Friday, October 15, 2010

LONG ISLAND - SWEDISH STYLE




Here we go again, looking to New England for inspiration.
Swedes are very good at this, creating clothes that appear totally American, designed in Sweden, produced in Asia, and sold as "American".

Imagine someone from Long Island walking into a Swedish store, expecting something very "Swedish, but ending up feeling oddly "at home" with the name Long Island and Hampton printed everywhere (large and many labels are important - the more the merrier it seems).
Company info.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

GOTHENBURG BOOK FAIR 2010

For book lovers, The Gothenburg Book Fair is a paradise that lasts from Thursday to Sunday. It is one of the biggest events of the year and it is packed!
"No other book fair in the world offers such a comprehensive conference programme as the Göteborg Book Fair. In 2009 it included 448 seminars with more than 800 participants from 27 countries, running over four days. In addition to the seminars, there are events on the different stages and activities in the exhibition stands throughout the whole Fair. The Book Fair 2009 offered more than 2,700 different programmes and events with more than 2,100 participating speakers.
More then 800 exhibitors cover most sectors of the book trade, including fiction, non-fiction, books for children and young adults, educational books, picture-books, magazines, comic books, libraries, art and much, much more." 


The Gothenburg book Fair is the largest in Scandinavia
Here is a discussion going on on the subject of translating the American poet Emily Dickinson into Swedish
The much loved Alexander McCall Smith will appear in
 various discussions and seminars.
Ralp Nader will make an appearance here at the Book Fair this year.
On the weekend, there will be long lines to get in.

Monday, September 20, 2010

FINISHED !

The Swedish election (parliament and local government) is over. The temporary wooden houses, placed downtown, where the various parties handed out information, are being hauled away. The present "conservative" (they are to the left of American Democrats) alliance continues to have the power, so there will not be much of a change. People can go on with their lives and enjoy the common pastime, a visit to one of the many, many, coffee places in downtown Gothenburg.

In Sweden there is no need to register to vote. If you are a resident of Sweden, you get a voting card in the mail well advance and you simply vote earlier or on the day of the election which is always on a Sunday to make voting possible for everyone. The voting is done with paper ballots and all very efficient and peaceful. Electronic voting has never even been discussed. Far too risky.

Friday, September 17, 2010

SEPTEMBER BY THE CANAL

This seagull had two chicks that kept pecking on her for food. They'd better grow up fast, winter can come early!
This strange sculpture is by the old moat, canal in Gothenburg, Sweden

Saturday, September 4, 2010

MORE VINTAGE TRAMS

This vintage tram driver sells postcards of the old trams.
See earlier entry on vintage trams.
He was proud of his tram badges from Australia and San Francisco

Note the practical ventilation at the top of the roof. No overheated trams in the summer!
Even the electric fuses are nice to look at.
The lamp fitting is lovely in its simplicity
The brass handle-bar has a functional beauty

Even the handles are beautiful

Thursday, August 26, 2010

UNIVERSEUM - GOTHENBURG SCIENCE MUSEUM








The Universeum Science Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden is built of glued laminated wood beams (stronger than steel ). It is well worth a visit. Don't miss the tropical rain forest and the shark tank. And there is a lot more!

Jonah in the Whale?
No, these are shark teeth outside the large fish tanks.
Good for pictures.

Check out the fish and sharks via this web camera under water.

If you have problems with spiders and snakes, maybe it is best to stay away from this section.


From the fish tanks area, you walk into the top of the rain forest.
The rain forest is hot and damp.



Close the door so the monkeys do not escape

Foot steps in the concrete


What animal left this print?



Monday, August 23, 2010

ART IN PUBLIC PLACES








In the budgets for most Swedish public buildings is a sum set aside for art works. These pieces are from hospitals in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Want to see more?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

SWEDEN - THIRD BEST PLACE TO LIVE

Photo © Viktor Trappsteg

The American weekly magazine NEWSWEEK has made a list of the best countries to live. Finland comes first, then Switzerland and then Sweden.

This might come as a surprise to most Swedes who maintain a healthy skepticism towards their own country. There is no room for expressions in the public dialogue such as "I am proud to be Swedish" or "God bless Sweden". It would be considered over-the-top or simply peculiar. Hard to explain to Americans maybe, but so it is.

This is August and the end of summer. People have returned to work after four weeks vacation. An article in the local paper interviewed people how they "coped" at work with the abrupt change from leisure. Most people actually liked being back at their old routines.

August is also a wonderful time for Swedes to use their right (to public access) to take long walks in nearby green areas and forests to pick mushrooms. August is also a popular month for paternity leave.


Sunday, August 15, 2010

STREET ART





The gardeners of the city of Gothenburg in Sweden love to decorate their city.
New color schemes every year.