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Tweeting for Sweden: Trucks, Coffee, Breasts and Cats

The World — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:20:03 +0000

Tomorrow (when it’s a bit less dark) I’ll take you on the real tour of Uppsala.

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 20, 2012

Marco Werman talks with Hanna Fange, who has been sending out her personal tweets on Sweden’s official twitter account as part of a program to let a different Swedish citizen take over the account each week.

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Marco Werman: With a population of less than ten million people it’s not surprising that Sweden’s official Twitter feed doesn’t have that many followers. But when the folks at the Swedish Tourist Board wanted to boost those numbers they came up with a novel idea — hand over the official @Sweden Twitter account to a different Swedish citizen each week and let them tweet whatever they want. So far, the citizen tweeters have included a female priest and an organic sheep farmer, among others. This week it’s been the turn of Hanna Fange. She’s a 32-year-old truck driver from Uppsala. Fange says the idea is to show case the real Sweden.

Hanna Fange: It’s about giving people new ways of seeing Sweden I guess. It’s not all about tall blondes and meatballs and IKEA, it’s so much more.

Werman: Right at the top of the @Sweden Twitter feed the heading says, “A New Swede Every Week” and then there’s your description of yourself, which says, “I’m just your average lesbian truck driver.” So it’s sounds like you really area challenging stereotypes about the big blondes and IKEA.

Fange: Yeah, I guess so, but then again I’m a walking stereotype for being a lesbian in Sweden. People always expect that female truck drivers are lesbians, so I guess I’m stereotyping myself, but maybe not the stereotype “Swede.”

Werman: Were you concerned that by putting yourself out there so publicly as a lesbian you would encounter prejudice during this week?

Fange: I actually didn’t think about it at all until people started asking me about receiving hate tweets or stuff like that, but I still haven’t and I hope I won’t.

Werman: What kind of things have you been tweeting about this week, Hanna?

Fange: Oh, everything! Trucks, coffee, Sigourney Weaver’s panties, breasts and today, cats. And I know that the one about Sigourney Weaver’s panties have been retweeted.

Werman: Oh, I heard about that, you said something about Sigourney Weaver’s panties in the Alien movie. What did you say about them?

Fange: Yeah, they don’t look good. They all look so uncomfortable, so why have them.

Werman: I know the Swedish government said you can tweet about whatever you want, but was there any kind of push back on tweeting about Sigourney Weaver’s panties in Alien?

Fange: No, I haven’t heard a thing about it. Some people have un-followed this account because I tweet too much, and some find me boring, which I can totally understand because I’m mostly tweeting about trucks, I think, and about what I see during my drives. Yesterday it was, I was actually tweeting about penises yesterday and people were a bit surprised about a lesbian tweeting about penises, she’s seen during her work days, but hmm.

Werman: You keep tweeting like that, the Swedish government isn’t gonna let you go. They’re gonna have followers all over the world…millions of people, you’re gonna beat Lady Gaga.

Fange: But that’s my goal.

Werman: Well, are you gonna miss it?

Fange: I will. This has been fantastic to do this because while I’m driving I have 4-1/2 hours driving and then I need to a 45 minute break. And I often get bored during these 45 minutes, but not now because now I have followers in Australia, and the US, and Pakistan, and Indonesia. People always respond to my tweets any time of day. They have been great company.

Werman: Well, enjoy your last two days running the @Sweden account, Hanna.

Fange: Oh, I will. Tomorrow I’m taking them on tour around Uppsala to show the sights.

Werman: Hanna Fange is tweeting for Sweden this week. She joined us from Uppsala. Thank you very much.

Fange: Thank you.

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… and this is a very tired trucker. twitter.com/sweden/status/…

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 17, 2012

Wow. I just took a peek at the amount of followers of my new account. You people are mad (in the best sense there is).

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 19, 2012

<= sometimes acs like a hyperactive child on a sugar rush, tweeting like mad.

