Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.06.2009, Síða 4

Sour grape of the month
A case of POLAR BEER for your thoughts.
We're not gonna lie to you: we really love us some beers. Some folks
would call it a problem, but beer never gave us any problems. In fact,
over the years, it's solved most of 'em. A frosty glass of cold, frothy,
bubblicious, golden-tinted beer has consistently failed to let us down.
In the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson: "Mmm... Beer..."
Now, since we're real pleasant and giving folks here at the Grapevine,
we thought we'd share some of that wonderful POLAR BEER with
you, our readers. Henceforth, until the end of days (or our Polar Beer-
sponsorship program, whichever comes first), we will reward one
MOST EXCELLENT LETTER with a case of the Polar Beer. You read
right. A full case of beer. At your disposal.
Give us your worst: letters@grapevine.is
(light)
Say your piece, voice your opinion,
send your letters to
letters@grapevine.is
04
Letters
MOST AWESOME LETTER:
Sour grapes
and stuff
THE ART OF FAILURE
A call for stories for a documentary about
the Icelandic financial crisis
Dear Grapevine readers,
currently I am planning a documentary
about the financial crisis in Iceland and
stories of hope connected to the crisis. The
working title is THE ART OF FAILURE. I
am looking for individuals who have lost a
lot during the last months and have been
forced to change their outlook on life.
Over decades many of us have been defin-
ing ourselves through success in our jobs
and through our material acquisitions. To-
gether with the financial crisis comes iden-
tity crisis. People are losing their jobs and
their goods, are falling into debt, crashing
down the career ladder and many dreams
of wealth and material hope are shattered.
What happens to our identities if they were
built upon success and a sense of failure
takes over our lives? How do individuals
cope with failure?
This is a call for people to tell their story of
loss and suffering and how they manage to
endure. What has changed, what gives you
hope? Friends, humor, family, love, art or
just the simple things in life? What positive
side effects did the crisis bring? Has the
crisis changed your outlook on life or your
sense for the meaning of life? Is it possible
at all to think positive if you've lost every-
thing from a material point of view? The
stories don't have to be epic, they can also
be simple, from funny to sad, everything is
welcome. Maybe the crisis helped you lose
a job you didn't really like in the first place.
Or maybe it has helped some individuals
strengthen their family ties or rediscover
some old activities which don't cost money.
The plan is to gather stories and then travel
to Iceland during the course of the year to
interview those willing to tell their story in
front of a camera. Please mail your stories
and opinions to b.bjarnason@gmx.net
Thank you very much in advance.
Benedikt Bjarnason, Cologne/ Germany
Dear Benedikt,
Thank you for your letter. Your project
sounds real interesting – a different take
on a subject that’s already becoming kinda
old. Now, readers: You heard the man. He’s
doing an interesting project! Go write him
some letters. Now.
Hidey ho! I visited Iceland for the first time
last week and loved it there! At the start of
the week I came across your newspaper
in the hotel lobby and found it REALLY
helpful and it reminded me a lot of 'NOW
Magazine' in Toronto, where I'm from. Just
wanted to say thanks for putting out such
an awesome free newspaper and give you a
link to some of my pics and comments. You
guys all seem to have a great sense of hu-
mor so I'm hoping you won't find any of my
photos or comments offensive. :) Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=95
109&id=657846329&l=804fde9375
CHRIS MCSPURREN
p.s. Your country is frikkin' amazing! Sooo
beautiful - I'm still on a vacation high. The
free walking tour by GoEcco was great too!
:)
Dear CHRIS MCSPURREN,
Thanks for the pics, letter and praise. You
should write more often – we miss you al-
ready. The streets of Reykjavík are lined
with grown men crying.
Here is a brief rundown of the photos, for
those of you readers out there who cannot be
bothered to type in the ridiculous FB URL
(I’m not sure it’s really worth it – typing in
the LOLcat Cheezburger page address takes
a lot less effort, and, frankly, they’re cuter
than CHRIS MCSPURREN).
You know what. On second thought, I’m
not going to write a “witty” rundown of
CHRIS’S photo album to try and be funny.
I looked over it again; a lot of the pics are
actually fine work. And CHRIS’s “amus-
ing comments” are actually sometimes
kinda amusing and not really colonialist
or anything. In fact, CHRIS comes off like
real likeable guy. Heck, now I’m crying too.
Come back, CHRIS.
We miss you.
Dear Grapevine,
In relation to this summer's festivities on
the Westmann Islands, I just wondered if
you could confirm the actual dates that the
festival will be taing place upon this year.
We wouldnt wish to arrive with our puffin
nets in vain.
Thank you and bless,
The English Contingent
Dear The English Contingent,
would you please stop writing to us about
that festival. We have work to do around
here – look it up on the goddamn internet
or something.
God in the 21st Century
Apparently Malraux was right when he pro-
phetized that the 21st Century would either
be religious or it would not be, faced with
the modern godless future projected by
Fukuyama. In his book "God is Back," The
Economist editor J. Micklethwait considers
the return of God to societies and politics
and the global surge of religion based on
real data such as: the increase in pilgrim-
ages and adult catholic confirmations on
the old continent; religious controversies
in news media; or the bountiful creation of
church-houses all over China alongside ris-
ing church attendance. It is true that God
doesn't turn away from man, but rather
consistently leans towards him to benefit
him and show him the path to heaven for
which he was created. It depends on man
to accept God's invitation to become ever
more divine by rejecting his baser instincts
with the help of God's grace.
Eva N Ferraz
Dear Eva,
thank you for your letter. I want to ask, are
you referring to a specific god, or just any
god in general? My favourite god is prob-
ably Cthulhu, of the ancient ones. He has
real cool tentacles. Too bad about that whole
“evoking rage and terror and joyful mass
murder and the abandonment of morals”
when he finally rises from the ancient un-
derwater city of R'lyeh. But he does have
very cool tentacles. Do you think he’s the
god that’s back, according to the book?
Cuz if he is, I’m pretty frightened.
Since a while I live at Iceland. I enjoy life here and even so the delicacies you can buy here
to eat. Lately I went to the supermarket and bought some "rullupylsur", thinking it is a
sort of lamb meat. But then I read on the packing, it is made of "Dilka-meat". So I went
to a nice Icelander and asked which animal a "Dilka" is. My Icelandic isn t́ so good yet.
She said she didn t́ know it either. So we guessed along what a Dilka-animal is. She said
it might mean a special way of production, while I thought it could mean mixed sorts of
meat..
But we both couldn t́ definitely exclude that there is not a Dilka-animal here at Iceland.
Are there Dilkas at Iceland and if so how do they look like. Please let me know.
P.S.: I know you eat whale and shark and puffin here. But you wouldn t́ dare to eat up a
whole animal species without the world even let to know it, would you?
Never mind the Dilkas, kveðja Katharina
Dear Katharina,
Sshhh... don’t tell anyone about the mystical Dilka. If the save the whales folks find out
about those super-cute and tasty li’l critters (and let’s not forget about their awesome
personalities), we’ll have to stop senselessly slaughtering them, bathing in their cute and
tasty blood and gobbling them like so much minke. So stay quiet.
PS – I would make this our most awesome letter, but I fear drawing attention to the Dilkas
by doing so.
PPS – Aw, what the hell, no one reads this stuff anyway. Drop us a line for some free beers.
They go well with Dilka
Welcome Card
Reykjavík
Enjoy the Thermal Pools, Museums,
Public Transport and discounts.
24 / 48 / 72 hour cards - Great Value For Money
Sold at the Centre and most Reykjavík hotels.