Greatest [insert your nationality] Person

[Gangerolf]

Molly, . very true.

We compare ourselves with Sweden all the time. Of course, now that we have been better than them in everything for the last ~20 years it's getting a little disgusting. Like kicking someone when they're down.

I think a lot of small countries have the same "complex", btw.

Like Canada - the US, NZ - Oz, Austria - Germany, Finalnd - Sweden

[Stefu]

Now, now. Everyone knows that the greatest Norwegian ever was



BLACK METAAAAAAL

[Winston]

I remember from back when I watched TV, that stories of extremely, OUTRAGEOUSLY, patriotic Norwegian news items or sports commentary would occasionally make the news here, much to the amusement of everybody.

Like that time in the 1980's when you beat England on Wembley. That commentator's euphoria at the final whistle is something I will never forget, if I live to be a hundred.

Or during the Lillehammer Olympics (I think) when NRK made a little "special" about how Sweden never took any medals anymore. Tongue-in-cheek of course, but they were actually right...

Also I think to this day, there's a very distinct difference in watching e.g. televised national football matches, depending on whether it's Norwegian/Danish or Swedish. The Swedish commentators are much more relaxed and matter-of-fact about the whole affair, almost bordering on being boring listening to. Not so with Norwegians or Danes, to say the least.

[Gangerolf]

Originally posted by Winston
Yes, we'll claim joint ownership of ol' Holberg.

Although I do think it would be more correct to say that he was originally a Norwegian from the 17th/18th century, hence Danish by the most basic of definitions. pwnsoxorz

I've read Niels Klim back when I was a boy, but I must say I don't remember it at all here in my old age... I might look into getting it again, now that you recommend it so warmly.

Even though Norway was officially turned into a Danish county in 1536 or thereabouts, people still made the distinction between Norway and Denmark and Danes and Norwegians. Not that national identity was very strong in either part of the kingdom back then.
For instance, consider Holberg's "Dannemarks og Norges Beskrivelse" where he compares the two countries.

Born and raised and worked for a little while in Norway. Educated and spent most of his professional life in Denmark. Wrote in Latin and Danish. Danish citizen, but not a Dane.

[Gangerolf]

Originally posted by Stefu
Now, now. Everyone knows that the greatest Norwegian ever was



BLACK METAAAAAAL

Varg!

He's actually turned away from Satanism and cut his hair and become a Neo-Nazi instead. I guess prison can do that to a man.

[Winston]

Very well.

*extends hand and offers to buy Gangerolf one, that's ONE Tuborg the next time he's in Copenhagen, as well as carry him most of the way back to the ferry afterwards*

[Gangerolf]

Watching football or skiing, I often find myself muting the TV because the commentators get so incredibly fired up. Sometimes it's funny, other times it's just annoying.

Originally posted by Winston

Like that time in the 1980's when you beat England on Wembley. That commentator's euphoria at the final whistle is something I will never forget, if I live to be a hundred.

You mean this? http://www.nrk.no/dynasx?p_lenke_id=...9&mswmext=.asx
Your boys took a hell of a beating! Maggie Thatcher! Vi er best i verden!
According to the BBC, this is the finest example of sports commentating ever.

Very well.

*extends hand and offers to buy Gangerolf one, that's ONE Tuborg the next time he's in Copenhagen, as well as carry him most of the way back to the ferry afterwards*

Thank you. I'll buy you a Ringnes if you're ever in Oslo.

Actually, I was given some free tickets for the ferry (Danskebåten, as it's called here) but that's for Frederikshavn or maybe it was Hirtshals. A great chance to stock up on red sausages, dansk leverpostej and beer, but a very scary place (if you're sober, which I probaby won't be).

[Winston]

Damn! This thread should be topped for all eternity for the sake of that link you posted Gangerolf! I have to figure out how to save that to my drive.

Absolutely hilarious.

Transcripted for our foreign friends here:

"There's the whistle, there's the whistle. Norway has beaten England, 2 to 1 in football. We are the best in the world. We are the best in the world. We've beaten England, 2 to 1 in football. It's absolutely unbelievable. We've beaten England. England, the home of giants. Lord Nelson. Lord Beaverbrook. Sir Winston Churchill. Sir Anthony Eden. Clement Attlee. Henry Cooper. Lady Diana. We've beaten them all. We've beaten them all. Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me. Maggie Thatcher, we have a message for you, right now during the election campaign. We have a message for you. We've taken England out of the World Cup qualification in football. Maggie Thatcher, as they say in your native tongue, at the boxing bars round Madison Square Garden in New York, "Your boys took a Hell of a beating. Your boys took a Hell of a beating." For Maggie Thatcher. Norway has beaten England in football. We are the best in the world."

[Kuciwalker]

Damn! This thread should be topped for all eternity for the sake of that link you posted Gangerolf! I have to figure out how to save that to my drive.

Paste it into notepad.

[Winston]

Good idea.

Done and done.

[Gangerolf]

You can download it here: http://www.itk.ntnu.no/~jonegil/mult...lillelien.html

You need RealPlayer( ) though

but yep pasting the link into notepad is an excellent idea as long as NRK doesn't remove the file

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Agathon

Of course, like the rest of Greek culture, no one worth mentioning for the last 2500 years.

Who cares when you would probably have 4 of the top three.

Plato, Aristotle and Homer are the core of the western literary, political and scientific tradition. No one else even compares.

Douglas Adams >>> Plato + Aristotle + Homer

/me taps his alt.fan.douglas.adams badge

Muwahahahha.

[Winston]

Brilliant. Oh, I remember the Norway/Soviet tie from Oslo in 1982 also. What a nerve wrecking finish.

[Gangerolf]

Sorry, it was the Observer/Guardian, not the BBC

1 'Lord Nelson! Lord Beaverbrook! Sir Winston Churchill! Sir Anthony Eden! Clement Attlee! Henry Cooper! Lady Diana! Maggie Thatcher - can you hear me, Maggie Thatcher! Your boys took one hell of a beating! Your boys took one hell of a beating!'
Said by Bjorn Minge on Norwegian TV
When Norway beat England 2-1 in Oslo in a World Cup qualifier in Sept 1981

Minge's gloriously over-the-top response to Norway's unlikely victory over Ron Greenwood's side marked the high watermark of football commentary as social commentary. Passionate, uninhibited and a bit weird, football fans everywhere from Scotland to Argentina knew exactly what he was saying: that there is no pleasure as sweet as beating England at their own game.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,803011,00.html

But the guy's name is Bjørge Lillelien, not Bjorn Minge

[Winston]

And it wasn't in Oslo, it was at Wembley.

Journalists not paying eniugh attention.

Edit: Oops... never mind then..

Journalists paying enough attention