Victoria's Wedding Date Announced - Book Your Hotel Rooms Now

With the Royal date of June 19 2010 being announced just a couple of days ago, hotel rooms are already starting to be booked.

It seems that many hotels have daily prices - so the price on the day the hotel is booked is the price you pay - even if the booking is for June 19th 2010.

The announcement has been made on the Royal Website, sadly the translation has not yet been made into English - you would think it would be done at the same time, considering the international value of such news.

Victoria and her Daniel will follow a long line of Bernadotte weddings on June 19 with Victoria's own parents being married on that day in 1976.

It has been interesting to follow the coverage of the Royal Family ever since the news of the engagement. The wedding has sparked debate about the relevance of royalty, who will pay for the wedding with a facebook group calling for it to come from the royal budget (not the taxpayers'), whether or not it is time for the King to abdicate and hand down the reins, whether or not she should be marrying a commoner and what public opinion's response is, the commercial value of a wedding and a royal family in terms of tourism, the effects of the wedding on public opinion and the 200th anniversary of the Bernadotte family in Sweden, discussion about his title and the equality issue - why does he become a prince but a queen becomes a queen, how the royals handle the press and the feedback on YouTube, what will his role be, as well as how he waves and how hard it will be for him to learn the ropes.

Read a comment in the media yesterday that this royal wedding does not have that much international interest and that few Europeans would probably even know we had a Crown Princess!! Classic example of Jante Lagen - and amazing that it exists even on this level. The statistics on my blog of visitors from around the world prove otherwise!

If nothing else hundreds, thousands of news articles have been produced on Victoria, Daniel and the royal family - both here in Sweden and abroad.

SvD, SvD2, DN,

Corporate Bonuses & The Power Of Public Opinion

AMF Pension, Volvo, AIG, Investor, Saab, Electrolux, Ericsson, ABB, Carnegie and who knows how many other companies, have all been the subject of media attention in recent weeks with both the government and the general public openly verbalising their criticism.

In the midst of bankrupties, tumbling share prices, lay-offs, staff salary cuts, plumeting profit margins, government backing, cancelled dividends and pension devaluation top management in these companies has continued to receive staggering increases in their salaries and bonuses.

The greatest criticism in the last week has been of Annika Falkengren, CEO of Swedish bank SEB who was in line to get a massive payrise from sek 7 million to sek 9 million per annum. With SvD reporting that something like 89% of their readers were ready to change banks, on Saturday she apologized to both the bank's employees and customers and backed down on the salary increase.

As always I think it is fantastic to see public opinion can have a positive effect and let's hope it brings some of these people down to earth - where the rest of us live.

What was also interesting to see today was the media having a field day with her recent apology and her rhetorical approach. A direct comparison was done in Metro and E24 of her exclusive attire during the quarterly report vs her girl-next-door attire during her apology on the weekend.

Initially I thought Metro's comparison of her expensive black business suit, exclusive scarf, fancy earings, pearls, rings and bracelet to her simple pink top, discrete earings and general lack of jewellry was a little harsh - but as I looked around in the media I saw they were not alone in this analysis and use of the term poodle. I can't help but find this very obvious change very interesting.

I have also learnt a new word, or phrase. To do a poodle is to backdown from a hopeless standpoint or statement and try and put a stop to the damaging discussion that results from the original standpoint or statement.

If you read Swedish then you can read all about Annika Falkengren's poodle-ing. E24 1, E24 Recently poodle-ing
Otherwise you will have to settle for reading more about her blunder and apology on The Local.

At least Skandia Liv were smart enough to renounce their bonuses SvD & DN, even if AMF Pension are again in deep water SvD, DN & The Local.

Is there no end to their greed or lack of morals?

Swedish Melody Festival 2009

Well it doesn't happen too often (it has been years!) but last night I actually watched a bit of the Melody Festival, saw the voting and the final outcome.

It is amazing at this time of year to see Swedes plan their schedules around this competition and if they are at someone's place (like mine) and it is not on - there is always someone who will suffer serious withdrawal symptoms. Many a Melody Festival Party is held around the country in the late winter months each year.

