Just A Little Bit!

                                              A Little Bit Can Pile Up!

The Christmas "Holiday" is over and time to pay the bills. A little bit here and a little bit there..It’s amazing how it grows! We shop with credit cards, debit cards, checks and even “on-line”. Some people even use cash! There are several ways to pay the bills. Times are changing.

When the English colonists arrived in America, they naturally continued to use the pound, shilling and pence which they used back in England . Later, these colonists had to use wampum and even tobacco as mediums of exchange. Spanish “visitors” used the Spanish silver dollar to pay for their needs.Massachusetts began

Indian waumpam

minting silver coins in 1652 to add to silver coins that were in circulation used by immigrants from Spain, the Netherlands, the German States, France and other foreign countries. Every ethnic group had their own currency. In December,1690, Massachusetts authorized the issuing of £7,000 in public paper currency  to satisfy the soldiers and creditors of the otherwise bankrupt colony. At the time, no one realized this was the first public paper money issued in the history of Western civilization.

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European countries are attempting to unify their monetary standard with the “Euro”. Most European countries have joined the European Union and the Euro is the common currency. Norway is not a member state of the European Union and won’t use the Euro. Norway has been under the control of several countries in it’s history and since gaining their own identity, Norway likes  independence! Norway continues to use the krone, or in plural, kroner with  bank notes of 50, to 1000 kr. At this time, a krone is worth about sixteen cents U.S.

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While serving as a 1950’s GI in the Army and stationed in Germany, I was paid monthly in paper “scrip” or

Ten-dollar US  scrip money

MPC that looked the same as Monopoly money! The purpose was to keep “The Greenback” from going to the blackmarket  ( or out of US circulation). No European merchant, bar, restaurant, whatever, would accept scrip, so we were forced to exchange our “scrip” for German “marks”at the local exchanges. When we were free to travel to

French coin currency

places   such as Paris, we had to exchange our German marks for French francs. Because it was so easy to drive through small countries in one day, every stop needed a different coin or paper to pay. When we returned to our base, we found our pockets jangling with useless coins of many types.

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Time to standardize? Today’s method is to direct deposit and use plastic cards or one of the latest electronic smart-phones, I-pods or even the computer. Things are changing ..a bit! With all the new uses of our electronic gadgets,  money can now be stored in your computer.. as bits!! Somehow, I have never seen a “bit”. Apparently, it has been around since 2009. What is a “bit" besides being a portion of time?

If "Bits" were really coins..

Something called a  bitcoin is the newest “currency” established in 2009. 

It’s an electronic means of monetary exchange, only done using computers. It’s a “cryptographic monetary exchange” using computer zeros and 111s code! They call it “bitcoin!” controlled by passwords and electronic signature guarantees sent and stored on everyone’s computer. It's becoming quite a thing!

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A Norwegian, Kristoffer Koch invested 150 kroner ($26.60) in 5,000 bitcoins in 2009 He  forgot about them until  media coverage of the anonymous peer-to-peer digital currency in April 2013 jogged his memory. The value of a  bitcoin had wildly gone up within the space of four years. He discovered that his $27 investment when “cashed in” was then worth  $886,000.00. What an investment return!

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However, this new method of electronic exchange has acquired a poor reputation due to  actions such as that of a group known as a  black-market ring entitled “The Silk-Road”, a drug-ring  that requires all illicit drug buyers and sellers to use bitcoins in their transactions due to the difficulty of tracing the monetary exchange.

Bitcoins can be stored in your computer as encrypted wallets secured with a private key ( a password). In April, 2013, the value of a bitcoin was $266 before crashing to $50.00 due to rapid flucations such as the seizure of online drug marketpace transactions such as “The Silk Road” that caught government attention.

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Bitcoin has been endorsed by a Wall Street currency analyst who has claimed it shows “clear potential for growth”, but national banks are cynical. The Bank of France has released a report calling the currency “highly speculative” and saying it poses a “certain financial risk” for owners.

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For bitcoin users, there is  GLIP, an “app” that provides the use of  back and forth secure texts while utilizing money transfers to friends. Here is a “GLIP” in action....

