Tag Archives: Iceland

Actually, no, just an aurora. But what an aurora. To wit:

Captured in 2015, this aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth’s protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground of the featured image is the Ölfusá River while the lights illuminate a bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full Moon. The liveliness of the Sun — and likely the resulting auroras on Earth — is slowly increasing as the Sun emerges from a Solar minimum, a historically quiet period in its 11-year cycle.

(Image: Davide Necchi)

apod

Iceland’s Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir

Icelanders no longer need to wear masks or keep a ‘safe distance’ from other people as all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted on Saturday.

From July 1, fully vaccinated visitors with vaccination certificates will no longer be required to undergo testing at the country’s borders.

Iceland is the first country in Europe to lift all of its Covid restrictions.

Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir said.

We are restoring the society we are used to living in and which we have longed for.”

COVID-19 in Iceland: Restrictions officially over (Ice News)

Pic: Eggert Jóhannesson

Yay.

In fairness.

EARLIER:

This morning.

Paul Doherty tweetz:

Iceland Foods at Kennedy Centre, West Belfast will be opening their store between 8-9am for the elderly starting this Tuesday.

The wider public are asked to respect this hour as it has been allocated for elderly people only. Would be great to see other stores now do the same.

Meanwhile…

Last night, Supermac’s announced via Twitter (above) that it would provide free meals to members of the emergency services.

Via Supermac’s

While John Lewis and the other shops prepares to woo people with big-budget ads about inflatable shoes or a talking Christmas brick or whatever, the supermarket Iceland (it hasn’t gone away you know) takes the opportunity to draw attention to rampant deforestation and the global demand for palm oil, which is destroying orangutan habitats. Co-produced with Greenpeace, voiced by Emma Thompson.

“Banned” is a strong word, but it seems UK body Clearcast declined to clear it for broadcast due to its political messaging, in breach of the UK’s Broadcast Code of Advertising Practice.

And that”s why mum’s gone to Iceland.

FIGHT!

Iceland’s Christmas TV advert banned for being too political (The Guardian)

The rose-tinted vision of Europe’s furthest flung island that is Dreamscapes of Iceland – images of the natural terrain in extraordinary shades of visceral red and pink.

Photographer Al Mefer, who fell in love with rural Iceland while exploring the so-called ‘Golden Circle’ in the south of the country, explains:

I wanted to picture it in a way that it’d feel new yet as oneiric in the images as it is to see it live.

In fairness.

colossal