Tromsø gets Olympic nod

The board of the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports has decided that the northern city of Tromsø should be the candidate to bid to stage
the Winter Olympics in 2018.

Nobel Peace Prize to Al Goore?

Drawing by Marijke van Eeckhout

Car driver

Here is my driver when I'm out for a drink!

Football (soccer) supporters from Norway

Friends

Northern lights, aurora borealis

The Aurora (plural Aurorae/Auroras) is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone. For this reason some scientists call it a "polar aurora" (or "aurora polaris"). In northern latitudes, it is known as the aurora borealis , which is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. Especially in Europe, it often appears as a reddish glow on the northern horizon, as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the northern lights since it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. Its southern counterpart, aurora australis, has similar properties. Australis is the Latin word for "of the South".

Women won't give up laundry

Even in Norway, where women have come a long way in demanding equality on the homefront, there's one domestic duty that most just won't give up: Washing the clothes.
Women are even using more time now doing the laundry than they did in 1860. They're happy to let their husbands wash the floors, make dinner and look after the kids, but the women want to do the wash.
Something must the women do if the men makes dinner and wash the floor...he...he... Maybee they likes to see the tumbler go around and around... (Just kiding)

The Golfer

The Golfer

Spring busts out all over

Much of Norway has been basking in unusually warm and sunny weather since late last week, and forecasters say more spring weather is expected over the next week. It was enough to tempt at least one Norwegian into the season's first swim.

A few sailboats could be spotted on the fjord and Norwegians flocked outdoors all over the country to soak up some rays after months of the dreariest winter in recent memory, with little snow for skiing. Temperatures "soared" to around 16C (60F), breezes were light and there's hardly been a cloud in the sky since the middle of last week.

Talking cash machines

Cash machines in Oslo have started to talk, and the technological advance was hailed by blind bank users.

Hello! Choose another amount. The amount chosen is not available," is a message from one of the new cash dispensers.
The Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted has helped develop the speaking cash machines, and this week the first two have been placed in central Oslo.

Alcohol more threatening than drugs

Norwegian researchers claim that many parents are so worried their children will get involved with drugs that they overlook the dangers of alcohol, which often flows freely among teenagers. The researchers believe alcohol can pose an even bigger threat.

Intoxication, fights, injuries and unwanted sexual relations are all part of the drinking culture that's rampant among Norwegian youth. Two researchers at the state institute that examines alcohol abuse think it's time parents woke up.

Dog by the lake

Viking woman had roots near the Black Sea

Picture from the excavation in 1904.








The bones of a women found in one of Norway's most famous Viking graves suggest her ancestors came from the area around the Black Sea.
She were first found in 1904, when the Oseberg Viking ship was excavated, and analysed by a university.

The analysis data was withheld, however, and the woman's remains were returned to the Oseberg burial mound in 1947.

The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne warriors and traders of Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles and mainland Europe as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late 8th-11th century. This period (generally dated 793–1066) is often referred to as the Viking Age. The term Viking has also denoted entire populations of Viking Age Scandinavia and their settlements, as an expanded meaning.

Entire predator found

The first intact example of the "Tyrannosaurus Rex of the sea" - a Pliosaur from 150 million years ago - has been found on Norwegian soil, in Svalbard.
The discovery of the fearsome giant lizard, a sort of massive four-finned crocodile, is expected to make waves in paleontology circles. Until now only smaller parts of the predator, which could be up to 10 meters long, have been found in England, Russia and Argentina. The Svalbard specimen is probably 8-9 meters long.
They also found vertebrae the size of hub caps sticking out of the slate. The expedition found a total of 28 skeletons, 27 of them smaller sea lizards.

Singing star turns 60

Norwegian singing star Wenche Myhre made her debut as a performer at age seven, and today she's still going strong.

Wenche Myhre (born August 15, 1947, ) is a Norwegian singer and actress who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, German as well as the Swedish markets and languages.
She has starred in movies both in Norway and Sweden.

SMS record

Norwegians are the most enthusiastic users of mobile phone short text messages (SMS) in the world, and their passion keeps increasing.

Although the final figures for 2006 are not quite ready, it is likely that Norwegians set a new record, sending well over 4.5 billion SMS last year - or roughly 1,000 per person.

Mobile phone use is extremely high in Scandinavia, but neighboring Sweden does not share Norway's SMS dependency, with only an average of 30 SMS per month sent.

A very old sauna

Ice Formation

Found python in toilet

A woman got the shock of her life during a visit to the family.
Upon lifting the seat she spotted a two-meter (6.5 foot) long python coiled up in the bottom of the bowl.

