Comments on: Overheard at the Laugardalslaug swimming pool

By: Vikingisson

Vikingisson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:23:27 +0000

I don’t understand why there isn’t a thriving industry making widgets *from* the abundant aluminum. (something about who owns the freakin shiny metal and how it always goes with these things). I did my part and bought a genuine pancake pan. I wish I could have bought other things…. But I love my pan.
How’s that submarine fibre cable going? Data centres are a good idea but that too is in limbo again.

By: idunn

idunn — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:15:56 +0000

Gentleman G1 is wrong. In fact they both are. The last thing Iceland needs is any more aluminum smelters. Or heavy industry.

It might, perhaps, lead the way in environmental conservation. Something this world is sadly in need of. The upside could prove a substantial improvement to the economy . . . and the land. The downside only in better preparing Iceland should the other nations of this world run us off a cliff.

In the meantime I would keep a very close eye on your water, and those elsewhere eyeing it.

By: Ibbi-Skribbi

Ibbi-Skribbi — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:47:30 +0000

Here’s my idea…How about we build a Wal-Mart next to the Aluminum smelters. It would be a marrige made in heaven. Both sucking natural resources and killing local buisnesses. The old timers from the pool can work there as greeters.

By: tom joseph aka tj3

tom joseph aka tj3 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:32:24 +0000

People like the guys in the pool have various ideas. People have a variety of ideas here in Florida USA as to how we got into this finance mess and how to get out of it. Some of the ideas are crazy, some close to the truth and some few truly useful and important.

Aluminum on the industrial scale is one for and against in Iceland. In Florida now People are considering scraping the entire park system, cutting education, removing all sorts of services and selling off public land and operations to private interests. I think this is insane! But who cares what I think.

The proponents of various schemes are presenting themselves all over the planet as a solution or a partial solution to the finance mess. Old people who understand whats up are wary of such proposals but others buy into advertising and propaganda all too easily.

For Iceland or Florida or New South Wales what is happening is that the citizens are becoming weary and the vested interests are just geting their ducks in a row and pushing hard. This is a test of will the ordinary citizens have to stay in the game and make decisions and not allow the lobbys to have their way without conscious approval.

The banking and finance thing here in Florida is actually growing worse at this time, so we are in for it and Iceland will continue to get some fallout form here.

Whatever Iceland chooses to do or we here I think first has to be some decisions about finance reform that are just not being discussed. Aluminum will not fix that nor selling off the state here.

Sorry to go on so long but I hear things here also (not in a pool) that sound so dumb, as if no one has learned anything from now years of crap in the news. There are no easy fixes. Plastics? Coconut fiber? Ferris Wheels? Give us a break!

By: hildigunnur

hildigunnur — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:57:50 +0000

Magnús, did I say that I wanted to close up all the smelters we already have? The aluminium eggs are quite enough already.

I’m simply not buying that we get all that much revenue, see Richard’s post above. The power companies are very deep in debt and the aluminium companies sure aren’t in this to be helpful. The price for the electricity is way too low, that’s why they want to be here.

By: colin buchanan

colin buchanan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:19:28 +0000

Quite interesting that this about Icesave has hit the media in Britain- can Iceland really be regarded as liable for this debt?

http://inthesenewtimes.com/2009/07/07/uk-freezing-of-landsbanki-assets-as-damaging-to-iceland-as-treaty-of-versailles/

By: CoffeeDrinkingWoman

CoffeeDrinkingWoman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:27:57 +0000

You know, I think I’d rather like to live in a universe of my own creation too… though I think it might look a wee bit different than the universe of those two gents.

By: Tomas

Tomas — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:05:30 +0000

Gwrhyr- Yeah, Iceland was a very happy dreamland before the 1950s, not. Iceland was a pretty poor place, and it was also a hard life living there until relatively recent decades afaik (as in, the past 60 years). To sustain a lifestyle anything like it has now, the economy can not completely die. And trust me, countries have been exploiting their natural resources as long as man has known how to farm land, cut trees, and make metal. What do you think a world with no industry would be like :p, I hope you enjoy not using electricity, cars, or computers. Maybe OTHER countries should be the source of those things, right?

By: JoeInVegas

JoeInVegas — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:30:04 +0000

Hopefully you are working and paying your bills. That is a good sign personally. But everyone has an opinion, and unfortunately most governments don’t listen but just do what they want.
But really, 13c and nice? Right now here it’s 41c, we will wait a little for it to cool down and sunset before jumping in the swimming pool, but the low tonight will probably be 26.

By: Gwrhyr

Gwrhyr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:27:25 +0000

Iceland survived centuries without heavy industry, why does it need it now?
The values of exploiting natural resources until their depletion may be the norm in increasing the GDP of countries today, but it’s the countries who resist that urge for instant material wealth who will pave the way for a sustainable, and ultimately happy future.
Heavy industry is to nature what the causes of the kreppa are to the kreppa. Isn’t that obvious by now?