Life in Sweden

Swedes Protest Nazis in Stockholm

Awesome Swedes Show Up to Protest Nazi Protest

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In Sweden, there is freedom of the press.  Which means, people have the freedom to be racist.

Nazis in Sweden are nothing new. Neo-Nazi’s celebrating the election of a U.S. president? That is something to write about.

A news report has been going around about how the Neo Nazi’s in Sweden gathered in Stockholm on Saturday in the largest protest yet in order to celebrate Mr. Trump’s win of the presidency in the United States.  This meeting was planned for a few days, as I did read a notice from the US Embassy in Stockholm warning travelers of the protest.

500 people gathered together in total to celebrate Trump’s win. Sweden held up its awesomeness though, as thousands gather in order to protest racism and take a stand.

anti nazi protest stockholm

Here is a video of the protest from the UK Independent of the protesters clashing with each other.

Unfortunately one police officer was injured and about 50 were removed from the protest.

I am proud for the awesome Swedes standing up to hate.  A Trump Presidency is scary for a lot of people. Its good to know we have people in Sweden on the side of love and acceptance of everybody just as they are.

immigration-in-sweden

A Look at Immigration in Sweden

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James Traub takes an in depth look at immigration in Sweden in his article “The Death of the Most Generous Nation on Earth“. He follows with: Little Sweden has taken in far more refugees per capita than any country in Europe. But in doing so, it’s tearing itself apart. Anybody who is a Swedish Freak should … Read more

Swedes Safest Drivers

Swedes are the Safest Drivers

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Sweden has been ranked as the safest drivers in a recent study comparing Sweden and 19 other countries and their death accidents on the road.  This is no accident either.

Sweden has invested in the vision of having zero (yep, ZERO) accidents on the roads with their Vision Zero Initiative.  It happens to be working.  Now other countries can turn to Sweden to see what they are doing right, and hopefully save more lives.

Check out Vision Zero’s video on how they are looking at the issue of road safety.

One thing is for certain. It takes a lot more to get a driver’s license in Sweden than it does in the United States.  Many Europeans have commented on how ridiculously easy it is for American’s to get a license to drive a car.  Not only that, in Europe one must be 18 vs the young 16 we have in the United States (some States let children start driving as young as 14!)

As this great Canadian article puts it, (which inspired this blog post):

Obtaining a driver’s license in Sweden as a novice driver is no easy task. You can only take lessons from a heavily vetted instructor, and for supervised driving with your learner’s permit, Mom or Dad only qualify if they take a course in supervised driving with you.

The theory test contains 65 questions and you have a maximum 50 minutes to complete it. You must get no more than 13 wrong to pass.

There is definitely something to say about what Sweden is doing in order to decrease driving deaths while increasing the number of people on the road.  Way to go Sweden!

Vision Zero is going one step further.  1 million people die around the world every year.  They are looking to not only increase safety in Sweden, but to share their knowledge with the world.

Every year, more than 1 million people die in traffic-related accidents around the world. For people aged between 15 and 29, road traffic accidents are the most common way to die.

Looking at not only how we educate our drivers, but how our roads are constructed and vehicle safety are all a part of Vision Zero’s initiative.

Check out their website to find out more of how Sweden is saving lives on the road.

fika the social bit

Fika: to Have Coffee; The Social Bit (Episode 2/6)

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This second episode of the documentary Fika: to Have Coffee looks at the social aspect of the Swedish coffee break.

Is it really about the coffee and treats?  Or is it more about the people and a place to hang out? Perhaps it is more about taking time for a break to reflect on life whether it is with friends or by yourself.

Find out in this episode.

fika coffee break ritual

Fika: to have Coffee; The Ritual (Episode 1/6)

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Fika. I love trying to explain what fika is to my American friends.  I never seem to convey the experience accurately. Thankfully, Fabian Schmid has started a 6 part documentary on the Swedish art of fika.

Here is the first episode, covering the ritual of fika and what it is, and why it is so important.
Fika is probably one of the first words you want to learn when you go to Sweden, just so you can start to connect to others.

What has your experience been with the Swedish fika?

Eurovision 2016

Watch Eurovision 2016 Final Live Stockholm Tomorrow!

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Better late than never! Thanks to the Internet you can watch the live Eurovision show in Stockholm.  It is also going to be shown on Bravo in the United States if you still have cable.

Eurovision is pretty huge in Sweden, and Sweden’s If I Were Sorry sung by Frans is #9 going in.

It’s at noon Arizona time, which means noon PST and 3pm EST.  Watch it on Eurovision.tv.

In the mean time, you can watch Frans. Lycka till!

arabic

Arabic To Become Sweden’s Second Language

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Finnish has officially been Sweden’s second language when it comes to mother tongues for over 1,000 years. With the new wave of immigrants from Arabic speaking countries and with the Finnish immigrants dying off, Arabic will soon be the second most spoken language in the country. Surprisingly Sweden does not officially collect data about what … Read more

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