Cream Buns, Horse & Tooth, Sugar Tax, Slow News Week, "colonized by immigrants"
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The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are:
Terrible Air Quality in Reykjavík
The last few days, with cold and still weather, saw air quality in Reykjavík plummet.
ADHD And Driving In Iceland
An Icelandic attorney wanted to bring it to the attention of the public that every so often people in Iceland loose their driver’s license because they are taking ADHD medication. The reason, they don’t have a prescription.
Horse And Tooth
A person that bought a 13 year old horse wanted to return the horse because it had an extra tooth. The case was taken to consumer court, where the buyer lost. The court pointed out that the horse seems to have lived with the extra tooth for at least a decade without issue, and therefore the extra tooth was not enough ground for returning the horse.
Progressive Party Votes New Chairman
Over the weekend the Progressive Party, on of Iceland’s oldest political parties, voted for a new chairman. The winner was Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, a former MP and minister.
Man. United Owner Says UK “Colonized by Immigrants”
Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire owner of Manchester United, said publicly that the UK had been “colonized by immigrants”. The comment received a lot of pushback in the UK, for various reasons. One of which is that Ratcliffe doesn’t even live or pay tax in the UK, but in Monaco. The comments were thought to be quite ironic to Icelanders because Ratcliffe is the single biggest landowner in Iceland, after the state, municipalities and the church, having thus, in his own way, been “colonizing” Iceland.
The Last Week In Healthcare
The past weeks have been rough for the good name of the Icelandic Health Care system and Icelandic health in general. The emergency room in Reykjavík is so full that it pretty much doesn’t function. On top of that it turns out Icelanders are way too fat, and the minister is pondering to propose a tax on sugar. Lastly, a poll revealed that 83% of Icelanders want to put ban energy drinks, so kids can’t buy them.
Cream Buns, Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday
We consume cream buns and discuss the traditions surround the last days before lent in Iceland.
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The Reykjavík Grapevine is an alternative monthly magazine published in Iceland since 2003. We bringing you the news and views on Icelandic culture and society, sprinkled with music coverage, travel content, restaurant reviews and more. More on https://www.grapevine.is
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