Weekend: Letters to the Editor

Letters this week were not as many as usual, but as usual touched on many and varied topics, with many and varied questions. We ended up pondering over weddings and deaths,-- and snakes! Why sssssnakes? Well, you'll understand why when you read this letter from a lady in distress: -My brother-in-law is of Norwegian descent and spent summers in Norway where he says he saw snakes. His co-workers don't believe him and say snakes can't be in Norway because it is to cold a climate. Please help and let me know. Thank you very much. -Carol Now what do you think?? Here is my reply: You may tell your brother's co-workers they should get their school fees back!! Snakes are what we call 'cold-blooded' animals. More correctly, they adjust their body temperature in a way. Therefore, the Norwegian Viper, is at the moment in a deep sleep in its burrow, but will soon be enjoying the spring sunshine 'on the rocks', thawing out. The Norwegian climate is not much different from the Mid-West or Central Canada, where snakes are common. Much milder winters in Norway, on the whole, as a matter of fact! The viper is poisonous, and will give you a nasty bite if it does not get away before you step on it or corner it. However, 99 per cent of the time the bite only causes a swelling and a fever. If it should hit a vital spot, it could of course be deadly if you don't get tratment. But it could kill small animals, like a dog. There is also the non poisonous 'steel-snake', which is not a snake at all, but a reptile without legs. But for most of us, it's difficult to see the difference, if you're scared out of your wits in the brush! I'm saying that because as a small boy, I had to fetch milk from the neighbouring farm, and on hot summer days it was nerves on edge all the way through the forest, jumping with the slightest rustle in the underbrush. Now to a letter from Diane from Alabama: -I am from America. I study different cultures around the world. I am a teacher. I am wondering if your paper announces weddings and deaths. -I am curious about the traditions of weddings and deaths. If you do announce them, how may I see them online? I am very interested in learning more about your culture. Thank you in advance for your help. -Sincerely, Diane It may seem strange, but I doubt that you would find weddings and deaths announced on web-versions of newspapers. Some things are excluded, and these are. I would think the reason being that these announcements are targeted mostly to a local audience. So, yes, we do announce both weddings and deaths in Norway, like most cultures do. I do not quite know what details would be of interest, but the ads usually note date of birth and death, carry a symbol indicating the faith of the person, the place of burial, and so on. Wedding announcements are varied; Brief pre-announcements of place and time, often followed several days later by a nice picture of the couple. Again, most ads like these are naturally aimed at a local audience. We still did not get many suggestions for improvement. I do think we have to draw the conclusion that you are all very satisfied with Norway Post!! If so: Show others the Doorway to Norway! Have a good and restfull Weekend! Sincerely Rolleiv Solholm Chief Editor