Last night, being the grand finale, was a particularly big Melody Festival night as a winner was chosen to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Competition, to be held in Moscow on May 12. Malena Ernman was a wildcard with her pop opera number and it was an extremely refreshing performance in contrast to the regurgitated numbers performed by many of the other competitors.



Read more about this world famous opera singer on The Local.

Being Homeless & Finding An Apartment In Stockholm 2

I wrote a couple of days ago about my friend Lynessa. She was interviewed again this week - this time by DN (one of Sweden's 2 national morning papers).

Part of her dilemma came from not passing the income requirements for the apartment she applied for, despite the fact that she saves each month. Her her number in the queue finally came up a couple of weeks ago (after years of waiting) and she was called to look at an apartment, but was number 60 something. This particular apartment was an expensive one so everyone ahead of her said no. She was so thrilled at the opportunity to get a first hand contract and not have to move every year so she said yes. The problem is she didn't pass the income test because she was not permitted to include her child allowance money - yet there is nothing more guaranteed than child allowance in this country. We get it until our kids turn 16 - no matter what! Had she been able to include it she would have been accepted and she would now have her very own rental contract!

It turns out that the huge property company that owns half of the apartments here have changed the regulations and now allow you to calculate in the child allowance - but that doesn't help her. All the same it is amazing, and fantastic that she managed to bring about change!! It might help some other family struggling to find a place to lay their hat for a while.

Here's hoping that soon, very soon her living situation will improve and she too will get the stability in life that so many of us take for granted. I know how relieved she will be to no longer have to look for a new place to live each year.

DN1 and DN2.

Being Homeless & Finding An Apartment In Stockholm

Being homeless is not just about being a drunk or druggie, about being jobless and without a network - in fact it is pretty easy to end up homeless in Stockholm. That is because there are so few places available to rent, because they are rented for generations, because queues determine who can rent them and because rental contracts are valuable possessions that can be swapped, passed on and even bought and sold on the black market.

A friend of mine says that the annual fee of SEK 250 to be in Stockholm's Apartment Queue is good insurance - especially for any foreigner who might one day find themselves out on the street. Without a network, without family to turn to and contacts it is tough to find anything other than a sub-lease in Stockholm and even that can be extremely difficult. That makes life pretty tough if your relationship ends and/or living circumstances need to change - it is bad enough for the locals - even tougher for those from abroad who often have no idea where to turn.

Saying that, even if your number does come up in the queue there is no guarantee they will offer you the place - you often have to have a minimum income and they want references from previous first-hand contracts, not from sub-leases (???).

What makes the situation so much more difficult is that sub-leased contracts can only be rented out one year at a time, are often only rented to companies who vouch to pay the rent and the company who own the building or the housing association (if they are owner-occupied apartments) need to agree to the apartment being rented out. There is also the legal risk of the lessee claiming rights to the apartment once they have lived there two years which makes people hesitant. And if you own a building - don't think you can rent it out as you please - you have to conform to the housing associations regulations. Such is socialistic Sweden.

But change is in place and as I wrote in an earlier post, the law now allows for true ownership - which means people can invest in property and rent it out - making more places available for rent. While the law only encompasses new property I'm hoping the government will have the good sense to extend it to allow existing buildings to change their legal ownership.

Still, none of this helps my friend, who despite paying her apartment insurance is going to once again be homeless. In 4-5 years she has moved 4-5 times with her young children, spent countless hours trying to find a sub-lease, thousands in lost deposits (skummy landlords) and who knows how many days, weeks and months of stress at the thought of having to move again, or worse still, not be able to find a place. And now, when her number in the queue has come up (after years of being on it!) and she finally is offered a rental contract of her own, she doesn't qualify according to the income requirements, despite saving each month in the hope of one day being able to buy a place.

Today Metro published her story - hopefully someone out there will read it and offer both her and her children more stability, and peace of mind.

International Women's Day & Equality in Sweden

While Sweden might be deemed to be one of the most equal places in the world, there is still a lot of work to be done - according to The Local and Statistics Sweden.

