Bornholm

The Island

My Package

Well it finally arrived. The package Lindsay sent me TWO WEEKS AGO finally made it to Lund. Here is a brief description of the route it took from Fort Collins, CO to my place in Lund, Sweden.
Sept. 15th - Postmarked Fort Collins, CO

Sept. 16th to Sept. 20th - Circled globe 8 times (3 times counter clockwise and 5 times clockwise) due to accidental error in bar coding.

Sept. 21st - Package is located inside Russian borders by remote controlled drone completing intelligence operations near the Kremlin. The KGB is notified of the intrusion and the package is confiscated. Upon inspection of the contents the package is deemed a non-weapon of mass destruction and turned over to postal workers working inside Moscow.

Sept. 26th - Notification of arrival in Sweden is conveyed to me by Lindsay who used the reference code to access a secret United States Post Office database that confirmed it was in fact within Swedish territory. Here's where the story gets interesting....I thought I could simply pick the package up at the post office before my class and my weekend departure for Denmark. Upon arrival at the post office I was informed that my package was not at the central post office (that is maybe 5 blocks from my flat), but instead it was at the western most office which is probably 50 blocks from my house. Makes sense right? Anyways, knowing that I would already be short on time due to a printing mishap earlier that morning (mishap was that no one in this bloody country owns a god damn printer) I decided the package would have to be picked up on Monday.

Sept. 29th - Following lunch with a friend I decided it was time to make the trek to the post office to pick up my package. I seized a moment of pause in the "on again, off again" rain shower (that's suppose to be here all week) and set off. About 10 minutes into my 'hike' I wanted to reference the map. Travel Tip #248: anytime you check a paper map during any sort of storm that contains moisture, that storm will intensify upon the sight of the map leaving your pocket and inevitably dump moisture in quantities that make the map useless and completely impossible to read. Finally, I was close (and by close, I mean I was on the wrong side of a major highway that has 6 foot high wire fences protecting it). I made my way the last 40 miles or so and finally saw the flag signifying the post office. The sun even came out a bit as though it was congratulating me on my trip. I grabbed the door handle and....what? It's locked. Are you kidding me? Oh, right, there's the sign. Apparently this post office closes for 5 hours a day in the middle of the day. From 10:00 to 15:00 "no mail for you"! Most people would think this is quite odd and inconvenient, but those people are rational and not living in Sweden. At this point I've spent the better part of an afternoon trekking in the rain and there is no way in hell I'm turning back without my package. So I wait it out. Half hour under the overhang of the front door to the post office.......finally, signs of life. I show the lady my confirmation number along with an ID card. She smiles to me and retrieves my package. It's over now...I've got what I came for.

Goodbye To Another Week - Hello To The Danes

Oh my, what a week. This was the first week we really got after it in the program. Opportunity recognition week. It was time to take all the theory and rhetoric that we'd been presented over the last couple of weeks and apply it to the host of ideas we all brought with us to this program to narrow down the list of things we would research and develop over the next 9 months. Now, the goal of the program is not that we all work together all the time, but that we continue to work in teams so that we are all familiar with one another for when we finally have selected our projects for the term and decide to build out a 'team' to complete them. While personally I enjoy everyone in the program, professionally the story is mixed. There is a huge difference between people that have worked in industry and those that have came straight from university life whether it be at a masters level or bachelors. I guess it's all part of the exercise.

So, since we signed non-disclosure agreements with one another I'm not able to go into specifics of the projects folks are looking at, but I can give a brief description of some observations and potential gaps in the current market place that I've witnessed that I'm focused on for some of the concepts I'm pitching.

- Global shortage of potable water supply.
- Housing and shelter solutions for short term needs in areas that suffer from demand bubbles.
- Increased desire for consumers to better understand their own purchasing habits.
- Creation of markets where there are inefficiencies in pricing or restrictions on participation.
- Aggregation of existing technologies to supply more meaningful data to consumers on demand.

Sometimes I wonder if I over think things. I mean think of the guy that made the first port o' potty. He simply recognized that people would rather go one/duce inside a shelter as opposed to dropping 'presents' in the alley behind the corner store. That sounds a hell of a lot simpler than 'creating a market to more efficiently price niche and unique circumstances'. Enough on that topic.

Moving on, it's vacation weekend. Thanks to Uncle Keith and his connections to some long lost cousins on the Danish island of Bornholm I'm headed there tomorrow evening after class. Here's the plan....

