In 2014, the British discount grocers Iceland Foods (so named for their pioneering role in selling frozen food) was granted an EU-wide trademark on the word "Iceland" by the EU Intellectual Property Organisation, which apparently saw no risk in giving a British grocer a monopoly over the use of the name of a sovereign nation that was also a member of the European Economic Area.
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Tourists in Iceland were frolicking near a lagoon that is accessible only with a guide, when part of a glacier broke off, causing them to make a run for it. According to YouTube, the person filming said, "This area is only accessible with mountain guides and everybody shown in the video had been previously instructed to immediately leave the beach if a calving occurs...Due to the sheer size and proximity it was a bit of a close call but everybody was safe and stayed dry.”
It doesn't look like a "close call" when watching it on video, but the rolling waves it caused are amazing. Read the rest
This promising new series explores artistic collaboration, and the first episode features Björk and collaborator Jesse Kanda. Read the rest
Push your monitor, processing speed, and internet connection to the limit all at once with this remarkable 8K timelapse of Iceland. Read the rest
Just when you thought rock legend Dave Grohl couldn't get any cooler, he went and brought an eight-year old kid onstage to play drums for a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" with the Foo Fighters. And, it wasn't just any kid, it was his own daughter, Harper. Read the rest
YouTubers Hannah Hart, Grace Helbig, and Mamrie Hart try out some of the strangest Icelandic candies out there. Read the rest
Though the October polls that predicted a great showing for the Pirate Party in the Icelandic elections turned out to be wrong, that election did end with a deeply divided parliament that has been unable to find enough common ground upon which to form a new government. Read the rest
On October 25, thousands of Icelandic women went home at 2:38PM, after 86% of their work-days had passed, to protest the fact that they only earn 86% of their male counterparts' wages. Read the rest
In 2012, more than two-thirds of Iceland's population ratified the most democratically crafted constitution in world history, written in public and drafted by a representative committee of 1,000 Icelanders; now in a stirring video in the leadup to the next national election, Icelanders are calling on one another to only vote for candidates who'll take action on the constitution the nation voted for. (Thanks, Larry!) Read the rest
All nine of the top Icelandic bankers from the Kaupþing market manipulation case have been found guilty by the country's Supreme Court, which reversed the district court that had acquitted two of the defendants last year. Read the rest
With the Icelandic Pirates crushing it in the polls and set to form the next government of a sovereign, carbon-neutral, strategically located nation, it's worth asking how a party whose two issues -- internet freedom and copyright reform -- are wonky, minority interests rose to prominence. Read the rest
Martin Critchley shot this lovely ice cave footage, which proved so popular he released an extended cut. Read the rest
A tourist who visited Iceland couldn't figure out what address to use to send a letter to someone, so they drew a map. Their letter was mailed to a farm in Hvammsveit, West Iceland, with a cute little drawing instead of an address, and the intended recipient still got it.
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Bowing to intense pressure from elves and the people who believe in them, the government of Iceland will unearth a purportedly magical “Elfin Lady Stone” buried by highway workers by mistake. The inadvertent burial of their sacred site seriously pissed off the mythical creatures, according to reports.
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His name is Gummi Ben. The BBC reports on a remarkable day for the 330,000-strong island nation.
(Edit: sorry about the hinky Streamable embed; open video in a new window)
Gummi Ben, who became a commentator after hanging up his boots in 2009, has been fending calls off all day.
"It's been quite strange and actually hectic, because the phone hasn't stopped ringing," he told the BBC.
"But I'm really enjoying it! It's part of the job."
Translation: "*screams*. My voice is gone, but it doesn't matter. We have come forward, in this tournament, and never, not once have I ever felt so good" Read the rest
