I have vowed that before I leave this planet, I am going to Iceland. So far the trip back from Copenhagen in 1990 and the shelved documentary about the Original Anarchy haven't gotten me there yet. The recent financial meltdown may. I was hoping to wait until my son turned twelve and my daughter nine in order to make the journey to my Mecca, but if the devalued krona is sinking faster than the dollar, what the hell. 
Fortunately the tale of Iceland goes deeper than this financial crisis. At the top of the world is a relatively small place with few people, that has survived for centuries. From Njal's Saga to Independent People the stories of perseverance, death and struggle have created no small wonder that it would be the first to simultaneously house democracy, common law and Christianity. And while some may take pot shots at the vainglory of the past, we might all do well to watch the reactions of people raped by their own elites for trusting the global currency markets.