The party's over for Iceland, the island that tried to buy the world

[Psephos]

Source: The Guardian

The snow has arrived early in Reykjavik after an unusually long and warm summer. The freeze has brought out the ghostly green haze of the aurora borealis - the Northern Lights - the shape of which shifts dramatically across the tiny city's black skies.

The bars and restaurants of Iceland's capital are packed, the Range Rovers and BMWs are parked nose to tail all along the streets of the central 101 district, and music is pumping from a black stretch Hummer limousine cruising by.

'What can we do? Its difficult times but we've spent all day talking about it, watching the news getting worse and worse. We had to go out and be with friends. Maybe it's like the party at the end of the world,' says Egill Tomasson, 32, sitting in the Kaffeebarinn bar.

Iceland is on the brink of collapse. Inflation and interest rates are raging upwards. The krona, Iceland's currency, is in freefall and is rated just above those of Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan. One of the country's three independent banks has been nationalised, another is asking customers for money, and the discredited government and officials from the central bank have been huddled behind closed doors for three days with still no sign of a plan. International banks won't send any more money and supplies of foreign currency are running out.


<snip>

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/05/iceland.creditcrunch

---

Easy come, easy go, that's the way the krona flow...

[Poll_Blind]

1. My plan has worked! The price of lutefisk will plummet!

And then I may consume as much as I desire!



PB

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Lyer.

:hide:

[Poll_Blind]

4. Wha?!?! I swear to Cod!

PB

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. -

[Cronopio]

8. Sorry, that's Norwegian cuisine.

Iceland's speciality is burying shark meat, leaving it there until it rots, and then consuming it.

Seriously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl

[klebean]

12. this is why I'm drawn to DU - the diversity of useful trivia

that pulls me down just so many paths of research. Thx.

[Cronopio]

15. Yum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbYqznD0R5M

[WheelWalker]

16. fiskeboller

[Diclotican]

27. Village Idiot

Village Idiot

Ah, fiskeboller.. Hm maybe I would eat fiskeboller i hvis saus today. Must go to the store anyway so why not take some fiskeboller with my... Good thinking Village Idiot;). Thank you for your tip.

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[volstork]

9. How did you pull it off?!

I want to collapse the Swiss economy and make off with all of the Toblerone!

[davidinalameda]

11. I'll fight you for it!

[MattBaggins]

34. Let's work together. I want to take down Germany

So I can get the headcheese and blood sausage.

[Psephos]

10. Yikes - are you supposed to eat that, or did you? lol n/t

[Diclotican]

13. Poll_Blind

Poll_Blind

That looks GOOD.. I like Lutefisk.. Even that it is pretty "special" and need a lot of learning how to eat without have some problems with trowing up... I can remember a year in my youth, I had REALLY problem with earthing that dish. The fish was no friends of my stomage. And it ended up with a throw up in the toilet with all he dinner... And it was taking a long time before next time I was eating Lutefisk...

But today I can eat it, again. When made good, excellent.. When made not that good.. Well then do not eat it!!. And it work pretty well, if you are drinking some aquavit with the dish.. Not much, but little.. But then I doubt I would never get aquavit again home. One year I was home, and should not drive home after, I was given some aquavit. And I think I was insulting my foster parents when I was telling that it tasted like "hostesaft". It was a rather expensive Aquavit too... After that, never questing to take a aquavit with the food.. And to be honest. I do not miss aquavit either..


Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[Hardrada]

18. We are going to have lutefisk this Christmas if it's the last thing

I ever do. And it probably will be. I had a few shots of Dansk akvavit once and that was almost the last thing I ever did. I'll never trust anyone from Funen again.
By the way, I got hold of Kolloen's biography of Hamsun and will try to read it in Norsk with the help of a dictionary.


Jeg er saa glad paa Julekveld.

[Diclotican]

22. Hardrada

Hardrada

Nice. Home Lutefisk was something we have to dinner 1 Christmas day (25 december) or second day (26 of december) 24 when we in Norway celebrating Christmas, is usually ribbe, surkål, and everything else who are important to have when celebrating Christmas.. It can be hard to get from the table, usually I use the next coupe of hour just to get the dinner down, to the cakes who are there after... And maybe a little "thin one" if I am not driving home...

Danish Aquavit is good.. But I prefer Norwegian If I have to taste the stuff.. Bache Larsen is an pretty good aquavit and Norwegian by the way.. But expensive.. 300-500 kroner for a little bottle is not unknown.. So it better taste good then:)

Ah, you want to read Hamsun.. He are a hewey writer, have been trying to read some of his books, it was most because it was school project.. But I have to say, the old man was not just getting into me.. But he IS one of our greatest writers then..

