The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia N E W S L E T T E R February 2014 XLVI:ii The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia cordially invites you to þorrablót Saturday, March 1, 2014 Time: Cocktail Hour 6 p.m.; Dinner 7 p.m.; Dancing 9 p.m. Scandinavian Centre, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC, 604-294-2777 Forréttir (Appetizers) Waiters will circulated with appetizers during the Cocktail Hour, 6-7 pm Reyktur lax með sinnepssósu á rúgbrauði; Lifrarkæfa ófan á kex; Flatkökur með marineraði síld; Tartalettur með aspas, osti og skinku; Rúlllapylsa á rugbrauði Sampling Table with: lifrapylsa, blóðmör, rúllupylsa, hákarl, harðfisk, sviðasulta, hrútspungar Buffet Multigrain Rolls & Butter; Mixed Greens with Strawberries, Basil and Pear; Balsamic – Maple Dressing; Kale, Arugula, Beets, Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans; Italian Dressing AAA Roast Beef Carved at the Table, Beef Jus and Spicy Horseradish; Hangikjöt (Smoked Lamb); Pan Roasted Chicken Breast; Choice of Sauce: BBQ, Lemon Garlic, or Mediterranean; Beef, Cheese or Mushroom Ravioli; Marinara or Alfredo Cream Sauce; Herbed Baby Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes or Jasmine Rice; Grilled Seasonal Vegetables Dessert: Vínarterta, Pönnukökur, Kleinur Beverage: Coffee, Tea After dinner Entertainment Dancing to a 6 piece band, Pizzazz 50/50 Draw Dress: Semi-Formal Cost: $4000 Students: $2500 Tickets: Leif Erickson 604-581-9767; Nina Jobin 604-277-0143. Reserve by Wednesday morning, February 26. No ticket sales at the door. Encourage your young adults to come. Good food and a real live band! All tables will be reserved. We will arrange for those who wish to sit together at the same table, or at adjoining tables, to be able to do so. Also, anyone who is coming alone, or in a small group, will be seated with compatible company. When tickets are booked, you will be asked how many people are in your party and who you might like to be seated with, or near. 1 SPORTS ScanSport meeting, February 6 (Thu), 7 pm The ScanSport Committee is looking for members Team Sports and Individualized Sports will take to help organize sports and activities based out place at the Scandinavian Centre or any place or of the Scandinavian Centre. A sports background is location convenient for the sport. not required as we have many roles to fill. If you're interested in joining, please contact: If you are not a participant in the Scandinavian Karina Ramsay, [email protected] Centre, how about participating in the Sports that or simply show up to the meetings on the first will be organized? It is great for you at any age, Thursday of each month. great for the 20 plus and for the youngsters. You don’t have to commit yourself to anything but the sport. You can contact Karin to let her know you would be interested in simply participating, or you can be one of the organizers. SPORT is amazing—it keeps you in good shape and you meet like-minded people. Sun Run 95th Icelandic National League of North America Convention, May 15 -18, 2014, Winnipeg, MB Agenda and other information will all arrive first on There are 100 rooms being held for the event with a www.inlofna.org. daily rate of $120 which includes vouchers for 2 Hotel Venue - INL Convention 2014 breakfast meals. The group rate number is (238367) Convention reservations will be the to reserve into this offer. There is also a plan in Canad-Inns - Polo Park in Winnipeg. place for overflow beyond the 100, room rate at Their website is www.canadinns.com, with the $129. central reservation line as 1-888-33-22623 (CANAD) Icelandic National League of North America and the local reservation number is 204-269-9090. #103 - 94 1st Avenue, Gimli, MB R0C 1B1 The general office phone number is 204-775-8791. Phone: 204-642-5897, Fax: 204-642-9382 Your financial support is so important to the club. We do need funds to simply operate the club and take care of upkeep to the Iceland Room and the Scandinavian Centre. Your membership helps. Icelandic Canadian Club of BC MEMBERSHIPS are now due, January 1—December 31, 2014. Please list all Members: NAMES ADDRESS including Postal Code HOME PHONE and your CELL phone (optional) EMAIL address is important for notification of unexpected events. State whether you prefer to receive your newsletter by EMAIL or REGULAR MAIL. And would you volunteer occasionally? At Special Events, Baking, Sports, etc.? One year membership is a flat $2500: Single, Senior, or Family (family consists of those living at home). Make your cheque payable to ICCBC - and mail to: Icelandic Canadian Club of BC 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 2 February 2014 To Our Seniors (55+) You are cordially invited to attend a Valentine’s Day Luncheon Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, 