Easter/Spring 2016
God Paaske!
Happy Easter! Happy Mother’s Day! Happy 17th of May!
Inside this issue: Minnekiken Memories 2 Message from Pastor 3 Greetings from Pres. 5 Upcoming Events
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Greetings from NNL
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Viking Book Review
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Viking School
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Norway News
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Visit Minnekirken’s website:
www.minnekirken-chicago.org
Visit us on facebook!
Minnekirken-Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church Or simply scan the QR code below
At Minnekirken we believe the spring offers a host of opportunities to get together, sing, worship, feast and visit with friends and members who haven't been able to make it into church during the long winter months. And so we hope you’ll take advantage of the nicer weather and drive over to Minnekirken to help us celebrate all of the wonderful holidays and events that make spring special. We have bible study every Sunday morning, choir practice has started up again and we even have several children’s programs for the kids, grandkids, nieces,
nephews in your family. We recently had a “Cozy Saturday” with dinner and a movie and are planning more events to give you plenty of reasons to visit. The Sunday bulletins always have the very latest information but we’d be happy to add you to our email list—contact duidesmal@sbcglobal.net Please know that we enjoy your company, we need your support and our coffee pot is always brewing! God Paaske! Hurrah for Syttende Mai! Hjertelig Velkommen Alle Sammen!
The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. —Robert Flatt
Your 2016 Church Board—thank you for your service!
Visit us in Person….
President Vice President Secretary Asst. Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Financial Secy
Bev Covyeau Kari Diesen-Dahl Karena Dahl Susan Tockich Shawn Murphy open Kay Long
2614 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago Service every Sunday at 11 a.m. 1
Asst. Fin. Secy Deacon Deacon Trustee Trustee
Barbra Kronborg -Mogil Jill Crooker Bob Anderson Aslaug Bruli Andy Bruli
Note that the position of Assistant Treasurer is not filled. Please contact a board member if you are willing and able to serve.
Minnekirken Moments Winter may be long but here at Minnekirken we pass the time by laughing, baking, singing, worshipping , coloring and enjoying our time together. Join us and maybe we’ll see your smile in an upcoming Kontakt!
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So, dear readers of Kontakt… If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this image to the left is worth at least 10 times that! For some of you the image looks like an odd psychological test or some kind of pop art. Others of you know that this image, known as a QR Code, is the portal to an internet address. Your cell phones might even be capable of scanning it and taking you to a place where hundreds more Minnekirken pictures are stored, each suggesting thousands of good words about this congregation that I have been privileged to serve since October of 2015. By scanning this QR code you are taken to “The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church’s” Facebook page where you can keep up on all the latest happenings around this sacred and special place. Or you can go here: https://www.facebook.com/The-Norwegian-Lutheran-Memorial-Church-551192354929897/ I begin this Easter 2016 Kontakt urging you to all go to and hopefully “like” our church’s Facebook page because there’s exciting evidence of resurrection there. God has been doing some fun things among us. The Holy Spirit is moving and this is particularly true in regard to our ministry to the kids of our church and our Logan Square community— Minnekirken Kids, as I’ve come to call them. There’s been some tragic events in the news just over the past couple of weeks regarding our neighborhood schools that confirm my vision that the “Red Church”—what our Logan Square neighbors call us—would be a safe, wholesome, and happy place for kids to come, to sing, dance, play, and experience the love of Jesus. In many ways 2016 has become Minnekirken’s “Year of Children’s Ministry” for me and hopefully for all of you as well. That might seem like an odd thing for me to say when there were a number of Sundays in 2015, when we had no kids in worship. But we are praying and working intently to change that at Minnekirken. A quick trip to Facebook would show you what I mean. But let me offer a few examples of what we’re doing here: I’ve started offering a “Samtale med barna” or “Talk with the Children” at every 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship service. We welcomed the Rotheim family from Norway about the same time I started in October. Bengt, Eva, and their kids—Bengt Andreas, twins Frida and Sunniva—were not just a youthful shot in the arm, but Eva works for the Church of Norway’s “Acta” team. Eva is responsible for organizing their community children’s choir mission called “Soul Children.” To check out this exciting effort go to: http:// soulchildren.no We invited our community to a Juletrefest for kids and their families with hopes of kicking off Minnekirken’s version of this community kid’s choir mission. And, and in fact, we have already held our first practices thanks to the choir’s new leader Evelyn Hilleren Finne! Look for Evelyn’s picture and biography on page 6 in this Kontakt. We have restarted a monthly Sunday School, after a six year hiatus, thanks to sisters Leandra Trifunovich and Lynette Wagner. Now every last Sunday of the month is a Family Sunday at Minnekirken, complete with a session of Sunday School! Since Ash Wednesday we have been doing something called “An Illustrated Lent” that combines the recent children and adult coloring craze with Lenten practices. The results will be banners that we 3
