Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.06.2005, Blaðsíða 4

4 « Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 17 June 2005
Walking the dog in the future
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Managing Editor
4 4 I "V ogs are our
1 friends,” two
J—J young girls of Ice-
landic descent say in their ad
hanging on the bulletin board
of the bakery in Gimli, Manito-
ba. They are advertising a dog-
walking service, and the cost is
$1 for walking and $1.50 for
walking and brushing.
When I looked at the names
of these “dog-lovers,” I thought
of how many names I have been
given, although I have always
had the same official name. I
was baptized Steinþór and I
am the son of Guðbjartur, i.e.
Guðbjartsson. In my passport
my name is Steinþór Guðbjarts-
son. Since the letters “þ,” “ó”
and “ð” do not exist in English
I have to use “th,” “o” and “d”
instead. Thus, on my Canadian
work permit and other Cana-
dian documents, I am Steinthor
Gudbjartsson.
Looks and sounds easy to
me, but not to others. In Can-
ada, it is common to shorten
names and therefore I quite of-
ten go by the name Stein. The
pronunciation depends on the
speaker. For example, people
of Scottish descent pronounce
it as it would be written Steene.
A sample of written versions of
my name are Steithor, Steinpor,
Steinbor, Fteinbor, Guobjarts-
son, Guobjartson, Guoojarts-
son, Guoojartson, Guobartsson,
Guobartson.
The newly crowned Cana-
dian Miss Universe is officially
the most beautiful woman in
the world, and she is not only
beautiful — she can also read
upside down as well as down-
side up. I wonder what comes
to her mind when she comes
across the name Fteinbor Gud-
bjarstfon.
A few people like my name
and respect it. Recently, I over-
heard a conversation about me.
“Do you know that his
name, Steinthor, is the stron-
gest name in the Icelandic lan-
guage,” one said.
“Yes, I do,” the other an-
swered, “and I’m going to name
my dog after him.”
I did not say anything, and
I did not bark. However, I won-
dered who would be the dog-
lovers, and walk me, the dog, in
the unforeseen future, at a cost
of $1 for walking and $1.50 for
walking and brushing.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Earlier this month, your
achievement as editor of Lög-
berg-Heimskringla was duly
recognized by the wider corn-
munity of ethnic publications in
Canada. We congratulate you on
this well-deserved honour.
Margrét Björgvinsdóttir
and Haraldur Bessason
former editors of Lögberg-
Heimskringla
Toronto, ON
* * *
Dear Editor:
Til hamingju. Congratula-
tions to L-H editor, Steinþór
Guðbjartsson, who has made
us proud! The Canadian Ethnic
Joumalists’ and Writers’ Club is
awarding him for excellence in
ethnic print and the award will
be presented to him in Toronto
at the 27th Annual Awards Gala
on June 24, 2005.
Few of us know the efforts
put in by Steinþór. The L-H
staff, Board and volunteers are
privy to that information on a
daily basis. His energy level is
astounding — his interest in the
whole scope of the readership is
evident. No longer are we read-
ing only “Manitoba,” but rather
the entire North American and
Icelandic news.
Our subscribers are far and
wide in geography, and we are
now reaching them. The change
in the output, from a weekly 8-
page edition to a semi-monthly
16-page paper has proven to be
popular.
Steinþór assumed the job
of L-H Editor in March 2004,
stepping into a position that was
held by the late Lillian Vilborg
MacPherson. Lillian had won
the hearts of the L-H subscrib-
ers, board and staff. She was that
special. Needless to say, Steinþór
led gently into a new focus that
he believed would work. And so
it did!
Over the years, we have had
wonderful editors, each with
their own agenda and all of them
becoming friends to us. How-
ever, never since the inception
of Lögberg and Heimskringla
have we been recognized at this
level.
Evelyn Thorvaldson
Winnipeg, MB
* * *
Dear Editor:
Thank you for the fine job
you are doing with the paper.
We particularly enjoyed the pa-
per that featured the North Da-
kota communities, since that’s
my home area. My 93-year-
old mother has recently moved
from her home in Mountain,
ND to an assisted living com-
munity here in Sait Lake City.
ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR ICELANDIC HERITAGE?
Do you want to see it preserved for your
children and grandchildren ?
Are you a member ofyour local lcelandic club?
Don't know where they are or who to contact?
Check out our website at www.inlofna.org
or for more information, contact Rosa in our INL office.
Telephone: (204) 642-5897 emall: inl@mts.net
If you don't have a club in your area
but are interested in forming one, please call the INL office.
WOIJLDN'T YOIJR AMMA AND ATl BE PROUD7
She Iooks forward to each edi-
tion of the paper and having us
go through it with her cover to
cover.
Thanks again.
George and Sandra Wright
Salt Lake City, UT
* * *
Dear Editor:
The paper improves all the
time. I really appreciate learning
about the various areas where
there are people of Icelandic de-
scént. The personal stories such
as the one about Harold Einarson
are just great. Job well done.
Marilyn Bjornson Strachan
Nelson, BC
* * *
Dear Editor:
The paper has improved a
lot this year. I like reading about
people of Icelandic descent and
how they are doing in different
areas.
Ólína Sigurgeirsdóttir
Reykjavík, Iceland
* * *
Dear Editor:
My husband Gissur and I
have enjoyed Lögberg-Heim-
skringla in the past. Now you
have made the paper even more
interesting — recipes, news from
Iceland and of course, Canada.
We had visited Gimli, Arborg
a few years past. The beautiful
Provincial Hotel on Hecla Island
was very enjoyable. The very
best of luck and keep doing what
you are doing with L-H.
Best regards,
Sigrid Brynjolfson
Lincolnwood, IL
* * *
Dear Editor:
I enjoy the paper, especially
articles by Steinþór Guðbjarts-
son, which are very informative
and to the point.
A.H. Helgason
Houston, TX
* * *
Dear Editor:
I must say, we thoroughly
enjoy all aspects of your news-
paper, but we do especially look
forward to your editions that fea-
ture the various Iceland-Canadi-
an cities across North America.
We also look forward to reading
about all the very talented and
intelligent young people receiv-
ing scholarships each year.
Deanna Isleifson
Winnipeg, MB
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