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{{Cleanup}}
 
{{Lost Experience}}
 
{{Lost Experience}}
{{Infobox Lost Experience Character
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{{Infobox Character
 
| Title=Alvar Hanso
 
| Title=Alvar Hanso
 
| Actor=Ian Patrick Williams
 
| Actor=Ian Patrick Williams
 
| Image=AlvarHansoProfile.jpg
 
| Image=AlvarHansoProfile.jpg
  +
| ImageSize=250px
| Appearances={{ep|2x03}}<br />[[Thehansofoundation.org]]<br />[[Sri Lanka Video]]<br /> [[Norway Video]]<br />{{ep|3x07}}
 
  +
| First="[[Orientation]]"
  +
| Last=[[Norway Video]]
 
| Name=Alvar Hanso
 
| Name=Alvar Hanso
| Age=Unknown (possibly 120)
+
| Age=Unknown, possibly 112
 
| Place=[[Denmark]]
 
| Place=[[Denmark]]
  +
| Family=[[Rachel Blake]] - Daughter<br>[[Magnus Hanso]] - Great-Grandfather<br>[[Tovard Hanso]] - Unknown relative
| Status=Alive
 
 
| Profession=CEO & Founder of the [[Hanso Foundation]]<br />Former arms dealer
 
| Profession=CEO & Founder of the [[Hanso Foundation]]<br />Former arms dealer
  +
| S2Ep=Character appearances#Hanso
 
}}
 
}}
'''Alvar Hanso''' is the Danish CEO and Founder of the [[Hanso Foundation]] and the [[Hanso Group]]. The grandson of [[Magnus Hanso]], little is known about his early life, but it is understood that he was initially involved in the military, developing munitions during the Second World War. However, years later, Alvar would establish the Hanso Foundation, in contrast aiming to "reach out for a better tomorrow" and preserve life on Earth.
+
'''Alvar Hanso''' was the [[Denmark|Danish]] CEO of the Hanso Group and the founder of the [[Hanso Foundation]], and the great grandson of [[Magnus Hanso]].
   
  +
==Life==
In 1967, he addressed the UN Security Council, where he made his famous speech about "man being blessed by his own curiosity". Eight years later, Alvar appeared in the 1975 [[DHARMA]] [[Sri Lanka Video|Orientation Film]], introducing the DHARMA Initiative to recruits, and explaining its purpose to the world. The project began due to Alvar discovering the [[Valenzetti Equation]], which had been commissioned by the United Nations in 1962. Its findings predicted the exact amount of time until mankind extinguished itself as a species. Whilst the UN disregarded the equation's warnings, Hanso did not, and built research facilities on [[the Island|an island]] to research and attempt to modify the equation's results (thereby changing the date of the "end of the world").
 
  +
Although little is known about his early life, it is understood that he was involved in providing munitions to resistance groups in Europe during the Second World War, and following this was the leading purveyor of high-technology armaments for NATO. However, during the 1960s, Alvar would establish the Hanso Foundation, in contrast to weapons development, aiming to "reach out for a better tomorrow" and preserve life on Earth through science and technology.
   
  +
Temporarily living with [[DeGroots|the DeGroot]] family, Alvar attended the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, for a year as a foreign exchange student. During his stay with the DeGroots, he bonded with [[8]] year old [[Gerald DeGroot]]. Alvar's undergraduate degree, from a university in Billund, Denmark, was in chemistry, and he returned to the University of Michigan for a masters in engineering, spending more time with the DeGroots, and Gerald.
Alvar later bought up every copy of [[Gary Troup|Gary Troup's]] book ''the Valenzetti Equation'', which described the theory's premise, including all rights to a reprint. In December 2002, Hanso made his last public appearance in Madrid, and then seemingly disappeared for years. He was traced by [[Rachel Blake]] in 2006 to Narvik, Norway. Here, he admitted [[Norway Video|on camera]] that he was being held prisoner in his own home by his second-in-command at the Hanso Foundation, [[Thomas Werner Mittelwerk]]. He also revealed that he was in fact Rachel's father, and had secretly financed her education for years before she began to question how her mother could afford it. After Blake published the video and sent it to the authorities, Hanso was freed, releasing a statement on the [[thehansofoundation.org|Hanso Foundation website]] promising to reorganize the Foundation after Mittelwerk's corrupt actions.
 
   
  +
{{I|I=Alvarhansoswan.jpg|a=right|w=200|c=Alvar Hanso in the [[Swan Orientation Film]] {{crossref|2x03}}}}
According to Dr. [[Eliza Vasquez]], there is something unusual about Alvar's bloodwork, which she suggested may have serious consequences to his health (see below).
 