"I was about to sit down and lifted the seat and there was something big and fat lying down there," the woman said.
The police were called and two officers equipped with shields managed to ease the large snake out of the toilet.
The creature had definitely traveled through the sewer system to reach the household and police had contacted the Food Safety Authority to determine the animal's fate.

Pollution

Norwegian women keep on dieting

Just over half of the women in Norway say they have been trying to lose weight, but most Norwegians don't care if it's healthy.

Nearly 1.5 million Norwegians over the age of 15 have dieted one or more times. Of these, 955,000 are women, which means that 52 percent of Norwegian women have been actively dieting.
Just under 60 percent of those surveyed said that they wanted to look better or just be thinner as their main motivation for losing weight. Only 12 percent, and most of these men over the age of 45, said that they wanted to lose weight to improve their health.

The father to Princess Mette- Marit passed away today

The father to Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Sven O. Høiby passed away on Wednesday, aged 70.

He had been ill for some time, having been diagnosed with lung cancer in the autumn of last year.

The crown princess had a turbulent relationship with her father after she married Crown Prince Haakon, but there were clear signs of reconciliation in recent times.

After the 2001 wedding father and daughter had largely only met at major events in the crown couple's family life.

Mr.Squirrel himself!

Majority against EU in Norway

Opponents of Norwegian membership in the European Union are again a majority force.

Women are particularly opposed to EU membership.
Opposition to the EU remains strongest in rural areas, with cities, and especially larger cities, seeing a more even distribution of support, though with a majority against membership. Opposition is strongest among voters under the age of 30.
I'm against EU too.

Spring is around the corner

Red berries

Awesome cat

Gay pastor gets job after all

The Bishop of Oslo, who's maintained a conservative stand against gay pastors in the state church, has backed down, and now will grant a ministry to a pastor who's living in a gay partnership.
The Bishop's decision earlier this month to deny a pastor's position to a gay sparked wide debate when it became known last week.

Must trust offenders

This year Norway hopes to begin using an electronic fetter on convicted assailants, to be able to track the whereabouts of those under restraining orders. But the scheme will only work with the help of the offender.

The test scheme of what has been billed as a "reverse alarm" system, making the offender carry a security item rather than equipping potential victims with alarms, will begin in 2007. An electronic leg band with a GPS receiver will be fastened to the person judged dangerous, and an alarm will sound if the device comes to near to the person judged at risk.
But you can ask, what is good enough. If you really want to hurt someone badly or kill them, society cannot prevent this.

On the rail again

What's on man's mind

Animal foot in sausage

An eight-year-old girl got a nasty shock that has put her family off eating hot dogs for life.
The girl had nearly finished her hot dog when she saw something gray in the meat. She dug out this gray thing that was surrounded by meat. It turned out to be a foot with a claw, probably a rat foot since it was about a centimeter (0.4 inch) long.
"This is one of the most nauseating things I have ever experienced. We will never eat ground meat again," the family said

Sex on the railroad line

It's a new sport in a little town in Norway, couple having sex on the railroad line after the country-party.
The conductors ( brakesman) have to drive slowly when they pass through this area on Friday and Saturday nigth.

Teamwork

Wearing the same shirts doesn't make you a team....
Teams share the burden and divide the grief.

Spring

Dolly photos censored

US singing star Dolly Parton gave two concerts in Norway this week that won good reviews, but hardly any Norwegian newspapers carried photos from her show.

That's because the newspapers refused to go along with a demand from Parton's staff that severely limited the use of any photographs taken during Parton's performance.

Parton's staff would only allow photos to be taken of Dolly Parton if the photographers agreed to turn over their cameras afterwards. Parton's staff would then review all photos taken and order deletion of any that portrayed Parton unfavourably.

Parton herself has made no secret of the plastic surgery she's had in an effort to avoid the effects at ageing. The 61-year-old singer even joked about it at her Oslo concert Thursday night, repeating her old line that "it costs a lot to look cheap."
But she apparently doesn't want any close-ups.
She is not young any more...

War

Bin Laden, be prepared!!

Sea eagle

High up in the sky far away from the noise on the earth. It's really quiet up there..

Warmest winter ever

Spring seemed to bust out all over in Oslo this week, not the best news just before the biggest winter sports weekend of the year at Holmenkollen.

With little snow and unseasonably high temperatures, experts agree that the winter of 2006-2007 looks set to go down in the record books as the warmest winter ever.
It's also been the warmest winter in the entire northern hemisphere since records started being kept 125 years ago, reports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Unofficial temperatures hit 16C in Oslo on Thursday, or nearly 60F. The snow is mostly gone in the city, and the ski association that hosts the annual World Cup competition at Holmenkollen in the hills above the city has had to fly in snow for the runs with helicopters.

