ISSN 0804-709X
www.norwaves.com
Dear Norwaves Subscribers,
This issue represents a milestone in the short history of Norwaves. It is the
final issue published by Andre Kristiansen, Jan Erik Hermansen, Rune
Oestebroed, Per Staale Straumsheim. These four students at the NKI College of
Computer Science have very successfully completed their challenging project
assignment--to establish an international electronic newsletter that presents
news from Norway in English. They did an excellent job installing Listserv,
the software used for e-mail distribution, and establishing the Norwaves
distribution list. Further, they made a program application that converts the
news files from Norinform's text format to the distributed Norwaves format.
Finally, they have established the news service and operated it for the first
twenty issues. Most impressing and encouraging is, though, the fact that they
have attracted nearly three hundred subscribers from about 25 countries. So,
I am glad to have this opportunity to thank the four of you for the excellent
pioneering work with Norwaves.
Looking back, the Norwaves idea was conceived when I visited
Pennsylvania State University for two years and realized how little news I
received about Norway and how much I appreciated the little I got. At that
time, I was editor of DEOSNEWS--an electronic journal about distance
education having Internet subscribers in about fifty countries. Through that
job, I learned how widely and efficiently electronic journals and newsletters
could be distributed with a minimum of resources. So, back in Norway, I
contacted Karin Bruun and Ragnvald Berggrav who agreed to provide news from
Norinform and later NKI that was willing to furnish a host computer and
students for the project. The NKI College, located in Oslo, is one of the
largest non-governmental educational institutions in Norway. Founded in 1959
as a correspondence school, NKI now comprises The College of Engineering, The
College of Computer Science, The Division of Distance Education, and The
Publishing House. Obviously, Norwaves is not a service central to NKI's
mission. So, NKI seeks outside support or funding to maintain the service and
appreciates any contact with organizations that could consider to support the
future publication of Norwaves.
This is the last issue of Norwaves distributed before summer vacation; I hope
Norwaves will return in the fall.
Ha en riktig God Sommer
Morten Flate Paulsen
Morten@NKI.NO
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USD 1 = NOK 7.20 No. 23 - 6 July 1993
This is the last issue of our Basic Information Service before the
summer holidays. The next issue will come out on 17 August. We wish
all our readers a pleasant vacation.
CONTENTS:
EC Parliament to take fresh look at whaling (1)
Statoil expands its empire (2)
Unemployment and EC top issues (3)
Super ships to speed across the waves (4)
Prized award to Norwegian architect (5)
Election prognosis promises cliffhanger (5)
Healthy diet and non-smoking lifestyle can cut the risk of heart
attack in half (6)
Large attendance at International Summer School (7)
Lillehammer to host children's peace festival (8)
Power deal completed (9)
Record turnover on bonds market (9)
World championship stamps (10)
norinform/1 6 July 1993
EC PARLIAMENT TO TAKE FRESH LOOK AT WHALING
"European press coverage of Norwegian whaling has created a false
impression of what the issue is really about. It should be possible to
arrive at a sensible solution when the environmental committee of the EC
Parliament has thoroughly examined the facts prior to making its
decision." This statement came from Egon Klepsch, president of the
European Parliament, during a recent visit to Oslo. He added that the
information he had received from Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland had put the matter into an entirely new light. "The papers
have not stated that only the minke whale is being hunted. They have
also failed to mention that Norway's decision to resume minke whaling
was based on the recommendations of the scientific committee of the
International Whaling Commission," he added.
Klepsch's statements have subsequently received broad backing in the EC
Parliament. The leaders of the three biggest political groupings say
they will support the proposal to re-examine the issue.
Commenting on Klepsch's remarks, press spokesman Ingvard Havnen in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the lack of information on
Norwegian whaling is partly the result of disinformation from
organizations such as Greenpeace. Another explanation is that many
people overseas do not have the same interest in whaling that Norwegians
have.
While he was in Oslo, Klepsch also said that it would be beneficial to
the Community to have applicant countries such as Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Austria as new members. He was puzzled by allegations in
Norwegian newspapers that the foreign ministers of the EC countries had
written off Norway as a potential new member.
norinform/2 6 July 1993
STATOIL EXPANDS ITS EMPIRE
The Swedish subsidiary of Statoil, Norway's state oil company, has
signed a deal to take over all of British Petroleum's petrol stations in
Sweden. This will make it the biggest chain of petrol stations in
Scandinavia. The agreement, which will be effective in September, covers
240 BP stations. Berit Rynning, Oeyen, head of information in Statoil,
says that the takeover brings the number of Statoil stations in Sweden
up to more than 700. She would not divulge the price tab for the deal.
Prior to the agreement with BP, Statoil had an 18 per cent interest in
the Swedish petrol market, and was second only to Shell. Now, with its
26 per cent share of the market it takes a clear lead over Shell and
Swedish OK.
Statoil is expanding in other markets than the Swedish. It now owns the
biggest distribution and stockist net in Scandinavia, with 1,700
stations and is also the biggest distributor of other petroleum products
in this part of Europe.
