Hurtigruten show set Guinness record

Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten, in partnership with the Norwegian Broadcast Company, have set the Guinness World Record for “Longest Live TV Documentary” through their 134-hour non-stop broadcast of Hurtigruten’s itinerary across the west coast of Norway.

The footage aired June 16-22 and was watched by nearly six million viewers from 148 different countries three million of which from Norway, comprising almost three quarters of the country’s population.

Tuesday that its nearly six-day show “Hurtigruten Minute by Minute” was approved as the world’s longest live TV documentary ever broadcast. It lasted for 134 hours, 42 minutes and 45 seconds and was a huge hit with viewers both in and outside Norway.

Final ratings numbers show that around 3 million viewers tuned in during the marathon broadcast, or roughly 70 percent of the entire Norwegian population. The show was also watched live by people around the world, who tuned in via NRK’s website coverage.

Rune Møklebust, the NRK program chief responsible for the show, was delighted once again, equating the Guinness honor to the frosting on a cake. He called the Guinness world record a fine addition to “the top of the kransekake,” referring to the special, celebratory cakes in Norway that are built up by rings of soft chewy almond pastry.

Immigration, Integration Draw Attention In Norway

Kofi, who had a friend in intensive care with three bullet wounds and had learned that at least one other friend of Iraqi origin had been killed in Friday's massacre by an anti-Islamic extremist, obliged, and the man walked back into the crowd without another word.

Kofi, 19, and other Muslim immigrants say they would have been treated very differently had the perpetrator of one of the country's most heinous crimes been a fellow Muslim, and not far-right Norwegian zealot Anders Behring Breivik.

"If it was a Muslim, they would blame all foreigners and hate us all," she said, adding that she had come to Oslo to grieve with the tens of thousands of others who converged on the Norwegian capital on Monday to pay their respects to the dead.

Muslims in Norway said they shared the pain of their Christian compatriots after the massacre, in which Breivik gunned down young people, mainly teenagers, on a holiday island and bombed an Oslo government building, killing a total of 76 people.

Norwegians of all backgrounds united to condemn his actions and views, and Muslim leaders said they hoped the atrocities would lead to a better future for race relations.

Many immigrants live in the Oslo neighborhood of Greenland. There are a few indigenous Norwegians, but they rush by.‪ Many women shopping at grocery stores wear the hijab.‪

At a cafe run by a Lebanese, the only customers are men — several Arabs and many Somalis.‪ They don't like to talk into a tape-recorder, but they will say they were shocked by the July 22 attacks. They're also relieved that the confessed perpetrator was a Norwegian, not a Muslim. They say their main concern is to keep a low profile.‪

The atmosphere changes sharply in a nearby square lined with trendy shops, sushi bars and outdoor restaurants.‪ Among those in the square is Eric Lundesgard, a member of the Conservative Party, which is currently in opposition.‪ He says integration is the key to immigration.

"Integration to some extent means being more Norwegian. Norway is quite a homogeneous country," Lundesgard says.

But that thought would seem to echo the ideas propagated by Breivik in his 1,500-page screed against Muslims and multiculturalism.‪

"I believe that many of his thoughts ... about the multicultural society and political correctness [are] quite common," Lundesgard says.

Tunisian Yassim Mansour says it's hard for an immigrant to live in this society.‪

"When they show their apartments, you go there with 16 other Norwegians, they take the Norwegian one, and this is a fact," he says.‪ "Here, when I am at work, if I have to pray — I am Muslim — I have to hide myself and don't tell anyone. If they ask me, I say I have been in toilet."

Mansour says integration should not mean that he has to lose everything about his cultural identity.