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 20, 2012

Question: if I press the button this week, will a witty lesbian truck driver appear? @sweden twitter.com/eurodan/status…

— Daniel Pashley (@eurodan) January 19, 2012

This is us. twitter.com/sweden/status/…

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 16, 2012

#thisiswhyiamfat twitter.com/sweden/status/…

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 20, 2012

Following our interview with Fange, she even tweeted back at The World’s Michael Rass

@mikerass It just felt awful really, rambling on, on broken English. Hopefully you’ll cut the strangest things. :) @MarcoWerman

— @sweden / Hanna (@sweden) January 20, 2012

Swedish Musician “Loney Dear”

Marco Werman — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:40 +0000

Swedish musician Emil Svanängen also likes to build things.

But instead of girders and triple-glazed glass, he uses notes and an assortment of musical instruments.

Svanängen is not a global superstar, but he has come a long way since his first album eight years ago.

He goes by the stage name “Loney Dear” and recorded his first album in the basement of his parent’s home in Jönköping, Sweden.

His recording tools at the time were the now-obsolete minidisk recorder, a microphone and a computer.

He did not have a recording contract or even a band, but now he has an indie-music label and tours with a small group.

After his 2009 US tour, he returned to Sweden, having become fascinated with chamber orchestras.

The resulting musical aura, textured by church organs, vibraphones and trombones, makes up the sound on Loney Dear’s latest album “Hall Music.”

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Get Lost, Silvio. I’ve Got A New Guy

Carol Hills — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:13:37 +0000

Get lost, Silvio. I’ve got a new guy. Cartoon by Olle Johansson of Sweden.

Bollywood Bloodbath and other Global Fright Music

The World — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00:22 +0000

The World’s Marco Werman begins with a collection titled “Bollywood Bloodbath,” then explores some other unexpected sources of ghoulish music to play on your porch for the trick or treaters.

Song: He Met Me in the Guest House
Artist: Bappi Lahiri
CD: Bollywood Bloodbath
Country: India

Song: L’alba Dei Morti Viventi
Artist: Goblin
CD: Zombie (Dawn of the Dead soundtrack)
Country: Italy

Song: Bis Baby Boum Boum
Artist: Brigitte Fontaine
CD: Kekeland
Country: France

Song: Agit
Artist: Yabancilar
CD: Hava Narghile
Country: Turkey

Song: Corridors of Blood
Artist: Anima Morte
CD: The Nightmare Becomes Reality
Country: Sweden

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Midsummer in Sweden

The World — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:40:17 +0000

The Geo Quiz is is all about midsummer which has been celebrated this time of year in Scandanavia since ancient times. It’s a national holiday in Sweden, a chance to soak up the midnight sun, and to sing and dance.

So we’re looking for a small island in central Stockholm, where Midsummer celebrations are underway. The island served as a Royal Game Park going back to the 15th century. Nowadays its one of Swedes’ favorite green spaces, not to mention a destination for 10 million tourists each year.

So if you know a little Swedish you’ve got a good chance of getting this one.

Reporter Steve Dolinsky sent us a postcard from Djurgården (or, more officially, Kungliga Djurgården, Swedish for ‘Royal Game Park’), the island in Stockholm that’s a popular retreat on Midsummer’s Eve. (Audio available after 5PM Eastern)

Typical midsummer meal: pickled herring, potatoes, egg, and beer (Photo: Steve Dolinsky)

Why Swedes want free subway rides?

The World — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:50:58 +0000

A subway station in Stockholm (Photo: Jorges)

Anchor Marco Werman talks to an activist in Stockholm, Sweden, who’s part of a growing movement out to pressure the government to make subway rides free. The goal behind it? To get people out of their air-polluting, traffic-making cars.
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Marco Werman: Alexander Bertilsson of Stockholm is willing to take a stand against subway fares. He’s part of a growing movement of fare dodgers in Scandinavia as reported in today’s Wall Street Journal. The movement is called Planka Nu. That means “free ride now.” The movement’s goal is to eliminate subway fares. The so-called Plankers say that would encourage people to ditch their cars and the reduction in traffic would also reduce pollution. Mr. Bertilsson is a Planker and proud of it. Now, Mr. Bertilsson, you and other Plankers jump the turnstiles. Explain to us how you rationalize that.