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Customers are lining up to use the world’s  first-ever permanent bitcoin ATM at a coffeeshop in Vancouver, British Columbia..Times ARE changing!

Currently,  bitcoins can be used in various businesses.They are quick and free from fees and may be the future of all our transactions. The price of a bitcoin rose above $1,000.00 last month for the first time (a 400 percent surge in less than a month, as of Dec 13..Friday the 13th!!).  But again, bitcoin currency is not backed by any central bank or government, or by physical assets. It’s value depends on people’s confidence in the currency.

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If this is for you, Virgin Galactic  Aviation has more that 600 “wannabe astronauts” who have already signed up to board the aircraft if all goes well in  Richard Branson’s latest venture into space. The price of the flight will be approximately $250,000.00 and bitcoin payments are being  accepted to purchase your seat in the next trip into space. Get your bit-coin wallet out and be ready for your historic trip to the moon.

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But first, don't forget those Christmas bills! Hopefully, those "Big-Box stores" will accept bitcoin payments.

Just start saving...A little bit at a time!

Are You Ready?

Are you ready?

Norway's King Haakon, in the tenth century, determined that  the  midwinter festival “jol”, (December 25th ) would coincide with the birth of the Christ Child and passed a law  that every peasant had to obey!

King Haakon " The Good"  being entertained by dancers

Norse goddess holding a drinking cup

This law  later decreed  that each peasant and his wife would hold a Christmas “gilde”( festive gathering) that included a special feature.   Failure to do so would result in a fine paid to the bishop, and possibly confiscation of their property if they skipped the law three years in a row! This unusual feature was that they must have a portion of beer to celebrate the occasion! While this may seem very unusual, beer has been an important ingredient in human life for centuries! The Norwegian word for Christmas is actually a pre-Christian Viking drinking-vessel named a  "Jul".

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Historically, a beer called Doppelbock  was first brewed in Munich, Germany by  a Franciscan order founded by St. Francis of Paula.    Munich means “the home of monks”.  These vegetarian monks from   

Italy observed two fasts each year – one during Lent and one for the month leading up to Christmas. It has often been told that European monks of this time relied on dark beers to sustain them through their long fasts. They developed a particularly dark beer with a lot of protein and carbohydrates carried over from the mash that served them well during the times when solid foods were prohibited. Doppelbock was high in alcohol and sweet, thus serving as “liquid bread” for the Friars during times of fasting, when solid food was not permitted.  Bock is historically associated with special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent (the latter as Lentenbock).

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Water accounts for up to 95 percent of beer’s content  and grain  needed as well as fermentation. With the

Ancient Babylonians drinking beer through straws.

quality of water in earlier times, it might have been difficult to keep "water" from turning into a form of beer. Beer was recorded to be the major beverage of the Babylonians, and as early as 2700 BC, they worshiped a wine goddess and regularly used both beer and wine as offerings to their gods.Historians speculate that prehistoric nomads may have made beer from grain and  water before learning to make bread.Straws were used to avoid the grain husks.

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In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, because their beer supply was running low, as the story goes! Water would have lost its purity, becoming unhealthy if it had been the main beverage for all those

ship-bound travellers months on voyages! Drinking wine and beer at that time was safer than water - which was usually taken from sources used to dispose of sewage and garbage.

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 Colonists improvised a beer made from red and black spruce twigs boiled in water, as well as a  wide variety of wine from fruits. They additionally made wine from such products as flowers, herbs, and even oak leaves. Early on, French vine-growers were brought to the New World to teach settlers how to cultivate grapes.For hundreds of years their English ancestors had consumed beer and ale. Both in England and in the New World, people of both sexes and all ages typically drank beer with their meals. Because importing a continuing supply of beer was expensive, the early settlers brewed their own.

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English sailors receive their portion.

Spirit drinking was still largely for medicinal purposes throughout most of the 16th century. It has been said of distilled alcohol that “the sixteenth century created it; the seventeenth century consolidated it; the eighteenth popularized it.”

