Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2007, Side 2

P_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 05_YEAR 05_MAY 4_MAY 17
The Reykjavík Grapevine crew
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Vesturgata 5, 101 Reykjavík
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The Reykjavík Grapevine Staff
Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / publisher@grapevine.is
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Contributing writers: Haukur Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is
Ian Watson
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Proofreader: Jane Victoria Appleton
On cover: Björk interview
Illustration: Gunni and Birkir
Printed by: Prentsmiðja Morgunblaðsins printing press
# of copies: 30.101.
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As I watched an historic part of Reykjavík
burn down, about two weeks ago at the
time of writing, I felt a little sad, both for the
people who lost valuables in the fire, and for
the history that was lost.
I was even more saddened when I saw
Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, Mayor of Reykjavík;
announce an hour after the fire started that
the burning houses would be rebuilt in their
original state. No questions asked. I guess, to
some extent, this showed strong leadership
qualities on his behalf. There was no fuss, no
hesitation, there was just Vilhjálmsson, look-
ing very much like a person of authority in a
borrowed uniform from the Reykjavík Fire De-
partment, making a unilateral decision that
could affect the city tremendously, especially
after it came to light that his quick decision-
making could cost the city 400,000,000 ISK.
Vilhjálmsson’s supporters have lauded
his ability to make a quick and decisive de-
cision. In their minds, this is the perfect ex-
ample of what his party, the Independence
Party, dubbed ‘action politics’ as opposed
to the ‘discourse politics’ that were suppos-
edly practiced by the former Mayor, Ingibjörg
Sólrún Gísladóttir of the Reykjavík Coalition.
And, again, I suspect on some level they are
right. My understanding of ‘discourse poli-
tics’ is exactly that there is a public discourse,
a democratic process that should be followed
before making major decisions that will ul-
timately affect the development of the city.
‘Action politics’ as practiced by Vilhjálmur
Vilhjálmsson, are more akin to dictatorship.
Instead of ‘one man, one vote’ we have ‘one
man, one single decision’. That was not the
sort of action I was looking for.
Issue six is the first of the summer issues.
Regular readers of the Grapevine will notice
some changes to the magazine, and more
changes will be forthcoming in the next is-
sue. We are moving into a fortnightly cycle of
publication and extending the magazine to
56 pages. As you can imagine, this will more
than double my workload, but as always, I
will gladly suffer through it for your enjoy-
ment, dear readers. But, some help is on the
way. Sparky young summer interns will be
onboard soon, which will hopefully make my
life a little easier, although there are no guar-
antees – the nimble youngsters might just as
well prove to be too unruly to control for a
man of my age.
From the Editor’s Chair
Articles
05 Extolling the Virtues of a Hot Bath
An opinion by Haukur S. Magnússon
05 So, how do I like Iceland?
An opinion by Gabriele R. Gudbjartsson
06 Elections From the Journalist’s Standpoint
An interview with Arna Schram
08 Why Should I Vote for Your Party?
Candidates define their Party’s Policy
10 A Modern Treasure Hunt
Geocaching in Iceland
1 The Most Expensive Cigarette I Have Ever Smoked
An opinion by Páll Hilmarsson
14 Vitality and Relevance
An interview with Swede Max Dager, Director of the Nordic House
4 The Best Depressing Music of the 90s
Features
01 The Hidden Björk Interview
16 Reykjavík Burns
Music & Nightlife
18 CD Reviews
0 An Ample Dose of Happiness
Nouvelle Vague at the Reykjavík Art Museum
0 The Best Band Most People Don’t Know About
Concerts at Café Hljómalind
Outside Reykjavík
6 Short Day Trip to the South Coast
8 Full Circle - Low Budget
A hitchhiker’s story
info.
B01 Listings
B06 Vesturport: “A Bunch of Divas”
B10 Reykjavík Arts Festival
B1 Food Reviews
B13 Bezt í Heimi: The Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park
B15 Free Legal Counselling
B15 Design Guide to Reykjavík