Talk amongst yourselves, if you please.
Georgian Prime Minister dead
Zurab Zhvania, the Prime Minister of Georgia, has been found dead in a flat in Tbilisi apparently from gas poisoning. Initial reports suggest that it’s an accident (carbon monoxide poisoning from dodgy heating equipment would be my guess) rather than assassination, but I’ll update with more information as it becomes available.
Europe: Show Us Your Pajamas!
The Satin Pajamas were a real hoot for me, frankly. Had the 1st Annual European Weblog Awards been submitted to a jury of ?experts,? there?s a general feeling among us Euros in the Fistful that a well-known site like Crooked Timber would have won. And frankly, that would have been boring as hell.
Instead, the vote went the way it should have: It became a popularity contest, and an occasionally crass one at that, amidst a miniature orgy of backbiting and recriminations (?snaggle-toothed, accordion-playing hillbillies? was my personal favorite). This ? sorry to say it folks ? is one of the reasons I love Europe.
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Most viewed entries
This is interesting. It brings back a lot of memories.
2004’s 20 most viewed entries:
1. Sturm, Drang and Laetitia Casta?s breasts – or – Why France bashing is a feminist issue by Scott Martens
2. Ukranian update by Nick
3. Al Quaida, a Learning Organisation? by Tobias Schwarz
4. Daniel Pipes on Tariq Ramadan: Why French literacy still matters by Scott Martens
5. Hannah Arendt: The Banality of Evil by Norman Geras
6. At least no one can accuse me of being knee-jerk pro-French by Scott Martens
7. Nudity. by Tobias Schwarz
8. The headscarf: Radical Islam?s greatest secret weapon by Scott Martens
9. Sprach und Sommertheater – German spelling reform and linguistic ignorance by Scott Martens
10. Ukraine roundup by Nick
11. Sex and the Singapore Issues by Edward
12. Interpreting Spain?s Election Results by Edward
13. German Is Getting Sexy Again. Again. by Tobias Schwarz
14. Announcing The First European Weblog Awards by David
15. France and the Headscarf: Now the real fighting starts by Scott Martens
16. Cyprus Referendum: A Win-Win Strategy? by Edward
17. Ukraine on your doorstep by Nick
18. A New European by Doug Merrill
19. Swiss Muslim scholar unwelcome in US by Scott Martens
20. Cyprus says ?Yes? and ?No? by Nick
2003’s 12 most viewed entries:
1. The World in 1856 by Matt
2. German Is Getting Sexy Again. Again. by Tobias Schwarz
3. Sturm, Drang and Laetitia Casta?s breasts – or – Why France bashing is a feminist issue by Scott Martens
4. Europe as an economic irrelevancy by Matt
5. Anna Lindh stabbed by David
6. Mark Steyn is on crack by Nick
7. France to be the fourth nation in space by Scott Martens
8. Anna Lindh 1957-2003 by David
9. Papists Under The Bed by Iain J Coleman
10. Privatisation and Market Imperfection by Edward
11. Immigration: Europe?s Difficult and Perplexing Road to Reform by Edward
12. Anti-semitism take three by David
Results of the Satin Pajama Awards
You can still see all the finalists and their share of votes on the award page. They’re all worth a visit. I declare the awards a great success!
Here are the winners of the 1st Annual European Weblog Awards, also known as the Satin Pajamas:
Best Coverage of the EU: Publius by various
Best Weblog From France: Journal d’un avocat by Eolas
Best Weblog From Germany: Lyssas Lounge by Lyssa
Best Political Weblog: Slugger O?Toole by Mick Fealty et al
Best Non-European Weblog: One Good Thing by Leigh Anne Wilson
Best New Weblog: Pestiside by Erik D’Amato et al
Best Humorous Weblog: Sadly, No! by Seb
Best Weblog Focused On A Single Country Or Region: The Glory of Carniola by Michael Manske
Best Tech Weblog: thinking with my fingers by Torill Mortensen
Best Weblog From the United Kingdom: perfect.co.uk by various
Best Southeastern European Weblog: Histologion by Talos
Best Personal Weblog: de bric et de blog by Veuve Tarquine
Best CIS Weblog: Siberian Light by Andy
Best Weblog By An Expatriate: Au Texas, tout le monde est fou sauf moi by Pasfolle
Best Culture Weblog: Emmanuelle.net by Emmanuelle Richard
Weblog Most Deserving of Wider Recognition: Non Tibi Spiro by Guy
Best Writing: How to learn Swedish in 1000 difficult lessons by Francis Strand
and finally (drumroll) …
Best Weblog: The Glory of Carniola by Michael Manske
Congratulations, everyone!
