Rat causes a 3-hour power outage in Stockholm

by Iva Skoch on

The year of the Rat has been going well so far. Rats have been getting more attention than ever. At least on Gadling. At least by me.

It warmed my heart to see that yet another rat got into the spotlight lately. On Saturday morning, a giant rat had apparently sneaked into a signal box in the Sheraton Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden and caused it to short-circuit. The rat was electrocuted and Stockholm’s central train station, as well as nearby hotels and shops, lost power for three hours.

I am sure Sheraton is thrilled about the rat publicity.

Photo: limonada, Flickr

One for the Road: The Palace of the Snow Queen

by Kelly Amabile on

I’ve had a copy of this book for awhile, but unfortunately have not had a chance to read it yet. However, I want to let you know about Barbara Sjoholm’s new book now, because she’s got an event coming up this week. The Palace of the Snow Queen is a travel narrative that follows the author through Sweden, Finland and other parts of Lapland. Sjoholm visits the Ice Hotel in Kiruna, takes part in traditional activities like reindeer racing and dog sledding, and adjusts to the ever-darkening days of the Far North. Bookslut recently posted a positive review.

If you live anywhere near Bellingham, WA, you can meet the author and view a slideshow of photos from her travels in Lapland at an event at Village Books this Thursday night. She’ll read from her book, and also discuss the culture of the indigenous Sami, who are currently in a struggle to maintain their traditional reindeer grazing lands and migration routes.

A City on the Move. Literally.

by Iva Skoch on

Countries sometimes have to make unusual decisions to preserve their cultural heritage. Sweden’s northernmost town of Kiruna, for example, will move its city center a few miles away. It needs to save it from sinking into the ground because of some underground cracks created by iron ore mining.

Moving some buildings is harder than others. The city hall, for one thing, needs to be cut it into six pieces and then moved. The biggest problem the town is facing now is finding a new location for their downtown.

Word for the Travel Wise (06/09/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Alas, the World Cup games have arrived and it was a sad day for both Polish fans and Costa Rica’s Ticos that stormed over to Munich to support their teams. I was fortunate enough to stay inside and watch a good portion of each game, but the one I’m really hoping to see is Trinidad & Tobago vs. Sweden tomorrow. With Trinidad & Tobago being one of the smallest nations in history to qualify for the World Cup and one of my favorite countries to vacation you can already guess who I’ll be rooting for – Go Soca Warriors!

Today’s word is a slang word used in Trinidad & Tobago:

rampalooge – rampage

I tried searching for a good word you might hear during game times like these and this one seemed to fit. I can’t recall having heard the word on my three week Carnival jaunt through the country, but I’m certainly hoping TnT and those traveling over to Germany for the games don’t go on some type of win-or-lose rampage. Then again, it’s the World Cup which only happens every four years. Max it up!

Definition of today’s word and past Trini slang is compliments of the online Trini dictionary.

Past Trini slang words: bawlin’, bacchanal, lime