Free Republic

There is actually nothing to be afraid of here in life. But most people act like disorganized creatures running around recently having their necks cut off. Prior to Gustavus Adolphus, monarch of tiny Sweden, decided to break the backbone of Catholicism in the 17th century, he told his troops; "Fear not, O little flock, the foe Who madly seeks your overthrow; Dread not his rage and power; What though your courage sometimes faints, His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints Lasts but a little hour. Be of good cheer; your cause belongs To Him who can avenge your wrongs; Leave it...

Around a.d. 1000, Scandinavia was Christianized. This clip could be said to feature how the Christian nation of Sweden was secured. Most historians would say Denmark is an even older Christian nation. The flag of Denmark is commonly considered to be the oldest existing flag on Earth.

Being a four year old toddler, my grandpa robbed me from my mother's knee and taught me the realities of life; "We men work and when work is finished, we'll enjoy grandma's great cooking". My grandma knew how to cook. I'm fortunate. I've enjoyed the greatest childhood any person could dream of. Despite the torture of Swedish Liberal schools. My maternal grandfather owned three summer houses by the age of 30 and managed them all by himself (with a little aid from his family though). His father worked at a factory. My paternal grandfather was just like him. He had...

STOCKHOLM—Sweden's gross domestic product surged in the fourth quarter of 2010, rising the most since records began, easily beating forecasts and offering further support to the Riksbank's plans to raise interest rates during 2011. Economic output in Sweden grew 7.3% in the three months to Dec. 31 compared with the same period in 2009, beating economists' estimates of 6.9%, and expanded 1.2% compared with the third quarter against forecasts of 0.9%, Statistics Sweden said. GDP growth of 7.3% was the biggest quarterly rise year-on-year since Statistics Sweden started measuring such figures in 1970, said Per Ericson, an analyst at the...

Many Americans of today enjoy a high standard of living, but unemployment is on the rise and no signs of economic recovery is in sight (please correct me if you think I'm wrong). In order to make things worse, USA has also elected a certain Liberal named Obama for president. By and by, America, a nation which still is admired by many over here in Europe (I'm Swedish by the way), a nation which once ruled the World, is becoming more and more like a backyard of today's international business scene. Yes, it IS that bad. I live in Gothenburg,...

A year after claims about an exodus of Jews from Malmö made global headlines, many Jewish residents still don't feel safe in southern Sweden, The Local's Karen Holst discovers. The past couple of years have been turbulent for Malmö's Jewish community. A spike in anti-Semitic attacks in 2009 prompted a number of Jews to leave the city altogether, concluding they would never feel accepted there. Controversial comments by the town's long-serving Social Democratic mayor Ilmar Reepalu also put Malmö in the spotlight, drawing criticism from within his own party, as well as from influential Jewish organisations aboard. And in December...

A year after claims about an exodus of Jews from Malmö made global headlines, many Jewish residents still don't feel safe in southern Sweden, The Local's Karen Holst discovers. The past couple of years have been turbulent for Malmö's Jewish community. A spike in anti-Semitic attacks in 2009 prompted a number of Jews to leave the city altogether, concluding they would never feel accepted there. Controversial comments by the town's long-serving Social Democratic mayor Ilmar Reepalu also put Malmö in the spotlight, drawing criticism from within his own party, as well as from influential Jewish organisations aboard. And in December...

In case you consider yourself an expert of the economy of Sweden and issues of Economics in general, please skip the following introduction to the article. Otherwise; While goody, self-opinioned, PC Swedish officials are doing no one a favour trying to brand the "New" Swedish Model as a pre-packed, instant solution to each and every challenge any corner of the World might encounter, Liberals like Obama also need to listen more carefully to what Scandinavians actually are wishing to say. American Liberals, Continental Europeans, the British and many others often appraise the Swedish societal concept without actually having much knowledge...

