One of my fellow countrymen has gone and vented his written a post on The Guardian’s “Comment is Free” site about the spark that set off the Iceland-UK diplomatic row last week. That post has now solicited a slew of ugly rants similar to what this post did on this site a few days ago; however amongst the rubble was this gem, which a reader – trev london – posted in the comments to the last post.
I’m taking the liberty of republishing it here because it’s just … great. It’s from a commenter who calls himself cuppateawifmilk. The link to the original post is here.
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Hullo Peoples from Icelands
I feeling much sadness in heart about your angry to England peoples becus they have been very nice to me. I running to England when I knowing Tony Blair, who very saint man, let poor peoples from lands with trouble sneaking into UK very quietly. Maybe he speeking to good frend Gordun Brown and do same deal for you. I hop so. There many opportunity in London and maybe you luck like me and find hotel clean opportunity for up to 6 pound hour! My English boss, who very generosity gentleman, tell me I extra luck becus it give network opportunity by clean room of hotshot business mogel. Infact, I very surprise so many Iceland people not liking their business mogul becus I have fortune to clean room of a Mr Johannesson, top tycoon, and he leeving room very clean (but some towel missing it true and he taking all little soaps and thing)
But I think problem is Gordun Brown not understanding you proper. He scotch and so he not speeking English good and maybe Iceland government not speeking English good becus you speeking eskimo language in normal. I understanding this problem as many foren worker in hotel and sometime we confuse when speek in English all together but in end we sort out problem and laugh at silly misstook. Soon I think Iceland primeminister and Gurdan Brown will also laugh together. This probable soon but not this moment becus Gurdan Brown is busy as he like financial Harry Potter and he saving world financial system right now. Maybe he visit your primeminister in his Igloo for Christmas or something.
But you must understanding england peoples. They think they rich becus house expensive. I explain problem to my father that england people are like farmers who think they rich becus someone say cows worth million pound even if not real. I say problems in ENgland becus now they wake up and know cows not worth million pound and all vey panicky on moneys. He ask me Iceland issue and I say it simple: Gurdan Brown and England peoples have million pound cows but Iceland is like next door farmer who have billion pound chiken and they make deal to give money to have eggs regular . But cows all sick and not worth million pound anyway and same time Iceland billion pound chicken go missing and Iceland people say all egg go to Iceland people until they find chicken again. But Gurdan Brown say fox eat chicken so no chance and then he grab all egg he can. With this information my father has explain all global liquidity crisis to village at home.
Thankyou much.
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WE HAVE A COOL AND WINDY OCTOBER DAY
No great shakes, if the truth be told. Went out earlier and saw that the top of Mt. Esja is all white, which means winter is hovering just above us, ready to pounce:
There’s a few drops of rain landing on my window pane and outside there are a few straggly yellow leaves left on the birch trees. Right now we have 6°C [43F], the sun came up at 8:16 am and will set at 6:10 pm.
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{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
What a hoot! Thanks for sharing.
Priceless! Almost as funny as watching north american news which is as funny as hearing the ill-informed comments from the average joe on the street. Difference is that the average joe I’m talking about only speaks one language and they claim that to be english.
In the far past I’ve always enjoyed the editorial and commentary sections of newspapers but gave that up when it became much too insane. I can say the same for most online commentary but this blog remains one of the few that I can read without feeling sick. That’s not to say I agree with everything, on the contrary sometimes but at least I don’t get further depressed. There remains hope and I thank you.
LOL – Thank you, just what we needed.
Whatever you think of the Brits…. they have great sense of humor, the best
Cheers,
Ása
I’m always astounded by how vile the commentary sections on newspaper sites can get. But this is just funny.
Ha! This Scots not understanding Icelanders could definitely be true. When my dad first arrived in Scotland he tried to by ‘X’, but the shopkeeper just didn’t get it!
HAHAHA! Oh dear. Million pund cows, indeed.