will process into church on Easter Sunday! We are doing Vacation Bible School for the church and community kids in 2016. And how could we not since the largest supplier of VBS material in the country is featuring a program called “Expedition Norway” this year! When we discovered this, it truly felt miraculous. A sign that God is blessing our efforts! So yes, I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that there’s a resurrection of youthfulness happening at Minnekirken, and not just among the children, but also among all of us who are young at heart—praying, serving, giving, loving to support ministry in this amazing place. I am still in the process of contacting our supporters personally, but this Easter 2016 edition of Kontakt gives me a more general way to say my very sincere “tusen takk!” I learned over the Christmas holidays that our Kontakt supporters bless The Norwegian Lutheran Church of Chicago with prayers, wellwishes, and financial gifts that are the equivalent of about two months of offering plate receipts! WOW, that amazed and impressed me when I saw our 2015 annual report! We truly rely on you. And in a very real way consider even those of you who live and worship elsewhere to be our ministry collaborators. So, please consider a making special “mission” offering to our Minnekirken Kids programs in 2016. Gud velsigne deg—for your very real and highly appreciated support! Please continue to think of us as an extension of your heart for the Gospel to the people of Logan Square. We want to be your urban mission, with a Norwegian accent. Although to be perfectly honest, if you do live nearby, your help Vacation Bible School would be deeply appreciated. We have a huge heart for ministry, but can use all the volunteerism we can get. So do contact me at pastor.nlmc@gmail.come if you are feel moved not only to give to but to also serve at Minnekirken. Coming to Chicago for a VBS “mission trip” might be a blast! So yes, thank you for helping us to resurrect our ministry to children and their families through Minnekirken in 2016. And may God bless you and yours this Easter as well. But above all: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! (1 Peter 1:3) Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Serve the Lord with gladness! Alt i Jesu navn, Pastor David Schoenknecht
Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment. —Sydney Smith
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KONTAKT magazine is published by the congregation of the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, 2614 N. Kedzie Blvd. Chicago, IL 60647 (773)252-7335 Email: minnekirkenchicago@aol.com Editor: Leandra Trifunovich. (847)292-9999
Easter Greetings from Church President Bev Coyveau Happy Easter and God Paaske til alle sammen! Our annual Taste of Norway, held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, was a huge success. We are grateful for all of the dedicated bakers making cookies, waffles and baked goods. We had traditional Norwegian pea soup, beautiful baskets will all kinds of homemade goods, which were raffled off, a children’s art table, and a rosemaling table. Just as new things are blooming with Spring in the air, new and exciting things are growing at Minnekirken. People have been commenting that there is a definite feeling of renewal & inspiration in the air. With our continued neighborhood outreach, Pastor David hosted a Paseo Garden meeting at church recently. This is the community garden right outside of our front door. Many people from the neighborhood attended this meeting. The Logan Square community is very supportive of our beautiful historic landmark church. It was surprising to learn that the Pastor himself is also a horticulturist. He is a planter of spiritual growth as well as nature’s plants. We just had an Ash Wednesday service with many families with children from the area attending. Pastor David served a soup dinner which was very good. The emphasis has been to have a children’s ministry. This is included each week in our service with a fun talk with the children. They are very cute and funny and love the different themes presented to them. And of course they don’t always want to give the baby Jesus figurine & the legos back! We have a kids section downstairs for them to play and it’s nice to experience all of their energy. We are very blessed to have Pastor David initiating all of these wonderful projects. The Pastor and I just attended a community program sponsored by the Alderman’s office regarding the one million dollar plus given to each ward for improvements. There are sadly many needs of the community. We asked that a ramp be installed by the curb for handicapped access to our church as well as to the CTA Blue 5
Line. Hopefully this request will be included in this project. We have also ordered a portable ramp to be used inside the church for access to the fellowship hall as well as a small ramp for the front door. We are in the process of getting estimates for a badly needed new roof on our parsonage building. Your support is very much appreciated to keep us going along and growing. Come join us for worship and for our special events. We would love to see you and enjoy your company at coffee hour. Beverly Covyeau Council President
CHURCH CALENDAR March 6 13 20 25 27
Sun. Sun. Sun. Fri. Sun.
