So broke they're changing their name to Vanilla Iceland

October 9, 2008 12:06 PM

Do we really need F O U R* posts in two days about the doomed Icelandic economy?

*Okay, so that last one is only tangentially related, but the thread got pretty Icesavey pretty quick.

posted by Sys Rq to Etiquette/Policy at 12:06 PM (91 comments total)

It may be newsfiltery, but we're watching a sovereign nation's entire banking system fail in a week. I think that makes it worth heightened attention. Plus, well, I've always been intrigued by Iceland and hope to visit next year, assuming I won't be greeted by the soldering ruins of their economic collapse and dead-eyed urchins scrabbling over herring scraps in the streets.
posted by adamrice at 12:14 PM on October 9, 2008 [4 favorites]

Perhaps the discussion could be moved to alt.icelandic.bank.failure.bjork.bjork.bjork
posted by An Infinity Of Monkeys at 12:15 PM on October 9, 2008 [25 favorites]

I think these posts are just a lead-up to the fifth post about Björk buying Iceland to save it. There will lots of YouToob links to her music videos, a few hundred comments from jonmc about how shitty her last album was, and another five or six hundred comments in the Metatalk callout. CAN'T WAIT.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:17 PM on October 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

damn you you filthy infinite apes!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:17 PM on October 9, 2008

I put all my money in krona (ISK) when the American markets started diving, so I, for one, appreciate the updates.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:17 PM on October 9, 2008

Why yes. Yes.
It seems we do.

Next question?
posted by Floydd at 12:18 PM on October 9, 2008

In all seriousness, this is probably the most momentous period in a generation. Yes, more than 9/11. It's either accept that there will be many posts on the subjects related to the current financial crisis or expect Metafilter to be a chummy, head-in-the-sand collection of trivialities—fiddle music in the smoke.

I'd rather read about Iceland.
posted by sonic meat machine at 12:19 PM on October 9, 2008 [8 favorites]

If this post title isn't in the running for Best Post Title Ever, then it should be.
posted by bluishorange at 12:19 PM on October 9, 2008 [4 favorites]

I think it's pretty interesting stuff, actually.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:21 PM on October 9, 2008

I disagree with the gist of this MeTa, but I'm with bluishorange: the title is gold.

Maybe we need more Iceland threads, just to increase our Vanilla Ice and Bjork joke quotient.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:22 PM on October 9, 2008

I don't mean to imply that it's not interesting (it most definitely is), it's just... Isn't there a guideline regarding still-open threads?
posted by Sys Rq at 12:24 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think it should stay because I plan to make a hilarious joke about the crisis affecting a certain singer from Iceland (I'm not going to tell you which one. It's a surprise.) that will be amusing because it will involve a person from that country that the reader has heard of and is aware is from that country but may not have thought of right away when they read about the crisis but generally the fact that this person is from that country is the only thing that they really know about that country, so that when I mention that person's name they will get a chuckle because they will be like "Ha that person is from that country. How clever." and I will feel good. Don't take this away from me. I need this.
posted by ND¢ at 12:32 PM on October 9, 2008 [23 favorites]

I like Iceland. I like reading about stuff going on there. It’s a nifty island man. Great people. Pretty dramatic what’s going on.
Especially since they seem so doughty. The whole “we’re getting off oil” thing, etc. Just seems a shame on a lot of levels.

And say what you will about Rob...er, Vanilla Ice, but his surf shop sponsored a buddy of mine....and um...
(I’m a little unclear as to my extended indebtedness and the whole protocol thing here, so I’m taking a middle course here)
posted by Smedleyman at 12:33 PM on October 9, 2008

Meh. Each post, on its own, was a fine post. Do we start deleting good posts because there are other good posts? Let's stick to deleting the bad posts.
posted by GuyZero at 12:35 PM on October 9, 2008

Oh, also, any post that's non-US newsfilter should get a pass in my books to help drown out all the bad US-centric newsfilter that manages to make it through. Let's have 20 posts about milk yields in Danish cattle for all I care. Because it impacts the delicious Danish butter cookie market which is crashing in my mouth!
posted by GuyZero at 12:41 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