The Arctic Circle Center in Norway

Mo I Rana and the Arctic circle area is the gateway to the arctic Norway. Here you can see the Midnightsun in summer, and experience complete darkness and the Northern Light in Winter. Arctic circle Norway Is otherwise an eldorado for those who like outdoor activities. With Norway's largest archipelago, Northern Skandinavias largest glacier, and the fact that Saltfjellet- Svartisen Nationalpark is a part of the largest wilderness area in Europe, anyone and everyone should find something of interest.
If I also mention a number of caves, potholes, glaciers, rivers, lakes, mountainformations, beaches, festivals, sami cultur, coast cultur, city cultur and Industrial history, and it's obvious that there's a lot to do. Of activities we can only mention a few like for example: diving, kayaking, hiking, fishing, biking, islandhopping, climbing, skiing, glacier walking, horsebackriding and much, much more. You are all welcome to visit our beautiful area.

More care for sheep

From August
The Norwegian Council for Road Safety (TT) found that motorists in Norway
demonstrated odd behavior when passing sheep - and children - in traffic.
The TT concludes that area motorists show more consideration for sheep than children.
The test consisted of tethering two sheep to a tree along a road with heavy traffic near a school.
"Not surprisingly most braked and drove calmly past. But when motorists passed children at the same place their speed was remarkably higher,"
The Monday experiment was timed to coincide with the start of school, and there were many children present to watch the difference in reaction from motorists.
Johansen said that TT was considering more of such experiments, and said if motorists didn't do better they might consider putting out sheep along all school routes.

Vigeland statues censored

The famed nude statues that fill the Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo were censored overnight.
Early morning strollers in Oslo's famous park on Thursday could note with surprise that someone had taken the time to hang bars of black paper over every sex organ and buttock cleft in the series of statues on the park bridge.

Norway's biggest minority

Polish immigrants in Norway are shedding their seasonal worker image, extending their contracts and starting to bring over their families, a Norwegian study on immigration showed on Tuesday.
In the biggest wave of immigration into the rich Nordic country, tens of thousands of Poles have arrived since restrictions were lifted in 2004. Poles have even passed neighboring Swedes as Norway's biggest minority.

New energy for electic car

Investors are pumping new energy into the long-struggling Norwegian electric car ‘Think." They aim to get a new version of the little car on the road soon, charged by new markets for environmentally friendly vehicles.

The new "Think City" is, as its name implies, meant for city driving. It features new battery technology borrowed from the submarine world that can allow the car to drive 180 kilometers between each recharging. In the winter, with snow tires mounted and heaters running, driving distance is estimated at 90 kilometers between rechargings.

The car still features just two seats and a plastic chassis as in the earlier models, but it's built to Ford's standards and exceeds both European and American vehicle requirements.

Royal drops summer home plans

Norway's so-called "crown couple" have dropped their efforts to build a large summer home on an island off the coast near Crown Princess Mette-Marit's hometown. The project had sparked criticism that it would give new meaning to the term "royal privilege."
The decision came after what the palace called "a total evaluation" of the project’s complexity: "This involves the effect on the local landscape, consideration to land owners in the immediate area and necessary security measures."
The palace reported that Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit would continue to look for another summer home on the southern coast of Norway.

"Alarming" jump in suicide attempts

Researchers are reporting an unusually high amount of attempted suicides among youth in Oslo.

One out of eight girls says she's tried to kill herself, while half as many boys say the same.
Many youth who say they've tried to kill themselves don't really want to die and instead are making a call for help.
Most girls who hurt themselves are depressed because of family problems, violence or bullying, noting that many are forced to deal with adult problems without being emotionally mature enough to tackle them.
It's hard to grow up today.

Man battled moose- and won

A Norwegian who thought he'd be spending a quiet weekend at his cabin near Kongsvinger ended up battling an angry moose with the first weapon that came to mind - his slipper.
He was relaxing at his holiday cabin (called a hytte in Norwegian) when his uninvited visitor suddenly appeared on his property.
"The moose was furious,"he told. "Its ears were pulled back, the moose was snorting loudly and seemed to rear back on its legs."
In desperation, he took off his worn felt slipper and threw it at the moose. It hit the huge animal, known in Norway as "The King of the Forest," right in the forehead.
That was apparently enough to startle the moose, who calmed down, turned around and wandered off.
Norwegian

Fighters made art on the sky

The blue hour

The blue hour is images by a photographer who prefers to shoot after sunset just before complete darkness.

A month without burial

Two days before the burial of a 71-year-old man, relatives learned that he had been dead for a month without the family being notified.
"We are all shaken that something like this can be possible," the 71-year-old's niece said.

Her uncle died of a heart attack on Feb. 3 this year and was taken to the hospital, where his body was put in the morgue, without his closest relatives being notified.