Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.10.2018, Síða 3

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1. október 2018 • 3
Morgunblaðið – During a television interview on
September 20, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the former
president of Iceland, stated that he had delivered
250 boxes of documents to the National Archives
of Iceland. These include journals and notebooks
that Ólafur kept during his presidency. Among other
things, he said that they shed light on why he refused
to confirm the parliamentary bill on Icesave. During
the interview, it was also revealed that the National
Archives would establish an appropriate period of
time before the documents are made public.
The former president said he had kept journals
since he was an upper secondary school student.
They contain accounts of all the most important
conversations he had during his presidency. He also
reported that when he wrote a letter to the president
of the People’s Republic of China, he had courteously
requested discussion of assistance in the weeks
preceding the banking collapse in 2008. Following
further communications, a currency agreement was
signed between the Central Bank of Iceland and
the People’s Bank of China. He said that various
European states had looked up following the visit of
a governor of the People’s Bank of China to Iceland
and thought that it would be good to start servicing
Icelanders again.
In addition, Ólafur Ragnar said that during
his visit to China in 2016, he had heard from the
central bank governor that the president of China
had ordered that China's representative on the board
of the International Monetary Fund should always
support Iceland against persecution by European
states. “Whether or not people like the discussion
about China, they should note that when the United
States and all states of Europe were against us, the
Chinese were prepared, in a very professional way,
to send the message to the rest of the world that
Iceland was important, without requesting anything
in return,” said the former president.
Reprinted with permission from Icelandic News
Briefs, published by KOM PR.
Former president gives journals and
notebooks to the National Archives
This year’s selection for
the Icelandic National
League of North
America’s Icelandic Film
Series is the award-winning
feature-length documentary,
A Force in Nature, which is
an intimate portrait of the life
and work of Icelandic sculptor,
Jóhann Eyfells.
The INLNA is now
offering this film to local
Icelandic clubs. The film
series is supported through
the generous contribution of
Donald K. Johnson, whose
funding secures the legal right
for clubs to publicly exhibit
the film.
One of the most innovative
and important sculptors of the
last half of the 20th century,
Jóhann Eyfells came to the
University of Central Florida
(formally known as Florida
Technological University)
in 1969, where he spent the
next three decades teaching
generations of students and
creating some of the most
groundbreaking artworks of
the era.
For decades, he has been
a legend in the Orlando art
community who made his
incredible presence felt on the
international art stage and, in so
doing, made an indelible mark
in the annals of modern art
history. Having been exhibited
at the Venice Biennale, the
United Nations, and the
Olympics, as well as being
featured in the collections
of illustrious museums like
the Tate in London, Jóhann
Eyfells’s artworks are
recognized worldwide as some
of the most significant aesthetic
achievements of the last half-
century. He currently lives
and works in Fredericksburg,
Texas.
Written and directed
by Hayden de Maisoneuve
Yates, this intimate portrait
profiles the indomitable spirit
of an artistic genius as he
continues to create ambitious
masterworks into the twilight
years of his life. Over a
decade in the making, this
compassionate examination
of a creative spirit provides a
glimpse into the passion and
pathos that motivates one of
the most innovative talents of
the era.
At ninety-five years of age,
Jóhann Eyfells's work ethic and
drive to indefatigably explore
the mysteries of the universe
through his sculptural practice
is guaranteed to inspire anyone
who would engage the artistic
struggle to find meaning in the
pursuit of aesthetic discovery.
Local clubs wishing to
include the film in their club’s
activities should contact Rob
Olason at robolason@aol.
com for more details. The film
trailer is available on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/213382491.
A FORCE IN NATURE IS INLNA’S FEATURE FILM THIS YEAR
Rob Olason
Bellingham, WA
TV2 News – Hrafnkell V. Gíslason,
managing director of the Post and Telecom
Administration reports that Iceland is far
behind other countries on Internet security.
He said it was necessary to launch a major
campaign to strengthen defences against
cyber- attacks, which are now daily events in
the digital world. Nearly all companies and
all agencies and institutions can expect to be
targets for such an attack at some point.
Hrafnkell said it is very difficult to assess
the extent of cyber-attacks on Icelandic
companies. “We can assume that we are in
precisely the same position as other countries
where constant cyber-attacks go on every
day year-round. We can assume that this also
occurs in Iceland,” he acknowledged.
There was a recent cyber-attack on
the Icelandic Meteorological Office that
stopped individual weather stations outside
the Reykjavík area from transmitting data.
“The Met’s sensor system monitors various
conditions of nature in Iceland. The weather,
volcanoes, and many other things. If the sensors
had not worked when they were needed, it
would have been deadly serious,” he warned.
Hrafnkell said that Icelanders must
substantially strengthen their Internet security.
He is hopeful about a parliamentary bill now
being drafted in the Ministry of Transport and
Local Government. He said it is necessary
to harmonize parties in coordinating
countermeasures for cyber-attacks. “We lag
far behind our neighbouring countries in this
respect. Many other countries have allocated
substantial funding and time and manpower
to this work. In Iceland, this is still very
limited,” he said.
Reprinted with permission from Icelandic
News Briefs, published by KOM PR.
Iceland far behind on Internet security GOVERNMENT OF ICELAND
SCHOLARSHIP
(Icelandic as a Second Language)
Approximately 15 scholarships are available
for the 2019-2020 academic year.
These scholarships are intended for students of modern Icelandic.
Students must have completed at least one year of University study,
and must also have prior knowledge of Icelandic according to the requirements
for BA study in Icelandic as a second language
(Icelandic knowledge on level with the courses Icelandic Online 1 and 2).
The scholarship covers registration fees and a monthly stipend
that should cover room and board for one person from Sept to April.
A dorm room will be available to rent.
Applications must be received in Iceland on or before December 1, 2018.
Detailed information and application form are available at:
www.inlofna.org (under Scholarships – Iceland, Ministry of Education)
PHOTO: VITRUVIUS CREATIONS
Íslandvarðan, a sculpture by Jóhann Eyfells in Reykjavík