Iceland
catdynamics | May 18, 2009Atlas Hedged
Bankrupt Icelandic gazillionaires
and Woe Is Academia
Atlas Hedged
updating a classic for the modern age - recommended
Peek-a-boo - the Economist explains why Astronomers should have lots of new toys.
Check Out new SciBling "Confessions of A Science Librarian"
PhysioProf's Handy Dandy Guide to D00dly D00d's - how fuckin' not to fuck up in comments on some peoples' blogs
FSP explains why you should read the backlog of student e-mails before going to the last faculty meeting
- have to get into the right frame of mind.
Iceland:
Lára Hanna interviews Michael Hudson on where…
catdynamics | May 12, 2009Iceland made it to the Eurovision final round...
not bad
as Eurovision entries go
sciencewoman | April 29, 2009Let me now sing the praises of NASA's Earth Observatory, a phenomenal web-based public education resource that is celebrating its 10th birthday today. Every day for the past decade, NASA has been uploading spectacular remote sensing images and astronaut photographs and accompanying them with clearly written, jargon-free but scientifically accurate explanations of the pictured phenomena. The Earth Observatory is one of my favorite web destinations, and I get their weekly email newsletter, and follow them on twitter. (Follow me!)
On numerous occasions, I've used Earth Observatory images to…
catdynamics | March 4, 2009In which Michael Lewis learns what a "ruddi" is.
Quite fascinating Vanity Fair article on Iceland's Finanicial Whiz Kids and the general mood.
Thanks for the pointer Bob.
Lewis, to be fair, misses out on some things.
First of all, the Icelandic financiers weren't as naive as he claims - for one thing many of them still have their money; for another, some of the really smart ones got out, or are embedded in US hedgies by now; and, finally, Lehman failed first, actually so did Bear Sterns - the Icelanders were overexposed and over-leveraged and had horrible systemic risk exposure, but they…
razib | March 4, 2009The author of Liar's Poker sure can write prose. Michael Lewis' massive article on Iceland is very interesting, and sheds light on a general phenomenon with a specific example.
catdynamics | February 26, 2009there was a legal case in Iceland a few years ago, it was an convoluted property rights case, can't remember the details, but it involved who had ownership when there was delivery but no payment nor explicit assumption of ownership and then a third party intercedes
anyway, the interesting thing about the case, is that it was decided on precedent case law, from a case from about 1000 years earlier
having a continuous constitutional and common law with an extended history can be quite enabling
the Vikings were mostly traders, rather than raiders, and property rights were quite important,…
catdynamics | February 9, 2009the director of the central bank does what all bad boys do
the director of the central bank was late to work this morning, late enough the protests had fizzled by the time he showed, apparently
however, the intrepid reporters at Vísir tracked him down
they had the insight, that as with all naughty boys being accused of misbehaviour, Dabbi would have gone home to mummy; where they picked up his trail and followed him from the west end to town, where he pulled into the national hospital
when a reporter tried to ask him questions, he reacted rather negatively claiming to have a doctors…
catdynamics | February 8, 2009The head of the Icelandic central bank, and former prime minister, Davíð Oddsson, has refused to resign from his post, as requested by the new prime minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Farðu bölvaður frá mér brott
Forðist þig allt sem heitir gott
Yfir þig dynji hefndar hríð
Himin og jörð þér risti níð
Update: by Kristján Jónsson, the "Mountain Skáld" (1842-1869).
Rough translation:
Go away from me now and be damned
May all that is good avoid you
Snowstorm of vengeance pile on you
Heaven and earth carve you curses
A second director is also refusing to resign, while the third has done so.…
catdynamics | January 29, 2009Grauniad reports Iceland to be fast tracked for EU membership.
We'll see, public could swing either way on the issue in the interval.
Real problem is the fish. If the grounds are opened to EU vessels and Iceland loses control of the catch allotment, then the fish will all die.
Yup, this has hit the Icelandic papers also.
Current spin is how good it'd be for the EU - as good as finding a whale...
catdynamics | January 23, 2009Situation in Iceland is getting worse every day.
PM is out; fish exports are down sharply because of lack of buyers - partly lack of credit by European importers, partly economic collapse in eastern and southern Europe - this could crush any prospect for short term recovery.
Larger protests every day, with pattern of escalation - torches and teargas stage right now.
After violence earlier this week the protest organiser asked people to go home so that weekend drinking wouldn't lead to the situation getting out of hand tonight.
So, it is quiet tonight in Iceland.
But tomorrow is protest…
catdynamics | January 21, 2009Iceland shows the world the way.
the revolution will be twittered
The Heat is On - Eiríkur Bergmann's grauniad article on civil unrest in Iceland.
Newsfrettir has more - interesting sequence of pictures...
Hey, I think that is my cousin storming the "United Left" meeting at the National Theater.
Heard they missed the torching of the christmas tree at the east square by Alþingi...
The head of the National Bank was carried out of her office; the Prime Minister's car stormed; the police are in riot gear and being taunted; and flash mobs are gathering.
Very sloppy
Right now it is torches (well…
catdynamics | January 6, 2009Hera Hjartardóttir
Her version of "The Girl Who Stares at the Sea" is one of my favorites.
catdynamics | January 4, 2009one of the best songs you have never heard of
from Todmobile - ok, so one of them is my cousin...
grrlscientist | January 3, 2009tags: Iceland, environment, Iceland, nature, image of the day
Iceland.
Image: Orvar Thorgiersson [larger view].
Icelander Orvar Thorgiersson won a Merit Award in the World in Focus competition for this image. He snapped his image just five minutes from his home. "I find this lava-rock cove and old house very interesting," he says. "It was the first time I shot it covered with snow. I like the contrast of the chilled surroundings with the warmth coming from the house windows." An engineer, Thorgiersson says photography gives him a creative outlet.
Go here to see more images. This image…
catdynamics | December 29, 2008The Priests of the Church of Iceland process to the Cathedral in downtown, trailed by their Lord and Master
seen on Making Light
Good to see some of our priests have a sense of humour.