Category Archives: Europe

Statues of Kleve

Kleve, best known as the home of Anne of Cleves, is a county town in the German state of Northrhine-Westphalia, just 10 kilometres from the Dutch border, with a population of just under 50,000 – and an interesting collection of … Continue reading

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On Charlie Kennedy

Originally posted at Slugger O’Toole… There’s lots of talk about Charlie Kennedy’s talents and his ‘flaws’, often a euphemistic way of talking about his alcoholism. Alistair Campbell has blogged movingly and directly about their shared illness. It was never exactly … Continue reading

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Ryanair Takeover of Aer Lingus Blocked by EU Commission

The European Commission has blocked Ryanair’s proposed takeover of Aer Lingus. Good news for Northern Ireland, as Dublin Airport’s rapid growth and improved northern road connections has made it the key long-haul transport hub for the region. Although locally in … Continue reading

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Italy’s Five Star Movement – is this what The End of History looks like?

Cross-posted at Slugger O’Toole and Lucid Talk… In 1992, Francis Fukayama predicted in The End of History that the end of the Cold War would impend not only an era of triumphant liberal-democratic capitalism, but one where political evolution had … Continue reading

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Copernicus’ “Google Doodle” and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Crossposted at Slugger O’Toole… Sunday past was the 413th anniversary of the execution of Giordano Bruno (burned at the stake for heresies such as proposing that the Sun is a star and that the other stars in the sky are … Continue reading

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The Silence of Lost Worlds and the Fate of the Middle East’s Christians

Crossposted at Slugger O’Toole… Monasteries are very quiet places indeed. Garrulous as I am beyond the normal Irish capacity for such things, I am not someone obviously identifiable as a great lover of silence. At the Community of the Resurrection, … Continue reading

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