One other interesting aspect of the Cambrian quartzite is the human impact on it. At Simrislund there are many rocks with carvings on it from the Scandinavian bronzeage over 3000 years ago. This makes this place both culturally and geologically worth a visit.

http://terraincognita.blogsome.com/

The short answer to the question is: No we dont. We have one of the most healthy populations in the world as far as I know. People grow older here than in most other countries. We have the lowest number smokers in the world for instance. People have lots of knowledge on whats healthy food and whats not. Lots of people exercise reguarly. And its a silly myth that we have the highest suicide rate in the world. We are somewhere in the middle on that- below the US for example. I think Russia is one of the worst on suicide. A happy and healthy population. People in Sweden are the seventh most happiest people in the world according to studies. Americans in comparison are placed on number 23. That means we laugh a little bit more

Take that all who thinks that Sweden is a dark and horrible socialist country almost belonging to the Soviet Union. Aint true. Ok.. a little bit true, we have some socialists politics here sometimes - but not like Soviet…

However there are some dark clouds on the sky - which could be the things the person was looking for when googling. We have a high number of people calling in sick for work. But this has less to do with sickness than with the fact that our employment laws allows people to skip work without risk of loosing their jobs. Another and more important dark cloud is the inreasing rate of people becoming more and more allergic to things. Some scientists believe that this could be caused by to well insulated homes and too little exposure to "filth". People tend to build houses more and more in Sweden that are energy efficient. Ecological houses that need very little energy. Nice and super clean. Basically that means houses with a more restricted and controlled ventilation system. For me, always sleeping with my bedroom window opened, breathing fresh air these modern houses sounds like a nightmare. Ill take a drafty old cottage anytime.

Im 100% sure of the truth of theory saying that the increased allergies are caused by the simple fact that people live in "enviromental-eco-houses" and dont get exposed enough to fresh (that is unfiltered and thus containing pollens and "dust" air. I mean - the simple fact that children growing up in suburbs and wealthier enviroments are more allergic than people living on the country side in older buildings where you open up the windows for fresh air - is all the evidence I need. Its just common sence that the complex human organism and our immunesystem needs the exposure of the "great outdoors" on a constant basis to work. People living in i cocoon cant hardly develop what the need and therefor cant withstand pollen and dust in the same way.

Typical Swedish modern eco-friendly but unhealthy living. Saves energy. Probably hardly needs any energy at all to keep the heat since it stores the heat people generate. "Saves the planet" - but basically slashes the health of people by huge numbers probably. Homo Sapiens is the product of millions of years of hard evolution - but all that time we have lived and breathed the open air. Its only the last 20 years that our living conditions have becomed so cocooned. And its also the last 20 years that the number of children developing allergies has increased dramatically. Theres an obvious connection. People are going to notice this when more countries start building houses of "Swedish air-tight energy saving standards". Basically Sweden is by far more advanced in this field than other nations - but its nothing to be proud of since it seems to have drawbacks.

The houses are not the only fault - the hysterical view on cleaing is another big piece. Combine the houses with our frenzic need to vacuum (like every day - otherwise you live in misery according to some) and you have an ugly combination of insulated enviroments with air filled with vacuumed particles.

Swedes - happier and healthier than most - but also idiots when it comes to fresh air and dust.

Update: An article on the growing demand on eco-friendly houses.

1. High
2. Hurting so much that you deserved sympathy.

Alright, the facts:

• One gallon is 3.79 Litres.
• One US Dollar is around 6 Swedish Crownes.
• The average average American makes about the same amount of money per year as a Swede, if you look at the wages only at an average and not on figures of GNP. But we higher taxes. (But instead we have something for free and dont need to pay private insurances). But all in all, I guess that the americans have a bit more in left their wallet than what we do when all the "musts" are payed every day.

The fancy calculation:

That means that one gallon of gasoline in Sweden would cost a Swede around 53 of our Swedish crownes or roughly 8.83 dollars per gallon. 1.05 dollars per litre or 6.3 Swedish Crownes . Thats more than twice as much as it does in america.

