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Mike Bucci

Michael Bucci (born June 5, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. Bucci is best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Simon Dean.

Early career (1992–1995)
Bucci was trained in professional wrestling by Mike Sharpe, and debuted in 1992, wrestling on the independent circuit. In late 1993, Bucci made several appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, wrestling in tag team matches against the Steiner Brothers and the Headshrinkers on Monday Night Raw.

Blue World Order (1996–1998)
In 1996, Bucci debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as Super Nova (later shortened to Nova), utilizing a superhero character. He made his ECW debut at Hostile City Showdown against El Puerto Riqueño, with the match ending in a no contest due to outside interference by The Eliminators. He was later paired with Raven, Stevie Richards, and The Blue Meanie as part of the Raven's Nest faction. Nova would often pair with Richards and Meanie to imitate rock bands such as KISS and The Jackson 5.

Bucci, along with Richards, asked permission from both Raven and Paul Heyman to parody the New World Order (nWo); it was granted, and Bucci was given credit with the creation of The Blue World Order (bWo) logo. Bucci parodied Hollywood Hogan as Hollywood Nova, Richards became "Big Stevie Cool" (a takeoff on Kevin Nash's nickname of "Big Daddy Cool"), and Meanie was "Da Blue Guy", a takeoff on Scott Hall, "The Bad Guy". bWo debuted at November to Remember where they helped Richards in defeating David Tyler Morton Jericho. Many other members were added and removed between 1996 and 1998 before the team split in the latter. bWo would become popular with the fans turning into fan favorites and leaving Raven's Nest in the process.

Richards left the bWo to return to Raven's Nest, and Nova and Meanie continued to team together as a tag team. On the July 17, 1997, episode of Hardcore TV, Nova unsuccessfully challenged Taz for the World Television Championship. bWo feuded with the much larger stable Full Blooded Italians throughout 1998, defeating them at Wrestlepalooza. In the fall of the year, bWo entered a rivalry with Danny Doring and Roadkill, defeating them at November to Remember.

Teaming and feuding with Chris Chetti (1999–2001)
After Meanie left the company, Bucci changed his gimmick, becoming Super Nova, and adopting a more serious personality. He would start wearing wrestling attires based in the suits of comic book characters like The Flash, Green Lantern and Venom. He formed a tag team with Chris Chetti as the two challenged Dudley Boyz for the World Tag Team Championship on numerous occasions but failed to win the titles. At Living Dangerously, Nova teamed with Spike Dudley to defeat the Dudley Boyz. Nova defeated Rod Price at Cyberslam. Chetti and Nova also simultaneously feuded with Danny Doring and Roadkill, trading wins at Hostile City Showdown and Heat Wave. At Anarchy Rulz, Nova and Chetti fought Simon Diamond and Tony DeVito to a no contest. At November to Remember, Nova lost to Little Guido. u The rivalry with Doring and Roadkill continued into 2000 as the team of Nova, Jazz and Kid Kash lost to Doring, Roadkill and Diamond in a six-person tag team match. At Living Dangerously, Chetti and Nova defeated Jado and Gedo in a tag team match. At Cyberslam, Nova and Jazz lost to Dawn Marie and Lance Storm at Cyberslam. At Hardcore Heaven, Chetti and Nova defeated Doring and Roadkill and Da Baldies (Angel and Tony DeVito) in a three-way dance. At Heat Wave, Chetti and Nova defeated Da Baldies. At the night one of Midtown Massacre, Chetti and Nova participated in a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, losing to Tap Out (Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger) in the opening round. At the night two of the event, Chetti and Nova competed against Danny Doring and Roadkill and Tap Out in a three-way dance, where Chetti turned on Nova by hitting him with a chair causing them to get eliminated and breaking up the team. It marked the beginning of a heated rivalry between the two men, with Nova beating his former partner in a match where the loser was fired at November to Remember.

After Chetti's departure, Nova feuded with Hot Commodity (Julio Dinero, E. Z. Money and Chris Hamrick), wrestling Hot Commodity members Julio Dinero at Massacre on 34th Street, E. Z. Money at Holiday Hell and Chris Hamrick at ECW's final pay-per-view event Guilty as Charged on January 7, 2001. At the second to last ECW event in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, he was named as Danny Doring's substitute tag team partner (filling in for Amish Roadkill) to help defend the World Tag Team Championship against Hot Commodity; Doring and Nova successfully defended the titles. His final match for ECW took place on January 13 where he defeated Tom Marquez.

Independent circuit and overseas (2001–2002)
When ECW went out of business, Bucci, as Nova, became more active on the independent scene until 2003. Nova wrestled in various promotions such as California's Ultimate Pro Wrestling, and New Jersey's Phoenix Championship Wrestling, the latter of which was founded by his brother Don Bucci. During this time, he formed a successful tag team with Frankie Kazarian known as Evolution (not to be confused with the World Wrestling Entertainment stable of the same name). In most of the promotions they competed for, they were successful in becoming tag team champions. He also briefly wrestled in the short-lived Australia-based World Wrestling All-Stars, where he feuded with A.J. Styles amongst other cruiserweights for the promotion's International Cruiserweight Championship, which he was unable to win before the company folded. In late 2001, he also worked a number of shows in England.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2007)
In April 2002, Bucci signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). In his OVW debut, he defeated The Prototype for the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He held the title for several months, retaining it in matches against The Prototype, Christian, Lance Cade, and Chris Kanyon, before he lost it to The Damaja in October. The following year, he formed a tag team with Aaron Stevens, and the duo defeated Tank Toland and Chris Cage to win the OVW Tag Team Championship. In June 2004, Bucci was named the assistant booker of OVW. It was around this time that he was called up to start competing in SmackDown! dark matches and on Velocity.

He then began to try out a fitness-expert gimmick using the ring name Simon Dean. The name was inspired by Dean Malenko's real name, Dean Simon. In August 2004, a series of introductory promos about the "Simon System" (a program of diet, exercise, and supplements) were aired on WWE television. The promos parodied fitness infomercials, with Dean routinely insulting his supposed customers. During this gimmick, he acted as the sponsor of Raw, occasionally wrestling after first insulting the fitness of the crowd and the area in which they were located. After making only a minor impact on the Raw brand, he formed a tag team with Maven who supposedly was a user of the "Simon System". With still only a minor impact made, Bucci was traded to the SmackDown! brand on June 30, 2005.

During a WWE produced ECW pay-per-view, ECW One Night Stand, Bucci returned as Hollywood Nova with Da Blue Guy and Big Stevie Cool as the bWo. During the event, Joey Styles made a reference to his "Simon Dean" character. After Bucci was hit with two chairs, Styles said, "That's more painful than having to be Simon Dean on national TV".

When Bucci moved to SmackDown! as part of the draft lottery, he joined the other members of the bWo and appeared as "Hollywood" Nova for his first appearance on the show. His next appearance for the brand was wrestling on its sister show, Velocity, as Simon Dean. The general belief was that the bWo appearance was going to be a one off, meaning Bucci would keep to his "health sponsor" gimmick. It was announced, however, that the bWo would participate in a 6-man tag match at The Great American Bash against The Mexicools (Juventud, Psicosis, and Super Crazy). The announcement of this match occurred on the same edition of SmackDown! that Bucci's Simon Dean character had a match with Booker T. At the Great American Bash, the bWo lost to the Mexicools in the six-man tag team match. The appearance of the bWo soon faded as The Blue Meanie wasn't staying with the company and Richards began returning to his previous heel gimmick while Bucci continued with the Simon Dean persona.

In late August, Dean began coming to the ring on the Dean Machine (a Segway PT type machine). He would also force feed "Simon System" products to jobbers who wouldn't accept his offer to try them after defeating them in squash matches. On the September 1 episode of SmackDown!, he faced Batista whom he claimed to be a user of his products. Dean had his first major WWE pay-per-view appearance at No Mercy, in a loss against Bobby Lashley. After the match, Lashley forced Dean to eat 20 double cheeseburgers, causing him to vomit backstage. Dean had been noted on his later appearances as the "Head of SmackDown!'s welcoming committee", a position in which he was used as a jobber to debuting wrestlers.

During the January 6, 2006, episode of SmackDown!, Dean came to the ring and challenged any tag team. Paul London and Brian Kendrick answered the challenge, only to be brutally attacked by Gymini (Jake and Jesse), two alleged users of The Simon System. Dean was the third entrant in the 2006 Royal Rumble but was eliminated quickly by match-starters Triple H and Rey Mysterio. Dean began managing Gymini, but the team soon faded off television after Jesse suffered an injury in May 2006 and Dean went back to jobbing to other superstars.

In August 2006, Bucci took over from Tommy Dreamer as a talent development manager in OVW. On August 31, 2007, Bucci parted ways with WWE.

Return to the independent circuit (2009–present)
On April 18, 2009, Bucci, as Hollywood Nova, along with many other ECW alumni appeared at One Pro Wrestling's "To The Extreme" weekend event, where he teamed with the Blue Meanie for his first in-ring performances in nearly 3 years. They unsuccessfully challenged Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby) for the 1PW Tag Team Championship. Bucci has since wrestled for both 1PW and International Wrestling Cartel.

On June 27, 2009, Bucci, again as Hollywood Nova appeared with many other former ECW talent at the Francine Fournier-run benefit show entitled Legends of The Arena at the original ECW Arena in South Philadelphia. He accompanied the Blue Meanie to the ring where they as the Blue World Order defeated the team of Little Guido and Big Sal the Full Blooded Italians. On August 8, 2010, Bucci took part in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's ECW reunion show, Hardcore Justice, where he, as Hollywood Nova, accompanied Stevie Richards to the ring and later attacked Tommy Dreamer during his match with Raven.

Bucci appeared in the "On the Spot Title Shot" Battle Royal for Pro Wrestling Syndicate in March 2015 where he reunited with BWO stablemates Stevie Richards and the Blue Meanie. The three also appeared at Pro Wrestling Syndicate's Supercard show on June 6, 2015, as part of Mick Foley's 50th Birthday Celebration. On September 4, 2015, Hollywood Nova, Big Stevie Cool, and Da Blue Guy reunited as the Blue World Order for Chikara's 2015 King of Trios tournament. They were eliminated from the tournament in their first round match by the Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive, Flex Rumblecrunch and Max Smashmaster). During the third night of the tournament, Bucci worked a tag team match under his Simon Dean gimmick.