Large-scale immigration began in Norway in the '70s. At first, many Norwegians worried foreigners could take away their jobs. But because Norway became very rich — thanks to oil — and there are virtually no jobless, the debate shifted to the more insidious terrain of cultural differences.‪

The number of immigrants has more than doubled since 1995, and growing tensions have led to more division.‪ Indigenous Norwegians have increasingly fled neighborhoods inhabited by immigrants, citing worsening educational standards in public schools.‪ Also, says Iranian-born human rights activist Ali Esbati, the notion began to circulate that Muslims in particular — because of their religion — could not become good Norwegians.‪

"This new kind of right-wing milieu, the Eurabia literature, this idea that the West is being taken over, these ideas were quite marginal until recently," Esbati says, "but they have moved more and more toward the center of things, main public discourse, that is the real problem for long-term social development."

Sociologist Thomas Eriksen hopes something positive will emerge from last week's tragedy: that people here will treat each other with more respect and more recognition.‪

"So that it becomes more difficult for people on the right wing to generalize in pejorative terms about Muslims, and be concerned that we do have an emerging multicultural society here," he says, "and that everybody needs to have a place in it, that we have to create that sense of solidarity among the whole population and loyalty among the immigrants."

‪As the country emerges from shock and an intense period of mourning, Norwegians — indigenous and not — will have to engage together in dialogue, not in confrontation.‪

Norway massacre survivors tell their stories

It was in a note from his publicist that Schoolly D learned of his connection to the horrific mass shooting and car bomb in Norway.

The West Philadelphia native and undisputed godfather of gangsta rap had lyrics from a song used for evil -- but that was nothing new.

"From day one it's been somebody claiming that my lyrics made kids do certain things or made people do certain things. It didn't really register until later on that day," he told NBC10 Friday.

Among the accusations and hate inside the 1,500 page manifesto penned by accused mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik was an excerpt from Schoolly D's 1985 hit song PSK What Does It Mean?

The lyrics, which appeared inside Breivik's manifesto, actually misrepresent the song says Schoolly D.

"At the end of the song, I put the pistol down and I go home," he says. "And that's it and I think that point is being missed."

Omitted from the manifesto and seemingly the mind of Breivik were the lines: "A thought ran across my educated mind / Said, man, Schoolly D ain't doin no time / Grabbed the microphone and I started to talk."

"That song is very dear to me, but I think that that song has been used in a lot of good ways…and the lyrics have been used in a lot of bad ways," Schoolly D said.

However, maybe never used in a situation of this magnitude. Breivik denounces the "hip-hop mentality" calling it "destructive," "anarchist" and glorifying of drug use.

"I can personally attest to the negative results of the hip-hop movement (and the hip-hop mentality) as I was a part of it for several years (from 13-16 and somewhat up to the age of 18)," Breivik writes in the declaration.

He goes on to call for the end of most of the hip-hop movement in order to remove the "ghetto/ethnic/multiculturalist lifestyle.

Hana Barzingi, a 17-year-old girl and full-time student.

"When I heard the shooting, I thought it was a joke, so I just sat there when everyone ran to the windows. And then everybody was just laying down with their hands over their heads. Then me and my friend stood up and I went to the window. There I saw a man. Blond hair, blue eyes, with iPod headset, earplugs, and he had a big sniper (gun) I think. And then I said 'What the hell are you doing?' because I didn't know what was going to happen or where he (the shooter) was. So he just turned around and said to me 'have you heard where the shooting is coming from?' And I said 'to the left' and when I said it I just looked to the left and I saw two people already laying there dead. And so he said to me 'I'm a cop and I will get you guys a place where is safe and I just have to gather everyone so it could be easier for me to protect you.' When he said that I think someone heard it because someone ran out. And he just took up the gun and shot the person.

"Actually, he talked like he was all calmed down. And then when he shot the person he just turned around softly and just looked at me. Then I was in shock and I just grabbed my friend's arm and pulled her down. And then I heard the shooting was coming inside. So he started to come into the house. And I just ran. It was like a group of sheep, like running from a dog or something. People were falling down. Nobody cared, they just ran for their life ...

"I found out that two of my friends died, but I feel so empty inside like I want to cry. When I meet friends they expect me to cry. But I don't feel the tears are there. I really think this is a nightmare still ... So I don't know why I'm so empty but I'm waiting for the reaction to come.