I'd like to see a post about what those Icelandic kids at the beginning of Sans Soleil are doing now, and how the crisis might be affecting them.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 12:41 PM on October 9, 2008

don't we have at least four posts a day about the US election?

also, Iceland is cool - bjork, sigur ros, mum, volcanoes, glaciers, kattullus, vikings & maybe even the odd polar bear...what's not to like?
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:44 PM on October 9, 2008

milk yields in Danish cattle

Danish milk would have to be the richest & creamiest I've ever tasted. *yum*
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:45 PM on October 9, 2008

Iceland's new slogan to help them get through the crisis: Stop, collaborate and listen.
posted by burnmp3s at 12:46 PM on October 9, 2008 [5 favorites]

Anyone else want to get in on the upcoming Icelandic Global Warming Poverty Tour racket? The boat is filling up pretty fast!
posted by parmanparman at 12:47 PM on October 9, 2008

what's not to like?

I DON'T REALLY LIKE LOBSTER
posted by yhbc at 12:55 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

This day has been inevitable since the Caldari nerf. Now they're reduced to gate-camping Greenland.

/EVE Online in-joke only six people will get
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:56 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

In all seriousness, this is probably the most momentous period in a generation.

Agreed. The contemporary American financial system (or what is left of it) and its architects have given capitalism and globalism (two generally good things, given the fact that hundreds of millions of people have seen their standard of living increase dramatically over the past two decades) a bad name.

I suspect we're going to see more loony left "ideas" taken seriously going down the road.* Too bad we couldn't use this crisis to reflect on consumption, what economic growth means for the future of the planet, and maybe adjust our behaviour accordingly. But the debate will inevitably become a dialogue of "Business = greedy".


*I write this as a Canadian; we have a generally more robust financial sector than anywhere else in the world, and there is nowhere near the degree of economic inequality that you see in the United States.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:59 PM on October 9, 2008

ITYM using the jump inhibitors against capital.
posted by sonic meat machine at 1:00 PM on October 9, 2008

lobster?!??

*woah*
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:01 PM on October 9, 2008

Yes, we do need them.

Iceland is to the financial crisis and unfettered global capitalism as New Orleans was and is to Katrina and global warming.
posted by jamjam at 1:06 PM on October 9, 2008

I don't mean to imply that it's not interesting (it most definitely is), it's just... Isn't there a guideline regarding still-open threads?

The craziness in Iceland is kind of a new and weird and ongoing thing. So while I hear where you're coming from, and it is something we'll be sort of thinking about, there's a distinction here between the predicability of e.g. the US election (which itself is still pretty heavy on the ground despite the nixing we've doing to weak posts) and what's happening here.

If we keep seeing bam bam bam Iceland posts every 12 hours and they aren't exceptional, we may nuke and point to an open thread, yeah. But I don't think under the circumstances we've really hit what I'd call the threshold of problematic updatefilter yet.

Fuzzy metric, I know. Again, I think it's a worthy and understandable question, regardless.

greeted by the soldering ruins

Oh, you were in my Shop class too?
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:17 PM on October 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

Okay, in the sober light of an hour later, some clarification:
1. I'm not calling for the deletion of these posts (although that R one does indeed seem doublish)
2. I'm not suggesting that Iceland and/or the banking crisis are unimportant or uninteresting or unworthy of attention or discussion

All I'm asking is this: If the same thing happens next week in some other country, would it be preferable to post every aspect as separate posts, or to let them accumulate in one big thread?
posted by Sys Rq at 1:22 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Iceland's new slogan to help them get through the crisis: Stop, collaborate and listen.
Dude - that's the French /UK SNARK
posted by prentiz at 1:33 PM on October 9, 2008

This day has been inevitable since the Caldari nerf. Now they're reduced to gate-camping Greenland.

Caldari nerf? The whole year has been Caldari buffs, dude. I've never been so glad I started dual speccing to Caldari as when the nano-nerf was announced.
posted by rodgerd at 1:46 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Sys Rq writes "If the same thing happens next week in some other country, would it be preferable to post every aspect as separate posts, or to let them accumulate in one big thread?"