Personal life
He is the twin brother of Phoenix Championship Wrestling promoter and founder Don "Donnie B." Bucci. After retiring in 2007, Bucci began working as a licensed Mortgage broker throughout the United States.

Championships and accomplishments

 * American Wrestling Council
 * AWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Border City Wrestling
 * BCW Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Dreamer
 * Carolina Wrestling Syndicate
 * CWS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Blue Meanie
 * East Coast Wrestling Alliance
 * ECWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Frankie Kazarian
 * Garden State Wrestling Alliance
 * GSWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Great Lakes Wrestling
 * GLW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Northeast Wrestling
 * NWA Northeast Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Northeast Wrestling
 * NEW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * New Jack City Wrestling
 * NJCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NJCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rico Casanova
 * Ohio Valley Wrestling
 * OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Aaron Stevens
 * Phoenix Championship Wrestling
 * PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Frankie Kazarian
 * Russ Haas Memorial Tag Team Tournament (2002) – with R.C. Haas
 * Premier Wrestling Federation / Pennsylvania Wrestling Federation
 * PWF Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * PWI ranked him #88 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005
 * Steel City Wrestling
 * SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Blue Meanie
 * Ultimate Pro Wrestling
 * UPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Frankie Kazarian
 * UPW Tag Team Championship Tournament (2001) – with Frankie Kazarian
 * World Wide Wrestling Alliance
 * WWWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * XCW Wrestling Mid-West
 * XCW Mid-West Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

title: Mike Bucci


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Växjö

Växjö  is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County and the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö and the location of Växjö Cathedral. The town is home to Linnaeus University.

Etymology
The city's name is believed to be constructed from the words väg ("road") and sjö ("lake"), meaning the road over the frozen Växjö Lake that farmers used in the winter to get to the marketplace which later became the city.

History
In contrast to what was believed a century ago, there is no evidence of a special pre-Christian significance of the site. The pagan cultic center of Värend may have been located at Hov, a nearby village.

An episcopal see since the 11thcentury, the city did not get its city charter until 1342, when it was issued by Magnus Eriksson. The cathedral of St Sigfrid dates from about 1300, and has been subsequently restored. Otherwise, during the Middle Ages, Växjö did not have many pious institutions. A Franciscan monastery was established in 1485. A hospital of the Holy Ghost was first mentioned in 1318. In the 14th century Växjö got its first school, Växjö katedralskola. In 1643 it received gymnasium status.

At the beginning of Gustav Eriksson's war of liberation, the peasantry joined forces, under the guidance of the union-hostile bishop Ingemar Pedersson, with the mountain men and peasantry of Dalarna, Hälsingland, and Gästrikland, who urged fidelity to their leader Gustav Eriksson. During the Dacke War, a peasant uprising, the city was under the authority of Nils Dacke and his supporters from the summer of 1542 until after New Year 1543.

Several times during the Northern Wars and the Scanian Wars, and thereafter, the city was affected by fire (in 1277, 1516, 1570, 1612, 1658, 1690, 1749, 1753, 1799, 1838 and 1843). After the last fire in 1843, when 1,140 citizens were rendered homeless, Växjö received its current street plan.

Modern times
Växjö is the city in which the photograph "A Woman Hitting a Neo-Nazi With Her Handbag" was taken in 1985 by.

In its December 2015 report, Police in Sweden placed the Växjö district Araby in the most severe category of urban areas with high crime rates.

Historic buildings
Växjö Cathedral is located near the centre of the city.

Immediately north of Växjö is Kronoberg Castle, a ruined fortress constructed in the 15th century. This castle was used as a base by the rebel, Nils Dacke, during the Dacke War. The fortress has thick walls and artillery portals that face north towards lake Helgasjön.

Teleborg Castle is also located near the city. It was built near the Linnaeus University in 1900, it now functions as a hotel and conference facility.

Amenities
The Swedish Emigrant Institute was established in 1965 and is housed in the House of Emigrants near Växjö Lake in the heart of the city. It contains archives, a library, a museum, and a research center relating to the emigration period between 1846 and 1930, when 1.3million (or 20%) of the Swedish population emigrated, mainly to the United States. Archives dating to the 17thcentury contain birth and death records, as well as household records, that are available on microfiche.

Industry
Industries include GE Power and Aerotech Telub, as well as Volvo Articulated Haulers which is located in Braås 29 km, north of Växjö. One of the best-known service providers is Fortnox and Visma.

Växjö houses Sweden's National Glass Museum and claims to be the capital of the "Kingdom of Crystal" as well as of the "Kingdom of Furniture". Växjö Linnaeus Science Park focuses on supporting entrepreneurs focusing on circular economy, smart city, forestry and digitalization.

Education
The city has three municipality-run secondary schools ("gymnasiums"): Teknikum, Katedralskolan, and Kungsmadskolan. Linnaeus University had a student body of 42,000 students (including its Kalmar campus) or 15,000 students (full-time equivalents).

Population numbers by city districts

 * Teleborg: 12,834
 * Hovshaga: 9,541
 * Hov: 8,020
 * Araby: 6,520
 * Norr: 4,518
 * Väster: 4,829
 * Öster: 4,489
 * Söder: 3,694
 * Sandsbro: 3,090
 * Högstorp: 2,710
 * Öjaby: 2,213
 * Centrum: 2,086
 * Räppe: 1,260
 * Kronoberg/Evedal: 279
 * Regementstaden: 88
 * Västra mark: 69
 * Norremark: 29

Transport
The Coast to Coast track cuts through the municipality from north-west to south-east. SJ's long-distance trains travel between Gothenburg, Alvesta (with connections to the southern trunk line) and Kalmar, with stop in Växjö. Öresundståg's long-distance trains travel the Kalmar – Alvesta – Malmö - Copenhagen route. Regional trains Krösatågen travel the Växjö – Jönköping route. Trunk roads 23, 25, 27, 29, 30 and 37 meet in the municipality.

A new city hall and railway station building was completed in 2021.

In air transport, the city is served by the nearby Växjö/Kronoberg Airport.

Environmental policy
In 1996 the city adopted a policy for the elimination of the use of fossil fuels by 2030. This decision was taken in reaction to pollution and eutrophication in the lakes that surround the town. Greenhouse gas emissions were cut by 41% from 1993 to 2011, and were reduced by 55% by 2015. The city's economy has grown during this time.

Växjö uses a variety of strategies to make progress towards being fossil fuel-free. Waste from the local forest industry is burned to generate power. Half of Växjö's electricity and over 90% of the energy used for heating comes from trees. Biogas and renewable energy fuel the city's public transportation, and cycling is promoted as an alternative mode of transport. New buildings are constructed using wood and are designed to be energy efficient.

By 2014, Växjö's CO2 emissions had dropped to 2.4tonnes per capita, well below the EU average of 7.3tonnes.

The Greenest City in Europe
Växjö has called itself "The Greenest City in Europe" since 2007. It has its foundation in a long history of commitment to environmental issues, and ambitious goals for a green future. It is a vision shared with the citizens and the local companies.

In 2017 Växjö was awarded the European Green Leaf Award 2018 by the European Commission. The prize is awarded to cities with less than 100 000 inhabitants that show good results and ambitions in terms of environment and are committed to generate green growth.

Notable people

 * Joachim Björklund, footballer
 * Jonas Björkman, tennis player with 50 doubles titles including Grand Slams
 * Karl-Birger Blomdahl, 20th century music composer
 * Maria Cederschiöld (deaconess)
 * Bjorn Englen, bass player of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force
 * Knute Heldner, 20th-century Swedish American artist
 * Emil Johansson (ice hockey), Ice Hockey player for the Providence Bruins of the AHL
 * Stefan Johansson, Formula 1 racing driver
 * Jonas Jonasson, writer
 * Owe Jonsson, track and field athlete and European champion
 * Martin Kellerman, comic strip creator
 * Carolina Klüft, track and field athlete and Olympic gold medalist at Athens 2004
 * Pär Lagerkvist, author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1951
 * Otto Lindblad, 19th century music composer
 * Carl Linnaeus, botanist, physician and zoologist
 * Melody Club, rock band
 * Christina Nilsson, 19th century soprano celebrity
 * Andreas Ravelli, footballer
 * Thomas Ravelli, football goalkeeper
 * Sophie Sager, 19th century writer and feminist
 * Peder Sjögren, 20th century author and playwright
 * Jonas Swensson, President of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Håkan Syrén, a military General and Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
 * Esaias Tegnér, poet and bishop of Växjö
 * Per Tengstrand, pianist
 * Mats Wilander, tennis player with seven Grand Slam victories 1982–1988
 * Björn Wirdheim, racing driver
 * The Ark, rock band

Sport and leisure
The following sports clubs are located in Växjö:
 * Östers IF – football
 * Hovshaga AIF – football, floorball, and tennis
 * Växjö BK – football
 * Växjö Lakers – ice hockey
 * Växjö Vipers – floorball
 * Wexjö RK – rugby
 * Växjö Ravens BBK - basketball
 * Växjö OK – orienteering
 * Växjö DFF – football
 * Växjö United FC – football
 * Växjö VK – Volleyball

Speedway

 * A speedway team rode at the Växjö Motorstadion, inaugurated on 5 June 1949 (the site of the current Räppe football pitch on Solängsvägen). They team competed in the 1950 Swedish speedway season before being the home for Dackarna in 1956. The venue held rounds of the Individual Speedway World Championship in 1952, 1957 and 1958.