"Actually, I smile, like now and then. When I feel like I want to smile. But when people smile at me I don't really want to smile because if it feels like they show me sympathy, I don't want it. Because I know what I've been through. But they're just faking a smile to make me feel glad."

___

Hajin Barzingi, a 19-year-old woman and full-time student:

"I remember I was at the phone with my sister to give her a warning about Oslo and then when she got off the phone the shooting started. And then I thought it was just a joke, someone just playing with some balloons or something. But then several people ran into the little room where I was, crying and shouting out 'there's someone out there shooting at people'. And then the shooting came closer and closer, and then I understood this was serious. So I went to the hall looking for these two (points at her brother & sister). But I couldn't find them, so I thought they were hiding somewhere safe, so I should do that too. So I ran into the toilet nearby. And I ran into a little toilet. There were two guys there. And I said 'I'm going to hide with you guys,' and they said okay, And then a lady from Uganda, she was an international guest, ran in too, and lay down on the floor because she was pregnant. So we closed the door and sat there and tried to be quiet, don't do any moves or anything, and tell each other it's going to be fine, we're going to get help, the police are going to come. And then the text messages started, from everyone I know and everyone I don't know telling me 'Are you at Utoya,? How are you? and stuff.' But there was two friends of mine who gave me information about the world outside, about what's happening, so I got to know that the police are coming, helicopters are on the way, so that I could calm the others down.

Many people say that Norwegian people are cold hearted, and cold humans and such stuff. I've heard it a lot and I just want to tell everybody that Norwegian people are warm-hearted, you just need to get to know them and get past their wall. And as you see how Norway has taken this situation, everyone cares. And each of those who didn't make it at the island are also a child of every mother and father here in this country.

I'm not thinking about the dead as if they are gone forever. I'm thinking that they are happy, and they are together, everyone who died. They are with each other, and just have to trust. And so do we who are still alive. And there's a reason why we are alive. Even though all of a sudden I start crying.

___

Dana Barzingi, a 21-year-old man who works as an electrician.

"I didn't know what to do. I just ran around the island and I was looking for them (nods at sisters). And I picked up wounded people on the way. I brought them to a safe place and I just went and looked for them (nods again at sisters), until the police took me and thought I was a terrorist. I wasn't the only one. Another friend of mine, the police thought he was a terrorist."

On friends who died.

"They were great people. They were the best people you could get to know. They didn't care if you were white, black, yellow or whatever. When they looked at you, they looked at you like a human. So, we miss them, but... There are no words. Words can't describe how they were. They were fantastic. They were the best people I knew. I'm starting to smile a bit now. Now and then. In a week? In a year? I don't know. I don't know if I ever will go back to the same person I was once. And I don't think I will be. I feel much stronger right now than I was. What doesn't kill you makes you only stronger.

Violent videos of Oslo killer's mentor

Anders Behring Breivik, the 32-year-old far-right extremist who perpetrated the horrifying attacks in Norway last weekend, was inspired partially by a neo–Knights Templar movement in England run by a man named Paul Ray. Ray runs a "Richard the Lionhearted" blog which is thought to have heavily influenced Breivik's insane 1,500-page manifesto. He's a former activist for the anti-Islam, anti-immigrant English Defence League (EDL), who had to move to Malta after being accused of using his blog to provoke racial discord. He's clearly an unsavory kind of guy, and even he was disgusted by Breivik's crimes (or claims halfheartedly to be); Ray told the Times of London that he was "being implicated" as Breivik's mentor but that, despite the fact that "he has given me a platform and a profile," his attacks were "pure evil.

The group, calling itself Order 777, claims to bring together Christian resistance movements and features a depiction of a Templar Knight with the slogan “The Order 777 Strikes Back!” alongside footage of a variety of armed gangs with the words “factions united.”

The groups include the UFF in Northern Ireland, Serbian nationalists, Liberian and Congolese fighters and members of the neo-fascist AWB in South Africa.