Class out 16:00
Bus leaves Lund City Center 16:23
Bus arrives Ystad Sweden 17:45
Ferry leaves Ystad Sweden 19:00
Ferry arrives Ronne Denmark 20:15 where I'll meet Kenn-Erik Grenander whose picking me up with an american flag in hand. Gotta love the Danish hospitality.

The big question is do I chance it and just wear my corduroys that may have a full crotch blowout at any point, or do I throw in a pair of jeans with a bit more lasting power. Oh hell, who am I kidding....we're family!! The jeans can stay in the dresser.

Photos Amigos

Ah yes, fall is in the air. You can see it everywhere. It's quite nice actually (except for the part about winter following on it's heels). I've been completely slammed with program work, reading, and group assignments that are starting to make me want to strangle a select few of my peers in the program. I thought that was a good indicator that I should take a little time to go on a simple walk through the lovely campus here at Lund. Here's a few photos from my jaunt. Oh, and by the way..... classmates are clear of danger. The fall colors calmed me down a bit.



I'm a real sucker for spiral staircases. If you stare at the stairs long enough you'll go cross eyed.



I'm also a sucker for ivy on brick. This photo bleeds academia.



From the outside looking in.



Some rare sunshine filtering through. Soak it up....it will be dark soon.



I call this little gem 'snack time'. This bountiful beauty sits outside the Ekonomi Centrum where I have class. It's quite the show to see me wiggle up the center of this thing during coffee break to grab a treat. Sure, there's apples on the lower branches, but in a country with social health care it seems just stupid not to take a small chance and go for the gusto.

Condi Rice I'm Coming For Your Job - Part Four

For some time now I've thought the world could use a little more humor when dealing with global foreign affairs. Therefore tonight I seized a great opportunity to pass an olive branch of worldly joy to my corridor mate Johannes by introducing him to pollock jokes. Johannes and I are quite fond of comedy and seem to have a similar sense of humor about the world (poor Johannes). Despite that, and the fact Johannes is from Germany, he was totally unaware that there was an entire library of jokes related to picking on the polish (say that five times fast and you'll actually sound polish). What an opportunity!

Now, at the same time, I feel foreign affairs should be a give and take relationship. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. For a large part of the day I had contemplated how to get a paper printed for class tomorrow morning without having to pay the traditional 1sek/page price at the library. I just so happened to know that Johannes has a printer in his room so.....I leveraged that opportunity and viola! Assignment two hot off the presses and ready for Professor Hans in the morning.

Now it was time to make good on my end of the bargain. So we began. I quickly sent Johannes an email link to www.polishjoke.com. This site is pretty run of the mill. For most of us raised on a steady diet of school yard shenanigans you're not going to find anything here that you didn't know about in sixth grade. But, for a newcomer like Johannes this was the holy grail of happiness. He roared with laughter as he scrolled the pages soaking in each pandering poke at the poles. I sat back with my lingonberries and wheat crackers that I was snacking on and thought to myself 'now that's what foreign relations should like look'.

Here was one of Johannes' favorites (obtained from another site):

The Polish were entrenched on the front opposite the Germans during one of the battles of WWII. As hard as they tried, the Germans couldn't hit any of the Polish soldiers because they kept low in the ditches.

Finally one of the Germans hit upon an idea. "Hey Krachevski, is that you?" he yelled at the Polish trench. Krachevski stood up in his trench and said, "Yeah, it's me!" and was immediately shot by the Germans.

The Polish soldiers pondered this over and decided that it was a good idea. "Is that you, Wilhelm?" one of the Polish soldiers yelled to the German trench. "Yeah, it's me Markowski," replied one of the German soldiers. "Why don't you come over here?" "OK, I'm coming..."

What's Up On Wall Street

Yikes! Prices are falling on wall street like an after christmas sale at Costco (ticker symbol: COST). 500 point drop on Monday, 450 points lost yesterday. A meltdown of 7% in 3 days. What's going on here....

I thought I'd offer up some food for thought on a couple of the major headlines from the first part of this week, and follow that up with a couple of bold predictions that are self serving in every sense. First off, let's discuss the general market trend (negative). While the manner in which we arrived at this lull is a bit unique, there was a majority of analysts on the street forecasting this general market direction for this year. Many thought the sub prime hangover would have cleared by Q3 of this year (which it hasn't), but almost all agreed we'd see a declining stock market for the biggest part of the year. There wasn't, and still is not, a strong case that can be made for a sustained turn around in the broad market (my opinion). Sticking to a nice cost average purchasing strategy over time will allow you to pick up some bargains during this downturn that will pay off in the long run.