Twitter, Tweets & Swedish Bloggy

I joined Bloggy months ago but haven't really used it, nor understood what the point was. It is a Swedish version of Twitter, created by Jonas Lejon - a Swedish web entrepreneur who seems to have his fingers in a whole lot of pies and is behind a bunch of web-based services.

So I opened an account but left it to its own devices, I really didn't have a feel for it, what to write or who would even see it. That was until a couple of days ago.

In recent weeks I have noticed more and more bloggers are joining the micro-blogging trend, Twitter is being mentioned all around me and it has become more evident how people are using this service to communicate with their audience. AND, I have decided that I am going to add a Twitter feed to the www.liveinsweden.se website - it is a great way to update people on what is going on around me without having to write a full blog post about it. I also like the way they can all be linked together and update each other - blogs and microblogs.

So what is Twitter, Bloggy or micro-blogging? What this for an explanation.


I know what you are thinking - really I thought the same thing - at first it is a little hard to understand what the point is and how it can be used. And do we really need to have the small details of each others' lives? Do they matter? Are we becoming all the more egocentric?? Yes. Quite possibly.

But the reality is - it doesn't matter what we think - it is growing in popularity so we might as well understand it, even if we don't embrace it. After-all, what facebook user will deny that fb helps us keep in touch with people we otherwise struggle to communicate with?

And articles like this one in today's Metro (Swedish) that talk about the business use of micro-blogging make it all the more interesting - after all if Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama can do it - so can you! If you still need convincing read this interesting blog post - 50 ideas on using Twitter for business.

Stockholm - Europe's Green Capital 2010

With all the fuss yesterday over semlor and the Princess's engagement I didn't get a chance to either read or write about the European Commission's Green Capital Award.

Many of my family and friends have heard me rant and rave about environmental issues, and about how conscious the Swedes are in many ways, in comparison to other nationalities - it is that love of the environment, of nature, of the great outdoors that does it I think. Needless to say I was thrilled to read about this award and hope it will inspire people - big and small - to even greater things.

Here is part of the motivation behind the award:
The award will be given to a city that has a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards, is permanently committed to ambitious action, further environmental improvement and sustainable development, and can act as a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practices in all other European cities.

And why Stockholm?
Ten per cent of the city area is water, and the many lakes and water sheds are highly valued for recreational purposes. In fact, 95% of the population live only 300 m away from green areas, thus augmenting recreation, swimming, boating, better well being, water purification, noise reduction, enhancement of biodiversity and ecology.

The city council's holistic vision combines growth with sustainable development and includes the ambitious target of becoming independent of fossil fuels by 2050.

....emissions per person have, since 1990, been reduced by 25%. Transport emissions are relatively low, and all public transport (all trains, and all inner city buses) run on renewable fuels....

You can read more here:


The Stockholm City Council has a barometer outlining the indicators that are used to assess a city for the Green Capital Award. It is a wealth of information and includes statistics and links to strategic environmental policy and programs:


With all the talk at the moment of what the royal wedding will do for Sweden, tourism and the economy, as well as how businesses will milk it for all it is worth, I really hope Stockholm will be able to use all this international attention to bring focus to the award and environmental sustainability in general.

Woohooo Stockholm! Well done!

SvD, DN, Metro

More Women in Business & on the Boards of Swedish Listed Companies

One of the big business debates that has heated up in the last 6 or so months has been whether or not to introduce gender quotas to the boards of listed companies. So far, the answer has been no, for many reasons, despite Sweden introducing a gender quota (50%) into politics in the 1980s.

Many big businesses claim that the lack of women in their boards is due to the lack of competence, a lack of women with the qualifications to carry out such a roll.

So Anna Carrfors Bråkenheilm of Passion for Business (a great business mag for women) decided to help the guys out and has compiled a list of 549 business women who are ready, willing and able to do the job. That list took two people two days to compile and is now being sent out to all Swedish listed companies!

Kaxig is a word that comes to mind - which translates to cocky but it doesn't quite have the same feel. All the same - I love it! What will their excuse be next?

True Apartment Ownership Has Finally Reached Sweden - New Law

Was pleased to read a little snippet in City, one of the free newspapers, that the government has finally changed the law to allow true ownership of an apartment. While many are hesitant and believe that it will lead to speculation, increased rents, greater segmentation and a lack of attention given to joint facilities in the building, there are others who believe competition is good for the market.

