iceland

Björk is leveraging her considerable wealth and notoriety to revive Iceland's economy:

As a million bankers flee the plunging markets, one brave Icelandic singer – known for coos, shrieks and a swan dress – is proudly taking their place. Björk has turned venture capitalist, with a new fund that aims to revive Iceland's economy.Björk is working with Audur Capital, a Reykjavik-based investment company founded and managed by women...

"The fund will invest in sustainable businesses that create value through the country's unique resources, spectacular nature, vibrant culture and green energy," the Audur Capital website explains.

Iceland is an absolutely beautiful country with very friendly and intelligent people. With a population of only 300,000 (mainly concentrated in the capital Reykjavik), many people may not even ave Icelan on their radar when considering a global economic stimulus.

Iceland is certainly worth reviving. Among the highly educated public lies a disproportionate, for the size of the population, contribution to the arts (as demonstrated by Björk and Sigur Ros) and science/engineering. One of the highlights of my summer travels was the opportunity to visit a modern geothermal energy plant which supplied the bulk of the energy and hot water to Reykjavik. The potential to export geothermal energy technology still looms large.

There is certainly more worth reviving in Iceland than just the banking sector.

While I have suspicions about the Foundational Questions Institute and their one major donor, the John Templeton Foundation, it seems from at least this account that their inaugural meeting delivered as promised a healthy dose of science without pseudo-science. Also, Reykjavik looks like a cool place to visit on a conference trip!