Swedish News

Use Stockholm’s water for public transportation. Strindberg at BAM. Send an SMS to save a life. Swedish university president made honorary doctor at leading US university.  

  • Use Stockholm’s water for public transportation.
    There have been discussions for a long time about using Stockholm’s water for public transports to a larger extent than today. The latest contribution to the debate came yesterday when the Greens (Miljöpartiet) presented their ideas for the next electoral term. Stockholm is built on the islands where lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea and there are a lot of waters in and around the city. Historically the sea way has been the most common way to transport goods and people between different parts of the city. But after the breakthrough of car traffic in the 20th century the waters have been used less for this purpose. The Greens want to create 28 new ferry stops located on six new commuter ferry lines. They appreciate the cost to SEK 80 million ($11,020,050.53) plus the cost for new piers but claim they have the financing within their budget proposal according to the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The Center Party (Centerpartiet) has also proposed more public transports on the water.

 A smaller extension of the seaborne public transports has already been decided by the board of SL (Stockholm Regional Traffic). It is the route Lidingö-Nacka-Nybroviken (the latter is in the city center) that will get a permanent boat line where ordinary SL tickets will be valid.

  • Strindberg at BAM.
    Come see some August Strindberg at Bam in Brooklyn, NY. August Strindberg (1849-1912) is Sweden’s greatest author ever, hands down. He wrote the one-act “Creditors” (“Fordringsägare”) in the summer of 1888 in Denmark, where it also first premiered at the Dagmar Theater in Copenhagen in March 1889. “Creditors” is seen as one of Strindberg’s most powerful plays, and he himself described it as his “most mature work”. This naturalistic gem of a comedy can now be seen at Brooklyn’s BAM, where a fine production by the Donmar Warehouse, a theater located in the heart of London’s West End and reputed to be one of the UK’s leading producing theaters. “Creditors” can be seen at BAM until May 16. For tickets and more information: www.bam.org

  • Swedish university president made honorary doctor at leading US university.
    Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, president of Karolinska Institutet, was just made an honorary doctor of science by the University of Minnesota, USA – one of the highest ranked universities in the world – in recognition of her success at having intensified and deepened the relationship between the two universities. She received the degree on 30 April at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. Karolinska Institutet accounts for over 40 % of the medical academic research in Sweden. The partnership between Karolinska Institutet and the University of Minnesota has been ongoing for over two decades, but since Professor Wallberg-Henriksson took office as president in 2004, it has grown more intensive and broad-based. The Mayo Clinic, one of the USA’s most prestigious medical clinics, is also now involved in part of this collaboration. “Our partnership with the University of Minnesota comprises research programs in a wide range of medical specialist areas, and exchange programs at Bachelor and Doctoral level,” says Professor Wallberg-Henriksson. “Now we’ve added the postdoctoral level to it. The first postdoc positions will be advertised in a few months’ time.” Professor Wallberg-Henriksson is a doctor of medicine and a professor of physiology, with a special interest in diabetes research. She holds several important posts over and above the presidency of Karolinska Institutet, including as member of the Nobel Assembly, which awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine every year, and of the Swedish government’s Science Policy Council. Professor Wallberg-Henriksson received her honorary doctorate on Friday 30 April 2010 at the University of Minnesota.

  • SMS and save a life.
    In a unique project, Stockholm´s South General Hospital hopes to save more victims of cardiac arrest, this by sending text messages to people with CPR knowledge. Every year there are approximately 600 cardiac arrests in Stockholm, and far too many have died because aid did not have time to arrive on time. But now the South General Hospital, in collaboration with the emergency service operator SOS Alarm, and the Karolinska Institute have launched a new project to address this. When SOS Alarm receives a report about a cardiac arrest, they will send a text message to people who have registered as volunteers. By doing so, it is hoped that the survival rate will increase. “We know that there are a large number of people in Stockholm trained in CPR," says Mårten Rosenqvist, who is chief physician at the cardiology clinic of the South General Hospital, to public broadcaster SVT. Around 200,000 people in Stockholm have knowledge in CPR, and Mårten Rosenqvist think many of them would like to help save lives. The survival rate of a person who gets a cardiac arrest is between 6 and 8 %, rapid alerts through text messages could double those numbers. Stockholmers with knowledge of CPR can register their cell phone number at the project website smslivraddarna.se. If results fall out well, the method will be used around the country.