Alexander Bertilsson: It’s because the public transport company here in Stockholm, they just continue to raise the prices compared to, for example, the gasoline tax or something like that, even though it doesn’t get better at all. So what we want to do is we want to lower the prices and fill the financing gap with progressive income tax instead; everybody has to be able to ride the public transport.

Werman: Right, and I’m sure there are lots of people like you who feel that way, but explain your activism. How do you do this?

Bertilsson: People have been free riding for as long as there have been fares in the Stockholm subway, so it’s not something new. The [inaudible 1:02] when we started the organization back in 2001 was to first of all, we made an insurance fund, like a solidarity fund, so everybody can become a member in our solidarity fund. And for 100 Swedish kroner per month, instead of 700 Swedish kroner for the subway pass, if they get caught by a ticket inspector we pay their fine. And the second part is that by joining together we can actually become a political force and make political demands for free public transport.

Werman: Right, so if you do the math it turns out to more like $15 a month of insurance instead of $110 a month for the subway tickets. How much is the fine though if you get caught jumping?

Bertilsson: It’s 1,200 Swedish kroner.

Werman: Right, so almost $200.

Bertilsson: Yeah.

Werman: So presumably there is this strong spirit of solidarity among Plankers who pay into this fund. Are you in favor of paying more taxes in order to allow the subway to be free? I mean, how does this idea square with a lot of Swedish people who are not part of the Planka Nu?

Bertilsson: Well, in general, I can say that people in Sweden have a very positive attitude towards paying high taxes as long as they go to keeping a good, and high quality, and free welfare system, so it’s not like the idea at all is strange to common citizens.

Werman: But some Swedes who don’t use the subway at all will end up forking over their money in taxes for a service they don’t use. You could be alienating a lot of people.

Bertilsson: You can say that in one way, but also we have free roads. We have free highways. A lot of the things that car users use are for free. And also, even though they won’t be using the subway directly, they are actually benefitting from other car users going into the public transport system, and thus, reducing congestion.

Werman: How is the subway company responding to this and what do authorities have to say about yours scheme? I mean, turnstile jumping is illegal there isn’t it?

Bertilsson: No, it’s not really illegal. I mean they’ve been trying to shut us down, but the fine that you get if you get caught by ticket inspector is actually more like a surcharge. There’s like just a super expensive ticket. It’s not really illegal. I mean, if it would’ve been illegal they would’ve shut us down and we would’ve been gone for 10 years.

Werman: Alexander, how close are you and the Plankers to changing policy in Sweden on mass transit fares?

Bertilsson: I mean it’s a very tough question to ask, but I can definitely say that we have changed the whole debate during this last 10 years. Now it’s actually something that a lot of people now have to at least take a stance on. So, we’re definitely moving the debate in the right direction.

Werman: Alexander Bertilsson, a free subway ride activist in Stockholm. Thanks very much for your time.

Bertilsson: Thank you.

[music "Free Ride"]

Global Political Cartoons: March 12 – 18, 2011

Carol Hills — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:00:41 +0000

The Land of the Rising Sun has become for some The Land of Rising Radiation Levels. The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami has cartoonists morphing the red disc in Japan’s flag into everything from a radiation hazard symbol to a skull.

Global Political Cartoons: March 5 – 11, 2011

Carol Hills — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:00:27 +0000

The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan spawn multiple images of a famous Japanese woodblock print. The tangled role of oil in the world’s response to Libya, and the space shuttle Discovery retires into the arms of another beached phenom.

