The Icelandic National League of North America (Thjodraeknisfelag Islendinga i Nordur-Amerika), also known as the INL of NA, has reacted to the financial crisis in Iceland and launched a collection to support Icelanders, MBL.is reports.
Gerri McDonald, INL president, has sent members a letter in which she explains the difficulties Icelanders now face. She advises that many Icelanders now have significant financial worries, with more and more people seeking help from charities. On the other hand, they (charities) have also been adversely affected by the financial crisis. Now is the time, McDonald says, for North Americans of Icelandic origin and other friends of Iceland to give a helping hand.
The INL of NA president emphasises that the problem will not be undone in one go and that the help will be needed for a while. INL’s first idea is to collect cash donations to give to Icelandic charities providing food, clothes and Christmas gifts to the needy, so they can better help individuals and families in the run up to Christmas. The next stage of the fundraising plan will be revealed in the New Year.
maybe we will take the donations and split it 60 – 40, the poorest African country take 60% of it, and beautiful Iceland, and the western nation that’s the best place on this planet get 40 %.
You deal???
I ain’t trying to be funny, so don’t laugh.
Well, I’m an American, in America. hmm…intresting I’ve never heard of this organization here in the states. I guess if it’s in Vancouver, Canada, then that would make sence as to why I never heard of it here. Crap, I re-read it again. It’s in North America. But I still have never heard of it though. Has anyone thought that this could be a scam to rake in some money on? I’d say, if you want to help Iceland, just send the money directly to someone IN Iceland. I would if I just knew someone there. Wow, Bill, a little angry are we? Can’t forgive our debters? Ok, how about the british people repay my country for the blood our people sheaded to back Germany off your door step in BOTH world wars? As far as africa goes, I must say, a lot of countries have been trying to help out the countries on that continent, But it does seem rather futile because it does not seem that the people are trying vary hard to support themselves. But, maybe thats just me. Maybe I should study that issue a little more I guess first. Mr.Jack Brown, High tax rates don’t really help much if the government you pay them to is corrupt though I would guess. Wouldn’t you agree on that? Lets remember, It’s the people that need the help, not their Government. These People may have been wealth at one time, maybe a good education helped, or maybe they worked hard for it, but lets not cast all the blame on the entire nation though. I’m sure they have their criminals like any other nation. The sad part is, the ones that were never wealthy in the first place. I think they are the ones that suffer the most. Hey Gus,, lets lay the aid/hiv thing to rest. Here in America, we American have found out that OUR governmet created it here in OUR labs and deliberatly infected many african-Americans back in the 50-60′s. This was shocking to say the lest, to find this out. Unbelievable. And Øystein, Try not to send anyone to America, were in a mess over here too, it wouldn’t help them any. Oh, wait, I guess orchafine said that. Sorry Øystein. Stan, Your idea would be nice if it was always trusted people that were rented to, but how would you know if the people that wanted to rent your house could be trusted not to rob you while you were away? Just a thought. Axel, I dont remember Gus stateding that all Icelanders are racists. Could you point out that post? I must of missed it somewhere. Bjarni might have a point there, On a rock in the north atlantic, I can’t see EVERYONE with a fancy car and lots of time and money for a holiday in the Bahamas. Isn’t their population only 300,000, If I remember right? I’ve never been to Iceland but, I have seen picture of the people on line. They didn’t look like pictures of wealth to me. Gotta love the dress’es the women ware there though. :)But really, the fighting here is ugly, hahaha, All I know is that Jesus Christ said that if you don’t have charity, you have nothing. Whats wrong with giving? It seems to me that at times like these, good will towards your neigbour is right out the window here. Anger and hate seem to rule the heart and this list of comments mostly. Fault finding and blame pointing isn’t going to solve anything. Attacking each other here is also not going to solve anything eather. We as a people need to help each other out of this worldly mess. It appears that our governments are not able to solve their own problems let alone the peoples problems. I don’t know, maybe they just have to many snakes in there pockets at bed time or whatever, But one thing is true, if you exspect the governments to help YOU, I hate to say it, but you might want to brace yourself for a possible let down.
Hey Stan,
do you have any of that ISK toilet paper for sale ?
I will GLADLY buy any ISK you have…. and since it is “toilet paper” i’m sure you will love to sell it to me for 140 kronur tp per US Dollar.
I’m waiting for your agreement.
I have some old shoes and used clothing that I can send to Iceland but you must pay the postage and NOT in toilet paper=ISK!
To Bill:
>>>>Please let us help poor Icelanders so that they can keep their expensive cars and take these well-deserved nice winter holidays in the Bahamas…….
