Posts from April 2009

Hydro power

Posted by kari No Comments
Apr 16 2009

As I was running through the woods this morning with my dog, although it was beautiful, I became nostalgic about the waterfalls (fosser) in Norway.  At this time of year, especially, there is an abundance of fosser running down the sides of hills, cliffs, and mountains.  It is so peaceful to wander through the woods and observe the pristine remnants of winter’s frozen precipitation.  This is the time of year that the snow in the high altitudes melts and trickles down to soak the ground below. 

The fosser in Norway are even more magnificent when you think about how useful they are. Hydropower is one of Norway’s primary industries.  It is used in the production of metals, chemicals, petrochemicals, mineral products, paper and pulp.  Almost one third of Norway’s hydropower is used to produce these materials.  Surprisingly, 90% of Norway’s paper and pulp production is exported.  90% is also the percentage of decline in harmful substance emissions in the last 10 years.  If you would like more information about these industries in general, you can find it on norway.org’s website under “process industry.”

Norsk Hydro is the world’s fourth largest aluminum company.  The company has plants in 40 countries.  The first plant was built in 1907 in Notodden.  Five years prior, on Dec. 2, 1905, Sam Eyde, Marcus Wallenberg, and Edmond Moret (French) officially founded the company (originally Norsk hydro-elektrisk Kvælstofaktieselskab -literally Norwegian hydro-electric nitrogen limited).  The technology was actually developed by Kristian Birkeland, a professor who conducted extensive research on the northern lights and who originally intended for the technology to be used for harnessing energy to develop the electric cannon.  As I am not a scientist, I do not understand the intricacies behind the production of electrical energy by harnessing the power of fosser.  I understand only that the process of harnessing electric energy also allowed fixing nitrates from the air to create artificial fertilizers, which, as you can imagine, was quite the life-saver for many people in Europe with insufficient food supply. 

I am astonished at how much ownership the Norwegian government has in the company-a whopping 43.8%!  Another interesting tidbit about the company is the number of people it employs-28,000!  I will leave you with one last fascinating piece of information about Norsk Hydro-the plant at Rjukan was shut down by a sabotage raid by the Allied powers for fear that the Nazis would use the heavy water produced to use in the atomic bomb project.  The plant at Rjukan was later reconstructed. 

As you gather, water and gravity create a powerful force that has provided Norway with a great wealth of industries and financial stability.

�

Russeknuter

Posted by kari 2 Comments
Apr 14 2009

Knots.  No, not the kind you tie.  Or the measurement for nautical speed.  Or the kind that make your back hurt.  I’m talking about more or less badges of fulfillment of some kind of task or dare by a Russ during the festivities leading up to Syttende Mai.  The knot itself is usually an item that represents the accomplishment.  The word knot or knute makes sense when you think of how these items are presented on a Russ- strung on the tassle of the hat for all to marvel at. 

If you haven’t heard about what kind of tasks these young daredevils seek to complete, you are probably getting antsy by now.  Many of the things young Russ do today to earn knuter are actually quite controversial due to the nature of the tasks.  Some involve public nudity, elicit sexual acts, and outright bodily harm due to alcohol, most commonly.  There are of course more tame ways to earn knuter that don’t cause so much worry among parents and police.

The following is a list of examples of knots that Russ have been known to accomplish:

Have sex outdoors or in the forest (Ha sex utendørs eller i skogen) which earns you a stick or a pine cone.

Spend the night in a tree (Overnatt i et tre) earns a stick from the tree.

Eat a big mac in 4 bites (Spis en big mac i fire biter) earns a piece of the box the burger came in.

Buy condoms or tampons without talking (kjøp kondomer eller tamponger uten å snakke) earns a piece of the item bought.

Drink a bottle of wine in 20 minutes (drikk ei flaske vin i 20 minutter) earns the wine cork.

Crawl through the supermarket while barking and biting customers legs (krabb gjennom matbutikken mens man bjeffer og biter bein til kunder) earns a dog biscuit.

Crawl on one’s hands and knees for an entire school day (Krabb på hender og kne hele skoledagen) earns a toy.

Be sober for the entire Russ period (Vær edru hele russetiden) earns a fizzy drink cork.

I doubt that last one is completed all too often.  If you could imagine yourself at that age, participating in such a celebration and you were in charge of making the list, what kinds of knuter would you come up with?

 

�

Russ-not short for Russell på norsk

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Apr 8 2009

It’s almost that time of year again.  Russetid (Russ time, the ‘u’ pronounced like a short vowel with your lips pursed in a small circle).  May 1st represents the beginning of a very important celebration in Norway-graduation from high school-which lasts until May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day.  You are probably wondering what a celebration like this entails besides having a party.  In the United States, most students that graduate from high school will have a party at their home to give friends and relatives a chance to celebrate the student’s academic achievements.  And of course there is the graduation ceremony.  And the loot students receive from their guests.  All of this essentially completes the celebration of high school in the U.S.  Pretty weak compared to Norway.  In Norway, these kids really know how to party!

Norwegian students celebrate graduation from high school in a much more serious fashion.  The celebration lasts for over two weeks!  Students (many with the help of their parents…) spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on items they deem absolutely necessary for a good Russ celebration.  The expenses can be huge when you add up the cost of russeklær, en russebuss, musikk, og alt som har med fester å gjøre (russ clothing, a russ bus, music, and everything to do with parties).  A lot of students go on trips to different cities in their vans or buses.  There’s always food and drinks (often copious amounts) to buy, in addition to club cover charges or whatever the case may be.