Global Political Cartoons: February 26 – March 4, 2011

Carol Hills — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:00:07 +0000

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has always had a cartoon quality about him but as he defies all calls to step down, his image is morphing from that of a comical and clueless Charlie Sheen to a savage dictator ready to aid and abet a blood-letting against his own people.

Lobster safari in Sweden

The World — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:55:55 +0000

Lobster Safari in Sweden (Photo: Jake Warga)

For today’s Geo Quiz, we’re searching for an ocean strait between the North Sea and Kattegat Bay. Denmark lies to the south – Norway and Sweden, respectively, to the north and east.

This water way played a historical role. The Germans sought to control it during World War I and II. And in 1916, a major sea battle was fought here. These days, you’re more likely to experience a lobster safari along the strait, in one of the fishing villages in western Sweden.

So, can you name the strait where the lobsters are running?

Geo Answer:

The answer is the Skagerrak strait, and lobsters are abundant here. Many restaurants in West Sweden are involved with the local food movement and luckily that includes lobster from the Skagerrak. Jake Warga takes us to one of West Sweden’s swanky restaurants:

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My first impressions of Sweden came from the crazy chef on the Muppet show who battled with rebellious lobsters, an impression that may not be all that off.

On the coast of West Sweden, I did find a chef cooking lobster at the bed and breakfast where I was staying.

“I actually think that all the chefs are a little bit crazy because not everybody can take it,” said Mattias Jonssen, head chef at Villa Sjotorp on the west coast of Sweden.

Jonssen was in the kitchen wrestling a lobster bouillon; he’s also a professional juggler.

“So you get the lobster, you take out the meat and you make the sauce out of the shells then you put the lobster back in the shells, you use everything, it’s perfect,” Jonssen said.

I also discovered that there’s a local food movement going on in Sweden.

“We’ll only buy our cheese from small farms … all the nice restaurants in Sweden does that it’s not like you call your distributor and say we want meat,” Jonssen said. “You don’t want some beef from Brazil; you want it from around here.”

West Sweden is famous for its seafood, especially, its pickled herring. But luckily it’s lobster season.

Lobster safari

I was curious about where the lobster I ate came from. It turns out it was from a lobster safari.

Per Karlsson runs the safaris. And not just for lobster; there are oyster safaris, mackerel and crab safaris.

For the lobster safari, Karlsson and his brother take people out on their wooden boat to haul in traps, then it’s back to the boathouse to boil water and eat very fresh lobster.

During the safari Karlsson hauled up a box and inside is was a massive lobster. I named it garlic.

“This one is about 20 years old … she’s a female,” Karlsson said.

The local food movement is happening in the big cities as well. From West Sweden I went to the capital Stockholm to a trendy hotel/restaurant… definitely, cool people were everywhere. I spoke with.

Samuel Laulajainen is responsible for all restaurants bars food and beverages in the hotel Scandic Malmon

I asked him about the local food movement,

“That’s a trend in Stockholm as well: if you know the farm, you put the farm on the menu,” Laulajainen said. “We’re trying to buy everything local … we try to know where the meat is coming from where the potatoes are coming from, and you even need to know where your eggs come from these days. Our guests are getting more and more interested in that”

At the end of the Muppet skit, it’s the lobsters that get the upper hand and attack the chef today in Sweden bites are a source of local pride.

More info about West Sweden

Egypt through the eyes of other cartoonists

Carol Hills — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 05:07:52 +0000

Cartoonists outside the Middle East are commenting on events in Egypt just as much as those in the region. A few more references to the imagined back and forth between Hosni Mubarak and Barack Obama but just as many pyramids, dominoes and pharaohs. Take a look.

