Is Iceland sinking ?

Things are still getting bad here in Iceland.
As always,and i htink that is universal,political people,never stand by the campain promises.
They are just helping the banks and big companys.
But the public,is going down,debts increasing,value of home going down,and on average,one family per day is moving to other countries.
The Goverment is not saving in the public sector,but they a inreasing taxes on the public.
Like they say,If the Banks are doing well,the stockholders get more money - But if the Banks are not doing well,then the public pays.
It is a win win situation for those in power.
And the corruption is doing well in Iceland these days

More earthquakes in Iceland - update may 30 2009

More earthquakes have been today in the south west part of Iceland.
One about 4,5 on the richter scale at 14:30 local time ( gmt ) .
And another just past five aclock today .
Both where at the same location as the one last night,wich was 4,9 on the richter scale.
No damage has been reported .

Earthquake in Iceland - update

A earthquake was in Iceland this evening.
it was located just southwest of the capital ,Reykjavik.
The earthquake was 4,5 on the Richter scale.
It occured at 21:33 ,local time ( gmt )
According to the local news ,there are many aftershocks.

The earthquake was felt in the Reykjavik.

No damages have been reported .

Earthquake in Iceland

Tonight a earthquake was felt in Iceland -
It was located at nothwest of a town called Grindavik.
the earthquake was felt in the capital - Reykjavik.
On the Richter scale ,it was 3.9 .

Goverment in Iceland raises taxes

The goverment in Iceland has raised taxes on tobacco ,alcohol and automobiles.
But is not doing any public savings.
Looks like the public in Iceland is going to pay for the banking crisis .

Icelanders dont trust anything anymore

According to a poll in Iceland recently,Icelanders do not trust many goverment agencys anymore.
Icelanders dont trust the Banks ,the financial overseears , the Central Bank ,Parliment and so on.
But they do trust the University ,Police and the State tv and radio stations news desk.
The goverment is still doing nothing to help the public .
The Goverment only helps big companys these days.
And who said that there was corruption in Iceland.
Here below is a video from the Potato Protest last weekend.
A group of people have formed a group ,for the homes in Iceland.
One man went on to plant potatos in front of the Parliement building.

May 23 2009 - protest in Iceland - potatos .

Today there was a protest meeting in Reykjavik- Iceland
People where protesting how the goverment is treating the public during the banking crisis.
The promises before the election a few weeks ago ,are all forgoteen.
Discussion in parliemnt are about , how members of parliement are dressed ( they dont have to where ties anymore ) and discussing also about joining the Europian Union.
But while they are doing that ,people are moving to other countries ,and debts on peoples houses are going up ,while the price of the house is going down.
A lady making a speach today ,a member of the Social democratic movement,was bood at when she tried to defend the goverment.
Bubbi Morthens ,the Icelandic Rock King,sang a few songs.
But one man who was there ,started to plant potatos in front of the parliement .
THat got people and the media attention.
And people and children came and started helping him.
That is the message people want the goverment to see,the dont have money to buy food ,so what do you do then ?

Police investigates companys in Iceland

Police made searches at 12 locations in Reykjavik last week.
The special procecutor is investigating the Banking crisis last winter.
Raids where aimed at mr. Olafur Olafsson ,known better as Olafur at Samskip.
The investigation is looking into market manipulation by Olafur and Sheik Mohamed Bin Khalifa Al-Thani .
Kaupthing Bank granted a loand the was written against his company which is located in the British Virgin Islands.
The loan was secured by the shares themselves and involved no personal risk to Olafur .
Olafur was the second largest shareholder of Kaupthing Bank

Protest planned today in Reykjavik - Iceland

The public in Iceland is getting more angry.
Icelands goverment does not keep their promice ,about helping the public .
A group that has been formed in Iceland ,called ,The Homes alliance,is going to protest in downtown Reykjavik today at 15:00 hours.
Four will make speaches and Bubbi Morthens ,a Icelandic Rock King, will play some music with his group ,EGO.
Here is a video i took last winter when Bubbi and his group protested at the Central Bank.

Icelanders moving to other countries.

