Tis the voice of the wazzock -
I hear him complain:
“You insult me too soon,
I must maunder again.”
and Gouda evening to you, Finger-in-dyke-Boy
bj0rn: thanks for the kind words - nice to know the efforts are appreciated, few as they are. I don’t seem to have much trouble with insults - I just get demolished on serious arguments!
Man erith, woman morpeth
Now DON’T get me started on the country stereotypes ya Limey !
Without insulting, let’s stick to basic facts: kicked out of the Rugby World Cup really early, kicked out of the Football World Cup REALLY early, Damon Hill ('nuff said), and, last but not least, Tony Blur…
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
thats true, dont get him started on country stereotypes. hes awful with them. tried a few comments about iceland, but all he could dig up was some comments about vikings, caves and lava.
rousseau: i wonder if you have a “on” button.
bj0rn - lights on, lights off…
Ahem. Quote:
thats true, dont get him started on country stereotypes. hes awful with them. tried a few
comments about iceland, but all he could dig up was some comments about vikings, caves and
lava.
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
Yeah, we know you don’t have any trees. So what’s left?
Dopeler effect:
The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
hehehe…you havent done ice, stupid people in a political party called “sjálfstæðisflokkurinn” and a thingy we call “KR-ingar”(football, soccer for you silly americans).
and of course you could point out the lack of trees and why people would like to live in the middle of the atlantic ocean.
come on…you must be able to find something. you cant just continue throwing flowers my direction and expect me to call you creative. dont start throwing shoes though, they hit hard and that hurts. no fun in that.
netherlands: the only country in the world where they have wind-powered computers. - explains alot, doesnt it 
ICELAND. The island of Iceland is one of the stepping-stones of land between the North American and European continents. It is located just south of the Arctic Circle about 180 miles (290 kilometers) southeast of Greenland, 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) west of Norway, and 500 miles (800 kilometers) northwest of Scotland. Over 80 percent of the island is unpopulated because the land is covered either with permanent snow and ice fields (glaciers) or has a volcanic surface, which has poor soils that are not suited to crop growing, sheep grazing, or other agricultural activities. It is one of the world’s smaller nations with a population of about 256,000. More than 50 percent of the people live in or near the capital city of Reykjavik in the extreme southwestern portion of the island. It is located on major shipping and air lanes of the North Atlantic Ocean, and it occupies a unique position in the world as one of the first independent, democratic republics.
The Land and Resources
The geological origin of Iceland is volcanic in nature and the surface has been formed by lava flows and other volcanic materials that come from numerous erupting volcanoes, some of which are still active. Hot lava is near the surface, and many geysers or hot springs are formed when water comes into contact with the lava-heated rocks. The steam or hot water created by this contact is used to heat the homes and buildings of Reykjavik as well as greenhouses, which produce flowers and vegetables. Active volcanoes, such as the 4,891-foot (1,491-meter) Hekla, erupt occasionally and sometimes cause considerable damage. The volcanic island of Surtsey off the southern coast was formed by eruptions that began in 1963.
The extensive lava plateaus are largely covered by ice caps from which many glaciers move outward toward the sea. Rugged mountains are characteristic of the coastline, except for the plains area near Reykjavik in the southwest. Hvannadalshnukur along the southern coast is the highest peak (6,952 feet; 2,119 meters). The irregular coast is indented by many fjords and bays except in the southwest.
The Icelandic climate is rather moderate despite the island’s northerly latitude because of the relatively warm North Atlantic Drift waters that bathe the southern and western coasts. Nevertheless, the climate is cool throughout the year. The mean temperature at Reykjavik in January is 31o F (-0.6o C) and 52o F (11.2o C) in June. The northern coasts have colder water offshore for most of the year and the temperature there is normally 5.5o F (3o C) colder than the southern coast temperature in summer and 9o F (5o C) colder in winter. Along the northern coast drift ice and foggy conditions sometimes prevail during winter. The frost-free growing period is short, however, and snow remains at higher altitudes for six months or more. The average annual precipitation varies from 40 to 60 inches (1,000 to 1,500 millimeters) in the populated southwest. Extremes that range from less than 20 inches (500 millimeters) in the north to about 120 inches (3,000 millimeters) in the highlands have been measured.
The country’s lava soils, climate, and poor drainage conditions are not favorable to tree growth. Most of the lower parts of the island were covered with trees that were either burned off by early settlers, cut for timber, or killed by sheep gnawing at the bark for food during winter. The present vegetation consists of cotton grass and other sedges and rushes in the marshy areas; small forested areas consisting of dwarf willows, birches, and mountain ash; and grass, moss, and lichens in the coastal valleys, the plains of the southwest, and the lower elevation lava plateaus.