What it means in reality is that you will be free to buy an apartment and do what you like with it. You can sub-lease it, renovate and even buy it without the body corporate's permission. Today's body corporate control means not everyone is given permission to rent out their apartment - or even buy it in the first place, especially if they are not going to live in it.

While the news is good it is unfortunately limited to new production. Well, at least it is a step in the right direction.

DN

Beautiful Business Awards: Sweden's Business Woman of the Year.

Headed out last night to Parken on Söder as the temperature was dropping and lone snow flakes were floating to their final resting place. It was lovely to walk in and be handed a glass of sparkling rosé, be stopped by a fellow Våga Språnget member and stand and chat while listening to the most amazing harp player I have ever seen or heard. I never knew a harp could be played like that.

We were there for the Beautiful Business Awards , being held for the second year in a row and hosted by Driftig.nu and Örlings PriceWaterhouseCoopers, supported by Nutek who this year added a category to the competition.

The evening's moderators were comedian couple Anna Mannheimer and Peter Apelgren who welcomed the audience and continued to entertain with their antics throughout the evening.

In their own words Beautiful Business Award 2009 is a national competition aimed to bring focus to exciting self-employed business women so as to inspire Sweden to more sustainable business practices. The Beautiful Business concept is about inspiring business that is characterized by sustainability, innovation and ambition. It is a mindset, that is equally admirable whether it be governing business thinking or general human behaviour. It is business with a conscience.

The competition awards Business Women of the Year, Service Developer of the Year and Challenger of the Year and is open to all women who have started or are running a business full-time. The first step is the nomination with the second being an application filled in by the nominees. It follows the BBA structure and requires the nominees to motivate why they are worthy of the award according to the following categories:

Sustainability: The company must be run with a long-term concept in terms of profitability, environment and ethics.
Innovation: The business shall be characterized by innovation and creativity in some way whether it be product/service, the approach, the industry, distribution channels or market.
Ambition: The individual shall have a strong involvement, great courage and strive from growth.

This year an amazing 1731 women were nominated with 432 of those submitting competition applications. Of those 62% have been running longer than 3 years and 60% are limited companies with 34% or the women born in the 60s and 24% in the 70s. All regions of Sweden were represented with 34% coming from Stockholm and 14% from Västra Götaland.

The evening progressed and the 12 finalists and their businesses, selected by a jury, were presented and interviewed. Following on, last years winners Lingon & Blåbär presented their company and talked about what the award meant to them. We then mingled, snacked and drank more wine before the awards were presented.

Business Women of the Year 2009 went to Nina Ottosson of Zoo Active Products AB who designs, manufactures and sells her dog toys to 25 countries around the globe. Click on this link to see her products and watch an interview (Swedish) with her here. It was no surprise to see Service Developer of the Year awarded to Kristina Theander of Middagsfrid. Kristina and her staff deliver cleverly packaged and planned groceries and matching recipes to health conscious households in Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö. She takes away the what are we going to eat tonight stress in busy households.

Business Challenger of the Year was awarded to three women: Petra Wadström of Solvatten, Jeanette Gorosch of Nannynu! and Britt-Marie Gyllensvaan of Utbilda.nu. This award brings recognition to relatively newly started companies deemed to have great potential.

Some of these women I have read about in business magazines, all of them were incredibly inspiring. They talked about the hard work and the determination that it took to get them where they are. It was wonderful to hear their stories and how thrilled they were to be nominated. Here is the whole list of finalists:
Nina Ottosson - Zoo Active Products
Jessica Löfström - ExpanderaMera
Mia Karlsson-Jonsson - Rex Bar & Grill
Bitte Ljungström - Vidilab
Petra Hammarstedt - Servicestaden
Katinka Bille Lindahl - LifeStone
Karin Bryskhe och Anna Stenstam - Colloidal Resource
Kristina Theander - Middagsfrid
Karin Almqvist - VICTRIX
Veronica Boxberg Karlsson - Better Business World Wide
Marianne Möllstam - Synergon
Veronica Hedenmark - VH Assistans
This fantastic award is the brainchild of Sofia Bergenstjerna and Frida Haavisto of Beautiful Business - themselves both very inspiring women. Fantastic that they have taken this opportunity to support both women and entrepreneurs.

