Stick on the ice

Winter Mood

One of the biggest problems most of us face in the winter is the lack of natural light. In the winter, the days are short, the temperature can be cold or gray, and the chances to go outside and get some natural sunlight lessen.

(click the picture to enlarge)

Dramatic moose rescue ends sadly

Two 12-year-old boys out making ski tracks over the weekend ended up freeing a young moose that had gotten itself stuck in ice on a river. The stricken moose, however, failed to survive its ordeal.

The moose, believed to be a yearling, had apparently tried to cross a frozen river. The ice, however, had collapsed several places in the river, forming a sort of bobsled track that made it too difficult for the young moose to make his way up to the bank.
Exhausted, the moose had finally given up and was found lying down in the icy water that had seeped up through the ice.

My daugther with her national suit called "bunad"

A bunad is a traditional norwegian costume typically of rural origin. Bunads are local to Norway's traditional districts , and the result both of traditional evolution and organized efforts to discover and modernize traditional designs. The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewelery. There are bunads both for men and women, though women's bunads are more diverse and popular.

Frosty the snowman

Frosty, the snowman have a problem. He shall not survive the spring. His only hope is a new Ice Age. Well, I don't like cold weather, I'm longing for the spring....

From the song:

Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me.

Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day,
So he said, "Let's run and
we'll have some fun
now before I melt away."

Winter landscape

Immigration from Poland sets new record

Norway has been a popular destination for workers from Poland for years, and now their families are arriving as well. Children from Poland now make up the biggest immigrant group in local schools and day care centers.

Many families stay behind in Poland when the father, most typically, travels to Norway for months at a time. Now, however, more Polish families are coming along.

The children attend a so-called "transitional" class until their Norwegian proficiency is good enough that they can join a regular class. The number of Polish children in such classes in Oslo was up 40 percent last year, over 2005.

Nearly 2,000 Polish workers applied to bring their families to Norway last year, double the number of applications the year before.

Hay-bale thief died in the act

A 53-year-old man from my neighbourhood apparently suffered a heart attack just as he and another man were stealing hay from a farm in the middle of the night.
Who wants to steal a hay-bale? I just ask...

The two men broke into a barn late Wednesday night. The men then proceeded to steal several bales of hay, worth only about NOK 80 (USD 12) each.
The owner of the farm said he found a pair of shoes inside his barn, and about 10 bales of hay on the trailer that was left abandoned nearby.

Stores pull illegal tuna

Discount giant Smart Club, and grocery chains ICA and Rimi have now withdrawn illegal tuna that could make consumers extremely ill.

A consumer watchdog television program (Consumer Inspectors) revealed that laboratory tests had confirmed the sale of illegal fish.

The tuna was artificially colored using carbon dioxide gas, a technique banned in the European Union market and Norway, because the method can disguise old or poor quality fish - the fish can be thawed and refrozen repeatedly without losing its color.

Drug network smashed

Arrests have been made in Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium as part of a concerted drug raid led by Kripos, Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS).

"Operation Broken Lorry", led by the NCIS division for organized crime, resulted in 34 arrests in the three countries and the seizure of 400 kilograms (880 lbs) of hashish, 10 kilos (22 lbs) of heroin and 6 kilos (13.2 lbs) of cocaine, just in Norway.

In addition to the confiscated drugs police have also charged several persons in connection with a 224 kilo (492.8 lb) consignment of hashish yet to be seized.

Aftenposten (norwegian)

Partners may become heirs

Norway's justice minister wants to give homo- and heterosexual partners the right to automatically become each other's heirs, at least to the tune of NOK 250,000 (USD 40,000).

Justice Minister from the Labour Party claims such a change in the law would "modernize" existing laws that only grant inheritance rights to married couples.

Strange weather

Brrrrrrr.......... I'm freezing. From + 10°C (50F) a few days ago to - 15°C (5F) today...brrrrr....

The snow has arrieved this weekend

Most of southern Norway was hit by a whirling snowstorm over the weekend that left up to 20 centimeters of the white stuff on Oslo alone. Even many non-skiers welcomed the first real sign of winter this month.

84 days of rains in Bergen

I'ts been raining the last 84 days in Bergen, Norway. This is the final record. Today the weather was sunny and bright. It's a new record.
The old record was 59 days.
During this time the people here has not been able to see the sun, except for a few hours.
A joke is told in Bergen about a tourist asking a local boy if it ever stops raining. "I don't know," replies the boy, "I'm only twelve."
For some years there were paraplyautomater (umbrella vending machines) installed in the streets, however, they did not turn out to be a success.

