Saturday, August 12, 2006
Hello, Bergen
Having noticed that Bergen University is a consistent visitor to this site - hi, guys - I determined to blog something about Norway. This is not easy. But I do note - here - that they have a frozen bank of 32,000 Nordic seeds from which we can replenish our crops following the next global catastrophe. They are also building another such bank to contain 3 million international seeds. This is a very Norwegian idea. Even more Norwegian is the $260 billion of surplus oil revenues the government keeps in overseas investments. This amounts to around $50,000 per Norwegian. The fund is to fend off the Dutch Disease whereby excessive dependence on a commodity raises the value of the currency and destroys the manufacturing base. Again, how very Norwegian - cautious, thoughtful, but, somehow, dull. In terms of GDP per capita, the Norwegians are, of course, the richest people on earth after Luxembourg. But are they happy? Are there any good Norwegian jokes? Well, Ibsen, I suppose....
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
I fear Bergen University may become a less consistent visitor Bryan. Apres moi le deluge?
ReplyDeleteAs a proud Norwegian, I feel compelled to express my mild sense of disappointment at your portrayal of my fine race as dull and lacking in humour and imagination.
ReplyDeleteWe have many jokes, some of which are vaguely funny.
We also have a saying that goes, "He who does not appreciate the merits in being well prepared and in a sensible monotony, needs to undergo a training in the discipline of organisation or he may come to rue his foolishness later on in life."
Given that I don't think 'A Norwegian' is a Norwegian at all, I am worried by the fact that, following my Hello, Bergen posting, lots of Norwegians visited the site but none left a comment. This suggests a lot of smouldering and unexpressed Nordic resentment, an alarming thought.
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