Norway hires sherpas from Nepal to build paths in the Norwegian mountains. They have completed over 300 projects, and their pay for one summer, equals 30 years of work in Nepal.
Norway
10th century Norwegian Viking ruler…
10th century Norwegian Viking ruler King Haakon the Good made the household production of Juleøl (Christmas Beer) a law. Families that did not have beer at their Christmas feast were issued a fine.
Long before Christianity made its way to the native Germanic peoples, Norwegians celebrated the winter solstice by brewing and drinking beer to honor their Norse gods. To celebrate “Jul,” a Norwegian word that in modern vernacular refers to the Christmas season, Vikings brewed and consumed strong, barley-based beer while in the throes of winter’s coldest and dreariest months. They also used the ale to make offerings in hopes to entice the gods to bring back the summer sun.
According to “The Geography of Beer,” King Haakon the Good, who ruled from 934 to 961, later used the ancient Jul celebration to push a Christian agenda. As part of his efforts to introduce Christianity to the Norwegian people, King Haakon the Good implemented a pagan-meets-Christian mash-up, making it a law to celebrate Christmas with beer. Those who didn’t have beer at their Christmas feast were issued a fine. Norway became Christianized in the 11th century.
German discount supermarket Lidl…
German discount supermarket Lidl has failed to succeed in Norway, although being successful in other places. They left in 2008 after 4 years. Reasons stated for the failure are Norwegians not liking the foreign food, treatment of workers in other countries and money going out of the country.
Wearing paper clips was a symbol…
Wearing paper clips was a symbol of rejecting Nazi ideals and racism during WWII.
During WW2, Norwegians mostly resisted…
During WW2, Norwegians mostly resisted the German occupation nonviolently. They would refuse to go to German-owned businesses, pretend to not speak German, and refuse to sit next to Germans on public transport.
Svalbard, a Norwegian…
Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago with a population of 3 000, is the only visa-free zone in the world meaning that anybody may live and work there indefinitely regardless of country of citizenship.
If you publish a book in Norway…
If you publish a book in Norway, the government will buy 1000 copies (1,500 if a children’s book) and distribute them to libraries throughout the country.
After visiting a prison in Norway…
After visiting a prison in Norway that treated prisoners humanely, a warden from North Dakota went back and reformed her prison based on Norway’s model. It later saw sharp decline in violence against inmates and threats against staff.
In Norway, people use the term “texas”…
In Norway, people use the term “texas” as slang for “crazy”. It doesn’t refer to a person, but a chaotic atmosphere or state of mind, so saying a party “was totally crazy!” in Norwegian would be “det var helt texas!”, which literally means “it was texas!”
In Halden prison in Norway…
In Halden prison in Norway, guards are encouraged to interact, play sports, and eat with the inmates. This is to prevent aggression and create a sense of family. Despite being a maximum security prison, every cell has a flatscreen TV, an en-suite shower and fluffy, white towels.