(Periodicals postage paid in Seattle, WA) TIME-DATED MATERIAL — DO NOT DELAY Arts & Style Special Issue Stavanger Symphony Welcome to the Orchestra comes to Vi lærer ikke for skolen, Weekly’s the Big Apple men for livet. Education Issue Read more on page 20 – Lucius Annæus Seneca Read more on pages 8 – 18 Norwegian American Weekly Vol. 122 No.15 April 15, 2011 Established May 17, 1889 • Formerly Western Viking and Nordisk Tidene $1.50 per copy Norway.com News Find more at www.norway.com Solo comes to Hollywood News Norway’s favorite The Norwegian government plans to purchase four F-35 soda makes a fighter jets for training pur- poses, Defense Minister Grete splash in sunny Faremo announced. The pur- Los Angeles, Calif. chase, which is subject to par- liamentary and governmental approval, is a historic moment DAGBLA D ET for Norway. (blog.norway.com/category/ If you’re Norwegian and hap- news) pen to find yourself on Sunset Bou- levard in Hollywood this week, you Culture probably will not believe your eyes The Ministry of Culture pre- when you look around. sented a report on the digiti- Chances are you will see a gi- zation of radio to the Storting ant billboard with the Solo logo (the Norwegian Parliament). and the words: “Shocking, but true: The report determines the The world’s best soda is yellow. conditions that must be met And Norwegian.” ant a target date for switch-off The explanation is simple: The of FM radio services. beloved Norwegian orange soda is, (blog.norway.com/category/ for the first time in its 77-year his- culture) tory, working to build its reputa- Photo: Facebook.com CONTINUES PAGE 6 Solo billboards were found throughout Los Angeles, Calif. Norway in the U.S. Choreographed by Norwegian Birgitte Mutrux, “Baby It’s Strong outlook for Norway You” is the original Broadway Education Issue Returns on oil musical inspired by the true Welcome to our inaugural Education Issue story of Florence Greenberg, fund in 2010 were a suburban housewife from New Jersey, who discovered good, says finance one of the greatest girl groups minister of all time, The Shirelles. Mutrux grew up in Oslo, Nor- MINI S TRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIR S way, where she studied dance and theatre. The show opens “The returns on the Govern- on Broadway April 27. ment Pension Fund Global (GPFG) (blog.norway.com/category/ in 2010 were good. The overall re- norway-in-the-us) sults of the last years show that the large losses during the financial crisis has been more than com- pensated by the gains made in the What’s inside? News 2-3 CONTINUES PAGE 6 Photo:Yngve Ask/Innovation Norway Business 4 Opinion 6-7 Snøhetta wins new job Education Section 8-18 Obituaries & Religion 19 Norwegian architecture firm chosen Arts & Style 20 to design new library in Toronto In Your Neighborhood 21 Photo: Folkehogskole.no Norwegian Heritage 22 STAFF COMPILATION Views and News from Norway Sports 23 We welcome you to our first- guage immersion preschool pro- ever Education Issue, which cel- gram in Minneapolis, Minn., to the ebrates Norwegian-American con- six-week Oslo International Sum- Norwegian architecture firm project, this time in Canada. $1 = NOK 5.4639 nections and opportunities in edu- mer School, there are learning op- Snøhetta has long won Oslo-based Snøhetta updated 4/12/2011 cation. portunities to engage in Norwegian fame for some major proj- was selected, along with In comparison With strong ties between Nor- language, culture and society. Bli ects around the world, not Canadian firm Zeidler least the library at Alex- Partnership Architects, to 3/12/2011 5.5974 way and the Norwegian-American med and learn more in our special andria in Egypt and Os- build a new library and 10/12/2010 5.8526 community, there is a wonderful Education Section, beginning on range of choices to learn about page 8. lo’s Opera House. Now study center at Ryerson 4/12/2010 5.8927 it’s won a new library Norway. From the Norwegian lan- CONTINUES PAGE 23 NorwegiaN americaN weekly Online: blog.norway.com/category/news april 15, 2011 • 3 NEWS Honored guest Nordic declaration of solidarity This week on Norway.com Svein Ludvigsen speaks Fire consumes historic Porsgrunn Five Nordic countries church in Madison, Wis., May 1 The 250-year-old Østre Porsgrunn Church sign cooperative (Østsiden Kirke) was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of April 11. When agreement the fire was discovered it was too late to save anything, NRK reports. It was believed that a fireproof safe behind the altar may have MINI S TRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIR S protected a baptismal bowl and the commu- nion silver, both from the year 1760. Pastor The five Nordic countries have agreed Per Johan Wiig, who has served the congre- on a Nordic declaration of solidarity. Norwe- gation