May 2009
1 post
Hollywood Listens
According to The Iceland Review, Hollywood is taking my advice about making Iceland the new Canada.
February 2009
1 post
Goodwill From One Tiny Island To Another (If...
hello and thank you for your work….. i am an australian boy reading about the Icelandic girl “magga sigga” i dont have much money or work either, but i do have an overly large heart coupled with a wider than wide smile…. pls send a chunk to her on my behalf. as for the others in the icelandic populace, i send good vibes to all… sure that wont fill their bellies,...
January 2009
1 post
Interview with an Icelander: Magga Sigga
When I posted a letter from a French guy offering his apartment to a French-speaking Icelander while he was traveling the world, only one person responded. Her name was Magga Sigga. She didn’t take the apartment (perhaps she thought it was too good to be true… or maybe she wasn’t totally fluent in French), but she did agree to an interview.
Adopt an Icelander: Comment ça va?...
December 2008
3 posts
You Know it's Bad When "Sound of Music" Sales Are... →
Is Whole Foods an Icelandic Company?
I always thought Whole Foods was an Austin, Texas based company. But doesn’t this:
look like a disguised version of:
??
It could be a coincidence, but… come on.
AFP: Iceland whale meat to arrive in Japan: report →
Score one for Iceland. Japan (the Iceland of Asia) is going to start importing whale meat from Iceland (the Japan of Europe). This will be great for both countries. Iceland gets valuable yens while Japan gets perhaps the most delicious meat in the world without releasing the tsunamis of blood. The article doesn’t mention this, but I’m sure Japan is looking to get some of that puffin...
November 2008
10 posts
Do Icelanders Have Anything to be Thankful For?
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays like President’s Day that probably doesn’t mean too much to people outside of the United States. But that doesn’t mean that other countries don’t have anything to be thankful for.
Canada is thankful for its proximity to The United States (now that Obama won). Mexico is thankful for its burgeoning reputation as the go-to country for...
EU mulls early warning system for threats linked... →
Great Britain isn’t going to like this. The EU is considering a warming mechanism for suspects linked to terrorism, and it’s going to be based on the Schengen Information System, “a secure database used by 27 European countries — 24 EU member states plus Iceland…”
No doubt Gordon Brown is going to wonder why an unrepentent terrorist state is involved in a...
Visit Iceland -- It's On Sale - Forbes.com →
If you didn’t know, Iceland is cheaper for foreigners now.
FT.com / UK - Iceland's rescue package flounders →
Travel | Viking ingenuity Iceland's best asset |... →
“My first view of Iceland, through my porthole, was of a group of isolated, whitewashed buildings, hunkered down against the wind and rain, on a hill overlooking Reykjavik harbor. All of the romance of the Viking sagas, Leif Ericson, ruthless and determined to build a settlement on this inhospitable volcanic island was, for me, represented in these humble, strong and starkly beautiful...
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Icelandic overfishing... →
Now Scotland shakes its fist at Iceland. You would think fellow lands would be more understanding of one other.
Iceland’s new currency: the Doddsson — The Iceland... →
World's Healthiest Countries - Forbes.com →
Forbes names Iceland the world’s healthiest country. Anything that tastes as foul as rotten shark has to be doing something for you.
Any French Speaking Icelanders Who Need to Escape?
If you are an Icelander who is currently in Iceland, you speak French and are looking to escape the financial chaos, a French gentleman who has contacted me may be able to help you. He is going to be away from his apartment in the suburbs of Paris for some time and would like to temporarily lend his appartement to an Icelander in need. But for it to be possible, you must be able to parles français...
Iceland is still a great place to party - Times... →
“Now that Iceland is nearly bankrupt, what does nearly bankrupt even look like? Tonight, it’s wool capes with brooches and heels, pin-neat hair and skin dipped in sunlight. When everyone is so stylish, it’s hard to believe that something very bad is happening.”
October 2008
30 posts
Interview: Dana Young on Iceland
New Yorker Dana Young - singer for the band The Hidden People, and perhaps Iceland’s biggest fan - got back from her third trip to Iceland on Sunday. Don’t call her an opportunist, though: she planned this trip long before the economic crash.
Earlier this week, we heard from a couple of Icelanders who said what they want us to believe is happening over there. But now it’s time...
