Swedish News:

Majblomman 2013. “Searching for Sugar Man” victorious at Bafta. Fruit snacks create alienation. 

  • Majblomman 2013
    An early sign of spring and warmer things to come: The colors of this year’s “majblomma” have been revealed, and they are pastel blue and lilac with a yellow center. Sales of the little flowers commence mid April. As before, the flower has been created by children, and the proceeds go to support children in families with financial difficulties.
    To read more about “majblomman” and the history behind it, check out: http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/traditions/1285

  • “Searching for Sugar Man” victorious at Bafta
    The documentary film by Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul won the prestigious British Bafta award in the Best Documentary category. “Searching for Sugar Man” has won a slew of prizes already, including the main documentary honors from the DGA (the Directors Guild Awards) and the PGA (the Producers Guild Awards). In an earlier interview, Bendjelloul described the long process of making the film: “It started out as one good story,” he said. “But you need 40 little small stories because every minute you need something that gets you going, ‘What’s going to happen next?’”

  • Fruit snacks create alienation
    A school in Alingsås has removed the students’ fruit snack break after complaints from a parent, according to daily Göteborgs-Posten. Students were encouraged to bring fruit to school in order to get extra energy during the day. However one mother felt it was expensive and unfair, and reported the event to Skolinspektionen (the Swedish Schools Inspectorate). “For families with several children, it’s costly to let them bring fruit every day. The school thus alienates students who aren’t bringing fruit and therefore must sit and watch those who do, eat theirs during the fruit snack break,” the mother wrote in her report. Skolinspektionen sided with the mom, since the Swedish school system has to be free of charge. The school in Alingsås has now changed its routines and removed the communal fruit snack break. Skolinspektionen points out that it is OK for parents to give their children fruit to bring to school, though it has to be optional.