Not all Australian-Swedes made it out

I went to sleep last night thinking about three girls from Marysville. Three girls between the ages of 10 and 14, three girls of Swedish descent, who no longer have a home to live in, who don't have a school to go to, whose parents stayed to fight the fires, three girls who are now orphans......

Who is looking after them? Who is tucking them into bed at night now their whole world has fallen apart? How will they cope in the weeks, the months and the years ahead. My heart goes out to them.

I imagine their father's family were upset to read this incorrect article in SvD.

After the Firestorm: the best of the Aussie spirit

Watching this comprehensive report on the bushfires and the recovery operation gave me a real feel for the before, the during and the after. And this gripping, heart-wrenching and heart-warming program reminded me of all the wonderful things about the true Aussie spirit.

After the Firestorm: An ABC News Special

At the end of a week of devastation, Barrie Cassidy presents a one-hour news special, reflecting on those left injured and homeless, and what lies ahead. There will be discussion from local community members about their experiences, as well as debate about the main issues affecting them. As the recovery operation in Victoria moves into full swing, the focus is on switching to the lessons that can be learnt from this tragedy.

The True Aussie Spirit

Putting the internet to its best possible use!

Help is coming from all around the country.

Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009
please help out in any way you can!


DN1, DN2, DN3, DN4. SvD are not covering the situation any longer.

Out of the ashes

crawls the true Aussie spirit.

The wildlife - one of the things I love and miss about Australia. I'm sure everyone has seen this by now, but click on any of the following photos for the stories behind them. Koala Sam's encounter with Mr Tree is one of the most inspiring stories to come out of Victoria's tragedy.

Wildlife rescue centres are being set up around the state to help these guys. Healesville Sanctuary are taking injured animals and I bet the country vets are doing their fair share of voluntary work to help the shelters. It will be a long time before they have a home to return to.
Generosity like it is has never been know before. When people are in need Aussies are FANTASTIC at rallying together to help out. People are not only generously donating money, but food, clothing, toys, household items and the list goes on.

My cousin is one of the many people out there gathering all she can from her friends to donate to those who have been left homeless. An old school friend is collecting to help a friend of hers who lost everything and setting up a website to help her community. Another friend has started a project to collect photos for those who have lost everything, to help them rebuild at least a few photos from their past.
The comradeship, or mateship, as we lovingly refer to it as. The loyalty not only to friends and family, but to those we share any situation with. In this case, neighbours.

In this case, professionals from around the country who have volunteered their services to help locate and identify the bodies.
And finally, stubbornness and determination. That fighting spirit that takes risks and battles on, against all odds. While some vow never to return, many, many more are vowing to return and rebuild.

We often talk about national traits and these are the things that I love about Aussies - pitching in, whether it be to fight fires, care for wildlife, or give to those in need- time, money or anything they can get their hands on. There is great empathy and compassion for the underdog. There has always has been.

This is an extension of the mateship, binding people together to support each other if they are in the same situation, whether they know each other or not. It is an admirable trait.

And finally, the fighting spirit - it is what brought people to the country in the first place - they had to be daring, gutsy and willing to take a risk to settle here. You see the same traits present in the people of today when they declare they will be back. Many accept it is all part of the course if you are going to live in the bush.

Two traits that just might develop out of all this is the tendency to plan and to have more of a long term perspective. Hopefully John Brumby will be successful in introducing tougher building restrictions for the bush as outlined in this article. Ty commented on the flimsiness, and cheapness of the country dwellings when we were in rural Victoria just a month ago. In light of his comments it is ironic to see from these photos how the fires engulfed houses but seemingly left many trees intact.
Housing is relatively cheap in Australia. While more solid buildings might cost more in the short-term, hopefully people can see the long-term advantages. The estimated extra AUD 20,000 is peanuts when you look at it from this angle. Perhaps that famous Australian Dream needs to be adjusted slightly.

