EuroSavantCommentary on the European non-English-language pressEU Constitution Or Else . . . Doin' the Yugoslav Breakdown- April 20, 2005 (Footnote out of the way first: As opposed to doin' the Foggy Mountain Breakdown, by Earl Scruggs - and folks, that link there actually takes you to a webpage showing the guitar fingerings for playing this timeless bluegrass classic!) Prospects for a "Yes" vote on the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty are under pressure these days not only in France but also here in the...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P472 We've Heard of Him Before Here- April 20, 2005 "Ratzinger The name sounds familiar," I said to myself when I heard word about the Roman Catholic supremo who henceforth is to be known as Benedict XVI. And in fact this weblog had a discussion only last August of an interview the then-Cardinal gave with the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro. To my amazement, I discovered that I actually agreed with much of what he...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P471 High-Tech Poker Conquers Denmark- April 17, 2005 Ludomani - there's your Danish word for the day, meaning "compulsive gambling." Plagues to society are one of my fascinations, and so will often be encountered on these pages, but make that plagues to rich societies. Europe is after all my self-appointed beat. So don't expect to come to EuroSavant and find anything about the a...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P470 The Other Holocaust- April 11, 2005 Germany is an interesting country (among other reasons) because, although it is a liberal democracy, there are still certain things you're not allowed to be or say. You're not allowed to be a Communist or Nazi, for example; both these parties are outlawed. You're not allowed to publish Hitler's Mein Kampf. However, there is an important exception where you can at least say whatever you like - if you happen to be a member of parliament (either the houses of the...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P469 The Klaus Anti-EU Constitution Pamphlet- April 9, 2005 As with most other weblogs, EuroSavant has had in the past certain topics to which it regularly returns. I'd like to keep that up, even though at least one of these, the "Poles In Iraq" series (last entry here, which deals appropriately enough with the prospect of withdrawal of Polish troops) has pretty much expired. But there remains the still-riveting tale of the...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P468 Politics Trumps Intelligence- April 8, 2005 Just freshly back into the weblogging fold - if only on a week-by-week basis - and I'm already dictating what sort of news should be covered more and what sort less The sheer noive! (That "" was taken from the Spanish to let you know up-front that a question was coming. Thoughtful of me, eh, amigos) OK, so coverage of the late, great pope andor his earthly remains belongs in the latter category; what should be in the former Consider that Thursday of last week saw the...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P467 Two-Wheeled Excuse- April 7, 2005 Allow a rare personal note here, which at least will be of interest to those of my readers still around who happen to wonder what really has been preoccupying the EuroSavant the last couple of months, keeping him mostly away from his keyboard. The answer is on this page. Hint: search for "Amsterdam." It's probably inevitable that I'll inflict more about this...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P466 What A Difference A Date Makes- April 6, 2005 Poor Charles and Camilla: their wedding plans have been beset by one problem after another. First of all, the Queen let it be made known that she did not intend to be there for the second marriage of her own eldest son. That ruled out access to every couple's dream wedding-venue - Windsor Castle, naturally - and recourse instead to a garden-variety local town hall. The shine on the event had also quickly faded among the British public, who were noticeably slow to go after the...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P465 Wave of Hagiography- April 6, 2005 I'm back - perhaps in a bid for small-screen immortality But be advised that this is going to be a day-to-day decision - or, more likely, even week-to-week. The timing is a bit strange, since I re-emerge onto the blogging scene, eyes blinking, into the blinding light of the story dominating world news: the Pope's death, of...http://www.eurosavant.com/weblog.php?id=P464 |