200 Years After Waterloo, "The Nearest Run Thing"

June 18, 1815: Napoleon back from exile versus a coalition force under England's Duke of Wellington and Prussia's Gebhard von Blücher.  It was Wellington, by the way, who supposedly called the victory "the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life."

There are all sorts of commemorations and related news items, but since I'm in a hurry today, I'll leave you with three that stood out to me:

• A magnificent scale model
• A conversation on the battlefield
• The epic reenactment 

Proposed Euro Coin Design Spawns Fight Over Napoleon's Legacy

The design is intended to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.  The French are objecting.  At least there's no doubt where this op-ed writer's sympathies lie.

Oh, since we're on the topic ...

World Cup 2014: US vs. Belgium in the Round of 16

Whoohoo, we're in the knockout round!  We're up against Belgium this afternoon (time to get pumped!), so here's a little video for a humorous nod to the idea of "Know thy enemy," haha:

Euro Notes: Credit Rating Downgrades

Uh-oh -- some eurozone countries are getting coal in their stocking this Christmas.  Spain, Italy, Belgium ... you've been very naughty indeed.

Nerd News: Dartmouth Grad Student Busted for Meth Lab

That's the WRONG KIND OF LAB, pal!  Trivia: He happens to be Belgian.

Cool Video of the Day: Belgian Ants

Check out this adorable ad by a Belgian bus company!

A bug's life.

Forgotten History: Captured British Troops at Dunkirk

We remember the 200,000 British and 140,000 French, Polish, and Belgian troops who were successfully evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940-- and we should.

But recall too, the 40,000 British troops who did not make it out and were captured by the Nazis. A recent British documentary tells their story.

Euro-Skepticism: You're Doing It Wrong, Nigel Farage!

It's some kind of breathtaking verbal venom, though even I'm thinking, this doesn't do anything really positive. It's not that I don't think some of his points are valid (the EU superstructure is undemocratic and populated with bureaucratic mandarins), but there's no reason to be offensively nasty about expressing yourself. There's no need to gratuitously insult the other guy's country either if you're arguing that the EU is bad because it steamrollers over the idea of individual nation-state sovereignty. Anyhoo, take a look and listen as UK MEP Nigel Faragely rips EU President Herman van Rompuy to the guy's face. I half expected Faragely to make a Yo Mama joke while he was at it!

Quirky Euro Files: Euro-crat Comic Heroes

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing!

Here's a blurb:

The graphic novel follows the 'adventures' of Zana, Max et al at the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department – known as ECHO – as they struggle to secure funding for the fictional sate of Borduvia, which has been devastated by an earthquake.

Written by a Belgian graphic novelist Erik Bongers, Hidden Disasters – a cross between Tintin and Thunderbirds: International Rescue – contains such immortal dialogue as: "We must inform the Commissioner! She's briefing the European Parliament on the earthquake tomorrow."

Um .... riveting.

OK, you must tell me if you think this story is more mock-able than Captain Euro, which I laughed at years ago.

Then again, isn't it just typical of government bureaucrats that they think they're so much more awesome than they are? so much more ... messianic?

Euro Notes: The New EU President and Return of Courtiers and Mandarins?

The Belgian politician Herman Van Rompuy is the new (and unanimously selected) President of the EU, but some Euroskeptics aren't too happy with the process that put him into that office. Blurb from one critic:

A modern parody of absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings is being staged in Europe right now. The 27 heads of the executive — some of them presidents, others prime ministers — in the countries of the EU are in the process of choosing the president or fixed term head of state in the EU, as mandated by the new constitution that has just been ratified.

We have lately witnessed the primaries, television debates and nation-wide electioneering to which candidates for the American presidency have to submit. This reveals the character of those standing for high office. In Europe, by contrast, the 27 heads of state form an exclusive electoral roll of their own. At this very moment, each one of them is wholly employed telephoning the other 26, trying to find out who is going to vote for whom, to canvass for their candidate, and to discover some means of influencing or discreetly buying votes. The people of Europe will never know the true ins and outs of this horse-dealing, but tomorrow or within a few days if more time is needed, they will be presented with the winner. The Bourbon-Parmas and the Hohenzollerns would thoroughly appreciate the closed-doors intimacy of the selection, especially the total elimination of any participation by their hapless subjects.

Well, that doesn't sound too appetizing, does it? Still, I don't envy Herman Van Rompuy his job. It'll be like herding cats. In over 20 different languages.

Quirky Euro Files: the Great Brussels Milk Protest

I am sure that the dairy farmers are indeed unhappy about their situation. Nevertheless, this little protest involving tractors and milk seems a little . . . oh, I don't know . . . amusing in its theatrical goofiness. I mean, just look at this crazy photo from the New York Times. Or maybe you'll like this protest cow statue (at 0:13) or, even better, the one below at 0:24.



OK, I can't help it. Here we are crying over spilt milk! Or, even better, MORE COWBELL!

One more thing: why do so many European demonstrations involve burning tires?

RELATED POST: The All-Purpose Protest Sign!

Video of the Day: Cartoon Penguins

Since I'm absolutely freezing in the latest Nerdworld snowstorm, I thought I'd give you a winter-appropriate bit of animated fun. This is really an ad for a Belgian bus company:

Euro Notes: Belgium and Flemish Nationalism

All is not well in Belgium, as nationalistic feelings clash with EU-flavored notions of transnational unity.

Here is an interesting quote: "In its escalating dysfunction Belgium demonstrates the inextricable link between culture and nationhood."

Note also the role of language or, shall I say, languages as each group speaks its own.

Euro Notes: Terror Threat Cancels New Year's Celebration in Brussels

New Year's celebrations are canceled in Brussels.

No fireworks, no ice skating, no shopping. No fireworks??

I don't know about you, but I seem to recall how New York City carried on with celebrations despite terror threats on every New Year's Eve since 2001.