I live in Sweden for some reason, and one of the many things Sweden is known for is having the largest taxes in the world. Go Sweden! In Sweden we also have two political blocks that take turns messing up the country every four years or so, just like most countries I guess.

Currently the opposition is the left-green block (Social democrates, Left Party and Green Party) and the governing block is the centre-right coalition. Before the last election the social democrats had been governing Sweden for 66 of the last 77 years or so. They are also well known for having found the universal solution to every problem, just like Professor Balthazar. He runs to how machine and pulls a lever, out comes a potion, that solves every problem. The social democrats has pretty much the same idea as a childrens show – one actions solves every problem, theirs are to raise taxes. For. Every. Problem.

Ronald Reagan said it best:

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. Ronald Reagan

Do you know what Sweden is NOT known for in the rest of the world? Being the best at anything, especially anything that is the responsibility of our huge tax-funded public sector. We do NOT have the best health care, the best day care for our children, the best education, the best police, the best military, the best universitys, the best elderly care, the best roads, the best justice system, the best energy production system, the best environment control, the best food, the best scientific research, the cleaneast and most beautiful cities, the list goes on. In pretty much every study comparing Swedens tax-funded public sector crap-fest to the same in other countries, we do not come out on top in any regard save one – we pay more for it than any other country! Am I the only one that sees it?

Also: Today the left party and the social democrats arrange as usual their may 1st demonstrations all over Sweden. One of the things celebrated by all their supporters is surely the agreement the left-green opposition recently has  come to. That will, guess what?, raise taxes! Again! And people is out in the streets thinking this is the greatest thing since slice bread and celebrating this. With large signs that says "We are complete idiots, please take more of my money, I don't know where to put it!" and also "Free money for all, exect the wealthy, well take theirs to give you some". Well, the signs actually don't say that, they say something along the lines of that 90% of the people, especially the ones voting for the left-green, will get their rightfully earned money from the other 10% of the population. How would that work exactly? 

What we see here is the old quote:

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always count on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw.

Here is a VENN-diagram that illustrates my point, in Swedish only. Click on the pic above or this link.

I spend an awful lot of time in coffeshops, especially Espresso House. In the summers they make a delicious frappino made of ice cold vanilla milk, espresso and chocolate sauce. This drink has magical properties besides tasting great. It also makes it possible for you to concentrate like crazy, understand really long and complex calculations stretching over four pages, lose weight by sheer willpower in minutes, read chinese, appear irresistible to men and women, hear other peoples thoughts and divide by zero. Just like Chuck Norris. Well if you drink enough of them, about 12 in a day should do it.

For some strange reason there is no map on their list over Espresso House coffe shops in Sweden, so I, having about 10.000 better things to do, made a map over those Espresso House coffe shops that are in Stockholm. Thats one way to spend Valtines day i suppose...

I might have gotten some info in the map wrong, but I also filled in some missing info. Bear in mind that this map is in no way endorsed by Espresso House. Almost all the info comes from their page.

Click the "Read more" button to see the map over Espresso House in Stockholm.

You have probably never heard the expression "The spiders best friend is women." That's because I just made it up. And also because women prefer all spiders crushed under big flat heavy rocks the size of cars. Even though women for some biological or evolutionary reason will not under any circumstances do the crushing themselves. That is what men are for. Luckily nature has instead of giving women the ability to kill spiders themselves, given them something far more useful, The "look". Women can make men do pretty much anything by stomping their foot, pointing and giving the man in her life "the look". We are powerless against it.

A more correct statement: "A spiders best friend could be Nina Katchadourian". She is a exception to the rule and do not want all spiders killed this instant. She is a very funny, and very creative artist, living in Californa. She helps spiders out by repairing their nets while the spiders sleep which is hilarious. It's all part of her series of artprojects called, Univited collaborations with nature – The mended spiderweb series. It's about people (specifically her), helping nature (animals, spiders, insects, fish and other wildlife) to do stuff, even though nature in general really hasn't asked for any help. That's the funny. There are some pretty surprised animals, insects and spiders around where Nina is.

You have to visit her site about this particular project to find out how the spider react when they find that someone has repaired their nets while they slept. And do not miss the last image in the series, I absolutely love that one!

While you are there, check out the rest of her very interesting website featuring her different projects. There are more under Uninvited collaborations with nature, and also a lot of other projects. I liked the one about cars parking according to their color just to name one of many. The sheer creativity displayed in her work will blow you away. Thank you Nina for creating stuff!

Image: Nina Katchadourian (used with permission).

I'm having way to much fun with this discovery. A few days ago I happened to find (on a very technical website a visit regulary, also here) a product bearing my name! And when you think about it, for this particualar product it really is a good name, since it is, well, my name, and it also sound like the noise a person using this product would make. Maybe I'm imagining that last part, but anyways...

A company called Minna, to which I probably should send a big fat stinky check so they can immediately ship a whole crate of theese things, has decided in it's glorius wisdom to name their new product after me! Wow, it is such an honour to be chosen like this. This is also a big surprise since we have never had any contact, but I'm drunk a lot, so I probably just forgot.

Here is the kicker - the product is not garbage truck, it is not a ceramic nose puppy*, it is not a spray on hair, it is not a toilet plunger either. It is not a crappy product in any way. It is... wait for it, a honest to God, very technically advanced sex toy, the Ola vibrator! I'm so happy I could cry right now!

Click the read more button to read the rest!