11:00 a.m. Sunday Service 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy communion 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service TBA Good Friday Service 11:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Service.
April 3 Sun. 10 Sun. 17 Sun. 24 Sun.
11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion. Sunday School
May 1 8 15
Sun. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Sun. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion. Sun. 10:30 a.m. Sunday Service (note early start time due to parade schedule. 17 Tue. 7:30 p.m. Syttende Mai Concert 22 Sun. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion. Sunday School
June 5 12 19 26
Sun. Sun. Sun. Sun.
11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service. Holy Communion.
JOIN US! Friday, March 25 Good Friday Service, time TBA. Join us at this most holy service as we commemorate the last supper and crucifixion. Check the bulletin for start time. Sunday March 27 Easter Sunday Service 11:00 a.m. Celebrate Easter with your church family. Tuesday, May Norwegian Constitution Day Concert 7:30 p.m. Plans are underway as we look forward to seeing our friends both near and far to celebrate Norwegian culture and music at Minnekirken! Sunday, May 17 Church service will start at 10:30 a.m. March with Minnekirken in the parade! Note early service start time so that marchers will be able to make it to Park Ridge (Talcott and Devon) in time to line-up. Wear your bunad, break out your Norwegian sweater or just wear red white and blue! Hip hip hurrah!
Introducing...Minnekirken’s Children’s Choir Director Evelyn Hilleren Finne is from Oslo, Norway, and is pursuing her BFA degree in Musical Theatre Performance at Columbia College Chicago (CCC). She started singing at age six and at age thirteen she continued singing in Oslo Soul Children and later Oslo Soul Teens. While a music major in High School she worked as a choir director/ spiritual leader for a children's choir in The Norwegian Church, where the number of members went from around ten to over thirty singers in less than two weeks. In 2012 she lived in Ecuador for 5 months working as a volunteer for the Norwegian Mission Alliance and Acta, establishing the very first Soul Children choirs in South America. In 2013 she moved to Chicago and was a Music Major at North Park University for three semesters, before she transferred to CCC. As a children’s choir director for Minnekirken in Logan Square she hopes to create musical opportunities for the local kids that will reflect their diverse community through English, Norwegian and Spanish lyrics. Based on three pillars: spiritual; social and musicianship, the kids will have a place where they can seek God, meet friends and get vocal and musical training. Through Soul, Gospel, R'n'B and Pop music, Evelyn hopes to create a choir that feels up to date and relevant for the kids, and a place where the singers want to bring their friends in order for the choir to get a solid group of returning singers, benefitting all of the choir's members. Evelyn is confident that through performances connected to the 2016 Syttende Mai-17th of May Norwegian Constitution Day parade and concert, as well as, potentially, other events like the Logan Square Farmers Market, the choir can be a voice in the community for Minnekirken and the kids of Logan Square. Evelyn is very grateful and excited for the opportunity of being a part of Minnekirken and this new community children's choir. She looks forward to the upcoming season of rehearsals, performances and ministry with the kids.