Climate
Växjö has a humid continental climate (Dfb), using temperature data from 1961 to 1990. Temperatures have risen in recent years, and using the -3 Celsius isotherm, it can also be classified as an oceanic climate (Cfb) with 2002-2015 temperature data. It is milder, wetter, and cloudier than the rest of the country, with the number of hours of sunshine being associated more with the British Isles than with areas further north in Sweden. Considering its relative distance to all three coasts surrounding South Sweden, the climate is markedly maritime, with winter temperatures being relatively mild for an inland location. When compared with sunnier inland areas further north, Växjö has relatively cool summers.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Växjö


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Ballinhassig

Ballinhassig is a village in County Cork, Ireland, situated 10.6 km south of Cork City just off the N71 Bandon road and near the source of the River Owenabue (Abhainn Bui, meaning "Yellow River").

Traditionally an agricultural area, Ballinhassig has seen some growth as a commuter area, being close to Cork city. This growth saw the construction of new houses during the Irish construction boom of the early 21st century.

History
There are a number of prehistoric ringforts around Ballinhassig.

Mountjoy, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, camped locally with his army of 4,000 troops on the night before the Battle of Kinsale in 1601.

On 30 June 1845, 11 people (10 men and 1 woman) were reportedly killed by the Royal Irish Constabulary during a riot in the village.

During the War of Independence there were a number of actions in the area, including on 3 February 1921, when the 3rd Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican Army ambushed and killed three British Soldiers on the Tulligbeg side of the village in what was known as the Toureen ambush. Two soldiers of the Essex Regiment died there; Lt Dixon and Pte Charles Reid, Sergeant Thomas Bennet died of wounds the next day. That night, British soldiers retaliated by burning much of the village and homes in the Ballinaboy area, and arresting and imprisoning a number of local citizens.

Amenities
There are three primary schools in Ballinhassig (Ballyheada N.S and Goggins Hill N.S and Ballygarvan), several public houses, a number of shops, three churches, a Marian Hall, and a co-op.

A steam rally club is situated in Halfway, 2.5 km from Ballinhassig village, a village so named as it is halfway between Cork and Bandon.

Ballinhassig GAA has a Senior hurling team and was founded in 1886.

The local Marian Hall is used as a training venue for a local taekwondo club. There is also a soccer club in Ballinhassig called Ballinhassig AFC.

Transport
The Gogginshill Tunnel at Ballinhassig, opened in 1851, is now the longest abandoned railway tunnel in the Republic of Ireland. It was a part of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway. Ballinhassig railway station itself was opened on 1 August 1849, and closed on 1 April 1961.

title: Ballinhassig


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Markaryd

Markaryd is a locality and the seat of Markaryd Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 3,966 inhabitants in 2010.

Twin towns — Sister cities
Markaryd is twinned with:
 * 🇵🇱 Bytów, Poland

title: Markaryd


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Ljungby (disambiguation)

Ljungby may refer to:
 * Ljungby, city in Ljungby Municipality, Sweden
 * Ljungby Municipality, municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden
 * Ljungby, Falkenberg, village and parish in Falkenberg Municipality, Sweden

title: Ljungby (disambiguation)


text:
Lessebo

Lessebo is a locality and the seat of Lessebo Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 2,737 inhabitants in 2010. The Lessebo community formed gradually around the paper and iron works that was founded in 1660. Today Vida Paper AB runs the pulp and paper mill as well as The Lessebo Hand Paper Mill which is one of very few commercially run European hand paper mills still existing.

Lessebo is situated in what is called the Kingdom of Crystal, which is the centre of Swedish mouth blown glass production.

title: Lessebo


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Alvesta

Alvesta is a locality and the seat of Alvesta Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden, with 8,017 inhabitants in the urban area in 2010.

Alvesta is an important railway junction, joining the Stockholm–Malmö–Copenhagen railway with the Gothenburg–Kalmar/Karlskrona railway.

title: Alvesta


text:
User:Rodos~enwiki

Living in Sydney, Australia and interest in Christian theology and all things computers.

My first entry was on indigenous church mission theory as I was looking at it to prepare for an exam and felt I had something to contribute.

title: User:Rodos~enwiki


text:
Cergy-Pontoise

Cergy-Pontoise is a new town and an agglomeration community in France, in the Val-d'Oise and Yvelines departments, northwest of Paris on the river Oise. It owes its name to two of the communes that it covers, Cergy and Pontoise. Its population is 206,654 (2017), in an area of 84.2 km2. Created in the 1970s, it became an agglomeration community in 2004.

Composition
, the communauté d'agglomération Cergy-Pontoise consists of thirteen communes:

 * Boisemont
 * Cergy
 * Courdimanche
 * Éragny
 * Jouy-le-Moutier
 * Maurecourt
 * Menucourt
 * Neuville-sur-Oise
 * Osny
 * Pontoise
 * Puiseux-Pontoise
 * Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône
 * Vauréal

Except Maurecourt, which is in the Yvelines department, all communes are part of the Val-d'Oise department.

Population
Since the establishment of the new agglomeration, the population has quadrupled over forty years.

History
In the 1960s, faced by the fast development of Paris and its suburbs, it was decided to control and balance it by creating several new cities around Paris.

To the north, the choice was made on the surroundings of Pontoise. The old city was to be integrated in a much larger unit, whose center would be Cergy, at the time not more than a village. From 1965, the establishment of the new city was to be done in several stages:

 * April 16, 1969: creation of the publicly owned "Établissement public d'aménagement" (EPA)
 * 1971: creation of the Syndicat communautaire d'aménagement (SCA).
 * August 11, 1972: official creation of the new city of Cergy-Pontoise, gathering fifteen communes (the eleven current ones, and Boisemont, Boissy-l'Aillerie, Méry-sur-Oise and Pierrelaye).
 * 1983: the law Rocard amended the new cities.
 * 1984: Syndicat d'agglomération nouvelle (SAN) replaces the SCA, four communes left the structure (the four mentioned above)
 * December 31, 2002: end of the mission and dissolution of the EPA, following the completion of the new city.
 * January 1, 2004: transformation of the SAN into a communauté d'agglomération.
 * 2004: Boisemont becomes the 12th commune of Cergy-Pontoise.

Public transport
Bus services are provided by the Stivo (formerly StAN).

Rail services are provided by both the SNCF and the RATP. Two RER lines begin within the new town.

Economy
Subaru France and Bandai France have their head office in Cergy Pontoise.

Media appearances

 * L'enfance d'une ville, a 1975 movie by Eric Rohmer
 * I as in Icarus, a 1979 movie by Henri Verneuil
 * Boyfriends and Girlfriends, a 1987 movie by Eric Rohmer
 * Water Lilies, a 2007 movie by Céline Sciamma

Twinnings
Cergy-Pontoise is a sister city to the planned cities of
 * 🇺🇸 Columbia, Maryland, United States
 * 🇪🇸 Tres Cantos, Spain
 * 🇩🇪 Erkrath, Germany
 * 🇬🇧 West Lancashire, England (Which includes the planned town of Skelmersdale.)

title: Cergy-Pontoise


text:
Category:New World monkeys

The list of New World monkeys articles to be created should be checked for other articles not listed here.

title: Category:New World monkeys


text: Talk:Muriqui

title: Talk:Muriqui


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Ballycotton

Ballycotton is a coastal village in County Cork, Ireland, situated about 25 mi east of Cork city. It is a fishing village that sits on a rocky ledge overlooking Ballycotton Bay and has a sandy beach that stretches for about 25 km east to Knockadoon Head. The current village is actually a re-settlement of an older village which is now entirely underwater. Ballycotton experiences severe coastal erosion with metres of land crumbling into the sea every few years. It is a site of international research interest on coastal erosion.

Lifeboat
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station was established in 1858, although medals had been awarded for rescues that took place in 1826 and 1829. The most famous rescue by the Ballycotton lifeboat took place in 1936. An RNLI Medal in Gold was awarded to Coxswain Patrick Sliney, with Silver Medals to Second Coxswain John Lane Walsh and Motor Mechanic Thomas Sliney, and Bronze Medals to Crew Members Michael Coffey Walsh, John Shea Sliney, William Sliney and Thomas Walsh for the service on 11 February when the Daunt Rock lightship broke away from her moorings. The seas were so mountainous that spray was flying over the lantern of the lighthouse 196 ft high. The Barnett-class lifeboat, was away from the station for 79 hours and at sea for 49 hours; the crew had no food for 25 hours and they only had three hours sleep. The eight crew were rescued after the lifeboat went alongside the vessel more than a dozen times. This was one of the most exhausting and gallant services in the history of the RNLI.

Lighthouse
Situated on the steep sloped Ballycotton Island approximately 2 km from the village, the Ballycotton lighthouse was commissioned in 1851 when the keeper and his family lived on the island and their children rowed to school, weather permitting. By 1899 the four keepers were housed in the town with keepers rotating duty at the lighthouse. In 1975 the light was converted to electricity and it was automated on 28 March 1992 when the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn.

Amenities and tourism
Ballycotton has a number of public houses. There is a pitch and putt course, tennis and squash courts, and beaches nearby. Ballycotton pier and breakwater are used for fishing, with common catches including mackerel, black sole and plaice.

Ballycotton was used as a location for a film called Divine Rapture during the summer of 1995. Although the film starred Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Debra Winger, the production company went bankrupt after just 2 weeks and the movie was never completed.

First run in 1977, the annual Ballycotton Road Race attracted runners from around Ireland and abroad to its 10-mile circuit of country backroads. After 40 years, in October 2017, it was announced that the 2017 event was to be the last.

The broad area around Ballycotton is home to a number of artists and craftspeople, including woodworkers, painters, photographers, potters, writers and musicians. Robert Ballagh bought a holiday home in one nearby townland, which later became the home and workplace of Rachel Ballagh. Some local artists exhibit at the Stephen Pearce Gallery in Shanagarry. Ballycotton has a 13 km cliff walk which leads westward to Ballytrasna.

Wildlife in the area includes seals and dolphins, and whales are sometimes visible from the cliffs in December and January. The nearby beach at Ballynamona is on a wildlife sanctuary and herons, oystercatchers and sandhoppers. It is also possible to spot peregrine falcons near the rocky inlets at dawn and dusk.

