Swedish News

He’ll make a bride of Victoria. Swedes best in the world at job search. Catholic Bishop Arborelius wants investigation. The May flower 2010.  

• Swedes best in the world at job search.
  According to a new international study, Swedes are best in the world at looking for new jobs. “It’s acceptable not to be happy with just anything,” says job blogger Rebecka Beiersdorf. Research companies Blauw Research and SSI (Serving Sampling International) are behind the study that looked at 23 countries, and almost 4 out of 10 Swedes say they’re actively looking for a new job – compare that to Norway and Denmark, where only every 10th person is looking for a new place to work. “Earlier studies too attest that there’s mobility on the Swedish job market, says Anders Forslund, an economist at Ifau, the Institute for Labor Market Policy Evaluation in Sweden. “In that Sweden is more like the US than the rest of Europe.” From having been rather still and quiet, Swedes have gone to become career professionals, always planning their next step. “Everybody’s networking, polishing their resumes, and keeping it updated,” says Beiersdorf. This study also challenges the picture of the idle Swede who just sits in front of his TV waiting for his social allowance. In reality, the Swede is out there looking for a new job. According to the study, of all the 23 countries examined, the Swedes are the ones that least believe it is the government’s job to find him a new career.

• He’ll make a bride of Victoria.
  Here’s Pär Engsheden, the designer who is going to create the wedding gown of the year – the one that will hang on Crown Princess Victoria on June 19. Says Camilla Thulin, fashion designer: “He’s the best choice.” Many people in the know thought Engsheden would get the job, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. Engsheden has worked for the royal family for a number of years, and he understands the art of discretion. Throughout the years he has designed several dresses and gowns for Victoria, so he knows her bodytype and her taste. In 2007 and 2008 the Crown Princess wore creations by Engsheden for the Nobel festivities, and it was also an Engsheden dress Victoria chose when she and Daniel went public with their engagement (a purple collarless dress). Even Madeleine has worn Engsheden, her much talked about red Nobel gown from 2002, bore Engsheden’s signature. He is a demure designer, and getting him to design a wedding gown isn’t easy. “One has to have had dresses done by him before,” Thulin explains.

• The May flower 2010.
  If you grew up in Sweden, you’ll probably get a bit nostalgic for Majblomman (the May flower) every time May rolls around. And the May flower for 2010 is prettier than it has been for years, with turquoise petals on a bright green background and with a yellow center. The Majblomma has been sold since 1907 to support children who need extra help in society. The Majblomman Foundation is one of the oldest child help organizations in the world. Children’s needs, at least in Sweden, have changed radically since 1907, but Majblomman has always adapted to what’s needed. The Majblomma is sold by children and comes in a variety of sizes, the little one on a pin for your lapel being the most common. Majblomman celebrated its 100th birthday in 2007, and in the year prior 150 000 children between ages 9 and 12 sold Majblommor for around 39 million SEK ($5,366,994.68). It was a woman by the name of Beda Hallberg, who invented Majblomman, her simple but brilliant idea was that everyone could contribute by buying the small flowers from children – “Children helping children”. The Majblomma also gives contributions to research projects in the area of children’s health. Another important goal is to offer an alternative summer vacation for children, at the Galtarö summer camp north of Göteborg. For more information: www.majblomman.se or see our write up, at http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/traditions/1285/

• Catholic Bishop Arborelius wants investigation.
  The bishop of the Catholic Church in Sweden, Anders Arborelius, wants the government to investigate the accusations of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. He says to Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) that a neutral inquiry is necessary. Bishop Arborelius has just returned from the Vatican where he had a meeting with the Pope in other matters than the sexual abuses. Now he announces that he wants an independent investigator, preferably the government, to scrutinize both the claimed abuses within the Swedish Catholic Church and his own handling of the issue. “The government should appoint an investigator, I will write to them soon. We need to have the issue investigated by a person who has no loyalty to the Church,” Arborelius says to SvD. But Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn-Liljeroth from the Moderate party (liberal-conservative) won’t agree unless a formal request materializes, and she remains unconvinced: “If this investigation is not too extensive, I think the Church should handle this on their own. ..It is an honorable gesture from him that he wants openness and that he sees the problem with an internal investigation. But he can send us a formal request and we will see then. But in general I think the Church should handle this,” she says to SvD. All sexual abuse cases that have been revealed have been statue-barred. This means that there cannot be a trial or sentence any more. But if information of abuse from recent times comes up they will be reported to the police.