It is also encouraging to see in this article that other important issues of forest management and climatic change coming to the surface, amongst all the debris.

Aussies are a fantastic bunch - like no other. Let's hope they can rise to the challenge and begin to have a more long-term approach to life.

DN1, DN2, DN3, SvD1,

Fight or Flight? The issues are many. But what about climatic change?

In the aftermath of the worst fires in the history of Victoria, the discussions start, the inquiry is yet to come. It seems like the fires of Black Friday in 1939 these fires will have far reaching consequences as the issues are aired, debated and investigated.

The hot topic in Australia at the moment in the decision to stay and defend one's property. It seems many of the deaths were the result of people staying and yet not having the resources to have any affect on the fire, let alone defend their property, or themselves. When they realised it was not possible to battle the inferno they got in their cars to leave. Sadly, many died trying to escape. Others are criticizing the lack of warning. Information was not circulated in time to give people a chance to escape.
CFA backs "defend or go" policy.
Fire authority warns against knee-jerk reaction to evacuation policy

Then there are those who say that more can be done in the name of prevention. There are those who say we need to return to, or increase the use of the aboriginal methods of burning off the undergrowth. Australian firestorms prompt call to return to Aboriginal bush control

Or that fire is something we need to understand, accept and prepare for if we are going to pursue that great Australian Dream of land around us in the outer green suburbs. Australians 'unprepared' for bushfires

Other issues at the moment include:
Power lines to blame for the fires, not arsonists. Why are they not dug into the ground like they are in so many other places around the world? Especially considering the damage that storms can do, gum trees dropping limbs, fire threat etc etc. Is it simply because it costs too much and no-one is prepared to bite the bullet and make the investment? Is there an unwillingness to be long-sited rather than short-sited?

An act of terrorism? A very scary thought. And if it is not true the spreading of such stories is in itself scary.

Bodies that will never be identified. Horrific to think that they have undergone those sort of conditions. What must the heat have been like? But how can we not identify people in this modern day and age? Is our fear of big brother and criminal intervention greater than our common sense? DNA registration would not be a bad thing in times like this? Did we not learn this from the tsunami?

Anger over not being able to return to their properties as roads and conditions are not safe. I understand the desire to go home, to see it for your own eyes, to be reunited with loved ones, to find out if they are still alive, to pick up the pieces and get on with life. But surely the police know what they are talking about when they say the roads are not safe? And perhaps there is some good that comes from staying in tents on an oval with other victims.

'Greenies' blamed for fires' fury. or National parks 'part of fire problem'. It is a complex issue and one I have contemplated a lot. Plant more trees is my motto, far too many have been chopped down in Australia - yet it is the trees that become a death trap. Angry survivors blame council 'green' policy. Perhaps we are just not meant to have a home among the gum trees.

And finally there is the overall environmental issue, seemingly overlooked. My first thoughts as I read the Swedish articles in DN, SvD, and many of the Swedish blogs about the fires is that Australians are still dealing with what has and is happening, they are in shock, in mourning and it is going to be a long time before they are ready to talk environment and consequences. Yet I know that Australians are not too keen to talk environment at the best of times. There is not the consensus there, like here, that weather extremes are due to climatic change and environmental damage. There doesn't seem to be the same willingness to accept responsibility, take action, make a difference. And it doesn't get nearly the amount of media coverage or political focus there that it gets here in Sweden. But aside from all that, it is not the time to start pointing the finger and telling people they need to live in a more environmentally conscious way.

However I did find, thanks to a cousin, a little article in The Age that suggests some people are willing to talk environment. Thank you Freya Mathews, you give me hope. I only hope the Government is willing to listen to you.

Every Victorian, every Australian will know someone

I can't help but check the temperatures, read the latest updates and listen to the stories. I wonder about those I know, those I have met over the years, those who survived, those who didn't. I hardly dare make any phone calls to see if people are ok, to see if the blaze missed them, or if they got out in time.

As the days roll on I am reminded of friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, friends' family members and my family's friends who live in these areas. We will all know people who have been affected, who have lost their lives, their family, their friends, their homes, their pets, their livestock, their cars, their sanity, perhaps even their will to live. Each and everyone of us Victorians will know someone, directly, or indirectly.