Ballycotton cross
In 1875 a local antiquarian, Philip T. Gardner, donated the Ballycotton cross (also known as the Ballycottin cross) to the British Museum. It is a 9th-century jewelled Celtic cross with a centre glass jewel with an inscription of the Bismillah in Kufic script which may be interpreted as As God wills, In the name of Allah or We have repented to God. It is held in the British Museum's brooch collection, and the provenance is: "said to have been found in or near Ballycottin Bog". As an early indicator of possible links between Ireland and early Islam, the cross has been cited in academic papers and histories of Islam's presence in Northern Europe in the late Dark Ages, and on speculative history websites and forums.

title: Ballycotton


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Borgholm

Borgholm is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 4,401 inhabitants in 2020. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, at the Kalmar Strait-side of Öland, north of Färjestaden.

Borgholm is one of Sweden's historical towns with a former city status (stad). The city is best known for its once-magnificent fortress – Borgholm Castle – which is now in ruins. Borgholm is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.

Borgholm is the main city of Öland, but remains one of the smallest cities in Sweden.

Geography
The city is situated some 20 km north of the Öland Bridge, which connects the island with the city of Kalmar on the mainland.

Etymology
The name Borgholm is documented to be found from the 1280s. The foreland Borg- is considered to refer to the old ancient castle which is believed to have been located on the site of the castle ruins, but according to another interpretation refers to the eye-catching topography of the site. The significance would then be that berg- is the correct interpretation, and support for this can be found in Gotlandic, where borg can mean beach hill or high sand dune, and that berg-meaning has been well spread throughout the East Nordic area.

History
During the Viking Age, there was a marketplace in Köpingsvik dating from the 8th century.

The oldest evidence refers to the medieval castle, which was on the site. The oldest evidence is a letter issued by Magnus Birgersson at the castle. Borgholm's castle was located in Borg parish, whose parish church was located next to the castle, and the oldest preserved parts date from the beginning of the 12th century. Borgholm's then castle was destroyed in connection with Sören Norby's siege of the castle in 1520 after which Borgholm was transformed into a royal court.

The city received its charter in 1816 and emerged as a spa-town in the shadow of the ruins of the once mighty Borgholm Castle, which burned down in 1806. So important and magnificent was this castle, that it has become the city arms, and the ruins are the best known attraction in the municipality, perhaps on the entire island of Öland. Slightly further south is Halltorps Estate, a historic royal estate linked to Borgholm Castle. Borg parish was most recently dissolved at the beginning of Gustav Vasa's government and merged with Räpplinge. The church was blown up in connection with the Kalmar War. Borgholm, however, continued to function as a fishing village and port for crossings between Öland and the mainland, the port has previously been called Borghamn.

In 1620, Borgehamn gained rights as a Lidköping under the city of Kalmar. During the fortress construction period under Karl X Gustav's government, Borgholm experienced a certain flourishing, but at the time of the issuance of the city privileges for Borgholm, Borgehamn's köping had only about 30 inhabitants, within what became the city area there were then only three farms and four cottages. In 1816, the city of Borgholm was formed, the only city on Öland and a small town seen from a national perspective with only 109 inhabitants in 1821. A new port was built in 1855–1857, and in 1864 Borgholm became a health resort, which meant a certain boost for the city. The air on Öland and especially in Borgholm was considered beneficial, and well-to-do guests flocked in from the rest of Sweden, often by boat. There was a connection between Stockholm, via Borgholm to Hamburg. During this time many beautiful villas and even hotels were built. In 1851 there were 545 inhabitants and in 1901 926 inhabitants.

In 1906 the Borgholm – Böda Railway was opened and in 1910 also the Södra Ölands Järnväg towards Mörbylånga and Ottenby. The railway was closed in 1961. At the turn of the century in 1900, tourism also began to gain momentum, especially after the royal family's residence Solliden was completed. Since the Öland Bridge was inaugurated in 1972, the town has increasingly become a commuter town towards Kalmar.

The city serves as the centre of northern Öland and is one of the most popular summer resorts in Sweden.

Borgholm Castle has its modern counterpart outside Borgholm. The Swedish Royal Family has its official summer residence at Solliden Palace a couple of kilometres outside the city centre. The Crown Princess Victoria's birthday is annually celebrated on July 14 at the Borgholm Sports Field.

Environs
There are small reaches of the Stora Alvaret geological formation in the environs of Borgholm, which level exposures of limestone host a variety of rare species of butterflies and wildflowers, some of which are endemic to Öland.

title: Borgholm


text:
Hultsfred

Hultsfred is a locality and the seat of Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 5,143 inhabitants in 2010. It is best known for the Hultsfred Festival and the infamous Sharp and Shallow Lake - once described by Ward Hayden (of Ward Hayden & the Outliers) as «stabbing cold, painfully shallow and muddy AF».

title: Hultsfred


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Högsby

Högsby is a locality and the seat of Högsby Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,881 inhabitants in 2010. Other towns in the Högsby Municipality are Långemåla, Fågelfors, Berga and Fagerhult, of which Långemåla is probably the smallest.

Högsby tätort
The town of Högsby is the seat of the Högsby Municipality, which itself is part of Kalmar County. The town has a local mall Karlsson Varuhus, located closely with other local shops and businesses such as a thai restaurant (Bhann Thai ), a second hand shop, a café, and a local gym. Högsby also has one ICA supermarket, one COOP Konsum supermarket and a few local pizzerias. In the center of the town there is another second hand shop, Kupan, which is part of the Red Cross

Sights
Högsby has the river Emån running through the town, which is commonly used for canoeing and fishing. A museum about the actress Greta Garbo, opened in 1998, is located in the center of Högsby. This is in large due to that her mother originated from Högsby. Bokhultet is a nature reserve located outside Högsby; it has a significant number of rare plants and insects.

Education
Högsby is also home of Högsby Educational Centre (Högsby Utbildningscenter), commonly referred to as HUC. It's a small school, with less than 160 pupils, all between 16 and 19 years old. HUC is a so-called "Gymnasium" which in British and American school systems would be something in the middle between High School and College.

title: Högsby


text:
Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41.388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 236,399 inhabitants (2015). Kalmar is the third largest urban area in the province and cultural region of Småland.

From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries, Kalmar was one of Sweden's most important cities. Between 1602 and 1913 it was the episcopal see of Kalmar Diocese, with a bishop, and the Kalmar Cathedral from 1702 is an example of classicistic architecture. It became a fortified city, with the Kalmar Castle as the center. After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, Kalmar's importance diminished, until the industry sector was initiated in the 19th century. The city is home to parts of Linnaeus University.

The city plays host to the Live at Heart festival, one of Sweden's largest musical showcase events.

Kalmar is adjacent to the main route to the island of Öland over the Öland Bridge.

History
The area around Kalmar has been inhabited since ancient times. Excavations have found traces of Stone Age gravefields. However, the oldest evidence for there being a town is from the 11th century. According to a medieval folk tale, the Norwegian king Saint Olav had his ships moved to Kalmar. The oldest city seal of Kalmar is from somewhere between 1255 and 1267, making it the oldest known city seal in Scandinavia.

In the 12th century the first foundations of a castle were established, with the construction of a round tower for guard and lookout. The tower was continuously expanded in the 13th century, and as such, Queen Margaret called an assembly there between the heads of state of Sweden and Norway, and on 13 July 1397, the Kalmar Union treaty was signed, creating a union which would last until 1523. Kalmar's strategic location, near the Danish border (at the time the Scanian lands, i.e. the provinces of Blekinge, Halland and Scania, were part of Denmark), and its harbour and trade, also involved it in several feuds. There are two events independently labelled the Kalmar Bloodbath, 1505: the first in 1505, when King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had the mayor and city council of Kalmar executed; the second in 1599 by command of Duke Charles, later to become King Charles IX of Sweden.

In the 1540s, first King Gustav Vasa, and later his sons Erik XIV of Sweden and John III of Sweden would organize a rebuilding of the castle into the magnificent Renaissance castle it is today.

Kalmar became a diocese of the Church of Sweden in 1603, a position it held until 1915. In 1634, Kalmar County was founded, with Kalmar as the natural capital. In 1660, the Kalmar Cathedral was begun by drawings of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. It would be inaugurated in 1703.

In 1611–1613, it suffered in the Kalmar War, which began with a Danish siege of Kalmar Castle. 1611 is mentioned as the darkest year of Kalmar's history, but by no means the only dark year; much blood has been shed in the vicinity of the castle. The last was during the Scanian War in the 1670s, so there have been 22 sieges altogether; however the castle was never taken.

After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, the strategic importance of Kalmar gradually diminished as the borders of Sweden were redrawn further south. In 1689, the King established his main naval base further south in Karlskrona and Kalmar lost its status as one of Sweden's main military outposts.

Kalmar Cathedral
The new city of Kalmar was built on Kvarnholmen around the mid-1600s. The transfer from the old town was largely completed by 1658. The new, fortified town was planned following current baroque patterns. Cathedral and town hall face each other across the new main square, Stortorget.

The cathedral was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and is one of the foremost examples of baroque classicism in Sweden. Its design reflects the complex interaction between the new style, liturgical considerations, tradition and the fortress-city requirements. The work began in 1660, but it was interrupted on several occasions, including when the Scanian War (1675–1679) raged. Construction resumed, and Kalmar Cathedral stood finished in 1703.

Today
In more recent times, Kalmar has been an industrial city with Kalmar Verkstad making steam engines, trains and large machinery, later bought by Bombardier who closed the factory in 2005. A shipyard, Kalmar Shipyard, was founded in 1679 and closed 1981. Volvo opened their Kalmar factory for building cars i.e. 264, 740, 760, 960 in 1974, but closed it 1994 and due to further relocation of industry jobs in the 1990s and 2000s around 2000 industrial jobs were lost. Kalmar has a university with over 9,000 students and a research facility for Telia Sonera.

Kalmar has embarked on a comprehensive program to reduce fossil fuel use. A local trucking firm, which employs nearly 450 people, has installed computers that track fuel efficiency and have cut diesel use by 10 percent, paying off the cost of the devices in just a year. The company is now looking to fuel its future fleet with biodiesel.

