Below is the start of a humorous rant on Volvos. Find the full piece at:
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Imagine a land where for 200 days of the year it's dark, or snowing, or both. The citizens of this land regularly vote for government regulation of everything up to and including bedtime. A beer costs more than the fridge to put it in. The national sport is suicide.This last activity is equally popular with the elk which inhabit the interminable pine forests that cover most of the country. The creatures have just enough intelligence to chew cud without falling over, which may explain their habit of running into the road when they hear something alarming - like a car engine.
These cultural, meteorological and zoological factors leave their mark on the motor vehicles produced in this icy gehenna. Solid metal boxes: heavy on the headlights and the crumple zones. Life preservation is top of the agenda. Life affirmation isn't even on it. Ladies and gentlemen, this is all you need to know about the Swedes and their automobiles.