In one clip Mr Greger is handling a Kalashnikov and in another says: “The war of the future will be a war of the religions.”

Mr Ray has denied that he has had any contact with Breivik but yesterday admitted that his movement appeared to be violent.

“It might seem that way,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “What can I say? It’s pretty clear. People can understand [the videos] however they want to understand them.”

Mr Ray, originally from Luton, Bedfordshire but now living in Malta, said Order 777 was “commanded” by Mr Greger - known as “Nazi Nick” or “Mad Nick” - and he was “aligned with his leadership.”

“It does look quite bad doesn’t it? I can’t say it doesn’t,” he added.

The Daily Telegraph revealed earlier this week that there were striking similarities between Mr Ray and a person called “Richard (the Lionhearted)” who Breivik claimed acted as a mentor and set up a secretive group called the Knights Templar in London in 2002.

Like Mr Ray, Breivik said the man may have been “one of the founders” of the right-wing English Defence League (EDL) and much of the language used in Breivik’s list of principles for the Knights Templar was similar.

Mr Ray later told this newspaper that he could have acted as inspiration for Breivik but denounced his actions.

He added yesterday: “If he had been a follower of mine he would have attacked Muslims not left wingers. He’s just clothed himself in the Templar ideals.”

Mr Ray said he had been “racking my brains about this guy” and that Breivik may have approached him on the Facebook social network site but that he could not be sure.

“He has just taken stuff off the videos and used it for his own gain,” he added.

Mr Ray said he did not become involved in the right-wing anti-Muslim movement until 2006, when he helped found the EDL.

Nevertheless a number of similarities between the “compendium” and the Order 777 videos have begun to emerge.

Breivik said he had attended the founding meeting of the “Knights Templar Europe” in London “after visiting one of the initial facilitators, a Serbian Crusader Commander and war hero, in Monrovia, Liberia.”

Both the “compendium” and the Order 777 videos feature a man called Milorad Ulemek, a former commander of the Red Berets, a unit of the Serbian security Services called the JSO, who was arrested in 2004 and convicted of the assassinations of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic and of organising the attempted murder of the Serbian opposition leader Vuk Draskovic.

The videos also feature Charles Taylor, the former Liberian dictator now facing war crimes trials, and a girl called “Black Diamond” who fought on the rebel army against Taylor in 2003.

Some of the videos also feature a trance music soundtrack – a kind of music Breivik enjoyed listening to.

It may be that Breivik has altered dates in order to claim association with individuals connected to Order 777 but Scotland Yard’s Domestic Extremism Unit and the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) both refused last night to say whether Breivik visited Britain and Liberia in 2002 as he claims. He admits that he did not start writing his “compendium” until 2006.

Norway shooter's explosive legacy

OSLO, Norway - In the world according to Anders Behring Breivik, a seat on Oslo's city council was once nearly in his grasp - until he was sidelined by a jealous adversary. Nonsense, says the so-called rival, who notes that Breivik attended just five or six party meetings and barely spoke.

In his early 20s, Breivik writes, he spent a year working alongside a mentor who schooled him in the ways of business and management. The man calls that a bizarre exaggeration, noting that the only thing he taught Breivik was how to record corporate minutes.

Those conflicts between Breivik's account and reality hint at a long thread of delusion winding throughout the 1,518-page manifesto he e-mailed to hundreds of people hours before he set out on a murderous rampage just over a week ago.

But some of the most troubling questions are the ones raised by the fragments of Breivik's story those who knew him say are closest to the truth.

The killer describes teen years infatuated with hip-hop, sneaking out at night in baggy jeans and hooded sweat shirts to spray-paint buildings around the capital with graffiti under the tag name "Morg." Then, Breivik writes, he decided to reject that life and turn himself into a selfless crusader bent on rescuing society from itself.