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has indicated that his government is ready to push ahead with further tax cuts assuming public finances continue to improve. Reinfeldt told Sveriges Television (SVT) on Sunday that he’s open to moving ahead with the fifth stage in the centre-right government’s in-work tax credit programme (jobbskatteavdraget). According to Reinfeldt, the tax reductions could come as soon as January 1st, 2012 as long as the four parties of the centre-right Alliance government can come to an agreement on the issue. “But we believe on the best way to stimulated part time workers and low-wage earners to...

The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) has turned to antique rolling stock to boost resources battling the snow and to clear a stretch of track in southern Sweden, according to a report by Sveriges Television (SVT). The trains, old DA locomotives normally resident in the Swedish Railway Museum in Gävle in northern Sweden, have been dusted off and put back into service to clear the tracks of snow between Mjölby and Alvesta in southern Sweden. Furthermore a 100-year-old snowplough is in place alongside the tracks in nearby Nässjö, ready to be called into action if needed. "These are made of stern...

Norwegian media is painting a gloomy picture of the planned procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This picture is based on unverified information coming from a meeting at the Pentagon last week and the draft of a report that describes the various opportunities for spending cuts throughout the U.S. economy. Now is the time to look at the facts. During spring and summer of 2010, changes were decided in the US-led multinational F-35 program. These changes place a stronger emphasis on testing before full-scale production begins, and this implies that the development phase be extended by 19 months. Costs...

If we are to believe the wisdom received by early medieval (southern) European scholars, the northernmost parts of the continent prior and after the fall of the Roman Empire was not only cold, barbaric and uninviting. It also was inferior. Pretty much like people of today not having visited Scandinavia and Finland would describe it. In fact, certain Romans and Arabs did actually pay visits to frozen, godforsaken "Thule". What did they meet with? Although they were not all that impressed with certain aspects of Nordic culture, like eating habits, they understood the Vikings had developed forging, warrior code and...

I'm Swedish and I admit my nation has made a lot of mistakes throughout the centuries. But, in resemblence to the other Nordic nations (Scandinavia + Finland), we know how to run an economy. From people who live in other parts of the World pretending to understand macro economics I often hear remarks like "Norway is rich because of oil" and "Sweden is a small country with a homogenous population that therefore is easily governed". A nation like Libya too houses a homogenous population and has even more oil and gas reserves than Norway, but can't exactly compete with Scandinavia...

SNIPPET: "Meanwhile, if anyone has any sites to add to this list, or any other insights regarding HuT online, I'm right here."

(Translation from Swedish) "The Danish government wants to demolish parts of the country's ghettos. Areas with high immigrant density and high levels of crime and social problems are in focus. In today's opening speech in the National assembly, Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen Løkke described the situation in these problem- areas as "untenable". Increased police presence and the demolition of particularly crime stricken neighborhoods is the solution offered by Rasmussen. The Prime Minister has identified 29 districts across Denmark requiring "special measures".

I admit my part of the world has been haunted by the evil of Socialism. But does that mean we are lost for ever on? If you think so, you probably haven't paid a visit to the Volvo Torlsanda Plant lately, one of the largest industrial plants in all of Europe. We are a more productive and better organized society than you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTEzhaXZ3w

SHOULD America try and become more like "Socialist" Sweden? COULD Americans aquire the English skills, become as beautiful and get as successful at establishing healthy multinationals as Swedes? Some would say so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDAQWJbEl9U

STRASBOURG, France, June 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights Friday asking it to hear the case of a seven-year-old boy seized by Swedish authorities because his parents homeschool.“Parents have the right and authority to make decisions regarding their children’s education without government interference,” said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, who is based in Europe. “A government trying to create a cookie-cutter child in its own image should not be allowed to violate this basic and fundamental human right. "The...

Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has joined forces with UK Prime Minister David Cameron to call for "less talk and more action" to ensure that Europe tackles its economic crisis as EU premiers head to Brussels for crisis talks. In an opinion article in the UK Financial Times on Thursday, Reinfeldt and Cameron lay out "four clear steps" which they argue are needed to ensure that Europe "thrives and prospers". "First we need to get a grip on our debts," the pair write, underlining that as "Sweden has been living within its means it is one of the member states...