The record in Norway was set at a weather station at Horni in Bærum, west of Oslo, during the period September 24 to December 19, 2000, when it rained at least once a day for 87 days.

Figth to save Afghan girl

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has turned part of his visit to Afghanistan into a mission to save a goat herder's daughter.
Støre has been trying to mobilize forces to fly ten-year-old Naoroz, who has suffered life-threatening burns and her father, a goat herder, to Bergen, Norway

Three weeks ago a family oil lamp exploded, and burning oil hit Naoroz, leaving her with serious burns over 30 percent of her body, especially the head, hand, knees and feet.

The rescue came by chance, with a Norwegian defense flight arriving in Kabul bringing personnel to Meymaneh. Medical personnel are on board and they will bring Naoroz to Bergen.

They arrived in Bergen over the weekend and his daughter Naoroz was immediately transferred to Haukeland Hospital's well-known burn unit. Doctors there said they were optimistic she could make a full recovery.
The family lost everything when a paraffin oven that Naoroz had lit to warm up their home ended up burning the house down. Her mother and three siblings are now staying with the mother's parents.

Aftenposten (norwegian)

Huge birthday party for King Harald's 70th

Norway's King Harald will turn 70 next month, and the party is expected to go on for three full days.

The monarch's 70th birthday is February 21, and the day will start with a special service at Oslo's Trinity Church (Trefoldighetskirken). That's because the Oslo Cathedral usually used for royal affairs is undergoing extensive renovations.

The royal couple already has started celebrating what Norwegians call their upcoming "round" birthdays by inviting their children and grandchildren on a vacation in the Caribbean. The royals including the crown couple, their children and Princess Martha Louise and her husband (Ari Behn) and daughters are at an officially undisclosed Caribbean location now, and will be back later this month.

World Cup,ski-flying, Vikersund

The winner: Anders Jacobsen, Norway
Results after first day (Saturday)






































Pictures from Word Cup ski-flying yesterday
Link to Ski-flying,Vikersund

Reindeer may get own tunnels

Plans for a new highway over the mountain plateau known as Hardangervidda have sparked calls for tunnels that wild reindeer can use to get over, or under, it.
Norway has the last of Europe's wild tundra reindeer, scattered over 23 different mountainous areas in southern Norway. The total reindeer population is estimated at about 30,000.
The reindeer population continues to be threatened by road building, holiday cabin development, other construction projects and climate change. Warmer weather can lead to another type of vegetation that can crowd out what the reindeer eat.

World's longest bike

It has been to our attention that the longest bike in the world, officialy registered by Guiness record book is from Russia.

It’s creator Oleg “Leshij” Rogov was from Tver city, a small town near Moscow city. He was a big biker fan since his childhood. One day he has got an idea to build the longest bike in the world, according to his own story “probably after he got too much beer inside”.

So after two years of planning and delaying he did it. He built the bike that was 31 feet 4 inches long (9 metres 57 cm). After the thing was ready he sent his claim to the Guiness book and got registered as longest bike in the world.

The saddest part of the story is that he got into accident and died this summer, still we have the photos of his creation, it would be some kind of tribute to him.

World Cup,ski-flying, January 11th-14th 2007

Anders Jacobsen from Norway is my favorite.
Young Anders Jacobsen landed back in Norway, after landing some spectacular ski jumps that won him the world's most prestigious title in his sport over the weekend.
Jacobsen, a 21-year-old junior world champion, won the Four Hills tournament at Bischofshofen on Sunday, after also winning the opening event that started a week of ski jumping competition in Oberstdorf.
















Vikersundbakken
The arena is now ready for long jump.
I lives only five km(3 miles)from the arena.

During the event you will experience
great sporting moments at Northern Europe`s only ski-flying arena,Vikersundbakken.

See the world`s best ski-jumpers in spectacular flights over 220 meters.(722 feets) For the first time, you will be able to experience a flood-lighted ski-flying competition. They promise a great celebration and great entertainment at the arena. Large tents for spectators and special guests will be ready to receive over 5,000 visitors.