Rich oil reserves in the North Sea, as well as the Mongstad refinery in
Norway and the Kalundborg refinery in Denmark have formed Statoil's
basis for investing heavily in retail sales of petrol and petroleum
products in a market which others have pulled out of. Statoil also has
petrol stations in Ireland and Estonia and new ones will be opened this
summer in Russia, Latvia, Poland and the northeastern part of Germany.
norinform/3 6 July 1993
UNEMPLOYMENT AND EC TOP ISSUES
Unemployment and the issue of whether Norway should join the EC will
have the most bearing on how Norwegians vote in the general election
this autumn. Defence and national security policy will have the least
impact, a survey conducted by the Marketing and Media Institute shows.
The pollster asked 1,172 people to rank nine political issues in order
of importance to them as voters. The study was commissioned by the
Norwegian research project Alternative Future.
Ranking behind unemployment and the EC issue are environmental
protection and nature conservation. In fourth place is child and family
policy, followed by redistribution of revenues and social benefits,
education, regional policy, immigration and finally, defence and
national security policy.
Labour and Conservative Party voters are the most concerned with
employment, followed closely by Socialist Left Party supporters. Young
people from 15-24 years of age are the least concerned about employment
and place more emphasis on EC membership and environmental protection.
The EC issue ranks number one among Centre, Liberal and Socialist Left
Party voters, with Conservative voters some distance behind. Progress
Party supporters are the only ones to give defence and national security
policy relatively high placement on the list, and even Conservative
voters give the issue low priority. Progress Party voters are the most
concerned about immigration, well ahead of Liberals and Christian
Democrats.
norinform/4 6 July 1993
SUPER SHIPS TO SPEED ACROSS THE WAVES
The era of the ocean liners could return. A cigar shaped 300 metres long
passenger ship that could carry 1,500 passengers and cruise at 40 knots
(75 km/h),is now on the drawing board. With such a vessel, a voyage
from Southampton, England, to New York could be made in four days.
The Norwegian-owned Kvaerner Masa Yards in Helsinki, Finland, has
designed the revolutionary ship. Models of cargo as well as combination
cargo and passenger ships are being tested at the shipyard's test tank,
and results so far are very promising. "The ship can reach high speeds
because its special hull will reduce drag and allow it to cut through
waves and dispense with stabilizers," says chief information officer at
the Masa Yards, Henrik Segercrantz. Most high-speed ships are
catamarans. To get any bigger, however, such vessels have to have one
hull.
Road traffic is becoming a serious problem in Europe. Railways can take
over on land, but speedy ships could also compete. Kvaerner Masa Yards is
thus convinced that ships of this sort will be launched by 2000. A
number of Nordic shipowners have expressed interest for the project.
Their prime objective is to reduce the sailing time between Scandinavia
and England or the Continent. But such ships could also traffic any
oceans, and be used for Atlantic crossings. Passengers would pay an
estimated USD 2,000 for a four-day cruise between Europe and the USA.
norinform/5 6 July 1993
PRIZED AWARD TO NORWEGIAN ARCHITECT
On June 29 Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn (69) received one of the most
highly-prized awards in international architectural circles, the French
academy of architecture's gold medal - La Grande Medaille d'Or de
l'Academie d'Architecture. Fehn, who is a professor at the Oslo School
of Architecture, received the medal from French minister of cultural
affairs, Jacques Toubon, in Paris. This award brings him into a select
circle of architects which includes in its ranks prominent and creative
designers like Alvar Aalto of Finland, Ieoh Ming Pei of the USA and
Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer.
ELECTION PROGNOSIS PROMISES CLIFFHANGER
The governing Labour Party has made a very poor showing in a prognosis
covering the possible distribution of mandates in the national assembly
following this autumn's general election. The figures point to 48
mandates for the Labour Party, a drop of 15 on the 1989 results. The
Conservatives, on the other hand, are expected to capture a further nine
seats, bringing their number up to 46.
The prognosis is based on opinions polls from the last six months. Since
the last prognosis was published three months ago, the Labour Party has
lost ten mandates, while the Conservatives have secured three more. Most
of the other parties are expected to win new seats. Things look brighter
for the Party of Progress, which is predicted to move forward by four
mandates. The Centre Party and the Christian Democrats will have fewer
fresh seats, while the Socialist Left is likely to retain status quo,
with 25 mandates.
norinform/6 6 July 1993
HEALTHY DIET AND NON-SMOKING LIFESTYLE CAN CUT THE RISK OF HEART ATTACK
IN HALF
Startling statistics from the so-called Oslo study were presented at
a major international conference on heart disease prevention held in
Oslo recently. The 15-year-long Oslo study clearly links heart
attacks with smoking and high cholesterol levels. It also concludes
that healthy portions of fruits and vegetables can help prevent
both cancer and cardiovascular disease. Carrots, onions and tomatoes are
some of the best vegetables to keep cholesterol levels under control
and "repair" the damage caused by smoking.
1,232 men between the ages of 40-42 took part in the Oslo study. Half
the men were placed in a control group and continued to eat and smoke
as usual. The other half received dietary counselling and were advised
to quit smoking. After 15 years, the number of deaths from heart attack
among the latter was only half that of the control group. Equally
impressive was the finding that overall mortality was 30 per cent lower
in the treated group.
