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Julmust
In most countries around the world, the sales of Coca Cola skyrocket at Christmas time – partly due to clever advertising. In Sweden, however, sales of Coke drop by at least 50% at Christmas time, due...
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Mini library
I saw this little mini-library while out and about. My apartment complex has a little library where you can leave and take books. My books are mostly in English though, so maybe this small street...
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The Swedish winter uniform
Sitting idly on the train today, I noticed that everyone – including me – was dressed almost identically. Black jacket, trousers, bag and ankle boots. Then a man got on and he was wearing the same!...
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Different words for the @ symbol
I remember when it was used to denote the pricing of things, though most people today probably only connect @ and # with the internet. Here is more information about the history of the @ symbol. For...
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Guerrillero Heroico
I found out recently that this photograph of Che Guevara – called Guerrillero Heroico/Heroic Guerrilla Fighter – is the most reproduced image in photographic history. It was taken by Alberto Korda...
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Pink was for boys, blue was for girls…
Pink was originally a colour for boys and blue was originally a colour for girls. Pink was seen as a version of red, a very masculine colour. And blue was a colour associated with icons of the Virgin...
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Easter Bunny Heebie Jeebies
I had a good laugh at the photos above! Friends of mine sent a couple to me because they had seen me in the photo below. That Santa used to give all us kids the creeps and he held on to us with a...
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Remember door-to-door salesmen?
Nicholson Baker, Bissel Door-to-door salesmen used to sell everything from encyclopaedias to vacuum cleaners. The women tended to only sell Avon door to door if I remember. If my mother was any...
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The cultural iceberg
I have always been interested in the iceberg concept of culture (see credit on two of the photos for source. I couldn’t find the third one). I am no expert but it has helped me understand my somewhat...
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Use of the word ‘gotten’ and ‘fall’ vs ‘autumn’
One oft-criticised word that I do use now and then is gotten, though only in spoken English (almost never written). Sometimes no other word will fit nicely in a sentence. Usually it sounds a little...
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