Bjork Speaks Out On Iceland's Struggles →
Dóra Svavarsdóttir on Running a Vegetarian...
Last week I interviewed Dóra Svavarsdóttir, chef and owner of Á Næstu Grösum (First Vegetarian). This restaurant is famous for being Bill Clinton’s and Quentin Tarantino’s favorite restaurant in the world. Or, at least, for having an advertisement that jokingly states that. With Iceland only able to import limited amounts of food now, I thought Iceland’s vegetarian restaurants...
Call for Interviews With Icelanders
As an American who has been to Iceland for a total of four days, I only have so much to say about the place. If you are an Icelander who wants your chance to speak your mind to the world, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE. Email me with a short bio of yourself, and then prepare to be questioned.
And of course I am always looking for Icelanders who wish to be adopted/sponsored.
Iceland's Lawmakers, Residents Mull Joining EU... →
Icelanders may make a pact with the devil (EU membership) to get out of this economic fix, but with all the debt they’re accumulating, they may not have much of a choice. If they join, Iceland can pretty much say good-bye to its cod sovereignty.
I mean, I’m kind of for it, since that would make me an honorary Icelander with my EU passport. But there has to be another way to protect...
Interview: Hrönn Brynjarsdóttir on Iceland
You’ve heard my take on the situation in Iceland - Hollywood should film there, The United States should import puffins, and most importantly, good Samaritans should sponsor/adopt young Icelanders in need. But have you ever wondered what an actual Icelander has to say about all this? Well, I did, so I interviewed Hrönn Brynjarsdóttir, 34, an Icelander who left her motherland for the United...
FT.com/Long-term consequences may be ruinous for... →
Iceland: On its Way to Becoming The Fourth Reich?
James Daley: Who's to blame for the Icelandic... →
Could BRITAIN be to blame?? And if so, does this retroactively give Iceland the benefit of the doubt in The Cod Wars?
Iceland elects Barack Obama →
And so does every other country.
FT.com / In depth - Transcript challenges UK... →
“At no point does the Icelandic finance minister state unequivocally that Iceland would not honour its obligations.”
Tourists Drawn to Bargain Iceland - BusinessWeek →
“The record low of the Icelandic krona invites you to discover Iceland NOW!”
Darling, I'm not a terrorist →
Through Iceland Weather Report, I see that Icelanders have setup a Website to tell Great Britain that they are not terrorists. A valiant effort, but I’m skeptical that it’ll work. Once a country has decided that another country is a sponsor of terror, it’s hard to shake that image. Look at Iran. Even “Persepolis” didn’t quell suspicision of Iran here in the...
For people who have not heard of Iceland — Iceland... →
“Many people don’t even know that Iceland exists. So if you don’t know where Iceland is, it is a little island is the Atlantic Ocean.
“You may think we live in snow houses and have a polar bears for pets, but it’s not like that. We have all the things you have, and probably more. We have the most beautiful woman in the entire world, also we have untouched and breathtaking nature.
...
And as our credibility sinks into the sea — The... →
By the way, what exactly happened in Iceland, and who is to blame? Iceland Weather Report seems to have the answer.
Black is White and White is Black — The Iceland... →
“It was so clearly evident that my elderly neighbour, beneath a thin veneer of pleasantries, was absolutely seething. Yet her anger was not directed at those who should be held accountable, but at those pressing for change. It was pretty creepy. And for the first time I found myself literally face to face with the disturbing power that the old establishment in this country seems to hold over...
Iceland on Ebay →
“Iceland, which is going cap in hand to Russia for a 4 billion euro loan to bail out its failed banks, was offered for sale as a wholesale lot on eBay on Friday. Bidding started at 99 pence but had reached 10 million pounds by mid-morning on Friday.”
Hollywood: Make Iceland the Next Canada
Hollywood likes to film in Canada, because “America’s Hat” (as Canada is known on “funny” T-shirts here) looks reasonably enough like America, while having a weaker currency. It’s so much cheaper to film there that even “Chicago” filmed in Ontario, despite having a title inspired by an undeniably American city. “Rumble in The Bronx”...
Iceland’s Bad Bet on the Global Economy →
“ICELANDERS have woken up in a new novel by Franz Kafka, where everybody is guilty by default. One by one, the mighty banks have been seized by the government, and Icelanders, aghast, have been told that each and every one of us owes millions of dollars — to whom, we don’t know. The earnest faces of the politicians, of bankers and tycoons almost crying, give us the final touch of the...
