Swedish News:

Swedish Actress Lena Nyman has died. Socialist magazine apologizes to the Swedish King. A new Nobel museum in Stockholm. Lunch on the town. Best workplace in Sweden. Stockholm economy super strong. 

  • Swedish Actress Lena Nyman has died
    Actress Lena Nyman has died. She participated in many famous Swedish films, and also played on stage in several classical roles. She was also a great comedienne, often working with comedic duo Hasse å Tage (Hasse Alfredsson and Tage Danielsson). Her breakthrough came at the end of the 1960’s with the film “Nyfiken gul” (“I Am Curious Yellow”) by Vilgot Sjöman, where she asked questions about Sweden being a classless society or not. The film, of 1967, became highly controversial through its sexual content, was first banned as pornography in the US but drew huge crowds after finally being released two years later. It was for many years the most successful Swedish film export ever, and for a long time the most successful foreign film in the US. She was excellent in Ingmar Bergman’s film “Höstsonaten” (“Autumn Sonata”) where she played Liv Ullman’s mentally and physically disabled sister. She later participated in several stage productions at the Royal Dramatic Theater, Stockholm, received the Royal medal Litteris et Artibus in 2004 and the Eugene O'Neill Award in 2006. Lena Nyman was 66 years old.

  • Socialist magazine apologizes to the King
    Vänsterpress, the official magasine connected to the Left party, apologizes offically to the King for claiming he has met with prostitutes. The article was a review of a book about the King's ”wild life”, but the book never claimed he has met prostitutes. The royal court welcomes the apology but will nevertheless let legal experts look at the issue.

  • A new Nobel museum in Stockholm
    A new museum at the Blasieholmen in Stockholm is what financier Peder Sager Wallenberg wants to see, and has made the drawings for, with inspiration from the new library in Copenhagen. But so far all the powerful institutions Wallenberg has courted for the project, have turned him down. Says Stockholm city architect Karolina Keyzer: “We have met with Peder Wallenberg and we listened to him as he showed us his drawings. Now we are all waiting for a project petition, perhaps from the Nobel Foundation, where they can see the financing. The real estate on Blasieholmen is a hot spot for an interesting building project.” But the Nobel Foundation is also careful. Though they are happy about Wallenberg’s engagement, they don’t seem ready to sign on to anything. “With 150,000 visitors a year, we’ve already hit the ceiling,” says Michael Sohlman, managing director at the Nobel Foundation. “We are looking into the possibility of equipping a former basement in order to expand our premises and be able to keep all school classes coming. A Nobel Museum means grand investments, and also means that several private interests have to join forces. But ultimately it is the state itself that has to take the lead.”

  • Lunch on the town
    Lunching out is getting more expensive in Sweden. On average it costs 76.30 SEK ($11.81). According to a study made by Gastrogate, that’s an increase of 1.80 SEK ($0.27) since last year already. The cost of lunching in a restaurant has increased more than the normal price trend, and increased with more than 10 SEK ($1.54) since 2005, when the average lunch cost 66 SEK ($10.22). Here’s what an average lunch costs in the three major cities in Sweden: Stockholm: 77.60 SEK ($12.01), Göteborg: 74.20 SEK ($11.49), and Malmö: 72.30 SEK ($11.19). The most expensive lunch can be found in Sundsvall 79.70 SEK ($12.34), and the cheapest in Kalmar: 67.90 SEK ($10.51).
    For more and continuously updated info, see http://gastrogate.com

  • Best workplace in Sweden
    How does this sound: A two-hour shorter work day, flexible hours and a trip to the sun? The sales and consulting business Our Media Group is but a year old, yet the goals are set high already. The people behind the group want it to be the best place in Sweden to work at. “We know from experience how many companies are presented as if their employees are happy, while 50% of them are complaining and badmouthing everyone. We want to create a work place where you work hard but feel as if you are at home,” says Daniel Borg, one of the co-owners of the company. To raise the comfort factor, the company cut off two hours of the workday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. “These hours mean so much in lessening the impact of morning tiredness, and getting home early to pick up children at the day care. Then while we work here we work effectively and we have fun,” continues Borg, who also reveals that another perk is a paid-for trip to someplace warm and sunny.

  • Stockholm economy super strong
    We recently reported that the head of the European Central Bank hailed the Swedish economy at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Now we can report that the economic activity in the county of Stockholm is even stronger than the national economy – it is deemed “very strong”. The economic indicator for the fourth quarter of 2010 was strengthened from 33 to 40, the highest figure since the survey started in 2000. And companies continue to increase the number of employees, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce writes in a press release. Unemployment is especially down in construction, motor vehicle sales, and consulting. Employment is expected to remain robust in the first quarter.