what country you live in.

Since 1997, Swedish drivers have been able to choose the amount of ethanol they want to mix with their gasoline--right at the pump. They can choose the exact percentage of ethanol they want at the moment, depending upon their engine, and even upon the weather conditions, since E85 has some issues when it comes to extreme cold, which Sweden has plenty of during their long Scandinavian winters. They simply dial in whatever mixture they want at the moment, and then pump it into their vehicles. As more tax incentives are introduced in the rest of the European Economic Union (EU), such mixing options will become increasingly available in other countries, as well.

Swedish Ski Holidays

2010-07-29T13:30:00.001-07:00

Do you want to go on spectacular ski holidays? If so, consider a vacation in Sweden. Indeed, skiing is one of the most popular winter activities in Sweden. There are over twenty ski resorts to choose from, too.

The most popular of all the Sweden ski resorts is the Are ski resort in Jamtland. With a mixture of both gentle and steep slopes in a sparkling landscape, it is no wonder that Are was chosen as the host for the 2007 Alpine World Championships. It is considered the leading alpine resort in Northern Europe, as well, and one of the best ski resorts in the world.

If you're an intermediate skiier, consider spending a few days at Funasdalen, Sweden's southernmost ski resort. Most of the peaks in Funasdalen are more than a thousand metres above sea level, which means you'll get to test your skills on some steep slopes. Funasdalen is also the third largest ski resort in Sweden, so you don't have to worry about not having enough space.

Riksgransen, located opposite Funasdalen in the northermost parts of Sweden, is another great choice for intermediate skiiers. One of the best Sweden ski resorts, Riksgransen also offers heli-skiing. It is a good place for snowboarding, too.

On the other hand, if you've just started learning to ski, you can try the slopes at Vallasen. Located on the northern side of the Halland Ridge, Vallasen offers gentle slopes, as well as private and group ski classes for all ages.

Are you taking your entire family skiing? If so, you'll want to check out Idre Fjall, the family favorite among the Sweden ski resorts. Idre Fjall offers skiing and snowboarding opportunities for experts and beginners alike. Good food and entertainment awaits both adults and kids, as well.

Finally, if you want to spend your ski holidays doing more than just skiing, consider staying at Hemavan. Aside from skiing and heli-skiing, you can go dog-sledding in Hemavan. You can ride a snowmobile or a snow scooter, too, or go fishing at Lake Tarnasjon.

So why not book your ski holidays in Sweden today? Whether you're an expert skier or a beginner, touring alone or spending holidays with your family, you're sure to find what you're looking for in one of the Sweden ski resorts.