In the News

In The News: Going Cashless In Sweden

Sweden’s “cashless” society has been getting attention for the past few years.

CBS Sunday Morning is the latest to highlight how the country is trending toward going cashless and paying for everything by card. The video highlights ABBA, IKEA and even some folks who aren’t too thrilled about the trend.

Also in the news…

Swedes lost an Olympic medal after testing positive for…beer???

We weren’t around in 1968 when this first was in the news. But, we had to share how SB Nation recounted how Swedish Olympian Hans-Gunnar Lijenwall tested positive for beer – he wanted to calm his nerves before the shooting portion of the pentathlon – and the Swedish team forfeited its bronze medal.

Feeding off the land

Sweden’s new “Edible Country” program, a program created by Visit Sweden that combines Sweden’s right to roam with delicious meals, got front-page treatment from the Washington Post’s Sunday travel section. Reporter Andrea Sachs writes that the program “is basically allemansrätt on a plate.”

Eric Nelson named Swedish-American of the Year

Congratulations are in order for Eric Nelson, the director of the National Nordic Museum in Seattle. According to the blog Old Ballard, Nelson was named the Swedish-American of the Year by the Vasa Order of America.

Former Swedish, American coach to lead Brazil’s women’s soccer team

We have a feeling that Brazil’s women’s soccer team just got a lot better. Pia Sundhage, the Swedish soccer coach who led the United States and Swedish teams, was named coach of Brazil. According to Reuters, she becomes the first foreigner to coach a Brazilian national soccer team.