Published August 24, 2007

If you have recently arrived in Reykjavík, you are probably thinking that this is a relatively safe city. And you would be right. If you have been here for some time, you might be thinking ‘what the hell is going on here?’ If you are able to follow the Icelandic media discussion, you might get the impression that all hell has broken loose and your life is in danger every time you walk down Laugavegur on a given Friday night. It is not so. Despite feverish public outcry over violence in the city centre, studies reveal that violence has actually gone down in recent years. This is documented in some detail in this issue of the Grapevine. I could use this space to say a little more on the subject, but frankly, the naïve reaction from the city government has left me so dumbfounded that I really don’t know what more to say.

On to the next subject then, all around the country, children and adults are returning to school after their summer vacation. In this issue, Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir has investigated how children of immigrants fare in the Icelandic school system. We also examine the cost of starting a university semester. The price is pretty steep for a country that prides itself of providing free university education.

I am also extremely pleased to print a first half of a two article series from Professor Róbert Haraldsson from a bicycle trip through the Icelandic highlands, from Reykjavík to Akureyri. His newfound passion for cycling should serve as an inspiration for us all to slow down the pace and take better care of ourselves.

I want to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to two people who have made life easier around the office this summer. Well, most of the time they made it easier, although sometimes, quite the opposite was true. I am talking about Chandler Fredrick and Zoë Robert, the two summer interns who have roamed aimlessly around the office, picking up pointers on how to screw up a great idea for a magazine. Thanks kids, it was great fun having you around.