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Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Henrik
The threat of global warming has captured the attention of the global community. Different countries have already taken steps to reduce that risk. In the United States, President George W. Bush calls for the reduction of gasoline consumption by as much as twenty percent in ten years time. In Brazil, huge steps are taken to produce alternative fuel like bio-ethanol.
Recently, Norway joined the ranks of countries working for the development of alternative fuels by initiating the Norwegian Hydrogen Highway or which is more commonly referred to as HyNor. The initiative is focused on the promotion of the use of hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle in the country.
The Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. is one of the vehicle suppliers of the project. On March 29, the company reported that they have delivered eleven hydrogen hybrid Toyota Prius vehicles to Miljobil Grenland AS which is a professional operator of an electric car fleet through a leasing concept. These vehicles will be the art of the country’s dedication to encourage the use of alternative fuel vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emission which is the culprit behind global warming.
HyNor is a partnership between the Norwegian administration, different industries and the private sector. It is focused on the creation of the “Hydrogen Highway” that will connect the country’s capital, Oslo, with Stavanger, a port on Western Norway. The project’s short-term goal is the construction of hydrogen refueling facilities between the two cities.
Five hydrogen refueling stations are planned to be put up between the capital and the country’s main source of petroleum products. It is interesting to know that Norway, being the third largest oil exporter in the world, trailing only Saudi Arabia and Russia, will invest in a technology that eliminates the use of petroleum products.
By 2009, the partnership aims to create more hydrogen refueling stations to enable hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles to regularly traverse the national highway from Oslo to Stavanger. The project will in the course of time will be extended to the whole Scandinavian region. In fact, the Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership is already formed as a joint project between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
The eleven Toyota Prius hydrogen hybrid vehicles developed by Quantum are designed to store more hydrogen fuel which allows them to travel extended mileage before needing to refuel. The vehicles are equipped with an electronic multi-point hydrogen injection system developed by Quantum. The vehicles are also turbocharged and intercooled.
Aside from these features that increase the performance capacity of the vehicles, they are also loaded with safety features that will protect their occupants. Aside from efficient brake component, as efficient as those from Active Brakes Direct, the vehicles are designed to protect occupants in cases of crashes. To ensure safety of the occupants, the vehicle underwent and passed crash tests according to European standards.
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Filed under: News and Media
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Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Marek
The countries surrounding Norway include Russia, Sweden and Finland; where as in south water, it is crossways to Germany and even Denmark. The population found in Norway is near to 4.6 million people in country and Norway is elongated in its goegraphy. Well, Norway has a continuous chain of the mountains and these mountain ranges run to the sea beaches, land area for agriculture and farming is very little. Well, the main occupation of people is fishing and many fishing companies are over here, and then they also have crude oil, hydro electricity and gas. Norway is still ruled by king and queen. The King is known as King Harold and Queen Sonja. They have a son who is inheritor throne and is crowned prince called as Haakon Mangus (son). King and queen do have a beautiful daughter called as Princess Martha Louise. Norway do even have a Prime Minister. Oslo is capital and very beautiful city of The Kingdom of Norway. The population is nearly about 600,000 people and is continuously growing, as Oslo is also called as a “melting pot” where you will come across different cultures from all over the world. Well, it is something very special about spending a hot summer night in downtown oslo. There is everything present in the city in terms of entertainment, such as restaurant and the main street (Karl Johan) which is filled with children and adults alike. It is such a fantastic feeling or an evening to have a drink. While watching the great musicians which come from all over the world, it is fun to see them singing along with the main street. You can feel the punch of the city. You don’t need to worry about anything, as crime over there is very low even police doesn’t carry guns with them. Yet Oslo is a special destination in Norway which is so much more and has tons to history as well. It would be great feeling to experience this one which will have to leave the city behind and do some touring. As mentioned earlier as well that Norway is a long country and about one third of the country is stretched on the artic circle. You will be able to observe midnight sun from the north side of artic circle. As you know that lot of tourist come from all over the world to have a look at the magnificence of the Midnight Sun, they are not able to see because they are in the wrong part of Norway. I suppose you got the idea, so in order to watch the midnight sun you will have to go towards North of the arctic circle which is located on the North side of Norway.
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Filed under: By Region
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Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Ricardo
When it comes to downloading music on the web in a legal fashion, Itunes is the undisputed leader. Well, maybe not in Norway.
Norway has a unique set of laws related to technology, particularly as it applies to the web. One set of laws tries to create a consumer friendly air for particular software to product applications. In human terms, these laws state that a software system designed for a specific problem also has to be adaptable to other products not owned by the company in question. In this case, we are talking about the Itunes and Ipod relationship.
Unlike most countries, Norway has a unique way of enforcing its laws in this regard. The country appoints an “Ombudsman” to rule on various issues such as whether a company is or is not complying with the laws of the country. The current ombudsman has ruled that Apple violates the law because Itunes cannot be used to download to Nokia and Microsoft products to name but a few. So, is Itunes going to be blocked in Norway now? No. The company has until October 1st to make changes that allow other products to receive downloads from Itunes. How Apple goes about this, of course, is going to be the interesting development.
