Not feeling very Olympic

I have a confession to make. I’ve been living in Norway, the most successful country in Winter Olympic history, for ages now but I have never, ever been able to get into these sports. Of course the hysteria about the games has monopolized headlines, both sports and news, and pushed almost everything else off the agenda for a while. And now things have got even worse.

Anette Sagen - (Photo - Manuguf)

Caveman rights to Supreme Court

Yes, you read that right. A character known as the Caveman will have an appeal heard in Norway’s Supreme Court. And like any self-respecting caveman, the 56-year-old, who appears only to go by the name ‘Caveman’, at least in press records, is fighting for his right to be filthy. This is not a pretty story.

This is in fact the second time this battle goes

Scary food

Food accidents are always popular when looking for a news story that reels ‘em in while skirting on the boundaries of ‘good taste’. Because food accidents hit hard, in the gut. My general impression is that the quality of food products in Norway is quite high; eggs can be eaten raw without fear, and raw materials should be fresh and clean.

OK, there was a very big e-coli scare in the meat industry a few years ago, and the focus on food hygeiene did turn up some frights*. But things have been quiet on this front for a while, so confidence is restored. And so these stories about baked teeth and oblong eggs are just freak exceptions. Right?

Odd jobs

I had never come across a particularly strange winter job before. For some reason, they either seem to be non-seasonal, or common in the summer, when there are plenty of students to be enticed into doing something bizarre. In fact, one of my favorite stories from the old Aftenposten News in English service was precisely this, a look at the weirdest summer job in the country.

Then a few days ago, I spotted something I had never seen before; an icicle assassin. Even better, the story came with video.

Smoldering controversy

The total destruction of a wooden church in Hønefoss was in the news, and as a quick reader comment testifies, it is almost impossible to report such an event without thinking about Norway’s famed Black Metal scene. In fact, Black Metal and the burning of churches has been in focus again recently, but in – a cultural context.

The link between blazing churches and Black Metal is distinctly Norwegian. Photo: Eric Ortner

The whole story involves one of Norway’s most controversial Black Metal figures in recent years, and recent winner of the ‘Homo of the Year Award’.

Reality bites

Moose. The real thing. In Norway, they’re called the King of the Forest. While they may make news for odd reasons, like when getting drunk on fermenting fallen apples in the fall, a close encounter is usually very dramatic. The most common moose and man meeting is an animal versus car collision; in face-to-face meetings their imposing size is awesome.

The most recent headline moose tale is not for the faint of heart. The reports in today’s links include video and photo coverage in unusually graphic detail,

Hark? The what?

The Christmas season is about as close as you can get to angel season. Senior rector Øystein Magelssen of Drammen made headlines by deciding to make angels the subject of his Christmas sermon. What made this particularly newsworthy was that the angels he wanted to discuss were the ones favored by Norway’s Princess Märtha Louise.

The 'Norwegian' Lights

The Princess, who has dropped the ‘Royal’ from her title as part of her decision

Resolute

It’s nearly time to say – Happy New Year! – and a quick embarrassed look around shows that ambitious plans have turned into months of silence. There are no good excuses, but I can try to blame a period of unusually big, real news headlines, starting with the startling decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama.

No peace without conflict

It’s hard to tell whether this was motivated by a desire

Four more years

The latest national elections resulted in another term for Norway’s so-called ‘red-green’ coalition, a three-party alliance led by the hugely dominant Labour Party, with their partners the Socialist Left Party (SV) and the agrarian Center Party, providing the extra ballast needed to hold a parliamentary majority.

Nearly ten years ago, if memory serves, I was asked to write a special edition type of news brochure about the Norwegian political system and elections, part of a test project

Recycled cucumbers

Back after my annual week-long summer break with no technology. Now, sunburnt, I can resume my deskbound, keyboard pounding ways.

As recent posts indicate, Norway’s silly news season (cucumber news) is in full swing, and today not only provides a great example of the state of the national newspapers, it also marks the last time I use my hard-earned kroner on one for the foreseeable future.

While I may debate and lament the state of old media,