I don't know how to describe it anyother way than this......I'm obsessed with these little buns. Sweden is obsessed with the little bun we call Semla. Originally we are only suppose to eat them on Shrove Tuesday or better known in the States as Fat Tuesday but I think every day is Tuesday in Sweden.
Just after Jul/Christmas everybody went on diets, exercise, and healthy living. That was until Tuesday when the glimpse of the first Semla bun arrived. Yesterday, as I was working very hard on the new LearnSweden Swedish Start course my friend and partner Per sent me these lovely photos of the most beautiful semlor. It ruined my whole day, just knowing that he was eating one or two......make that three semlor buns with good coffee and all I got were the photos. Cruel isn't it? I will just have to make my own this weekend. I promise to pass on the recipe, right here on this very blog, on Fat Tuesday , which is February 24th .
Everyone has their own private ritual when it comes to eating Semlor. Personally, I can't even leave the shop with them. I order the semla bun with a coffee and sit down for a wonderful cafe/bakery experience. I sit there thinking to myself......"Is isn't it great being Swedish American ? Wherever you are just get yourself to the nearest Swedish Bakery and then you can have this experience for yourself.
Here are a few fun facts about the Semla Bun:
Semla is Latin for fine wheat flour.
Semlor became popular in Sweden in 1541.
Each Swede eats five semlor per year on average.
In 2001, the world's largest semla was made, weighing in at 160 kg. The famous bun was made in Linköping, which is about 200km south of Stockholm.
A true addict of semlor was King Adolf Fredrik who died on February 12, 1771,after consuming 14 servings of hetvägg, which is semla in a bowl of warm milk.
Happily, I'm not as bad as King Adolf Fredrik but if you have to die, why not death by Semla ?
The time has come to make it final. We would be pleased to welcome you to SACC Savannah E-Days. LearnSweden is proud to be a sponsor of this event and can speak from experience that this is an opportunity not to be missed. We have made so many great business contacts and connections through the various SACC E-Days both in Sweden and the U.S. We don't want to miss you so sign-up now !
Accessing Growth Capital for a Sustainable Future!
I'm very pleased to let you know that -- in the midst of the financial crises -- there are more industry delegations from Sweden preparing to attend the Savannah Edays than ever before. And our team in Savannah and Atlanta are happily preparing to set up special business matchmaking meetings for these delegations that are coming from Växjö, Värmland, Karlskrona, West Sweden and Swedbank.
The great interest for our Edays from both Swedish and U.S. industry is not only a results of the effectiveness of the Edays as a vehicle to faciliate trade, commerce and investment between Sweden and the U.S. It is a testimony of the strength and value of the SACC-USA network and the role it plays of being an accelerator for business relations.
We look forward to seeing you in Savannah. We have a great program planned for you!
Gunilla Girardo, President, SACC-USA
Early Bird Registration Special
Register before February 15 and take advantage of the Early Bird price of $399!
Edays in Savannah 2009 focus on three industry specific programs - Logistics, Renewable Energy and Industrial Design - planned and executed by professionals and industry groups with deep insights in the industries. These "deep dives" offer expertise knowledge related to each specific industry.
The core activity of the conference program is our business matchmaking service; designed to help you find potential partners, distributors, agents, and/or consultants that meet the specific needs of your company. There is no additional fee for conference attendees to take advantage of this service. The sooner you fill out the business matchmaking for the better!
If you're looking to expand your Swedish-American network, a presence in the Exhibition is essential. Regardless of your company size, the Exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to:
Promote your services and products
Collect qualified leads
Develop your brand
Attract new clients
Reinforce your network
Expand your network
Build prestige
Make sales
The exhibit will sell out so if you want to be seen, book your space today.
Every year the 9th grade at our school takes a trip to Fjällen. This year it was my turn.We went to a place called Ramundberget which lies in the Fjällen mountain range next to Norway. At 7 A.M. we left by bus from our school for the 8 hour journey. My friends and I passed the time by sleeping a little but mostly we enjoyed watching dvd's on the movie player inside the bus. At Härjedalen the travel became so beautiful and we started seeing signs marking the snowfall with fog warnings. True mountain or Fjällen weather. We arrived at about 3 in the afternoon. Then the real work of getting all of our stuff up to the stuga (cottage) that we would be staying in. In true mountain fashion we loaded all of our things up on a motor scooter and it was driven up the hill for us to collect later. When we arrived it really wasn't that cold,33 degrees Fahrenheit. It was rather funny because we had dressed ourselves for really frigid weather which didn't happen to be here at the moment.
There were about 40 of us. We all stayed in the same house but in different rooms. Each bedroom could sleep 6 people and included 2 bathrooms. There was even a sauna with a shower . There was also a kitchen and a big living-room which had a T.V.
