2grader.se

Sign the Swedish government's petition in support of the 2 degrees climate target!

If you sign you will contribute to the chances of getting a new global climate deal in Copenhagen in December.

The two degree target, if you are not already familiar with it, is the increase in average temperatures that the world can handle if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. Two degrees will still increase water levels but hopefully restrict them to 0.4-1.4 metres. Achieving this means emissions have to fall by 50-85% by 2050.

You can sign the petition in Swedish or in English.

Weekend Summer

The (work) week that just passed was kind of chilly, pretty normal for late September, but the weekend is sunny and warm, well, as long as one stays in the sun. We're at the country house reading and relaxing so don't expect anymore posts from me until Monday!

Better than Those Roller-Skating Evian Babies!

Because this is the real thing!

Wednesday Recipe...on a Thursday*

Sometimes Swedish "pytt i panna" (hash) can be so delicious, especially after having been to the gym. You can make it from scratch of course, using whatever leftovers in the form of meat, potatoes, etc., you have at hand, but the ready one that comes from the supermarket's freezer is pretty good too! Or even better! Just add eggs (as you can see in the picture I can't make a pretty fried egg) and beetroot.

PS. How can it already be Thursday?!!

US Road Trip 2009: Sneak Peak

Holiday photos coming soon! Promise!

In the meantime, see how forward-thinking Leonardo and his fellow sculptors were back in the day! They could imagine the existence of mobile phones and text messaging!



P.S. It's a cross she's holding, but doesn't it look like a mobile phone?!

Parallel Universe

Our windows (outside, inside planned for later) are being painted this week, which is great of course. But WHY do painters (and other handymen) have to start at such an early hour in this country (would be interesting to know how it works in other parts of the world)?! 7.15am he was here, which is when I usually get up (sometimes I get up at 07.30)! He even finished before I had to leave for work at 08.30! Maybe we're spoilt with not starting work until 9am and living close to work, but am I not right in thinking that even if most people are up at 7, they have not left work yet and are probably busy running around feeding kids breakfast and trying to get them dressed?! Or maybe I live in a parallel universe?! He'll be back two more mornings for more layers so you know what I'll be doing in the next couple of days; pondering painters' curious working hours!

...and burgers on the grill!

Still Summer!

Making the most of the last (?) days of summer. Reading a week's worth of newspapers, sipping coffee brought in a thermos and simply enjoying sunshine and blue skies in the park.

Crave Fish

Crayfish season is one of those things I long for all summer. This year I've only been to one crayfish party though so it was nice to share some of these delicacies with Peter and two friends tonight. Claw, claw!

For Marianne in Egypt!

Photos taken outside Moss Beach Distillery

Show & Tell: My Relationship to...

I have chosen to write about... No, you'll have to guess!

Image from Mirrorservice.org

It's the first thing I think about every morning
...and the last thing every night
...and sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night it keeps me company

Our relationship hasn't always been a bed of roses
...and a few changes have been needed
...there has been a lot of words, most of them articulated by me

Our anniversary is coming up soon
...but the exact date hasn't really been settled
...or what should be done to mark the event

I don't think I could live without it actually
...even though it is a high maintenance relationship
...it knows too much about me

Some are jealous of our closeness
...Peter especially
...but actually it has brought me closer to many people

So, what it is??


In case you have forgotten, Maisoui is in charge of this month's themes. And here's a list of all Show & Tell participants!

Hairspray

In my usual style* I arrive back in Stockholm from a three-day business trip in London to proceed directly to the theatre to see the final rehearsal of the Swedish version of the musical Hairspray. I can report that it's really good and so funny, and I recommend you to go.

*When we got back from our Swedish holiday this summer we only had a day at home before we were leaving for our US vacation. In 24 hours we managed to have dinner with friends, do laundry, re-pack and see a football match (live).

Show & Tell: Four Things You Should See in My Town

This week's Show & Tell theme (from Maisoui this month) is Four Things You Should See in My Town. If you thought I'd show you my favourite haunts in Stockholm you'll be disappointed. Instead I will tell you about Södertälje*, the town I grew up and lived in until I was 19. My family and some of my friends still live there so Södertälyeah is still a big part of my life.


