Head over heels for Rapace.
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has opened in the U.S. to glowing reviews. It seems Americans, like everybody else, are embracing the Swedish-made movie. But most of all, Americans are falling in love with Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who plays Lisbeth Salander in the film. “It’s easy to forget how dissatisfying so much Hollywood trash is until you see a good imported version. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ’’ arrives from Sweden,” writes Wesley Morris in The Boston Globe. And Peter Travers, who reviews the film for The Rolling Stone, agrees: “This dynamite thriller shivers with suspense. So if you ignore ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (from the global bestseller by the late Stieg Larsson) because it's in Swedish with English subtitles, you probably deserve the remake Hollywood will surely screw up.” Perhaps the image of Sweden has gotten somewhat bruised, yet Noomi Rapace is praised to the skies. Los Angeles Time calls her “unforgettable” and none less than Roger Ebert cannot think of a single American actress who could play the part of Lisbeth Salander as brilliantly as Rapace. He sees only one solution: “Make her (the part of Lisbeth Salander) a Swede, and simply cast Noomi Rapace.” But Rapace has stated in Swedish interviews that she is not interested in repeating the part. More info and a link to a movie theatre near you: http://tinyurl.com/ycjvpq9

Resurgent life in Autoliv.
International investment banks upgraded recommendations on Swedish Autoliv after the automotive safety device maker raised its first quarter forecasts on Monday and anticipated sales to increase 65% from a year ago. Investment banks such as Morgan Stanley, Swedbank, Cheuvreux and Baird all lifted their recommendations of the company stock. Shares of Autoliv, which is a major international manufacturer of vehicle air bags, rose 6.2% with the announcement and continued climbing the following day. "The main reason for our revised guidance is better than expected sales, primarily in North America and Asia, due to higher light vehicle production accompanied by a favorable mix and market share gains", stated Jan Carlson, CEO.

No name and shame.
Beatrice Ask, Sweden’s Minister for Justice, wanted to name and shame men suspected of buying sex from prostitutes, which is a crime in Sweden, by having them receive color-coded envelopes in the mail. She suggested that the sex-buyer’s family and friends ought to be informed. “It’s a little like being shamed on the town square,” she said. It would be an understatement to say that her comment was heavily criticized. Ask is now making a U-turn. “I’m sorry that I expressed myself so tactlessly,” she says. She says that her comment was misinterpreted: “It covers up what’s important, which is that we have to think about how to protect young people on the net and in other situations where they risk being used. I’m sorry about that.” She further says that she is of the opinion that you’re innocent until proven guilty, and that the person who has been sentenced and served his or her term must be viewed as cleared and acquitted. “I have no problems at all with that kind of view. What I find strange is that so few are discussing the real problem, which is that we have 15-16 year old youngsters who are being abused. We as adults are responsible, and must make sure young people don’t end up in prostitution.”

Princess wedding contest creates split among nurses.
Vårdhygien Stockholm, which works at preventing transmission of infection, suggested a limerick contest with the theme “hygiene” would be an excellent way to celebrate the upcoming wedding between Victoria and Daniel. All nurses however, don’t agree. “Sometimes you have the best intentions yet some people are offended,” said hygiene nurse Susanne Wiklund, who also explained that critics said Vårdhygien Stockholm with the contest took a stand for monarchy in Sweden. “We thought it was a fun idea, but not everybody agreed.” That doesn’t mean the contest is called off. “Absolutely not,” said Doctor Ann Tammerlin. “We still think it is a great thing.”

Sweden’s most expensive allotment cottage.
A little grey allotment-garden cottage in Landskrona, nicknamed “fiskahoddan” (the fish- or fishing hut), may very well be the most expensive of its kind in Sweden. A Stockholm broker offers it for 995,000 SEK ($136,751.29) – a record high. Says said broker Thomas Grip: “But both a berth and a view from which you can watch the sunset is included in that price.” The little cottage is grey and already has a number of prospective buyers. “The location in this case is simply unique,” adds Grip. The location is Gråen, an artificial island just outside the entrance to Landskrona harbor, and there are some 50 allotment-garden cottages. The roof is corrugated sheet metal and in a separate shed there’s an earth closet and a shower. The only way to reach Gråen is by private boat. Currently the owner of the “fiskahoddan” is a woman from Lund. Lennart Andersson, who works at Koloniträdgårdsförbundet (the Association for Allotment Gardens) laughs when he hears the asking price: “That sounds like a lot. Normally the prices for an attractive allotment garden is between 150,000 and 300,000 SEK ($20,626.51 and $41,257.382).”