Obviously, the Norway ruling is not good news for Apple and its incredibly popular Itunes-Ipod product line. Then again, how big a hit could losing the Norway market be? Probably not a big one, but more bad news may be on the way. Other countries in the European Union are now reviewing the ruling and considering adopting it. If Apple faces this problem across all of Europe, you can bet it will move quickly to modify Itunes.
At the end of the day, the ruling of the ombudsman in Norway may look like the usual unwanted government intervention. In truth, it is probably a good move. As consumers, we should want as much flexibility as possible with the things we pay for. If Itunes can be accessed through more products, it can only be a good thing.
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Filed under: Government
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Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Petras
Norway is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and a beautiful place. Following is a summary of background information you should know before taking a trip.
An Overview of Norway for Travelers
The official name of Norway is the Kingdom of Norway. The country covers an area of mainland and accompanying island territories. The total size of Norway is approximately 150,000 square miles. For comparison purposes, this makes the country slightly larger than the State of New Mexico in the United States.
The capital of the Kingdom of Norway is Oslo, which is also the biggest population center with over 520,000 residents. Other major cities of note include Bergen with just under a quarter of a million residents, Trondheim with 150,000 residents and Stavanger with roughly 110,000 residents.
The terrain of Norway can be described as extreme with high plateaus, steep fjords, mountains, and fertile valleys. The climate is temperate along the coast, but much colder inland. With its far north location, Norway experiences very long days during summer months and equally long nights during winter. During summer, it can stay light until close to midnight.
Citizens of Norway are known as Norwegians. The most recent estimate of the total population for Norway was 4,593,000 in 2006. The population is not exactly expanding with annual growth rate just above zero at .41 percent. To provide perspective, there is approximately one Norwegian for every 15 square miles of land.
Ethnicity in Norway is primarily a blend of peoples from the Scandinavian countries in antiquity. The dominant majority is a mix of Nordic, Alpine and Baltic peoples intermixed over time. Norway does not have a strong immigrant movement with only 300,000 immigrants as of 2005.
From a religious perspective, the Church of Norway is the dominant faith with over 87 percent of Norwegians claiming it as their faith. The Church of Norway is a Lutheran denomination. No other religion is able to claim more than two percent of the population as followers, but pockets of Pentecostal Christian, Roman Catholic and Muslim can be found here and there.
The Kingdom of Norway has two official languages - Bokmaal Norwegian and Nynorsk Norwegian. English is also widely spoken by most and taught in the school system. Small pockets of Sami and Finish speaking minorities also exist.
Although statistically impossible, Norway claims a literacy rate of 100 percent. The true number if probably not much less due to compulsory education. Life expectancy for male Norwegians is 76 years of age, while women live an additional five years on average.
As this background information reveals, this country to the far north has led a somewhat isolated existence. That being said, the people are universally pleasant and the country is stunningly beautiful.
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Filed under: Travel and Tourism
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Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Kristian
With over 5000km of coastline Norway can offer a wide range of properties from apartments in the cities to chalet style houses in the smaller villages. From the southernmost point of Norway, to the mountain areas of eastern Norway with its extensive skiing facilities, to the far north, Norway will have the answer for you. Although property in Norway is more expensive by European standards. If you enjoy nature, the outdoor life, and sea fishing in particular Norway has the answer for you.
In Norway the majority of property sales are conducted through Estate agents who are registered by the Norwegian government and they are entitled to conclude the transaction without the assistance of a lawyer, they will also take charge of the final financial settlement, registering the deed to the property in the central state register
Estate Agents, lawyers and banks have direct access to the central state register. This register is updated every day, listing changes of property ownership, restrictions on use, charges and encumbrances etc. A transaction submitted one day is registered the next day.
To be an Estate Agent in Norway you must be insured for at least NOK 10 million to cover any liabilities either party may incur in the course of the transaction of the property sale.
Your agent will ask you to enter into an agreement on an “estate agent assignment” this will be on a specific form and will list the agent’s terms and conditions and also specify your rights and obligations.
Having found that ideal property, you enter into a written contract of purchase. This means that both you (the purchaser) agree to purchase the property, and the seller agrees to sell. At this point a deposit of 10 of the property purchase price.
If you are using your property as a holiday home you will be liable to a yearly tax of 2.5.When a holiday property is sold the profit is tax free, if you have owned the property for more than 5 years. If you have not owned it for 5 years, or have used it as a business, a 28% tax on the profit will apply.
Due to Norway’s weather, defects in property can be quite expensive, if the property differs materially from the prospectus given by the seller/estate agent, the purchaser will normally be able to claim a reduction of the properties selling price, or compensation within 5 years of taking possession of the property. To comply with this you must make the seller aware of the defect, and file a claims form within 12 months if the defect is discovered 2 years or later after taking possession.
These guidelines are meant for guidance only and describe a straightforward purchase scenario. However this information is not meant to replace proper legal advice, which we always insist you take.
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Filed under: Business and Economy
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