  +
When Gerald DeGroot was a graduate student, in search of financial backing for his project the [[DHARMA Initiative]], he contacted Alvar for funding.
  +
 
In 1967, he addressed the UN Security Council, where he made a speech about "man being blessed by his own curiosity". Eight years later, Alvar appeared in the 1975 [[DHARMA]] [[Sri Lanka Video|Orientation Film]], introducing the DHARMA Initiative to recruits, and explaining its purpose to the world. The project began due to Alvar discovering the [[Valenzetti Equation]], which had been commissioned by the United Nations in 1962. Its findings predicted the exact amount of time until mankind extinguished itself as a species. Hanso built research facilities on [[the Island|an island]] to research and attempt to modify the equation's results (thereby changing the date of the "end of the world").
  +
 
He later bought every copy of [[Gary Troup|Gary Troup's]] book ''The Valenzetti Equation'', which described the theory's premise, including all rights to a reprint. In December 2002, Hanso made his last public appearance in Madrid, and then seemingly disappeared for years. He was traced by [[Rachel Blake]] in 2006 to Narvik, Norway. There, he admitted [[Norway Video|on camera]] that he was being held prisoner by his second-in-command at the Hanso Foundation, [[Thomas Werner Mittelwerk]]. He also revealed that he was in fact Rachel's [[parent issues|father]] (presumably having had a relationship with her mother whilst she worked for his company), and had secretly financed her first-rate education for years before she began to question how her mother could afford it. <small>([[Norway Video]])</small> After Blake published the video and sent it to the authorities, Hanso was freed, releasing a statement on the [[thehansofoundation.org|Hanso Foundation website]] promising to reorganize the Foundation after Mittelwerk's corrupt actions.
  +
  +
According to Dr. [[Eliza Vasquez]], there is something unusual about Alvar's bloodwork, which she suggested may have serious consequences to his health (see below). [[Javier Grillo-Marxuach]] also revealed in the aftermath of the Experience that Alvar was older than he seemed, after himself taking part in the Foundation's life extension experiments [http://hansofoundation.livejournal.com/2452.html?thread=100500#t100500].
   
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
[[image:alvarhanso.jpg|thumb|right|Alvar Hanso (from the [[thehansofoundation.org|Hanso Foundation website]])]]
+
{{I|I=alvarhanso.jpg|w=200|a=right|c=Alvar Hanso (from the [[thehansofoundation.org|Hanso Foundation website]])}}
 
"Driven by a need for privacy and a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public.
 
"Driven by a need for privacy and a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public.
   
Line 30: Line 42:
 
<br>- taken from http://thehansofoundation.org
 
<br>- taken from http://thehansofoundation.org
   
  +
==Main References==
  +
{{I|I=alvar_disappearance.jpg|w=200|a=right|c=The beginning of the hack}}
  +
===[[The Lost Experience clues/May 8|May 8th, 2006]]===
  +
On [[thehansofoundation.org]] website, a Persephone hack became available under Alvar's profile page. It detailed his disappearance from the public eye.
  +
{{brclear}}
  +
{{I|I=alvar_disappearance2.jpg|w=200|a=right|c=Locations of Alvar's last public appearances}}
  +
{{Quote|text=The date is circled several times. "Notice the grainy far away picture?" <br>
  +
*clicking again continued the message* <br>
  +
"It doesn't match anyone else?" *clicking again continued the message*<br>
  +
The screen zooms to a satellite view of Western Europe with flight paths drawn over.<br>
  +
Each path ends at a European city with a date.<br>
  +
Persephone then states that her research indicated that the locations and dates are the places and
  +
times that Alvar Hanso has been sighted in person. Clicking on the dates that flash revealed
  +
subsequent dates and Persephone's next message These dates are:<br>
   
  +
14.06.2000 - London<br>
===Transcript from the 1975 Orientation Video===
 
  +
12.11.2000 - Copenhagen<br>
''For the entire transcript, see main article: [[Sri Lanka Video#Part 1]]''
 
  +
23.02.2001 - Paris<br>
  +
12.07.2001 - Geneva<br>
  +
18.09.2001 - Roma<br>
  +
01.01.2001 - Copenhagen<br>
  +
31.12.2002 - Madrid<br>
   
  +
Once that sequence is complete, another message comes up stating:<br>
{{Quote|text=I'm Alvar Hanso. If you are watching this film, you already know and have worked with Gerald and Karen DeGroot, founders and masterminds of the [[DHARMA initiative]]. By now, you also know there are many research goals for our joint venture. What you may not know is why we have assembled the DHARMA initiative; why we have assembled the greatest minds in the world and given them unlimited funds and access...}}
 
  +
"PERSEPHONE: THIS IS THE LAST RECORD I FOUND OF ANY PUBLIC APPEARANCE OF ALVAR HANSO. THE MAN HASN'T
  +
BEEN SEEN IN PUBLIC SINCE 2002!!!"<br>
   
  +
After that some flickering text is displayed stating:<br>
  +
"IS HE HIDING? WHO IS RUNNING THIS PLACE? ALVAR HANSO WAS NEVER THERE."
   
  +
Persephone also voiceovers this part of the message. By saying:<br>
==Bad Twin==
 
 
"Where is Alvar Hanso?<br>
In Chapter [[23]] of the meta-fictional book ''[[Bad Twin]]'', Thomas Mittelwerk takes Alvar Hanso's place on the [[Widmore Corporation]] board. The two companies are said to have dealings together, but no explanation is given why Alvar is suddenly absent. Head of the board, [[Arthur Widmore]], comments that Mittelwerk lacks the charm and sophistication that Alvar is naturally gifted with.
 