An average ,one family per day,is now moving to other countries .
Icelanders are moving mostly to Norway.
And the goverment celebrates ,that Icelanders are moving from Iceland.
In a tv show this week,the Icelands Social minister ,mr. Arni Pall Arnasson,informed us ,that the goverment where going to help people who had bad bank debts.
He said that nobody would have to suffer for their bad debts,the goverment ,through the banks,would help people.
But later this week,he celebrated ,that familys where moving to other countries.
He said,that people would get educations and learn otheer jobs,and would come back to Iceland later,with great knowledge.

But history tells us,people wont come back.
If their lives are better in other countries,why should they move back to Iceland ?

Politicians in Iceland ,as in other countries,seem to live in an Ivory tower,and cant see what is happening on the ground ,where the public lives.

Here below is a video i took of people enjoying the good weather in Reykjavik

Heatwave in Reykjavik - but bad economy

Things are getting worse here in Iceland.
People are moving to foreign countries,to get work and better living quality.
On average,there is one family that moves from Iceland every day.
The Icelandic goverment is taking over companys that are in bad debts.
Many companys owe the banks ,that the goverment ownes now,lots of money.
Homeloans are getting higher ,but the house price is getting lower.
Same with car loans.

Big companys have been nationalized,and many smaller company have gone bankrupt.
But unemployment has been steady,at about 17,500 .
That would be about 9,1 % og the working population here in Iceland.
Not many will take summer vacation in foreign countries.

So it is good that the weather is excellent ,as you can see on the video.
This is taken today ,where the river runs trough Reykjavik .
Icelanders use what they can,and here ,the sun is shining,it is warm,and cold water nearby.

And in summer time - they fish salmon in this river in Reykjavik.
There is now a heatwave in Reykjavik - well , we call it heatwave,the temperature is around 16 degrees on the celcius .
And for us in Iceland - that is a heatwave

Eurovision festival in Reykjavik today

Today ,the Iceland team came home from the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
Norway got first place ,but Iceland got second place.
So people welcomed them with a festival in downtown Reykjavik ,where last winter it was a location for protests and riots.
But now it was a festival for the Icelandic singers.
The lead singer is an 18 year old girl ,Johanna Gudrun Jonsdottir.
She has a great voice.
But it was great that they did not win .
Because the winners must hold the song contest next year - and we dont think that we can afford it - after the banking crisis .
And in the end of the video you can see and hear them sing our song - Is it true
And the weather was great - calm ,sunny and the temperature in the 20 on the celcius - and that is a heatwave in Iceland

Eurovision - Iceland number 2

While the Eurovision song contest is on tv ,live from Moscow ,there is not much traffic in Iceland.
There are Eurovision parties everywhere,and i took this video tonight at 19:45 ,local time in Reykjavik.
And you can see ,while the Icelandic song was being broadcast ,not much traffic outside.
Even though there is great weather ,warm ,bright and calm,everybody is inside ,watching the Eurovision song contest.
Eurovision is watched by over a hundred million people in Europe.

And Norway wins - and Iceland is number two - in the Eurovision song contest this year.

Iceland in Eurovison song contest

Tonight is the finals in the Eurovison song contest.
In Eurovision are all countries in Europe and Israel.
It it now being held in Moscow,because they won last year.
The countrie that wins,gets to hold the song contest next year.
And Iceland is in the finals ,and of course We will win !
But can we hold the song contest next year ?
Wouldnt we then go completely banckrupt ?
Eurovision is very popular in Europe and here in Iceland ,you do not see many people outside ,when the Contest is on.
Here is a link to the ICelandic Song .
Performed by Johanna ,and the songs name is - Is it true .

Iceland on sale for travelling

Iceland is now highly recomennded for traveling.
Due to the banking crisis ,now it is very cheap for tourists to visit Iceland.
The dollar is now 60 % stronger than last year.
Prices are low now ,if you use the Dollar in Iceland.
It looks like that Iceland is on Firesale.
What has happened in Iceland,is very bad for Icelanders ,but great for Americans.
Here are photos from the Viking Festival in Iceland ,every year in june.