In the same vein I wonder if it might be better if next year we make one big Nobel Prize post instead of a new post for every category.
posted by Mitheral at 1:46 PM on October 9, 2008

We're all going to be sorry when the Iceland reverts to it's ancestral roots and goes viking.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:49 PM on October 9, 2008

errr....its ancestral roots

(falls on sword)
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:49 PM on October 9, 2008

I suspect we're going to see more loony left "ideas" taken seriously going down the road.*

I'd much rather we took them seriously and gave them reasonable critical thought than just grabbed the fuck on to loony right "ideas" and ran with them, as we have been doing.
posted by bonaldi at 1:50 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why do so many people want rules and guidelines?
posted by smackfu at 2:04 PM on October 9, 2008

Well, look at where deregulation got us.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:08 PM on October 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

Why do so many people want rules and guidelines?

OMG HAVE YOU TRIED THIS NEW PEPSI? IT'S BLUE AND IT'S SO AWESOME!!11!!one
posted by GuyZero at 2:11 PM on October 9, 2008

We like Iceland because....
posted by adamvasco at 2:13 PM on October 9, 2008

Why do so many people want rules and guidelines?

To be clear: What we want is rules for you, and guidelines for ourselves.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:15 PM on October 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

I think Iceland should buy Iceland.
posted by lukemeister at 2:24 PM on October 9, 2008

☃
posted by everichon at 2:26 PM on October 9, 2008

Do we really need F O U R* posts ...

Need? Do I need to dress in ladies undergarments and fire machine-guns at my neighbor's car? Do I need to continue drinking vanilla milkshakes till I vomit? Do I need to build a saddle so that my cat can ride on my dog's back?

Do I really need any of this?

*thinks*

Yes. Yes I do.
posted by quin at 2:37 PM on October 9, 2008 [8 favorites]

"(I'm not going to tell you which one. It's a surprise.)"

Is it Einar Benediktsson?
posted by klangklangston at 2:43 PM on October 9, 2008

Fortunately, the US is in negotiations to become the GOLDENPALACE.COM United States of America.
posted by lukemeister at 2:43 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Geez, just spell it out already.
posted by Burhanistan at 2:45 PM on October 9, 2008

every person i have ever met who has ever said "i've always been a fan of iceland" has afterward admitted that by "always" they really meant "since i've been a fan of bjork and/or the sugarcubes."
posted by shmegegge at 2:56 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Witness the last of the God-men
posted by Burhanistan at 3:03 PM on October 9, 2008

I suspect we're going to see more loony left "ideas" taken seriously going down the road.* Too bad we couldn't use this crisis to reflect on consumption, what economic growth means for the future of the planet, and maybe adjust our behaviour accordingly.

Wouldn't what you've just suggested be considered a loony left "idea"? Reflect on consumption. Adjust our behaviour. Isn't that what the left has been suggesting for quite some time?
posted by ssg at 3:10 PM on October 9, 2008

I blame Kerry Katona.

But as most of the Brits will be in bed, that one's going to fall on its arse.
posted by i_cola at 3:13 PM on October 9, 2008

All I'm asking is this: If the same thing happens next week in some other country, would it be preferable to post every aspect as separate posts, or to let them accumulate in one big thread?

Yes, the two massive Australian Election threads from late last year would be a good example of how to do this.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:16 PM on October 9, 2008

It’s a nifty island man.

No man is an island.
posted by dirigibleman at 3:31 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

I blame Kerry Katona.

ha! Funnily enough she also went bankrupt recently
posted by derbs at 3:38 PM on October 9, 2008

kenny rogers is an island.

in a stream.

with olivia newton-john.

that is what they are.

oh SNAP!
posted by CitizenD at 3:43 PM on October 9, 2008

DOLLY PARTON
posted by Burhanistan at 3:43 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

*donates an 'm' for adamrice's smoldering iron*
posted by Cranberry at 3:54 PM on October 9, 2008

*donates an 'i' for adamrice's soldiering force*
posted by tellurian at 4:17 PM on October 9, 2008

*donates a 'b' for adamrice's slobbering bruins*
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:31 PM on October 9, 2008

...expect Metafilter to be a chummy, head-in-the-sand collection of trivialities—fiddle music in the smoke.