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Greetings from the Norwegian National League! When you read this, applicants to our annual Scholarship Program will have submitted their applications and the judges will be busy reading the essays. The Scholarship Program is an important endeavor the NNL concentrates on each year. The purpose is two-fold: to encourage students to explore Norway and their Norwegian heritage, and to aid students financially, in particular the $1000 award to a college bound high school senior. To support this program, NNL holds a silent auction at the 17de mai banquet and gladly accepts donations from individuals and organizations. If you would like to help support this worthwhile program, please make your check to: Norwegian National League and designate it to the Scholarship Program. It can be sent directly to our Treasurer, Thor Fjell at 1041 W. Odgen, #118, Naperville, IL 60563. The 17de mai banquet and parade in Park Ridge are wonderful venues to celebrate with friends and family. I look forward to the weekend, greeting acquaintances and celebrating this joyous and meaningful holiday. For a schedule of events, which includes the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce luncheon and the Minnekirken concert, look to www.nnleague.org for more details. Sincerely, Barbra Kronborg-Mogil
Minnekirken Easter Memories Kronborg sisters
Nilsen sisters
It was always a full day for us attending early service at Advent Lutheran Church (now Mission of Christ Lutheran Church) on Karlov near Grand and then driving to Minnekirken for the 11:00. I remember the sanctuary overflowing with folk seated in extra chairs placed along the ailes and in the balcony...quite a sight! Then, like many others, home to a good dinner with family.
Easter at Minnekirken usually started with Norwegian pancakes and then for us kids, a performance by the Sunshine Singers during the service. “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Deilig er Jorden” were usually part of our Easter repertoire.
If you’d like to share any favorite Minnekirken memories or photos from years past, please submit them to leandrart@sbcglobal.net
The greatest weariness comes from work not done. —Eric Hoffer 7
VIKING DRAGON SHIPS
Information from The Vikings: A New History, by Neil Oliver Pre-history rock art shows us that the basic design of the Viking “dragon ship”--a long, sleek ship, rowed by a crew of men--dated back to Bronze Age Scandinavia. But later, during the century or so before the c.800-1066 AD Viking Age, Scandinavian inventors made two important changes in their ships: they added a keel and a sail. These improvements gave their ships more strength and speed, and helped to enable Norwegian Vikings to sail long distances over rough seas to areas of Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and North America.
Book Review by Betty Geilen Neil Oliver is an archaeologist and historian from Scotland who became fascinated with the Vikings when as a boy he watched an American movie starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, The Vikings, and wanted to be one himself. In research for this book he got close to that dream. He explored Viking settlement and grave sites in many places in Europe: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, Orkney, Shetland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Russia and Constantinople.
“The keel (Old Norse kjolr) provided sturdiness and maneuverability. Viking-age carpenters laid out the keel, and then built the rest of the boat around it. Each keel came from a trunk of a single oak or other strong tree, making “a flexible spine” in the powerful waves of the sea. Carpenters selected trees tending to curve naturally in the shape they wanted, and then used axes to split the wood along the natural grain for the keel and the sides of the ship, with the result that the finished vessel was stronger and more flexible, like a tree in the wind, than rigid ships built by cutting planks with saws.
The author has arranged his material in a sophisticated, chatty style which seems to wander from place to place, age to age, following threads of interest rather than textbook-style chronological or geographical organization. Reading the book is fine armchair travel, with review of stone age, bronze age, iron age and medieval history, and the spread of Christianity. Because the author is a good storyteller, the history goes down with a spoonful of sugar, or maybe one should say a dash of exciting Viking warfare.