The ski-jumpers will all be allowed to participate in the official training on Thursday, where there will be three rounds. Friday, there will be two trial rounds before the qualifying round. From there, 40 ski-jumpers will go on to the competitions on Saturday and Sunday. These 40 will participate in the 1^st round, while 30 will go on to the final round.
Link

Man Kept 1,000 Rats As Pets

A man in California has kept over 1,000 rats as pets in his home until recently, when
he admitted the rodents 'had gotten a bit out of control' after they had began breeding uncontrollably.

Roger Dier, 67, says that despite the reputation of the rodents, they were good creatures and that they loved him the same way he loved them. Despite all the love, Dier had been charged with animal cruelty and had all 1,000 rats taken away from his home.

According to Ananova, Nancee Tavares, the city's Animal Services manager, said it was an unusual case: "Not many people like rats," she said. "They have a bad rap."

Aftenposten (norwegian)

City fences out reindeer

Residents of Norway's northern city of Hammerfest grew weary of reindeer wandering through their gardens, munching on their flowers and leaving their calling cards. So now a fence is going up around the whole town, but it's both loved and hated.

As many as 500 reindeer are permanent residents of Hammerfest. They wander in from the vast Arctic plateau during the summer grazing season and have also been a popular tourist attraction.

City officials decided to sacrifice the tourist attraction after repeated complaints that the animals were becoming just a little too much at home in town. Even though owners of the reindeer would make efforts to round them up and move them out, the reindeer quickly would roam back to the tempting gardens of city residents.

Norway-Denmark crime spree

Additional charges brought against suspects in rampage.
The five men charged in a Dec. 18 crime spree that shocked residents of the small towns of Denmark and Norway (South Carolina, USA) made a second appearance in court Wednesday.

In a town so quiet you can hear birds flap their wings, where there's just one police car and no real traffic lights, it's hard to imagine the horror that was there.
"It's a surprising thing to me," said 83-year-old Matthew Higgins, who hangs his hat in Norway, but, in all his life, he's never heard of a crime spree coming to town.

"I really don't know exactly what happened, but it did happen," he said. "He got shot."

Huggins was talking about his brother-in-law, 81-year-old Vance Polite, who was home with his wife when police said five guys broke in.

"He was shot and pistol whipped, beat with a handgun and guns," said Norway Police Chief James Preacher, who believes the motive was money.

Strange statues around the world

Oxford,UK




















Frogner Park, Oslo, Norway. Sculpture by Gustav Vigeland

Gustav Vigeland , 1869–1943, Norwegian sculptor. Vigeland's sculpture owed much to Rodin in stylistic realism but was imbued with an unrestrained romanticism and emotionalism that far surpassed Rodin's. His great undertaking in Frogner Park, Oslo, occupied Vigeland for 40 years. He planned the park and designed numerous granite and bronze sculptural groups, illustrating the development of humanity.

National anthem in Nazi propaganda?

Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs promises action after a group of neo-Nazis have used Norway's national anthem, "Ja Vi Elsker", in a propaganda video.
The video has been placed on the popular web site YouTube and shows images of various European cities combined with Nazi symbolism.
A neo-Nazi group calling themselves Nordreich are behind the video.
This is an unacceptable way of using the national anthem.
You can see the video here.

Not "real" neo-Nazis

Nordreich is in fact a virtual community linked to an online role-playing game, and their "Head of State" says they are not really neo-Nazis.

The leader of Nordreich, one "Magnus Nordir, Head of State of the Folksish Reich of Vinland", ridiculed Norway's Foreign Ministry and press in a statement Wednesday for misinformed efforts to curtail free speech in connection with a game.

"Our 'group' is based in a popular online nation simulator/Role playing game called Cyber Nations; located at http://www.cybernations.net The game consists of tens of thousands of players, of which participate in several player created alliances of all different types of affiliations, be they conservative, communist, nationalist, libertarian, or "far right"," Nordir wrote in a forum at Cyber Nations, aiming his statement at the government and press of Norway.

Erik Johannessen, an active Cyber Nations player from a different alliance, said that Nordreich is not at all likely to be a neo-Nazi group, but that there were Nazi elements there who used the platform to recruit to extreme right-wing organizations.

At work

I survived the first day at my new job....
Very busy!

Back To Work

It's back to work tomorrow after 9 days vacation, in a new job.
I hope for the best.....

Whatching a movie on the first day of 2007

'The snow walker' is the title of the movie.
Set in the 1950s, a crashed battles the elements of the Northern territories with the help of a female Inut.