Applying Tobias’ methodology and the standings published today in a German newspaper, whose web site really could be better organized, we get the following line for the medal count:
USSR - Gold 28 - Silver 35 - Bronze 41
Not quite the dominance of the bad old days, but enough for second behind the equally imaginary EU [...]

Every now and again, posts on afoe have given rise to a lively discussion about European power projection capability. Usually, in the wake of the Iraq induced “rift through the West” and in the spirit of Robert Kagan’s quip about “Paradise and Power“, these discussions focused on the relative military strength of European forces.
But once [...]

Not too long ago, I noted that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung was publishing a set of 50 great novels of the twentieth century. I got into the game a little bit late, but since then I have been more-or-less keeping up with their pace of one a week, largely by the not terribly edifying expedient of [...]

Well, Greece are the European Champions for the first time. The side that had never won a match in a major tournament before this year beat Portugal 1-0 in Lisbon to take the title. Expect wild party in Athens for the next few days.
Commiserations to Portugal - if it’s any consolation to Portuguese fans, you [...]

Euro 2004 seems determined to throw up a shock every day, with France becoming the latest ‘big’ side to be surprisingly eliminated after losing 1-0 to Greece last night. They join Italy, Spain, Germany and England in the club of pre-tournament favourites wondering just what went wrong. I can think of a couple of reasons [...]

The editors at the Sueddeutsche Zeitung cobbled together a list of 50 great novels of the 20th century. With postwar German modesty, they don’t claim that it’s exhaustive, definitive or representative. Just 50. And great.
The newspaper’s publishing house has been bringing one out every week since mid-March, and they’ll finish the run next February. (By [...]

Roland Emmerich is the Anti-Tarantino. There is in this notion a Master’s thesis in film theory for somebody, I’m sure of it. But it isn’t going to be me, so I open it up to anyone who want to take the job on. These two men belong to the same generation, and [...]

Sunday saw an historic event in Germany.
After failing thrice before, football club FSV Mainz 05 achieved promotion to the 1. Bundeliga for the first time ever. Tobias is doubtless rapt with joy even now.
To honour the stalwart lads from Rheinland-Pfalz I have composed a wee verse:
Climb whither thou couldst not before, now
Freed at last of [...]

With the Eurovision Song Contest now completed for another year, it’s time for another international contest of intrigue, bargaining and frankly bizarre voting. In other words, the IOC today announced the shortlist of cities to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
Four European cities have made the shortlist: Paris, Madrid, London and Moscow, with New York the [...]

Well, the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest has ended with yet another country scoring a first ever victory - Ukraine. What seemed like several hours of voting ended with a rather comfortable victory for Ruslana’s Wild Dances in the end or, in simpler terms, the ex-Soviet block voting proved stronger than the Balkan block voting. The [...]