Next up. Lehman. Well done boys. You managed to sink a 158 year old company in a little under a weekend. I wonder who has dibs on those giant televisions that cover their times square office? Hang a couple of those in the courtyard of my complex here at lund and we could have a nice little side business charging 50sek a person to watch Sarah Palin interviews on the 'big screen'.

Merrill Lynch. This company has been included in my 'axis of evil' for sometime now. They once employed a woman who was once my boss who is the closest thing to the anti-christ you can find this side of Hades. Good riddance (to both).

AIG. Wow, nothing like having to shore up the liquidity of an insurance company right in the middle of hurricane season. This deal however, is worth commenting on. The basic jist of this deal is that AIG is going to be given a high interest rate (11.5%) loan from (you) the taxpayers in return for roughly 80% of the equity in the company and a promise to repay. Now, here is why this deal is a good deal (kind of). The government has long made a tradition out of NOT taking an equity stake in companies when they provide assistance to them. They have essentially loaned money to companies at a (below market subsidized) rate the company is believed to be able to pay them back at. If the company can pay it back, then fine. Taxpayers essentially are squared on the deal. The problem with that arrangement is that there is no added return for the government taking on the high level of risk associated with simply lending a failing company money. For the added risk, the bank (in this case the fed) should get to participate in some of the upside appreciation of the equity in the firm. Well, that's exactly what's going to happen with the AIG deal. The government (you all) now own 80% of AIG. Assuming they are able to pay back the loan (which by all accounts they should be able to) and that in turn raises the value of the companies equity (share price), everyone will win. Here's some food for thought.....now, with a virtually endless supply of capital that the majority shareholder of the company sits on, it seems unlikely they will allow this operation to fail as they have an 80% interest to protect. Therefore would it be wise to partner up with your federal government and buy a stake in the $2/share company? Discuss among your friends.

With all that digested let's look at what I think are some screaming deals on wall street.

Goldman Sachs (GS) - This stock hit a low yesterday of $97.78/share which would give it a PE ratio of 4.66. Historically banks are bargains when trading around a PE of 7 (assuming said bank isn't out of money and named Bear Stearns). Now, it did recover late in the day to a close of $114, so tread cautiously as more bad news will continue to sink it in the short term.

John Deere (DE) - I originally purchased this stock after the first of the year at $90/share. I wanted to take advantage of the hype in ag. While the hype continued as predicted, DE wasn't a benefactor of the rise and has since dropped to $60/share (thank you oil). With some short term trading, some double downs, a lot of profanity and a couple of dividends I managed to eek out a small positive on this play for the year. With the dust settled, deer trading in the 50's is a steal. It's close yesterday was $59.92. If it gets much lower (despite the fact I should probably remain liquid) it will be time to back the truck up and load up!

I guess there's always next year right?

Tila Tequilla You Killa-ing Me

Nico the German lad on my corridor found a television at the second hand store in Malmo for 50sek. (~$10). At this price it was IMPOSSIBLE for him to pass up such a sweet deal. So, after years without one I now again find myself with a boob tube at my finger tips. In addition, I've felt a bit under the weather the last couple of days, so I thought to myself, "what better way to take my mind off research and cognitive output than to watch a little tv?" We get about 6 different stations:

1) A station that does nothing but advertise ring tones for teenagers cellular devices.
2) A sports programming station that's in Swedish.
3) Swedish equivalent of like an ABC or CBS. Sitcoms and news in Swedish.
4) A station that basically bastardizes and copies American game shows in Swedish. For example, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in Swedish. American Idol is called (simply) Swedish Idol.
5) A station called 'Steve' that seems to show 80's music videos on a continuous loop.
6) MTV

So, with the limited Swedish that I know, along with everyone else on my corridor, we end up getting stuck on MTV. For the last two nights I've been glued to the thing. Sipping tea and starving my cold, while my mind wastes away. Something occurred to me during this process......'my god, what is our programming telling the rest of the world'? Here's a sample of the last two nights tele....

MTV Music Awards - this year's awards show was hosted by Russell Brand. Russell is a degenerate Brit who got his fame cleaning urinals for the Sex Pistols in the early 80's and now has achieved some level of fame in Britain. He claims to be a stand up comic first and foremost, but I would consider him to be simply a joke who can stand up. I would liken his routine to an orthodontic visit. When Russell wasn't leaving the audience in stitches Brittney Spears was accepting awards for her mega hit Pieces of Me which ironically over half of the male guests in attendance had already had. Yes, it was a magical night in Hollywood.