Hm. If you want to read Norwegian writers, in the native language Norwegian I would guess you could pick other, who are a little more easy to read. But I would admire you, if you really want to read a book, write by Hamsun, on Norwegian with the help of a Dictionary.. Good luck on your project:hi: I guess I have read ONE book of HAMSUM. It was Sult, and it was because it was mandatory to read at least ONE book of one of the big 4 writers in the early 1900s at School....

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[WheelWalker]

32. Akvavit....wasn't that what fueled the Saturn 5 and got mankind to the Moon?.

:nuke:

[TomInTib]

21. Diclotican

Torild says hello.

She vould type, herself, but Laplanders not so good.

Tom

[Diclotican]

23. TomInTib

TomInTib

Hello, Give her my regards:hi:

Well, I would guess I would survive a female from Lapland to;).. Can't be that bad:

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[JVS]

20. I once saw an ad for an "all you can eat" Lutefisk dinner

I still LMAO as I think about how this equates to less than one serving for most people

[Diclotican]

24. JVS

JVS

Lutefisk are NOT for the faint hearted.. You have to have the courage of an Viking (at least) to get into the fight with Lutefisk.. And be surprised that a dish who looks like that, in fact could be good... If made properly.. And that is very important.. If made bad.. O dear it taste horrible.. But if made perfect.. Dam I can eat a lot of it..

Try it, and se what you think yourself..;).

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english not my native language

[JVS]

25. Hey, I eat more than my share each Christmas

Mom makes good lutefisk. Sadly, bad lutefisk prevails and most people are willing to have only a few bites each year.

[Diclotican]

26. JVS

JVS

True;). It is not an easy dish to make, the old Lutefisk. And for many the bad lutefisk are some of an bad experiment, who are given many a bad taste of a dish, who really is good...

Where are your ancestors from, since your mother are making Lutefisk?. Just curius you se..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language.

[JVS]

28. My ancestors are from Minnesota

My father's mom was Swedish. My own mother has no scandinavian background, but she learned to make lutefisk for our family when I was a kid. Some of the early attempts were not so good, but each year she got better and after about 10 years she was making good stuff.

[Diclotican]

29. JVS

JVS

Ok, but still interesting that Lutefisk are the dish she wanted to perfect then?.. We have some other food who are more easy to make than Lutefisk. Even Pinnekjøtt is far more easy to make a perfect dinner of, than Lutefisk.. And Pinnekjøtt are something you can eat other times of the year than just to Christmas:).

I have, shamefully to myself, never made Lutefisk myself.. But have been eating the fish dish for many year.. I am afraid I would not dear to make that dish.. I know my own limits... But I do like to EAT it then..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language.

[alterfurz]

31. supposedly what Jesus fed the multitudes...

"the piece of Cod which passeth all understanding"

[TahitiNut]

33. Uffda!

:(

[melody]

3. And the everyday people will hurt worst :( n/t

[Psephos]

17. "When elephants fight, it's the grass that gets trampled." n/t

[TheCML]

5. I have been trying to go forever.

But it was just too expensive. Maybe now it will be in reach.

[Kaleko]

7. Two people who actually live in Iceland

are telling a different story than this article. Please, before you freak out or form a definitive opinion, read their comments in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4173652


:hi:

[Bucky]

14. Wow, it's just like when the Soviet Union in 1991. Those Icelanders threaten freedom no more!

Without the looming threat of imminent conquest by the cruel tyrants of Icelandia, the free nations of the world can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

[JVS]

19. Cool! I might be able to afford visiting Iceland now!

[Ghost Dog]

30. Iceland crown surges on news of Russian loan

Tue Oct 7, 2008 5:11am EDT REYKJAVIK, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Iceland's crown currency surged after news on Tuesday that Russia would give the country 4 billion euros in loans to help it through a financial crisis that threatened to overwhelm the national economy.

The Icelandic crown had dropped 35 percent earlier <EURISK=D3> on the news the state was taking over the country's second-biggest bank. But it staged a huge recovery to 220 per euro after Iceland's central bank said in a statement that Russia had agreed to lend the money.

Using emergency powers adopted on Monday, Iceland dismissed the board of directors of Landsbanki (LAIS.IC: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and put the bank in receivership, a minister told state radio on Tuesday.

Commerce and banking minister Bjorgvin Sigurdsson said the bank would be open and run as normal while the changes were taking place. Iceland's Financial Supervisory Authority had put its own people in place of the bank's board.

Threatened with national bankruptcy, Iceland adopted sweeping powers over banks late on Monday as its financial system tottered and its currency plunged 30 percent.

The ruling alliance and opposition parties united on a bill that gave the state the ability to dictate banking operations, including provisions that allow it to push through mergers or even force a bank to declare bankruptcy.

Parliament passed the bill and its provisions took effect immediately.

/... http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINL74967320081007?rpc=44

[OakCliffDem]

35. A little off-shore banking catching up with the money changers