Lögberg-Heimskringla - 14.01.2005, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 14 January 2005
The Gimli diet and exercise program
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Managing Editor
Alarge part of four men
in Manitoba will have
disappeared at this time
next year if everything goes as
they have planned. The deci-
sion was made after they found
out that they don’t fit into most
of their clothes anymore, have
difficulties getting into their
cars and have problems en-
tering toilets on airplanes, to
name a few hindrances in their
lives due to too much food in-
take and too little exercise.
An Icelandic law student
at the Bifröst School of Busi-
ness in Iceland is studying at
the Faculty of Law at the Uni-
versity of Manitoba in Winni-
peg this school year. He spent
the holiday season in Gimli,
and although he enjoyed his
stay there very much, it com-
pletely destroyed his fitness
program. In the fall he lived
on a special diet and exercised
regularly, and as a result he lost
10 kg, about 22 pounds, while
strengthening his body. While
in Gimli he ate excessively with
his friends, exercised very little
and as a result he gained his
former weight back and even a
little bit more.
After New Year’s Eve din-
ner, the Icelandic student ex-
pressed his concems regarding
his weight and fitness. He ex-
plained how his program had
worked and suggested that a
new effort should be started in
the new year.
Earlier the same day, yours
truly had received an e-mail
from WestJet. The company
thanked him for choosing to
fly with WestJet in January
but reminded him of restric-
tions regarding weight. “As it
will soon be the season of ex-
cess (too much eggnog, fruit-
cake...).” He did not need more
reminders and jumped on the
health bandwagon, as did the
other two heavyweights and
long-term residents of Gimli.
The next step was to decide
on the procedure. The heaviest
of the four and the only one not
bom in Iceland said it was un-
fair to the others to decide to
lose so-and-so many pounds or
kilos. They had another piece
of a chocolate cheesecake and
there was the solution. Each
man should loose a portion
of his weight. 10% in three
months was decided to be the
magic number. A man of 200
pounds should lose 20 pounds.
The four persons in ques-
tion weigh about 800 pounds to-
gether. If the plan goes accord-
ing to schedule they will have
lost about 80 pounds by Easter,
which is half the weight that
each of them should weigh.
What they find a bit scary is
that one of them may disappear
by Christmas if they extend the
program. That’s why they de-
cided to have a feast at Easter
and delay further decisions re-
garding the Gimli diet and ex-
ercise program until then.
But now life consists main-
ly of regular exercise, water,
fruits, vegetables, protein-bars,
and chicken and turkey breasts.
Did somebody mention sweets,
ice cream, muffins and dough-
nuts? Not in this group of four
determined Icelanders and a
Canadian of Icelandic descent.
Not yet.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
I enjoy all your expanded
coverage — the articles, par-
ticularly the many great ac-
complishments of Icelanders,
also all the extra colour photos
and pictures of persons. Is there
scope to add some more of the
Western provinces and extraor-
dinary happenings in Iceland?
Whenever I hear of L’Anse
aux Meadows I always think
how great and deserving it
would be if UNESCO had re-
named that site “Icelandic Land-
ing” or something similar, such
as “Leif’s Landing” — better
the former. Your February 21,
2004 issue featured an article
on page 11 which referred to
this site as “Straumfjörður.”
If I remember correctly, the
President of Iceland said in an
article in your paper one or two
years ago something like “we
shouldn’t be shy, or reticent,
about publicizing that Iceland-
er Leifur Eiríksson discovered
North America.”
Bankers & Traders
INSURANCE EROKí-RS ÍNC
Jeff Kristjanson
Private Insurance Broker
HOME * ACIO • COMMERCIAL
10203-139 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5N 3W2
Telephone (780) 451-5755
Fax (780) 451-5110
www.bankersandtraders.com
I would like to investigate
with UNESCO and prevail
upon them for a name change
recognizing Iceland. Possibly
this has already been done. I
think it would be worthwhile
for the Icelandic National
Leauge to look into this matter
with UNESCO, and I would be
glad to hear from supportive in-
terested persons.
All four of my grandpar-
ents came from Iceland in the
1870s. One received the Order
of the Falcon. I visited Iceland
in 1999 and my langafi’s grave
atJKirkjubol cemetery last sum-
mer after the Gimli íslending-
adagurinn.
Thank you.
Thomas R. Sveinsson
Salmon Arm, BC
* * *
Dear Editor:
As a member of the Ed-
monton Icelandic Society I look
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor Street
Winnipeg R3G 1R2
204-772-7444
www.mts.net/~flcwin
Worship with us
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Michael Kurtz
forward to receiving my copy
of the Lögberg-Heimskringla
each month.
As I read through the De-
cember issue I was pleasantly
surprísed to see your article
regarding the Falcons hockey
tearn and the young descen-
dants of team member Bobbie
Benson.
As I am also related to Bob-
bie (great-uncle), I would very
much like to make contact with
either of the families. I have just
this year begun to assemble the
Benson family tree and, having
left Winnipeg in 1954, have not
had contact with Benson de-
scendants for a lot of years.
Would it be possible for
you to help me make contact
with either the Firth or Gold-
hawk families?
Thanks in advance.
Glenn Benson
Edmonton, AB
Readers wishing to contact
Mr. Benson are welcome to in-
quire to Lögberg-Heimskringla
via phone or e-mail.
* * *
Dear Editor:
Happy New Year to you
and all of your staff at Lögberg-
Heimskringla.
I have started the year by
cleaning out some of my old
papers. I came across some let-
ters that had been sent to me
years ago by an old friend and
Winnipeg neighbour, the late
Martha DeJong Knapp of Cali-
fomia.
The letters had been sent
to her by Solveig Sveinsson.
They are dated 1969 and Mrs.
Sveinsson was then 92 years
old. According to the letters,
Mrs. Sveinsson was a writer but
had lived as a child near Gimli.
She trained as a teacher in Win-
nipeg and married an American
and lived in Blaine, Washing-
ton. She mentions a son in Chi-
cago.
If any of your readers know
of this family and are inter-
ested in these letters, I would
be glad to hear from them at
Agnescomack @ aol.com.
Thank you.
Bless,
Agnes Bardal Comack
Winnipeg, MB
* * *
On January 14, 1888, 117
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