A large wood pulp plant harnesses the steam and hot water it once released as waste to provide heating, through below-ground pipes, and generates enough electricity to power its own operations and 20,000 homes.

Bicycle lanes are common; for example, the Kalmarsundsleden, and cars line up at Kalmar city's public biogas pump. Building codes now require thermal insulation and efficient windows for new construction or retrofits. Street lights use low-energy sodium bulbs, and car dealers promote fuel-efficient and hybrid vehicles.

In 2011 Guldfågeln Arena was initiated. It is the new stadium of the football team of the city, Kalmar FF. The capacity of the stadium is 12,000 people and it is currently one of the newest stadiums in Sweden. The stadium was also built to host concerts and did so in the summer of 2011 when Swedish artists Håkan Hellström and The Ark performed.

Climate
Kalmar has an oceanic climate using the -3°C isotherm or a warm-summer humid continental climate using the 0°C isotherm. Summers are warm and winters are fairly cold with temperatures normally hovering around zero. Kalmar is among the hottest Swedish cities, with an all-time record set at 35.2 C. The average summer temperatures however are typical for southern Sweden.

Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Kalmar:

 * Kalmar FF
 * Lindsdals IF
 * Kalmar AIK
 * IFK Berga
 * IFK Kalmar
 * Kalmar Södra IF
 * Kalmar BTK

Notable people

 * Khamzat Chimaev - UFC Fighter
 * Mikael Adolphson – historian
 * Charlotta Djurström – theatre director
 * Helena Josefsson – musician, lead singer in Sandy Mouche
 * Ivar Kreuger – civil engineer and industrialist
 * Jangir Maddadi – designer living in Kalmar
 * Carl Gustaf Mosander – chemist who discovered lanthanum, erbium, terbium
 * Anna-Stina Nilstoft – painter
 * Jenny Nyström – painter and illustrator
 * Henrik Strindberg – composer
 * Hans Villius – historian

Twin towns – sister cities
Kalmar is twinned with eleven cities:
 * 🇮🇸 Árborg, Iceland
 * 🇳🇴 Arendal, Norway
 * 🇺🇬 Entebbe, Uganda
 * 🇵🇱 Gdańsk, Poland
 * 🇷🇺 Kaliningrad, Russia
 * Panevėžys, Lithuania
 * 🇹🇷 Samsun, Turkey
 * 🇫🇮 Savonlinna, Finland
 * Silkeborg, Denmark
 * 🇺🇸 Wilmington, United States
 * 🇩🇪 Wismar, Germany

title: Kalmar


text:
Mönsterås

Mönsterås is a locality and the seat of Mönsterås Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden, with 6,352 inhabitants in 2012.

Mönsterås is associated with the Swedish poet Carl Boberg, particularly his 1885 writing of the lyrics for the eminent hymn "O Store Gud" (or "How Great Thou Art" by its common English title).

title: Mönsterås


text:
Talk:Kalmar

What is a 'marchancy'? --darklilac 22:42, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Habitants
It has 34,000 habitants as of which year? Ciacchi 21:36, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

 * 2003. See sv:Kalmar stad / Fred-Chess 23:06, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Barack Obama?
Pretty sure he isn't an "Aregntinian patron". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.48.238.154 (talk) 19:38, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Kalmar


text:
Mörbylånga

Mörbylånga is a locality situated on the southern part of the island of Öland and is the seat of Mörbylånga Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,780 inhabitants in 2010.

Other settlements in southern Öland are Alby, the site of a Mesolithic settlement, and Hulterstad. The town also has some industrial activity.

title: Mörbylånga


text:
Julia Lathrop

Julia Clifford Lathrop (June 29, 1858 – April 15, 1932) was an American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. As director of the United States Children's Bureau from 1912 to 1922, she was the first woman ever to head a United States federal bureau.

Biography
Julia Clifford Lathrop was born in Rockford, Illinois. Julia's father William Lathrop, a lawyer and personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, helped establish the Republican Party and served in the state legislature (1856–57) and Congress (1877–79). Her mother was a suffragist active in women's rights activities in Rockford and a graduate of the first class of Rockford Female Seminary.

Lathrop attended Rockford Female Seminary where she met Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. After one year, she transferred to Vassar College, developing her own multidisciplinary studies in statistics, institutional history, sociology, and community organization and graduated in 1880. Afterwards, she worked in her father's law office first as a secretary and then studying the law for herself.

Work in Chicago
In 1890, Lathrop moved to Chicago where she joined Jane Addams, Ellen Gates Starr, Alzina Stevens, Edith Abbott, Grace Abbott, Florence Kelley, Mary McDowell, Alice Hamilton, Sophonisba Breckinridge and other social reformers at Hull House. Lathrop ran a discussion group called the Plato Club in the early days of the House. The women at Hull House actively campaigned to persuade Congress to pass legislation to protect children. During the depression years of the early '90s Lathrop served as a volunteer investigator of relief applicants, visiting homes to document the needs of the families.

In 1893, Lathrop was appointed as the first ever woman member of the Illinois State Board of Charities, beginning her lifelong work in civil service reform: advocating for the training of professional social workers and standardizing employment procedures. This would lead to opening the labor market for educated women as well as improving social services in Progressive Era cities and towns. Over the next few years she helped introduce reforms such as the appointment of female doctors in state hospitals and the removal of the insane from the state workhouses.

Director of United States Children's Bureau
Reacting to pressure from Progressive women reformers for the appointment of a woman for the newly created Children's Bureau, in 1912, President William Taft appointed Lathrop as the first bureau chief. Over the next nine years Lathrop directed research into child labor, infant mortality, maternal mortality, juvenile delinquency, mothers' pensions and illegitimacy.

The Children's Bureau under Lathrop (1912–21) (known as "America's First Official Mother") and her successors became an administrative unit that not only created child welfare policy but also led its implementation. For reform-minded women, the Bureau's focus on maternal and child welfare gave them a role in politics for the first time—something that the suffrage or women's rights movements had not offered them. The Bureau expanded its budget and personnel to focus on a scientific approach to motherhood in order to reduce infant and maternal mortality, improve child health and advocate for trained care for children with disabilities. Lathrop modeled the Children's Bureau investigations from the work she did while at Hull-House. The Bureau also lobbied to abolish child labor. Scientific language became critical to the reform efforts such as the baby-saving campaigns in towns with large working class and immigrant populations where the middle class maternalists battled contemporary beliefs in the inevitability of high infant mortality rates. "Mother-work in the community" meant that women educated in the latest scientific theories about children's health and safety would lead the movement for child welfare reform.

In her first annual report for the agency, Lathrop described the plans for expansion: promotion of birth registration, infant mortality field studies, production of instructional pamphlets and reports, expand the study of child labor laws, explore issues regarding mothers' pensions, and study the status of "dependent, defective, and delinquent children." Lathrop wrote in 1914: "Work for infant welfare is coming to be regarded as more than a philanthropy or an expression of good will. It is a profoundly important public concern which tests the public spirit and the democracy of a community."

Unlike the National Congress of Mothers, Lathrop's leadership of the Children's Bureau relied on her belief in the New Woman's right to freedom for individual development and opportunities, including a college degree of equal merit to men's and a decent job. However, Lathrop was careful to insist that motherhood was "the most important calling in the world" and to deny that women should have career ambitions. This way Lathrop could avoid controversy even while she built public support for the new agency.

In 1917, the American Association for Labor Legislation proposed a national health insurance act that included a provision for weekly cash allocations for pregnant women. Lathrop went against the private insurance industry and the American Medical Association to support this proposal, believing that the maternity benefit systems already in place in Germany, England and France left too many women and their babies uninsured. Lathrop argued in an address before the American Public Health Association's 1918 meeting in Chicago that U.S. leaders needed to address the reasons for poverty in order to address children's health needs—that high infant mortality among the poor and working class in American cities was not just due to ignorance or laziness. Lathrop asked: "Which is the more safe and sane conclusion! That 88 per cent of all these fathers were incorrigibly indolent or below normal mentally, or that sound public economy demands an irreducible minimum living standard to be sustained by a minimum wage and other such expedients as may be developed in a determined effort to give every child a fair chance?"

The attitude of most of the staff in the Children's Bureau and other government agencies however, was that women—especially with children—should not work outside of the home even if impoverished. Any connections between children's health and such issues as expansion of workers' insurance, minimum wage or sanitation systems lost credence. The popular strategy remained focused on "Americanizing" immigrant workers and teaching white mothers how to take care of babies. It is important to note that the Bureau chose not to address the horrifyingly high mortality rates among babies in families of color. In the South, much of the public health campaigns were undertaken by African-American, Hispanic or black clubwomen working in their own segregated communities.

In 1921 the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act became the first federally funded social welfare measure in the United States. The law provided federal matching grants to the states for prenatal and child health clinics, visiting nurses for expectant and new mothers, distribution of information on nutrition and hygiene as well as midwife training. Contrary to Lathrop's original ideas, the final version of the law did not provide any financial aid or medical care.

The first 30 years of the twentieth century marked a transition between traditional social medicine that included the use of relatives or local midwives and the rise of a modern medical management of childbirth and childrearing by experts outside the family and home. However, as the federal bureaucracy blossomed in the years after World War II, the only agency focused solely on children lost its power and influence.

Juvenile Justice
As early as 1898, at the third Annual Illinois Conference on Charities, organized by the philanthropist Lucy Flower and Julia Lathrop, reformers called for a separate system of courts for children. Lathrop's experience at the Hull House and as a Charities Board member had given her firsthand knowledge of the conditions for children in county poorhouses and jails. Prior to the reform era, children over the age of seven were imprisoned with adults. Lathrop helped found the country's first juvenile court in 1899, and the Chicago Woman's Club established the Juvenile Court Committee (electing Lathrop as its first president in 1903) to pay the salaries of fifteen probation officers and run a detention home located at 625 West Adams Street.

By 1904, Julia Lathrop helped organize and then became the president of the Juvenile Psychopathic Institute. The director was psychologist William A. Healy who led scientific studies of the physical and mental health of the children, shifting away from the belief that environment alone was responsible for a child's delinquent behavior. Together with members of the National Congress of Mothers Lathrop worked to organize a juvenile court movement nationally with justice law reformers such as Judge Ben Lindsey (who later chaired the National Conference of Charities and Correction's juvenile court subcommittee).

