Pretty girl

Princess "ill" after criticism

Norway's Princess Märtha Louise, who last week announced that she was clairvoyant and that she would be launching a school to teach students how to "communicate with angels," is off sick after much criticism for her latest business venture.

Märtha Louise, daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, announced last week that she is clairvoyant and that she is setting up an alternative school where students will be taught to "get in touch with their own truths" through "readings, healing, crystals and hands-on treatment." The three-year course, which will run twice a week at a cost of NOK 12,000 per semester (around USD 2,000) quickly filled up, despite the criticism.

Chicken Bones Change History

Kon Tiki

Chicken bones found in Chile support the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s theory that there was a maritime connection across the ocean between America and Polynesia, and puts an end to the current belief that chickens were brought to America by Europeans.

Christopher Columbus came to America in 1492, long after the first chickens came to Chile according to the new evidence. The chicken bones that were found are the remains from chickens living between 1304 and 1424, which suggests that there must have been a maritime route from Polynesia to Chile, as Heyerdahl stated after his journey with the Kon Tiki raft in 1947.
The trade route may have made it possible for the Polynesians to sail to America in canoes, or for the Americans to sail to Polynesia. Somehow the chickens made their way across and settled on American land.

The world's largest soccer tournament opens

What has become known as the world`s biggest soccer tournament, the Norway Cup, kicks off in Oslo on Sunday, and 30,000 young boys and girls from the age of 6 to 19 from 45 nations will fight for a place in the prestigious finals at Bislett stadium on Saturday.

It is the 35th time the tournamant has been held, a tournament known for bringing people from around the world together for a week of fun and sportsmanship.
This year, more than 1500 teams participate in the Norway Cup, coming from as far away as Uruguay, China, Vietnam, Brazil , the US, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Girls participated in Norway Cup right from the beginning in 1972. This was quite extraordinary, even for a country in the forefront concerning women’s rights, like Norway. The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) recognised women’s football officially 4 years later, in 1976.

Butterfly

Don't drink and fly

Lighthouse of Landegode

The small island of Landegode lies just outside Bodø,Nordland county, Norway.
It is a scenic jewel, whether you are bathing under the midnight sun in the summer or watching the dramatic dance of the northern lights above the lighthouse rock in the winter.
In this island realm we find the world's largest and most dense population of sea eagles, and this majestic bird is a magnificent sight as it takes off from its nest and plunges into the fjord in its quest for fish. Landego Lighthouse was built in 1901 in order to secure the seaward approach from Lofoten to Bodø. Today, it is automated and in full operation. It is possible to spend the night in the lighthousekeeper's and the assistant's houses. It takes a good hour to reach Landego lighthouse by boat over the choppy sea.
On a clear day you can see all the way to the Lofoten islands.

Babies smuggled into Norway from Bulgaria

Norway's consul in Bulgaria says he's not surprised that Norway is on the list of countries into which a Bulgarian man allegedly smuggled small children.
The Bulgarian was taped while bragging to a BBC journalist, posing as a British "customer," that he had smuggled children to Norway, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland.
The BBC aired a documentary on the alleged smuggling Thursday night that featured the man, known as "Harry." He offered to sell toddlers to the BBC's undercover reporter for a price of EUR 60,000 (about USD 82,000).
Bulgaria's interior ministry says to BBC that it has detained three people, including one who said he was a trafficker.
I've heard that some of the children has been sexually abused by pedophile..

Mr.Strawberry

Cats overran house

Norwegian authorities confirmed Thursday that they had to destroy nearly 90
cats after their owners "lost control" over how many pets they could care for.

The cats had all but taken over the owners' home.
The cats' owners "simply lost control over the animals, and they reproduced freely.

Bergen, Norway

The city is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland, with its center situated between a group of mountains known collectively as de syv fjell ("the seven mountains"), although the number of mountains is a matter of definition. The first to name them "the seven mountains" was Ludvig Holberg, inspired by the seven hills of Rome. Bergen is recognized as the unofficial capital of the region known as West Norway, and also recognized and marketed as the gateway city to the world famous fjords of Norway and for that reason it has become Norway's largest – and one of Europe's largest cruise ship ports of call. Furthermore, Bergen's inter-municipal harbour is by far Norway's largest port and also one of Europe's largest ports according to the inter-municipal company Port of Bergen.

Princess claims clairvoyant powers, aims to share them

Norway's Princess Märtha Louise, daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, has emerged as a clairvoyant, and is launching an alternative school aimed at training students to contact angels. Officials at the Royal Palace won’t comment on the princess' latest business venture.
I don't believe in this nonsense......

'Summer cancelled'

As Southern Norway woke up to yet another day of heavy, leaden skies and showers, a state meteorologist threw even more cold water on hopes the sun will finally come out and stay for a while.

"If we're to get any better summer weather, something dramatic will have to happen," a state Meteorologic Institute told newspaper Aften on Monday, adding that he can see "no sign" of any warmer or drier weather in the weeks ahead.

The wettest summer on record thus looks likely to continue.

Trondheim, Norway

Trondheim is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.
The city of Trondheim was founded in 997. Trondheim is today a centre of education, technical and medical research, with around 25,000 students, and is the country's third-largest city, with 162,000 inhabitants in the city proper (January 2007).

Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral)

Sex and drugs rock the city

Merchants, visitors, residents and workers in downtown Oslo are becoming downright annoyed over open drug-dealing and prostitution on several city streets. Some offenders have taken to having sex in a downtown park, just behind the venerable Akershus Fortress and Castle.