The fox is the only native four-legged animal. The reindeer was introduced from Norway about 1770. About 100 species of birds, including many types of waterfowl, inhabit the island. Whales and seals are found along the coast. Trout and salmon inhabit the inland lakes and streams, and several commercial fish species are located in the surrounding waters. Especially numerous are herring and cod.
The People–Their Way of Life and Culture
Irish monks established early isolated settlements in Iceland, but Norwegians arriving from AD 874 were primarily responsible for the island’s continuous occupation and population growth. In addition to the Norwegian stock, large numbers of the early settlers came from the British Isles. Traders from the Black Sea and Mediterranean areas also culturally influenced the island.
Icelandic culture is similar to that of the Scandinavian countries, especially Norway. The Icelandic language is primarily Old Norse or old Norwegian in character, although it varies considerably from modern Norwegian. The Evangelical Lutheran church is the state church, but the people are free to worship as they please. Education levels are high in Iceland, where more books and newspapers are published per person than in any other nation. The University of Iceland in Reykjavik, founded in 1911, is free to citizens. Schooling is required through age 16.
Despite the problems presented by Iceland’s natural environment, the standard of living is relatively high. The people receive a variety of social services from the government, including medical care, unemployment insurance, pensions for the elderly and handicapped, and free schooling. The homes in the cities are equipped with modern conveniences, such as refrigerators, stoves, radios, televisions, and indoor running water and plumbing. Most houses are constructed from concrete rather than wood, which is scarce. Fish and mutton, available locally, are leading foods. Most fruits and vegetables have to be imported, except for those grown in greenhouses. The cost of living is relatively high in Iceland because so many foods, other raw materials, and most manufactured products must be imported.
Literary works called sagas and Eddas provide Icelanders with a rich literary background dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The sagas are about Icelandic and Scandinavian heroes, and the Eddas are the stories of gods and heroes of the pre-Christian era in Northern Europe. Icelandic people in modern times have been important contributors of novels, poems, and musical compositions. In 1955 Halldor Laxness was awarded the Nobel prize for literature.
The Economy
The few resources available in Iceland place limits on the economy. Fishing is a dominant occupation because of the rich fishing grounds for cod and herring in the waters that surround the island. Nearly 900 fishing vessels bring to shore about 1,500,000 metric tons of fish. Fish and whale products account for 75 percent of the value of exports from Iceland. Much of the processing–such as salting, freezing, and canning–of fish is done in Reykjavik, the principal port and population center. The fishery limits were extended to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) in 1975 in order to protect this crucial industry. The British raised strong objections to the extension of the fishery zone, because they have long regarded the waters off Iceland as an important fishing ground for their own fishing fleet.
Agriculture is based primarily on sheep and dairy cattle. Sheep graze the open, highland pastures during summer and are rounded up each fall. The cattle feed on lowland coastal pastures during summer and stored hay during winter. Less than 1 percent of Iceland is under cultivation. Hay, potatoes, and turnips are the chief crops. Some vegetables and grain grow in the more suitable areas. The threat of summer frosts, the cold summer temperatures, and the short growing season severely limit the variety and success of crop production.
Various manufacturing and service industries have become increasingly important to Iceland as the population has become more urban. About 90 percent of the people live in cities and 13 percent are employed in manufacturing.
Coldfire:
That was below the belt.
I can either die of shame for our wretchedness, which is no fun at all, or I can put it to you that it is not the winning thst counts, it is how you play the game, and that we have a national cult of spectacular failure to maintain which is much more important than mere winning, which is a bit crass, really…
But after a gallon of warm beer, I don’t really care.
Is this thread supposed to be educational?
Man erith, woman morpeth
unclebeer: mostly true, but how old is this? it is at least a few years old, we have a new president now and there was no comment on our national football team. and i would bet you all that if this would have been made a few weeks ago, there would have been a comment on how the KR-ingar managed to win the icelandic championship and the cup.
and…you have also got ice there ;).
no thank you! we are only members because we are getting paid for it. i dont care what other think of it, they are mistaken. we dont want an army.
bj0rn
Thanks for posting that info, UncleBeer.