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In Scandinavia,Swedish beer consumption may have been forty times higher than in modern Sweden. English sailors received a ration of a gallon of beer per day, while soldiers received two-thirds of a gallon. In Denmark, the usual consumption of beer appears to have been a gallon per day for adult laborers and sailors. It is important to remember that modern beer is much stronger than the beers of the past.

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Norwegians are said to consume ten million liters of beer during December. It’s a celebration drink and  Juleøl ( Christmas beer) accounts for half of the amount. Early time peasant in Norway used beer to celebrate many occasions from barnøl ( Child-baptismal beer),festerøl ( engagement beer) and gravøl  (funeral beer).      

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St. Thomas

Finished beer was to age eight to ten days and had to be ready December 21st.This day became known from the Middle ages as  "Brewer's Day", for St. Thomas. While connecting "beer-brewing" with St. Thomas seems very strange, history has played a role in the story. December 21 is known as St. Thomas Day.

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In December, long before Christianity, Mayan Indians in Guatemala honored their Sun God in a dangerous ritual  of a "Flying Pole Dance". Three or more men climbed a fifty-foot pole to the top.
While one played a flute and another beat a drum , the "flyers" wound ropes around the pole, tied the ends to their ankles and jumped to circle to the  ground. If they landed on their feet, the gods would be pleased and make the coming days  longer. (No word on how the musicians descended). Coincidentally, December 21st is the Winter Solstice! This day is in remembrance of the Doubting Thomas apostle, who was instructed to evangelize in the Persian area and was there revered by Malabar Christians  and Angelicans. St. Thomas was born in the first century and his death was reported to be..the 21st of  December 72.

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With the approach of Jul and the need for the required beer portion, December 21st became known in Scandinavian countries as "Thomas, the Brewer's Day". So, while we might be very concerned with Christmas shopping, early Scandinavians had to be concerned with the beer supply, or else! Rules have changed, but the importance of beer in the festivities remains.  This celebratory beer is a bit stronger than usual and known as Juleøl. The beer better be ready!

Knut Albert's Brew

 Timing is everything!

What Did The Fox Say?

Whats this about a fox?

Recently, I had tuned in to listen to a daily TV network news-show and heard the anchorpeople excitedly asking “What did the fox say”? After the broadcast, I had to “Google” the remark and I couldn’t believe what I was reading!

“What does the fox say” is a product of some Norwegian “humor” that has gone viral on the internet. This “Music” had been released as a “single” on iTunes in Norway, September 2nd, released in the US a week later  quickly climbing to number 6 on “Billboard Top 100”. How times have changed.

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  Remember. “back in the day” when we heard a hit tune and rushed to the musicstore racks and flipped through the singles to find that hot tune? When we got back to our room, we put it on our machine and sang along. However, that was only ONE side and one song. The “Flipside” was a dog! We accepted it as “That’s life!”----Then the big vinyl 33 1/3 gave us a collection of tunes in albums. Later,

we were able to play them in our little pocket tapeplayers! Some of those tapes are still being played today. However, today’s youth are seen holding their newest electronics to their ear, and the music has changed

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Edvard Grieg

Norway has had some outstanding music composers and musicians. One who always comes to mind is Edvard Grieg. Instrumentally, the unique Hardanger “fiddle” is unique in its arrangement of strings placed under strings, giving the music a very unusual sound.

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Another famous name in Norway’s history was Ole Bull, a composer and violinist who was also known as a Norwegian political and business figure. Bull visited the United States several times with great success. In 1852, he obtained a large tract of land in Pennsylvania urging others to join his “Amerika colony” we know today as “Oleanna”, advertised as a land of milk and honey. The deal didn’t sell, but ended up as a US park in his name.

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Kirsten Flagstad

Norway has produced several other notable figures in music. Kirsten   Flagstad is still remembered for her stylish performances in classical opera productions.

Sissel

The pop music people today enjoy the sounds of Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkebø. Sissel has  received the prestigious title of “Arent Spelleman”  (the Norwegian equivelent of a Grammy Award), and in 1994, at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, performed at the opening and closing ceremonies recording the official Olympic theme.  In the US, she has appeared as guest soloist with several orchestras and choruses. Not only enjoyable to listen    to, but to look at, as well.