Larsson’s last city

The World — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:40:51 +0000

We get literary for today’s Geo Quiz. The “Millennium Series” by Swedish writer Steig Larsson has sold more than 20 million copies around the world. The series, a trilogy of crime novels, includes “The girl with the dragon tattoo,” “The girl who played with fire” and “The girl who kicked the hornet’s nest.” The books were published shortly after Larsson’s death in 2004 of a heart attack. There were rumors, later discounted, that his death was induced. Larsson had reportedly lived for years under threat from his political enemies.

So which Swedish city was Steig Larsson working in at the time of his death?

Geo Answer:

The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is Stockholm.

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Assange on leaking private information

The World — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:55:34 +0000

We hear an excerpt from a BBC interview in which WikiLeaks head Julian Assange complains that information about his legal case in Sweden has been leaked to newspapers. Download MP3

Listen to the full “Today” interview with Julian Assange

Assange fears extradition to US

The World — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:15:45 +0000

by Laura Lynch

Assange at British manor house

Julian Assange is out of jail and he’s wasting no time attacking the US government. The founder of Wikileaks was granted bail by a British court last night after spending ten days in prison after Sweden requested his extradition. Now he’s under “mansion arrest” after posting more than $300,000 bail.

This morning, he crossed the snowswept lawn of a grand manor house in Suffolk to meet with reporters. The house belongs to a friend and, it’s where the court has ordered Assange to remain until the Swedish extradition request is resolved. Sweden wants Assange for questioning in a sexual assault case.

One of Assange’s lawyers, Helena Kennedy, said they’ll fight the case in part by arguing that Sweden is abusing the law. “What we are concerned about here is what they want Julian Assange for is not to prosecute him, but to interview him to decide whether to prosecute him,” she said. “We’re not satisfied that the extradition procedures under the European arrest warrant allow for that.”

Assange himself calls the rape allegations a smear. He said today that he’s more worried about suggestions that U.S. authorities are preparing an indictment against him. “We need proactive legal attacks on these institutions that are engaged in what appears to be certainly a secret investigation, but also an illegal investigation.”

Assange and Wikileaks have retained lawyers in the US and Assange said he’s heard the reports that US prosecutors are trying to establish a link between him and Private Bradley Manning, the military analyst now in jail.

Key to the case would be showing that Assange actually helped Manning to remove and distribute classified information. So today, Assange made a point of saying he never knew Manning or his name until he read it in a newspaper.

“Of course WikiLeaks is designed to not know who its sources are,” he said. “the best way for us to protect them is to never know.”

Even if the U.S. indicts Assange, once again, it’s a question of extradition, and whether Assange stays in Britain or ends up in Sweden, Mark Ellis of the International Bar Association said eventually, it will ultimately be up to the politicians to decide whether to hand Assange over to the U.S.

“An extradition request from a non-European state, the United States, to either the U.K. or Sweden requires a political element, not just a judicial element,” he said. “In the end, it will be the political actors, the government of the U.K. or Sweden that will make that decision if in fact the courts agree that extradition can take place.”

If other cases are anything to go by, it could be a long time before Julian Assange sees the inside of a U.S. courtroom. American prosecutors have been trying to extradite British computer hacker Gary Mckinnon for the past six years.

Now some British politicians are suggesting the U.S. government should hire Mckinnon instead of prosecuting him, suggesting he might be able to use his computer skills to help prevent further leaks.

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The Wikileaks revelations

The World — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:00:48 +0000

Starting in November 2010, the website WikiLeaks and five major newspapers published confidential documents of detailed correspondences between the U.S. State Department and its diplomatic missions around the world. The publication of the U.S. embassy cables is the third in a series of U.S. classified document “mega-leaks” distributed by WikiLeaks in 2010, following the Afghan War documents leak in July, and the Iraq War documents leak in October. The contents of the cables describe international affairs from 274 embassies dated from 1966–2010, containing diplomatic analysis of world leaders, an assessment of host countries, and a discussion about international and domestic issues.