For the sail, a mast made of the trunk of one tall pine tree was mounted exactly in the centre of the ship . . . [so the ship] could be sailed backwards or forwards. . . A wedge of wood could be taken out to lower the mast towards the stern when not in use. The mast held one square or rectangular sail. On the largest ships a sail, perhaps striped in bright colors, might have an area of more than a thousand square feet.
Sunday School is in Session! When: Last Sunday of the month right after the pastor’s Children’s message What: We will read stories, do crafts, play games and sing songs that relate to the day’s text. Who: All elementary-age children
Vikings also built and used more practical trading and cargo vessels less dangerous in the open ocean, shorter, wider ships with higher sides, called knarr. But their warships, which have so captured modern imaginations, were fast and beautiful. Some could sail at 10 to 12 knots. When a fleet of these, sometimes carrying hundreds of Vikings, appeared from the ocean and rowed up a river, their bright painted carvings of dragons, birds, sea monsters, silver and bronze shields and war emblems earned them the name “Dragon Ships.”
Join us! (in the coffee hall) For more information contact Leandra 847-292-9999
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Norway Hails Vikings Again, Minus the Pillaging Reprinted from the New York Time International, photos by Maurico Lima
SELJORD, Norway — Jeppe Nordmann Garly has for years been a “recreational Viking,” a member of a fringe fraternity of would-be Norse warriors who dress up in 10th-century clothing, attend weekend craft fairs and trade tips over the Internet on where to pick up an authentic helmet or sword.
bols and taste for violence, remained a touchy subject for some. “Before the Second World War, the whole nation was proud of our Viking heritage. But after the war it was banned from the public arena for more than 50 years,” he said. “We can still feel the negative effects today. Some people feel disgust with the Viking Age and think that it is connected to racism.”
He has now become a full-time Viking. Last month Mr. Garly began a new job on a hillside campus in central Norway as the director of Scandinavia’s first government-funded training course on how to live like a Viking. Or, that is, a politically correct one, purged of the bloodthirsty aggression that made the Viking Age a byword for macho violence. “I am a very peaceful man. I have never plundered anything,” said Mr. Garly, a 36-year-old Dane whose modest stature, jocular manner and portly figure belie his enthusiasm for ancient warriors.
The Vikings, he added, were “big slave traders” but “were not racists.” Their slaves were fellow whites seized during raids in places like England..
Anders Kvale Rue, center, who leads a group of amateur Viking enthusiasts, with his friends Oystein Rivrud, 52, right, and Mr. Rivrud's son Nils, 20, left, in front of a 13th-century church in Heddal, Norway, in August. CreditMauricio Lima for The New York Times
Because the Vikings wrote only short messages in runic script and left no detailed written account of their exploits, much of their history — and terrible reputation — was shaped by Christian monks and others who suffered at their hands.
Their grisly image, however, began to improve, at least in academic circles, when a revisionist view took Banished from the campus in Seljord, a pretty lakeside hold in recent decades and convinced some historians that Vikings town 115 miles west of Oslo, are Nazi symbols of had been unNordic origin, which Nazi Germany used in Norway fairly maduring World War II as emblems of their racist creed. ligned. Instead, students enrolled in the new Viking course The course, learn about the Vikings’ love of intricate artwork and which costs beautiful objects. They sew their own Viking-style each student garments and craft boots from leather. 18,000 kroThe rebranding of Vikings from violent thugs to ner, about Students practicing metalworking . peaceable craftsmen has helped make pride in the Vi$2,200, inking Age respectable at a time when Norwegians, like cludes a trip to the English city of York, renamed many other Europeans, are looking to the past to shore Jorvik after it fell to the Vikings in 866. up identities shaken by alarm over immigration and The 14 students — nine men and five women, all Northe impact of globalization. wegians — said they had been attracted by the opporAnders Kvale Rue, a Viking fan who leads a group of tunity to work with their hands and reconnect with a amateur enthusiasts from around Seljord called Olaf’s part of their country’s history that, once cleansed of its Men, cautioned that Vikings, particularly their symgruesome associations, made them feel proud. 9
