Tag Archive: Iceland


ICE ON THE RUN

Filed under: Good causes, Movies, Photography, Politics — Leave a comment
August 2, 2013

CHASING ICE directed by Jeff Orlowski (USA, 2012)

Scientists can show us charts, produce statistics and even talk about the real possibility of a ‘mass extinction event’  but it is hard visual evidence that real makes you see that global warming is real.

The astonishing work of nature photographer  James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey shows what Balog calls the  “miraculous horror” of what is happening.

By documenting the collapse of glaciers in Greenland, Iceland and Alaska with time-lapse pictures we can see with our eyes what no-one has ever witnessed before.  The images are beautiful but terrifying. Continue reading →

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DREAMING OF ICELAND

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July 28, 2013

iceland

It’s 9.30 in the evening and the temperature is still over  30 degrees.  I take solace in my screen saver photograph  and nurture the dream that this time next year, if all goes to plan, I’ll be  where this was taken – Iceland.  Travelling to this country is top of my bucket list and I intend to spend a good part of the year doing some armchair travelling before taking the actual trip.

My soundtrack to get me in the zone is :

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SWEET SAMARIS SOUNDS

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June 20, 2013

This band from Iceland make me feel old.

Samaris are all still in their teens and has an album coming out via One Little Indian on July 29th.

You can download a beautifully chilled Sei A remix of the single (“Góða Tungl”)  here.

Perhaps as a nod to more mature listeners like yours truly,  the lyrics derive from 19th century Icelandic poems.  I can’t understand a word but it’s the thought that counts!

Read my review of the album at Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ here.

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HAVING SEX WITH CUCUMBERS

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June 29, 2011

cucumberContinuing a brief Icelandic theme, and a contender for bizarre story of the week.

According to the Reykjavík Grapevine (“Your essential guide to life, travel and entertainment in Iceland”) an agreement has just been signed to export a naturally occurring sex aid to Hong Kong.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson to declared that the sea cucumber can be  used to “power up the sexual prowess of men who are middle-aged” .

It seems that the Chinese can’t get enough of what they call the hai shen (sea ginseng) which they swear by as an aphrodisiac.

In other words it is a kind of natural Viagra  and certainly sounds more exotic that using a standard land cucumber as a dildo!

Related link:
Iceland-Exporting-Sea-Cucumber-As-Sexual-Aid

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ÓLAFUR ARNALDS – SAD TUNES AND BATH TUBS

Filed under: Italy, Music — Leave a comment
June 28, 2011

olafurSad tunes are not always about heartache and loss. Ólafur Arnalds wrote  a tune called Poland after a nightmare journey in Eastern Europe. The combination of bad roads, too much drink and not enough sleep was his inspiration. Similarly Ljósið, which has many online admirers swooning over its melancholy beauty, was originally written as a commission for a TV commercial for bath tubs. (The piece was subsequently rejected on the grounds that it wasn’t dumb enough to be used in an ad).

This background to these two tunes was freely conveyed to an adoring audience at Ravenna’s Rocca Brancaleone – a beautiful open air setting under the stars perfectly suited to Arnald’s delicate tunes. These anecdotes help to take some of the preciousness out of the music and defuse any exaggerated air of ethereal mystery behind the simple compositions. Continue reading →

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