Hel is the best icon I have for this.

[swan_tower]

janni is the one who needs to read this, if she hasn't already, but Vanity Fair has done an awesome piece on the collapse of the Icelandic financial market. And I say that as somebody who pretty much detests economics, so even if you don't care about how Iceland turned itself into one giant (and now defunct) hedge fund, the article's worth looking at.

If only for the bit about the elves. Seriously. Search for the phrase "smelt aluminum," and go from there.