Hey, people need music, man. In hard times, even more so. Don't go classifying music as a triviality.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:43 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Who is Kenny Rogers in the stream with?

Well, Dolly does float much better than Olivia.

But didn't Kenny Rogers' Roasters go out of business long before Iceland did?
posted by wendell at 4:47 PM on October 9, 2008

We all float down here - and you will too!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:55 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I packed my snark into a flame war the other day.
Well he just logged off, sometimes life's OK.
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say?
Well you just laughed it off, it was all OK.

And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on anyway.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:07 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

I feel HIGHLY INSULTED that there was a call out of posts about the Icelandic economic crisis and it didn't call out my post, suckers going down in Iceland (its title was even a topical and highly crude pun and still it was ignored!). And mine was the first. And mine was the only one made by an Icelander. My honor, it is impugned, it lies in tatters like an Icelandic rice-pudding pancake made with Icelandic rice-pudding that's gone stale.

I believe, Sys Rq, that we need to go for a walk on an island.

Okay, I admit, having a post MeTa'd is the only square left on my MetaFilter bingo... so close! so close! Oh, and here's a recipe for Icelandic rice-pudding pancakes. And here's a recipe for Icelandic rice pudding.
posted by Kattullus at 5:08 PM on October 9, 2008

Sorry Kattullus. I make it a personal policy never to read posts with crass humour in the title.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:16 PM on October 9, 2008

hangs head in shame. of COURSE, dolly parton. D.U.H.
posted by CitizenD at 5:26 PM on October 9, 2008

If anybody in Iceland is listening, send me some Brennevin. I saw it on Anthony Bourdain and then oddly there was a bottle at my neighborhood bar in Queens. I tried it. It was like drinking rye bread. in a good way. Why it's available at a dive in Astoria, I don't know. But I've scoured every good liquor store I know and nobody has it or knows how to get it. and it'd be a fun shot to fuck up houseguests with.

Also, drag about your economy, dudes.
posted by jonmc at 5:34 PM on October 9, 2008

Iceland Bankin' Blues (sung roughly to the tune of "Sweet Home Chicago")

by flapjax at midnite, copyright 2008, ALL rights reserved, this ain't creative enough for Creative Commons, etc. etc.

In Iceland ain't much ice,
In Greenland ain't much green,
The banks are failin' everywhere
And you know what I mean
I'm crying heeeeeeeyyy...
Banks are failing everywhere
I'm goin' back to Iceland,
Honey, but you just don't care

Their banks are goin' down,
Which seems to be the norm,
But they still got the hot springs
So at least they'll still stay warm
I'm cryin' heeeeeeyy...
Banks are failin' everywhere
I'm goin' back to Iceland,
Maybe I will see you there

Now if you go to Iceland
You better keep your head
Don't bother with your cash card
Just take some wine instead
I'm crying heeeeeeeyyy...
Banks are failing everywhere
I'm goin' back to Iceland,
Honey, but you just don't care
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:51 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Youre as broke as Iceland, youre willing to sacrifice our dough
You got bad advice, now they're paying the price, I know

Ive read it before, in the New York Times
Youre paying the broker, you leave the world behind
Youre digging for gold, youre throwing away
A fortune in Kronas, but you've got none to pay...


(best I could do)
posted by jonmc at 6:04 PM on October 9, 2008

Og ég fæ blóðnasir, en ég stend alltaf upp.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:06 PM on October 9, 2008 [3 favorites]

jonmc: If anybody in Iceland is listening, send me some Brennevin.

I'm sorry, it's all being drunk right now. Hell, if I had a bottle of brennivín I'd be making quick work of it. I feel extremely lucky that both my parents are tenured professors and don't have to worry about losing their jobs, but I have a lot of family that may be about to fall on some extremely hard times. So far people in Iceland have managed to avoid panicking but there's a lot of stress and fear in the society right now, a lot of people hanging on to their mental equilibrium by fraying threads, but the drums of meltdown are only getting louder.
posted by Kattullus at 6:22 PM on October 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

...the drums of meltdown are only getting louder.

