Reykjavík Grapevine - jul. 2021, Side 6

This is one for all
the conspiracists
among us.
According to RÚV,
an exchange of
skins and showers
is going to happen
in the next few
days. Whatever that
means.
Is RÚV warning us of
a steamy sex party
in some public
shower? Are we
talking about some
illegal animal skin
trade in the drip-
ping undergrounds
of Reykjavík—pos-
sibly some lurid
scheme involving
dead Danish minks?
For helvede!
Or could it even be…
Shape-shi!ing liz-
ard people plotting
something dark
and steamy a!er
mutating from Bill
Gates’ (obviously
reptilian himself)
chip-infused vac-
cine?
As we under-
stand it, Reykjavík
should prepare
itself. So, sharpen
your spears
and polish your
shields––dark
times are ahead,
as shape-shi!ing
aliens dressed
in human skin
costumes swarm
our beloved local
pools for some
otherworldly
(steamy) ritual.
One better not be
in the wrong place
at the wrong time
when the reptilian
humanoids secretly
exchange their
skins for a new
look, hoping to con-
fuse us Earthlings
by further cloaking
their existence.
Make sure to alert
the Men in Black
if your friends or
family members
are acting strange
in the coming days.
You never know
with these vile
creatures!
Think we are
bullshitting you?
Well, when taking a
closer look at the
original Icelandic
heading, “Skiptast á
skin og skúrir næs-
tu daga,” it can be
literally translated
to “Change from
[sun]shine to rain
showers in the
next few days.”
What made this
whole thing so in-
triguing is Google’s
translation of the
Icelandic noun
“skin” into the
English “skins.”
I guess no evil
skin-changing
ritual is scheduled
in the next few
days––though
one can never be
sure aliens aren’t
behind all the
sudden weather
changes we’re
currently experi-
encing. AM
As in most European countries, canna-
bis is a controlled substance in Iceland.
However, recent attempts in Parlia-
ment to decriminalise cannabis use
and possession has inadvertently shed
light on some of the more antiquated
and deeply entrenched attitudes about
the plant that exist in Icelandic society.
Harm reduction
While calls for decriminalisation (not
to be confused with legalisation, which
is a whole other thing) probably extend
back as far as cannabis’ first appear-
ance in Iceland, the Pirate Party was
the first parliamentary party to take
the matter seriously and advocate for
the idea in the legislature. Things took
a more serious turn earlier this year
when it was announced that the Minis-
try of Health was examining the plau-
sibility of decriminalising cannabis for
personal consumption.
The reasoning for this is one
expressed by the Red Cross and numer-
ous other parties: harm reduction. The
idea here is that drug use should be
viewed through a lens of health care
rather than criminal practice.
This, it turned out, was too much
for at least one party to bear: the police
DANGEROUS! UNTIMELY DEATH!
Despite recent polling showing that
some 60% of Icelanders support
decriminalising cannabis, the Associa-
tion of Icelandic Drug Police bought a
full-page spread in Morgunbla!i! in
June wherein they called cannabis “a
dangerous addictive substance” that
could “cause untimely death” and must
not be decriminalised.
The ad included the names of
numerous businesses and organisa-
tions who purportedly supported this
message. However, it later came to
light that the Red Cross was named
in the ad “by mistake.” Later, it would
turn out that several other parties were
listed as supporters of the ad without
their consent.
Whether or when Iceland will
decriminalise cannabis is still an open
question. The only thing that is clear is
that any attempts at harm reduction
are going to continue to face a small
but vocal cadre of people who seem to
view cannabis as something akin to
fentanyl or crack.
Travellers tend to revel in the majestic
midnight sun of Icelandic summer, but
for some it’s not so magical. When
the skies aren’t smothered by rain
clouds, the incessant sunlight pen-
etrates the blinds of our homes and
campervans into the late hours of the
night. However, humans aren’t the only
ones dealing with the relentless rays
as the Earth’s axis tilts us closer to the
sun. We asked biologist Borgn! Katrí-
nardóttir from the Icelandic Institute
of Natural History how Iceland’s wild-
life is a!ected by the midnight sun.
“Studies have shown that many ani-
mals take advantage of the continuous
daylight hours during the short breed-
ing season at high latitudes, the extent
of which can vary between species as
well as sex and breeding stage. The
bright summer nights can extend the
available feeding time as well as time
dedicated to attracting mates, both of
which can lead to increased reproduc-
tive success. In subarctic Iceland, an
example of this would be the singing
and display flights of male birds of vari-
ous species of waders and passerines
that start in the early hours and can
be heard late into the evening during
spring and early summer; some spe-
cies might display continuous activity
during this period while for others the
circadian rhythm remains, with a short
resting period during the ‘night.’ The
latter may apply to species that rely
on invertebrates, which o!en are less
accessible during nighttime. Higher
nest attendance at night can also be
observed in birds as unattended eggs
cool o" faster during the night.” °
ASK A
Scientist
Q: How does the
summertime midnight
sun affect the wildlife of
Iceland?
Hi!h Times
Iceland is experiencin# a cultural shift
about cannabis use
Words:
Andie Sophia
Fontaine

Photo:
Adobe Stock
First 6 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07— 2021
LOST IN GOOGLE TRANSLATION
The court finds in favour of blazing it
Alien Reptoids
Taking Over The
Local Pools
shop.grapevine.is
shop.grapevine.is
shop.grapevine.is
shop.grapevine.is*
shop.grapevine.isshop.grapevine.is
Get Grapevine Merch!
Don't Hesitate!
Act Now!
* You only need to type the URL in once