*weeps*
That’s the best explanation I’ve seen of the whole situation
Hellos lady from Iceleands. Thank you for the nice explinations of how things are going. We appreciate the informations muchly.
Sorry for all the woes it is causing inside, but our news reports very little from your point of view.
As I wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes, I realize this writer has a better handle on the truth than almost anyone (except maybe you, Alda).
I just can’t get the image out of my head of haggard old Gurdon Brown running around grabbing the eggs of a billion pound chicken! Or the Iceland primeminister and GB having a big belly laugh outside on the ice. LOL!
It’s shocking to me how much you stupid Vikings just don’t get. Just like your ancestors, you have raped and pillaged the rest of the world of its justly earned hard earned wealth. Pay back what you owe plain and simple. Don’t make empty threats when you are a only tiny country with no military. Remember the Falkland Islands?
Sheesh. Lighten up, will ya! I thought we’d finished with this kind of bile.
@ NYC
Apart from being racist, you are historically incorrect and you direct your anger at the VICTIMS of this crisis, rather than the perpertrators. In case you lost a considerable amount of savings in this crisis, you are very likely to get refunded (partial or whole) by some government or other. Alda and her compatriots have seen/will see their total wealth collapse very much like the Icelandic Stock Market today. Their debts on the other hand will rise exponentially. It will take many years of hardship for them to overcome this. You won’t even skip one holiday.
Get a perspective, for crying out loud!
The thought of the billion pound chicken going missing…
A little late…
Thanks for the link to the interview. Not so much for the interview itself, as that subject has been pretty well covered in the blog, but it was nice to finally have a face and a voice to go with the writing!
Steve – well, there’s already a face on my ‘About’ page, but granted, not a voice. Incidentally, I should have said you get bonus points for counting how many times I said ‘I think’.
for those who continue to rant at Iceland: maybe you should go back to kicking the homeless. you don’t have to use a computer to get your jollies.
heartless bastards.
it may be more bitterly satisfying to point your finger and blame somebody, but it is better for everybody if we hold out a helping hand.
austin, texas
@12 There’s nothing “light” about a failed state like Iceland that won’t take responsibility for the money it stole.
@17 The homeless didn’t steal from people like the Iceland banks did. Have fun creating straw man arguments, you dumb Aggie. No thief is owed a helping hand. If you can’t see that, then you are just a typical stupid Texan. Have fun playing on your poorly made Dell computer.
That was freaking gold! I love it.
PS. NYC = dumb.
NYC = deranged.
Gawd, thanks for sharing that! It almost made sense, too.
NYC = troll
whaaa? I don’t know what’s funnier, the original post that gets lost in translation or the muck that comes out in response. One is funny and the other is just sad. I hesitate putting a label on it, not worth the effort trying to debate it. But it’s damn ugly none the less.
I’ll agree with one point, certain people at certain banks and other institutions need to be hunted down before they blow the mega bucks they still have hidden away like the countless demigods that rape and pillage their countries before running off to parts unknown. But it isn’t the country Iceland and its people that are to be condemned. The Icelandic people will suffer plenty for a long time and if that makes other people feel better then feel comfort in that. I tell my coworkers to blame me whenever they can because it gets us past unproductive rhetoric and on to potential problem fixing. hell, blame Canada while you’re at it. They are doing rather well so far so it looks like they did something right before this happened.
Dumb aggie? Wow, things are really getting ugly down yonder. I’ll go hide under my ice block now.
That post is so funny. I’ve just read it for a second time and I’m in hysterics again! Somehow the philosophy seems to make sense of the whole situation.
I’m surprised that some people are still commenting with such a negative attitude and vitriol.
Not sure what NYC’s reference to the Falkland Islands is supposed to mean – I can’t see the relevance….Falklands – a small group of island in the South Atlantic owned by the British, that was threatened by invasion from Argentina = pointless war. Oh well *sigh*
I’m going to watch some Lazy Town clips. That should fix everything.
In my own mind.
