Comments on: So broke they're changing their name to Vanilla Iceland

So broke they're changing their name to Vanilla Iceland

Sys Rq — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:06:33 -0800

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.

By: adamrice

adamrice — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:14:58 -0800

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.

By: An Infinity Of Monkeys

An Infinity Of Monkeys — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:15:54 -0800

Perhaps the discussion could be moved to alt.icelandic.bank.failure.bjork.bjork.bjork

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:17:09 -0800

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.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:17:38 -0800

damn you you filthy infinite apes!

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:17:38 -0800

I put all my money in krona (ISK) when the American markets started diving, so I, for one, appreciate the updates.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:18:01 -0800

Why yes. Yes.
It seems we do.

Next question?

By: sonic meat machine

sonic meat machine — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:19:20 -0800

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.

By: bluishorange

bluishorange — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:19:27 -0800

If this post title isn't in the running for Best Post Title Ever, then it should be.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:21:58 -0800

I think it's pretty interesting stuff, actually.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:22:07 -0800

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.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:24:22 -0800

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?

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:32:27 -0800

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.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:33:36 -0800

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)

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:35:36 -0800

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.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:41:13 -0800

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!

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:41:46 -0800

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.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:44:08 -0800

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?

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:45:15 -0800

milk yields in Danish cattle

Danish milk would have to be the richest & creamiest I've ever tasted. *yum*

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:46:17 -0800

Iceland's new slogan to help them get through the crisis: Stop, collaborate and listen.

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:47:05 -0800

Anyone else want to get in on the upcoming Icelandic Global Warming Poverty Tour racket? The boat is filling up pretty fast!

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:55:39 -0800

what's not to like?

I DON'T REALLY LIKE LOBSTER

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:56:14 -0800

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

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:59:22 -0800

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.

By: sonic meat machine

sonic meat machine — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:00:43 -0800

ITYM using the jump inhibitors against capital.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:01:13 -0800

lobster?!??

*woah*

By: jamjam

jamjam — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:06:55 -0800

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.

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:17:17 -0800

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?

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:22:51 -0800

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?

By: prentiz

prentiz — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:33:45 -0800

Iceland's new slogan to help them get through the crisis: Stop, collaborate and listen.
Dude - that's the French /UK SNARK

By: rodgerd

rodgerd — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:46:02 -0800

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.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:46:47 -0800

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.

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:49:21 -0800

We're all going to be sorry when the Iceland reverts to it's ancestral roots and goes viking.

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:49:47 -0800

errr....its ancestral roots

(falls on sword)

By: bonaldi

bonaldi — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:50:12 -0800

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.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:04:57 -0800

Why do so many people want rules and guidelines?

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:08:55 -0800

Well, look at where deregulation got us.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:11:01 -0800

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

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:13:26 -0800

We like Iceland because....

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:15:34 -0800

Why do so many people want rules and guidelines?

To be clear: What we want is rules for you, and guidelines for ourselves.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:24:01 -0800

I think Iceland should buy Iceland.

By: everichon

everichon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:26:26 -0800

☃

By: quin

quin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:37:26 -0800

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.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:43:09 -0800

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

Is it Einar Benediktsson?

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:43:45 -0800

Fortunately, the US is in negotiations to become the GOLDENPALACE.COM United States of America.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:45:16 -0800

Geez, just spell it out already.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:56:11 -0800

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."

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:03:33 -0800

Witness the last of the God-men

By: ssg

ssg — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:10:42 -0800

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?

By: i_cola

i_cola — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:13:57 -0800

I blame Kerry Katona.

But as most of the Brits will be in bed, that one's going to fall on its arse.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:16:46 -0800

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.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:31:14 -0800

It's a nifty island man.

No man is an island.

By: derbs

derbs — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:38:36 -0800

I blame Kerry Katona.

ha! Funnily enough she also went bankrupt recently

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:43:13 -0800

kenny rogers is an island.

in a stream.

with olivia newton-john.

that is what they are.

oh SNAP!

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:43:59 -0800

DOLLY PARTON

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:54:39 -0800

*donates an 'm' for adamrice's smoldering iron*

By: tellurian

tellurian — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:17:23 -0800

*donates an 'i' for adamrice's soldiering force*

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:31:05 -0800

*donates a 'b' for adamrice's slobbering bruins*

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:43:16 -0800

...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.

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:47:31 -0800

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?

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:55:38 -0800

We all float down here - and you will too!

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:07:42 -0800

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.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:08:05 -0800

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.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:16:07 -0800

Sorry Kattullus. I make it a personal policy never to read posts with crass humour in the title.

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:26:28 -0800

hangs head in shame. of COURSE, dolly parton. D.U.H.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:34:29 -0800

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.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:51:25 -0800

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

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:04:21 -0800

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)

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:06:14 -0800

Og ég fæ blóðnasir, en ég stend alltaf upp.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:22:09 -0800

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.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:25:44 -0800

...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.

By: metastability

metastability — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:58:35 -0800

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).

By: beagle

beagle — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:09:01 -0800

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.

By: weebil

weebil — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:26:13 -0800

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?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:42:42 -0800

Well, I'm in New York, but thanks weebil.

By: codswallop

codswallop — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:54:40 -0800

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

It's in Revelations, people!!!!

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:10:56 -0800

Isn't CCP games Icelandic?

I'm thinking they may soon be moving to an all-ice-mining and gate camp economy soon.

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:11:08 -0800

soon even.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:20:37 -0800

BUSINESS = GREED

By: drjimmy11

drjimmy11 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:35:41 -0800

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:15:42 -0800

"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?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:56:44 -0800

So what do they have in common?

Well, but for a c and an r, they're spelled the same.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:33:49 -0800

White people?

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:05:09 -0800

They're both where I'm a Viking.

By: shownomercy

shownomercy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:38:54 -0800

Sure it's interesting, but imagine if there were one US financial crisis post for every 80k citizens!!

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:27:44 -0800

There was one comment in the Palin thread for every 54,005 US residents.

By: kittyprecious

kittyprecious — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:51:15 -0800

Is this where I link to that Köttur og Stúlka shirt again? Or that Harper's article?

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:26:18 -0800

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.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:09:36 -0800

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.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:07:31 -0800

No, neither of them are philosophy professors. Sorry about that. I wish your friend the best of luck.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:23:55 -0800

:) 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.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:39:34 -0800

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.