And you know what that means: the guitars of collapse are gonna go up to eleven.

But the basses of bailout are gonna save the day.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:25 PM on October 9, 2008

Funfact: What do Iceland and Ireland have in common?

Iceland is Europe's largest producer of bananas (they grow them in greenhouses) and Ireland is Europe's largest importer of bananas (they buy them from some South American company).
posted by metastability at 6:58 PM on October 9, 2008

Iceland is Europe's largest producer of bananas (they grow them in greenhouses)
Well, sort of. They grow a few bananas in a few greenhouses, apparently.
posted by beagle at 7:09 PM on October 9, 2008

If anybody in Iceland is listening, send me some Brennevin.

I just emailed the embassy to find out if they know of any sources for hardfiskur or brennivín in the MD/DC/VA area. If I get a response with useful information on the brennivín I'll pass it along.

What? Embassies are there for cultural exchange and diplomatic relations, aren't they?
posted by weebil at 7:26 PM on October 9, 2008

Well, I'm in New York, but thanks weebil.
posted by jonmc at 7:42 PM on October 9, 2008

This question is why we don't get Nobel Prizes for Literature.

It's in Revelations, people!!!!
posted by codswallop at 8:54 PM on October 9, 2008

Isn't CCP games Icelandic?

I'm thinking they may soon be moving to an all-ice-mining and gate camp economy soon.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:10 PM on October 9, 2008

soon even.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:11 PM on October 9, 2008

BUSINESS = GREED
posted by Rumple at 9:20 PM on October 9, 2008

I think it should stay because I plan to make a hilarious joke about the crisis affecting a certain singer from Iceland (I'm not going to tell you which one. It's a surprise.) that will be amusing because it will involve a person from that country that the reader has heard of and is aware is from that country but may not have thought of right away when they read about the crisis but generally the fact that this person is from that country is the only thing that they really know about that country, so that when I mention that person's name they will get a chuckle because they will be like "Ha that person is from that country. How clever." and I will feel good. Don't take this away from me. I need this.

I love a good Emiliana Torrini joke.
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:35 PM on October 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

"Funfact: What do Iceland and Ireland have in common? Iceland is Europe's largest producer of bananas (they grow them in greenhouses) and Ireland is Europe's largest importer of bananas (they buy them from some South American company).

Interesting. So what do they have in common?
posted by nthdegx at 12:15 AM on October 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

So what do they have in common?

Well, but for a c and an r, they're spelled the same.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:56 AM on October 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

White people?
posted by Burhanistan at 6:33 AM on October 10, 2008

They're both where I'm a Viking.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:05 AM on October 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

Sure it's interesting, but imagine if there were one US financial crisis post for every 80k citizens!!
posted by shownomercy at 10:38 AM on October 10, 2008

There was one comment in the Palin thread for every 54,005 US residents.
posted by GuyZero at 11:27 AM on October 10, 2008

Is this where I link to that Köttur og Stúlka shirt again? Or that Harper's article?
posted by kittyprecious at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

What? Embassies are there for cultural exchange and diplomatic relations, aren't they?

When I needed to find a place to buy some Linie Akvavit in NYC pronto, I called the Norwegian consulate and they got the answer for me right away. I don't know about other regions of the world, but Scandahoovian diplomatic representation is all about the booze.
posted by languagehat at 1:26 PM on October 10, 2008

Katullus, they're not philosophy profs are they? I have a good friend who really could stand to get her visiting position at U of I renewed.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:09 PM on October 10, 2008

No, neither of them are philosophy professors. Sorry about that. I wish your friend the best of luck.
posted by Kattullus at 9:07 PM on October 10, 2008

:) well, even if they were in her department, I'm not sure "our son has an internet acquaintance who knows the candidate, and vouches for her scholarly merit" would be a convincing line in the renewal application. I hope all your folks at home are hanging in there too.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:23 PM on October 11, 2008

Well, they'll be pretty good, comparatively, though the last I heard there's discussion that all University staff, hell, anyone who works for the State, may have to take a pay cut.

As in everyone.
posted by Kattullus at 11:39 PM on October 11, 2008