Archive for 'Culture'
When a Short, Sharp Intake of Breath Means “Yes” Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 19, 2009
My friend had to go to the doctor the other day, and afterwards, when we were having fika, he said: “wow, I guess I’m seriously sick. The doctor was making those scared little noises at pretty much everything I told her.” As you can very easily guess, my friend is an expat and hasn’t been…
Swedish Entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 16, 2009
I didn’t post about it yesterday, because I had to think about what to say. But there’s really no avoiding it, even a day later – I really don’t like the song that Sweden is sending to the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow in May. And the song is “La voix” sung by Malena Ernman…
Swedish Writers – Selma Lagerlöf Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 10, 2009
I was driving from Umeå to Stockholm this past Monday. Everything was going just fine and we were happily cruising along when somewhere between Umeå and Örnsköldsvik (also known as Ö-vik) the weather got all funky. It began to snow, or rather, from the looks of the road, it had been snowing for quite some…
Victoria och Daniel gifter sig! Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 25, 2009
There’s one less eligible princess in the world today! Victoria and Daniel are getting married! Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Kronprinsessan Victoria, Sveriges kronprinsessa, hertiginna av Västergötland) and her long-time boyfriend – Daniel Westling announced their engagement yesterday. And it was about time! They’ve been together for seven years now, if I…
Swedish Magazines – Vagabond Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 23, 2009
One of my favorite Swedish magazines is Vagabond. I like to travel and I like to read about travel, be it in Swedish or in English. Vagabond is Sveriges största resemagasin and is written in a clear, easy-to-understand language (after all, it has to appeal to a wide demographic, because all sorts of people like…
The Pirate Bay Trial Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 18, 2009
The buzz in Sweden this week seems to be all about the Pirate Bay trial. Unless you’ve been living under a rock on planet Zog, you have most likely heard about file sharing. I have purposely left out the word “illegal” from the previous sentence, because file sharing comes in all sorts of shapes and…
De fyra tjejerna från Robertsfors Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 16, 2009
You ask, I deliver. At least, I try to deliver. And since you asked about music, what better band to start with than our four local girls from Robertsfors? Yes, it’s Sahara Hotnights time! I have to admit, I hadn’t been always a Sahara Hotnights fan. But my friend’s daughter subjected me to repeated doses…