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The Swedes have a famous vocal group that combined their first initials to name their now-retired popular group ABBA, who sold many records in the US as well as Europe.

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Then, along comes the age of rock and roll, hip hop, rap and violent groups  such as "Mayhem", and "Zyklon " performed by youths featuring a passion for hatred, violence and true mayhem in their time of “Black Metal”. These groups were known to gather in an Oslo record music store called “Helvete” ( (Hell in English). The sounds of 1984!

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 Musical times have changed, a bit. Television and modern electronics have made an important impact on music both here and in Europe. The internet has created a media used world-wide.

Two Norwegian brothers host a Norwegian TV comedy show aired twice every week, known as  “ I kveld med Ylvis”. In English, this is “Tonight with Ylvis”. To promote the show, the brothers Bård and Vegard Ylvisär wished to produce a video meant as a joke and the craziest video they could come up with, enlisting the aid of “Stargate”, the production team that helped create hit songs for Rihanna and Kathy Perry. They intended it to be a nonsensical comical joke

. They came to the US, appearing on the Ellen Degeneres and Jimmy Fallon shows, and the joke went viral! “ The Fox” became a YouTube hit climbing upward in the ratings to number 2 in the US charts, receiving more than 140,000 hits after it was released in September.

The video begins with Bård singing at a costume party where other participants are dressed as different animals, whose appearances follow the progression of the lyrics. He gives a summary of animal sounds ("Dog goes woof/cat goes meow", etc.) and asks "what does the fox say?" The group then transitions into a synchronized dance scene in a forest with Bård in a bear costume and Vegard a squirrel costume (as they failed to find any fox costume in the Norwegian Film Institute the day before filming), Ylvis were surprised by the international success of the song, intending only to target their Norwegian audience.Bård said he was "quite surprised" and that it was "supposed to entertain a few Norwegians for three minutes — and that's all."

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The song “What does the fox say” only slipped to number two  after being eclipsed by Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball!

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The brothers, both well-known Norwegian comedians stated that they only wanted to use the talents of the famous producers for comic effect to promote their show. The song was the US’s most streamed song for some time. Even serious US TV morning news-anchors became excited about “ What does the fox say?”

Ylvis at the MTV Awards in Amsterdam.

Internet clips go “viral” when audiences reach the millions as people forward their links.

It’s a joke, folks!

Is It Possible?

This is the time of year when colder weather, heavy clouds, and occasional snowflakes warn us to be ready for a long winter. But, in the meantime, we will celebrate the harvest, and give thanks for all we have received.

  "All Saints Day"  marks the end of October. While adults pay homage to the martyrs, saints, and all the faithful departed believers, our youth find humor and happiness in costumes of favorite characters, witches and ghosts as they parade house to house yelling “Trick or treat!”. “All Hallows’ Eve” came from a 15th century Celtic annual practice when the souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes. 

Little  mention is made of any “Saint’s Day” celebration in Scandinavia and the practice of this in Norwegian immigrants is quietly celebrated in US churches. However, the subject of ghosts and spirits prevail in, what we call “Haunted Houses”, and in some very unusual places.

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I received an e-mail from a Wisconsin transplant to Minnesota , being a brother by marriage,  and, being newly retired, moved to Northfield, Minnesota, the site of the well-respected St. Olaf college. As quoted from the St. Olaf website: “St. Olaf is one of the nation’s leading four-year residential colleges. St. Olaf offers an academically rigorous education with a vibrant faith tradition. Founded in 1874, St. Olaf, named in honor of the Norse king, is a liberal arts college of the church in the Lutheran tradition (ELCA). Committed to the liberal arts and incorporating a global perspective".

   

St. Olaf  fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit. This institution was founded in the Lutheran tradition by Scandinavians dedicated to be seekers of truth, responsibility and  scholarly pursuit to be responsible citizens of the world.

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One would not expect any strange or unsettling events in this stately institution, but then again, St. Olaf does “welcome people of differing backgrounds and beliefs, a community that embraces spirituality and cultivates compassion”.

