The Cutting Edge of the Earth
June 27, 2010
- Image via Wikipedia
Hardfiskur, anyone?
I was lucky to spend a few months in Iceland back in 2004, working on a film by Icelandic director Balthasar Kormakur. I have so many fond memories of that unique country, from its quaint capital to its breathtaking landscape. Even the language is an exotic mix that sounds like German, Swedish, and even Spanish, with a hint of maybe Czech thrown in for good measure. (The word for Yes is actually an inhalation!)
It is a special place, full of people who work hard and play hard. The bars never close (I caught none other than Bjork singing privately to her friend while stumbling home one night). The light is extreme-when there is light- you feel like you might just be close enough to helicopter to the moon. There are few people, but there is so much being created (The expression in Iceland is There are as many bands as there are families, but the bands stay together longer). They value ecology and sustainability, which makes sense considering the natural environment is awe inspiring. And, of course, The Northern Lights! The Northern Lights!
Reading about Iceland’s economic collapse gave me pause, because of my particular affinity for the place. It is not the only country struggling now, but theirs is maybe more extreme because of their isolation and size. The Iceland I remember was something out of a children’s picture perfect storybook.
It didn’t surprise me in the least to read about the protests as a result of a failing government. Like I said, they work hard, play hard, and apparently they civilly disobey hard.
Amazing. Iceland is the awesomest tiny country in the world.
P.S. Hardfiskur is like shark meat Jerky, except it smells like urine.
Iceland is pretty great and all. Not to mention the music that comes out of there.
With that said, sorry to hijack your post a bit and pose a secondary topic.
I clicked the little “Zemified” link at the bottom and saw the Zemanta app. That looks cool as sh**. How do you like it? I will definitely be trying it out in the near future!
I have always believed that the best politicians are those who didn’t want the job.Its not those who put thier hand up and say ‘choose me, choose me’. Its the person you see doing a good job and say ‘why not you?’
To which they reply, nah. Though kicking and screaming you get them to the position. They usually do a decent job, as they are doing it not for the fame and power but rather because its a dirty job that someone has to do.
The fact he decided to run as a gag, is actually a bonus, I would feel. He has no pretensions and isn’t doing it just for the status.
I loved Little Trip to Heaven….Isold rocks!!! My kind of woman.
I think Iceland is learning the lesson that Europe is learning.
As Ms. Thather said, the problem with socialism is that you
eventually run out of other people’s money.
I would hope President Obama would learn this but I have my doubts.
Think I’ll pass on the hardfiskur…
Doesn’t it amaze you how governments are constantly screwing things up so badly. Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Iran, Cambodia…..the list is just endless. Good people, good hearts, good land but run by self centred idiots & despots who cause everyone pain. And then the person who doesn’t want the power gets it. Go the Gnarr!
I’m glad you got see the Northern Lights. If my limited astronomy knowledge is right, you picked the perfect year to work in Iceland, as 2004 was the peak year in the solar cycle that brings the Aurora.
Keep your schedule open for going someplace North of 60 in 2015 – that’s the next time the cycle peaks.
It is most regrettable that the reckless and sometimes corrupt behaviour of bankers drove the economy into a ditch and caused such harm to the lives of the people of Iceland.
Happily, the people of Iceland drew the right conclusion and threw out the Independence Party-led government that had been responsible for the privatization and lack of effective regulation of the banks. They elected in its place a majority left-wing government in April 2009 for the first time in Iceland’s history — with a lesbian Prime Minister, no less.
The recovery from the disaster seems to be going as well as circumstances permit:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/the-icelandic-post-crisis-miracle/
I hate to see any country turn to the left, especially mine.
Enjoyed your bodies of art so far and hope to see you continue on in your crafts of acting and writing. It seems that those who also educate themselves seem to develop into strong artists.
Liked your blog as well.
Gracias,
Kipher
Did you drink brennivín (a very strong spirit) when you ate it? They also call it Svartidauði, which means “Black Death”, just to give you an idea of its tenderness…
I suppose that’s the only thing you can drink in order to wash the taste of ammonia of the shark.
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a method of quantifying and numerically benchmarking the environmental performance of a country’s policies(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_Performance_Index). The top performer for 2010 is Iceland due to its high scores on environmental public health, gets virtually all of its power from renewable sources (hydropower and geothermal energy), and its control of greenhouse gas emissions. No need to speak of the US and where it ranks.
The Human Development Index (HDI, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. Iceland was number one but has now slipped to three in the most current report.
Iceland has no fossil fuel resources of its own, the country relies on imported oil to power all its cars, most buses and fishing trawlers, which provide 70% of its income. A serious imbalance for need from others but a great benefit for not ruining one’s own countryside harvesting it, the current Gulf of Mexico disaster is a good example. Iceland has its own resource harvesting issue on the horizon, the Karahnjukar hydroelectric dam (greater than $1 billion cost) that will be used for aluminum smelting. A project that is questionable at best.
Of course I would not mind visiting the Blue Lagoon hot spring as long as there was a complementary towel included. But realistically and all kidding aside I will probably never have an opportunity to visit such a unique place. I imagine I would be lost for days just wandering from one natural wonder to another. Not sure what I would do if I saw the Northern Lights with my own eyes…….. I have talked to a lucky few who have visited Iceland and all they commented on were the springs, drinking and the dullness of the countryside (they visited in 1950’s maybe that’s the problem). I wish Mr. Gnarr all the best, no matter how and why he got elected.
Nice article. Will there be a website for the movie ‘The Bell Jar’ soon?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/arts/television/18stiles.html?ref=television
This post makes me wanting to search more and visit Iceland sometime in the future. I can’t figure out exactly but there’s something unique in the entirety of it, of course having a small population and tagging REYKJAVIK as the cleanest city in the world is exception. I don’t know if it’s the language and it’s people but I’d definitely love to see Bjork perform live.
that is funny
no, I just finished the article. that is awesome.
Iceland comes through with flying colors! Another reason to love that country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/opinion/krugman-the-path-not-taken.html