Assange on leaking private information

Dec 21st, 2010

An excerpt from a BBC interview in which WikiLeaks head Julian Assange complains that information about his legal case in Sweden has been leaked to newspapers.

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Listen to the full “Today” interview with Julian Assange

Wikileaks fuel sex scandal in Malaysia

Dec 20th, 2010

A Wikileaks cable about Malaysia is generating controversy there. It involves the country’s main opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently on trial, charged with having sex with a male political aide. Jennifer Pak reports from Kuala Lumpur.

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Assange fears extradition to US

Dec 17th, 2010

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says he is worried about an attempt to extradite him to the United States. Assange is free on bail in the UK while facing extradition proceedings to Sweden over sex allegations. Assange denies the Swedish allegations, made by two women, and says the case is politically motivated. Laura Lynch reports.
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What Wikileaks reveals about Saudi Arabia

Dec 15th, 2010
When Wikileaks released a huge tranche of US diplomatic cables recently, the behind-the scenes machinations of one country in particular caused some headlines. That’s Saudi Arabia. But, long-term Saudi watchers caution against reading the cables on their own. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.

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Wikileaks founder remains in custody

Dec 14th, 2010
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange remains in a prison cell in Britain today, despite the fact a judge granted him bail. Assange was taken into custody last week after Sweden issued a warrant for his arrest as part of an investigation into allegations of sex crimes. Shortly after today’s ruling, Swedish prosecutors announced they would appeal his release. Laura Lynch reports.

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Wikileaks cyberwar

Dec 9th, 2010
A global group of online activists is making life difficult for companies who don’t want to do business with WikiLeaks. The websites of Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have all become targets of the group, which goes by the name Anonymous. The World’s Clark Boyd has more on the group, and its goals.
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Wikileaks on Somali pirate haul

Dec 9th, 2010
The latest trove of Wikileak dispatches sheds new light on an arms shipment that came to light when Somali pirates captured a Ukrainian freigher back in 2008. Anchor Lisa Mullins finds out more from the New York Times’ Jeffery Gettlemen.

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Pakistan’s fake Wikileaks revelations

Dec 9th, 2010
Some newspapers in Pakistan are reporting on State Department cables that have unflattering and inflammatory things to say about Indian authorities. The trouble is, the leaked cables are fakes. Anchor Lisa Mullins has details.

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Wikileaks fallout continues

Dec 8th, 2010
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is in a British jail awaiting a hearing next week regarding his possible extradition to Sweden. The fallout from WikiLeaks’ disclosure of hundreds of US State Department cables continues, both in the real world and online. The World’s Clark Boyd has an update.

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Wikileaks documents on the Lockerbie case

Dec 8th, 2010
The WikiLeaks release includes cables that provide new details on how and why the convicted Lockerbie bomber was released from prison last year and allowed to return home to Libya. The World’s Jason Margolis has more.

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Wikileaks founder Assange refused bail

Dec 7th, 2010
The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has told a British court he will fight extradition to Sweden. Bail was refused and the Australian, who denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden, was ordered to remain in custody pending a hearing next week. Assange told a court in London he would contest extradition. Clark Boyd reports.

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Comprehensive information on the Wikileaks cables

Columbia University warns students against Wikileaksl

Dec 7th, 2010
Students at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs are criticizing a warning from university officials not to tweet or post links to WikiLeaks. Anchor Lisa Mullins finds out more from a professor at Columbia, Gary Sick.

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New insights into America’s drone war

Dec 2nd, 2010

The Wikileaks cables shed some light on the politics of the US drone war in Pakistan. Jeb Sharp gives us an update on drones and their implications in American warfare.

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Wired.com: Everybody wants drones
The drone war on The World

Legal troubles for Wikileaks founder

Dec 2nd, 2010
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could at some point face serious charges in the United States over Wikileaks’ release of government documents. But the prosecution would not be easy. Anchor Lisa Mullins finds out more from John Bellinger, a former top legal advisor to the State Department.
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