The Secret World

The game features an original setting created by Funcom, with contemporary elements as well as "magic, myths, conspiracies and dark horrors." Tørnquist debunked several rumors surrounding The Secret World, stating that "there are no aliens or science fiction elements" in it. He also denied any connection of The Secret World to The Longest Journey.

The game is set in the "modern day real world" but also incorporates pieces of ancient mythologies, real and false history, urban legends, and pop culture, and ties them into an original back-story. The latter is said to go back in time for 100 million years and encompass long extinct ancient civilizations.

The players will assume the roles of supernatural heroes who participate in a "future war between good and evil", fighting dark monsters that threaten the modern world. Tørnquist identified the genre of the story as dark fantasy, features vampires, demons, and zombies. The players will be free to travel across different locations of the world (both real, like London, New York and Seoul, and mythical, such as Agartha, the legendary city located within Hollow Earth and the Hell dimension) and even in time, to pursue the overall plot and investigate new mysteries in connection to the dark invasion. The overall plot has a conclusion but the designers also leave room for future issues and expansions.

H. P. Lovecraft's works, the Indiana Jones franchise, and Stephen King's novels are major inspirations for the game's settings and storylines.

New Munch Museum finally approved

The high-rise museum design that won an architecture competition back in 2009 will be built after all, and at the site where it was initially intended: On Oslo’s redeveloped eastern waterfront at Bjørvika.

Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported the Munch Museum compromise as the city government parties led by the Conservatives (Høyre) called a sudden press conference Tuesday morning that included the opposition Socialist Left party (SV).

NRK reported that SV has now gone along with the non-socialist government parties in supporting the Bjørvika site, in return for getting assurances from them that they’ll support community redevelopment projects in Oslo’s Tøyen district, where the current and long-inadequate Munch Museum is located.

SV’s cooperation means the city government finally, after seemingly endless quarreling and efforts to block the Munch Museum project at Bjørvika by the most conservative Progress Party, now has the majority it needed to get the project underway on the waterfront next to the Opera House.

“We need a new, future-oriented Munch Museum,” said SV’s City Council Member Marianne Borgen. “But we want the Tøyen area to get a lift. We have signed a 10-point plan for Tøyen with the city government today.”

She then presented the new redevelopment plans for Tøyen, which include a large “badeland” (aquatics park) and an open-air theater and concert stage. Complaints over the currently depressed state of the highly multi-cultural Tøyen district had hit a new peak in recent days, with neighbourhood protests and urgent calls for improvements.

They’ve clearly been heard at City Hall, and ultimately led to the political settlement on a site and the design known as “Lambda” for a new Munch Museum. City politicians have become the targets of ridicule and even a torchlit protest march last autumn over their failure to build a new museum for Norway’s most famous artist, not least in the midst of this year’s celebrations of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Both SV and the Labour Party had argued to keep the Munch Museum at Tøyen as an anchor for redevelopment there. The Progress Party wanted to move the city’s priceless inherited collection of Munch art into what’s now the National Gallery downtown when it moves to a new site on the western waterfront. The Progress Party, with its former leader Carl I Hagen at the forefront, had argued that a new Munch Museum at Bjørvika was far too expensive and that it would be better to make use of the vacated National Gallery.

Arguing is likely to continue as development gets underway, but the settlement on the site is a breakthrough. Museum officials were heaving a sigh of relief as they geared up to open the new Munch exhibit this weekend at both the National Gallery and Tøyen, and finally feeling they can celebrate a bit themselves.

Top 10 curisities

10 curiosities of Norway

This is a list of 10 curiosities of Norway, are some data which is recognized worldwide plus facts about tourism and geography:

-The name of Norway comes from the Germanic languages ​​meaning way north or northern route.
-Norway with Finland and Denmark make up Scandinavia.
-After Saudi Arabia and Russia, the country's third largest oil exporter in the world.
-Norway managed to be the second largest exporter in the world after China fishing in 2006.
-This country is made up of 19 provinces and 434 municipalities called fylke called Kommuner.
-The Norwegian Nobel committee of Parliament awards the Nobel Peace since 1901.
-Touristically Norway has fjords, which are natural formations from glaciers also Vigeland Park, City Hall, the Viking ship museum and markets of the port areas.
-The highest mountain in Scandinavia and Norway is Mount Galdhøpiggen with 2469 meters.
-The most populous city of Norway is Oslo with approximately 576,000 inhabitants.
-Norwegian is the official language and most of the population speak both Norwegian and Swedish and Danish.

Fløibanen

Fløibanen is a funicular in Bergen, Norway which runs up the mountain of Fløyen. It is one of Bergen's major tourist attractions and one of Norway's most visited attractions. Over 1 million passengers a year have used it over the past few years.^[when?] Fløibanen was officially opened on 15 January 1918.^[1] The idea to build transport to Fløyen was put forward in 1895 by John Lund, a member of the Norwegian legislature.^[1] Work to build Fløibanen started in 1914. The line was ready in 1918. Today the company is owned 44% by the municipality of Bergen, the rest spread on various private interests. A certain percentage of the yearly profits are invested to finance the next generation of cars, this will likely happen sometime after year 2030. The cars and machinery were last totally renewed in September–November 2002.^[1]
Two cars, each with room for approximately 80 passengers, operate between the centre of Bergen and Fløyen throughout the year. The length is 850m and the height difference is 300m. Fløibanen is a narrow gauge railway, with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in).
Each car is named and individually painted - Blåmann is blue, whilst Rødhette (equivalent to Little Red Riding Hood in English) is red. The cars were named by the winners of a naming competition.

