denmark

The birthplace of the Ikea flat-pack also finds itself home to some pretty controversial ads. Unlike its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden does not ban advertisements insulting to women. Considering advertising a form of free speech, Sweden allows sexist images — such as nurse lying on a bed with male underpants covering her face. Such an ad, showing a woman in a demeaning position, would be banned in the countries next door.

In Denmark and Norway sexual and sexist images are forbidden unless they are relevant to the product. According to the BBC, the strict laws forbid anything that could make a viewer take offense or feel uncomfortable. Firms that do not remove inappropriate material are fined about $100,000 — though many businesses welcome the fine as a small price to pay for increased publicity. Head of Norway's association of the country's top advertising agencies says of their standards, "we're not that Puritan that you can't have naked bodies. But it has to be done in the right way, with charm and passion."

Do you agree with Sweden that sexist ads should be protected under freedom of speech? Norway and Denmark's ban on anything offensive seems like a pretty subjective standard. But do you think it would be easy to determine what crosses the line? Is it charm and passion or censorship gone wild in Denmark and Norway?

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I always thought the United States was associated with wealth and stability. Well, apparently not according to the latest rankings of country stability and prosperity. The US is ranked 22nd, with a still respectable score of 93 out of 100, coming in behind Ireland, Portugal, Denmark, Australia, and France, to name a few.

Iraq just escaped the bottom ten, thanks to the high number of foreign troops and high level of oil revenue. But Afghanistan came in as the world's third most unstable country, thanks to its government's inability to control large regions of the country, and the fact that opium accounts for 50 percent of the economy.

Jane's Country Risk, the group that conducted the one year investigation, said that the proliferation of small arms (aka guns) owned by Americans, and dangerous drug trafficking on the Mexican border led to the US's drop in the rankings.

And who's number one? To find out read more

I don't know too many houses that don't contain an Ikea doodad or two (hundred, in my case) but I had no idea that I was disrespecting my Danish heritage with my love of the ISERUD. So the story is this: the Danes are accusing Swedish home-furnishings giant Ikea of cultural imperialism because in the wacky Ikea naming scheme, it turns out all of the doormats, floor coverings, and less-than-glamorous items are given Danish names, while the fancy things like beds and sofas are all Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish names.

The Danes claim Ikea is walking all over them. Literally.

After an analysis of the Ikea catalog by two university scholars led to this finding:

Doormats and runners, as well as inexpensive wall-to-wall carpeting, are third-class, if not seventh-class, items when it comes to home furnishings.

If this all sounds like a bunch of FARTYG to you, read more

Just as the Egg Chair celebrates its 50th year, it's only fitting that an equally delightful, yet derivative, design come to shore. Welcome the Lobster Chair (inquire for price). Created by yet another Danish firm, Lund & Paarmann, "Lobster" looks suspiciously similar to Mr. Egg Chair, but exudes the crustacean confidence and craftsmanship that you'll just want to get your claws into. Its shell is laminated, bentwood with a walnut veneer at the back. Inside the shell is Pantera foam, a very durable and eco-safe foam, and its fabrics and leather are built to last. The chair's swivel base is chrome-plated steel. Lobster also has a marine chair pal called "Shelley." To meet Shelley, read more

When the Volkswagen Fox launched a few years ago, the Hotel Fox in Copenhagen, Denmark, invited 21 international artists to outfit and design 61 rooms as they saw fit. The designs that emerged ranged in style from fairytale fantasy to cool modern art. Artists such as Miami's Friends With You and Australia's Rinzen worked to create rooms that would truly transport visitors from the everyday workaday world to a vacation fantasy realm.

Besides the amazing rooms, the hotel also features a bar and restaurant that work together to pair signature cocktails with healthy and innovative food. The kitchen concentrates on ingredients that are Nordic, seasonal, and free-range.

Additionally, the Fox will work with you to try to provide particular rooms as they are requested, though the hotel cannot always guarantee that your preferred room will be available. The Fox also does its best to answer any questions visitors may have. Staff members will advise hotel guests on their best options for everything from shopping to dining to art and sporting events.

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While I think NYC's ban on trans fats is fantastic, some people disagree arguing that their foods will just not have the same texture and taste without the added trans fats.

What skeptics may not know is that Denmark made it illegal for any food to have more than 2 percent trans fats (offenders face hefty fines or even prison terms) nearly three years ago. I haven't heard too many complaints coming from them. It has even been reported that:

The french fries are still crispy. The pastries are still scrumptious. And the fried chicken is still tasty.

Apparently, in the beginning the Danish bakers were having a hard time getting the right textures to their yummy traditional pastries such as, well danishes, but after some minor trial and error it's all been figured out.

The point is that no body is complaining and I don't see why they would -- Wouldn't it be nice to be hungry and be able to get anything, knowing it won't have any trans fats? Denmark proves to be a great example for NYC as they embark on cutting the trans fats.