Author: Andie Sophia Fontaine
Environmental Minister: United Silicon “Depriving Residents Of Freedom”
Minister for the Environment Björt Ólafsdóttir has once again spoken up about the controversial United Silicon plant in Reykjanes, which…
Iceland To Deport Survivor Of Human Trafficking And Her Family
A statement from No Borders Iceland outlines a case of an asylum seeker family, and a decision from immigration authorities…
Cat Owner Rescued From Tree – VIDEO
No one likes to see their cat stuck in a tree, but rescuing one is perhaps best left to those…
Iceland’s Looming Sheep Crisis
One of Iceland’s best known exports is lamb meat. Last January, the country saw record domestic sales of lamb meat,…
Ghost Stories: Rusty The Really Unfriendly Ghost
This story begins back in November, 1784. A box of sixteen was fleeing a severe volcanic eruption in south Iceland,…
Island Life: News From The Countryside
Your wait for the truth is finally over—you guessed it: record hay harvests were reported in East Iceland this summer!…
Road Trip: Hitchhiking In The Northeast Is Crazy
I used to hitchhike around Iceland fairly frequently. I’ve circled the Ring Road by thumb three times, and have traveled…
News In Brief
Our undisputed top story of the past two weeks has been the Icelandic reaction to the American reaction to Iceland’s…
Yes, We Also Have A Horse Name Committee
Vísir reports that horse farmer Guðrún Hrafnsdóttir will not be allowed to name one of her horses Mósan. This was…
Schroedinger’s Tourist: What Makes A Tourist A Tourist
We have often reported on the increasing numbers of tourists in Iceland. One overlooked detail is how we’re defining “tourist”…
Island Life
If you’ve driven through east Iceland, you might have noticed that Borgarfjarðarvegur is in terrible shape. And by that we…
Man Rolls Car While Staring At His Phone
RÚV reports that a man rolled his car at the intersection of Hafnarfjarðarvegur og Álftanesvegur yesterday morning. Amazingly, no other…
15,000 Icelanders Sign Petition To Save Families From Deportation
Two families from different corners of the globe face impending deportation, but thousands of Icelanders have signed a statement pleading…
Pillow Talk: An Artist Brings Asylum Seeker Stories To The Public
Artist Sonja Kovačević has just launched a project called Pillow Talk, which will be touring various locations around Reykjavík over…
No, Icelanders Are Not Required To Abort Fetuses With Down Syndrome
A recent CBS report on Iceland’s pre-natal policies has sparked sharp criticism of the country from American conservatives, among them…
Blast From The Past: Siglufjörður’s Herring Bust
The quiet northern town of Siglufjörður is an Icelandic capitalism in miniature: it went through a period of great prosperity…
Justice Ministry Advertises For Asylum Seeker Services
The Ministry of Justice is currently advertising for contractors who want to provide application and counseling services for asylum seekers…
Iceland At The Intersection
There’s a lot more to Pride than being gay. Icelanders might be more accepting of trans, genderqueer and intersex people…
“Restored Honour” To Be Reviewed
In the previous issue of the Grapevine, we discussed the concept of uppreist æru, or “restored honour.” This is a…
Everyone’s Sorry About The Shit In The Harbour
In our previous issue, we reported on how raw sewage came spewing out of Reykjavík’s sewer system and into the…
“I Thought Quality Of Life Mattered More”
Residents in Reykjanesbær in Suðurnes felt the effects of pollution from the nearby United Silicon plant last weekend. This is…
Icelanders Less Favourable, More Neutral Towards Tourists
A new poll from Market and Media Research shows that the majority of Icelanders still view tourists favourably, albeit in…
Iceland Tops List Of Most Expensive Airbnb Prices In Europe
Iceland has once again distinguished itself in the tourism arena, albeit not in a way it would necessarily consider good…
Word of the Issue: Kviðmágur
The word of the issue this issue is kviðmágur, which roughly translates as “belly cousin.” And it does describe a…
Ask A Scientist: Are The Northern Lights Radioactive?
If you didn’t grow up with the Northern Lights shining above you, the first few times you see them take…