BlogBlast4Peace has become a Social Media demonstration of how Blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc. are empowering people. It goes well with my saying: “Make Blogs, not Wars!” by making friends throughout the world and learning about their daily life, while breaking down cultural, religious and other barriers. The best thing is that these forms of communication, direct and uncensored, empower people. I mean, “Freedom of the press” is still important, but we more and more seem to trust personal recommendations rather than official or commercial statements. The effectiveness of “word of mouth” recommendations has increased dramatically through Social Media. It’s the viral network where people are sharing information, collaborating on topics of interest, and networking on the internet in ways not previously imaginable. This goes well with another of my saying: “Blogging Connecting People” and again: breaking down barriers and making the world smaller. That’s why I, for the 5th year in a row, participate and support the BlogBlast4Peace movement – this year with the Peace Globe badge above.
Dona Nobis Pacem = Grant Us Peace
Mimi Lenox started this movement in 2006 and it has grown to a core of thousands of distinct and remarkable individuals called “peace bloggers” – writing, drawing and painting beautiful words and images. We may differ in philosophy, religion and politics, but always find our way to peaceably debate. In a multicultural way, we share the theme in John Lennon’s “Imagine”: ……all the people, living for today…… You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!
Go visit Mimi’s Bloggingham Palace and find out how to join us for the sake of peace – the more people, the more empowerment you know!
This calls for a celebration:
I have never experienced anything as effective in connecting people across the world as blogging. Through writing RennyBA’s Terella for almost 6 years, I have met many amazing people and I myself am more aware of happenings across the world today because of the friends I have made in the blogsphere ……… and I am old enough to know when something is revolutionizing the globe – I am 59 years old today. Blogging for Peace; what a good way to celebrate!
Since many of you may be wondering where I am and what has become of me, it’s time for me to come clean and tell you a bit about my situation; I have Parkinson’s which probably most of you know as a disease for older people with shaky hands, but I am not “that” old *LoL* – and my hands seldom shake. My symptoms are somehow different; my joints can be very stiff and my movements can be very slow at time. This varies a lot with the time of day, how much sleep I have had and how long it was since my last dose of medicine – among other things. For a couple of years now I have had increasing “finger trouble”; my fingers don’t fly over the keyboard like they used to. So the last year or so every post has been a battle to get my fingers to “listen” to my brain. I know what keys I want to type, but my fingers can be quite stubborn in resisting this at times.
This battle has – combined with my own high ambitions for myself – built a sort of wall between myself and the world of Social Media – which I so much love! I put a lot of pressure on myself to write quality blog posts which others find worth reading (which involves a special RennyBA brand of perfectionism :- ) In addition, I am troubled by feelings of guilt for not following others blogs as closely and not commenting enough. I feel like I have failed myself, my friends, and the roll which I built up as a member of the Blogsphere: to write about my daily life along with the History, Traditions & Culture of Norway and the Nordic Countries:
Outdoor Recreation is always the best cure!
My symptoms were already a challenge in 2010. Oslo Blog Gathering was a success but in order to make it happen I was dependent on help from my wife, my friends and local expats to share the workload. After OsloBG the “air went out of my balloon” and the wall around me began building up. I hate whining and complaining about illnesses, but since my recent knee operation – which in itself was successful – my symptoms have become worse. So my neurologist has changed the medication and I am slowly improving – and at the same time accepting that I can’t do everything the same way I did it before.
I miss being a part of the Blogsphere; exchanging information, ideas, and experiences in Social Media. I want to get back into the game again! Blogging is a givers gain as I always say and I miss how much it gave me to share my thoughts with people from all around the Blogsphere. So I am returning to the world here. I will come in and visit my friends’ blogs but I won’t be able to comment as much as I like. It doesn’t mean I am not interested in what you have to say. I may blog less often, and I may write shorter posts but I am not willing to give up the battle yet!
