Skeptic Project

If not for Sigur Rós and Björk, no one would give a shit about Iceland. 319,000 people on a tiny nearly-frozen island, I'm not sure what so many young people think Iceland is a great place. If I had a nickel for every young, white kid who said they were learning Icelandic, I could probably pay down Iceland's debt.

Ertu lykta hvað ég feta í?

Brenton, at one time weren't you trying to sell the Icelandic parliament on supporting the Zeitgeist cult, or am I misremembering that?

Muertos, not really. Became friends with an elected Icelandic politician (still in Parliament) who dialogued on that sort of thing as a friend. Still friends with her.

Not quite Roxette. I do like both of those musicians, but, I never came to "like" Iceland because of either of them. The first piece of Icelandic "art" I ever liked was the satirical artist Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir's character 'Silvia Night'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcgYP65KfrA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdPzgZUoYc

I suppose if I had to give her context, she's probably the Icelandic equivalent of what Sacha Baron Cohen would do if he created a morphed 'Britney-Madonna Celebrity American Culture' type character.

Far from the stereotype of what people stereotypically think of as Icelandic.

Your Icelandic may be better than mine, but I don't think that really means anything. I intend to study Icelandic History, Language and Culture at the Uni of Iceland later this decade.

200 years of being slightly "independent" from Denmark doesn't make you "fiercely" anything, especially when you spent something like 700 years not independent at all. Again, who cares? There's twice as many people in the city I live in, than in that entire country. I don't consider Tomsk to be fiercely anything, other than cold.

Well, I live in a city with 5 million people ... so? For a small nation that was always more likely to be a colony, it's a pretty big deal. It's not really about whether other people "care", either. This is a really weird mentality. It's like as if it's only okay for something to be highly regarded in your mind if enough of the people from the 'right' demographic like it. Then it's okay to regard it highly? Weird.

You've been hinting at that mentality though because you're talking about the country in a way that says 'well, it has very little to celebrate about it' by saying that people only give a shit about a small part of it's music scene and otherwise it's a backward and internationally irrelevant nation. That is what your mindset implies, that Iceland ought not be regarded much at all.

I guess what I'm trying to emphasise is that it's unfair to stereotype any nation by it's icons alone. That's like the stereotyping of Australia as racist because it's had "iconic" (in the sense that people talk about them regularly) policies in the past such as 'White Australia Policy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Australia_policy), despite the fact that it would struggle to get a single vote in favour were a similar policy tabled in Parliament now. We're stereotyped on that sort of thing, but in fairness, it's an unfair and inaccurate stereotype.

Iceland has one of the highest rates of belief in evolution and rejection of creationism.

It's also completely powered on geothermal and hydroelectric.

It also has a very low Gini coefficient (= equal wealth distribution).

I just went there last month. You can check out the pictures on my facebook

"The best economies of this century will be the most ecologically secure ones."

You pulled that out of your ass and you know it Brenton.

"The best economies of this century will be the most ecologically secure ones."

You pulled that out of your ass and you know it Brenton.

Well, out of my own opinion, yes, but there are many economists that agree - and many of them well regarded. But I mean let's take a singular issue - the countries that deal with climate change now rather than in 20 years will (it is argued) be in a far better economic position than nations that don't because as time goes on it will be more expensive to deal with it.

Bill, to over-simplify an ecologically secure economy would be one that doesn't risk massive losses due to environmental problems and it could go as far as an economy making money off of it's regional strengths in a way that can be sustained. But I'm not an economist, and more than happy to highlight that - what I personally say about economics holds no weight. But then again we are only on an internet forum.

This is what will happen, Iceland will get slapped on the wrists and be told to rethink their actions wisely or else. Same thing happened when Ireland (yes, Ireland, not Iceland) voted NO on the EU referendum - Germany and France said fine, pay us back what we invested in your infrastructure- Ireland voted YES less than a year later.

It's the case in every country in the civilized world, you don't like something you gather signatures (percentages needed vary from country to country), present them to the parliament and the parliament orders a referendum.

Iceland will pay everything they are told to pay, fair or not they are not in position to play with these guys.

It is not a difference, just a different shade.

Nothing CT about it, Iceland wants to play with the big boys in the EU, if they wanna join they will abide rules - logical and other. Same thing happened with a lot of countries before they joined the union, older member states pressed their own personal agendas and made newbies give.

I am not so sure, Ireland was pressed during their highest economic growth which was significantly higher that Iceland's.

You're young, right? Surely I don't have to explain the benefits of free market, nor the barriers to entry if you chose to stay on the outside. UK alone can buy out Iceland in less than 10 years but what are they gonna do with that depressive island.

Oh yes it is, US did it in Egypt years ago and now Italy and France are doing it in Lybia.

France already secured gas exploitation rights with the rebels and the attacks on Colonel's forces started the day after. Nothing wrong with that of course, just business and a risky one at that.