Our school obliged us to ski two of the days that we were there but honestly I was there to ski so they counted me in for the full five days. :) Our daily schedule went something like this: At 8 we got up in the morning and had breakfast. Afterwards we hit the slopes until 1 pm when we came back to the stuga for lunch. By 2 pm we were skiing again until 3 pm or so. The rest of the afternoon was our own free choice with what to do with ourselves. Many watched T.V. , some slept after their active morning, and others went for a walk.
Our days passed quickly and then it was time to pack everything up, clean the stuga, and board the bus at 2 pm precisely so that we could be dropped off at home around 11 pm. It was such a wonderful trip and I didn't want it to end.
From Friday to Monday it's the Swedish Garden Bird Watch. During one hour you write down the number of birds that you notice in your garden. Be sure to send in a report. This is the most common bird, it's called a Talgoxe.
Today's blogpost is composed of the wanderings and photos of Stefan Jansson. Living in Tungelsta in Haninge, just south of Stockholm. He loves documenting the changes in nature and places. He follows this simple rule "Never leave home without a camera."
It has arrived...Inauguration Day. About a week ago I decided that I didn't want to be sitting home all by myself watching the biggest moment in U.S. history, at least the biggest moment in U.S. history since I've been alive. I sent out the emails saying we would have an Inauguration Brunch. Everyone can bring their best and favorite dishes and we could watch and share this moment together.
.....the reality........
Monday we had the biggest snow fall in 7 years . It was already a holiday so we had a lot of snow play. When I woke up Tuesday morning it was by phone call from the school district stating that our schools had been closed. This was just perfect ....my children had wanted to stay home and watch the inauguration. Now not only would we be able to share this together but so would our closest friends and their children.
People started arriving at 10 AM and the last to leave said their good-byes at 5 pm. Here's how are day unfolded:
It was surprising how many of us can sing like Aretha. How many of you sang along? I know you did. What a moment it was watching her sing 'My Country Tis of Thee'.
First it was Joe and Jill Biden.
and then it was Barack and Michelle Obama
We stood for the oath and singing .....and then......
It was time to eat. A perfect day with all of my family and friends. And then do you know what happened ? At 5 pm it started snowing again. Yea!
Well finally it's here. After much nagging, whinning, and a very long and sunny cold snap. Our daily high on friday was 9 degrees Fahrenheit. We have snow. Yea!
It started slowly at first. We were watching it fall flake by flake. Then it started to pick up a little but we didn't get our hopes up.....until it covered the woodpile. "Alright everybody", I announced "It's a Serious Snow.
And then I moved away from the back door as I was almost run over by every age child imaginable. From the age of 3 to 20. My children and all of their friends. There was a day of sledding and then all of the soup and hot chocolate one could muster. I love snow days. I just really love snow days.
Did we just say that ? Hasn't tjugoend Knut past ? Yes but Fru Svangren gave us all permission to revisit the whole issue just one last time. Oh and we got to revisit the birthday's of Lotta and Signe's again also. So why all of this revisiting. The birthday situation was the fact that Rebecca had just come home from USA and there was all of this meet n'greet for her. So a "proper" party had not been had. We can't say that anymore. After a feast of Rheindeer steak, potatoes au gratin, salad, and a variety of desserts and drinks. Happy Birthday Girls !
Next is Jul igen.......Per's mother became ill on Christmas day and the party which was to be hosted by her and Herr Svangren had to be cancelled. Jan 18th was the perfect day for a reminded visit of Christmas. God Jul friends. I hope it was a festive event. Do you think I might be able to talk anyone into a "Christmas in July" party. Oh never mind......then it's time for my birthday.
Sweden boasts some 3,500 clean tech companies that together book roughly $14 billion in revenues. Exports, which make up about a quarter of their overall sales, have grown 75% over the last four years. To further boost the industry, the government is earmarking $590 million for environmental projects over the next two years, including $180 million to commercialize green tech. None other than King Carl XVI Gustav has become the green industry’s biggest promoter and fan. The 62-year-old king, whose environmental activism goes back to his Boy Scout days, is also taking to the road to pitch Swedish green business. The king also sees Swedish exports and the environment as natural partners. "We’re a small country, so we’re dependent on exports. And we’ve always lived in a clean environment, close to nature." He admits change isn’t easy but says, "We have to think in the long term, not short term as we have before, but still make this happen quickly. I try to change my own thinking. We have to make this happen and not just discuss it.
