Interview
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Hydrogen (Brain) Power
You won the award together with two others. How does that work? The official explanation is that Professor Sigfusson gets it for the research and development of hydrogen as an energy carrier and the impact in Iceland and the world. The two…
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Pure Body – Pure Nation
Tell us a bit about the book. What I try to do in the book is to look at the relationship between Iceland and the outside world and try to find common roots for Iceland’s position on issues relating to foreign policy,…
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Fight for Your Right to Stay on the Air
So, the Mayor, huh? Andri: Yes, he is in my pocket, our new best friend. Búi: I have him on speed dial. Is it difficult to get distinguished figures like the Mayor to appear on a morning radio show on a rock…
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The Joy of Failing Miserably, or: Why Icelanders Really Are Happy
Award winning journalist Eric Weiner has seen a lot of the world. His post as a foreign correspondent for respected U.S. radio station NPR (National Public Radio) has brought him to over fifty countries, as far as Tokyo and New Delhi, covering…
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Defending the Welfare System
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, leader of political party the Leftist-Green Movement, recently released the book Við öll – Íslenskt velferðarsamfélag á tímamótum (All of Us – Icelandic Welfare Society at Crossroads). Sigfússon’s goal is to encourage people to consider certain fundamental matters facing…
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A New Worldview
Discussing the impact of global warming from the perspective of environmental planning with Trausti Valsson “It seemed that whenever I wanted to discuss global warming, people would start discussing weather changes, or changes in vegetation,” says Trausti Valsson, a professor of planning…
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Jóhann Jóhannsson: A User’s Manual
He used to play in some pretty rough rock bands. These days, Jóhann Jóhannsson doesn’t employ loud, distorted guitars to get his points across, yet reaches more ears than ever before. The following interview details the story of a certain transformation, one…
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The Optimistic Serb
The Reykjavík Grapevine met with the Serbian film director Goran Paskaljevic in a cosy downtown hotel in Reykjavík. The surroundings are a world away from his most recent films, a trilogy of sorts about Serbia during and after the war. The two…
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There is no Such Thing as a Safe Bet in Filmmaking
Arnaldur Indriðason, Iceland’s best-selling contemporary author; Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Iceland’s most successful and popular actor; and Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland’s most successful director. With the three of you being behind the movie (Mýrin), this must have been as safe a bet as you…
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Nordic Gods Alive in Reykjavik
Jörmundur Ingi, a real-life modern druid, is head of the Reykjavikur Goðar, one of two officially recognized Pagan associations in Iceland. In his position as Goði, he performs marriage and funeral services, and spreads the word of the naturalistic beliefs of ancient…
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“Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”
Jóhann Hauksson and Sigtryggur Ari Jóhannsson’s recent article in the premier issue of the magazine Ísafold sheds new light on the media law controversy two years ago. The article presents insider accounts of how former Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson attempted to manipulate…
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No Compromise, No Rules
Infamous horror director Eli Roth, a trailblazer in his own right, already has a highly publicised (at least around these parts) relationship with Iceland – he says the idea for his highly successful directorial début, the now classic Cabin Fever, came to…
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War is a Priority Consideration – Peace a Secondary
Professor Kit Christensen of Bemidji State University in Minnesota holds a doctorate in philosophy from Purdue University. His main academic focus has been political philosophy and philosophy of peace. Prof. Christensen recently taught a seminar in the philosophy department of the University…
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Culture of Constant Change
Ten months ago, Róbert Marshall was selected to oversee an exciting experiment for 365 Media. The largest media company in Iceland, was creating the 24-hour TV news station NFS. Less than a year after the station went on the air, the plug…
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Putting Pop on the Priority List
How to support the Icelandic music industry and promote Icelandic music abroad has been an issue of debate year after year with no clear answer in sight as to how to create an acceptable platform for the industry to grow. While a…
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The Mission is the Goal
“I didn’t pick Iceland. I was assigned it,” says Elder William Ferrell, 22, a native of Utah and a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose adherents are most commonly referred to as Mormons. “What happens is that…
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Guantánamo Detainees Released Into Captivity
After three years in military captivity, Rhuhel Ahmed and Asif Iqbal are touring the globe to present Michael Winterbottom’s documentary film, The Road to Guantánamo. It tells the story of these young men’s terrifying and unlikely journey from England to Pakistan, Afghanistan,…
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An Unnatural State Of Affairs
Magnús Þorkell Bernharðsson is a professor of history at Williams College, visiting his native country to teach a course at the University of Iceland. Debates rage worldwide on political events unfolding in the Middle East and Bernharðsson is here to lend his…
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A Witness to the Execution
Television reporter and aviation-enthusiast, Ómar Ragnarsson recently published an open letter in Morgunblaðið where he invited local V.I.P.s on a guided tour of the area affected by the Kárahnjúkar dam project. The people Ragnarsson specified in the letter were, along with President…
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The Icelandic Outlaw Sneaks into Beowulf
In filming Beowulf and Grendel, the director had to deal with a series of hurricane force gales, a shrinking budget, currency fluctuations, and the most imposing text in the history of the English language. He has no regrets whatsoever. /// As the…
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Perfectly Brutal Exports
Last issue, the Grapevine’s own featured cartoonist, Hugleikur Dagsson, gave us an enormous map with Icelandic horses abusing each other with anal dildos. This issue, he informs us he’s been signed to Penguin. We met with the next big thing. /// So…
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“Please Do Not Refer to Me as an Entertainer”
Jón Gnarr is most famous for his radio show Tvíhöfði, and his award-winning comedy TV show Fóstbræður – shows that established comedy in each respective medium. He has also done theatre, feature films, commercials, an animated TV show, written poetry and prose,…
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Political Change through Celebration
Most of the year, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender people are invisible to the population at large in Iceland. The Grapevine is as guilty as anyone of not covering the politics and struggles of this segment of the population. But it’s August, and…