Oslo Blog Gathering; A guided adventure in Oslo, the capital of Norway, to explore the city with our history, culture and traditions – 19th to 21st of August 2010 – was a thrill of a lifetime! A dream came true for me and good blog and social media friends from all over the world. The idea – after many requests in comments and mails – was to give everyone in Blogosphere a chance to come and see some of the attractions presented on this blog over the years. It was a perfect match to one of my sayings: “Blogging Connecting People” and a proof of what networking is all about: “A Givers Gain”.
To me this gathering was an ultimate outcome of sharing from Oslo and Norway. Today I want you to join me and take a look back and reminisce over the amazing time we had.
Thanks to First Hotel Millennium we had a centrally located hub to meet up each day before our adventures. We thought we might be relaxing there in the evening but every single day things took off and we dragged ourselves in to the hotel totally exhausted and often quite late ; -) Never a dull moment and no time to waste at OsloBG!
The hotel manager and staff met with us several times throughout the planning process and helped us with setting up, tourist information, and an area to meet up and plan our daily adventures. Every time I pass by First Hotel Millennium now I think of our OsloBG and what a wonderful time we had.
VisitOSLO was an important associate and a key contributor in making OsloBG a success. When I first talked with their Convention Manager – with my head full of ideas of a detailed program – she served me The Columbic Egg; “We give every participant The Oslo Pass, so they all can reach and enter the sights they want” – for free!
VisitOSLO is the leading organization in profiling and positioning the Oslo region as a tourist destination. They are dedicated to contributing towards the development of commerce and culture in the region. So when you are in or plan to go to Oslo; always check their website for all you want to know about the city: www.visitoslo.com
The Grand Opening was at Oslo City Hall with a reception from the Mayor of Oslo, Fabian Stang. Even his own birthday didn’t keep him from greeting these excited bloggers and providing us with an exceptional guided tour of the City Hall. Even in places I had never seen before!! All of OsloBG’s guests had a little gift from their homeland for the Mayor’s birthday and to thank him for receiving us on this special occasion. After the reception many of us went for dinner at Aker Brygge and had a chance to be better acquainted over good food and wine.
The first day as you may recall we had a guided tour around the highlights of Oslo. Oslo Guideservice provided excellent transportation and information on some of the most interesting sites in the area like Vigeland Sculpture Park and Holmenkollen ski jump.
The guides took us through Vigeland Sculpture Park and gave us an insight into Vigelands work and vision in designing every detail of this beautiful green area of Oslo. Although the weather didn’t cooperate as well at Holmenkollen ski jump, the best part was thankfully inside and many made it to the top for the ultimate view.
On the 20th the group was divided into activities of choice. My group had a guided tour of Oslo Opera House, a trip round the main street of Karl Johan, and watched the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. Meanwhile Tor’s group had a day on Bygdøy island exploring the museums and beaches there. In the evening we had dinner at a small but charming restaurant on Bygdøy Island with a fantastic view of Oslo fjord.
The final day of our program again included the groups dividing up and exploring as far away as Drøbak! Ending the day with a champagne reception in the medieval park, and a roaring night on the town at The Dubliner!! That and plenty more photos – even a movie from the Mayor’s reception – is included in this cavalcade of a movie I made from these three days, enjoy:
I want to give a special thanks to all the participants. One thing we really felt after you all went home, when we looked back we felt so certain that Oslo Blog Gathering would have been different if even one of you didn’t come. One of the best things about OsloBG was the people and how everyone added a little something special to the group. In short it wouldn’t have been the same without you!
Click to see The participants and their adventures posts!
We hope one day to meet everyone again, and who knows maybe there will be another OsloBG in the future?
The message of over 200 000 Norwegians in Oslo showed their love and support this evening: With torches and roses, we give the world a message. We do not let the fear break us!
This tragedy has also brought the people of Norway together. Today hundreds of thousands, maybe millions streamed out into public areas to show their support for those who have lost loved ones and to show that we will meet this challenge with love and a greater strength than anyone could imagine.
Photo of Oslo City Hall square – borrowed from Morten Stokstad
Many of you will recognise Oslo City Hall, here it is with over 200,000 people bearing torches and roses to show their solidarity. It brings hope of a strong and peaceful world which will not be afraid no matter what challenges we face.
