word of the issue — The Reykjavik Grapevine %

Is the State-Owned Journalist Truly State-Owned?

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Known to sniff out BS from a mile away, Kristján Kristjánsson is one of the most respected journalists in Iceland….

Graffiti – A Half a Billion ISK Industry

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Deep inside the city’s bureaucracy, a man is concocting a plan. He has been given the task of eradicating graffiti…

Protesting Kárahnjúkar:

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Following the Kárahnjúkar protests of 2005 was anything but boring. The year might have started off with some grumblings between…

Endometriosis:

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Cramps. Even the word is a turn off. Women don’t want to think about it. Men don’t want to know….

Letters

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Dear Bart, My name is Matthew Patton. I am a musician and I live in Canada, actually in Winnipeg near…

We Know Your Identity Number:

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The kennitala — Iceland’s personal identification number — has been getting a bad rap lately. Persónuvernd (the Icelandic Data Protection…

Letters

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Dear Bart, At the risk of sounding like every other reader writing in to The Grapevine, I’d like to begin…

No More Party Papers

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After ten years at the now solely online Progressive party newspaper Tíminn and 31 years at govenment radio, Kári Jónasson…

Nobody Should Have to Work for Free:

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Last year, the independent theatre scene in Iceland had something for everyone to enjoy. Shows like Fame and Grease catered…

Letters

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Dear Editor Great idea to have a memorial service for the Hiroshima anniversary. Maybe not such a great idea to…

Five Beers or Better

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Trabant -Emotional Worth six beers. Costs four beers. Trabant have captured the energy of their live shows, but, much better,…

Turning the City into the Suburbs

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Reykjavík is a car city, for better or worse. According to Statistics Iceland, as of 2003 there are 69,727 private…

t.A.T.u: Good Music, Sleazy Origins

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Invented pop groups – bands formed by managers more concerned with marketing than talent – have been with us since…

Paul Gill: Friend of the Earth or Braying Ass? You Be the Judge

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As you might remember, in Issue 7 of Grapevine we interviewed Ólafur Páll Sigurðsson, one of many people who protest…

Putting the G8 into Perspective

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This year’s G8 Gleneagles summit became an unusually high-publicity event for Britons. One obvious reason is that it was held…

The Consequence of Gender Inequity

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The dirty secret of the great Icelandic holiday Verslunarmannahelgi (Merchants’ Holiday) is that while many young Icelanders manage to only…

Not a Rational Decision

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A couple of American emigrants stopped by The Grapevine office this week to discuss their move, our paper, and the…

Pylsur Power!Wham!

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Sure, the Blue Lagoon is the most visited place in Iceland. Strokkur at the Geysir site spews steaming sulphur-smelling water…

Interview with Sigríður Dögg Auðunsdóttir

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Can you explain to a foreigner what exactly is going on with the banking scandal regarding privatization of Icelandic banks?…

Benign Carelessness

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Are you a better director now than when you made Nói Albinói? No, not really. The period between takes is…

LETTERS

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Dear Sir/Madam, I live in India — thousands of miles away from Iceland’s shores. Tonight there was a special Oprah…