Next - this is a dating show in which there is a single person (male or female) that is going to have an opportunity to sift through 5 possible suitors of the opposite sex. The idea of the show is that as each potential suitor is introduced they are to receive $1 for each minute that they're on the date. As soon as the single is bored or turned off by one of the potential suitors they simply yell out 'next' at which point the suitor is given their money for the corresponding minutes they were on the date and returns to the bus. The next suitor is then introduced from the bus and jumps into the middle of the date....etc. This show would be far more entertaining if instead of introducing the people from the bus, they simply lined them up in front of the bus and floored it.

The X Effect - this show is spicy. Ex lovers are reunited for a weekend escapade of which their current lovers can spy in on without the others knowing. At the end of the show the truth is revealed that the current lovers have been watching and listening to everything that the ex's were doing on their weekend together. Now, here is an interesting question regarding the IQ of the participants. Why do the ex's seem so flabbergasted when it's reported to them that their current lovers were able to watch in on their weekend? Did the camera crew, lighting crew, stage hands, and pool boy not tip them off that something may be up.....

The Hills - is a reality tv show in which a group of snobby rich kids from 'the hills' deal with life's many ups and downs. Major issues like, so and so's boyfriend going to see so and so in so and so's new bmw, and so on. Not a one of them lives in a house that's worth less than Luxemburg's GDP and that's just their college pads. The only redeeming quality of this show is that you're constantly keeping your fingers crossed that your buddy from high school who didn't graduate with flying colors (or at all for that matter) is going to suddenly appear on the show and somehow convince one of the super modelish gals to 'let him stay the night' at which point PAY DAY! Daddy's little girl has a 'bun in the oven' and daddy's willing to pay just about anything to make sure their newest 'gift' is raised with an abscent father.

A Shot At Love - my personal favorite. This show was first introduced to me on my return flight from Manhatten at which point I got to watch the better part of the first season while seated next to my girlfriend (that wasn't awkward was it?). Now, the show features an internet model Tila Tequila who is a bisexual bombshell that got her start in scholarly journals Stuff & Penthouse. She has a successful on line clothing company, fake breasts and (I quote) 'has performed compromising stunts and tasks for rock legend Ted Nuggent'....not exactly the girl next door type. Now, the show is the bisexual version of the bacherllorette in which 15 men and woman compete to be 'the one' who grabs Tila's attention. It's an odd mix where the men wax and the woman prefer not to shave period.

Now, imagine watching this tremendous line up in your college dorm with your best buddies and a twelve pack. Fine. Now, imagine watching this with your corridor mate from Tehran who's father is a highly educated engineer and has barely been able to afford a single room apartment for which to raise his three children in. I wonder why there is some resentment towards the good ole US of A when put in that context. Ashamed, I think I'll go back to watching Sarah Palin interviews on youtube. While the content is equally as bad at least her breasts are real.

Forget Disney Land, I'm Going To IKEA

My plan this weekend took a major turn this morning when I woke up. Originally I was planning to go to Copenhagen to check out their modern art museum and attend an 'international' brew festival (culture and booze, great combo). It's supposedly an ad hoc version of Oktoberfest (which I think I've given up the idea of going to). Anyways, I woke up this morning and learned my friend Hanafe was in need of a trip to Ikea with her friend Ezge. Apparently Ezge was having a dinner party tonight and she needed a 'carpet' to cover her room floor. The word emergency was used more than once in the description. Anyways, the gals asked me if I wanted to go along. I figured what the hell, when one needs a rug, one needs a rug!

We jumped the express train to Malmo from Lund city center. Ultra quiet, ultra quick train takes about 10 minutes to get there. We used our train tickets to transfer to a city bus and we were off. One more bus transfer and we finally caught site of mecca. We walked in the main doors, hopped on the people mover and we were shopping. Now, normally shopping leads me the kitchenware section where I try to take my own life with the latest ginsu but this place, no need for bloodshed. This place is something special. Everything (really, everything) is so well thought out and designed. I've never seen anything like it before.

First thing I noticed was the shopping carts. They have 360 degree movement. They swivel and maneuver like a ferrari. That being said, the time to 'experiment' with this functionality is probably not on the people mover on the way to the first level, as a Swedish family just about lost their children today as a result of my demonstration. Anyways, all the things that Ikea sells are out for display in various sections. The first section we came to was the couches, ottomans, etc. The next section was cabinets, kitchens, etc. Glass, bright colors, sleek finishes, functional yet modern, EVERYTHING!! Anyways, the gals found a couple of fairly large mirrors that they liked. Time to make our first purchase. Now, normally at a traditional store you would simply grab one of the items from the floor, schlep it around with you and then pay at the register at the end. Not at IKEA. Here, you simply fill out (on IKEA recycled paper with IKEA recycled pencils, need a paper tape measure? metric or american? they have those for your disposal as well) a couple of key numbers from the discreetly placed tag on the item. You essentially are making a list from which to collect items from in the warehouse at the end of your journey (I'll come back to this). Moving on we made our way through the store. The layout is such that you essentially have to travel through the whole place to get to your final destination, the cash register. The girls found lots of stuff along the way. Towels, rugs (carpets), some dishes, etc. which they loaded into their cart.