Norway Offers Immigrants a Gentle Lesson in How to Treat Women Reprinted from the New York Times, Sunday, December 20, 2015 SANDNES, Norway — When he first arrived in Europe, Abdu Osman Kelifa, a Muslim asylum seeker from the Horn of Africa, was shocked to see women in skimpy clothes drinking alcohol and kissing in public. Confused, Mr. Kelifa, 33, volunteered to take part in a pioneering and, in some quarters, controversial program that seeks to prevent violence by helping male immigrants from societies that are largely segregated to adapt to more open European societies. The goal of the education program is that participants will “at least know the difference between right and wrong,” said Nina Machibya, the Sandnes center’s manager. Per Isdal, a clinical psychologist in Stavanger said that many refugees come from cultures that are not gender equal and where women are the property of men. The first such program to teach immigrants about local norms and how to avoid misreading social signals was initiated in Stavanger after a series of rapes from 2009 to 2011.Henry Ove Berg, who
was Stavanger’s police chief during the spike in rape cases, said he supported providing migrants sex education because “people from some parts of the world have never seen a girl in a miniskirt, only in a burqa. According to the state broadcaster, NRK, which reviewed court documents, only three of 20 men found guilty in those cases were native Norwegians, the rest immigrants. The claim that refugees and immigrants in general are prone to commit rape has become a main rallying cry of anti-migrant activists across Europe, with each case of sexual violence by a newcomer presented as evidence of an imported scourge. Norway does not break down crime statistics by ethnicity or religion. A 2011 report by Norway’s state statistical bureau noted that “immigrants are overrepresented in the crime statistics” but suggested that this was not due to cultural differences but because many of the immigrants were young men. Mr. Kelifa, the African asylum seeker, explained that in his own country, Eritrea, “if someone wants a lady he can just take her and he will not be punished,” at least not by the police. Norway, he said, treats women differently. “They can do any job from prime minister to truck driver and have the right to relax” in bars or on the street without being bothered, he added.
Laugh a Little...
Church Capitol Improvements Planned Since the entrance hall is the church’s first opportunity to make a good impression to all of its visitors, the board decided to use the funds that were originally raised to remodel the coffee hall and improve the entrance hall first. Although plans are currently in the very early stages, the board hopes to make the area brighter, more welcoming as well as more functional. Look for more information in an upcoming issue of Kontakt. Also planned this year is a new roof for the parsonage. The roof has been patched and repaired over the years, but it is time for a replacement. Your support for these projects would be greatly appreciated. Please use the enclosed envelope to send in your donation.
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Ole walks into work, and both of his ears are all bandaged up. The boss says, "What happened to your ears?" Ole says, "Yesterday I vas ironing a shirt ven da phone rang and I accidentally answered da iron." The boss says, "Well, that explains one ear, but what happened to your other ear?" Ole says, "I tried ta call da doctor." ---------------Ole says to the doctor at Mayo Clinic: "I got a problem. I have a big bowel movement at 6 in da morning every day." Doctor: "That sounds perfectly normal. Why are you so worried about it?" Ole: "Yah, but I don't vake up until 7." ---------------Ole and Lena had an argument while they were driving down a country road. After a while they got tired of repeating themselves and neither wanted to back down, so they drove along not saying a word. Than, as they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, Lena sarcastically asked, "Relatives of yours?" "Yup," Ole replied. "In-laws."
