Mar 18
2010

Excerpts from a Rick Steve’s Europe “Here’s what’s new in Scandinavia in 2010″:

– In Norway, Oslo’s once traffic-congested waterfront is undergoing huge changes. Cars and trucks now travel underground in tunnels; the zone in front of the City Hall has become a pedestrian-friendly plaza; and a string of upscale condos and restaurants enjoys prime fjord views. Nearby, locals are taking full advantage of their splashy Opera House. The sleek, modern building’s roof, which slopes right down to the fjord, doubles as a public square — a popular place to go for a panoramic stroll or to enjoy an outdoor concert (bands perform on a stage floating in the fjord).

In 2011, Oslo will host the World Ski Jump Championship. In preparation for the event, the famed and venerable Holmenkollen Ski Jump is being completely rebuilt and is scheduled to open by mid-2010. The new, cantilevered jump has a tilted elevator and empties into a 50,000-seat amphitheater.

Out on the Norwegian fjords, you can take a tour on a superfast rigid inflatable boat (RIB, a.k.a. “Zodiac” boat), which is designed to slice at top speeds through the fjord.

Passengers don full-body weather suits, furry hats, and spacey goggles, making everyone look like crash-test dummies. As the boat rockets across the water — pausing at some particularly scenic spots for narration from your English-speaking captain/guide — you’ll be thankful for the gear, no matter the weather.

FjordSafari, based in Flam, operates these tours on the Sognefjord (www.fjordsafari). Tours costs $85 for a two-hour tour, $110 for a three-hour tour, and similar adventures are cropping up elsewhere in Scandinavia.

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Mar 18
2010



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Mar 14
2010

Norway’s vast fund for oil wealth posted a 25.6 percent return on investment for 2009 — its best ever — as international markets recovered from the global financial crunch, the central bank said Friday.

Norges Bank reported that the fund gained 613 billion kroner ($103.4 billion) on investments. That’s the best result since Norway established the sovereign wealth fund in 1996 to invest surplus oil revenue abroad and avoid overheating its domestic economy.

The Government Pension Fund-Global, commonly referred to as the oil fund, grew 16 percent during 2009 to 2.64 trillion kroner ($445.3 billion) from 2.28 trillion kroner in 2008, when the fund posted its worst result ever — a loss of 23 percent. A strong krone reduced the fund’s market value, Norges Bank said.

Yngve Slyngstad, the fund’s senior manager, attributed this year’s result to improvements in international markets, in particular “the fixed income markets that stopped working during the financial crisis.”

“Developments in 2009 must, in the same way as 2008, to a large extent be viewed in light of the financial crisis. The fund’s long-term management strategy ensured that we got through this period in a good way,” said Slyngstad.

At the end of 2009, the fund’s average holding in international equity markets was 1 percent and 1.8 percent in European markets. Slyngstad has said that Norway’s oil fund is probably the largest equity investor in Europe.

The fund typically invests about 60 percent of its capital in more than 7,000 publicly traded companies worldwide, with the remainder in government-backed bonds.

Norway, with a population of 4.8 million people, is a major oil and gas exporter.

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Mar 8
2010

These lines were written by Michael Moore on the occasion of the Oscars:

The best movie I saw this year won’t be winning any awards tonight at the Oscars. It wasn’t even nominated for anything. In fact, it wasn’t even shown in the United States. Yet, I’m confident that, if you had had a chance to see it, you would likely agree with me that this is a brilliant film, a rare gem.

It’s called “Troubled Water” (not to be confused with last year’s superb Katrina doc, “Trouble the Water”). “Troubled Water” is from Norway and it is a work of art and great storytelling from the opening frame to its final fade to black. It tells the story of a young man who is paroled after spending time in prison and gets a job as a church organist. He claims to be innocent in the drowning of a child, but the boy’s mother won’t let it go.

When the film was over, I sat there amazed and wondering, “Why can’t I see movies like this all the time?” What is wrong with filmmaking, with Hollywood? Why are most films just the same old tired assembly line stuff — sequels, remakes, old TV shows turned into movies, predictable plots and storylines… “If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the movie.”

But “Troubled Water” was not like that — and therefore its distribution to the theaters of America was, in essence, doomed.

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Mar 2
2010

What if there were an Olympic athlete who won more medals in Vancouver than Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Evan Lysacek combined? An athlete who was so dominant in her sport that she became only the ninth person in history to ever win five medals at a Games? A woman whose Olympics were so good that the media dubbed her “The Queen of Vancouver.” Surely you would have heard of such an athlete, right?

Chances are that the name Marit Bjoergen doesn’t ring a bell even though the Norwegian cross country skier accomplished everything mentioned above. The 29-year old won three golds, a silver and a bronze in Vancouver, the biggest haul for any athlete at the Games. She received little to no attention for her exploits during NBC’s primetime Olympic broadcasts.

Though the network could certainly have highlighted Bjoergen’s epic achievement sometime during its final two broadcasts, it’s hard to blame the network for not hyping her to American audiences. Cross country skiing has two very big things going against it in the United States: Few people understand the sport and Americans are not strong in the events. Combined, that’s a kiss of death in terms of television exposure.

But cross country skiing isn’t the leisurely stroll in the snow most people assume it is. The competitors are among the most fit athletes at an Olympics, as the event takes a rare mix of strength and stamina. A great cross country skier has to have the endurance of a marathoner and the strength of a sprinter.

And despite the long races, the action is often close at the end. Bjoergen missed out on a fourth gold medal in Saturday’s 30km classical event when she was beaten at the finish line by the length of one ski.

Bjoergen medaled in each of the five women’s cross country races she competed in (there were six overall). Those ranged from the ultra-long distance (30km) to a shorter relay spring (5km individually). In doing so, she proved that she was the greatest female athlete in Vancouver, whether most of America realized it or not.

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