Side note, here was another amazing part. The prices! In a country where you have to sell a kidney to afford a sandwich this place made Target look like Saks 5th Ave. Now, while I love the Finns, I have to take a shot at them here. The Finnish glassware that I brought back from Finland was quite expensive for glassware. I think the 4 glasses from Iittala that I brought home cost around 40 euro. Now granted, it was a gift, uniquely Finnish and something I wanted to bring home to tell the 'story'. At Ikea, similar glassware (cast molded, colored, functional, well designed) costs around 40 kroner (about $1.50/glass). Literally one tenth the price. Kitchen sets, everything on down the line. Discount in comparison to the exclusive Finnish brands.

Back to the story. So, as we meandered our way from store section to store section and as the girls found more and more stuff they wanted to buy I realized that I was not invited on this trip as just another pretty face. No, no, these broads had plans to turn me into their own personal sherpa. Immediately my focus turned to calorie calculations. Two bus trips, a train trip, several miles walking in between, oh god, I needed to feed. I was running dangerously low as it was and that was minus the multitude of 'baggage' these gals were soon to strap to me. I didn't think the lingonberries and musli I had for breakfast was going to get the job done. Like a sign from the heavens there it was....the food court. I seized the moment. Yet another delightful surprise, two wienerkorv (cooneys) and a coke 12 sek ($2). That should get me through till lunch.

Last stop on the shopping trip. The warehouse. Here is a brillient business strategy. All the large items that you choose to buy during your trip are kept in a warehouse that you collect them from at the end of your journey. For us, we referenced our shopping list we made, found aisle 6, item 45. There it was. The mirrors they decided to buy at the start of our journey. They, (along with everything at IKEA) were flat packed (meaning they fit into a flat box that is easy to move and pack) and easy to carry. On a side note, there are stacks and stacks of pallets and boxes within the warehouse. Everything is organized and when an item is 'out' of stock, there is a pallet above it with the identical item that can simply be dropped into place with a fork lift. Ikea is able to do an analysis of their inventory on those products by simply glancing at the racks and ordering more of the corresponding items. We made our way to the cash register. The girls paid, and it was time to organize our loot and figure out the best methodology to load it onto my body. There is a wrapping station that has butcher paper (recycled), string, whatever you need to secure your load. There is also a shipping station if you want to ship something that is perhaps too heavy to carry on the bus or train. We secured our load and off we went. Found the bus to the city center and that was that.

I've got some pictures below from the day that was. A couple from downtown Malmo, the train station, main city square....can you spot the trademark blue Ikea bag?



Don't let the bag size deceive you. It weighs more than a Toyota.


Gals at the city center fountain.


Some swedish babes discussing the many produce options available on this fine day.


Flower market. Winter is coming soon!


New meets old. Cobblestone streets and freshly purchased items from Ikea.


The stately senate square.


The best I could decipher was this was some sort of iron chef sweden style. The lads on stage were cooking against one another.


Central rail station in Malmo. Since the city sits on the ocean there are numerous boat ways that run through the city.

Done and Done

It seems like I've solved a MAJOR problem I was having in Sweden. Let me explain. One of my favorite web sites is www.pandora.com. I think this web site is pure brilliance. It allows you to create music stations based on artists you like. For example, let's say you absolutely love 'Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass', you can simply type that into the interface on pandora and it will most likely play a song from the band, as well as create a music station around similar music. As songs and artists play you have the option to give the system a thumbs up or thumbs down. If you thumb up a song it will record that and play songs similar to that song more often. The opposite happens if you thumb down something. Accounts are free and you simply use an email address and a password you create to log into the system. The system archives your 'stations' and will play them uninterrupted (no commercials) for hours with no attention at all paid to the system. Like I said, brilliant!

Brilliant, that is until you leave the United States. Finland, Estonia, and most recently Sweden are all places pandora won't play due to licensing agreements with the artists on the platform. Buzzkill!! So for weeks now I've been trying to solve the problem of silence and trying to figure out how to get some tunes going in my humble abode. Enter www.last.fm This site essentially does the same thing pandora does and more. It's interface isn't quite as simplistic to use (in my opinion), but it is far more informative and 'social' (if you like those types of things). Essentially it works the same way as pandora. You provide some generic input (artists, songs, etc that you like) and then last fm takes over and creates an evolving and continuous play list that you can tune into as you like. Yahtzee!!

