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Scandinavia tops quality of life index (according to Reader's Digest)
www.sr.se ^ | 09/21/2007 | www.sr.se

Posted on 09/21/2007 9:57:37 AM PDT by WesternCulture

Scandinavia has been rated as the best place to live, that’s according to a ranking by Reader’s Digest.

Using a range of environmental and social indicators based in part on the UN’s Human Development Index, the survey rates countries on care of the environment and quality of life for their citizens.

Finland tops the 141-nation list, followed by Nordic neighbours Iceland and Norway, with Sweden coming in at fourth place.

And the Swedish capital comes top of the Reader’s Digest ranking of 72 world cities when it comes to quality of life.

Cities were rated according to quality of public transport, parks, air quality and waste recycling.

After top placed Stockholm came Norwegian capital Oslo, and Munich was in third place.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: africa; civilization; culture; denmark; europe; finland; goodlife; iceland; lifestyle; livingstandards; nordic; norway; qualityoflife; rankings; readersdigest; scandinavia; standardofliving; stockholm; sweden; topten; un; unitednations
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To: VOA
“Although ignorant people in both our parts of the world aren’t aware of it, there are very strong ties between Scandinavia and the US.”

For Americans that haven’t made the road-trip to Minnesota or Wisconsin... or stumbled across a gem like Lindsborg, Kansas... they are fairly clueless.

It’s a natural outcome of the declining public education system of the USA. And lack of travel outside their own pleasure domes.

Sweden and America, please give me a break, remember Sweden's tie to Germany during IIWW,which the Norwegian never forgave them for!

Erlander and his disciple Olof Palme hated the U.S. and invited the U.S. AWOL's from the Vietnam with open arms!!

The Danes rescued mostly of their Jewish population to Sweden out of reach from the German's gas chambers. Moreover, Danmark is the only country in Scandinavia that celebrates our 4th. of July independence celebration every year since many years back. Not to mention the Islamic population that has been allowed into Sweden compared to the same in the more Conservative Denmark hello!!!

41 posted on 09/21/2007 7:17:15 PM PDT by danamco (Now, I would LOVE to hear your solution as to how to remove 12 to 30 million people from this countr)
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To: danamco

“How many of you have been touring Iceland or have the urge to do it???”

- From what I’ve heard, our Surströmmig is child’s play compared to Icelandic customs of ‘cooking’ fish.

Icelandic cooking means you leave something that once was alive be for some months (in your helmet, in an old tyre, on the roof of the Icelandic Parliament etc), then swallow it down with a lot of akvavit.

I like akvavit alright, but I’ll let’em know once and for all that true Vikings can digest fish remnants à part.

- I’ll show you Icelandics which Viking country has been neglective of our common heritage and which one has not (yes, consider this is a threat)!

Sverige är fantastiskt (Sweden is fantastic).


42 posted on 09/21/2007 7:33:48 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: danamco
Ever heard of double-dealing?

It doesn’t necessarily involve hatred.

43 posted on 09/21/2007 7:37:58 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: doorgunner69

Sarc tag was implied.


44 posted on 09/22/2007 8:42:23 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot
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To: Neoliberalnot
Sarc tag was implied.

Figgered, or hoped so...Ya know how weird this world has become..........

45 posted on 09/22/2007 12:51:34 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: WesternCulture
Sverige är fantastiskt (Sweden is fantastic).

You do mean: fanatic or(vanforestallningssyndrom)about gamla Svedala???

46 posted on 09/22/2007 2:46:30 PM PDT by danamco (Now, I would LOVE to hear your solution as to how to remove 12 to 30 million people from this countr)
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To: WesternCulture

Scandinavian countries do have beautiful women.


47 posted on 09/22/2007 2:48:45 PM PDT by Rosemont
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To: danamco
You do mean: fanatic or (vanforestallningssyndrom) about gamla Svedala???

- Whenever anyone says their country is a great place to live, they are, especially on the Internet, immediately labeled as fanatic patriots.