Please try not to make up facts…
We would be glad to give up our “nice winter holidays in the Bahamas”, for the simple reason we never really went there. First, its way too expensive for us to get there, and secondly people in Iceland generally do not take winter holidays, we work!
Gus, reading your comments often make me feel like i have stepped in something, but this time you have managed to make me physically sick,
You believe all Icelanders are racists, its quite obvious why no one likes you and it has nothing to do with you beeing an immigrant.
Goddamn it spam, stop stanning!
Does Iceland have a website for this?– There are foreigners, especially retired people, that really want to live in Iceland for a year or so. Rather than buying a house there,and going through the politics of buying property there and putting the utilities in their name etc,there are foreigners that would rent/lease the homes of the Icelanders that travel to other counties to find work.This helps the Icelander in these ways: His/her home is not left empty when they travel to another country, the foreigner living in their home makes sure the water pipes do not freeze and they ‘keep their eye’ on the house and the foreigner signs a lease and pays ,say, 50% cash money, up front,for a years lease/rent before moving into the house.Does anyone know about where to find info on this topic? (I am a USA citizen, retired and on a decent military pension, with a 10 year EU visa and now living in the Baltics, which is close to 3rd world living, and I miss mountains,since I spent 5 years in Alaska in the mid to late 1990′s, and all I have heard is how beautiful Iceland is).Thank you for any response.
Øystein
A friendly advice: try to make your movement happening. Get out of Europe as soon you can. With your resources, you have everything to win ;-)
JACK BROWN!!! Everyone thought that AIDS/HIV to be something of other countries. Icelanders have engaged in all kind of unsafe sexual practices because of such stupid idea. Then the social services made propaganda for foreigners working in iceland. The propaganda was telling foreign people not to bring sexual illness to iceland and use condoms abroad. Well all this linked to the idea of purity or race, water, air and all that. LOOK, WAKE UP!!
AIDS is spreading in record marks all over ICELAND because of icelandic people engaging in very unsafe sexual practices… SO IF YOU COME TO VISIT ICELAND TAKE CARE, USE CONDOMS IF YOU SLEEP WITH AN ICELANDER!!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Lamb meat is supposed to be the best in the world as sheep eat green grass, but!!! If you only knew all the chemical shit they put on the lamb meat just right after slaughtering the animals you will never put a piece of that meat in your mouth…
So, where is the pureness ?
- Your rivers, air and sea getting polluted by the heavy metals and chemicals from all he aluminium industry.
-Your people in and outside iceland getting involved in unsafe sex.
-Your economy, well, what can I say… totally roten?
WAKE UP!!! Have an expresso or two
> orchafine. Perhaps I just read the Norwegian news about the Norwegian Minister og finance, visiting Brussels yesterday to argue on letting Norway keep their 12 years old system when EU will vote for the new directive on 15.th of December…
richard, i am not kicking anyone while they are down because this effects me as well. I am saying that outside help is not needed. its why we pay tax at such a high rate so that our social systems are fully funded.
the acts that began this process are not just greedy or wreckless. they are illegal because those convincing the public that the financial sectors are doing well and will only get better had a much earlier indication of problems. they ignored these indications and continued to sway the public into hollow investments that were holding other investments afloat. the legality could be argued but the ethics of it cannot be.
Øystein
I think you must be one of those lazy Scandinavians, who read half of the conventions or because of your Napoleon complex get easily influence by euro-skeptics.
Since you don’t have any English links, I give you one from the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/bank/guarantee/index_fr.htm
Nothing says about lower deposit guarantees from countries with higher plafond guarantees. Actually, what it says, and it might be difficult for countries like Norway is to refund the money less than 3 days.
Here is the real issue and point it out to possible insolvency of Norwegians high ego banks.
But, any way, like I said once before, Norway is better off from EU. Just like Switzerland, if you stand for whatever national ethic, then you should follow it until the end. Not being in EEA and criticize EU rules, doesn’t make sense, if not being hypocrite.
> Bill. What I don´t understand is why the British then don´t accept that ohter countries wants to keep a higher sequrity for their savers.
Please let us help poor Icelanders so that they can keep their expensive cars and take these well-deserved nice winter holidays in the Bahamas…….
Not a single dime should go to that corrupt island before they pay back all the billions they stole from British savers!!!
@ Jack Brown….
