You've been waiting for months to use that one, haven't you?

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

I think he's been collared on this one!

Vote McCain for war without gain

Point taken, Fran.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

OTOH, Stateside, this kind of snafu has the potential to blow an election. In this neck of the woods, not so much.

- Jake

Ceterum censeo Chicago esse delendam

There appears to be a widespread "pushback" in Norway against the intrusion of alien "Anglo Disease" values.

Norwegians are waking up to the fact that their historic values of mutuality, trust and fair play have been breached on a wide scale.

Several Norwegian towns were hit by soured structured finance investments, and the much vaunted Norwegian Oil fund has lost more in one year at the hands of Wall Street and the City than they made in the last ten.

All manner of "bezzles" - to use Galbraith's wonderful expression - are now coming to light as the Anglo tide recedes. Since the Norwegians are, thank goodness, amateurs in these things, it all ends to be low level knockabout stuff, but evidence of a pretty widespread malaise.

In relation to Transparency international's observation, there was a scandal involving Statoil and "commisssions" relating to Iran, and a major outcry in relation to perceived profiteering by Telenor in their GrameenPhone BanglaDesh JV with Dr Yunus' Grameen Bank.

Also, many heads have rolled at the aid/investment agencies NORAD and Noraid which were widely perceived as wasting much of their budget in one way or another, not just on five star lifestyles, Landcruisers, and expensive consultants, but extending to a view that endemic low level local corruption is inevitable.

It's almost as though Norway is awakening from a bad dream, and humour - as in Hans Christian Andersen's "Emperor's Clothes" tale - is of course a traditional Scandinavian reaction.

Norway has historically placed great trust in the US and anyone who criticised the US was not making a good career move.

The main symptom of Anglo Disease infection was the growth of the right wing populist Fremskrittspartiet - which while numerically becoming the largest party with over 20% of the vote, has been routinely excluded from government by all other parties, who neverthless governed in increasingly "Anglo" fashion.

However, the governing consensus may well swing at the next election in 2009 back to the "Left" although no narrative has yet emerged which reflects bedrock Norwegian values.

And in case it isn't clear, the blame for the existence of such prices at Century 21 really is the Europeans' fault, or perhaps I should say of European travel guides making it a must see stop on every tourist's itinerary. It used to be a place where after discount prices ranged from cheap to moderately expensive - e.g. for shirts, say $10-$70. Then the flood began, and a couple years ago there was a big shift in layout and nature of the offerings, the high end designer offerings massively expanded from a small alcove of radically reduced prices to a big chunk of the store. Fucking tourists.

1.  I thought Century 21 was a real estate chain.
   
2.  I don't step in places where a piece of clothing
   

can cost hundreds of units of currency.

3.  I don't wear signs, brands, or other people's names on my body.
   
4.  I forgot

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. --Charu Saxena.

She goes along with the conventional economic policies foisted on her by her ministry, her advisers and all the rest.

Trond Ove:

I am actually glad that he doesn't have the sense to shut up

I'm glad too...the more he says, the better!

Today, I read that he has to sell his NoK100mill. sailing yacht...his private plane was sold earlier this year...

You don't get it. When you're rich, people should see it from the pricey stuff you wear. So when you're rich and try to make sacrifices, people shgould see it, too!

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

I read it too - see Chris' LQD: Shirtgate 2 :-)