Protest in Iceland today - video

Protest season started again today in Iceland.
People are protesting , why is the Goverment not helping the public, in their debts.
And why is the goverment going to pay the Icesave account,that one of the banks messed up in England and Holland.
Why should the goverment pay the debts of private banks.

Now the goverment is increasing taxes, income tax,VAT tax,gasoline tax and son on.
At the same time the goverment is helping big companys ,with bailout money .

It was very cold today ,but a few hundred people attended in front of the parliement building.
Members of parliement looked out the windows of parliement to see the protest.
Another protest is planned next saturday .'
And of cource - this was a peaceful protest , few police officers where seen at the protest

Prime minister taking a walk with fire - video

Yesterday,was the International day of the UN, on stopping violence against women.
And here , Icelands prime minister,Johanna Sigurdardottir, leads a walk , from the culture house in Reykjavik ,to the seaside.
There they watched as the Imagine Peace Light ,was lit as they arrived.
The finance minister ,Steingrimur J. Sigfusson , and the vice cahirman of the Independence party ,Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, ,wich is in the oppositiun in parliement ,where also ther.
This is a day where everybdy shows their support and are friends.
In the end , a small accapella group sang the old Coka Cola song.
The prime minister is in front, blond and with a blue scarf .

News from ICeland - corruption

Ministers that might have taken part in the corruption , and may have taken part in the banking collapse,may not have to worry about that they might be held responsable.
According to Iceland law about Goverment ministers, every bad thing or neglect in using their powers, can not be prosecuted after three years.
After three years , you can not prosecute a former minister.

A local newspaper DV.is , says today ,that 30 billion kronas of Jon Asger Johannesson debpt has been written of by Kaupthing bank. ( its name is now - Arion .)
Jon Asger Johannesson ,is the owner of Bonus stores ,tv station,newspapers,and more here in Iceland.

Photo: Jon Asgeir.

The Icelandic public will pay ,goverment raises taxes

The goverment is going to pay the banking debts, and to get more money ,it will raise taxes on the public.
Income tax ,VAT tax , and raise tax on what people have to buy .

Like they say ,if banks are doing good, the stockholder earns more money, but if Banks are not doing good, then the public pays.

Yesterday, people attended in front of the goverment house ,to protest ,that Iceland should pay the Icesave ,account,that was made by a private bank.

IMF - the kiss of death ?

New book has been published about the banking crash in Iceland last year.
The author is mr. Styrmir Gunnarsson, former editor of the newspaper ,Morgunbladid.
In his book , mr. Styrmir talkes about when tyhe CEO of the Icelandic Central Bank, mr. David Oddson ,met mister Timothy F. Geithner Secretary of the Treasury, USA.

They met , in the middle of the year 2008, and then mister Geithner ,was one of assistance directors of the US central BAnk.
Mr. Oddson asked Geithner ,if the US central Bank could lend Iceland 2 - 3 billion dollars.
Mr. Geithner reaction later, was that the amount to lend Iceland was not an issue, because Icelands financial problems where overwhelming.

The author of the Book,mr. Styrmir also said that Mr. David
also told mr. Geithner that the CEO of the Europian central bank had suggested that ICeland talk to the International Moneytary Fund ( IMF )
Mr Timothy F. Geithner then assistance ceo of the US central Bank and now Secretary of the Treasury, USA. reaction to what mr. David Oddson ,CEO of the ICEland Central Bank ,last year,was, Quote: " Aha,he offered you the kiss of death."

In the later part of 2008 ,Iceland was not sure about seeking help at the IMF.
Then mr. Paul Thomsen ,head of an IMF mission in Iceland,came to Iceland and had a meting with the Prime minister ,Mr. Geir H. Haarde.
Mr. Haarde told him that the IMF could not treat Iceland as a third world country.
Mr Thomsen promised that the IMF would not do that.
And after that meeting , mr Thomsen is supposed to have phoned his superior at IMF ,and said , quote: " I Got Him "

Now mr. David Oddson is the editor of the newspaper ,Morgunbladid.
Mr. Styrnir,who wrote this book,with this information ,is a former editor of the Morgunbladid.
Photos .

Top : Timothy F. Geithner Secretary of the Treasury, USA.

Middle: David Oddson

Bottom . Paul Thomsen ( in center )

Iceland not corrupted ?

Transparency International ,rates ICeland as the 10th least corrupt country in the world.
Iceland was number one in 2006.
Here you can see the list of Transparency International

National assembly in Iceland today

Today ,there was a national assmebly, 1500 hundred people,discussing what values should be in ICeland.
They where selected from every part of ICeland,through random selection,using the national registry.
Nine inidviduals,where on every table,and they had all,special discussion .
Some had education,others had democracy and so on.
This assembly ,is by a independent group, and every thing to hold this assembly,was donanted by inidviduals ,and companys.

