Swedish News:

Alexander Skarsgård to star in Viking movie. Local slang to guide ambulances. Smaller teeth in premature babies. 

• Alexander Skarsgård to star in Viking movie
  It’s a tough life for Alexander Skarsgård. The “True Blood” star is now preparing for a role closer to his roots: That of a warrior in an epic Viking adventure for Warner Brothers. The project’s temporary title is “The Vanguard”, and the plot centers on the adventures of two Viking warrior brothers who embark on a journey to return to Sweden after being banished to North American. Warner Brothers, it is said, hopes the film will be along the lines of “Gladiator” and “Braveheart”. For once, a true Viking is to star in a Viking epic – we like!

• Smaller teeth in premature babies
  Babies who are born prematurely have smaller teeth, according to a study done at Tandvårdshögskolan (Faculty of Odontology) in Malmö. The study shows how teeth developed in 80 children who were born before week 33 (a “normal” pregnancy lasts 40 weeks). Their teeth were up to 10% smaller than the teeth in other children. Researcher Liselotte Paulsson-Björnsson says the reason is that premature babies probably have a disorder in their tooth mineralization.

• Local slang to guide ambulances
  Slang for buildings, parks and places will now be mapped out by Lantmäteriet (the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority) in order to help rescue workers to quickly find their way. “Hello, there’s a fire at Möllan in Malmö!”, “Help, I need an ambulance to Kungsan in Stockholm!” There you have two potentially tricky situations for an operator who isn’t familiar with the area. Lantmäteriet is now asking Swedes in general for help in building up a database with unofficial names. The collection will cover everything from squares and parks to stones and street corners, all so that rescue services and ambulances will be aided in doing their job. In about a month the citizens of Gävle will report slang for new places, after which the project will be evaluated. “The purpose is to test the process,” says Anna Eriksson, director of the collection at Lantmäteriet. “We want to see if there’s an interest among the general public to contribute to a better map information.” The collection will be done in a modern way, through an iPhone application. With the help of a cell phone, the person can share his or her knowledge about unofficial names, perhaps a big stone in the neighboring park is referred to by the locals as “the Big Stone” or a new apartment complex is called “the Old Volvo factory”? “When you start the app, you’ll see a map pin marking where you are. From there you’ll send in your information. If others are nearby, they will see that on the map as well,” continues Eriksson. When and if the project eventually will cover all of Sweden remains to be seen, though that’s what Lantmäteriet hopes.