Many studies have shown that the risk of heart attack declines when
cholesterol is reduced, but the Oslo study is the first to conclude that
overall mortality drops when people cut back smoking and increase
their consumption of healthy food. Reduced smoking accounts, according
to chief physician Ingmar Hjermann of Ullevaal Hospital in Oslo, for
one-third of the improved results. What this shows is that there is a
lethal link between smoking and high cholesterol.
norinform/7 6 July 1993
LARGE ATTENDANCE AT INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL
Five hundred and twenty students from 70 countries are attending the
University of Oslo's International Summer School. The opening ceremony,
attended by University rector Lucy Smith, representatives of the
Government, ministries and foreign embassies, was held 27 June in the
University Aula. One-third of this year's students are from the USA and
Canada, one-third from Europe and one-third from Africa, Asia, South
America and Australia. The school is popular: due to space restrictions
only one-third of those who applied were admitted.
The International Summer School first opened in 1947, and since then
15,000 students from 136 countries have attended the six-week-long
course. Originally, the school was called the American Summer School
because all of its students hailed from the USA and Canada. The purpose
of the school is to acquaint students with Norwegian culture and provide
instruction in subjects in which Norway has considerable expertise.
Students also go on a number of excursions to various places in Norway.
Some students are in the middle of degree programmes in their home
countries, while others are graduate students who want to concentrate on
special areas. The school is free, although students must pay a
registration fee, room and board. The University provides a number of
scholarships, as do the Norwegian Research Council, the Directorate for
Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a
number of organizations. The NORAD scholarships are mainly awarded to
students in developing countries such as Botswana, where the summer
school has arranged separate courses in Gaborone since 1990.
norinform/8 6 July 1993
LILLEHAMMER TO HOST CHILDREN'S PEACE FESTIVAL
A children's festival of peace is to take place this September in
Lillehammer, the small Norwegian town which will host next year's Winter
Olympics. Invitations have been sent to 60 children from 30 countries,
who will be joined by 25 Norwegian children. "We want to focus on the
Olympic ideals of peace, justice and concord. At the same time, we will
try to emphasize children's right to be be heard and taken seriously.
The festival is meant to be much more than an exciting week for 85
children from througout the world," says project leader Kristin
Eskeland.
The children will come from varying social backgrounds. The organizers
are not interested in staging a festival for a youthful elite from
intellectual environments. Street children, refugees, and youngsters
from Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo have all been invited. The
children themselves will decide on the content of the festival; the
adults will put their ideas into reality. But the main themes will be
linked up to war and peace, justice and the environment. The programme
will include dance, music and play, and the construction of a peace
sculpture which will be given to Lillehammer as a present.
The cultural section of the Lillehammer Olympics Organizing Committee
(LOOC) took the initiative to this novel project, in collaboration with
the Nansen School, UNESCO, the municipality of Lillehammer, Rotary,
Norwegian Church Aid and the Voice of the Children campaign. LOOC will
contribute half of the USD 210,000 budget. A main goal of the festival
is that its ideals shall be spread to the participants' home countries,
and that similar events will become a natural part of future Olympic
Games.
norinform/9 6 July 1993
POWER DEAL COMPLETED
Lengthy negotiations between Norway and Germany have finally culminated
in the drawing up of an agreement on the exchange of electrical power.
Signatories to the deal were EuroKraft Norge A/S and a power producing
company in Hamburg. Under its terms 21 Norwegian power stations will
deliver 2.5 TWh (2.5 billion kilowatt hours) of power to German
consumers.
Norway will also be given the opportunity to purchase power from Germany
if drought should make it difficult to provide sufficient electrical
power for the domestic market. The deal necessitates laying a new USD
704 million cable between Norway and Germany.
RECORD TURNOVER ON BONDS MARKET
During the first three weeks of June, bonds worth USD 17 billion changed
hands on the Oslo Bourse. So far this year, turnover has passed USD 84
billion and if the trend continues, final turnover for the year will
reach USD 140 billion. The previous record was set last year, with a
turnover of USD 60 billion.
The bonds market is largely dominated by banks and insurance companies
but more and more ordinary companies are starting to participate.
norinform/10 6 July 1993
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STAMPS
If you think that Norwegian sports fans have their sights set on just
one event - the Winter Olympic Games - guess again. Before the Olympic
flame is ignited in Lillehammer two other giant arrangements will be
staged in Norway - the World cycling championship in August and the
world women's handball championship in November-December.
The Norwegian Postal Service is celebrating this abundance with two new
stamps, both designed by the artist Knut Loekke-Soerensen.
The Bicycle Championships will be the biggest sports event ever held in
a Nordic country. More than 1,600 participants from 70 nations will
compete for 21 medals in professional as well as non-professional
classes. Several hundred million viewers worldwide are expected to
follow the championship. Sixteen countries have qualified for the final
games in the A-league women's handball championship. After 53 games
played at 13 different Norwegian indoor halls, the final will be staged
at Oslo Spektrum on 5 December.
.