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In a guided tour of the campus, it was mentioned that the  Vice President for student Life, Greg Knesner, and tour guide suggested that school president, Doctor David Anderson, a La Crosse native, is not eager for campus anomalies to be promoted, but the V.P. counters that everything shared is documented and anything but disproven. And, let's not forget that according to its own web site, “The college encourages and challenges its students to be seekers of truth, to lead lives of unselfish service to others, and to be responsible and knowledgeable citizens of the world.” The spirits must be having fun with that one.”
Knesner shared a sample from his personal “Ghost” file with the group. 
 Knesner does not admit to being a true believer, but freely admits there is no explanation for the substance making up many of the reports in his ghost file.Mr. Knesner reported one incident:

 “He's here! ” The lower bunk roomie who had seen the apparition many times before bolted upright, banging her head into the underside of the upper bunk.
     It all began more than 20 years ago when two students came for aid, one with a fresh gash on her forehead, and a strange story. For some time one of them had been seeing and reporting to the other the presence of a large and ominous man in their dorm room from time to time. He caused no harm and didn't stay long before 'evaporating' each time”. The first report was dismissed, however, the next incident confirmed earlier reports when the upper bunk roomie awoke to finally see the ghost-man standing at the end of her bed, just as had been described to her again and again by her roommate. Now a believer, she shrieked, "He's here again. He's really here!"
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 Another strange happening took place in the famous Music Hall. “A student was toiling very late into the night because the music piece was not coming together for him to his satisfaction. The student had been in the upper practice room on his own. Displeased with both his progress and the time, he decided to stop for the night. That was when a very unexpected sound came to his ears. The same piece he had been working on was being played flawlessly on a piano downstairs, it seemed to him. Puzzled, he went to the balcony and looked down. There was a woman in a lavender dress graciously playing the difficult piece. Mesmerized, the student could only stand at the railing and wonder in amazement at what was happening. With the piece completed, however, the lavender dress woman stood, turned, and looked directly at the student. She then turned again and walked into the shadows, never to be seen again..That, in itself would be unsettling, but the story
  continues as the unnerved student began racing down the stairs, eager to reach the outside air. Halfway down the final set of stairs he looked up, and there, near the entrance of the hall hung the portrait of the long term and revered piano teacher who worked there with piano students very many years. Her portrait displayed her in the pretty, lavender dress. However, she had passed away many years before—well before the student started college. But she was still helping” The student was in Kelsey Theater, named in honor of Elizabeth Wasingham Kelsey, the piano instructor and Director of Dramatics for more than three decades. The portrait was of Elizabeth Kelsey.

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  One day in the college library, a student reported the incident of seeing a woman placing books back on the shelves from a book cart, and then, an instant later, having vanished from sight. No one else was around and this student was still trying to make sense of this anomaly as he continued down the stacks. That was when he saw her again. It was her picture on the library wall. She,too, was well known and revered in her work there. And she ,too, was deceased but seen by a student who had never known or before seen her”.

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Some of the other stories included reports of identical incidents and descriptions of seemingly real but disappearing people being reported. Students reporting having seen and describing apparitions in exact detail, and without knowledge that others had reported the same exact experience years before. In one scenario, there had been a 13 year gap between identical reportings.

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There have been several such happenings and several reoccurances. An interesting point in all this ghost business over the years is that none of the reports indicate any malicious or threatening behavior—no overt intimidation. And St. Olaf, by some at least, enjoys the comfort and satisfaction of knowing they are being looked out for by well meaning souls from the past.”  .

Who believes in ghosts and who does not believe in ghosts? Who has good reason to believe in ghosts and who has not?”

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Closed? Not in Norway!

It's autumn. The weather has been unusually mild. An excellent time to take that trip to catch the colorful scenery. Some may have made reservations long ago and looked forward with the whole family to visit a national park such as Yellowstone National Park featuring the famous geyser , a popular U.S.tourist attraction.

Just as they are prepared to leave for their journey, they hear the latest news. "Due to a political dispute, there will be a government shutdown for an unknown length of time", which includes the closing of all US National Parks. The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks, which are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks must be established by an act of the United States Congress. The first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872.

