Most played Christmas songs in Sweden
What's Christmas without some music? Boring, right? The right Christmas songs put us in mood for the season, and this is what Swedes listen to right now. The top five Swedish songs being played on the radio: 1. “Mer jul” with Adolphson-Falk, 2. “Tänd ett ljus” with Triad, 3. “Jul igen” with Just D, 4. “Jul, jul strålande jul” with Håkan Hagegård, Carola, Sofia Karlsson, Esbjörn Hazelius, and Ale Möller etc, 5. “Jag såg mamma kyssa tomten” with Troll. The top five international songs being played on Swedish radio right now: 1. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey, 2. “Last Christmas” with Wham, 3. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid, 4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” with Bruce Springsteen, and 5. “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby. It’s nearing Christmas and the music we listen to (or are forced to listen to as we enter stores...) reflect that. Most played Christmas songs overall in Sweden right now are “Mer jul” with Adolphson-Falk, and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.

Swedes rather party with Reinfeldt
He's nicest as well as the most competent politician. Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is pulling away from his opponent Stefan Löfven when Swedes get to choose what top politician they like the most, according to a new poll by SKOP. Sweden has eight political parties in the Parliament (or Riksdag as it is called in Swedish), but only one of the leaders can become Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s (who represents the Moderate Party) greatest threat for next election (which will take place in 2014) is the leader of the Social Democrats: Stefan Löfven. However, if there were an election today, Reinfeldt would be victorious, also according to SKOP’s poll. Which means the Swedish people has answered the question: Who would best lead the country? 64% believe Reinfeldt is the most competent for the post, which is a 0.2% increase for Reinfeldt since the last poll. But he’s more than competent, our Prime Minister, he’s nice, too. Much nicer, Swedes believe, than Löfven. The majority believe they’d have more fun were they seated at the same table with Reinfeldt than with Löfven. “It has for a long time been very even in the league of niceness,” says SKOP analyst Birgitta Hultåker in a press release. “With a slight lead for Reinfeldt. For the first time now, he has a clear lead.” The SKOP poll was made between October 30 and November 20 this year and little over 1000 people between the ages 18 and 24 were polled.

Grinding teeth
More stress lead to tense jaws, and tense jaws lead to grinding teeth. More and more Swedes grind their teeth. Jaw problems; that is facial pain and disturbed jaws, increase. This is the conclusion of a doctoral thesis by Alkisti Anastassaki Köhler at Hälsohögskolan in Jönköping. “In times of recession, structural changes, and sinking social support, pain and psychological disorders make themselves present, the same with jaw problems,” Anastassaki Köhler says in a press release. She has studied around 1000 individuals in different age categories during three years, 1983, 1993, and 2003. She specifically points to a nearly tripled number of 20-year old women with recurrent headaches, which is consistent with reports of increasing psychic health problems in younger women. While jaw problems have increased during the two decades, mouth- and dental health in general has improved.

Nominated Swedes in the upcoming Golden Globe
Lasse Hallström’s film “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” could win a Golden Globe as best comedy/musical in the upcoming gala. It has three nominations, for best film in the Comedy/Musical category, and for best actor and actress (Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt). But Hallström isn’t the only Swede nominated. The Danish film “A Royal Affair” has been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category, and its female star is Alicia Vikander, a Swedish actress. Then there’s the Norwegian film “Kon-Tiki”, in which Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgård can be seen. “Kon-Tiki” also is nominated for Best Foreign Film. Lasse Hallström, Alicia Vikander, and Gustaf Skarsgård – three Swedes whose work is now nominated for Golden Globes in one way or another. The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The Golden Globe Awards will take place on January 13th.