While most students hope to purchase a big van that fits a group of friends, some spend upwards of 6,000 to rent a full-size bus, do some major interior and exterior decorating.  Some go as far as to put a bar in the bus.  Others spend thousands of dollars on prime sound systems.  I remember hearing the thumping of super loud music from the russ buses that drove by my apartment when I lived in Norway.

So how did this tradition start?  Back in the 1700s Norwegians studied in Copenhagen because there was not yet a Norwegian university until 1811 (when the University of Oslo was established).  Upon arrival at the university, students would have to take an exam, after which horns would be placed on their heads and they would be ridiculed.  Later on when the results were ready, a ceremony was held to reveal which students passed the test.  If you passed, the horns would be taken off your head, which would symbolize the right to refer to yourself as a ‘student.’ 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the tradition evolved into Russ wearing red caps.  Today Russ wear caps (which have a tassel that they can attach items to, items that they have gained through completing certain ‘tasks’) and overalls with iron-on patches (also representing tasks that they have completed).  The colors of Russ apparel correlate with areas of study.  For example, blue = economics. 

I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories about Russ celebrations.  For you Norwegians out there, throw out a story!  And for those of you who are familiar with other cultures’ traditions for graduation from secondary school, please share them if they are interesting!

In my next post, I will provide examples of the ‘tasks’ (essentially dares) that Russ complete to decorate their clothing and their pride with.

Easter and crime? What a combo.

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Apr 5 2009

The sale of crime novels in Norway increases 500% in the week leading up to Easter.  Norwegians simply love to read crime novels around Eastertime.  When I first heard this, my first question was why Easter?  Halloween seemed like the most reasonable holiday to be accompanied by a crime theme if I were to choose one.  I do not believe anyone knows the origins of the tradition for certain, but I have found one theory.�

Prior to 1923, new novels were released in the fall.  Kind of like movies in the U.S.-the major blockbusters usually come out late spring-summer.  In an apparent marketing campaign, the Gyldendal Publishing house decided to release a book about a criminal act on a Train in Norway set at Eastertime.   In Norway, as I have referenced in several of my posts, it is very quiet on Sundays and on holidays, times when most businesses are closed.  This means no entertainment outside of the home.  With a new crime novel out, this seemed like a great form of entertainment in an entertainment-deprived time.  And thus, according to many people, the mystery of crime novels in Norway at Eastertime is solved.

Although it has become more and more popular for Norwegians to travel south over Easter break (which is typically about 5 days, much more than we receive in the U.S.), many people still engage in the old tradition of snuggling up in their hytte (cabin) next to the fireplace reading a thrilling, suspenseful, crime novel.  There are very few things better than a long day out in the snow skiing or snowmobiling and then returning to a nice warm, cozy place with a good meal followed by a couple hours on the couch totally into a good book. 

I have not yet read any Norwegian crime novels, but I hear author Kjell Ola Dahl recently released his book ‘The Fourth Man’ that is supposed to be fantastic. 

Have any of you read any Norwegian crime novels?  Any one particular author you recommend?  I have heard that Jo Nesbø is great.

Thor Steinar

Posted by kari 3 Comments
Apr 3 2009

I do not know who the Thor Steinar is that is behind the clothing line ‘Thor Steinar,’ but wouldn’t want to be him.  Thor Steinar is a German clothing brand which is represented by logos that have caused much controversy.  They appeared strikingly similar to the swastika until the company changed their logos.  Many more people would likely dress in Thor Steinar if the logos hadn’t resembled such a controversial symbol.  Neo-nazi/skinhead garb has traditionally been characterized by big black lace-up boots, bomber jackets, and shaved heads.  Naturally, it can be easy to spot an individual going for this look.  Thor Steinar apparel makes it more difficult to identify who might be part of the neo-nazi movement.  Nevertheless, I think it is interesting that the Norwegian flag is on some Thor Steinar clothing.

Why would the Norwegian flag make an appearance on what seemed to be anti-Semitic clothing from a German company?  Unfortunately, I do not know the story behind it, nor am I sure I want to, but either way, it is controversial, as you might expect.  Not only is the Norwegian flagg used as a symbol on some of the clothing items, but some of the designs are named after Norwegian cities (i.e. Trondheim, Nordfjord, or Bergen) and the official stores are named after Tønsberg, the oldest Norwegian city.

According to Wikipedia, the Norwegian government initiated a lawsuit in early 2008 against the use of their flag.  So far nothing has come of it.  If I were Norwegian or a member of the Norwegian government, I would certainly do my part to try to put a halt to such a disgraceful representation of the national symbol of my country.  Whether the company had any ill-hearted intentions when they used a logo that resembled the swastika or not, the Holocaust is such a sensitive topic, I think it would be hard for a company to recover from something like that.  But who knows.

Norway has very little anti-Semitism, despite the fact that Norwegians haven’t always been the most tolerable of outsiders.  However, Hitler was very interested in Norwegians as a people because he thought that Norwegians, like Germans, were the perfect Aryans.  Perhaps this is why a previously owned German company brought Norway into it’s design and advertisement, if their old logo had anything to do with their beliefs.

You know, the strangest part about this whole issue is that an Arabic (based in Dubai) company, “International Brands General Trading” acquired ownership of Thor Steinar.  A United Arab Emirates owned company, previously owned by a German company, that used to produce anti-Semitic appearing clothing with Norwegian flags named after Norwegian geography.  So strange.  Anyone ever seen it or heard about it?  I hadn’t until I saw an article in the Norwegian newspaper.  Kinda strange.

Back to the Top