Later life
In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson sent Lathrop and Grace Abbott to represent the U.S. at an international conference on child welfare. There Lathrop consulted on the formation of a childcare bureau in the newly formed country of Czechoslovakia. After her retirement from the Children's Bureau in 1922, Lathrop became president of the Illinois League of Women Voters. She also helped form the National Committee of Mental Illness. In 1925 Lathrop represented the U.S. in Switzerland at the Child Welfare Committee established by the League of Nations.

Academic
There is a residence hall at Rockford University and an elementary school in Rockford named after Lathrop. An intermediate school in Santa Ana, California also bears her name. Although a residence hall at Vassar College is named for Dr. Edward Lathrop, a charter trustee, he was not  Julia's father. Julia's father was William Lathrop, a lawyer and (briefly) a congressman, from Rockford, IL. In 1938, the Chicago Housing Authority opened the Julia C. Lathrop Homes, a public housing project in the North Center neighborhood on Chicago's north side.

Foreign honours

 * Czechoslovakia: Officer of the Order of the White Lion (1946)

title: Julia Lathrop


text:
Nybro

Nybro (, outdatedly ) is a city and the seat of Nybro Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 13,583 inhabitants in 2020.

Overview
Nybro was founded as a rest area for travellers on the road between Växjö in the west and Kalmar in the east. In the 18th century a new bridge was built where the road crossed a stream and it was hence called Nybron, The New Bridge. A small tavern called Lortkrogen (literally the Filth Tavern) opened there. The market town was founded in the 19th century, but it rapidly transformed into an industrial town. In 1865 the town became a municipality separately from Madesjö. It was granted city rights in 1932.

Nybro is surrounded by forests and small agricultural enclaves. Kährs is a manufacturer of wooden floors and the largest employer in the city. But the two glassworks factories (Nybro and Pukeberg) are more known, because they also serve as tourist attraction. Nybro calls itself "The city within the Kingdom of Crystal", the latter being a region with 15 active glassworks including Kosta Boda and Orrefors.

Nybro is also the home of Nybro Vikings IF, a professional ice hockey team currently in the second highest league of Sweden, Hockeyallsvenskan. The club went up from Hockeyettan to Hockeyallsvenskan season 22/23, and had two years in the highest league back in the 60's. The ice hockey stadium in Nybro is the fourth oldest in the whole of Sweden.

The coat of arms was created when city rights were given to Nybro in 1932. The background is golden and the coat of arms depicts a red bridge in the lower part and a pair of black crossbows in the upper. The coat of arms of the neighbouring locality Emmaboda also depicts crossbows. The symbol can be traced back to coats of arms of the province of Småland and the hundred of Södra Möre but its origin is unknown. The local folk-hero and insurgent Nils Dacke is however sometimes depicted with the weapon.

title: Nybro


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Oskarshamn

Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.

Etymology
Döderhultsvik was the original name before a town charter was granted in 1856. The name was then changed to Oscarshamn (meaning: Oscar's port) after the king Oscar I of Sweden. The spelling has later changed to Oskarshamn.

Struggle for town charter
The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age. In 1645, the city of Kalmar, to the south, made a request to the Royal Government on holding commerce in the bay there, which was granted, giving it merchancy rights as a köping. There followed 200 years of merchancies in the town, during which it was governed and dependent on Kalmar; while the surrounding towns and municipalities made frequent requests to grant it a charter, consequently turned down each of the attempts made in the years: 1786, 1798, 1800, 1815, 1818, 1823, 1825, 1830 and 1838. In 1843 it got some independence, with a local council, but the council itself was occupied by citizens of Kalmar. In 1854, King Oscar I of Sweden promised to grant it a charter as soon as it had fulfilled certain demands, including building a prison and a council hall, among other things. When they had accomplished the feats, the charter was granted, and the city became one of the Cities of Sweden starting 1856, on May 1. This status has today no legal significance, but Oskarshamn is now the seat of the much larger Oskarshamn Municipality, without being a political entity of its own.

Recent history
Industrialisation began with the inauguration of the railway line to Nässjö. From then on, industries as well as the harbour began to expand. The biggest private employer for a long time was the Oskarshamn Shipyard, which at its height had almost 1500 employees. But in the 1970s, the Swedish shipbuilding industry suffered a large financial crisis and many shipyards closed down. In Oskarshamn, the shipyard went through a large downsizing which left many people unemployed.

However, at around the same time, two major industries were established in Oskarshamn. In 1966, Scania AB bought the truck cab factory, which had been building truck cabs since 1948, and started expanding. The Scania factory is today one of the biggest employers in Kalmar county with almost 2000 employees. Liljeholmens Stearinfabriks AB, established in Oskarshamn in 1970, is the world’s largest candle manufacturer, specialized in stearin candles.

The oldest person in Sweden, Astrid Zachrison was born Åby in Fliseryd, just west of Oskarshamn. She died on her 113th birthday.

Economy
The shipyard founded in 1863 is still active, as well as commercial and passenger shipping. Three different ferry lines transport passengers to Gotland, Öland and Blå Jungfrun.

Between 1965-1985, a nuclear power facility was constructed outside Oskarshamn. Three BWR units were built, that today delivers about 10% of Sweden's electrical supply. There is also a laboratory for research concerning long-time storage of spent nuclear fuel. The Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory is open to the public to visit.

The two top employers in Oskarshamn are Scania truck manufacturer and the OKG nuclear power plant. Other companies include Liljeholmens candle factory, battery manufacturer SAFT, Elajo, and Bygg Hemma.

Sights
In the port of Oskarshamn there are tourist boats which take visitors to the island and national park Blå Jungfrun. There are also boats that cruise the coastal waters closer to Oskarshamn. Within the municipality there is the Oskarshamn archipelago which consists of over 5, 000 islands and small islets. In the harbor area there are some restaurants, pubs and cafés. There are also viewpoints over the harbour. On the south side of the port there is a 72-metre (236 ft) wooden bench called Långa Soffan. It was built in 1867 and it is believed to be the longest of its kind in Europe. From the bench there is a panorama view over the harbor and the quite lively shipping activity going on there. There is a marina for private boats at the innermost of the harbor.

Another panorama-view of Oskarshamn and the sea outside is obtained from the top of the town’s northern water-tower which is open to the public.

The older part of Oskarshamn is preserved fairly well. In one particular part of town there are older wooden houses originating from the 19th century. The area is called Besväret and Fnyket.

Oskarshamns Stadspark is a public park located immediately south of the towns central parts.

Fredriksbergs Herrgård is a manor-house built in 1784 situated just outside the city center of Oskarshamn. It is open for the public to visit and houses a restaurant, café and a small museum.

Climate
Oskarshamn has an oceanic climate (Cfb), mild for its latitude, with winter means slightly below freezing and summer days among the warmest in Sweden and Scandinavia. Precipitation is light to moderate, typical of Southeastern Sweden.

Culture
Oskarshamn was the home of the famous woodcarver Axel Petersson Döderhultarn. His studio, as well as the Döderhultarn Museum, contains more than 200 of his carvings. There is also a maritime museum in Oskarshamn.

At the release of The Simpsons film, Swedish newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet concluded that Oskarshamn is the Swedish equivalent to Springfield, the Simpsons' hometown.

Each summer there is a music festival located to the harbor area. The festival, named Latitud 57 and connected to the other international Latitude music festivals, is taking place simultaneously as the annual Oskarshamn Offshore Race which is a popular competition for powerboats. The world championship in Offshore was held here in 2011.

Education
There are four main elementary schools in Oskarshamn, Norra skolan, Vallhallaskolan, Rödsleskolan and Kristinebergskolan. There are also two high schools, Oscarsgymnasiet (the main high school) and Elajogymnsiet (specializing in electricity).

Transport
The rail traffic is today limited to a few passenger trains a day to and from Nässjö and freight trains to and from the harbour. There is also a ferry line between the town and Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland. Oskarshamn also has its own airport, situated some 11 km to the north of the city centre. The connection with Stockholm-Arlanda was closed down on 17 April 2014. In May 2014 there was a decision by the municipality to close down the airport totally. The nearest other airport is Kalmar Airport, 75 km from Oskarshamn. The airport is still used for some general aviation.

Sports
IK Oskarshamn is the name of the local ice hockey team. The team has played in the highest hockey-league in Sweden, the Swedish Hockey League, since 2019.

Craftstaden IBK is the name of the floorball team which is playing in the division 1-league. IFK Oskarshamn and Oskarshamns AIK are two of the towns' soccer teams. The latter plays in the division 1-league.

During 5th to 10 July 2011, Oskarshamn hosted the world championship in offshore powerboat racing.

Twin towns – sister cities
Oskarshamn is twinned with:
 * 🇪🇪 Pärnu, Estonia
 * Port Shepstone, South Africa
 * 🇫🇮 Korsholm, Finland
 * 🇳🇴 Mandal, Norway
 * Middelfart, Denmark

title: Oskarshamn


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Vimmerby

Vimmerby is a city and the seat of Vimmerby Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 10,934 inhabitants in 2010.

Overview
Stångån is a small river running through the city.

Vimmerby had its charter as early as the fourteenth century. The main street, Storgatan, still has the shape in which it was built in the medieval time. There are also many old wooden houses in the city.

Vimmerby is currently a tourist attraction due to historical links with Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The Astrid Lindgren's World is a theme park for children that has themes from her books, and is visited by fans from around the world. When Astrid Lindgren wrote her books about the country boy Emil of Lönneberga she used much information from her own upbringing in the rural areas of Vimmerby.

Another well-known person from Vimmerby is Swedish record international goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli.

Vimmerby Church
Vimmerby Church (Vimmerby kyrka) was built in 1854-1855. The church is built in a neoclassical style with a church tower to the west. The baptismal font is carved in granite and dates from around the year 1200. The pulpit was made in 1713 by the sculptor Olof Jonasson Wiström (1666- 1720). The altarpiece was added in 1877 and was painted by artist Sven Alfred Thörne (1850-1916).

Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Vimmerby:

 * Vimmerby IF

Twin towns — sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Vimmerby: • 🇺🇸 Fargo, North Dakota, United States

• Joniškis, Lithuania

title: Vimmerby


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Västervik

Västervik is a city and the seat of Västervik Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden, with 36,747 inhabitants in 2021. Västervik is one of three coastal towns with a notable population size in the province of Småland.

Climate
Västervik has a semi-continental type of the oceanic climate (Cfb) using the -3°C isotherm, and a true humid continental climate (Dfb) using the 0°C isotherm, with vast differences between seasons. The major weather station in the area is in Gladhammar 10 km west of Västervik. Differences are likely to be minor, with precipitation normals being available in greater detail for Västervik's station. Overnight lows may be the biggest difference, due Västervik's coastal position.

Economy
The city still bases much of its industry on its harbour, and on the industries that were established as a result of it in the late 19th century. Västervik has suffered the closure of certain factories, notably Electrolux, with associated job losses. Just outside Västervik, there is the static inverter of HVDC Gotland and Fårhultsmasten, a 335 m tall guyed mast used for FM/TV-transmission, which shares with three other masts the title of Sweden's tallest structure.

Culture
Every year since 1966 there is a folk music festival in Västervik, at the ruins of the Stegeholm castle. The area has artistic talent by artists, potters, craft people and painters.

Sport and recreation
Being a summer town popular with yachtspeople, campers, daytrippers, and returning former residents, Västervik experiences an annual revival in July.

Västervik offers an outdoor life of climbing, canoeing and sailing or islands to visit and stay at. Björn Ulvaeus, a member of the internationally successful pop group ABBA who grew up in Västervik, is building a complex consisting of hotel, restaurant, and apartments in the bay near Stegeholm castle, which will be a tourist attraction for Västervik.

On the north western outskirts on the Stora Infartsvägen road, there is a speedway stadium known as the Ljungheden, where the Västervik Speedway team compete.

Other uses
Västervik is also the name of a small village 8 km north of Vaasa, Finland. The name just means "western bay", so there could be more minor localities by that name.

People

 * Ellen Key, author and feminist
 * Gottfrid Emanuel Lundberg, Swedish-American engraver
 * Björn Ulvaeus, one of the four members of the pop group ABBA
 * Alice Babs, singer
 * John F. Carlson, Swedish-born American Impressionist artist
 * Stefan Edberg, tennis player
 * Ulf Grenander, statistician, probabilist, and computer scientist.
 * Gösta Bernhard, actor and film director
 * Magnus Härenstam, comedian, actor and TV host
 * Hansi Schwarz, musician and band member of Hootenanny Singers. Manager of the annual music festival in Västervik
 * Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany
 * Carl Rosenblad, racing driver

title: Västervik


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Ballygarvan, County Cork

Ballygarvan is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It lies 9 km south of Cork City.

The village had a population of 556 inhabitants as of the 2016 census. Occupying the eastern half of Ballinhassig parish, the village lies in the valley between Myrtle Hill and Meadstown Hill, beside the River Owenabue. The village is just off the Cork-Kinsale road with Cork City 9 km to the north. Cork Airport is located 2 km away in the Farmers Cross area.

Facilities in Ballygarvan include a church, a primary school, a public house, a hairdresser, and a creche. The village has a GAA club and playing pitch.

Ballygarvan GAA club won the Cork Junior Hurling Championship in 2004 and 2014. In 1921 the village school was burned down by British forces following an IRA ambush in nearby Ballinhassig.

Notable local residents have included GAA patron Liam MacCarthy (after whom the Liam MacCarthy Cup is named), Cork footballer Ger Spillane, hurler Stephen White and camogie player Emer Dillon.

title: Ballygarvan, County Cork


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Ballyheigue

Ballyheigue, officially Ballyheige , is a coastal town and civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. It is 18 km northwest of Tralee along the R551 road. It is a scenic locale which forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way and has several miles of beaches that connect to Banna Strand to the south, and Kerry Head to the north. Local events include the Half on the Head (Kerryhead) half marathon in June and an annual summer festival in July.

Notable people

 * Richard Cantillon, economic theorist and coiner of the term entrepreneur.
 * Don O'Neill, fashion designer.

title: Ballyheigue


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Värnamo

Värnamo, historically known as Wernamo, is a town in Jönköping County in the south of Sweden. It is situated on the river Lagan just north of the lake Vidöstern. It is the seat of Värnamo Municipality and has 19,822 inhabitants as of 31 December 2020. The name comes from old Swedish värn (sconce) and mo (sandy flat land).

History
Värnamo traces its history back to a village in the medieval age; the first written mention of it stems from the 13th century. It came into existence as a village to the eastern side of a fordable place over the Lagan, a river that for large parts is difficult to travel by. As there are also smaller streams to the south and west of this location, it was considered something of a safeguard, leading to its name being amalgamated from the two Swedish words värn, which means safeguard, and mo which is a geographical location reference describing the kind of land on which the town is situated. The word mo actually means that the soil consists of fine sand, sometimes making the land surrounding the river bog or barren.

Värnamo came to be the centre of Östbo Härad, an archaic form of judicial district, and thus a seat of trade and commerce. When Värnamo became a köping in 1659 it was given formal rights to host markets, falling under the jurisdiction of the city of Jönköping.

The town of Värnamo was insignificant for a long time, but with the Swedish population growth and industrialization in the 19th century it expanded, becoming an independent köping in 1859. Dense forests and industrial water power spurned the furniture industry and forges run by water power. The Swedish railroad nets spurred to enhance its industrial life, leading to a population increasing from 1,141 people in 1910 to 3,664 in 1920, and making it significant enough to get the title of a city on November 1, 1920, whereby it became one of the now only historical Cities of Sweden. The chosen city arms depicts the traditional location by the Lagan.

Geography
Fourteen percent of the total area in Värnamo Municipality is made up of water. Seventy percent of the land area is covered by forests (of which 90 percent is productive), 7 percent is arable, 3 percent is suitable for grazing and 5 percent is built up.

Demographics
Värnamo is the largest locality in Värnamo Municipality with 57 percent of the total population. It is situated in the Swedish Bible Belt and has a high concentration of free churches.

Värnamo has a significant Bosnian and Balkan population. There are six times more persons born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and three times more in Yugoslavia than the national average. Together they make up five percent of Värnamo Municipality's total population and a quarter of the foreign-born population.

Economy
3M is the largest private employer with 225 employees and Värnamo Municipality is the largest public employer with 2,774 employees as of November 2020. The largest companies based in Värnamo by number of employees (including outside Värnamo) are Liljedahl Group AB, Bufab AB, Sandahlsbolagen Sweden AB and DS Smith Packaging Sweden AB.

Governance
Värnamo is governed by Värnamo Municipality.

Culture
Apladalen is a nature park and an open-air museum located in the center of Värnamo. It has some preserved buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, a handicraft shop, a café and a large playground. There are also live animals, such as sheep, goats, rabbits and hens. In Apladalen you can also find a statue of the lovers Per and Kersi, a fictional couple who met at the market in Värnamo and fell in love.

Attractions
Gummifabriken ("The rubber factory") is a former rubber factory that has been renovated and rebuilt. It contains the local library, Madame Brasserie & Café, an auditorium with 393 seats, Campus Värnamo, Teknikcenter, a cinema with three screens, Science Park (a business incubator), Skärteknikcentrum ("Cutting technology centre"), Värnamo Näringsliv and a business centre.

Zivan and Zorka Tomic opened Pizzeria Chaplin in 1979, as the first pizzeria in Värnamo. The interior, furniture and garden are all designed and built by Zivan. In 2004 Tanja Tomic won the European Pizza Championship in Marbella, Spain with her self-composed pizza Santa Lucia.

Sports
The football club IFK Värnamo was founded in 1912. Between 2011 and 2018 it played in Superettan, the second tier of Swedish football. It was then relegated, and played in Division 1, the third tier of Swedish football, during 2019 and 2020. The team finished first at the end of the 2020 season, and was promoted to Superettan again. In 2021 Värnamo finished first in Superettan and was promoted to Allsvenskan. The club's home stadium is Finnvedsvallen.

Transport
The closest airport, Hagshult Airbase, is located 13 kilometers north of Värnamo. It is operated as a training base by the Swedish Air Force and is also used by Värnamo flying club. The closest public airports are Växjö-Kronoberg Airport (51 km) followed by Jönköping Airport (63 km).

Värnamo is situated on the junction between the Halmstad–Nässjö railway line and the Coast-to-Coast Line (Gothenburg–Kalmar).

City and regional bus traffic is operated by Jönköping County. Värnamo is located just north west of the junction between the European route E4 and the national road 27.

Healthcare
Värnamo sjukhus is one of three hospitals in Jönköping County and one of the major employers of the town with around 1,300 staff. There is one private and 2 public clinics in Värnamo. These are Apladalens vårdcentral, Vråens vårdcentral and Väster vårdcentral.

Education
There are seven schools for Primary and lower secondary education in Värnamo. These are: Rörstorpsskolan for preschool class to 3rd grade; Enehagens skola, Mossleskolan and Trälleborgsskolan for preschool class to 5th grade; Exposkolan for 4th to 6th grade and Apladalsskolan and Gröndalsskolan for 6th to 9th grade. The oldest school is Enehagens skola which has been active since 1907 and the newest school is Exposkolan, which opened in 2019.

There was previously a charter school for grades six to nine operated by Prolympia, which focused on sport. It was closed down in 2010 because of a lack of students.

There is one school for upper secondary education called Finnvedens gymnasium. It offers 11 of the 18 national programs, of which in 2020 the most popular were Social Science (23%), Business Management and Economics (16%), Technology (13%), Natural Science (8%), and Vehicle and Transport (8%).