I want to get on the phone, but I know how hard it must be to be on the receiving end of those calls - you spend more time answering the phone than picking up the pieces, more time reassuring everyone else than getting on with your life. Instead I scan the reports, the interviews, the photos and try and come to terms with what has happened. For once, this is not some far-away place, this is my home, these places have been my playground.

Here I can turn off the computer, put the paper away, shut down the radio and attempt to get on with my life. We have birthdays to be celebrated this week, work to go to and life to get on with - it needs to be that way.

But how is it there? How can anyone get on with their lives? How do you concentrate, sleep, eat, work, feed your kids, send them to school, how do you get up in the morning? And all the while be reminded every living minute of the tragedy that has so savagely ripped through our country. With fires still raging all around the state it is not over yet. And those who do have immediate family and friends affected can't possibly get on with their lives - help is needed to pick up the pieces, if there are any to be picked up.

And the irony of it all. While the fires still roar in the south, the north, already suffering from floods, continues to endure more rain and king tides. When will it end?

Today's articles in the Swedish press -
Opperation Pheonix to find those guilty
Australian authorities have reacted impressively quickly
The winds increase the danger
Rising temperatures a threat in Australia
Fire disaster is increasing in Australia
Australia hunting a murderer

Tragedy At Home: hottest city temperature ever recorded, the worst fires in our history?

After last week's record of three consecutive days over 44 degrees celsius, yesterday topped an all time high of 47 C - the highest temperature ever recorded in any Australian city.

I caught glimpses of it last night on the net but didn't realise the seriousness of it until my mum rang this morning with a rude awakening. While it seems none of my family or friends have been directly affected, the fires raged in Bendigo, just 30 mins away from my sister, and I saw my cousin's facebook photos of them wetting down their property in preparation, the smoke and an aerie colour in the sky behind them. Mum's call jolted me from my slumber, to a reality I'd rather not have. Yet to a reality that is pale in comparison to most Victorians' today.

The town of Marysville has been burnt to a crisp, incinerated, nothing is left. Marysville is, or was, a sleepy little town of about 300 or so people, nestled in the mountains. As my sister described it many years ago it is filled with greenies, loggers and local business people, it is the skiers last stop before they head up the mountain, it is a haven for bush-walkers and mountain bike riders, a lovely picnic spot, a gorgeous weekend get-away and has many an authentic craft shop, restaurant and cafe. It is where my sister bought her first property, where she settled many years ago, where my niece was born and spent the first couple of years of her life. It holds many memories for me, countless for my sister.

Today will be a very sad day for them, as she contemplates her own fire plan and sits by the phone waiting for the news. Her oldest, dearest friends are missing. He went off to fight the fires. She stayed at home with their daughter to defend their property in Narbethong. No-one knows where any of them are. I can only pray the news is good. But by every account it does not look good, the tragedy of it all makes me feel ill. (Edited to say they have been found and are safe). Watch this report on the area.

As I look through the photos, news clips, videos and read countless stories the tears well in my eyes and I feel like I could throw up. We Australians know what it is like to have our country ravaged by fire, even if we have not experienced it first hand. We always have family and friends who have. And we have stories of days gone by.

Black Friday - January 13th, 1939. The infamous fires that had widespread impact, not just on people but terrible environmental damage was done which saw the introduction of forest management to aid prevention of bushfires. The old hospital in the Dandeonongs burnt down, supposedly destroying my father's birth certificate, something that would affect him the rest of his life. 1.5-2 million hectares burnt. 75 people lost their lives. It reached 45.6 C.

Ash Wednesday - February 16th, 1983. My aunt's farm was one of the few on her road to survive. She, her daughter and son-in-law faced the danger again on Saturday, 26 years later. A family friend died defending her property. I remember the dust storm like it was yesterday, it was like nothing we had ever seen before. 210,000 hectares burnt in Victoria. 75 people dead in Vic & South Australia. Over 2000 homes burnt to a crisp and the total property damage was reported to be over 200 million dollars. The temperature was recorded in the low 40s.