  +
Is he hiding?<br>
  +
Who is running this place anyway?"}}
   
  +
===[[The Lost Experience clues/June 16|June 16th, 2006]]===
  +
{{I|I=hanso_work.jpg|w=200|a=right|c=Feeds from the Hanso building}}
  +
Persephone's final hack on the Hanso Foundation website showed a letter from [[Eliza Vasquez]] (see article for full letter). She wrote to Hanso advising him to contact her immediately after she'd taken a blood sample without his wishes. She stated that there was something unusual in the sample, and that if he didn't see her he may risk heart problems.
   
  +
The hack then also showed hidden camera footage of Alvar's reserved car space, office desk and nearby elevator. Persephone noted that Alvar had not been there in months. The three screens changed to say “Where Is Alvar”
==Vasquez correspondence==
 
   
  +
===[[The Lost Experience clues/July 10|July 10th, 2006]]===
Revealed on June 16, 2006 as part of the Lost Experience, a correspondence between Dr. Eliza Vasquez and Alvar Hanso was found by Rachel Blake. It detailed that Alvar was close to a potentially fatal heart attack, and that his blood was unusual.
 
  +
On his podcast, [[DJ Dan]] spoke to a caller who claimed they saw Alvar Hanso running a tour de stade. Dan replied by saying:
 
  +
{{Quote|text=Recent estimates put Alvar Hanso at somewhere near 112 years old, I don't care what kind of life extension drugs they are pumping into the old boy. I couldn't run a tour de stade when I was twenty ok?}}
   
  +
This supported evidence by [[Dr. Vincent "Wally" Bolé]] that Alvar was himself involved in life extension, and was the first source to give an indication of Alvar's approximate age (though much of Dan's information on the show was speculative).
{{Quote|text=Signor Hanso,
 
   
  +
===July – September 2006===
It occurs to me, at this point, I am attempting to correspond with a phantom. Had I not personally attended to you three months prior, I, too, would doubt your existence – the worldwide prominence of your name notwithstanding.
 
  +
In Sri Lanka, [[Rachel Blake]] filmed the [[Sri Lanka video]], which included an Orientation film introduction by Alvar Hanso from the 1970s. See the video in full [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PPCCcXarkc here].
  +
{{Quote|text=I'm Alvar Hanso. If you are watching this film, you already know and have worked with Gerald and Karen DeGroot, founders and masterminds of the DHARMA Initiative.
   
 
By now, you also know there are many research goals for our joint venture. What you may not know, is why we have assembled the DHARMA Initiative, why we have assembled the greatest minds in the world and given them unlimited funds and access.
The letters I sent to your business address were returned with notes explaining your office does not accept unsolicited correspondence. The follow-up I sent to your Narvik Villa was returned with a postal mark claiming “no such addressee.” I feel compelled, however, to attempt a final letter – I hired an investigator to track you down. It is not that I do not respect your personal desire for privacy, S. Hanso; it is that your condition gives me cause for concern.
 
   
  +
As with all you've already been told, you are bound by your honor and commitment to keep what you are about to hear a secret.
You will, no doubt, recall you were admitted after collapsing with a myocardial infection while in Madrid. You were admitted, in a state of mild delirium, by the staff of the hotel in which you were a guest (though the hotel later claimed to have no record of your stay).
 
   
  +
In a few weeks, after your induction counseling and survival training, you and your colleagues will be shipped to a top secret facil[ity...]
At the point which I began treating you, you demanded no blood be drawn. Several hours later, you requested I release you into the care of your personal physician, who had that moment arrived with your staff. Against my strenuous recommendation, you had yourself discharged.
 
  +
The precise location of the facility is known only to myself, the DeGroots, and the few high ranking members of my organization. Why all the security, all the secrecy? The answer is simple: Your research is intended to do nothing less than save the world as we know it.
   
  +
In 1962, only thirteen years ago, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. The United States and the Soviet Union almost fulfilled the promise of mutual assured destruction. A promise they continue to foster through a destructive Cold War. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both nations decided to find a solution. The result was the Valenzetti Equation. Commissioned under the highest secrecy, through the U.N. Security Council, the equation is the brainchild of the Italian mathematician Enzo Valenzetti. It predicts the exact number of years and months until humanity extinguishes itself. Whether through nuclear fire, chemical and biological warfare, conventional warfare, pandemic, over-population... The results are chilling, and attention must be paid...
The reason I write is to explain why, against your wishes, I did, in fact, draw your blood. At the time, I believed it prudent to obtain all information. Your disorientation allowed me to obtain the sample and seemed proof of your incapacity.
 
   
  +
Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. Only by manipulating the environment, by finding scientific solutions to our problems we will be able to change those core factors, and give humanity a chance to survive. Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it [STATIC] panic. It has always been my belief that we ignore warnings at our own peril; and thus, the DHARMA Initiative was born.
But now, the results of your blood test have prompted me to embark on this wild goose chase. It is imperative I reach you – your test results are most unusual, and I have reason for concern you may suffer a serious, even fatal, heart attack in the near future.
 
