Author: Kári Tulinius
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So What’s This Presidential Election I Keep Hearing About
[EDITOR’S NOTE: In his New Year’s address yesterday, January 1, 2016, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announced he would not be seeking…
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So I’m in Iceland And I Want To Be A Writer…
To get the most obvious question out of the way, you need to write. You can write in any language…
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So What’s This I Hear About Bankers Defunding Poets?
In 2011, a teacher named Þórarinn Hannesson established the Poetry House (“Ljóðasetur”) in Siglufjörður, a small fishing hamlet up north….
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So What’s This “Controversial” Art In City Hall I Keep Hearing About?
Reykjavík’s City Hall currently hosts a large exhibit celebrating the hundred year anniversary of women’s right to vote in Iceland….
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So What’s This I Keep Hearing About Icelanders Welcoming Refugees Into Their Homes?
Recently, over a thousand Icelanders took to Facebook to pledge their help to those fleeing Syria, with participants vowing to…
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So What’re These Russian Trade Sanctions I Keep Hearing About?
In March of last year, Iceland joined in internationally coordinated trade sanctions against Russia. The principal advocates were the United…
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So What’s This I Keep Hearing About Rising Inequality in Iceland?
There are many reasons for rising inequality in the world, but in Iceland the main cause is simple. The current…
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So What’s This Crumbling Healthcare System I Keep Hearing About?
In recent years, a number of recurring news stories have appeared on the front pages of Icelandic newspapers, greeting the…
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So What’s This Literary Scandal I Keep Hearing About?
On May 30, poet and novelist Bragi Ólafsson finally commented on a controversial book he had written, entitled ‘Bögglapóststofan’ (“Parcel…
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So What’re These Lambs On TV I Keep Hearing About?
Starting at noon on May 14, Icelandic state television RÚV broadcast continuously for almost 24 hours from a farm called…
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So What’re These Badly Behaved Seafood Companies I Keep Hearing About?
Along with tourism, seafood is the biggest industry in Iceland. For many towns along the coast, it is the reason…
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So What’s This Letter To The European Union I Keep Hearing About?
In July of 2009, Iceland applied to become a member of the European Union. On March 12 of this year,…
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So What’s This Jailing Of Bankers I Keep Hearing About?
For several years, the internet has been teeming with stories of how Iceland sent their bankers to jail. They are,…
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So What’s This I Hear About Men’s Pay Being Reduced To Match Women’s Salary?
The town of Kópavogur, which borders Reykjavík, lost a salary discrimination case at the end of January. The Welfare Ministry’s…
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So What’s This Order Of The Falcon I Keep Hearing About?
In a better, more entertaining world than ours, the Order of the Falcon would be Iceland’s premier superhero group, featuring…
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So What’s This I Keep Hearing About Everything Being Terrible in Iceland?
In Mid-November Unnar Steinn Sigtryggsson, an Icelander who goes by the username “askur,” made a comment on popular internet community…
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So What’s This Lack Of Army I Keep Hearing About?
Iceland has no army. It does operate a Coast Guard, which does have four ships, three of which are combat-ready…
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So What’s This Men’s Only UN Gender Conference I Keep Hearing About?
On Monday, September 29, the Icelandic Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson gave a speech to the United Nations General Assembly….
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So What’s This Support For Scottish Independence I Keep Hearing About?
A number of prominent Icelanders cheered on the Scottish independence movement during the run-up to the September 18 referendum deciding…
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So What’s This Faroese Ship I Keep Hearing About?
The Faroese trawler ‘Næraberg’ was fishing for mackerel in Greenlandic waters when its engine suffered a malfunction. As the Icelandic…
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So What’s This Hazing I Keep Hearing About?
Like young people the world over, Icelandic youths like to humiliate younger kids for fun. This behaviour takes many forms,…
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So What’s This Unfair Treatment Of Young Employees I Keep Hearing About?
In Iceland, labour unions and employers’ organizations negotiate to establish parameters for pay and other benefits. Earlier this month, a…
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So What’s This Changing Flora I Keep Hearing About?
In an interview with Icelandic state radio, RÚV, Þóra Ellen Þórhallsdóttir, professor of botany at the University of Iceland, said…
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So What’s This I Hear About Iceland Being The 17th Best Country In The World?
Something called The Good Country Index was published recently. It is a list of 125 countries ranked according how much…
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So What’s This Naming Law I Keep Hearing About?
Harriet Cardew, the adorable ten-year-old daughter of an Englishman and an Icelandic woman, has been in the world news lately…