As a German American, if that’s important to you, living in America, who has been in Iceland more than most, and personally loves the place, my words might seem harsh, but: Stupid, short sighted, greedy and maybe wreckless…but illegal? How do you figure that? Or do you just like to kick people when they are down?
life goes on in iceland…doesnt matter what the krona is doing or how icesave is repaying(or not) customers…icelanders will have to shorten their summer holidays to mallorca or maybe even skip the annual trip to watch liverpool or manchester united play. aids/hiv, starving orphans, or wars of terror have no effect on a nation so far removed from the world its trying to effect.
everyday people had a hand in the fall of the economy. this is a country of less than 400,000 people…with so few people its not hard to get your hands dirty buy sticking them in the pot.
icelanders do need donations because of social systems set up to help them. fact. icelanders are asking for sympathy not because of falling world opinion of the nation but the absolute lack of buying/spending power then now have in relation to the rest of the EU.
To the African-American living in Iceland:You are correct that Afrika is filled with “real, measurable, and historically disadvantaged people groups”. Note that despite generations of support, Afrika is still filled with”real, measurable, and historically disadvantaged people groups”. Does this tell you something? A good English term would be “Klepotocracy”. Because you identified your self as an “African American”, possibly you would want to support your distant relatives in the land of your origin. Well, that is exactly what I will do. My charity money will be going to Iceland.
Amazing. Just because some North American group feels the need to help Iceland, look at the comments that are produced on this site. Absolutely amazing. Yes, Africa needs help. The greatly hated and low-down President Bush has put together an aid for AIDS in Africa package of several billion USD. I seem to recall flying a helicopter in Samalia in an attempt to do nothing more than convince some warlords that the U.N.’s food was for the people…not for them as a bargaining chip in their power plays. What happened to Rhodesia? Once again, lets go off course. This is about a group wanting to help Iceland. Good for them. I can’t imagine life on a planet that thinks that once a person or people makes a mistake, they should be banished and tortured for their failure. And, save your comments. If you think that third world dictatorships and gangs are more important for some altruistic reason, go to Africa as I did and see how well you make out. Anyone who needs help, is worthy of the attempt. Even Iceland.
This is what the problem is and will be as the IMF chokes Iceland eventually, PRIDE. Whether from Africa or Iceland, if one is in serious trouble, one must drop pride immediately and ask for help. Icelander are on here saying that they didn´t ask for this help. Why not? Because you are unaffected by the kreppa? You know no one facing hell for years to come?
If the government would have remembered what most of our parents tried to teach us when we were kids, this kreppa wouldn´t be. Thats accountability!!!! When you make a mistake, face it head on, accept responsibility, find out what is needed to correct it, and do it. But somewhere, in between childhood and adulthood, pride comes along and I hate to say it, but pride has, and always will be a deadly sin…..
*What we have here is an American association of friends of Iceland (most of whom are of Icelandic descent somewhere down the line) choosing to show their support*
INL of NA is primarily made up of Canadian membership and chapters, as Canada is where the majority of Icelanders emigrated, with a smattering of American membership and chapters. Ms. McDonald and her fundraising efforts appear to be located in Vancouver. Perhaps headline on this article should be revised?
It is wrong to think that Icelandic people have had anything to do with the blunders that their banks have made.
The real question is what is life like for an Icelander right now? Can you get your food, pay the rent, etc etc.
Beyond that, it’s just a lesson that will have to be learned. By pension savers, too.
WHY??? Why give money to people who have already robbed thousands of pensioners of their life savings? Why give money to people who have trouble paying for their BMW X5, which they couldn’t afford in the first place? Why not give that money to the people who REALLY need it, like in Africa or any third world country for that matter. This is really absurd.
Gray, Germany said:
“What is clear? no donations were asked for.”
Ih, Knowless, haven’t you read the story? The Icelandic National League of North America HAS asked for donations. And on their homepage they write they act in the interest of Icelandic charity organisations. Dunno if those charities support that plan, though.
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I was replying to somebody else
It was not reported. No donations were asked for by Iceland, as in domiciled in Iceland.
“However, I stand by my point of view that this is embarrassing. All around the world, people lose their jobs regularly, and families have hard times. And of course national charities collect money domestically to help them”
What an embarrasing shocker, the Iceland diaspora appeal for aid to be sent to local charities in Iceland ::)
The Search and Rescue associations for a sparsely populated Island fraught with hazard, alone costs a fortune just to maintain the structure. And have a vast network of finance raising schemes to make it work and are not shy to help abroad when appropriate.
It would be nice to know that the next time anyone gets stranded and frozen out in a blizzard, the rescue trucks aren’t going to run out of diesel and the hot flask of cocoa will be served eventually.
I recall Iceland was distributing fish to its destitute citizens in the UK.
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2008/11/06/icelanders-given-fish-in-london/#more-4193
At the time, I thought a nice altruistic gesture would have been to include us IceSavers – but in retrospect being €20,000 poorer & presented with a couple of cod may not have gone down well.