   
  +
DHARMA is an acronym for Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications. It also stands for the one true way. [STATIC] ...and through your research, you will help human... [STATIC].
Futile as it seems, S. Hanso, I feel bound by my oath as a physician to inform you of your circumstance. And, further (please forgive the personal nature of this confession), I feel as though something is amiss. On more than one occasion, gentlemen have made inquiries into your hospital stay. It seems your Madrid episode is among only a handful of times, in recent years, that you have made documented contact with the world at large. And while I anticipate that this letter, too, will be returned unopened, I feel you are owed at least the effort of my attempt.
 
   
  +
We have constructed several stations on the island, underground laboratories with the facilities you will need to do your research, with optimal expediency...all of the support you will need, including regular medicine and food drops will be made in perpetuity.
Hoping this finds you (well),
 
   
  +
A radio transmitter has also been erected on the island broadcasting in a frequency and encryption known only to us. The transmitter will only broadcast the core numerical values of the Valenzetti Equation. When, through your research, you manage to change the numerical value of any one of these factors, when you have created through science the [inaudible] ... We will know that the one true way has been found.
Eliza Vasquez, M.D.}}
 
   
  +
That is the work to which you have committed yourself. Change the core values of the Valenzetti Equation, and you will change the course of destiny. The fate of the human race is in your hands.
==Public statement==
 
Shortly after the [[Norway video]] was released, Alvar Hanso was freed and re-dedicated his life to make The Hanso Foundation what he first made it to be: a organization to help mankind. On the Hanso Foundation website, there is a letter to the public from him announcing that he will again assert power over the foundation, and a devotion to purge [[Mittelwerk]].
 
   
  +
Thank you and namaste.}}
   
  +
===[[The Lost Experience clues/September 24|September 24th, 2006]]===
{{Quote|text=To all:
 
  +
With the help of her contacts, Rachel managed to infiltrate the house where Alvar was being kept a prisoner. There he told her what Mittelwerk had done, as well as reveal that he was indeed her father. To read a transcript, see [[Norway_video#Video_transcript|here]].
  +
<nowiki><youtube>ntRCiwmiFQQ</youtube></nowiki>
   
  +
===[[The Lost Experience clues/September 26|September 26th, 2006]]===
The path of secrecy is a slippery slope. While necessity may dictate, at times, that we shade ourselves and our work from the all-too-often harsh light of inquiry, habitual secret-keeping can mire even the noblest of intentions in shadow. It is this shadow I fell prey to, blinded not only to the actions of colleagues like Dr. Thomas Werner Mittelwerk, but also the works of my own hand.
 
  +
After Mittelwerk became a wanted fugitive, Alvar was released and reinstated as head of the Hanso Foundation. He released a press release (viewable [http://www.thehansofoundation.org here]), where he thanked Rachel and her followers, and promised to make amends for the bad name Mittelwerk had given the company.
  +
===''Mysteries of the Universe''===
  +
''[[Mysteries of the Universe]]'', a fictional 1982 television series that aired on the ABC network, dedicated its fourth program to Alvar Hanso and his connection to the [[DeGroots]] and the [[DHARMA Initiative]].
   
  +
<nowiki><youtube>F6VJ67PLbjU</youtube></nowiki>
I fear the lessons learned have cost many their happiness. Some few have even lost their lives. My regret for this is endless. But, I assure you now, as I did then, that the work of The Hanso Foundation has always been intended to bring rebirth to a dying land and a dying people.
 
  +
{{Brclear}}
   
 
==Bad Twin==
Our methods must change. As of this moment, The Hanso Foundation enters a period of restructure and overhaul. Transparency and oversight will be our guiding principles, excellence in communication and response to feedback our greatest strengths. To save humanity, we need first tap into just that--our humanity.
 
 
In Chapter [[23]] of the meta-fictional book ''[[Bad Twin]]'', Thomas Mittelwerk takes Alvar Hanso's place on the [[Widmore Corporation]] board. The two companies are said to have dealings together, but no explanation is given why Alvar is suddenly absent. Head of the board, [[Arthur Widmore]] comments talks with his son [[Clifford Widmore|Cliff]] about the change:
 
  +
{{Quote|text="Damn right, they worked! And that new fellow from Hanso - Mudworm of whatever his name is-"<br>
Much time has passed--perhaps too much. Thanks to the tireless efforts of my daughter, Rachel Blake, and a worldwide movement set against the dark entity that was Thomas Mittelwerk's regime, I have been exonerated and freed from imprisonment. Thanks to the grace and foresight of the Global Welfare Consortium, we at The Hanso Foundation have been given a second chance to build a future that can support, enrich, and cradle us all in the peace and joy.
 
  +
"Mittelwerk," his son corrected him.<br>
 
  +
"Whatever. I don't trust him. I think he's sneaky. I much preferred having Alvar on the board. Alvar is a gentleman."<br>
It is to this I dedicated my life and my Foundation. My only hope is that you will join me.
 
  +
"Really?" said Cliff. "What makes him a gentleman? The fact that you made a ton of money together? If that's the definition, I think Mittelwerk's a gentleman. He's got ideas, ambition-"<br>
 
  +
"Everything but morals," the old man interrupted. "Everything except a conscience."<br>
Namaste,
 
  +
"And who's Alvar?" said Cliff. "Jiminy Cricket? ... But look, we have a visitor."}}
Alvar Hanso}}
 
 
 
Also when on this page you can right click and press play and you can hear Mittelwerk talking about how it was just a battle and that he has the virus with him.
 