This article was published at Businessweek from London and Stockholm
Sweden Puts Its Bets on Green Tech
The country boasts some 3,500 clean technology companies that together book roughly $14 billion in revenues
Lake Trummen in southern Sweden used to be a polluted, weed-choked mess. Now, after a $14 million cleanup, bathers crowd its clear blue water in summer. Växjö, a city of 80,000 that sits on its shores, is vying to be the most environmentally pristine place in Sweden. The town's car fleet is being converted to biogas, a clean fuel based on methane, and a new biofuel factory has created 320 jobs. Växjö has cut its carbon dioxide emissions cut by a third over the past 15 years, and the town even channels leftover heat from the local crematorium into homes.
Swedish business and political leaders think places like Växjö are on to something. A few decades ago the country led the world in developing mobile technology through companies such as Ericsson (ERIC). Now, with telecom sales flattening, business and political leaders think green technology could spark a new export boom—crucial to Sweden, where exports account for more than half of gross domestic product. "There is huge demand around the world for this technology," says Anders Brännström, president of Volvo Technology Transfer, a subsidiary of truck and bus maker Volvo (VOLVa.ST) that has invested about $20 million in clean tech companies.
While Denmark has wind power giant Vestas (VWS.CO) and Germany has a host of big outfits such as Q-Cells (QCEG.DE) that make solar cells and panels, Sweden's clean tech sector is made up mostly of smaller companies. In Växjö, for instance, IV Produkt makes energy-efficient ventilation systems it exports to 15 countries, from Belgium to Ukraine. The company says the systems mean energy savings of 80%, paying for themselves in about two years.
Going Like a Steamroller
Some 30% of IV's $38.6 million in revenues came from exports last year, a number that is likely to hit 50% by 2012, says sales manager Björn Fredriksson. In a Bauhaus-like suburban research park outside Stockholm, a startup called TranSIC is designing computer chips for the power systems of hybrid vehicles. And deep in the pine forests of Boden near the Arctic Circle, Swebo Bioenergy makes systems to burn manure and wood chips for heat.
The company, with close to $8 million in annual sales, says it is deluged with orders from the U.S. and Europe. "This is going like a steamroller," says export manager Mattias Lindgren.
Sweden boasts some 3,500 clean tech companies that together book roughly $14 billion in revenues. Exports, which make up about a quarter of their overall sales, have grown 75% over the last four years. To further boost the industry, the government is earmarking $590 million for environmental projects over the next two years, including $180 million to commercialize green tech. None other than King Carl XVI Gustav has become the green industry's biggest promoter and fan: He heats his suburban Drottningholm Palace with wood pellets and drives himself to and from Stockholm in a dark blue Volvo C30 station wagon that runs on biofuel. Where possible, light bulbs in the royal residences are being replaced with the energy-saving variety. He also has a prototype car that runs on hydrogen.
The 62-year-old king, whose environmental activism goes back to his Boy Scout days, is also taking to the road to pitch Swedish green business. He recently broke ground on a plant that Swedish Biogas International is building in Flint, Mich. "Mother Earth is not feeling well," the king says, "and she's reacting." Green projects such as the biogas plant are one way to help repair the damage."
Royal Example
The king also sees Swedish exports and the environment as natural partners. "We're a small country, so we're dependent on exports. And we've always lived in a clean environment, close to nature." He admits change isn't easy but says, "We have to think in the long term, not short term as we have before, but still make this happen quickly. I try to change my own thinking. We have to make this happen and not just discuss it. I don't like discussions."
And in an interview with BusinessWeek, he gently chides one reporter for flying to Stockholm to talk instead of picking up the phone.
With relatively little venture capital available in Sweden, the clean technology sector is scrambling to raise sufficient funds. But the U.S. ambassador to Stockholm, Michael Wood, is helping out. He has launched a program to steer U.S. venture money and potential U.S. customers to Swedish green tech companies. Of 52 companies on Wood's list, about a third have gotten financing or orders in the past 18 months.
Among the participants is the Sustainable Technologies Fund, run by Swedish entrepreneur Anders Frisk and U.S. venture capitalist André Heinz, whose family founded the H.J. Heinz (HNZ) food company. Their fund has invested $2 million in Swebo Bioenergy. The global financial crisis may slow Sweden's green technology industry, but Frisk insists the long-term future is bright. "There will be tremendous growth for 50 or 60 years," he says.
Adds Heinz: "If you're able to offer savings in an economic downturn, you have a viable product, and clean tech does that."
Reed is BusinessWeek's London bureau chief, and Sains writes for BusinessWeek.com from Stockholm .
Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches. Plenty more info at lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pgzhtml/pgzproc.html.
Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.
The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division assembled its collection from two sources that provided prints in mint condition. In 1985, the prints of Europe and the Middle East were purchased from the Galerie Muriset in Switzerland. In 2004, Howard L. Gottlieb generously donated the North American views.
Additional photochroms can be found in the online collections of the Zurich Central Library, www.zb.unizh.ch/ and other archives.