Eagle in Iceland - online

In Gilsfjordur,in the westfjords in Iceland ,there is an eagles nest.
And now he has a web camera ,so you can see the nest anytime.
Here is alink to that webcamera - Eagle Web camera

Hunger strike in Iceland

A man from Algires ,Mr. Mansri Hichem ,is seeking a political asylum in Iceland .
He has been in Iceland for two years ,and has been denied asylum.
Mr. Mansri Hichem ,has appieled that decision of the department that covers foreigners in Iceland ,to the justice minister.
Mr. Mansri Hichem ,has been on a hunger strike now for 19 days,because of the long time it takes the goverment to make a decision.
He claims that he would be in danger from the goverment and terrorist group in is home country,if he would be denied a political asylum in Iceland..
He says that he has prrof of the danger against him in his home country
Now all asylum seekers at FIT in Njardvik in Iceland ,are going on a hunger strike if Mr. Mansri Hichem ,asylum request does not get a favorible conclusion.
He is under constant doctors supervision.

Here you can see a video on an Icelandic media

http://mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/2009/05/11/aetla_allir_i_hungurverkfall/?ref=fphelst

Iceland goverment talks to protesters

Group of people protested yesterday in Reykjavik.
They where protesting the goverment slow decision making.
They walked to the goverment house,and there ,Prime Minister ,Johanna ,invited them in for a informal discussion.
Very peacful protest,and protesters got answers

Corruption still on in Iceland

Now they are moving out of Iceland.
One of the bankers,who owned a shipping company and controlled a bank ,has moved to Russia .
He thought that when his legal address was in Russia,that the Icelandic courts could not get the money he owed because of his personal sequrities .
But that was not correct,he went bankrupt yesterday.
Rumors are that more bankers are moving to foreign countries.
Olafur Olafsson,owner of Samskip,and he controlled one of the banks,is said to be in Switserland .
Also Sigurður Einarsson ,Bank manager of Kaupthing Bank.

The former Bank Vikings have not been seen in public in Iceland.
The special prosecutor ,who was to investigate the crisis ,is not doing anything.
He was politically appointed byt the goverment that was in charge when the banking crisis began last october.

People calling in on talk radio stations in Iceland ,are furious.
Tax payers in Iceland must pay for their bad investments during the last few years,and nobody will be held responsable.

Unemployemnet in Iceland rising

Now in Iceland there are 17.735 unemployed.
That would be about 9 - 10 % of the working population .

Corruption is in Iceland ,according to Gallup

According to a Gallup poll in Iceland ,80% of the population thinks that corruption in the Icelandic buisness life.
And 70 % thinks that corruption is in the political arena.
50 % think that the Icelandic media is corrupt also.
About 50 % belive that buisness men use often or very frequently ,offer political memebers bribes to get them them to change policy and also law making at the Iceland Parliement.

Few years ago , a member of parliement was convicted of stealing from the govermnet and accepting bribes.
He was two years in jail --- but he was after that voted back into parliement .

Financial Civil War in Iceland ?

The public in Iceland is now organizing a group effort to stop paying their loans to the Banks in Iceland.
About 20.000 thousand individuals have signed up to a group - that is called - Hagsmunasamtok heimilanna ( homes interest group )
The foreign loans people took in good faith, are now skyrocketting,so people that invested with foreing loans a house ,worth 25 million kronas - is now the house is worth 22 million kronas,but the loans are in the 30 millions or more.
People are angry at the banks .
Many have stopped paying of their loans,and many more are going to stop paying.
One member called this a financial civil war !

Many former Bank employes ,who bought stock in the Banks ,and got loans for from their bank,they made private companys around their investment ,so they dont have to pay.
One of the employes of Kaupthing Bank ,is the husband of the former Educational minister ,Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir.
People feel that the banks have stolen their money.
And still nobody is being investigated about the crisis.

May first parade in Iceland

Many attendend the may fist parade in Reykjavik.
Music and speaches where in downtown Reykjavik,in front of the Icelandic parliement building.
One of the Unions leader,got bood at during his speach -
He gets 7 time more pay then the people in the unions.
People where angry and bood at him ,when he held his speach.
No changes have been happening still in Iceland.
More people are getting unemployed ,and many are leaving Iceland to get work somewhere else.