Thank you for all the kind thoughts and support which has been pouring in to my blog and facebook account. I really feel the support of my friends all over the world. Let me end with a quote from one of the survivors of the massacre: “If one man can show so much hate, think how much love we can show together”
The bomb in Oslo ripped through the very heart of power in Norway and 25 miles northwest a gunman opened fire at a youth camp on Utøya Island. The explosions turned the ordinarily placid Scandinavian capital into a scene reminiscent of terror attacks in Beirut or Baghdad, blowing out windows of several government buildings, including one housing the office of the Norwegian prime minister. Even worse: at the camp, of about 600 politically active youths (most 15 and 16 years old), more than 80 were killed in a related attack on Norway’s greatest treasure – our children.
I often say – when important things happen in Norway; since my blog is about our history, culture, and traditions, it would be a disgrace not to post about it. Contrary to what I normally report about, this tragedy – the most violent event to strike Norway since World War II – will of course stand as a dark milestone in our history.
From bad to worse at Utøya Youth Camp
Even as the police locked down a large area of the city, a man dressed in police uniform and initially identified himself as a police officer entered the camp on the island of Utøya, encouraging the youths to gather round for information. He said it was a routine check in connection with the terror attack in Oslo, and when the crowd gathered he opened fire. Almost 700 young members of the Labour Party panicked and many jumped in to the water to escape or went into hiding on the island, which has no bridge to the mainland, so many could not flee in time.
Taken in 2010 we were in this area for our fall photo hunt. Here is the way the fjord should look – peaceful and safe.
How could this happen – in Norway?
We’re suffering two shocking violent attacks which no one imagined could happen. However, there was a lot of wild speculations on who could be responsible for a lot of reasons – e.g.:
Norway is a member of the NATO alliance and has a small fighting contingent in Afghanistan. It was one of several countries named by Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda, as potential targets for attack. In 2006, Norwegian newspapers reprinted Danish cartoons that angered Muslims by lampooning Muhammad. Norway has also historically been a frequent participant in peacekeeping missions and a host for diplomatic talks, including the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. It seemed natural to look to the outside world to stand behind such a horror.
All these speculations were proven wrong when the gunman (who also appears to be responsible for the bombing) was captured: he was an ethnical Norwegian, extreme right wing and his motives seem to be political. Still it’s unreal, since political violence is virtually unknown in a country known for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize and mediating in conflicts, including in the Middle East and Sri Lanka.
Norway will be recognizable again!
As I have often written, Norway is a democratic society with a great deal of openness. Our people and political leader’s value closeness to the common man, an availability not seen many other places in the world. We will not compromise our values because of violence. I have spoken several times with Norway’s Prime Minister at social events without the need to be checked by security. Since my office is located in the same district as the bombing – I often see our politicians when I pass them on the streets. In spite of recent events, and we will watch out for becoming too naive, but we will stand together and protect the individuals rights, show consideration and respect for our fellow countrymen and hold on to our ideals. In spite of this attack we will be even more open, more tolerant and more democratic if it is possible. Let me quote the leader of the youth party who were on the island: “You will not destroy us. You will not destroy our democracy or our ideals for a better world”.
To all my friends from all over the world: Thanks for your concerned notes, mails, text messages and phone calls. My family and I are all safe and appreciate your thoughts and well wishes.
BlogBlast4Peace has become a Social Media demonstration of how Blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc. are empowering people. It goes well with my saying: “Make Blogs, not Wars!” by making friends throughout the world and learning about their daily life, while breaking down cultural, religious and other barriers. The best thing is that these forms of communication, direct and uncensored, empower people. I mean, “Freedom of the press” is still important, but we more and more seem to trust personal recommendations rather than official or commercial statements. The effectiveness of “word of mouth” recommendations has increased dramatically through Social Media. It’s the viral network where people are sharing information, collaborating on topics of interest, and networking on the internet in ways not previously imaginable. This goes well with another of my saying: “Blogging Connecting People” and again: breaking down barriers and making the world smaller. That’s why I, for the 5th year in a row, participate and support the BlogBlast4Peace movement – this year with the Peace Globe badge above.