I’m not saying Sweden is the best place to live from every possible perspective. For instance, Italy has better food and more of beautiful architecture and Germany has better beer and more roads without speed limits and so on. But Swedes undeniably enjoy:

- a very high standard of living

- enormous amounts of space in relation to its population

- good career opportunities

- a high standard of education

A country like Norway has a higher GDP/Capita than Sweden, but it’s questionable whether Norwegians enjoy a higher standard of living. Their homes are not as big and as well built as their Swedish counterparts, they don’t drive as nice cars as Swedes do (some cars cost twice as much in Norway as in Sweden) and the quality of things like roads, schools and hospitals etc is not as high as in Sweden.

But, of course, everything is relative at least to a certain extent. Saying Denmark, Finland, The US or Switzerland are better countries to live in than Sweden makes sense to me, even if I don’t agree. I love Sweden, but I’m not a fanatic.

48 posted on 09/23/2007 4:41:59 AM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: WesternCulture

I agree.

Hail to you too!


49 posted on 09/24/2007 11:26:35 AM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: <1/1,000,000th%

“Hail to you too!”

- Dito.

Hail to the great state of Illinois, Land of Lincoln!


50 posted on 09/24/2007 1:27:57 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: WesternCulture

I have always thought that the Vikings were very interesting. I was even more interested to find that both my last name and my mother’s maiden name originated from the Vikings (My last name is English and my mother’s side is Scottish.)


51 posted on 09/24/2007 1:35:58 PM PDT by ohioman
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To: WesternCulture
But, of course, everything is relative at least to a certain extent. Saying Denmark, Finland, The US or Switzerland are better countries to live in than Sweden makes sense to me, even if I don’t agree. I love Sweden, but I’m not a fanatic.

Not a fanatic, maybe a socialist would be more fitting???

Materialistic things (nice cars) is extremely very IMPORTANT to a Swede (snobbish?)!

I have lived in Denmark 27 years, in the U.S. 24 years, Sweden 13 years, Spain 7 years, Greenland 5 years, visited Norway, just after WWII and later, visited Finland and Iceland as well!!

Sweden was the most boring country of them all, especially on Saturday nights. Living in Europe; nothing beats Denmark and then Spain comes in second. The U.S. beats them all with many many "horse lengths"!!!

52 posted on 09/24/2007 8:28:53 PM PDT by danamco (Now, I would LOVE to hear your solution as to how to remove 12 to 30 million people from this countr)
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To: WesternCulture
But Swedes undeniably enjoy:

- a very high standard of living

- enormous amounts of space in relation to its population

- good career opportunities

- a high standard of education

Yeah, a nice place; years ago, my wife and I would enjoy walking on the streets and through the parks in Malmo after arriving with the last ferry boat (Flyvebaadene) from Copenhagen after midnight. Not possible anymore!!!

Well what can you expect from a female police chief???

'The most dangerous place in Sweden' Published: 25th September 2007 08:47 CET Online: http://www.thelocal.se/8597/ The inhabitants of a part of Malmö have the dubious honour of living in the most dangerous place in Sweden, according to a new police survey. The Södra Innerstaden, or south-central, district of Malmö is the most crime-ridden place in Sweden, police say. Related Articles * Man's body found in Malmö flat 24th September 2007 * Woman arrested for cash depot heist 21st September 2007 * Suspect arrested after cash depot heist 19th September 2007 Article Options * AddThis Social Bookmarking Widget * Send to a friend * Printable version Residents of the area responding to a police questionnaire complained of rowdy gangs of youths, vandalism and litter. Open drug use is a "very evident problem," residents said, as was street drunkenness. Women being groped was also a common complaint. Police blamed the area's poor reputation on the density of pubs and clubs. "It's an area with lots of bars and entertainment establishments. There are people around in the area all day," said Ulla Ardermark, Malmö Police commander, to Metro.

53 posted on 09/26/2007 4:57:34 PM PDT by danamco (Now, I would LOVE to hear your solution as to how to remove 12 to 30 million people from this countr)
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To: danamco

Malmö is a very good example of the failure of European asylum policy.