I now know that the population of Amsterdam alone is three times that of the entire population of Iceland, and that the village I grew up in is significantly larger than Iceland’s second largest city…
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
Yep, it’s admittedly a few years out of date. Hey, it’s what happened to be on the Compton’s encyclopedia in the drive at the moment. I’m suprised you guys actually waded through all of it. I sure as hell didn’t.
Dopeler effect:
The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
bj0rn, you read that whole thing? What’s the matter, no goat sacrafices to Thor this week? Little too much time on your hands?
Of course they don’t have an army. Who would lead it, bj0rn? Could you imagine him giving orders? I can see the headlines now: Iceland conquered! Defense plans go awry due to general’s problems with tense and punctuation!!
It makes sense that you would join an alliance for the paltry sum that you collect for it. Hey, when your chief export is Viking funeral barges, you need all the help you can get.
And of course they don’t have trees. Trees are far too smart to live in Iceland.
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.
Rousseau:
In the interests of historical accuracy, I believe that the proper sacrifice to Odin was a horse. Goats were used to pull his chariot.
tomnebb: yes you are right, goat did pull thors chariot, but still he killed them every evening. dinner you know 
unclebeer: are you surprised you posts are read?
coldfire: no nukes were stored here in iceland. but come to think of it, if they had decided to nuke eastern europe, who would have fared better, iceland or the netherlands?
sorry about that though, silly question. i do hope the netherlands will do as much good as iceland does. hey, why stop there, i hope the world will do as much good as iceland does.
rousseau the druid: what? didnt you read it all?
so, when was the last time you talked to your tree? boy am i glad we only have stupid trees here in iceland.
rincewind: dont be silly, trees cant talk. in order to talk you have the proper organs, like tounge, lips and…
tree: vocal cords.
rincewind: yes, thats it. vocal cords.
-terry pratchett
Who would want to invade Iceland while the U.S army is occupying it? The funny thing is that we actually get paid for this protection and dont have to provide anything but a few sq.kloms of land and a training ground every now and then.
As for the nuke question nobody knows for sure if they violated the contract and stored nukes here.
Actually goats are too smart to live here to
Iceland didn’t join NATO it was one of the founders. And gets paid, pretty clever no?
Yes, Thors wagon was led by two goats which he slaughtered in case he needed food. But then when he was done eating he would revive them by placing the bones back in the skins and hokus pokus they’d be back.
BTW for more facts about us and our tiny country visit http://www.statice.is/ and for comparison to the Netherlands try http://www.cbs.nl/
Please excuse any grammatical errors or misspellings, I’m only a stupid viking.
Hafþór
Here’s another good source of info on just about any country. Brought to you by the CIA
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Dopeler effect:
The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
oh, one other thing about that military stuff. although we dont have an army, we have still won a war. without firing a single shot, although we were shot at.
nobody got killed, which i belive to be a victory. for both sides of course. every other war is a defeat for both sides.
bj0rn
I just wanted to make a very important grammatical correction to Rousseau’s writings, posted 11-05-1999 07:09 PM.
The post is on page 1 in this thread.
If you are talking to a group of people in Icelandic you do not say “bíða” to them. You need to refer the word to the group and thus it becomes “bíðið”. So his example is false.
Any individual adapt at speaking and most importantly writing Icelandic will easily notice the difference between:
hengið hann ekki bíða eftir mér
AND
hengið hann ekki bíðið eftir mér
Since “bíðið” is a pluralized reference to a group of people and involves a command.
Of course I for one would never issue such an order to Rousseau, since he most likely take the first opertunity offered to hang any viking, even if he knew it was based on an understanding, be he a troll or not.
kj: get this right pal, i wrote that not rousseau. and it wasnt a spoken command, it was a written command. the story is about this king who ask his subjects to wait for him before they hang some sod. the king naturally doesnt pluralize(whatever) his subjects because he is above them. the story has two endings, depending on how he writes the command but that isnt really of relevance as you will see if you read the original post.
its true though that rousseau didnt quote that all that accurately, but he cursed that darn ubb code, so he is excused. and for your information you can quote by using [/]around the given sentance with the word “QUOTE” inside em.
bj0rn
Apparently my tree joke was a little too highbrow for bj0rn the Conquerer. Let me explain:
Trees are too smart to live in Iceland. You live in Iceland. Erego, you are dumber than a tree.
I should also point out that a tree has no brain. This should be common sense, but we’re talking about bj0rn here.
Yeah, we send all our best and brightest peacekeepers over to Iceland. I can see graduation day at West Point: “Johnson, you’ve graduated at the top of your class. You’ll make a hell of an officer someday. Now, off to Iceland with ya!”
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.