SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:35 P.M. ET: 

CHANGE IN SWEDEN? – FROM AFP:  Swedes vote in legislative elections on Sunday expected to see the far-right surge amid a deep rift over the integration of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, with the election outcome seen as uncertain.  Neither Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's left-wing bloc nor the centre-right opposition were seen obtaining a majority.  The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), an anti-immigration party with roots in the neo-Nazi movement, are tipped to win around 20 percent of votes, according to an average of seven polling institutes published in the past 10 days, up from 13 percent in 2014 elections.
That could make SD Sweden's second biggest party behind Lofven's Social Democrats.  SD has capitalised on voters who feel left behind by traditional parties in favour of the 400,000 asylum seekers who have arrived since 2012, whom they believe are straining the country's famed welfare model.  Immigration, integration, health care, the climate and education have been Swedes' main concerns in the election campaign.  We may not like the origins of the SD, but it's a good thing that Sweden is being shaken up politically.  It's about time.  The country has been asleep for years.

TENNIS:  ANOTHER DISGRACEFUL MOMENT IN AMERICAN SPORTS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  Naomi Osaka, 20 years old, just became the first player from Japan to win a Grand Slam.
Yet rather than cheer Osaka, the crowd, the commentators and US Open officials all expressed shock and grief that Serena Williams lost.  Osaka spent what should have been her victory lap in tears. It had been her childhood dream to make it to the US Open and possibly play against Williams, her idol, in the final.
It’s hard to recall a more unsportsmanlike event.  Here was a young girl who pulled off one of the greatest upsets ever, who fought for every point she earned, ashamed.  At the awards ceremony, Osaka covered her face with her black visor and cried. The crowd booed her. Katrina Adams, chairman and president of the USTA, opened the awards ceremony by denigrating the winner and lionizing Williams — whose ego, if anything, needs piercing.  The deserving winner will take her impression of America back to Japan.  We are better than this.

NOT THE GREATEST GENERATION – FROM STUDYFINDS:  BOSTON — For some, it’s the best four years of their lives. For others, it’s a period of constant struggle, whether academically, socially, or both. College brings about new experiences and challenges for young adults that can be difficult to adapt to and overcome, so perhaps it’s no surprise that a new study reports high rates of stress and mental health conditions among students.  The newly-published report out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that a quarter of college students received were diagnosed with a mental health condition in the past year, and a fifth have had suicidal thoughts.  Researchers looked at survey results from 67,308 students across 108 American colleges and universities during the spring of 2015. Students were questioned on the frequency of stressful events, depression or anxiety in their daily lives, and reported whether or not they’d been diagnosed with a mental health condition in the past year. Stressful events were viewed as anything that students viewed as traumatic or difficult to handle, whether academic or personal. That includes financial struggles, family problems, trouble sleeping, self-esteem issues, or health matters.  I don't diminish the importance of mental-health issues, but this is the most pampered generation I've ever seen.  I wonder if that has something to do with the inability of many to cope.   

September 8, 2018