News from Norway Washington (CNN) Marines are prepositioning battle tanks, artillery and logistics equipment inside Norwegian caves as the U.S. pushes to station equipment near the NATO-Russia frontier. The deployment of new equipment to the Cold War-era caves comes amid renewed tensions between NATO and Russia. Russia shares a 121.6-mile long border with Norway and the Russian navy's Northern Fleet is in Murmansk, about 100 miles from the border. The climate-controlled caves are located throughout central Norway. The secured cave complex is staffed by about 100 Norwegian and U.S. personnel, and it contains enough equipment to support 15,000 Marines, according to Nordenman. Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende says Norway will provide NOK 10 million for WHO efforts to fight the Zika virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) played a key role during the Ebola outbreak that ravaged several West African countries during much of 2015. WHO has a unique position as an intergovernmental, independent and normative specialised health agency within the UN. Norway is one of the largest donors to the organisation, and provided NOK 336.5 million in support last year. (NRK/ Press release) Norwegians understand Danish and Swedish better than the Danes and Swedes understand Norwegian and each other, according to a study by the Nordic Language Council of the comprehension by matriculation students. The study also shows that the Swedes and the Danes have the greatest problem with understanding each others, while at the same time they have trouble with the Norwegian. The reasons that Norwegians have a deeper language comprehension than their Nordic counterparts, are several. From 1814 when Norway broke away from Denmark and founded the Norwegian Constitution, a language discord developed among politicians, farmers, authors and the learned. P.C. Asbjørnsen and J. Moe, gathered stories told by word of mouth and published them in 1841. 'Norwegian Fairy Tales' was a perfect mixture of written Danish and oral Norwegian dialects. During the 1840`s a farmer`s son, Ivar Aasen, travelled by foot, horse and boat gathering words and phrases from many dialects in use between the Helgeland municipalities in the north and Agder regions in the south. By 1864 he had published his first grammar book which became the start of one of Norway`s official languages, nynorsk. Today pupils and students learn both official languages, nynorsk and bokmaal, at school. (Verdens Gang/Amanda BolsoeyHege Ervik Olsen)
bomb was found several meters under the main street, Vangsgata, in front of one of the only wooden structures still found in the town centre. Voss was repeatedly bombed in April of 1940 by the invading Germans. Subsequently, most of the old town centre burned to the ground. Voss’ unique stone church, and just a few wooden structures were spared, and have since been surrounded by concrete structures. Wednesday’s bomb was uncovered during current street works, aimed at replacing sewage and plumbing lines. The Mine Removal Team of the Haakonsvern naval base responded to Voss, accessed the bomb to make it transportable, and then moved it to the Mjoefjell firing range for disposal. Norway Post reporter at Voss: Erick Haukebø Larson Norway exported seafood worth NOK 74.5 billion in 2015. This is 8 per cent, or NOK 5.8 billion, more than the record year of 2014. "In a year with trade restrictions in several markets and an import embargo in Russia, the result was better than expected. A weak Norwegian krone, combined with good demand for fresh products in particular, contributed to a new export record for Norwegian seafood," says Terje E. Martinussen, Managing Director of the Norwegian Seafood Council. "Good trade agreements are absolutely critical in order to achieve growth in new markets in the future," says Martinussen. (NRK/Press release)
Scientific studies in the Arctic are gaining importance, in particular with regard to its crucial role in the ongoing global climatic changes. Norwegian polar researchers are now looking forward to spending several months along with Russian colleagues on a research station located on a large ice floe in the Arctic Basin.(Ill: Svalbard map) 'This is a unique opportunity to gather up-to-date research data as well as glean experience from all the groundwork Russian scientists have undertaken in the northerly regions during the last 50 years, says Jan-Gunnar Winther at the institute. Norway wishes to make use of the floating ice stations to do research on the climate, ocean ice floes and ocean environment. The station t is situated on a large ice floe with elleven scientists stationed there. The floe is so large that work is being done to prepare a landing strip which will then simplify transport to and from the station. 'We are aiming to place Norwegian scientists permanently at station North Pole 34 from the 2005/06 season,' says Jan -Gunnar Winther. Today Norway's Svalbard Archipelago is the modern site for research, a land area covered in ice and snow all year round. It will be from here the flights to the ice stations will start. The Norwegians will be able to The west coast town of Voss was reminded of its history share valuable knowledge from their innate respect for the this week, as an unexploded bomb from the Second World polar world. (Aftenposten/Norway Post) War was uncovered in the middle of the town centre. The 11
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