Taste of Sweden

The Swedish retail giant IKEA opens its first store in Nevada today, offering stylish, relatively inexpensive and self-assembly home furniture along those famous Swedish meatballs from its 42nd store in the U.S., located by the 215 Beltway between Sunset and Durango roads in Las Vegas. Deputy Chief of Mission for the Swedish Embassy Göran Lithell joined the company executives and local government representatives in the opening ceremony.

Postcard SE-47353 from Sweden shows steamboats anchored in Stockholm, Sweden during a winter evening.

Sweden Calling

According to the Swedish Tourist Association, "250 years ago, in 1766, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a constitutional law to abolish censorship. To honor this anniversary, Sweden is now the first country in the world to introduce its own phone number." Call the Swedish Number +46 771 793 336 today and you will get connected to an ambassador, who is a random Swede living anywhere in Sweden and who would talk about anything you want.

From the U.S. the local number is (301) 276-0600. Currently, Stockholm is in the Central European Summer Time Zone (CEST: UTC/GMT +2 hours) with Daylight Saving Time starting on March 27, 2016  and ending on October 30, 2016. In comparison, Las Vegas is in the Pacific Daylight Time Zone (PDT: UTC/GMT -7 hours) with Daylight Saving Time starting on March 13, 2016 and ending on November 6, 2016. Therefore, it is currently 9 hours behind of Stockholm. You can call anytime but keep the time difference in mind.

My recent received postcard SE-96903 from Sweden shows a Junkers F.13 aircraft, registered as S-AAAC and later as SE-AAC, which was used for the first flight between Stockholm and Helsinki on June 2, 1924 by AB Aerotransport (ABA), a Swedish airline that is part of the SAS Group today. The aircraft is now on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm.

Current local time in
Stockholm, Sweden

© Time Difference

Swedish Stamps around the Arctic Circle

I found this advertising card published by Postverkets Tryckeri in 1975 at a stamp show over the weekend, featuring Swedish stamps around the Arctic Circle.

On the top left on the card, a 70 Swedish öre stamp, issued on January 18, 1973, shows a mail truck; on the top right, a 35 Swedish öre stamp, circa 1967, features a painting of the Fjeld by Sixten Lundbohm, The Swedish fjelds, explains the difference between fjelds and mountains.

In the middle row, two 45 Swedish öre stamps, showing a lappkata (teepee) on the left and a reindeer herd on the right, are two of the five stamps from the Around the Arctic Circle set, circa 1970. At the center, a 35 Swedish öre stamp features a view of the Akka Mountains in the Stora Sjöfallet (Great Falls) National Park, circa 1970.

At the bottom on the left, a 1 Swedish krona stamp, circa 1974, features a Swedish overland postman on his northernmost rural delivery route against the background of Scandinavian landscape. Next to it, a 140 Swedish öre stamp, circa 1970, shows a a sled drawn by a reindeer. On the right, a 70 Swedish öre stamp commemorates the European Nature Conservation Year in 1970. The set contains two similar stamps featuring the River Trångforsen in Ljungan, Jämtland, but with different face values. The other stamp has a face value of 55 Swedish öre.

Öre is the discontinued centesimal subdivision of the Swedish krona. 1 KR = 100 öre.

On the back of the card, a tag line reads "Collect Swedish stamp motifs. Ask your dealer for Swedish Stamps."

Middagsvila

Postcard FI-1840516 from Finland shows a water color painting titled "Mid-day Rest" by Kaya Hansson,born in Finland but currently living and working in Sweden. She is known for her farm and garden painting art. You can see her other postcards on PostCrossing and on eBay.

Sweden postcard to UK in 2000

"My House, New York, 1997"

Postcard SE-65371 from Sweden shows David LaChapelle's photograph "My House, New York, 1997". David Lachapelle is an American photographer, best known for his photography that often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. Among the many awards he won, he was presented with GLAAD's Vito Russo Award for his outstanding contributions toward eliminating homophobia.

His selected works were on exhibition at Fotografiska Museet in Stockholm, Sweden in 2013. National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. is currently featuring his collection "American Cool" from February 7 to September 7, 2014.

International Day for Biological Diversity

Water and Biodiversity

My postcard US-1889056 sent to Sweden can be a perfect remembrance of the International Day for Biological Diversity, or World Biodiversity Day. currently held on May 22. It is sanctioned by United Nations to increase awareness of biodiversity issues. It was first held on December 29 from 1993 to 2000 to mark the day when the Convention on Biological Diversity went into effect in 1993. However, the date was shifted in 2000 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention at the Rio Earth Summit on May 22, 1992 . The theme for 2013 is Water and Biodiversity.

The picture on the card was taken at Mirage's indoor fountain area on September 22, 2012. Water use by casinos in Las Vegas has long been a topic for study and debate as lavish and ambitious water features in the middle of the desert often give the impression of water waste. A 2003 UNLV thesis "Consumptive Water Use at the Mirage Hotel and the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada" by Johann A. Feller indicated that consumptive water use at the Mirage Hotel and the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is much less than previously estimated. Sara Tabatabaie, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder also discussed the water use myth in her blog in 2012. However, researchers from the Pacific Institute argued in their report Hidden Oasis that much more could be done in improving water conservation and efficiency in Las Vegas.

There are many places in Las Vegas where you can appreciate biodiversity. You can visit Springs Preserve, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Valley of Fire State Park, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, Mount Charleston or Lake Mead National Recreation Area where you can observe native animals and plants. In particular, I found this site birdandhike.com very informational on bird watching and hiking around Las Vegas. They even have a section for dragonflies, (and AIRCRAFTS). 

For tourist attractions, Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo, Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay are a few places where you can see exotic plants and animals.