The unscientific conclusion:

1. The prices in america are low by international standards.
2. Well, hurting and pain is relative. But lets talk more about sympathy when your gasoline costs 8.8 dollars per gallon.

The price of gasoline in America is very low compared to those in most of western europe (Sweden is actually not the highest). The last time we had your prices I was a kid watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the lost arc at the cinema. Of course its all relative and its the raise in percent that counts, not to mention the inflation of currency and such. But the price on gasoline has increased dramatically here as well so the comparison in percentage is quite possible to make.

American economy seems to be founded on cheap energy and fuel. In Sweden our economy is based more on everything BUT the fuel. If we had your prices on gasoline our economy would be booming like crazy probably. The simple fact that you measure gasoline by the gallons, and not something smaller like litres says a lot about your history. And when I look at how Americans towns and cities in general are planned (takes up large area - long driving distance between services compared to European cities of the same size in population) I see a quite obvious pattern. Gasoline was cheap like water in your country once and you planned many things accordingly.

Well… Its a new world, and those who control the supply and price on raw oil see little reason to lower their prices when most people apparently will pay the higher prices for the gasoline. The only solution is for all of the world to find new types of sources of fuel or dramatically change their life. I dont believe for one second that ethanol from plants is the key. Increasing the production of oil or perhaps subsidising the price by govermental means will do nothing in the end.

If you dont like me complaining about very liberal political issues, dont read any further. You have been warned!

As a modern European, I love my social freedoms (wich some americans regard as "immoral", "decadent" or "eurotrash"). I value them more than the economical freedom of America. I have no eny on that part really. I wouldnt trade my rights to say or think what ever I do for a little bit less taxes. Money isnt everything. America has social freedoms as well, but its quite obvious that the christian moral norms apply, and that all who thinks different is thought of as strange - this I know from Swedish people living there. Of course it varies from state to state. Very conservative in some parts, very liberal in some. But in comparison, western Europe is all roughly like San Fransisco, and since 9/11 and your patriot act and such, Im not very impressed with the American view on freedom in general. On the contrary.

Social freedoms are more important to me than any thing else. No one should ever dictate what I should love and hate or when its OK for me to speak up and I should always trust that my rights are protected by law. But unfortunatly, the social freedoms of Europe are shrinkring. Unfortunally thanks to Americans ideas on freedom, where people can get imprisoned without trial for years like on Guantanamo. Our idiotical politicians look at the American modell. When its quite obvious that most Americans today are getting tired of the american way as it has been for the last 8 years.

One of the reasons I like to write blogs (and I actually write several more blogs than this one, but those are in Swedish) is the anonymity. Its not like Im up to no good, its simply that if I had my name and picture on my blog I not only could, but I most surely would recieve nasty threats from people who thinks different from me. Ive seen it happen to people I know. Geology is seldom a topic of discussion wich makes people angry, but when discussing politics and religion people have strong opinions. One is forced to think twice about everything that one publish. And even then, theres always the idiots you can never forsee.

Sweden and Europe is presently being dragged in to a political trend thats similar to the one america experienced after 9/11. Civil liberties are reduced in the ridiculus name of "freedom". A couple of days ago the Swedish parliament voted for a law that gives a govermental beurau called FRA (Försvarets Radioanstalt) the right AND duty to monitor ALL communication and radio/internet/telephone traffic that crosses Swedish borders in the hunt of terrorists. Meaning that when I send an email to a friend in the USA, our Swedish goverment has the rights to read that mail. Its quite absurd really. From one of the freest countries in the world, Sweden is reduced to yet another totalitarian fucked up fascist state that has USAs ridiculus view on freedom in combination with an East German Cold War monitoring system of the citizens. Hello China. Hello Noth Korea.

Thats not all, and this latest thing is what really pisses me off. Now theres a member of the parliament of the European Union that wants to impose a law DEMANDING all bloggers in the EU to be non-anonymous. That is, no more blogs if you dont post your name on it. Of course I doubt that this fascist rule will go through in practise, but if it does, I doubt that anyone will follow it. And good luck taking it to court EU, you will loose badly if you try to enforce the law on its citizens because this must break several international laws on humans rights as far as I know. 