There have been countless other disaster days, of various sizes. And that is over and above the bushfires that rage every summer in Australia.

And now we have Black Saturday: our darkest day ever. With the death toll currently at 108. I don't look forward to the final statistics.

There will be government support, and fund-raising appeals and events of all descriptions. Australians rally together in the most tear-jerking manner when their countrymen are in need.

But it is not the money that matters, it is the loss of lives, the devestation, the personal tragedies. It is a tragedy for livestock and for the animals of the bush, it is a tragedy for the forests themselves. It is a major environmental tragedy.

For the first time ever I understand what it must be like for people coming from war-torn places, worrying about their family, their friends, their countrymen. Not because I could do anything if I was at home, but because I feel for my country and for my people, in their darkest hour.

Click on these pictures to read more.

This is Brian Naylor, veteran news reporter who spent decades in my lounge room every evening updating me on what was happening in the country and around the world. This Australian icon and his wife died on their property in Kinglake.

My friends have been calling me today to make sure my family is ok (knowing I have a sister in the bush) and I can only imagine how the phones must be running hot in and to Australia at the moment. Sis 1 rang to make sure my mum was ok when she heard the fires were close to them, mum has been on the phone to check up on Sis 2, as well as to my aunt to find out what is happening at their place and how the rest of the family were fairing. The news has all been good, so far.

But there are many heart-breaking reports, there are SO many of them. Watch this incredible tear-jerker from St Andrews, this one from Wandong, and one from Kinglake. Not unkown places in some far-away country, but places I know, places I love. It is a tragedy like no other. I feel so sad for these people.

Finally now, Monday morning the Swedish papers are reporting it, SvD articles and DN articles. And as for mass-murder? Unfortunately arsonists are most often to blame, either that or reckless individuals. Desperately sad, but true.

Glad we're not still in Melbourne in this heat wave

While suburban temperatures were recorded at about 45 C yesterday, the thermometer on my mum's balcony almost blew the mercury at 47 C! With an overnight temperature of 26 C it was already 36 C by 9am.

Late in the afternoon they relented and finally decided to turn on the air conditioner, only to discover that power shortages had left them without electricity.

Melbourne was today officially in its hottest-known three-day heatwave, after the temperature again broke through the 43 degrees celsius barrier. Today's temperature of 43.8 degrees recorded at 1.52pm (AEDT) marked the first time since records began in 1855 that the city has had three consecutive days above 43.

Read more about the effect of record-breaking temperatures in Victoria:
Photos from around the state.

Vic blaze destroys homes as town runs out of water.

Sudden deaths in sweltering city.

Water supply drops in Victoria as temperature soars.

We got out of there just in time.....

Sweden's longest road tunnel

has been proposed by the Swedish Road Administration.

Building a road system in any city built on 24 000 islands has to be a challenge. Throw a whole lot of green space into the equation, along with nature reserves, forests and lakes and you have a planner's nightmare. Add to that local residents who subscribe to NIMBY (not in my backyard) and any planner would struggle to make sense of the situation.

Well that is exactly the situation we have here in Stockholm, which is why it has taken Vägverket so long to come up with a solution that will keep everyone happy. On the other hand no one wants to see a continuation of the traffic chaos we have today and some of the busiest intersections would see a drastic reduction in traffic once a solution was put in place.

It was recently reported in the Swedish SvD that Vägverket propose to build the longest tunnel in Sweden - a 16 kilometre tunnel from Kungens kurva to Hjulsta. With a speed limit of 90 km/h it would take a mere 11 minutes from one end to the other - that is from one side of the city to the other! The tunnel would not only protect the recreational areas Lovön and Grimsta Forest but also Lake Mälaren - going 60 metres under the surface of the water, straight through the bedrock. It is estimated to take 8 years to complete.


The proposal is now with the government, awaiting feedback. The group Save Grimsta Forest apparently consider the proposal a victory.

Sweden is not stranger to tunnels with the metro system weaving its way deep beneath the surface of the earth. This proposal does however put tunnel building into a new era in this country with the longest so far being Södra Länken, a mere 3.9km. Our Norwegian neighbours on the other hand have plenty of experience, with their longest tunnel being 25km.