Still, when it comes to crime levels, Malmö isn’t that bad as it often is conceived to be.

By Swedish standards, Malmö is unsafe measured by total crimes per capita. But for being part of a large conurbation (Malmö-Copenhagen-Helsingör-Lund-Landskrona-Helsingborg), the city is comparatively safe from an international perspective. Compare this region at large to a place like Detroit or Baltimore.

Furthermore, many of the criminal acts per se might well be related to criminal activity spanning over a larger area than inner Malmö/Malmö Kommun.

One reason to why Malmö has more of crime than many other Swedish/Scandinavian cities is the large percentage of Kosovo Albanians and North East African immigrants (especially Somalis). These specific ethnic groups are heavily overrepresented in the area of severe crime throughout Europe. The fact that it’s harder to find a decent job in Malmö than in Gothenburg and Stockholm also matters, another aspect is that Muslims who fail to/don’t wish to integrate with the Swedish society have moved to Malmö (especially Rosengård).


54 posted on 09/26/2007 6:06:53 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: WesternCulture
The fact that it’s harder to find a decent job in Malmö than in Gothenburg and Stockholm also matters, another aspect is that Muslims who fail to/don’t wish to integrate with the Swedish society have moved to Malmö (especially Rosengård).

Ask your friends in Malmo, if they dare to walk on the streets of Malmo late nights!

According to the latest Danish Newspaper, Politiken Weekly: "The Swedes are streaming into Denmark. It has become seriously popular for Swedes traveling to Denmark for work. In this years first 8 months, approximately 4,400 Swedes have obtained work in Denmark!

That is 800 more than for the total of 2006."!!

OTH, several thousands of the more brave Danes, have move to Malmo for cheaper and better quality housing!!!

55 posted on 09/26/2007 10:17:03 PM PDT by danamco (Now, I would LOVE to hear your solution as to how to remove 12 to 30 million people from this countr)
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To: WesternCulture
Check out this Finnish guy's blog:

Fourth Checkraise

In it, he says, "If the average Canadian, let alone the average American, ever realized how his Nordic counterpart lives, that would immediately shift the political landscape with the thought "Oh shit... is that what I am trying to change my country into?" Which makes me wonder why conservatives don't work 24/7 to drive this point across, perhaps in the form of some kind of TV special. With all those elections coming, and all that."

The author, by the way, left Finland and emigrated to Canada.

56 posted on 09/26/2007 10:22:13 PM PDT by Koblenz (The Dem Platform, condensed: 1. Tax and Spend. 2. Cut and Run. 3. Man on Man)
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To: danamco

“Ask your friends in Malmo, if they dare to walk on the streets of Malmo late nights!”

- Why would I have friends in Malmö? I’m not semi-Danish.

“OTH, several thousands of the more brave Danes, have move to Malmo for cheaper and better quality housing!!!”

- Danish wages are better than Swedish ones. But are Danish houses better built than Swedish residences?

I must say I doubt it.


57 posted on 09/26/2007 10:32:54 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: Koblenz

Whishing to say what?


58 posted on 09/26/2007 10:34:56 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: WesternCulture
With the nature of the global economy the gap is likely to severely widen over the coming years. We don't need to design a product seperately for each location. Just one global design center with the best and brightest. People don't realize how competitive Europe is in this new global economy. Because they don't realize how sharp and well educated so many Europeans are.

Nokia versus Motorolla stock.. As far as I can tell Motorolla has done all the bs business school fad business 'theories'. And constantly cutting the 'fat', getting lean etc.. I believe the real answer for difference in performance is Nokia's Finish workforce is smarter and better technically educated then Motorolla's US workforce. I'm the only one arguing that point.


59 posted on 09/26/2007 11:24:18 PM PDT by ran20
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To: ran20

Nokia vs Motorollla sales will, largely, depend on how patriotic Europeans and Americans wish to behave as consumers.


60 posted on 09/26/2007 11:45:13 PM PDT by WesternCulture
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