Friday, March 26, 2010

Russ in Norway

High school graduation is right around the corner for students all over the world yet; we come to find that no other country celebrates more distinctively than Norway during their russefeiring (Russ Celebration).

According to Wikipedia, the word russ is “inherited from the Danish word rus, which as an abbreviation of Latin rusticus ("rural"), in former times used to ridicule new students at a university. A more elaborate explanation claims the word comes from the Latin phrase cornua depositurus, which means ‘bound to put aside one's horns.’ This phrase is the name of an old, Danish university acceptance ceremony, the name of which was eventually simplified to just the last syllable” (Wikipedia.com)

Students wear distinctive overalls and caps depending on their line of study and wear them from the 1st to the 17th of May without removing or washing them. Red overalls represent courses geared toward higher education, blue for business, white for medical and social, black for mechanics and electronics, and green for agricultural fields. The cap matches the overalls by color and should be worn for the entire national day (May 17th) which completes “russefeiring.” Everyone also gets a whip for banging on things rhythmically during chants, and a whistle to make noise during the National Day parade.

Students also create russ cards which mock business cards and have their picture, contact details, and a slogan on the front. These are handed out to anyone who requests them, mainly friends and family. The more cards you collect, the more popular you appear.

Students travel around in russ busses which usually have a theme and song to go with them. The colors of the buses match the colors of the overalls worn.

So, next time you’re traveling in Norway during the first two weeks of May, keep your eye open for the russ busses as they pass by!

The official Norwegian Russ website is http://www.russen.no/

Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Monday, March 22, 2010

Norway by Bike!

Nelson’s Inside Scoop is happy to inform you with the latest news that the city of Oslo in Norway created a new bikeshare program in the downtown area for anyone to use. This service is also available in Trondheim, Drammen, and Bergen. Users can purchase an unlimited yearly pass for 60 NOK (about 10 USD). The Frost Brothers designed the bike with wide tires, comfortable when riding on the streets. The bikes are located all around town on computer operated racks along with maps of where other racks are located. The bikes can be borrowed for a certain period of time and can be returned to any rack, not just the one it was taken from. There is even an Iphone application for it. Whether you are going out to Bygdøy, looking for some ice cream or want to take a ride out to the beaches, for a steal you can see the city of Oslo by bicycle!

Photo Courtesy of Bhupal Adhikari
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcreative/ / CC BY-NC 2.0


Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Monday, March 1, 2010

Scandinavia in the 2010 Winter Olympics

There is an old saying that Scandinavians were born with skis on their feet. Yet again, they have put up a good fight this year in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver.

Sweden's Medals:

Gold- Women's curling, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 4x10 km Relay Classic/Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 30 km Pursuit (15 Classic+15 Free), Biathlon - Men's 12.5 km Pursuit, and Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 10 km Free

Silver- Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' Team Sprint Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 15 km Pursuit (7.5 Classic+7.5 Free)

Bronze- Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic, Alpine Skiing - Men's Slalom, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 30 km Pursuit (15 Classic+15 Free), Alpine Skiing - Ladies' Super Combined

One Swedish Olympic favorite is Anna Haag. She is 23 –years-old from Köping, Sweden and has been competing in cross-country skiing since 2003. At this year’s Winter Olympics, she took Silver in both the 15 km pursuit and the team sprint.




 


(Photo by: Oskar Karlin)


Norway's Medals:

Gold- Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic, Biathlon - Men's 4x7.5 km Relay, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 4x5 km Relay Classic/Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's Team Sprint Free, Alpine Skiing - Men's Super-G, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 15 km Pursuit (7.5 Classic+7.5 Free), Biathlon - Men's 20 km Individual, Biathlon - Women's 15 km Individual, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' Individual Sprint Classic

Silver- Curling – Men, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 30 km, Mass Start Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 4x10 km Relay Classic/Free, Alpine Skiing - Men's Giant Slalom, Freestyle Skiing - Ladies' Ski Cross, Biathlon - Men's 20 km Individual, Alpine Skiing - Men's Downhill, Biathlon - Men's 10 km Sprint

Bronze- Alpine Skiing - Men's Giant Slalom, Ski Jumping – Team, Freestyle Skiing - Men's Ski Cross, Speed Skating - Men's 1500 m, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's Individual Sprint Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 10 km Free

Who can resist the four Norwegian blondies that took gold in the Women’s Cross Country Skiing? On the team is Vibeke Westbye Skofterud, Therese Johaug, Kristin Størmer Steira,  and Marit Bjørgen.

Vibeke Westbye Skofterud is from Askim, Norway and has been competing in cross-country skiing since 1999.







(Photo By: Iso76)


Therese Johaug is from Os, Norway and won the bronze in the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo during the 30 km mass start.






(Photo By: Iso76)


Kristin Størmer Steira is from Mo I Rana, Norway and has cross-country skied for Norway since 2002.


 





(Photo By: Bjarte Hetland)

Marit Bjørgen is from Trondheim, Norway and is a cross-country skier from Midtre Gauldal. She has won the most medals during the 2010 Winter Olympics.









(Photo By: Author Unknown)



Finland's Medals

Silver- Snowboard - Men's Halfpipe

Bronze- Ice Hockey – Men, Ice Hockey – Women, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 30 km, Mass Start Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 4x5 km Relay Classic/Free

Peetu Piiroinen is a young 22-year-old who took the Silver in snowboarding for Finland. He is from Hyvinkää and his home mountain is Sveitsin Hiihtokeskus. Peetu has been traveling the world and competing since 1997 and is sponsored by Burton Snowboards.








(Photo By:copyright: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/m9_1y2nbXNl/Snowboard+Day+6/yawueiFiGYG/Peetu+Piiroinen)



Portions of the above information are from the online website:
http://www.wikipedia.com

http://www.vancouver2010.com

Sincerely,
John, Don, and Lena (Our new intern)