Has Anyone Seen My Bike, 2 Tires, Basket, Anyone?

Sometimes life takes turns you can't see coming. Things that blindside you when you least expect it. Today was one of those days. LANCE is coming to the Tour in 2009!! This is one of the greatest pieces of news I've heard since the time Jon and I found a bus willing to take us from the north rim of the grand canyon back to the south rim after I about died in the floor of the thing. Yes, this is the news of the day. To celebrate this news I leave the readers with a moment of bicycle zen. Below are pictures from one of the half dozen or so large parking racks for bikes within Lund. There are probably 5 dozen smaller (maybe only hold 250 cycles) lots throughout the city, and countless single cycle parking places with bikes in every nock and cranny of the city. I'm sure my ride will turn up soon enough......

$16 Grocery Trip

This last weekend I took an opportunity to seek out the 'greater' grocery store that is close to my home. I had heard rumblings that there was a larger grocery store with a better selection just on the other side of the 'highway' from where I live. So, despite the fact my initial plan was to bike there, I set out on foot to find the store. Sure enough, like an oasis in the Sahara there she sat. ICA (not to be confused with IKEA)! Upon entering the store I saw the typical Swedish grocery store sights, long check out ques, miniature shopping carts, video surveillance, etc. I grabbed a basket and hit the aisles. The store was great. There was so much more of a selection than the neighborhood market down the street from my flat and prices were the same on most everything. I quickly filled a basket (which is all I choose to carry back to my place at once). Here is what I got for 109 SEK ($16)

Digestive Cookie Biscuits (Log)
Spenat hackad (Shredded spinach - frozen bag)
Fettuccine Spenat (Dry spinach fettucini noodles)
Raksallad (Crayfish salad spread)
0.5l of Krusovic Cerne (Czech Republic beer)
Sommargronsaker (Vegetable medley - frozen bag)
Knackebrod (Grain crackers that are like slices of bread only dried and crunchy - large package)
Bruna bonor (Prepared baked beans - plastic roll that resembles a sausage)
Frigg ort-te (Green leaf tea - bags)

All in all a good trip. I got a few 'luxury' items (green tea and a beer) as well as a handful of meals with the veggies and the spinach noodles. I can snack on the raksallad and knackebrod and maybe make a meal out of the beans with a hot dog or something thrown in.

In other news, the days are getting cooler here. Fall is in the air. I took a picture of one of my favorite buildings on campus today. It's posted below. The building is the main library for the university. What's great about the building is that it's covered in ivy (as you can see). That same ivy, when a slight wind blows (which is virtually constant in Southern Sweden) makes the whole building wave to you as you pass by. The ivy also tells you what season it is. In the spring it starts to get green right in line with the sunshine hitting it, and like now, it starts to turn colors (from the top down) to represent that fall is here. When the colors reach the ground it's time for winter.

With The Good Comes The Sad

Another week in the books. It seems like every day that goes by I figure out something new and things get a bit easier. This week had the usual frustrations associated with living in a foreign place, but it also had some moments of brilliance. One such moment happened this evening. One of the my program classmates Max scheduled an impromptu meeting of the minds informally billed as 'idea lounge'. The idea of this meeting was to open up a forum where the others in our program could share some things about themselves and explain in a bit of detail what their hopes and aspirations were for their year in Lund. The secondary goal was to outline a brief idea or two that they have for a possible business project. It didn't take long for the creative juices to start flowing. There were some really good ideas floated out and it seemed as though everyone was comfortable sharing information with the broad group. It was great to see how quickly people's personal barriers came down. As we went around the room it became apparent that all of us have something very positive to contribute to whatever projects we decide to work on. Optimism abound!!

Second really positive thing that happened this week was in conversation with Sergio who's from Chile. Sergio has lived in Lund for 7 years now and has studied at the university, has started several small businesses within the university and is well connected throughout the community. I expressed to him how I was having trouble gaining traction within Lund. While I'm meeting lots of new people and having lots of stimulating experiences I'm not necessarily connecting with the right people that can open doors and create opportunities within Sweden and the EU as a whole. I felt like after spending 6 weeks in Finland I could competently have a detailed conversation about how that society operates, how business attitudes are different, their general economy, and briefly how their government works. I left there with a network of contacts that I could have easily assembled into a 'team' should the need arise. That experience is something that I now want to replicate without the help of an organization like Rotary (which opened the doors for me in Finland). It's very important to me to know that I can develop a similar network on my own. It may be the most important thing I accomplish in the next year and will give me a great deal of confidence that I can replicate this in a 'new' environment should I find myself somewhere like this again. Anyways, I feel like I've spent two weeks in Lund and can barely wipe my ass (so to speak).