So, if you're ever in Södertälje, you shouldn't miss:

1) Tom Tits Experiment

Tom Tits Experiment is a hands-on science museum for all ages (so you won't be stared at if you go there without any accompanying kids, trust me). It has four or five floors and a park full of showcases and experiments answering those questions you have always asked yourselves: what does a brain feel like? How heavy is a pregnant belly? How to make your own space rocket? You can play with water, try bicycling on a rope and go up in a hot-air balloon. It also has a great shop with fun, pedagogic, genuine toys (far from the Toys 'R Us crap).

If you're wondering who Tom Tit was "he was an imaginary figure who carried out a range of scientific experiments in the French magazine, l'Illustration, and in several books published at the end of the 19th century".


2) Sydpoolen

Sydpoolen is an adventure water park type place but of the indoor kind and thus a bit smaller than some of the outdoor kinds, or proper water parks; I guess adventure pool is a more appropriate name. It also has a gym, a spa and other stuff adults like; especially when those adults have grown tired of the slides and the wave machine, which is likely to happen a few hours before the kids do. I haven't actually been there for a long time (read: years) but I hear people visit Sydpoolen from all over so it seems to remain popular. When I was little we had to go to Eskilstuna for an adventure pool so I remember how happy were were when they rebuilt the place and transformed it from a regular pool house to an adventure place (when I was ten if I remember correctly).


3) Torekällberget open-air museum


Torekällberget is an open-air museum, also called living history museum, à la Skansen. Torekällberget is much smaller though as it's only representing life in town and country over the last few hundred years from Södertälje and its vicinity (the county of Södermanland), while Skansen is supposed to represent all parts of Sweden. Torekällberget doesn't have a Swedish (animals) zoo like Skansen but has typical Swedish farm animals - goats, pigs, cows, etc. - in the country part of the museum, which doubles as a petting zoo. I especially like the old store in the town part where you can buy old-fashioned bisquits and sweets. I've also always been fond of the old school and the automobile exhibition (hope it's still there!). There is also a very good restaurant and a smaller café/lunch place for hungry visitors.


4) The anthroposophy community


There is a big anthroposophic community in Järna outside Södertälje. Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. It emphasises inner development and an approach to the spiritual world that is similar to that of the scientific investigation of nature. The anthroposophic centre in Järna is well-worth a visit. You will see interesting architecture, eat good organic (and often vegetarian) food - or buy some locally grown products to take home - and perhaps see a play at the culture house. There is also a school (Waldorf pedagogy) and a hospital, mainly for palliative care.


* For those of who don't know, Södertälje is located southwest of Stockholm and it's part of the greater Stockholm region but more of a separate town than a suburb. The tube doesn't run that far but a commuter train will take you from Stockholm to Södertälje in 45 minutes and a car in 25-45 mintes depending on from where in Stockholm you start and on traffic.

Images from Vaksalaskolan, Sydpoolen, Torekällberget and Antroposofi.info

At Friends' Wedding Today

Remembering

Today it is not just the anniversary ("anniversary" sounds so positive, isn't there a better word?) of the World Trade Center attacks but also the death of Anna Lindh, one of my all-time favourite politicians. She was passionate about the causes she believed in and had her heart in the right place She was a true diplomat and would have gone far in the international political arena, had her life not ended in such a tragic and meaningless way that afternoon.

More Ikea News

It's not just the Swedish hamburger chain Max that can drive McDonald's out of business* (which happened in the Swedish city of Umeå, or perhaps it was Luleå...?). Now Ikea's best-seller Billy bookcase is challenging the Economist's Big Mac index at providing the best global price comparisons.

According to the Billy index the United Arab Emirates is the place to go for a bargain Billy, while Billy lovers should avoid shopping in Israel. And the Swedish price is lower than average!

* Or perhaps it is Bloomberg putting the Economist out of business...
Source: The Local

And Earlier Today...

I had a lovely lunch in the September sunshine with two colleagues!

Yummy!

I can report that the tabouleh (served with chicken, yoghurt and pepper hummus) was really good, though some lessons were learnt in the process (will point them out in the actual recipe post).

Pre-Autumn

So far September feels a lot like Swedish "försommar" ("pre-summer", that in-between time before the real start of summer). The trees haven't started to turn yet (well, a few have) and we've had very nice temperatures. Yesterday it was 23 degrees and a surprisingly mild evening and for today the forecast is 19'C. The mornings have that pre-summer, or pre-autumn, crisp though.

Wednesday Recipe: Guess the Dish!

Apologies for a slightly blurry photo. Recipe coming later!