Integrity is the value the representatives of the National Assembly considered most important for society.
Equal rights, respect and justice follow. Next are love, responsibility, freedom, sustainability and democracy.
The family, equality and trust are also high priorities.

Spirits are high and participants and staff are focused on delivering good results for the country.
The participants are divided into groups working at 162 tables.
Nine people are at each table and their first task this morning was to agree on values.

What comes from this assembly,will be put online,and goverment ,individuals,goveremnt,and everybody ,can use it for their own purposes.

Protest in Iceland today -- video

Due to the banking crisis and economy problems here in ICeland ,everybody has to save money.
And the towns and city must save to.
One town near just south of Reykjavik ,Hafnarfjordur,has been cutting down expences, and when they decided to cut down on service for the young and teenagers,then the teenagers got angry.
The town council decided to cut down on the teenagers social center, the center where teenagers can come after school .
Today teenagers in the town protested , and went in front of the town hall ,and the mayor came out,and promised to talk to the teenagers at a meeting.
And teenagers always protest peacefully.
Speaches where made and they asked the mayor ,why cut down expences on the young .
Media was there ,so the mayor answered the questions,and ,of course ,promised to go over the expences and the savings .
And he promised to speak to the Teenagers representives , and not in closed rooms .

Some Schholmasters gave the kids the the afternoon off,so the could protest,but others did not,so their parents had to call the school,and ask for permission to attend the protest.

Iceland corrupt - poll in Iceland

According to a opinion poll,made here in Iceland ,by The University of Bifrost , Iceland is pretty corrupt.
The asked 1350 individuals,and and 63% answered the poll.
67 % of those that answered ,think that Icelands politics and goverment system is very corrupt .

But according to Transparency International,Iceland is one of the least corrupt nations.

Strange sentences in Iceland - probation is popular

A 38 year old man ,was sentenced yesterday by a county court in the sout part of Iceland.
He was sentenced for giving alcohol and sexually abusing two times, a thirteen year old girl.
He used her inexpieriance and that she had drunk alcohol ,and his strengh and age ,and sexually assoulted the girl two times.
The girls mother went berserk when this happened last year ( september) at the mans house.

He was sentenced to 8 month - and all on probation.
He will not have to serve any time in jail.
According to Icelandic law, the minimun sentence is 1 year in jail.

A few months ago , a man was sentenced for 8 months in jail ,no probation.
He had stolen meat in a shop .

Kaupthing bad loans to Kaupthings bank CEO.

6 of the former CEO´s of Kaupthing Bank,got 400 millions in loans from Kaupthing,to buy land properties in Iceland .
The loans where in Japanese yens ,and are now around one billion krona.
The former CEO´s are Hreiðar Már Sigurðsson, Ingólfur Helgason, Magnús Guðmundsson, Sigurður Einarsson, Steingrímur Páll Kárason and Þorvaldur Lúðvík Sigurjónsson.

No American Ambassador in Iceland.

No American Ambassador has been in Iceland since the beginnign of this year.
One member of parliement has asked the foreign secretary , why is there no Ambassador in Iceland .
Gudlaugur Thor ,member of parliement also asked the foreign secretary about the implications it has for us countries if the United States has not employed ambassador here.
He also asked, it there no ambassador ,because of the event last year when the former ambassador , Carol van Voorst ,when she was about to leave Iceland ,got a letter from the Icelands Foreign Office,wich told her ,that the President was going to give her a Presidential medal - the Fálkaordan.
But when she was on her way to the President ,house at Bessastadir,they got a phonecall from the Presidents office ,and where told that ,she would not be getting the medal.
No more explanation was offerred.
According to sources,the ambassador was not pleased,but continued to Bessastadir.
There had been some mistake made at the Presidential office.
The President apologized for this mistake to the ambassador ,but told her also - " that the medal is only for those that deserve it "
The Presideant of the USA ,Barack Obama had appointed mr. Robert S. Connan as US ambassador to ICeland , but he did not accept it.

Photo: Carol van Voorst

Mcdonald´s has left Iceland ---- video

Bad things are happening all over our little planet.
Economic crisis, global warming, unemployment, wars and so on.
But today its looks like that Doomsday is upon us !

This is the last day of McDonalds in Iceland.
Feelings are running high,tears have fallen ,many will flag at half mast tomorrow.
Ithas been a sad day for Burger lovers.
I went to Mcdonald´s just after noon today , and there was a big line to it.
And i went again just minutes ago , and there where more cars in the line.
Inside there was also a line of people,getting there last McDonald´s in ICeland.
Tomorrow , no more McDonald´s.
Nobody wanted to be interviewed ,because ,feelings are running high,and nobody wants to break down on video ,and cry in public.
At midnight tonight , the golden arch will be turned off , and tomorrow ,there will be another name, where McDonald´s was before, and that name will be - Metro Burger.
Not as Classy as McDonald´s but still , they will serve burgers .

But yesterday night,at 24:00 hours ( GMT ) the lights of Mcdonalds where turned off.