In Defense of Iceland
A well-intentioned commenter suggested that my goal with this project is to mock Icelandic misery. But why would I do that? I love Iceland. What’s my motive? Immortality through fame? Hardly worth ridiculing something you love. Okay, but doesn’t it at least seem like I’m trying to make fun of the cuddly generation? Of course! But I’m not.
I think the cuddly generation is...
Can a New Yorker Blog on Behalf of Icelanders?
Some people think that I’m writing this blog from Iceland. Not true. Though I’ve been to Iceland as recently as this summer, I actually live in Brooklyn. However, that could change. What I need to determine is where I can do the most good. Here, in the United States, where I can more easily reach people in a position to help Icelanders? Or in Iceland, where I can more accurately report...
Pennsylvanians Clammor for Puffin
Pennsylvania, a major swing state in next month’s presidential election, is a veritable hotbed of puffin-starved registered voters. Politicians would be wise to take note of this email I got from John Peris, owner of The Savory Gourmet, a speciality meat food store in The Keystone State:
I own a retail specialty food store in the US and sell many types of wild game meat. I’ve had a...
A Fading Dream
I spent four days in Old Iceland this summer. We got in on August 9, and that night we inadvertantly stumbled into a Stereo Total concert at a club called Organ (now called “Organ RIP” on Myspace - already killed by the economic crisis?).
Rarely have I seen such a joyous, unflappable crowd. Icelanders sure knew how to party!
Too bad it’s all over now.
(photos by...
Note to the Next President: Legalize Puffins
I’m eating cod out of solidarity today. Would also gladly eat whale and puffin out of solidarity if I could.
Actually, if the United States were to legalize imports of Icelandic whale, puffin and rotten shark, that would be an important step for saving Iceland right now. Presidential debate question, anyone?
This would obviously be done to protect the lifestyles of our endangered...
R E Y K J A V I K L O O K S →
These are the Icelanders most in danger. This is the Iceland that must be preserved.
Icelanders: Tell the World Your Story
According to this piece in IcelandReview, many people of Iceland have yet to face the new reality:
Then, there are those who say this will teach Icelanders a lesson, teach them to spend their money more wisely. One of the things that most surprised me when I first moved to Iceland was the way in which people spend and consume so casually.
However, judging by the number of customers that queued...
Will Iceland Be Forced to Return to...
Medieval Iceland is famous for being the world’s first and only successful anarcho-capitalistic country. From 930 to 1262, Icelanders lived in a pure free market with no taxes, no king, no goverment and no laws. Incentives, markets, spontaneous order and natural human goodness (the invisible heart) were their only rulers. They were just too poor to afford a government with all its...
This is Where We Come In
Isolated Iceland wonders who to turn to for help - International Herald Tribune
As this tiny, volcanic nation in the middle of the North Atlantic finds itself cut off from the outside world, Icelanders are wondering who, if anyone, will sail to their rescue
Their island country has never felt so alone. Its major banks have failed, its currency has collapsed, its stock market is suspended — and...
A Friend to Niceland Forever
After I posted the email of my Polish friend who was leaving Iceland (forever, I thought), he emailed me with a clarification:
I’m leaving Niceland, because I came only for the summer. Actually, I’m leaving one month later than I originally planned - I’d wanted to earn more, and of course to see more:) I bought the tickets before the crisis!! And I wanted to finish the...
Roundtrip Airfare to Iceland for $400 & Up
If you live in New York or Boston, you may want to take advantage of Icelandair’s “Iceland’s Economy is Going to Hell Winter Airfare Special”. Theoretically, Icelanders could use this deal as well to make some money in The United States for a month and then live like kings when they go back. Joseph Weisenthal at Clusterstock has the news:
The collapse of the Icelandic...
First Go the Immigrants
Here’s eyewitness testimony from a Polish immigrant who is leaving a partied-out Iceland to return to economic stability in his motherland:
Hello!
I wanted to reply the next day after you wrote to me, because I thought that the situation would be clear. But it is changing all the time…
Now in Rvk everybody is talking about the crisis. I haven’t seen any lines, but I work the...