When Finnvedens gymnasium opened in 1969 no students nor any teachers were allowed to participate in the opening ceremony which costed 25,000 SEK (equivalent to US$24,000 in 2020). This was seen as unfair by the student council, who also thought it was too expensive. The student council therefore organized their own, cheaper ceremony outside before the official ceremony. This attracted national news coverage and one of the invitees, Olof Palme, then Minister for Education, who became the Swedish prime minister a month later, spoke to the students.

There is Folk high school in Värnamo called Värnamo Folkhögskola, which has been active since 1876. It is governed by Jönköping County and offers primary, secondary and tertiary education. Among courses offered are youth worker, social educator and courses in textile. It offers boarding and has exchanges with a folk high school in Zambia and one in the UK.

Campus Värnamo offers tertiary level education and is governed by the municipal executive board of Värnamo. It offers technical and engineering courses in 3D computer graphics and printing, polymer engineering and web development as well as courses for paraprofessional educator and preschool teacher. It also runs Teknikcenter ("Technical center"), which organizes technical activities for children and teenagers and educates teachers in technology. Its purpose is to increase interest in technology in the region.

Media
There are three newspapers in Värnamo: Värnamo Nu, Finnveden nu and Värnamo nyheter.

Värnamo Nu is an online-only newspaper that was founded in 2010. It is owned by Birgitta and Per Bunnstad, the latter who is the legally responsible publisher.

Finnveden Nu, founded 2003, is a free newspaper that is distributed every Friday. An online version is also available.

Värnamo Nyheter is an online and print paid newspaper distributed every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It was founded by Karl Witus Johansson in 1930.

Finnveden Nu and Värnamo Nyheter are owned by Hall Media which is in turn owned by Bonnier News Local and Amedia.

Sveriges Television broadcasts local TV news and publishes online news articles for Jönköping County, which includes Värnamo. Until 2014, local TV news for Jönköping County was also covered by TV4.

Local radio news are covered by Radio Sweden as part of its coverage on Jönköping County. There is also a community radio association, created in 1982, which since 1985 broadcasts music, the assemblies of Värnamo municipal council, news on Israel and Christian worship.

Notable people

 * Anna Anvegård, footballer
 * Alice Bah Kuhnke, Member of the European Parliament
 * Viktor Claesson, footballer
 * Annie Lööf, former leader of the Centre Party
 * Bruno Mathsson, furniture designer
 * Hanna Ouchterlony, founder of the Swedish Salvation Army
 * Felix Rosenqvist, racing driver
 * Elize Ryd, singer-songwriter and member of the band Amaranthe
 * Jonas Thern, football manager and former professional player

title: Värnamo


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Vetlanda

Vetlanda is a locality and the seat of Vetlanda Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 13,050 inhabitants in 2010.

History
Vetlanda was still nothing more than a village for several centuries. With the 1840s population boom in Småland, and the industrial revolution winning ground in Sweden, the industry expanded and people settled in the village. With the railways crossing Vetlanda in the late 19th century the population further blossomed, and Vetlanda got the title of a city on New Year's Day 1920, at which time its population amounted to 3,015.

The coat of arms was selected as an ear of wheat, a derivation of the arms for the old jurisdiction Östra Härad (sv), wherein Vitala was rumoured to have been the centre, that depicted three ears of wheat. The present spelling Vetlanda did not come into use until the 1920s, before that it was known as Hvetlanda, a form that can be found in several companies and organizations.

In the 19th century, wood industry got a stronghold in Vetlanda, a position it still has today. Manufacturing is large in Vetlanda: besides wood industries there are also strong metal industries and other factories.

In 2021, the city was a scene to a mass stabbing attack.

Bandy
Vetlanda has a sports teams that competes in the highest league in its sport, Vetlanda bandyklubb. VBK has won the Swedish bandy championship three times, 1986, 1991 and 1992 and European Cup once, 1991. Skirö-Nävelsjö Bandy, playing in the second-tier Allsvenskan, is also situated in Vetlanda. In 2013, the B-pool of the Bandy World Championship was played in Vetlanda.

Motorcycle speedway
Vetlanda Speedway are a motorcycle speedway team that compete in the Swedish Speedway Team Championship and are eleven times champions of Sweden. They are based at the Vetlanda Motorstadion.

Rowing
The city used to have one of the oldest rowing clubs in the country, Vetlanda Roddarsällskap, which disbanded in 1982.

Notable natives

 * Elitserien ice hockey player Alexander Ytterell (born July 1, 1991)
 * NHL ice hockey player Johan Franzén (born December 23, 1979)
 * NHL ice hockey player Mattias Tedenby (born February 21, 1990)
 * NHL ice hockey player Erik Karlsson (born May 31, 1990)
 * Sculptor Peter David Edstrom (born March 27, 1873)
 * Singer and media personality Lena Philipsson (born January 19, 1966)
 * Music producer and songwriter Putte Nelsson (born December 5, 1971)
 * Thomas H Jonasson Speedway Rider (born November 27, 1988)

title: Vetlanda


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Vaggeryd

Vaggeryd is a locality situated in Vaggeryd Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 4,920 inhabitants in 2010. Together with Skillingaryd it is the seat of the municipality.

Vaggeryd is situated about 10 km north of its co-municipal seat Skillingaryd. Parts of the municipal administration are located in Vaggeryd.

Vaggeryd was originally the seat for multiple furniture manufacturers, most of which have now shut down.

title: Vaggeryd


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Tranås

Tranås is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,197 inhabitants in 2010.

Overview
It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main street, Storgatan. The symbol of the town is the crane as featured on the town's coat of arms. Some of the bigger employers in the town are Strömsholmen, Pastejköket, OEM, EFG (European Furniture Group) and IVT.

The company Stiga was founded by Stig Hjelmquist in Tranås 1934. Since 2005 there is free bus service in the central part of town.

The town is also the home of Wood House, a major table tennis blade manufacturing facility

Notable people

 * Ove Fundin, speedway racer
 * Simon Holmström, ice hockey player
 * Lennart Hyland, television host
 * Lena Larsson, interior designer
 * Dénis Lindbohm, author
 * David Lingmerth, professional golfer
 * Magnus Svensson, professional ice hockey player

title: Tranås


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Sävsjö

Sävsjö is a locality and the seat of Sävsjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 5,122 inhabitants in 2010.

Geography
Sävsjö is located on the main line railway between Stockholm and Malmö. The distance to Malmö is about 220 kilometers.

History
Sävsjö regards the date 1 October 1864, as the start of its current history, because it was then that the train station Sävsjö was inaugurated. At that time Sävsjö was nothing more than a few houses, but attracted by the railway it began expanding, attracting both industries and inhabitants. The settlement with its then 1.56 square kilometres had 1,481 people in 1917 at which time several small industries had established themselves there, most notably carpenters and other wood industries, and there was also a bank, a pharmacy and a post office.

In 1947 the rural municipalities Norra Ljunga and Vallsjö in which the settlement was situated were combined and formed the City of Sävsjö. Since the local government reform of 1971 Sävsjö is the seat of the much larger Sävsjö Municipality.

Notable people

 * Eilert Ekwall (1877–1964), Swedish scholar of the English language, born in the hamlet of Vallsjö in present-day Sävsjö
 * Jonas Bronck (1600–1643), namesake of the borough The Bronx, New York City, born in the hamlet of Komstad outside of present-day Sävsjö
 * Sam Weihagen (born 1950), travel group executive

title: Sävsjö


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Nässjö

Nässjö is a locality and the seat of Nässjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 31,782 inhabitants in 2024.

History
For many years, Nässjö was a rural village with agriculture as the dominant occupation. The turning point was the construction of the Swedish railway system. The southern main line railway, finished in 1864, passed through Nässjö. Later, other railways were inaugurated, whereby Nässjö, due to its geographical location in the country, became an important junction. A line to Katrineholm was opened in 1874, and that year also the opening of the Oskarshamn line; the one to Halmstad in 1882; to Kalmar in 1914. Today, Nässjö is the only Swedish junction where railways in six different directions meet.

As a result, industries moved to Nässjö, and the population increased. The most important industries were wood industries due to the forest covered Småland province area, at a time when it had become possible to factory manufacture the wooden chair (a.k.a. Windsor chair). Nässjö attempted to get a charter, which was granted in 1914, making it one of the now defunct Cities of Sweden. It is since 1971 instead the seat of the much larger Nässjö Municipality.

Its population continued to increase throughout the 20th century. In the 1940s production of electrical installation equipment began, and the industry Eldon AB was for a long time the largest industry of the town.

The rock band Backyard Babies and metal band Kongh hail from Nässjö. The head of the largest ponzi scheme in the Nordic countries, Winclub/Wincapita, Mr Hannu Kailajärvi was arrested in Nässjö on December 10, 2008, after reportedly having lived there for some time.

Sport
Nässjö Motorstadion is a motorcycle speedway and flat track speedway venue located on the south west edge of the locality on Skogsvallen. The stadium hosts the NK Nässjö speedway team that has competed in the Swedish Speedway Team Championship and won the second division in 1997. The facility has hosted important events, including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship in 1983, 1986 and 1991.

title: Nässjö


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Mullsjö

Mullsjö is a locality and the seat of Mullsjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 5,452 inhabitants in 2010. Elevation: 286 metres.

title: Mullsjö


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Gnosjö

Gnosjö is a locality and the seat of Gnosjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 4,326 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 9,600.

In business management, Gnosjö is known for the Gnosjö Spirit (Gnosjöandan). Gnosjöandan describes an entrepreneurial spirit characterized by collaboration, ingenuity and relentlessness. The term originated in 1800s.

Notable people

 * Bengt Erlandsson, also known as Big Bengt (1922–2016), founder of wild west theme park High Chaparral
 * Oscar Johansson Schellhas (born 1995), professional footballer
 * Stefan Kardebratt (born 1954), musician
 * Uno Svenningsson (born 1959), musician

title: Gnosjö


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Gislaved (disambiguation)

Gislaved may refer to:
 * Gislaved Municipality in Sweden
 * Gislaved, the seat of Gislaved Municipality
 * Gislaved (tires), a former Swedish tyre manufacturer
 * Gislaveds IS, a Swedish football club

title: Gislaved (disambiguation)