Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2013, Side 4
Although I've been a vegetarian for
nearly 41 years, I appreciated the in-
formative article by Anna Andersen,
entitled "Iceland’s Post-Crash Sale –
30% OFF!" (dated 9.3.2010) at http://
www.grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/
Iceland-Post-Crash-Sale
I wonder if you'd consider writing
a similar article that would update the
content of that article to 2011 (if not
2012), including the side-by-side price
comparisons with percentage change
in price? Thanks! Mike Ullmann
Dear Mike,
Well what do you know! It just so hap-
pens Anna Andersen went ahead and
did EXACTLY THAT VERY THING for
this issue! Check it all out on page 6.
Thanks for keeping watch!
@Gunnalitla: @rvkgrapevine Dear Grapevine, I love you and I would love
you alot more if your webpage was centered and not left-aligned.
@Gunnalitla Thnx 4 the tip. We r thinking about it. We luv u 2!
Hello,
I am working on a vermicomposting
project (something with worms eat-
ing our foodscraps) and that also in-
cludes the use of newspaper as a 'bed-
ding' for our worms.
But as the compost needs to be or-
ganic, the ink in the used newspaper
also has to be of organic nature.
I was thinking of using the Reyk-
javik Grapevine for our project (after
thoroughly reading it first of course!)
and it would really help me if you
could tell us what kind of ink is used
in the printing proces?
I would especially like to know
if it's a soy-based ink or petrolium-
based ink, and if there are any heavy
metals used as color pigments.
So it might be easiest to just give me
the ink's brand names or get me in
contact with your printing office?
Takk!
Kind regards,
Goedele Vermeeren
Sólheimar
Dear Goedele,
That sounds like a really cool project,
and we wish we could be worm food for
you (because they are adorable omfg),
but unfortunately our ink is very much
petroleum-based and chock full of pig-
ment. We didn’t even know there was
such a thing as non-organic newsprint
before! Silly us. Maybe one day our front
cover will say “The Grapevine’s Gone
Organic!” Keep your fingers crossed.
Good luck with the adorable worms!
Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar
Grimsson criticized ex British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown in an interview
with Sky News whilst at Davos for plac-
ing Iceland on Britain's Terrorism list.
Personally I was grateful for Gordon
Brown and his chancellor Alistair Dar-
ling. I love visiting Iceland and try to visit
every other year. Last year I visited twice
owing to the Northern Lights. Because I
loved Iceland and everything Icelandic so
much I foolishly invested over £65,000
in an ICESAVE account. Thanks to the
actions of Gordon Brown and Alistair
Darling I received all of my money bank
promptly. An example of how much I
love Iceland is that in the november of
the year that Landsbanki et al collapsed
my partner and I visited Iceland purely
to provide some tourist Krona to the
then ailing Icelandic economy, this de-
spite the fact that at the time I still might
have lost much of my savings. Walking
down Skolavordustigur I slightly regret-
ted my actions when I saw the the post-
ers in shop windows decrying Brown
and Darling. President Grimsson, and all
Icelanders, stop blaming others for the
failures of Icelandic institutions, such as
the Icelandic banks, the Icelandic entre-
preneurs and in particular the Icelandic
financial regulators and Icelandic politi-
cians who should have prevented the col-
lapse by properly regulating the Icelan-
dic banks in the first place. Stop blaming
others and look at yourselves.
Neil Sinclair
(PS In the highly unlikely chance of my win-
ning "Most Awesome Letter" , my partner
and I are visiting Iceland in May/ June
2013 to celebrate my birthday)
Dear Neil,
Not as unlikely as you’d think!
Sorry to hear you were embroiled in the
Icesave mess! Amidst all the economic
ballyhoo and brouhaha, it’s easy to forget
that honest, well-meaning individuals
invested in Icesave and that, like most
of the Icelandic citizenry, they did not
deserve to get thrown under the bus by
a bunch of banksters. As far as looking
inwards for the cause of the collapse, you
are definitely preaching to the converted.
The truth is, being on Britain’s Ter-
rorist List just really hurt our feelings!
We were pissed off at those Landsbanki/
Icesave jerks too! Obviously that ‘Brown
is the Colour of Poo’ shirt wasn’t blam-
ing him for the collapse; it was our own
way of coping with the pain. At this point
we realise Brown and Darling did what
they did to take care of their citizens
and not wait for some kind of agree-
ment (they would have been waiting a
looooooong time…)
Thanks for still thinking this is a cool
place and continuing to visit! We call
that forgiveness. Come say hi next time
you’re in town to get your prize/birthday
present!
Say your piece, voice your opinion, send
your letters to: letters@grapevine.is
Sour grapes & stuff
Most Awesome Letter of the Issue
At the seashore the giant lobster makes
appointments with mermaids and landlubbers.
He waves his large claws, attracting those desiring
to be in the company of starfish and lumpfish.
> Only 45 minutes drive from Reykjavík
Eyrarbraut 3, 825 Stokkseyri, Iceland · Tel. +354 483 1550
Fax. +354 483 1545 · info@fjorubordid.is · www.fjorubordid.is
by the sea
and a delicious lobster
at Fjörubordid in Stokkseyri
Reykjavík
Stokkseyri
Eyrarbakki - The Seashore restaurant
Sp
ör
e
hf
.
Summer opening hours: Mon - Sun 12:00 to 22:00
MOST AWESOME LETTER
FREE ICELANDIC GOURMET FEAST!
There's prize for all your MOST AWESOME LETTERS. And it’s a scorcher! No, really! It's a goddamn
scorcher is what it is! Whoever sends us THE MOST AWESOME LETTER this issue will receive A FRIGGIN
GOURMET FEAST FOR TWO at Tapas Barinn.Did you hear that? Write in and complain about something
(in an admirable way), win a gourmet feast at one of Reykjavík's finest? THIS IS THE DEAL OF THE
CENTURY IS WHAT IT IS! What's in a 'lobster feast'? Well, one has to assume that it has lobster-a-plenty.
Is there more? Probably, but still... Gourmet feast? Wow! DON’T PANIC if your letter wasn’t picked
AWESOME LETTER. There's always next month!
Now, if you're in the market for free goodies next month, write us some sort of letter.
Give us your worst: letters@grapevine.is
4The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 2 — 2013