The cowardly countrymen of my home Sweden might not do anything, but I doubt that the inventors of modern liberal freedoms, the French (liberal thoughts is not an american invention), will stand by if this ever becomes a law.

Hello second French revolution - Im in.

Oh, I almost forgot. The person behind the manifest from EU about more control over the bloggers is this person. Her name is Marianne Mikko and shes from Estonia. Screw you Marianne.

Say what? Well, in Sweden we celebrate a holiday called Midsummer - and its probably the most celebrated holiday here - larger than Christmas in popularity almost. It roughly co-exist with the summer solstice - but is not exactly a celebration of just the solstice. The roots of this celebration is pagan and connected to farming and fertility. Pre-christian traditions here in the north of Europe. However, the traditions we celebrate today have very little to do with farming. Today we just simply celebrate for the sake of celebration and tradition.

Its fun. Its quite non-religious and most people in Sweden join in the celebration in one way or the other. 

What do we do? Well many people try going to the countryside and joind family and friends for a feast. We eat a lot of traditional Swedish food (things like pickled herring for example) and we also decorate a Maypole. (Pictures above - A symbole of fertility, I guess its some kind of phallic symbol, but today most Maypoles look more like a christian cross for some strange reason). Some people wear traditional clothes even and dance traditional dances, often around the maypole. Some people still also light a big bondfire since the Maypole is more of a northern Swedish tradition and the fire is more of a southern. Or at least it used to be like that. Nowdays the tradition of bondfires (St Hans fire) is almost dead even here in the south.

Then people dance and get drunk all evening and night basically. Its probably easily the most drunken day of the year in Sweden. If you ever want to see something very uniquely and truly Swedish - this is it.

Basically its a crazy pagan celebration of food and love (well a lot of drunk people fighting also).

The largest found in Sweden to date and one of the largest found in Europe. Weighing 1185 kilos, around 2600 pounds. The two men finding it hopes that the Swedish museum of national history will buy the meteorite from them, since they "would prefer it to stay in Sweden".

Just my smart ass opinion, but if they prefer that and actually really care, why not just give it to the museum for free. I guess since its valued to about 6 million Swedish crowns (about 1 million US-dollars), money of course talks more than anything else.

Update: Via the Swedish blog Populär Astronomi I now read that these types of iron-meteorites are common in this area (although not this size of course). Theres a theory going on about a 100 000 year old Tunguska-like event. More on that here. (In english)

In my collection of “things and stuff” I got one really nice object that usually makes people envious. It’s a shaft hole axe from Uppland in Sweden. It was my grandfather who in his youth found it on a field. The archaeological dating sets this axe to the middle or late Neolithic. Around 3000 BC perhaps. But I’m not sure on that, it’s been a while since I took archaeology and the making of shaft hole axes streches some time.

Geology-wise this axe is made of, what I think at least, some form of ordinary diabase. The weight, the archaeological practise of using diabase, it all tells me this at least. There’s no volcanoes in or near Uppland (which basically is mostly old igneous bedrock, granites at about 1800 Ma), so I dont think its basalt, but rather diabase. It could be imported/transported of course. But theres a lot of shaft hole axes found in Uppland so I dont think so.

At first, the axe was all nice and shiny black in colour, with some hints of olivine green even. But then I decided to wash it and under a thick layer of like 70 years of handling and showing to people (sounds better than 70 years of deposited human dirts and fats) and that revealed a more grayish dull stone with a hint of green tones. Theres also some redish spots that came out from under the filth which looks like rust almost. I’m not so sure any more of what this stone is made of in detail since no crystalline structure is visible because of the grinding and smoothing of the axe. Any suggestions? My guess is diabase and that the small cracks and holes are the result of erosion of more fragile plagioclase in a resistant matrix of augite and olivine.

Anyhow, depending how you look at it, its an 5000 year old axe or a 1800 million year old pice of rock. And its all mine, my sweet precious shaft hole axe…