   
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
 
*''Alvar'' is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "elf or supernatural army, warrior". From Aelfhere. Also possibly an Anglicized form of Spanish Alvaro, meaning "all guard" in Old German.
 
*''Alvar'' is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "elf or supernatural army, warrior". From Aelfhere. Also possibly an Anglicized form of Spanish Alvaro, meaning "all guard" in Old German.
** According to both Scandinavian and English Wikipedias, the name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar Alvar] originates from an area of the Swedish island of Øland, and means something like "treeless area on limestone". "The Great Alvar" is home to many rare plants, and on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
+
** According to both Scandinavian and English Wikipedias, the name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar Alvar] originates from an area of the Swedish island of Öland, and means something like "treeless area on limestone". "The Great Alvar" is home to many rare plants, and on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
  +
*** The name Alvar has an Scandinavian origin coming from the name for Elves in old norse, álfar. Today they're called elver/alfer (danish), álfar (icelandic), alv (norwegian) and älvor/alfer (swedish). Indeed, the name Alvar is an norse name derived from elves.
 
  +
* The Alvars were 12 saints who helped revive devotional Hinduism through their hymns of worship to Vishnu and his avatars.
 
* Neither Alvar nor Hanso are known Danish names. And the actor's accent in the [[Sri Lanka Video]] is distinctly Swedish, not Danish.
 
* Neither Alvar nor Hanso are known Danish names. And the actor's accent in the [[Sri Lanka Video]] is distinctly Swedish, not Danish.
  +
* According to Danish statistics only 12 people in Denmark (2008) has the name 'Alvar'. None has the lastname 'Hanso'.
  +
* The sanskrit word for "swan" is ''hansa.'' Hindu spiritual leaders of lofty status are given the title of ''paramhansa'', or "supreme swan." The title indicates being at home both in realms of matter and of spirit.
  +
* Despite Hanso not being immediately recognizable as a Danish name, by substituting the "O" with the, uniquely Danish "Ø", changes the name to Hansø. Although, not necessarily an actual name, this actually means "His Island" in Danish, as the letter "ø" means island. The Danish "Ø" is the equivalent of the Swedish "Ö", which is also the Swedish word for island. Hence, "Hans ö" would mean "His island" in Swedish as well.
  +
** There is a real Hans Island, or Hans Ø, located in the straight that separates Greenland from Ellesmere Island. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Island]
  +
*** Approximately 300 kms south of Hans Ø, there is an island called Littleton Island, which was previously named Hans Ø. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littleton_Island_(Arctic)]
  +
* [[Dr. Vincent "Wally" Bolé|Dr. Vincent Bolé's]] bio on the [[Retrievers of Truth]] website notes that he once met Alvar Hanso at a life extension workshop.
  +
*Hanso could be a nod at the character Han Solo from Star Wars.
  +
*Alvar could be a variant of the name Halvar (Hallvard) meaning "Rock Guardian".
  +
*There was some question as to why Alvar switched professions from wealthy munitions dealer to philanthropist interested in saving the world. Lost executive producer [[Javier Grillo-Marxuach]], who was heavily involved in the Lost Experience, agreed on his blog to a questioner's speculation that he had had a "Alfred Nobel moment" (i.e. he decided to change his ways for a more lasting and positive legacy) [http://hansofoundation.livejournal.com/2452.html?thread=95892#t95892].
   
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
Line 106: Line 163:
 
* "To understand how our world is going, we must first seek to understand how the world was made." - [[Electromagnetic Research Initiative|ERI]] section of TheHansoFoundation.org
 
* "To understand how our world is going, we must first seek to understand how the world was made." - [[Electromagnetic Research Initiative|ERI]] section of TheHansoFoundation.org
 
* "Given enough time, there is no end to what human beings can accomplish, no frontiers we cannot cross, and no experiences that we cannot live to pass on to future generations" - [[Life Extension Project|LEP]] section of TheHansoFoundation.org
 
* "Given enough time, there is no end to what human beings can accomplish, no frontiers we cannot cross, and no experiences that we cannot live to pass on to future generations" - [[Life Extension Project|LEP]] section of TheHansoFoundation.org
  +
  +
  +
==Unanswered questions==
  +
{{NavMinor-Unanswered}}
  +
*What is his relationship to [[Tovard Hanso]]?
  +
*What was unusual about Alvar Hanso's bloodwork, as alluded to by [[Eliza Vasquez]]?
  +
*Who did Alvar Hanso launch the Mental Health Appeal for, as Malick stated it was "to save a loved one"?
   
