February 13, 2012
Having just returned from a ‘horror ski trip’, The Local’s resident Aussie and first-time skier Oliver Gee wonders why Swedes find such pleasure in hurling themselves down snowy hills. READ (24 COMMENTS) »
The Swedish language is in need of a new pronoun free of preconceived notions about gender, argue a Swedish linguist and representatives from a publishing house set to release a children's book featuring the word “hen” rather than “han” (he) or hon (she). READ (49 COMMENTS) »
Recently installed US ambassador to Sweden Mark Brzezinski speaks to The Local's David Landes about US-Swedish relations and taking Swedish lessons from his two-and-half year old daughter. READ (15 COMMENTS) »
Julian Assange appears before the UK Supreme Court on Wednesday to fight extradition to Sweden to face sex crimes accusations. If the WikiLeaks founder's appeal succeeds, the effects would be “profound”, according to one expert. READ (36 COMMENTS) »
Sweden's leader pages painted newly named Social Democrat head Stefan Löfven as a down-to-earth, politically inexperienced man from northern Sweden who has a good chance of strengthening the struggling party. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
With union leader Stefan Löfven set to take over as head of the Social Democrats, The Local takes a look at how a welder from northern Sweden found his way to the top ranks of Swedish politics. READ (1 COMMENT) »
While Swedes may have a reputation of being somewhat shy and reserved, that doesn't mean it's impossible to become friends with your Swedish neighbours, writes US-native and parent Rebecca Ahlfeldt. READ (66 COMMENTS) »
The turbulence within the Social Democrats, which climaxed at the weekend with the resignation of party head Håkan Juholt, is just the latest symptom of a party suffering from deep internal division, according to political scientist Nicholas Aylott. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
As Sweden looks for ways to make Swedish citizenship “more meaningful”, it begs the question as to what citizenship means in the first place. READ (62 COMMENTS) »
Following the unofficial closure of the Christmas holiday season in Sweden, contributor Ruben Brunsveld reflects on the transformation of religious traditions into cultural ones. READ (12 COMMENTS) »
The grieving father of a murdered 15-year-old, attempting to climb down into his dead son's grave, was a sombre reminder of the consequences of the escalating violence in southern Sweden, reports contributor Patrick Reilly. READ (25 COMMENTS) »
While Sweden's military power may be dwarfed by that of the United States, in a networked world, Sweden may nevertheless find itself better equipped than the US to exert influence on the global stage, argues contributor Stefan Geens. READ (30 COMMENTS) »
With tuition fees for non-EEA students in effect, the makeup of Sweden’s non-European student population is shifting and the pressure is on for universities to deliver services worth selling, argues contributor Sven Hultberg Carlsson. READ (51 COMMENTS) »

As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »
Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »
"The ice dripped in the winter sun. It was the first day when the light had been intense enough to cause dripping in the sunlight. To hear it was an extraordinary wakeup call. The cycle was happening again as it always does, always will (or so we think). I imagined that on my summer island, the bees..." READ »
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fin
adjective
Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.
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