Sweat or Sweets

Before last week I hadn't been to the gym for almost 6 months (and admittedly, before that I wasn't a regular either, except perhaps last winter when I was reasonably good). But now I've been to the gym three times in the last six days!

To keep this up I need your help! The gym has a "drive" they start every new term: if you go at least twice a week between September and December they give you something. But a bag with the gym's logo isn't going to motivate me really (maybe if it was a shirt or a voucher towards new trainers or something but an ugly bag??). Hence I need you.

If you have a look in one of the right-hand columns you can see that I've started logging my exercise sessions under Anna's Gym Challenge. I don't ask for much, just a quick glance at the log once in a while and an occasional cheer! :)


P.S. But for those who abhor exercise and want to order Swedish sweets (I'm thinking primarily of them expats!), I have found the perfect site for you! (They sell other Swedish stuff too, not just edible things, so it's safe to have a look even if you're trying to stay away from the good stuff!)

Show & Tell: Empathy/Compassion

Empathy, which literally translates as 'in feeling', is the capability to share and understand another's emotions and feelings. It is often characterised as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes".

Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. In ethical terms, the various expressions down the ages of the so-called Golden Rule embody by implication the principle of compassion: Do to others what you would have them do to you. Ranked a great virtue in numerous philosophies, compassion is considered in all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues. *

Most of us show and act on feelings of empathy every day, in the little things, but some also have the means to do it big scale. These men (most, except one or two are men) have all donated at least 1 billion dollar to different charities and caues. 3 out of the 14 people on the list** have donated so much that they are no longer on the rich people's list the selection was originally made from!

5. Eli Broad. 2 billion dollar. Has made his money in real estate and insurance and has donated 600 milluon dollar to a gene research centre at M.I.T., among other things.

4. Warren Buffet. 6,7 billion dollar. The world's best broker originally planned to give his fortune away after this death but in 2006 he changed his mind and promised to give away 30 billion dollar over 20 years to his friend's Bill Gates's foundation.

3. Gordon Moore. 6,8 billion dollar. One of Intel's founders. Donated 6 billion in stocks in 2000. Supports environmental projects, research and nurses' training.


2. George Soros. 7,2 billion dollar. Supports a lot of different projects, from clean needles for drug addicts in California to research in Russia. His trust Open Society Institute gave away 540 million dollar last year, mostly towards the development of democracy around the world.

1. Bill Gates. 28 billion dollar. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, founded in 1999, is the world's largest foundation and donates around 3 billion dollar annually, mostly towards research about diseases such as HIV, malaria and TB.

For no 6-14 on the list, look here.

You could probably say*** a lot about this crowd, things that are negative about them and/or the company they started/run, how they made their money, etc., but you have to give them credit for what they have done for humanity. I don't think they do it to sell more computers or what have you; that is not their motivation.

I also read an article about people who seem to lack empathy or compassion. I cannot understand how anyone would want to hit a child (and spanking is included in my definition of hitting), but spanking a disabled child is even worse.

* Definitions from Wikipedia

** Images from Scanpix

*** Like that the vaccine against the new influenza is a big evil plan by Bill Gates to kill most of the people in the world to bring down the global population to 500 million - one of the many conspiracy theories out there

Busy

Show & Tell will have to wait until tomorrow!

Are You a Hamster?*

In case you've missed it, regular lightbulbs will soon be banned in the whole of the EU. It's not an immediate ban though but a gradual phasing out. The first step is to ban the manufacturing and import of lightbulbs. Shops are still allowed to sell their stock though.

Following the decision, sales in Sweden dropped ten per cent in the first six months of 2009 and halogen and low-energy bulbs are rising fast in popularity.

That hasn't stopped people from hoarding bulbs though. Big time hoarding.

So who are you? A hoarder, grieving the disappearance of the bulb that "gives such clear light" or someone who embraces the idea of a greener, cleaner and simply better future?! Okay, I guess the question is a bit biased... So sue me!


* Hamster refers to Swedish slang (perhaps in other countries as well) for hoarding. You know, hamsters keep stuff in their cheeks.

Ikea Uproar

Apparently Ikea has upset the world, well, at least a few thousand fans, by changing the font in this year's catalogue. From the picture in the article I, despite being Swedish and all, can't see the difference but granted, I haven't looked inside the catalogue.

According to the article, the Ikea catalogue could also be the world's most printed book. Of its kind, I guess, since I wouldn't call it a book as such. But okay, could be.