Enter Sergio; he pointed me to a couple of organizations that he thinks are well connected and people not only I, but our entire program should get to know. The main group he suggested was an organization known as FENA. They are essentially a non-profit organization for entrepreneurs and new business enterprises. They host forums and lectures that cover topics of interest to me. Additionally, he mentioned some regional development corporations that I will seek some meetings with. In Finland these groups understood what the government mandates and goals were for economic development within a given region. They often times hand held small businesses during various stages of development and would streamline funding if the company fit within certain parameters. Understanding this process will be of vital importance if (and when) something is to come from this program. Add these folks to my running 'to do' list.

In sad news, it seems as though the bike that I was just starting to kind of come around to has been stolen. Yep, I guess she found a better offer. I went out this morning to go to IKA (not to be confused with IKEA) and buy a few groceries. When I walked down to where it was stationed since Thursday after class the bike was gone. No lock, no sign of a struggle, no blood droplets or DNA. Now, bike theft is a really common thing here in Lund. It's kind of a 'war scar' that many students are proud to show. The police officer that greeted us and gave us a few street tips on day two of orientation mentioned the numerous things not to do with your bike. Don't leave it unlocked, don't leave it tied up just by the front tire, don't leave it just lying around people might think it's abandoned, etc. I did none of this, but apparently the temptation was too much for someone to bear. So for now, I've decided I'm going to live life on foot. It takes me about 40ish minutes to walk to class and a bit less to get home as it's downhill coming and uphill going. I've had a lot of bikes come and go in my life and with the exception of a few that I bought I always found them (I didn't steal them, there's a difference) and took them under my wing to give them a home in their lonliest hour. It's not so much the monetary loss (which is an issue, but negligible) it's more the sadness that I'm sure the bike is going to feel now as I'm sure it won't be as loved as it would have been with me as the owner. But, I guess, se la vie. Sad turn of events really. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

The Fat Lady Has Sung

Well it's over. The GOP party finally wrapped up last night in dramatic (yawn) fashion with a compelling (yawn) speech by GOP candidate John McCain. It's now safe to replace the nightly glass of bourbon and aspirin with a pint of mylanta. Hug your children and love your wife, the nightmares might well last through October. What once seemed like a formidable challenge to Obama's run at the oval office now has turned into some off colored version of the brady bunch that stars twice as many children as the original and which Karl Rove has replaced Alice as the friendly yet can't be trusted personality that cleans up the mess left behind by the group and their children (I hope we don't have to see him in any sort of pastel apron). Yes, it was quite the event. We learned a lot of really important things about the party and their selections for the oval office......

I'll start with McCain. While we already knew about his patriotic actions in Vietnam as well as his road to the senate we learned some important things about him this week. Mainly his taste in women. His selection of Palin may have stunned the nation and caused republicans a moment of pause (mainly to figure out who the hell she was), but to any 20ish year old sitting by a computer screen the choice was really, really clear. Sorry Cindy, looks like your hubby just bumped you from belle of the ball to cocktail waitress. No hard feelings though, we'll let you keep your 7 figure salary from the family biz to ice the pain.

Speaking of Palin, let's move on to her. What a babe. This broad in a v-neck with her hair up can swing half the electoral college of Minnesota simply by 'dropping her pen'. She's popped out 5 kids, can field dress a moose in the dead of an Alaskan winter, beat the shit out of parents at PTA meetings when they disagreed with her 'executive power', can deliver medicine to eskimos via dog sled and snowmobile, was runner up in a 1984 beauty pageant contest and single handedly defeated a tribe of vikings that were trying to conquer the Aleutian islands from the north (the picture below proves it)...yes, this gals got balls (or at least the female equivalent).

Now, while I am in favor of a macro shift in politics from the good ole boy system to a more youthful (most likely less experienced) and different faced Washington I think this move was absurd. I commend McCain for taking a stride in a positive direction for the GOP by stepping up to nominate a woman as his running mate. He had to take a risk as his campaign was on life support. If this was managed properly and not such a haymaker punch from the back meant to swing female votes he may have pulled it off. As it sits I think he sunk his own ship (or is that crashed his own plane?). I believe that female voters will ultimately rebel against Palin when the count comes in come November. I think it takes more than parading a (hot) soccer mom around Minneapolis to win this highly contested election. The debates will prove interesting and should be a good litmus test for everyone involved. Obama should be able to talk circles around McCain as these should be the less interesting of the few debates. The real gloves will come off when Biden tries to keep his eyes off Palin and has to answer questions thrown at him while she squirms in her chair replicating the interrogation scene in Basic Instinct. Have a pack of smokes handy, you're going to need one when it's over.

