Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why Asia is Obsessed with Arowanas? The pricey ornamental fish is thought to resemble a dragon and bring good luck ATLANTIC       Sep 13th 2018 At the end of a dirt track framed by rubber trees, Herman proudly shows off … Continue reading →

Sweden September 12-18, 2018 Day 5 I returned to Sweden from Norway on September 12 hoping to be on the ferry to Finland by the 16th. It will be nice to get back to reasonable prices (by European standards) and … Continue reading →

Vaping        E-cigarettes are almost certainly better than smoking But “better than smoking” is not necessarily the same as “good for you” ATLANTIC – Sep 20th 2018 FOR decades, doctors and governments have been trying to wean smokers from … Continue reading →

Sahel or high water France may take the lead in fighting jihadists But they risk propping up authoritarian regimes ATLANTIC Sep 20th 2018| NIAMEY BY ANY standards, the international airport of Niger’s capital is a dozy spot— unless you are … Continue reading →

For many Asian leaders, elections are too pivotal to be left to voters The president of the Maldives is one of them ATLANTIC  Sep 20th 2018 NEVER let anyone accuse President Abdulla Yameen of leaving things to chance. He was … Continue reading →

Tonsberg. A NM “small town”, this is supposedly Norway’s oldest town dating to 1200 when fishing was the main occupation. The harbor is the main attraction. A long wood boardwalk fronts many busy and expensive restaurants (starters €12-14, burgers and … Continue reading →

I am not a Christian, or religious at all, but there are some wonderful Christian churches. Most of southern Europe is Roman Catholic and Catholics are the best at producing over-the-top decoration. After the Reformation in the 1530s, most of … Continue reading →

OSLO (pop 5.2 million) History. Founded by Harald Hardräda in 1049, Oslo is the oldest Scandinavian capital. In 1299, King Häkon constructed the Akershus Festning here to counter the Swedish threat from the east. Leveled by fire in 1624, the … Continue reading →

Norway Sept 4-12 2018 Capital and largest city: Oslo 59°56′N 10°41′E Official Languages: Norwegian, Sami. Official minority languages: Kven, Romani, Romanes Ethnic Groups: Norwegian. Inidgenous status: Sami. Minority status: Jewish, Traveller, Forest Finn, Romani, Kven Demonym. Norwegian Government: Unitaryparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy. Monarch: … Continue reading →

Norway September 4-12 2018 I crossed a large fjord to enter Norway in the early afternoon. This was the first border in Schengen that checked my documents – passport and car registration – and asked where I was staying and … Continue reading →