Fløibanen in 1999.

The trip takes approximately seven minutes with stops at all stations, and 3 min. 20 secs. non-stop. Service travel speed is either 4 or 6 m/s depending on traffic load. Typically, 6 m/s is selected when there are eight or more departures per hour, including two calling at all stations.
The funicular operates a basic schedule with departures every 30 minutes from opening until 10 o'clock, then every 15 minutes until 20:30 when half-hour service resumes until closing. All departures call at all stations, except weekends and summers. At those times all stations are only served at half-hour intervals, providing time for maximum four direct services per half-hour with dwell times of two minutes or less. To achieve this extra staff is employed to assist passengers though fare gates and with prams/strollers and/or wheelchairs.
The funicular is fully wheelchair-accessible at the bottom and top stations only. Small, manual wheelchairs may be carried on and off the funicular by staff at the intermediate stations. Electric wheelchairs up to 900 mm wide enjoy full access to both the funicular and the facilities at Fløyen.

ART IN NORWAY

For an extended period, the Norwegian art scene was dominated by artwork from Germany and Holland as well as by the influence of Copenhagen. It was in the 19th century that a truly Norwegian era began, first with portraits, later with even more impressive landscapes. Johan Christian Dahl (1788–1857), originally from the Dresden school, eventually returned to paint the landscapes of western Norway, defining Norwegian painting for the first time."^[156]

Brudeferd i Hardanger by Adolph Tidemand og Hans Gude, 1848

Norway’s new-found independence from Denmark encouraged painters to develop their Norwegian identity, especially with landscape painting by artists such as Kitty Kielland, a female painter who studied under Hans Gude; Harriet Backer, 1845–1932, another pioneer among female artists, influenced byimpressionism. Frits Thaulow, an impressionist, was influenced by the art scene in Paris as was Christian Krohg, a realist painter, famous for his paintings of prostitutes.^[157]

Of particular note is Edvard Munch, a symbolist/expressionist painter who became world famous for The Scream which is said to represent the anxiety of modern man.

Other artists of note include Harald Sohlberg, a neo-romantic painter remembered for his paintings of Røros; and Odd Nerdrum, a figurative painter who maintains his work is not art but kitsch.

A VERY, VERY OLD CHURCH

Kaupanger Stave Church (Norwegian: Kaupanger stavkyrkje) is the largest stave church in Sogn og Fjordane, and is situated in the town ofKaupanger, Norway. The nave is supported by 22 staves, 8 on each of the longer sides and 3 on each of the shorter. The elevated chancel is carried by 4 free standing staves. The church has the largest number of staves to be found in any one stave church. It is still in use as a parish church, having been in use continuously since its erection.

Kaupanger Stave Church was built in the 12th century, and is situated on the ruins of what might be two previous post churches. Kaupanger was a market town that King Sverre burned down in 1184 to punish the local inhabitants for disobeying him. It was previously thought that the stave church previously standing on this site burned down in this fire, as archaeological research in the 1960s revealed that the previous church had burned down. The present church was therefore believed to have been built around 1190. Recent research has changed these assumptions. Dendrochronology has shown that the timber used for building the church was cut in 1137. Also, Sverris saga makes no mention of the burning of the church at the time the town was burnt. Consequently, it is now assumed that the church was built around 1150.

Several restoration projects have taken place both inside the church and on the exterior, but in spite of these changes, the medieval construction has been preserved. The pulpit, altarpiece and font are all from the 17th century. In 1984, composer Arne Nordheim was inspired by the neumes and the sound of the medieval bells in Kaupanger stave church in composing the work Klokkesong, which was first performed inside the church as part of the 800th commemoration of the Battle of Fimreite.

The sport in norway

Sport

Holmenkollen National Arena and Holmenkollbakken is the country's main biathlon and Nordic skiing venue. It hosts annual world cup tournaments, including the Holmenkollen Ski Festival. It has hosted Biathlon World Championships in 1986, 1990, 1999 and 2002. FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been hosted in 1930, 1966, 1982 and 2011, as well as the 1952 Winter Olympics.

Ullevål Stadion is the home arena for the Tippeligaen football side Vålerenga Fotball, the Norwegian national football team and theFootball Cup Final. The stadium has previously hosted the finals of the UEFA Women's Championship in 1987 and 1997, and the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship.^[72] Røa IL is Oslo's only team in the women's league, Toppserien. Each year, the international youth football tournament Norway Cup is held on Ekebergsletta and other places in the city.

Bislett Stadion is the city's main track and field venue, and hosts the annual Bislett Games, part of IAAF Diamond League. Bjerke Travbane is the main venue for harness racing in the country. Oslo Spektrum is used for large ice hockey and handball matches.Bækkelagets SK and Nordstrand IF plays in the women's Postenligaen in handball, while Vålerenga Håndball plays in the men's league. Jordal Amfi, the home of the ice hockey team Vålerenga Ishockey, and Manglerudhallen is the home of Manglerud Star, both of whom play in GET-ligaen. The 1999 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey were held in Oslo, as have three Bandy World Championships, in 1961, 1977 and 1985. The UCI Road World Championships in bicycle road racing were hosted 1993.