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
Line 117: Line 181:
 
{{Nav-Hanso}}
 
{{Nav-Hanso}}
   
 
{{featured article}}
  +
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanso, Alvar}}
  +
[[de:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[es:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[fr:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[it:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[nl:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[pl:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[pt:Alvar Hanso]]
  +
[[ru:Альвар Хансо]]
  +
[[ar:ألفار هانسو]]
 
[[Category: Characters|Hanso, Alvar]]
 
[[Category: Characters|Hanso, Alvar]]
[[Category: Unsolved]]
 
 
[[Category: Characters in The Lost Experience|Hanso, Alvar]]
 
[[Category: Characters in The Lost Experience|Hanso, Alvar]]
 
[[Category: Hanso Foundation Staff|Hanso, Alvar]]
 
[[Category: Hanso Foundation Staff|Hanso, Alvar]]
[[Category:Photograph characters|Hanso, Alvar]]
+
[[Category:Businesspersons]]
 
[[Category:Scientists]]
{{featured article}}
 
  +
[[Category:Characters portrayed by unknown actors]]

Revision as of 15:52, 14 May 2019

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This information was revealed in part through the alternate reality game
The LOST Experience
The Lost Experience
View Talk Edit
Clues · Revelations · Sponsorship · Websites
Characters:   Rachel Blake · Alvar Hanso · Thomas Mittelwerk · DJ Dan · William Kilpatrick · W. Malick · Other...
Themes: Hanso Foundation · DHARMA · Valenzetti Equation · Sri Lanka Video · Apollo Candy · Other...


Alvar Hanso was the Danish CEO of the Hanso Group and the founder of the Hanso Foundation, and the great grandson of Magnus Hanso.

Life

Although little is known about his early life, it is understood that he was involved in providing munitions to resistance groups in Europe during the Second World War, and following this was the leading purveyor of high-technology armaments for NATO. However, during the 1960s, Alvar would establish the Hanso Foundation, in contrast to weapons development, aiming to "reach out for a better tomorrow" and preserve life on Earth through science and technology.

Temporarily living with the DeGroot family, Alvar attended the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, for a year as a foreign exchange student. During his stay with the DeGroots, he bonded with 8 year old Gerald DeGroot. Alvar's undergraduate degree, from a university in Billund, Denmark, was in chemistry, and he returned to the University of Michigan for a masters in engineering, spending more time with the DeGroots, and Gerald.

Alvarhansoswan

Alvar Hanso in the Swan Orientation Film ("Orientation")

When Gerald DeGroot was a graduate student, in search of financial backing for his project the DHARMA Initiative, he contacted Alvar for funding.

In 1967, he addressed the UN Security Council, where he made a speech about "man being blessed by his own curiosity". Eight years later, Alvar appeared in the 1975 DHARMA Orientation Film, introducing the DHARMA Initiative to recruits, and explaining its purpose to the world. The project began due to Alvar discovering the Valenzetti Equation, which had been commissioned by the United Nations in 1962. Its findings predicted the exact amount of time until mankind extinguished itself as a species. Hanso built research facilities on an island to research and attempt to modify the equation's results (thereby changing the date of the "end of the world").

He later bought every copy of Gary Troup's book The Valenzetti Equation, which described the theory's premise, including all rights to a reprint. In December 2002, Hanso made his last public appearance in Madrid, and then seemingly disappeared for years. He was traced by Rachel Blake in 2006 to Narvik, Norway. There, he admitted on camera that he was being held prisoner by his second-in-command at the Hanso Foundation, Thomas Werner Mittelwerk. He also revealed that he was in fact Rachel's father (presumably having had a relationship with her mother whilst she worked for his company), and had secretly financed her first-rate education for years before she began to question how her mother could afford it. (Norway Video) After Blake published the video and sent it to the authorities, Hanso was freed, releasing a statement on the Hanso Foundation website promising to reorganize the Foundation after Mittelwerk's corrupt actions.

According to Dr. Eliza Vasquez, there is something unusual about Alvar's bloodwork, which she suggested may have serious consequences to his health (see below). Javier Grillo-Marxuach also revealed in the aftermath of the Experience that Alvar was older than he seemed, after himself taking part in the Foundation's life extension experiments [1].

Biography

Alvarhanso

Alvar Hanso (from the Hanso Foundation website)

"Driven by a need for privacy and a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public.

He first made his mark during the Second World War, providing munitions to various resistance movements around Europe. After the War, Hanso became the leading purveyor of high-technology armaments to NATO.

After decades of keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems, Hanso turned his attention to critical areas of science and technology - always searching for new ways to improve the human experience, and create a brighter future for all humanity.

Still running his vast network of companies, Hanso has set new standards for philanthropy and the support of pure scientific research for the betterment of the entire race."
- taken from http://thehansofoundation.org

Main References

Alvar disappearance

The beginning of the hack

May 8th, 2006

On thehansofoundation.org website, a Persephone hack became available under Alvar's profile page. It detailed his disappearance from the public eye.

Alvar disappearance2

Locations of Alvar's last public appearances

The date is circled several times. "Notice the grainy far away picture?"

  • clicking again continued the message*

"It doesn't match anyone else?" *clicking again continued the message*
The screen zooms to a satellite view of Western Europe with flight paths drawn over.
Each path ends at a European city with a date.
Persephone then states that her research indicated that the locations and dates are the places and times that Alvar Hanso has been sighted in person. Clicking on the dates that flash revealed subsequent dates and Persephone's next message These dates are:

14.06.2000 - London
12.11.2000 - Copenhagen
23.02.2001 - Paris
12.07.2001 - Geneva
18.09.2001 - Roma
01.01.2001 - Copenhagen
31.12.2002 - Madrid

Once that sequence is complete, another message comes up stating:
"PERSEPHONE: THIS IS THE LAST RECORD I FOUND OF ANY PUBLIC APPEARANCE OF ALVAR HANSO. THE MAN HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN PUBLIC SINCE 2002!!!"

