Day Two

For more about the current tensions here in Reykjavik, please go to IcelandReview Online. I, frankly, don't know what to say...

Damage

Police in riot gear block the entrance to the Parliament while protestors toss what they can, including paint, milk, yogurt, eggs and cans at the house. Iceland is in full on protest against the sitting government, demanding they step down, or at least admit some measure of culpability in Iceland's recent economic meltdown.

Glow

Glow, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

We've been dusted again with a light snow though the threatened super-cold snap has yet to show. These grasses in front of the Government House on Lækjargata have got it made, gathered as they are around the heat of a flood lamp. Even in the coldest dark, they seem to suggest, a warming glow can be found.

Thanks to all who took part in the voting. We doubled my tally in just under forty eight hours, and now the polls are about closed. We didn't win, but we showed strength and hope. That's democracy in action!

Iceland!

Iceland !, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

Iceland Eyes is a finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards in the Best European Blog category! I just found out today and voting ends tomorrow, so cast your vote HERE for your favorite Icelandic Photo blog, Iceland Eyes!!

And thanks to whoever nominated me...what an amazing compliment! Of course, it's all about you, faithful readers...big thanks for all the support you've given me over the past four years!!

On a more important note, my prayers are with those suffering in the Gaza region. This blog has stayed intentionally politically neutral over the years, but in this case I think it's important to keep in perspective that there are innumerable events and situations the world over that need to have the light of global awareness shined upon them. A blog contest may seem frivolous in comparison, but the fact of blogs is that they have given voice to millions, and have helped to engage the shift of consciousness that we are all, as world citizens, now experiencing.

We are all in this together...there is no separation.

Light

All the emails, all the love from around the world, readers who wonder if we're still alive, surviving and I'll answer here a resounding Yes. The lights are still on in Iceland, we've eaten well over the holidays and as I write hundreds of thousands of króna worth of fireworks are going off in celebration of the 13th day of Jól. Christmas is over, the last santa goes back to the hills, the decorations come down, but the glowing soul of our nation shines on.

New

Happy New Year to All!

May you blaze forth into a Prosperous Future in 2009.

(photo of the Ægisíður New Year's Eve brenna, or huge annual bonfire, courtesy of Dan and Addy)