Stories from Quick Reads and Sweden
Bahrain: Hair-raising conversation
Sous, a Swede living in Bahrain, repeats a conversation she had with an Indian woman, who after finding out that Sous was fasting told her she should cover her hair: “Swede: Well, I’m thinking to shave it all off and then that problem is solved! Indian:No!…Aren’t you married? Swede: No....
China: The Beijing Bay
Via TorrentFreak, on the IOC's takedown notice sent not to p2p network The Pirate Bay which was hosting torrents of Olympics footage, but Sweden's Minister of Justice: “We were going to ignore the Olympics, but now we’re loading our cannons. Our weapons of mass distribution are pointed towards China.”
South Ossetia: Swedish Foreign Minister on the Conflict
Carl Bildt, Swedish Foreign Minister and former EU special envoy to the Former Yugoslavia, states on his blog Alla dessa dagar that the conflict in South Ossetia has put basic principles of the international community at stake.
Russia: Moscow Football Fans
LJ user nl posts two pictures of Moscow fans celebrating Russia's Euro 2008 victory over Sweden – here and here.
Malawi: Going back to Malawi
Malawian blogger says “Goodbye Sweden”: “Time came when I came. Time has gone and I should be gone back to Malawi after two years of great stay in Örebro, Sweden. It has been a time well spent. Numerous experiences both good and bad.”
Europe: Eastern Partnership Project
AnTyx writes about the Eastern Partnership project.
New Research Programme for Sustainable Decision-making
The Inspired Economy blog writes of a new research program being launched. “It aims to support the world’s decision-makers in their promotion of sustainability and at ensuring that their decision-making will rest on scientific foundations leading to – real change.”
Bahrain: Kindest People Ever
Sous, a Swedish woman living in Bahrain, wonders about the impact of development on Bahrainis. “Bahrainis … are the most kind people I have ever met. They are polite, educated, funny and friendly. There is no pretend and they are really down to earth which I appreciate. I hope this...
Brazil: Sexual tourism, dreams-come-true, sour goodbyes and illegality
Sandra Paulsen writes[PT] from Stockholm at Blog do Noblat[PT] about Swedish sexual tourism in Brazil and Tailand and sad stories about Brazilian women that travel back with their “boyfriends” to their home Sweden, just to face a hard and bitter break-up and illegality in a foreign and lawful land. Blog...
Estonia: The Swedes
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonian Swedes: “…I came to the conclusion that Estonian Swedes do have a certain unspoken minority status in Estonia: they are marginal. No one writes about them. No one thinks about them. They exist, are deemed somewhat exotic, but then forgotten. They are simply unimportant....
Armenia: Scandinavian Invasion
Armenia and me posts an account and photographs of what is a rare sight indeed — 150 Scandinavian running through Yerevan's Victory Park as part of a World Wide Orienteering Promotion. Arriving in the country from Iran, the blog reports that local onlookers were at first shocked to see so...
Tunisia: A new Mohammed cartoon crisis ?
Tunisian blogger A.L.G.Y of Cos-maux-polis is wondering whether a new Mohammed cartoon crisis is brewing. She explains that drawings of a man with the body of a dog wearing a turban were published in a local Swedish newspaper on August, 18th. As protests are underway in Pakistan and Iran, she...
Estonia: Scandinavian Influence
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Scandinavian influence in Estonia (and the two Swedes who represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002 and 2006).
Scandinavia: “Rysk Mosaik” Russia Bloghub
Rysk Mosaik is a new Scandinavian bloghub for blogs in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian, about Russian politics and society. It currently publishes posts from six Scandinavian blogs, but has the potential to become a regional Russia bloghub. The downside of it is that it is limited to blogs in Scandinavian...
Estonia: International Relations
“But why waste so much energy on that relationship with diminishing returns?” writes Itching for Eestimaa about Estonia's relations with Russia, and continues with an overview of Estonia's relations with other countries.
Russia, Sweden: Lavrov and Georgian Wine
Vilhelm Konnander reports that the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was drinking Georgian wine banned in Russia during his recent visit to Sweden.
Jordan: Swedes In Love With Lebanese Food
Rami, a Jordanian blogger who lives in Sweden, links to an article about how the Swedes are heads over heels in love with the Lebanese cuisine.
Estonia: Partnership With Sweden
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonia's relations with Sweden.
Africa: celebrating miserable African leaders
Read Celebrating Miserable African Leaders and K'naan, Somalia Needs You, at The sub-Saharan African Roundtable.
Slovenia: Mistaken for Sweden
NHL player Anze Kopitar is Slovenian, not Swedish, writes The Glory of Carniola, correcting the media's unfortunate mistake: “Another opportunity for Slovenia to get some press, down the drain.”
Belarus: Two Activists Awarded in Sweden
Vilhelm Konnander reports on two Belarusian human rights activists who have been awarded Swedish prizes for their work.