After that some flickering text is displayed stating:
"IS HE HIDING? WHO IS RUNNING THIS PLACE? ALVAR HANSO WAS NEVER THERE."

Persephone also voiceovers this part of the message. By saying:
"Where is Alvar Hanso?
Is he hiding?
Who is running this place anyway?"

June 16th, 2006

Hanso work

Feeds from the Hanso building

Persephone's final hack on the Hanso Foundation website showed a letter from Eliza Vasquez (see article for full letter). She wrote to Hanso advising him to contact her immediately after she'd taken a blood sample without his wishes. She stated that there was something unusual in the sample, and that if he didn't see her he may risk heart problems.

The hack then also showed hidden camera footage of Alvar's reserved car space, office desk and nearby elevator. Persephone noted that Alvar had not been there in months. The three screens changed to say “Where Is Alvar”

July 10th, 2006

On his podcast, DJ Dan spoke to a caller who claimed they saw Alvar Hanso running a tour de stade. Dan replied by saying:

Recent estimates put Alvar Hanso at somewhere near 112 years old, I don't care what kind of life extension drugs they are pumping into the old boy. I couldn't run a tour de stade when I was twenty ok?

This supported evidence by Dr. Vincent "Wally" Bolé that Alvar was himself involved in life extension, and was the first source to give an indication of Alvar's approximate age (though much of Dan's information on the show was speculative).

July – September 2006

In Sri Lanka, Rachel Blake filmed the Sri Lanka video, which included an Orientation film introduction by Alvar Hanso from the 1970s. See the video in full here.

I'm Alvar Hanso. If you are watching this film, you already know and have worked with Gerald and Karen DeGroot, founders and masterminds of the DHARMA Initiative.

By now, you also know there are many research goals for our joint venture. What you may not know, is why we have assembled the DHARMA Initiative, why we have assembled the greatest minds in the world and given them unlimited funds and access.

As with all you've already been told, you are bound by your honor and commitment to keep what you are about to hear a secret.

In a few weeks, after your induction counseling and survival training, you and your colleagues will be shipped to a top secret facil[ity...] The precise location of the facility is known only to myself, the DeGroots, and the few high ranking members of my organization. Why all the security, all the secrecy? The answer is simple: Your research is intended to do nothing less than save the world as we know it.

In 1962, only thirteen years ago, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. The United States and the Soviet Union almost fulfilled the promise of mutual assured destruction. A promise they continue to foster through a destructive Cold War. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both nations decided to find a solution. The result was the Valenzetti Equation. Commissioned under the highest secrecy, through the U.N. Security Council, the equation is the brainchild of the Italian mathematician Enzo Valenzetti. It predicts the exact number of years and months until humanity extinguishes itself. Whether through nuclear fire, chemical and biological warfare, conventional warfare, pandemic, over-population... The results are chilling, and attention must be paid...

Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. Only by manipulating the environment, by finding scientific solutions to our problems we will be able to change those core factors, and give humanity a chance to survive. Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it [STATIC] panic. It has always been my belief that we ignore warnings at our own peril; and thus, the DHARMA Initiative was born.

DHARMA is an acronym for Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications. It also stands for the one true way. [STATIC] ...and through your research, you will help human... [STATIC].

We have constructed several stations on the island, underground laboratories with the facilities you will need to do your research, with optimal expediency...all of the support you will need, including regular medicine and food drops will be made in perpetuity.

A radio transmitter has also been erected on the island broadcasting in a frequency and encryption known only to us. The transmitter will only broadcast the core numerical values of the Valenzetti Equation. When, through your research, you manage to change the numerical value of any one of these factors, when you have created through science the [inaudible] ... We will know that the one true way has been found.

That is the work to which you have committed yourself. Change the core values of the Valenzetti Equation, and you will change the course of destiny. The fate of the human race is in your hands.

Thank you and namaste.

September 24th, 2006

With the help of her contacts, Rachel managed to infiltrate the house where Alvar was being kept a prisoner. There he told her what Mittelwerk had done, as well as reveal that he was indeed her father. To read a transcript, see here. <youtube>ntRCiwmiFQQ</youtube>

September 26th, 2006

After Mittelwerk became a wanted fugitive, Alvar was released and reinstated as head of the Hanso Foundation. He released a press release (viewable here), where he thanked Rachel and her followers, and promised to make amends for the bad name Mittelwerk had given the company.

Mysteries of the Universe

Mysteries of the Universe, a fictional 1982 television series that aired on the ABC network, dedicated its fourth program to Alvar Hanso and his connection to the DeGroots and the DHARMA Initiative.