during the past 12 years, says it is a gian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr sad day, as he thinks of all those who have Støre commented: “This is yet another build- walked in and out of this church over the ing block in our Nordic cooperation.” past 250 years. The foreign ministers from the five coun- (Norway Post) tries reached agreement on the declaration of solidarity at a meeting of Nordic foreign First woman as utenriksråd ministers in Helsinki April 5. The Helsinki Image: ta-travel.com Bente Angell-Hansen, Ambassador of Nor- declaration sets out that it is natural for the way in Geneva, has just been appointed by Nordic countries to cooperate in a spirit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to one of the Photo: Stortinget.no solidarity to meet challenges in the foreign most prestigious positions in the Ministry, utenriksråd, and she will become the first and security policy area. This is particularly against cyber attacks,” said Mr Støre. NORWEGIAN AMERI C AN GENEALOGI C AL CENTER woman to hold this position. In Geneva she relevant in the face of potential risks, includ- In the declaration, the five countries is well-known and highly respected among ing natural and man-made disasters, cyber state that: “Should a Nordic country be af- her colleagues not only for being a person Svein Ludvigsen, the governor (fylkes- attacks and terrorist attacks. fected, the others will, upon request from mann) of Troms county, will be the guest of dialogue, forthcoming and friendly, and “This political declaration must now be that country, assist with relevant means.” somebody who takes the time to understand speaker at a special benefit dinner being held translated into concrete measures, for exam- Further, this enhanced Nordic cooperation others. She represents Norway in an extraor- in Madison, Wis., on Sunday, May 1. ple by building up a Nordic resource network dinary way – diplomats told us recently. CONTINUES PAGE 23 According to the event organizers, the (Marit Fosse/United Nations) Madison-area Friends of the Norwegian American Genealogical Center, the dinner Amelie granted work permit, may return and program will provide a wonderful op- Honoring global leaders to Norway portunity for the public to hear Ludvigsen, Former illegal alien Maria Amelie, who a charismatic and engaging speaker. Fyl- in January was detained by police and de- kesmann Ludvigsen is among the world’s ported to Russia, has been granted a work leading experts on the challenges of Arctic permit, and may return to Norway, where a development and off-shore environmental job is waiting. Amelie, 25, whose real name conservation. is Madina Salamova, had lived illegally in Born in Hillesøy, Ludvigsen is the son of Norway for eight years before she was re- a fishing boat captain. One of the leaders of turned to Russia. Originally from the Cau- Høyre (the Conservative Party) in Norway, casus, she came to Norway with her parents he was elected to Parliament from Troms in in 2003 as asylum seekers. Against all odds, 1989, and twice re-elected. From 2001 and she completed a university education in 2005, Ludvigsen served in the Cabinet as Norway. Last year she published the book “Ulovlig norsk” (”Illegal Norwegian”), and Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. Photo: The Norwegian Embassy / Hanne Willoch He assumed the office of County Governor was named “Norwegian of the Year” by the ROYAL NORWEGIAN EMBA ss Y magazine Ny Tid (New Times). Her arrest of Troms in 2006. Washington, D.C. During the past two years, Ludvigsen and expulsion was controversial and caused a heated debate in the media. has become a patron and friend of the Nor- With the annual Global Leadership the Performing Arts to recognize women (Norway Post) wegian American Genealogical Center & Awards on April 12, Norwegian Ambassador who are strengthening democracy, increas- Naeseth Library in Madison, where the staff to the U.S., Wegger Chr. Strømmen invited ing economic opportunity and preserving Halliburton wins Statoil contract assisted him in his search for his relatives in this year’s prize winners and the 10 previous human rights around the world. North America. Visiting Madison, he discov- Halliburton Co., based in Houston, Texas, years’ winners to the Ambassador’s Resi- Vital Voices is a preeminent non-govern- won contracts that could exceed $200 mil- ered that some of his long-lost relatives lived dence both to honor them and to highlight mental organization that identifies, trains and lion to help extract oil and gas from two nearby in Wisconsin. Ludvigsen has since gender equality issues together with initiator empowers emerging women leaders and so- fields off the coast of Norway. The multiyear become an important advocate for the role Vital Voices Global Partnership.