Priceless….thanks.
That was fabulous. Thanks for posting. I think I must have screwed myself financially when I invested in that million dollar cat…I can’t even milk the thing.
Katie (from New York City, but NOT “NYC” – I’m totally embarassed that the troll is trying to impersonate my city!)
Pffft, the xenophobes and the racists really come out of the woodwork at times like this don’t they? Such angry little people… flaming and trolling their way around t’internet.
But yes I too enjoyed cuppateawifmilk’s post
I’m a bit disappointed to learn that my cows aren’t worth a million pounds though. Huh, everything I’ve been told is a lie!
katie – I know. I’ve been trying to get Polly the cockatiel to lay billion dollar eggs and it’s just not working. So frustrating.
Rachael – well said. Such small minds. Deserve our pity, really.
Iceland did a number on England back in the 1970’s. The more things change the more they stay the same.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aFOVig6chJls&refer=home
NYC – there are other forums if you wish to be so vindictive. There is no western government innocent in all this. This is an Anglo-American fueled crisis and to it’s huge misfortune Iceland took a turbo charged dive in with us. I have been saying for at least 6 years that we were heading for a crash as the increasing pace to de-industrialise, speculate property and borrow huge sums was already in full flight. It astonished me it took so long to burst.
I had to copy the cuppateawifmilk post as it is not only very funny, but very clever. There are many other parodies in there, as well as the Iceland issue.
He/she posted a follow up today, but it wasn’t so good. It did end with:
……PS Latvian lady also working with me in hotel and she say Russian loan bad idea. She usual right on many matter so listen to her tip careful please…….
Hey nYc, the 1970’s called and they want their old news back. The Cod Wars, indeed. Gee, a country decides that territorial waters extend to 200 miles. What a greedy little thing to do…. How far does your country extend it’s limits? Same as the 200lb gorilla, i.e. anywhere it wants. yawn.
LOL
@NYC
The Iceland-UK bank feud is really only a subset of an even more giant example of greed and rapaciousness created by an unregulated derivatives environment. More than 10 years ago, a lone woman named Brooksley Born, head of the CFTC at the time was quite aware of the disaster to come, and yet was vehemently opposed by Greenspan, Rubin and their ilk on Wall Street (in your very own NYC!). Now thanks to their lack of controls, we are now experiencing this derivatives lunacy unravelling around the world. You think any of those corporate criminals will be held to task? Don’t hold your breath…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/14/AR2008101403343.html
kudos Vikingisson!
I’m really sorry that NYC sounds like a total ASS. But here on the West Coast, we don’t think New York City is all that smart; and NYC has just proven my point. Actually, ther is a t-shirt that’s popular around here: Yo, NYC, your village called looking for their missing idiot. (Or words to that effect.)
I think the person in the afore mentioned blog was very sweet, so it was hard to read, so the English wasn’t A-plus. The person was saying that it is a misunderstanding between England and Iceland. I think that is a person I’d really like if I met him/her. Whereas NYC is someone I’d hope to NEVER meet in a dark alley (or a lit alley, for that matter [lol]).
Very funny post/response from cuppateawifmilk.
then there’s one less … angry idiots in NYC
It’s so sad that there are angry people like NYC in this world. Perhaps Sarah Palin could become useful with her guns and use him for target practice. I hear she’s a good shooter.
Shoot the bastard
Or better yet, maybe Sarah Palin could give him the gun to have him shoot himself and commit suicide.
NYC=Utterly Deranged
NYC= why don’t you go and make yourself disappear…forever
Now, now. We don’t condone those sorts of actions on this blog. Not even for dorks.
Wonderful. Maybe this should be made obligatory reading for the governments of Britain and Iceland and stop them pointing fingers at each other. It would be of more use….
LOL. Brilliant satire! The billion pound chicken part especially.
Cuppa speaks perfect Manglish. I’m sure, given your line of work, you appreciate the care he/she took to make it seem authentically muddled.
But of course.