<youtube>F6VJ67PLbjU</youtube>

Bad Twin

In Chapter 23 of the meta-fictional book Bad Twin, Thomas Mittelwerk takes Alvar Hanso's place on the Widmore Corporation board. The two companies are said to have dealings together, but no explanation is given why Alvar is suddenly absent. Head of the board, Arthur Widmore comments talks with his son Cliff about the change:

"Damn right, they worked! And that new fellow from Hanso - Mudworm of whatever his name is-"
"Mittelwerk," his son corrected him.
"Whatever. I don't trust him. I think he's sneaky. I much preferred having Alvar on the board. Alvar is a gentleman."
"Really?" said Cliff. "What makes him a gentleman? The fact that you made a ton of money together? If that's the definition, I think Mittelwerk's a gentleman. He's got ideas, ambition-"
"Everything but morals," the old man interrupted. "Everything except a conscience."
"And who's Alvar?" said Cliff. "Jiminy Cricket? ... But look, we have a visitor."

Trivia

  • Alvar is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "elf or supernatural army, warrior". From Aelfhere. Also possibly an Anglicized form of Spanish Alvaro, meaning "all guard" in Old German.
    • According to both Scandinavian and English Wikipedias, the name Alvar originates from an area of the Swedish island of Öland, and means something like "treeless area on limestone". "The Great Alvar" is home to many rare plants, and on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
      • The name Alvar has an Scandinavian origin coming from the name for Elves in old norse, álfar. Today they're called elver/alfer (danish), álfar (icelandic), alv (norwegian) and älvor/alfer (swedish). Indeed, the name Alvar is an norse name derived from elves.
  • The Alvars were 12 saints who helped revive devotional Hinduism through their hymns of worship to Vishnu and his avatars.
  • Neither Alvar nor Hanso are known Danish names. And the actor's accent in the Sri Lanka Video is distinctly Swedish, not Danish.
  • According to Danish statistics only 12 people in Denmark (2008) has the name 'Alvar'. None has the lastname 'Hanso'.
  • The sanskrit word for "swan" is hansa. Hindu spiritual leaders of lofty status are given the title of paramhansa, or "supreme swan." The title indicates being at home both in realms of matter and of spirit.
  • Despite Hanso not being immediately recognizable as a Danish name, by substituting the "O" with the, uniquely Danish "Ø", changes the name to Hansø. Although, not necessarily an actual name, this actually means "His Island" in Danish, as the letter "ø" means island. The Danish "Ø" is the equivalent of the Swedish "Ö", which is also the Swedish word for island. Hence, "Hans ö" would mean "His island" in Swedish as well.
    • There is a real Hans Island, or Hans Ø, located in the straight that separates Greenland from Ellesmere Island. [2]
      • Approximately 300 kms south of Hans Ø, there is an island called Littleton Island, which was previously named Hans Ø. [3]
  • Dr. Vincent Bolé's bio on the Retrievers of Truth website notes that he once met Alvar Hanso at a life extension workshop.
  • Hanso could be a nod at the character Han Solo from Star Wars.
  • Alvar could be a variant of the name Halvar (Hallvard) meaning "Rock Guardian".
  • There was some question as to why Alvar switched professions from wealthy munitions dealer to philanthropist interested in saving the world. Lost executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who was heavily involved in the Lost Experience, agreed on his blog to a questioner's speculation that he had had a "Alfred Nobel moment" (i.e. he decided to change his ways for a more lasting and positive legacy) [4].

Quotes

The following quotes have been attributed to Alvar Hanso.

  • "I am very proud to be working with such a brilliant team, who all inspire me every single day as we forge our way towards a brighter future. The expertise and dedication of the team constantly surpass my expectations." - Hanso Foundation Television Ad.
  • "From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity. Our most precious gift, without exception, is the desire to know more—to look beyond what is accepted as the truth and to imagine what is possible." - Address to the United Nations Security Council, 1967, posted on first iteration of TheHansoFoundation.org and partially quoted by Tom.
  • "To preach the limited mind is to foreclose on the promise of our future." - TheHansoFoundation.org landing page
  • "A society should not merely be measured by its brightest lights, but on how the brightest light the way for those who cannot shine for themselves." - MHA section of TheHansoFoundation.org
  • "Prevention is the number one reason people live longer lives today. The time has come for everyone in our world to understand how a minimum investment of time and effort can lead to a vastly longer and happier life." - WWPDP section of TheHansoFoundation.org
  • But that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country, from whose bourn, no traveler returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, then fly to others we know not of.
  • "The future need not be an undiscovered country. Through science and technology we can turn our inexorable forward motion into a safe journey into a well-charted haven of tranquility." - MFI section of TheHansoFoundation.org
    • The phrase "undiscovered country" comes from a soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet and refers to the unknown that comes after death.
  • "To understand how our world is going, we must first seek to understand how the world was made." - ERI section of TheHansoFoundation.org
  • "Given enough time, there is no end to what human beings can accomplish, no frontiers we cannot cross, and no experiences that we cannot live to pass on to future generations" - LEP section of TheHansoFoundation.org


Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
  2. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Alvar Hanso/Theories
  • What is his relationship to Tovard Hanso?
  • What was unusual about Alvar Hanso's bloodwork, as alluded to by Eliza Vasquez?
  • Who did Alvar Hanso launch the Mental Health Appeal for, as Malick stated it was "to save a loved one"?

See also

External links