My Mailing Address

So, after some test runs from the US my first piece of mail showed up today. Here is the best address to send something to if you are so inclined. Please let me know what you are sending and when you ship it if it's a package. Letters or any other correspondence can just get here when they get here.

Engell, Jeff, A:315
Allingavagen 9
227 34 Lund
Sweden - SE

If you put those lines in the exact order I have them and written in the manner I've written them there shouldn't be any issues. FYI.

I Just Balanced Your Budget Asshole

As it's no surprise to anyone that knows me I am grossly opposed to the current sheriff, Jim Alderdan, we have in our county (your county I guess as I live in Sweden now). I thought the loophole we (I voted against this) voted in to re-elect him was a joke. I thought his entire platform of wanting to build out a stronger jail and alternative sentencing system was a joke. I think his wife is ugly and I'd probably stoop so low as to kick his dog if he had one (I'm a dog person, so this is a bit extreme). In his latest edition of the Bull's Eye (here's the link : http://www.larimersheriff.org/BullsEye/Default.aspx click on 'revenue augmentation project blog entry dated 9/3/2008') he outlines and complains about a current short fall in funding for his distinguished consortium. While normally I would nit pick his poor attempt at sarcastic writing and use of the English language I will simply offer a solution to his conundrum......

Jimmy boy, if you want to cover the shortfall in appropriations simply have your staff park their cars at the shop each night. They, like the citizens they 'serve and protect', can find their own means of transportation to and fro their place of employment (the grocery store, their childs daycare, their wife's hair appointment, Friday night dinner at Applebee's, the Bronco's game at Invesco, and the many other off duty uses that help to keep us safe at night by maintaining a 'visible' law enforcement presence on the streets). The petroleum, maintenance, potential fleet reduction and depreciation expenses that are saved on the fleet will more than offset the few bucks you are short in the kitty.

In the short term, beware citizens of Larimer county. The second to last statement in his article promises to make up the shortfall by eliminating positions and through revenue enhancement. Another way of saying that is the 'shortfall will be eliminated by trimming some of the fat from our glutinous payroll and writing all of our citizens more tickets'. As the Aussies say, 'Fuckall'.

School Bells

First day of classes under my belt and I'm already feeling smarter. Class today was mainly a chance to introduce ourselves to one another and for the professors to introduce themselves and lay out the expectations for the coming year. As anticipated the class is comprised of people from all across the globe. There are a couple of swedes and a couple of americans, but the rest of the group is from everywhere in between. I sat next to Leonard (Dutch) and Yanna (Swedish). Since Leonard was the first Dutch lad I had met I took the opportunity to ask if the wooden shoes are just a tourist novelty, or if in fact people actually wear them. Leonard, without hesitation, informed me that they were once widely popular, but now have been replaced with rubber knock offs similar to crocs. Thank you Leonard. The Swede was the typical 'you have to say something to me before I'll say something to you', so I started the conversation as I'm finding is necessary to do in this country. Yanna informed me that she studied graphic design at Malmo university and was now continuing on with her education in this program. Yanna asked how I enjoyed living in Lund and asked me what I missed about home. Today the answer to that question was black bean burritos. Damn if I can find any black beans over here. Anyways, we exchanged some more niceties and it was time for class. The program is going to be perfect. We start out the first 3.5 months with three intensive classes where we conduct market/industry analysis on the present economic landscape on a global scale (not just within Scandinavia), as well as a specific class on market exploitation and resource acquisition for venture projects. Once we blast through those we're off for our winter break which lasts about 3 weeks depending on how the testing gets scheduled at the end of the semester. Looks like there will be plenty of winter possibilities for vacation destinations as pretty much every developed country in the world is represented in my class and I can make friends with just about anyone. After the winter break we return to an intensive class line up dealing with venture growth and management of the growth process. It's those classes mixed with our project work that runs right up to commencement in June. It's going to be intense. It was also made quite clear today in the overview that the goal of this program is to identify and build out a high growth potential venture while at Lund. If the venture has legs come commencement the university will place you and your team in the on site innovation incubator and let you have a year of free office space, technical resources, communication resources, academic resources and mentorship. I can't imagine a scenario outside of academia where such an opportunity would exist.