It's not very nice that it looks like a bordello in the park and on the side streets.
Norwegian politicians appear poised, when the next parliamentary session opens, to make the purchase of sexual services illegal in Norway.

Police claim they're not overlooking the illegal drug and sex activity, but say they don't have the capacity to stop it.

Norwegian UFO-mystery solved?

Norwegian scientists now believe they are nearing a solution to the Hessdalen UFO-mystery which has puzzled experts for more than 25 years.

The so-called Hessdalen lights have been seen ever since the 1940's and have since 1984 been monitored by volunteers.
Hessdalen is a small valley in the central part of Norway. At the end of 1981 through 1984, residents of the Valley became concerned and alarmed about strange, unexplained lights that appeared at many locations throughout the Valley. Hundreds of lights were observed. At the peak of activity there were about 20 reports a week.

According to the scientists, it is now clear that the phenomen is not UFO-related, but are luminous balls containing some form of energy.

Swans prevailed against the flood

A pair of swans who were fighting hard to save their nest from being swept away by rising floodwaters, have succeeded in saving their home, and in producing chicks as well.

The couple have impressed everyone by adding to their nest as the water rose, all the while keeping the "top floor" and eggs dry.
By the time the water stopped rising, they had added altogether 150 centimeters to the structure, and are still on top of it all, after the first three chicks are now hatched, and already paddling around the proud but watchful parents.

Puffins face food shortage

This year's nesting season for puffins on the Norwegian island of Røst is turning into a disaster. Hardly any of the puffin chicks are expected to Puffins on Røst are unable to feed their chicks.

Nearly half-a-million puffins nest every summer on Røst, not far from the scenic archipelago of Lofoten in northern Norway.

Cottage in the water

The sun is shining + flooding

The sun is shining all day long for the first time since five weeks ago..

Herring gull (Larus argentatus)

The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. Some herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents. Herring Gulls are also abundant around inland garbage dumps, and some have even adapted to life in inland cities.

Summer music festivals

From the camp

Traditional summer music festivals have been suffering from all the rain, the Hove Festival in Arendal and the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, both on Norway's southern coast. Hove organizers suffered financial losses when even the most eager music lovers grew weary of living with mud and pouring rain. Quart organizers faced the same situation, especially after meteorologists issued flood warnings for Kristiansand.

Bergen, Norway

Bryggen (Norwegian, "The Wharf"), also known as Tyskebryggen ("the German Wharf") is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway. Bryggen is on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites. The name has the same origin as the Flemish city of Brugge.

Less confidence in the police

Every fourth Norwegian say they have less confidence in the police than before. This is shown by a survey made for public broadcaster NRK.
The survey was made in the wake of two cases which received much publicity, and which led to a public debate which is still going on.
A man who spent 18 years for the murder of two girls, was first acquitted for the one murder, and after his death also for the second.
Last fall, a Nigerian man died while being apprehended by police in Trondheim. This case is still under investigation, after the policemen involved first had been cleared of any wrongdoing by a special police commission.

For sale, good value (ha...ha...)

Old wheel

Landscape (Northern Norway)

Norway can claim the most millionaires in the world

Norway has more millionaires, measured in US dollars, than any other country in the world in terms of its size.
No other country has more dollar-millionaires per capita than Norway.
A new study showed that one out of every 86 Norwegians has more than USD 1 million (about NOK 5.8 million at current exchange rates) in net worth even when the net value of their primary residences is excluded.
When viewed in relation to the size of the population (around 4.6 million in Norway), there’s no other country that matches that level.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of the millionaires..

Finch (passer montanus)

34 fjords on risk list

State health authorities have identified 34 fjords along the Norwegian coast that have had pollution levels high enough to make their fish and shellfish potentially dangerous for human consumption.

Most of the fjords lie innermost in bigger fjords and near industrial areas that have churned out some pollutants over the years. That in turn means that fish and shellfish from them may contain high levels of mercury.

Red houses in Stamsund, Lofoten,Norway

The King's Guard visits Canada

The Norwegian King's Guard band and drill platoon are presently on a visit to Canada, and on the 10th and 11th of July they will perform at the Changing of the Guard at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

The Norwegian King's Guard was established in 1856, and is today organised as a four-company infantry battalion, with two rifle companies, one escort company and a headquarter company.

Last summer

The rainy season continues

Overflow

This photo is taken a few metres from my house.
Normally on this time of the year, this part of the river is almost dry.

Buying sex can yield jail term

Norway's center-left government has gone along with calls to criminalize the purchase of sexual services. "Norway shall not be a free zone for pimps and human traffickers," said the Justice Minister.

The Minister unveiled a new proposed law prohibiting the purchase of sex, punishable with up to six months in jail.

Prostitution has been legal in Norway, but government officials have grown increasingly worried about the scores of foreign prostitutes on local streets in recent years. They believe most are victims of human traffickers who have forced the women into prostitution and seize the vast majority of their earnings.

The new proposed law forbidding the purchase of sex is aimed at prostitutes' customers and alleged white slavery operations.

The cat in the basket.

Where is the sun? Where is the summer?

Record rainfall for June

Record rainfall has been registered for the month of June where I live, the highest since registrations began in 1895.

Last weekend many basements in my area were filled with water, and many roads had to be closed.

This weekend is more normal, with sunshine between the showers.