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That, being out of the question, perhaps a trip north to Alaska is in order. Near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, there is the excellent and popular Harding Icefield with at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible to the public by road is Exit Glacier, while the rest can only be viewed by boat tours. This glacier has been in the news due to the rapidly melting ice.

But, once again, this site is closed at this time. It also is a US National park.


US National Parks have always been an attractive tourist destination. While the sites are protected and  park history is paramount, income from the annual  visiting tourists has been an important factor in  park maintainance.

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In contrast, protected areas in Norway are not entirely tourist-minded. Norway has 41 national parks, 34 on the mainland and seven on Svalbard. National parks are particularly important for species that need relatively large and undisturbed areas to survive, such as wild reindeer, predators and birds of prey. Many of these are at great risk from human intervention and some are even threatened with extinction. Norway has an international responsibility to look after endangered species and their habitats.The national parks safeguard the rich diversity of Norway's natural heritage, for nature's sake, for our own and for future generations.

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Nearly 85 per cent of Norway's national parks  are mountains. The mountain landscape varies from endless gently rolling high plateaus to sharp peaks, ravines and glaciers. One of which is DovreDoverfjell-

Sunndalsfjella National Park, one of Norway's top five protected sites.From the oldest times has Dovrefjell been the border region between the northern and southern parts of Norway, and the road over the mountain was well known. The expression "til Dovre faller" ('until the Dovre mountains fall apart until the end of the world) is widely used in Norwegian.

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Another inaccessible and undeveloped national park in Norway is Børgefjell National Park (Norwegian: Børgefjell nasjonalpark) located close to the border of Sweden. All of Børgefjell is used for domestic reindeer grazing.The Sami people controlled the land in Børgefjell right up until the beginning of the twentieth century. They have kept reindeer in the area for at least 500 years.The first element seems to be the Old Norse word byrgi which means "fort" or "entrenchment". (There might have been some kind of  fort here once, possibly to claim tax from the southern Sami people, and also to protect the border from the Swedes!)The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for extended periods without seeing another person. Not maintained for the tourist trade, but for the animals.

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However, there is a Norwegian National Park that welcomes tourists.

Hardangervidda National Park (Norwegian: Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at 3,422 square kilometers, is

Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau .
 Designated as a national park in 1981,  it serves today as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. There is a comprehensive network of huts and paths across Hardangervidda.. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world. Several hundred nomadic stone age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world, with some 15,000 animals recorded in 1996 and around 8,000 in 2008. They migrate across the plateau during the year.

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Another of Norway's top five parks is "The Home of the Giants"

The name Jotunheimen, or “Home of the Giants” is  recognized as one of the country's premier hiking and fishing regions.Jotunheimen has been the site of hunting since before recorded time. Remains of Stone Age hunting camps have been found near the lakes Gjende and Russvatnet. These remains extend through the bronze and Iron Age, up to recorded times. The high pastures have been used as seters for at least 1000 years.

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The first national park of Norway would welcome you to its high peaks and varied, wild and beautiful nature.

 

Rondane National Park in the fall

Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above 2,000 metres. After nearly a decade of planning, Rondane was established as the first Norwegian National Park on 21 December 1962. It was first established as a nature protection area, but was later named a national park. The main reasons for protecting the park were "to safeguard the natural environment with its native plants, animal life, and cultural heritage and also to secure the environment as a recreational area for future generations".

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And now, the newest National Park in Norway....

Not necessarily a "walk in the park" and probably not a great tourist attraction, however Færder National Park opened in August, the first only national park on the west coast of the outer Oslofjord. Part of Vestfold county's archipelago will, officially, in a few weeks, become Norway's next national park, according to The Minister of the Environment, Bård Vegar Solhjell.

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In contrast to US Parks, Norway's national parks are not primarily for tourists.

The National Park was established to
- preserve a large, continuous and essentially untouched mountain area,
- preserve an alpine ecosystem with its natural biodiversity,
- preserve an important part of the range of the stocks of wild reindeer in Snøhetta and Knutshø,
- safeguard a variation in habitats,
- preserve the landscape morphology and its distinctive geological deposits,
- protect cultural heritage.

And open for business!