Former friends confirm the tales of schoolboy troublemaking. But they also recall Breivik as the one who repeatedly stepped forward to stop the most popular kids in school from teasing or bullying his classmates. He was a singular boy, reluctant to reveal his own thoughts, but one who would willingly sit for hours in the garden outside a friend's house listening to her talk about herself.

Several hundred pages of a 1,500 page "manifesto" that bears Breivik's name contain a detailed how-to guide for would-be terrorists, based on the author's own experience.

Police have not confirmed that the manifesto was written by Breivik, nor has CNN been able to confirm independently that he is the author. But, his attorney has referred to the manifesto as Breivik's and it contains not only his philosophy but looks at preparations leading up to last Friday's attacks.

Counter-terrorism specialists fear that the document, now widely accessible on the Internet, could be useful to a range of terrorist groups, including pro al Qaeda militants plotting attacks against the West.

The manifesto includes instructions on reconnaissance and counter-surveillance, and detailed instructions for buying and constructing the components of a fertilizer-based device. It even includes a detailed log describing how the author put together the device.

"Despite what others might say; you don't need any formal training in order to manufacture explosives. I have studied hundreds of various guides, recipes and instructions and can honestly say that it is a relatively safe venture as long as you take the necessary precautions and avoid the most volatile explosives," the manifesto says.

Counter-terrorism specialists believe the how-to guide would not allow a chemistry novice to build an explosive device from scratch. They do fear, however, that the manifesto might prove helpful to those planning terrorist attacks.

"Learning from other peoples' mistakes is always preferable to making them all yourself. It should be possible to drastically reduce the time spent on preparation, assembly and manufacturing based on the experiences shared in this log," the manifesto says.

A Western explosives expert who has reviewed the document told CNN that the manual was more alarming than those released in recent years by pro al Qaeda militants. "On a scale of 1 to 10 where most of the manuals released by al Qaeda and its associates score 1 or 2, this manual scores around a 6," the explosives expert told CNN.

"Although he's not a chemist, he's clearly done a lot of research and he's a careful teacher," said the explosives expert, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of his work. "It is obviously concerning that his insights are now out there given how uncomfortably successful he was.

Morrissey stands by Norway comments

Ever-controversial musician Morrissey is once again being controversial, this time for saying that the recent terrorist attacks in Norway, which killed 76 people, aren’t as bad as what fast food companies do.

At a recent concert in Warsaw, Poland, the former Smiths frontman reportedly said, “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 sic dead.” He then added: “Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried expletive every day.” The vegan and animal rights activist then segued into a performance of “Meat is Murder.

Comedian Dan Atkinson tweeted, “Congratulations to Morrissey. It takes an exceptional brand of tosspot to capitalise on mass murder to further the cause of chickens.” Another Twitter user wrote, “Maybe Morrissey would like to repeat what he said about the attacks in Norway to the friends and families of the victims.

Before starting his track Meat Is Murder, the former The Smiths star told the crowd, "We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown... Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald's and Kentucky Fried S**t every day."

Morrissey has faced heavy criticism for voicing his controversial opinions, but he remains unapologetic and has instead issued a statement in a bid to explain his words in more detail.

The statement reads, "The comment I made onstage at Warsaw could be further explained this way: Millions of beings are routinely murdered every single day in order to fund profits for McDonalds and KFCruelty, but because these murders are protected by laws, we are asked to feel indifferent about the killings, and to not even dare question them.

"If you quite rightly feel horrified at the Norway killings, then it surely naturally follows that you feel horror at the murder of ANY innocent being. You cannot ignore animal suffering simply because animals 'are not us'."

And he blames the press for sensationalising the Norwegian tragedy and giving the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, the attention he was craving.

Morrissey adds, "The recent killings in Norway were horrific. As usual in such cases, the media give the killer exactly what he wants: worldwide fame. We aren't told the names of the people who were killed - almost as if they are not considered to be important enough, yet the media frenzy to turn the killer into a Jack The Ripper star is.... repulsive. He should be un-named, not photographed, and quietly led away.