MetaFilter posts tagged with european

Herman! It's me, it's Cathy, I've come home, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, let me in at your position of Europe's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

creeky — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:34:32 -0800

Europe finally has a president. And a foreign policy chief. As predicted, the little-known Flemish Christian Democrat Herman Van Rompuy (vɑn rɔmpœy, in case you were wondering) took the presidency, thanks to backing from Sarko and Merkel. Baroness Ashton, another relative unknown was chosen for the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs, to provide a centre-left counterpoint to the centre-right President, when Merkel balked at the alternative, (an Italian ex-communist who has expressed pro-Palestine leanings). So following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty which paved the way for these appointments, Europe has chosen low-profile, quietly diligent and relatively inexperienced leaders, over the more controversial alternative. It doesn't look good for Turkey's chances of joining the EU, at least.

What... is the Airspeed Velocity of an Avian Carrier?

filthy light thief — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:03:37 -0800

For thousands of years they were the worlds' fastest means of communication. Count Rothschild benefited financially when knew of Napoleon's defeat long before any other persons in England, thanks to a swift personal message. One critical message traveled 20 miles in 20 minutes and this speedy delivery saved 150 British troops from disaster by less than five minutes. But in 1851, German-born Paul Julius Reuter opened an office in the City of London which transmitted stock market quotations between London and Paris via the new Dover-Calais cable, and the days of pigeon post as a means of quick and reliable message transfer passed with the implementation of wire-based communications. Reuter had previously used pigeons to fly stock prices between Aachen and Brussels, a service that operated for a year until a gap in the telegraph link was closed. One of the last large-scale use of carrier pigeons ended in 2002, when India retired its Police Pigeon Service, opting for email and telephone to access remote areas. Contrary to appearances, this was not the end of the pigeon post. Though largely considered a spoof, IP over Avian Carriers was implemented by a group of Linux enthusiasts in Bergen, Norway in 2001, when they transferred a "ping" with help of Vesta Brevdueforening carrier pigeon club and Alan Cox, with a calculated network speed of 0.08bps (previously). When it comes to tough terrain and limited to no wired or wireless access, homing pigeons provide a quick answer to data transfer. Photos taken by a rafting company are transferred via digital media files or 35mm canister attached to a pigeon, allowing photos to be developed or printed and ready more quickly, though data loss or delay due to predatory birds and bad weather are still an issue (via). In South Africa, homing pigeons beat out business ADSL in an unofficial test run, with a timed run contest set up to take place on September 10 (via). More bird-racing fun: On calculating the speed of an unladen swallow, previously, and 4,233 replies on an account request procedure form for What... is the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow?

European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Korou — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:40:56 -0800

The GDT's* European Wildlife Photographer of the Year; winning image is NSFW. (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001) *Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen In April, the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year was announced. (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002)

I have a boot in my eye! And I am shaped like a boot! To boot!

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:39:04 -0800

Satirical maps of Europe from 1914-15.

New Hi-Res Mars Pix

tits mcgee — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:21:08 -0800

The European Space Agency's Mars Express Probe has sent back some beautiful new high-resolution images of the Echus Chasma. More images and information can be found here.

The Cave Castle

jonson — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:49:22 -0800

The Castle in Front of the Cave is, unsurprisingly, a castle in Slovenia fully integrated with a cave system; built in several stages beginning in the 13th century, the castle serves as the front to a large network of caves in the side of a mountain. This excellent flickr photoset has plenty more detail about the castle's history, defense systems & more. For those who want more detail, a series of QTVR panoramic images of the insides of the castle available on this Slovenian site. Via.

Occidental Martial Arts

Mister Cheese — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 21:33:39 -0800

There are many organizations seeking to reconstruct European swordsmanship. Both modern and more traditional tools are being used train in this art. Well balanced and accurate replicas of swords are becoming the norm. Sparring videos for those needing more visual appeal. Of course, it’s not all about swords. A general forum for all things sword related here. Read about the father of Medieval European sword typology here. Some websites above were previously mentioned here and here.

How to Find a Man in Europe and Leave Him There

oh posey — Tue, 17 May 2005 21:10:02 -0800

How to Find a Man in Europe and Leave Him There.

A History of Polish Jazz

Bighappyfunhouse — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 22:48:27 -0800

A History of Polish Jazz

Take that, squire!

moonbird — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 04:42:33 -0800

The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts

mmmmmmmmmm...........

sgt.serenity — Sat, 01 May 2004 19:30:51 -0800

"touch my tra-la-la" - Mefi falls in love with Günther.

Web Gallery of Art

hama7 — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 18:16:16 -0800

Web Gallery of Art: European art from 1150 to 1800.

The Princess of Wax - a Cruel Tale

taz — Mon, 15 Sep 2003 04:01:29 -0800

"A wicked noblewoman presides over a decadent court of masked revelers. The most beautiful of waxen automatons is brought to life by a sorceress, her very heart hiding a deadly secret. And then love triumphs, if but for a single moment, before a sudden and terrifying finale. This is the bizarre world of The Princess of Wax".

Limned by descriptors such as "sinister", "ravishing" and "decadent", illustrated by a noted French surrealist painter, and inspired by a real-life fantastical figure, "The Princess of Wax - a Cruel Tale" (web site here), promises to be a satisfyingly twisted modern addition to the cherished fairy tale genre. More >>>

10 Country Expansion Of European Union

MiguelCardoso — Sun, 15 Dec 2002 14:56:55 -0800

My Union Is Bigger Than Your Union: On May 1 2004 the European Union will become 25-country strong and the most powerful political and economic force in the world. And? [More inside.]

Shopping in Europe and America

MiguelCardoso — Mon, 09 Dec 2002 02:01:31 -0800

I'm ~~Afraid~~ Happy To Say We're Out Of Stock: Heh. Shopping in Southern Europe is indeed very much unlike shopping anywhere else in the world... [ More inside.]

bokononito — Mon, 07 Oct 2002 15:37:50 -0800

A Left-wing European human-rights activist's take on Iraq. No, not what you'd come to expect by now. Far from the pro-forma accepted perspective of the Left, Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, a German human rights activist makes a case for the war in Iraq in this insightful interview. He mentions plenty of things I haven't read about before in regards to Kurds and has quite a few strong words to say about Germany and the recent fashions of the European Left.

Voyageman — Thu, 27 Jun 2002 12:43:00 -0800

2002 European Online Journalism Awards Impressively broad selection of nominees to be decided by impressively diverse roster of judges on July 4.