Satin Pajamas
The polls will close eight o’clock today.
Update: That is, 20.00 CET
Update: Slugger O’Toole and perfect.co.uk have the exact number of votes in the UK category I will extend the voting till 21:00 CET. An extra hour.
The Torygraph Comes Through, or
The Return of the ?berpimp?
In things German, I usually check the Daily Telegraph several times before believing what they write, much less quoting them. But this story falls into a particular category, known in journalistic jargon as “too good to check.” (Thanks, Atrios.)
Update: I think this is fiction, or at the very least “sexed up.” That hasn’t stopped the discussion from spreading. See notes at the end of the posting.
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Awards
The polls for the Satin Pajamas will close tomorrow. Vote while you can.
We’re nominated for a Bloggie, but more importantly you can vote for us in the semi-finals of the Koufax awards, in the categories for Best Group Blog, Most deserving of Wider Recognition, and Best Series (for our Ukraine coverage). I will immodestly claim that we deserve to at the least be finalists in each of them.
But even more importantly you should check out all the great nominees, and especially the koufax categories for best post and best humorous posts. The Bloggies have some great ones too, and many of the best are Europeans, like La Coquette, Petite Anglaise and Francis Strand.
And of course all the Satin Pajama finalists are great. Ben Hammersley made the point that our humble little awards had a more impressive roster of blogs than the venerable Bloggies, and I hadn’t thought about it, but I think he’s right.
Guilt and responsibility
Further to Doug’s eloquently silent post of the 27th instant: I’ve only noticed it now, but Amitai Etzioni put up a remarkable essay on his website a couple of days ago. It’s the English translation of an article he published in the S?ddeutsche Zeitung. That article, which you will have to pay money to the S?ddeutsche to read, has a rather better title than the translation does, but never mind that: just go to Etzioni’s site and read the thing.
Etzioni’s themes are guilt and responsibility. That’s all somewhat abstract, perhaps, considered in vacuo, but it is made sharply concrete by the facts that the article appears to have been occasioned by the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and that Etzioni is a Jew. What’s more (and this I had not known), he is a Jew from Germany (a K?lner, in fact), who as a child witnessed the highly civilised country of his birth transform into a ravening beast.
It would be perfectly understandable if Etzioni, as one of the rare Jews to escape the beast’s maw, dismissed his first homeland with a hearty ‘to hell with the lot of you, then’. He doesn’t, though.
Not Perfect But Good
The debate on the constitution is getting feisty. It’s clear that, at least among our readers, the constitutional treaty has fervent detractors.
Over to Mr Hamilton
The establishment of a Constitution, in time of profound peace, by the voluntary ocnsent of a whole people, is a PRODIGY, to the completion of which I look forward with trembling anxiety. I can reconcile it to no rules of prudence to let go the hold we now have, in so arduous an enterprise, upon seven out of the thirteen States, and after having passed over so considerable a part of the ground, to recommence the course. I dread the more the consequences of new attempts, because I know that POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS, in this and in other States, are enemies to a general national government in every possible shape.
So let us put one question on the table. If not this constitution, then what?
Can the current structure accommodate 25 members? What about 28 in three years’ time? And 33 or more over the next decade? Would another convention produce better results? Why? Or should the EU be scrapped altogether? Would this not have negative consequences?