Lögberg-Heimskringla - 29.05.1992, Blaðsíða 1

Lögberg
neimsKringia
North America’s lcelandic
Weekly Newspaper
Lögberg Stofnað 14. janúar 1888 Heimskringla Stofnað 9. september 1886
Inside this week:
PAGE
Visiting with the past, by Don Gislason..................2
American Scandinavian Society
Annual Cultural Awards.................................3
lceland Diary, by Edith Bjornsson ...................4 & 5
Upcoming events..........................................6
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106.Árgangur Föstudagur 29. maí 1992 Númer 20
106thYear Publications Mail Registration No. 1667 Friday, 29 May 1992 Number 20
Young Canadian
Committed to Rugby

Icelandic
News
ícelandic in Budapest:
An experimental class in modem fce-
landíc wíll be taught at the Nordic
Department of the ELTE University in
Budapest, Hungary, during the 1992
spring semester. Danish, Norwegian,
Swedish andOíd lcelandicStudieshave
been taught at the Ðepartment m the
past. In February of thís year, eleven
students began tearníng lcelandic,
which was far more than members of
the Department had been expecting.
Minister at the market:
O m a n ’ s
Minister of
Físheries,
Sheik Mo
h a m m e d
bin Abdulla
bin Zaher
AI - H i n a í,
wasrecently
in iceland
acquainting
Híhiself wíth
the coun-
try's físhen
gPI ies. He vís-
ited the fish market in Hafnarfjörður,
where littfe was going on. This the
Míníster understood quíte wefl ín view
of the recent bad weather, which has
notallowedforanyfishing. intheabove
photo the Míníster examines a tub of
físh roe which was about to be auc-
tioned off.
The gap »s widening:
According to Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir,
lcefand's Minister of Socíal Affairs, the
gap between the rích and the poor ín
lceland ís wideníng, and the highest
íncome earners are makíng 14 times
more tha n those at the lower end of the
scale.THe Minister also saíd that by
lookíng at the dístribution of íncome
ffom 1987 to 1990, it becomes ciear
that low and moderate income earners
are receíving less, while high income
earners are recetving more.
Robert E. Pedersen in lceiand:
Canada's Ambassador to (cetand, Mr.
Robert E, Pedersen,
recently visíted the
country to acquaint
himseif with lcelandic
matters, and to discuss
with offícials issues
which areimportantto
:i both countries. Mr.
Pedersen is also Cana
da's Ambassador to
Norway and resides at
tíie Canadian Embassy ín Oslo. Hts
wife, GeraídineTheresa Pedersen, isa
Westemlcelander. Hermother, Sigriður
Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, was born at
isatjörður, but moved to Canada ín
1926. Transiated frotn icdandic
newspapar*. H.K.O.j
Rugby, though a very popular sport
in some parts of the world, has never
promised to become a major sport in
Canada; but perhaps Leif Carlsson will
do something about that.
Leif has already demonstrated ex-
cellence in more familiar sport, and
may well have what it takes to help
Canada excel in rugby. Leifwon a Gold
Medal at the 1989 B.C. Winter Olym-
pics in Basketball, and since then has
been an All Star every year during High
School. HeplayedfortheB.C. AllStars
in the Canadian High School Champi-
onships, played in Ontario and toured
as The Happiest Man in the World,
CircusPeríormers’Bar, Marsh Buming
and soon to be released The Pagan
Wall, will be visiting the Ukraine and
Russia at the end of this month.
Arnason, along with the Prairie
Theatre Exchange’s outgoing exec-
utive producer Colin Jackson and in-
coming general manager Cherry
Karpyshin is part of
a delegation which
will arrange ex-
changes of stage pro-
ductions. Arnason
has written two plays
for PTE, and is joining
its officials because
he has connections
from previous reading
tours of the former
Soviet Union. In May
and June of last year
he toured the area
along with three
other Canadian au-
thors.
During the 19-day
trip, the delegation
will visit Moscow,
Odessa, Kiev and
possibly Budapest,
Hungary. InMoscow
the Southem U.S. as a B.C. All Star.
Three years ago he began playing
rugby and, in hisfírstyear, he playedfor
B.C. in the Canadian Championships,
which they won, and Leif was selected
to the All Star team. He was declared
"Man of the Match”, although he was
the youngest player, at 17. Since then ,
he has toured Britain as a member of
the Canadian Jimior Team and has
played each year in the Canadian Cham-
pionships, where B.C. teams have won
each year.
Although Canada was rated fífteenth
in the last Rugby World Cup, they man-
already done a successful tour of
the U.S. In 1989 the Spartakovskoya
Theatre company received rave
reviews for its perf ormances in Chicago
and Los Angeles.
“ I am looking forward to this trip
and witnessing the changes that have
taken place since my stay there last
year,” says Amason.
aged to rise to fífth place, which was a
remarkableachievement. Itwas decided
then that, because many of the players
would be retired by the time of the next
World Cup, in 1995, extra training
should be given to the younger players
who may be representing Canada at
that time.
Leif was the fírst chosen for the pro-
gram and was offered a job, as well as
training, in New Zealand, a country
that is mgby mad, and is home to some
of the finest players and the best coaches
in the world.
Leif has been over there since Febru-
ary and has been working on farms and
painting houses. He has been staying
with a different New Zealand family
each month and has been treated “roy-
ally”. He said the level of competition
has been much higher than in Canada
because young men are taught the game
as they enter the school system and
most of the Kiwi heroes are rugby play-
ers. One of every ten New Zealand men
is involved somehow in organized
mgby. Nonetheless, Australia won the
last World Cup.
Leifis theSon ofGrantandMaureen
Carlsson. Grant has been an active
memberofthelcelandicCanadian Club
ofB.C. for a number ofyears.
Upcoming
Beck Lectures
at The University of Victoria
The next Beck Lecturer is Haraldur Bessason, Presi-
dent of the University of AJkureyri ín Iceland, who will
be in Victoria June 16-19, Mr, Bessason's first lecture,
entitled Some Distinguishing Peatures of lcelmdic-
Canadian Literature will be given on June 17, at 8:00
p,m., at Clearihue C305, and will be foUowed by a
receptiött; the secondlecture, Immartality—ItsBestowal
mdAitainmentin Old Iceimdic Heroic Litera ture, wUi
be held June 18, at 11:00 a.m. at Clearihue C 117; and
the last lecture, Law md Morality in Old Icelandic
Historícal and Semi-historícal Uterature, will be held
June 19, at 11:00 a.m., also at Clearihue C 117,
Professor, author
David Arnason
to visit Russia and the Ukraine
David Arnason, a professor at the
English Department at the University
of Manitoba and author of such books
they will be dealing with the
Spartakovskoya Theatre — a Russian
experimental theatre — which has