Anybody criticising this needs to ask themselves what they’re spending their money on over the next month. If the answer is not “supporting XYZ charity”, then you’ve no leg to stand on.
Not that I can take the moral high ground.
@Jo. There never was any guarantee of amounts over 20k euros by either the Icelandic banking system or the Icelandic government itself. (I think that guarantee applies to all deposits, but even then what is a reasonable level of protection to your average retail depositor is a drop in the ocean when dealing with institutional deposits).
“What is clear? no donations were asked for.”
Ih, Knowless, haven’t you read the story? The Icelandic National League of North America HAS asked for donations. And on their homepage they write they act in the interest of Icelandic charity organisations. Dunno if those charities support that plan, though.
However, I stand by my point of view that this is embarrassing. All around the world, people lose their jobs regularly, and families have hard times. And of course national charities collect money domestically to help them. But it must have been like 60 years ago that donations were collected abroad for an industrialized western nation. Imho Gerri McDonald is a drama queen, and it doesn’t look like Icelanders support his move.
jack brown said:
“I say these comments as an african american living in Iceland…. bailing out a nation who squandered their own wealth by clearly illegal trading methods asking for donations while millions of african children starve is a clear indication of the absolute lack of global awareness on this tiny nation.”
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Sure, lets not help any people whose Governments are corrupt.
What a marvellous idea.
Lets not help any troubled population from an African nation which have abundant wealth in natural resources but rather focus on those nations with few or no resources and no corrupt business and government practices.
“asking for donations”
The only thing Iceland has asked for is more loans which have to be repayed.
The vast majority have their own mortgaged debts which they have to repay with the added indexed burden of deflation and increased national debt.
“is a clear indication of the absolute lack of global awareness on this tiny nation”
What is clear? no donations were asked for.
“with layers and layers of social systems to aid any needing person Icelandic groups should not worry about if they will eat tonight or not. leave the donations for countries who have real, measurable, and historically disadvantaged people groups”
That is a matter for those who want to donate money/goods anywhere.
Personally as a young kid I was always excited to receive a parcel of hand me downs from my richer relatives.
No, the Icelandic government (I stress the point, not the Icelanders it’s supposed to represent) was asking for far more than any American bleeding-hearter could give, and then complained when other countries insisted on a few simple conditions on the loan…
@ Jack Brown:
As I said before, I agree with what you are saying, except for your assertion that Iceland asked for these donations. I would be extremely surprised if that turned out to be true.
What we have here is an American association of friends of Iceland (most of whom are of Icelandic descent somewhere down the line) choosing to show their support.
Their money is more needed in Africa. That much is undeniable.
Not forgeting AIDS in Africa…
I say these comments as an african american living in Iceland…. bailing out a nation who squandered their own wealth by clearly illegal trading methods asking for donations while millions of african children starve is a clear indication of the absolute lack of global awareness on this tiny nation.
with layers and layers of social systems to aid any needing person Icelandic groups should not worry about if they will eat tonight or not. leave the donations for countries who have real, measurable, and historically disadvantaged people groups.
You lot are just grumpy old people who need a life. Have you lot got nothing better to do? than critizise others or my be your lives are perfect!!!!
I totally agree with all the “embarassing” comments. But, you can bet that Gerri McDonald is not Icelandic by birth and that she is doing this with the best of intentions.
For kindness and thoughtfulness she deserves a pat on the back – and you can also bet that nobody in Iceland asked her to do this.
Also, every western country has people who need charity support (especially at Christmas) so in many ways this would be welcome support whatever year it is.
“The Icelandic National League of North America (Thjodraeknisfelag Islendinga i Nordur-Amerika), also know as the INL of NA, has reacted to the financial crisis in Iceland and launched a collection to support Icelanders”
Maybe it’s only me, but imho this is embarassing! There are hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia who have to live on a dollar a day, with no qualification or other assets helping them to get a better life, and one of the best educated people in Europe, in control of modern industry and advanced infrastructure, beg their neighbors for help in a temporary downturn? Doesn’t Gerri McDonald have any sense of decency? That’s a shame.
”charities) have also been adversely affected by the financial crisis.”
Yes the same here in the U.K.They thought their charity money was safe in the Icesave Bank Accounts,
(guaranteed)by the Icelandic Goverment.!
How embarrassing.
This news were published yesterday…
“INL’s first idea is to collect cash donations to give to Icelandic charities providing food, clothes and Christmas gifts to the needy, so they can better help individuals and families in the run up to Christmas.”
This is so and really ridiculous!