Iceland News

The chairman of David Hale Global Economics?

It’s David Hale.

And he’s suggesting Iceland takes prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to help alleviate the financial crisis they’re in.

“The US could show its appreciation to Reykjavik for hosting prisoners by allowing its banks to join the troubled asset relief programme. The US Treasury could cover the cost of repaying Iceland’s retail deposits in the UK and the Netherlands with just one-half of the profit it made on its Goldman Sachs shares. As the prisoners come primarily from Afghanistan, they would probably prefer Iceland’s cooler climate to the tropical heat of Cuba.”

A realistic Icesave solution?

Probably not.

Given the fact Iceland is already embroiled in the deeply divisive Icesave dispute, opening another deeply devise issue with Guantanamo prisoners just doesn’t make sense.

And why re-open that base at Keflavik? A stain of American influence on the clothes of a country that has a fierce independent streak.

It’s not the Cold War anymore either.

The world’s geopolitical situation has changed.

What do you think Icelanders?

Articles, stories and videos from the past week that caught the eye of Iceland News.

Icelandic Saga Database
Sagas of the Icelanders
“The Icelandic Saga Database is an online resource dedicated to the digital publication of the Sagas of the Icelanders — a large body of medieval literature which forms the foundation of the Icelandic literary tradition. The sagas are prose histories describing events that took place amongst the Norse and Celtic inhabitants of Iceland during the period of the Icelandic Commonwealth in the 10th and 11th centuries AD.”

YouTube
Volcano! Surtsey and Haemay
“A fascinating extract from the ITV documentary “Savage Earth” first broadcast in the 1990s. Surtsey was the island born from an underwater volcanic eruption off the south coast of Iceland in 1963. Haemay was the small town on the Westmann islands, south of Iceland, which was awoken one night in 1973 to find its volcano had burst into life. The townsfolk fought the advancing lava with high pressure hoses and managed to turn it away from their harbour.”

YouTube
Peace Tower Event
“A little old, but we saw this video while browsing online. The Imagine Peace Tower is a memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. It consists of a tall “tower of light”, projected from a white stone monument that has the words “Imagine Peace” carved into it in 24 languages. These words, and the name of the tower, are a reference to Lennon’s peace anthem, Imagine.”

Video: Helgasons.com
Halldor winns X Games Big Air with best possible score!
“Icelandic snowboarder comes out top.”

Articles and stories from the past week that caught the eye of Iceland News.

Guardian
Iceland’s children paying for slump
“Public health experts have noticed signs of family breakdown in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown that left most adults in serious debt.”

Iceland Weather Report
In support of those about to lose their homes
“Soon after the crash, the government froze mortgages — meaning that people could delay their payments until a later date. However, that freezing runs out next month, at which time there is likely to be a tidal wave of people losing their homes.”

Economic Disaster Area
Johannes Bjorn: Speech At Austurvollur 23.1.2010
“It is clear as dayligth that the political and financial elites which control the “four parties” decided early in the economic collapse to sacrifice the indebted households in the country. This was done while a fortress was erected around owner of capital and the criminals who bankrupted the country.”

Maclean’s
Iceland’s genetic problem
“CEO Kari Stefansson’s company never turned a profit.”

Iceland Cinema Now
RUV’s Director Slashes Programming of Icelandic Series, Docs and Films
“In a statement released Friday, pubcaster RUV’s Director Páll Magnússon, announced huge cuts in programming due to budgetary demands. The cuts relate mostly to local documentaries, TV series and features, leaving in-house programmes such as news and current affairs with some cuts but light entertainment and sports mostly intact.”