First of all, let me say:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Denmark:
Danes eager to open up
28.12.2007Immigration regulation should be adjusted in order for Danish workplaces to attract foreign employees, stated a majority of Danes in a recent study.
Zapera, a market research company, conducted the study on behalf of the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
Recent years have seen a rising shortage of specialists, researchers and care personnel.
Every other Dane surveyed said that they had had personal experience with a foreign worker and over half of the meetings had been positive, whereas only 15 per cent deemed them negative.
The study also showed that every third Dane felt it should be easier for Danish companies to hire foreign workers.
Finland: that’s the way how they see it…
Finns See Iraq, Iran, Russia & US as Top Threats
Published 29.12.2007, 17.39Finns see Iraq and Iran as the biggest threats to world peace, according to a survey published by the leading daily Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday.
Iraq was identified as a threat by 63 percent of respondents, followed closely by Iran at 62 percent. Moving into third place since a previous poll was Russia, seen by 56 percent as a threat. A close fourth was the United States at 55 percent.
Next on the list were the Palestinian areas and Israel, followed by North Korea.
More than half of those surveyed said that the world is becoming more insecure. One quarter said that climate change is the biggest international problem, followed by poverty and the Iraq War.
Almost 1300 people were interviewed in late November and early December for the Gallup poll.
Netherlands:
Early smoking ban in 70% bars
Monday 31 December 2007Around 70% of hotels, restaurants and bars will ban smoking on January 1, six months before they are legally obliged to do so, according to the catering industry organisation.
A spokesman for the organisation told RTL news on Sunday evening that many establishments have chosen to introduce the ban on January 1 for psychological reasons. ‘Many people make good resolutions on January 1, including plans to stop smoking,’ he said.
Norway:
Don’t expect climate impact
Tuesday January 01 2008Norwegians are unconvinced that global climate change will have an effect on their daily life in the coming year.
A survey carried out by Sentio for newspaper Nationen shows that roughly half - 53 percent - of those asked expect to feel a slight impact on their lives from climate change.
One in four, 25.2 percent, do not believe that climate change will affect their daily life in 2008, and only 15.7 percent anticipate a major impact from climate change.
Those most prepared to see change are primarily the young, while those over the age of 60 are least worried.
Haltbrekken expects other parts of the world to feel the effects of climate change more directly, and does not rule out this leading to higher energy and food prices, also in Norway.
The survey showed that more women than men believe that noticeable effects of climate change will be felt in Norway from next year, and that voters for the governing red-green coalition of the Labour, Socialist Left and Center parties, as well as Liberal Party voters, are most wary of immediate changes.
Those least convinced that they will feel the effects of climate change support the populist Progress Party, which continues to dispute the link between human activity and global warming, and residents of northern Norway.
Sweden:
Swedes paying TV licence fees in droves
Published: 31 Dec 07 13:22 CETRevenues are up at Sweden’s main public broadcasters due to record numbers of households paying their TV licence fees.
Dagens Nyheter reports that altogether, nearly 30,000 households have paid their fees for the first time in 2007, resulting in roughly 60 million kronor.
“This is probably the best year in our history,” said Anna Pettersson, Managing Director for Radiotjänst, the company charged with collecting the TV licence fees which finance Sweden’s public broadcasting services.
Fifty seven percent of the licence income goes to Sweden’s public television service (SVT). The standard public radio service (SR) receives 37 percent, while the educational radio service (UR) services 4.75 percent. The levels are set by the Riksdag.
Last fall, TV licence fees became a hot-button issue when it was discovered that several ministers in the new Alliance government had failed to pay the 166 kronor per month fee.
Nowadays, after got married, we hardly posed in the picture together anymore 
This is a rare picture, you know 
micpohling