604-294-2777 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH 12 NOON $8.00 *only $3.00 if you bring food to share* (a plate of sandwiches or desserts) If you haven’t seen our new ‘Iceland Room’, please join us for lunch and we’ll have a visit there. If you need a ride, call Norma at 604-988-4147 We welcome Ambassador Þórður Ægir Óskarsson, Ambassador from Iceland to Canada, to the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC Þórrablót on March 1st. Ambassador Óskarsson arrived in Ottawa at the beginning of February 2013. After an early career including journalism, working with NATO and in the Foreign Ministry, he was promoted to Ambassador in 1999, and became Permanent Representative of Iceland to the OSCE, UNOV, IAEA and CTBTO. Since then, he has filled the Ambassador post in Austria, while also being accredited as Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Slovakia, and in Japan, as well as being Special Representative to the Palestinian Authority and most recently Director for Defence and Security Affairs in the Foreign Ministry. He is married to Sigurbörg Oddsdóttir and has two daughters. Icelandic Language Classes Begin Thursday, February 27 to April 17, 2014 7-9 p.m. for 8 weeks at the Scandinavian Community Centre Icelandic Room, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC Teachers will be: Gunnar Hansson and Edda Langworth People interested in taking the classes should email Gunnar Hansson ([email protected]) and include some information on whether they already have some knowledge of Icelandic or whether they think they'd be best off in the Beginners' group. Information will go on the Scandinavian Cultural Centre website as well. The cost will be $50 per 8 week session. 3 February 2014 Thor, was considered to be a son of Óðinn, but among many tribes Thor actually supplanted Óðinn as the favorite god. He is considered to be the protector of all Miðgarð, and he wields the mighty hammer Mjöllnir. Thor is strength personified. His battle chariot is drawn by two goats, and his hammer Mjöllnir causes the lightning that flashes across the sky and the rolling thunder was the rumble of his fiery chariot. Of all the deities, Thor is the most “barbarian” of the lot; rugged, powerful, and lives by his own rules, although he is faithful to the rest of the Æsir. Thor is married to Sif, a fertility goddess, with whom he had a daughter, Þrúður. He also had a mistress, the giantess Járnsaxa with whom he had two sons, Magni and Moði. Thor is helped by Þjálfi, his servant and the messenger of the gods. Thor was a good-natured, careless god, always ready for adventure, and never tired of trying his great strength. He could shoulder giant tasks with the greatest ease and slay bulls with his bare hands. For sport he sometimes rode among the cloud-veiled mountains, hurling his hammer at their peaks and cleaving them in twain. The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngríhisnir (“gap-tooth”) and Tanngnóstir (“tooth grinder”). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir. Thor wears the belt Megingjarður which doubles his already considerable strength. His hall is Bilskirnir, which is located in the region Þrúðheimur (“place of might”). His greatest enemy is Jörmungandur, the Miðgarð Serpent. At the day of Ragnarök, Thor will kill this serpent but will die from its poison. His sons will inherit his hammer after his death. From the Front to the West Coast: The youth. Even though the topic is war, Recollections of the Finnish War Veterans humour has not been forgotten. This is a documentary directed and produced in in Vancouver British Columbia about Finnish World This is a documentary about the Finnish Second War II veterans. World War Veterans, who, for some at a very young Sunday, March 9, 2014, 2 pm age, first fought the Russians and then the Germans. Blueshore Performing Arts Yet, after the war, they left the country they so Capilano University, fiercely defended to start a new life in Canada. The 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver veterans tell their stories, as they remember them, Tickets $10, Capilano University Box over six decades later. The captivating stories Office, 604-990-7810, depict the significance of home during childhood and www.capilanou.ca/centre COMING EVENTS Mar 1, Sat Þorrablót: Cocktails 6 pm, Dinner 7 pm Scandinavian Centre Mar 28, Fri Annual General Meeting, 7 pm Iceland Room, Scandinavian Centre June 21-22 (Sat/Sun) Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Scandinavian Centre 4 February 2014 Nordic Design2014: Mid-Century Modern Watch for our exciting new show set for February 23 and 24, 2014. It will replace our annual Art and Photography show and, if successful, Nordic Design will alternate years with the Art show.