IKEA bans a new game. American kickstarter in Stockholm. The Hammarskjöld Commission asks the UN to reopen a case. Swedish-American heir in New York.
Banning hide and seek
There's a new game at IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer with 351 stores in 46 countries. The game isn't for sale, nor is it one children play as a distraction while their parents shop. It’s hide and seek, and grown customers are playing extensive games of it in IKEA stores — most of which have multiple levels and several thousand square feet of space — posing a problem so large that the Swedish company has tried to stop the phenomenon in several European countries. The game, which started a year ago in a Belgium IKEA, has spread across Europe, usually planned with followers on Facebook. Thousands of players in groups around Europe have been stopped, and in Sweden there are half a dozen small groups that organize such games through social media. But IKEA in Sweden has not yet noticed any problems, according to Daniela Rogosic, press officer for Ikea Sweden, who says that unless there’s a concern for safety, it may be a fun way to appreciate the stores.
The UN to reopen the Hammarskjold case
The UN will reopen an investigation into the death of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, who died in a plane crash more than 50 years ago. At Sweden's request, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December to call for experts to examine "new information" related to the diplomat's death. Hammarskjöld died at age 56 when his DC-6 aircraft went down in northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia. He was on a peace mission, preparing to negotiate a ceasefire in the newly independent Congo. There is convincing evidence, previously classified as secret, that may indicate his plane was shot down. The three-person panel of investigative experts will be expected to present a report to UN chief Ban Ki-moon by June 30, 2015.
Turning words into art
An American living in Sweden is working on a promising new art venture on Kickstarter, the global crowdfunding platform that helps bring creative projects to life. Amelia Shroyer calls herself a social media geek with an extreme love of design. She works at Stockholm’s House of Radon, where a design group is launching Onehundredforty, a revolutionary art experiment that turns a favorite tweet into a unique, framed print. The team wanted meaningful art in which letters matter. And then it hit them that letters matter on Twitter — where every communication must be conveyed in 140 characters or less. So Onehundredforty was conceived, through which customers can choose a favorite tweet, pair it with graphic elements, colors and typefaces with the craftsmanship of a House of Radon’s artist, for a very personal, top level art piece. This spring, they expect to feature 15 different artists with 50 original design options and over 5000 possible outcomes.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/ameliashroyer/onehundredforty-turn-words-into-art
Swedish American heir dies in New York
Swedish American heir Max Stenbeck has died in New York. Son of the late Jan Stenbeck, Swedish media owner and one of Sweden's wealthiest people, Max, 30, was a talented, successful businessman in his own right. At the time of his death on Monday, March 16, Max and his sister Cristina were principal owners of the family’s international business Kinnevik Group, the parent company of Metro US. Max grew up on Long Island and was engaged to be married this summer. He died of complications from diabetes, which he suffered with for 10 years, and is survived by three siblings and a half-brother. His father Jan Stenbeck died of a heart attack in 2002 at age 59.
