Published by Swedish News. Volume 145 No. 3, March 15, 2017. Price per copy $3.50.
Photo: KP Photograph
Water is Life
Photo: Stockholm Visitors Board
Viking Age manor For centuries it has been speculated where the manor of the royal bailiff of the Viking city Birka, Herigar, might have been located. New geophysical results provide evidence of its location at Korshamn, outside the town rampart of the Viking Age proto-town Birka in Sweden. The results have been published in the international scientific journal Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt. continues on page 22
From the simplest organisms to the most complex animals, water is critical to survival. It is a precious resource that affects all facets of life, and humans can’t go for more than a few days without it. Water makes up nearly 60 percent of our bodies as both a solvent of essential vitamins and a delivery mechanism that flushes out toxins, regulates body temperature and aids our metabolism. Because we rely on water for so many basic needs, water sustainability and conservation have become increasingly important, especially as staggering statistics continue to reveal that more and more people around the world don’t have access to water for drinking or even sanitation. One in 10 people in the world lack access to safe water – that’s 663 million people (twice the population of the U.S.) who do not have access to an adequate water supply. Many countries are stepping up their game
to conserve water as well as get water to those in need, and Sweden has become a frontrunner in doing so. And though World Water Day calls special attention to this issue on March 22 every year, “water blindness” is still a problem: Many of us have come to expect the water running from our faucets or through streams to flow forever. Story page 12
How ABBA, the first band to make it big from Sweden got its name and rose to fame. / p2 Oscar for Best Cinematography to Linus Sandgren. The last time this happened was when Sven Nykvist won for his work on Fanny and Alexander. / p. 5 Like California, Sweden has also been warned about future possible water shortages. / p20 Get the recipe for “Kornmjölsgröt” (barley flour porridge), a common Viking porridge. / p21