WHAT?

I'm too horrified to come up with any other blog post title for this news item from Denmark:

COPENHAGEN Zoo turned down offers from other zoos and 500000 euros ($760000) from a private individual to save the life of a healthy giraffe before killing and slaughtering it to follow inbreeding recommendations made by a European association. 

The 2-year-old male giraffe, named Marius, was put down on Sunday using a bolt pistol and its meat was fed to carnivores at the zoo, spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro said. Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the giraffe was dissected.

Oh my God.  That second paragraph is a nightmare.

Monday Therapy: The Most Epic Ad Ever For Public Transportation

I don't know about you, but I could use a break from the endless drumbeat of bad if not outright infuriating/horrifying news.  Alessandra just emailed me this uproarious ad from Denmark.  Be clear to click the "cc" button so you can see English subtitles.  Then get ready for a minute and a half of sheer goofy awesomeness.

Nerd News: The Coolest Dorm in the World

It's in Copenhagen, and it's won a bunch of awards.  It also has its own website.  Oh, sure, it looks all pretty in the photos, but I can guarantee you that it'll look like a zombie-populated post-apocalyptic wasteland when it's exam time.

Danish Darlings: Meet Denmark's Newest Royals

Awwwwwwwww!  Twins!  Gorgeous mom Princess Mary and proud papa Crown Prince Frederik show off the new additions to the family.  Congratulations!

Kitchen Notes: Denmark's Open-Faced Sandwich

It's art that you can eat.

Personal Counter-Terrorism Plus Best Blog Post Title of the Day

"Lars Attacks" by awesome Aussie Tim Blair. Nice sci-fi pun action. Now go read the post itself.

Satire Alert: Weird Winter Olympic Sports

The British wags at the Daily Mash take aim at all those wonderfully weird winter Olympic sports and the Nordic athletes who love them.

(Be careful out there when you're trying all this, folks. Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti!)

Copenhagen GreenFest -- Eco-Hypocrisy on Parade

Read this and this. I previously posted on the GreenFest here. Notice too how everyone seems to be trying to ignore or squash the troubling implications of ClimateGate.

Kitchen Notes: Should I Get An Ebelskiver Pan?

It just looks SO DARN COOL. Plus, it makes those beautiful, spherical Danish pancakes that have goodies inside (like these apple-filled ones). I think I also just like saying "ebelskiver."

EBELSKIVEREBELSKIVEREBELSKIVEREBELSKIVEREBELSKIVER!

Kitchen Notes: Per Capita Meat Consumption Around the World

MEAT MADNESS! Oh, man, it's lunchtime in Nerdworld, and I am now suddenly thinking of every possible kind of yummy meat dish.

By the way, Denmark leads the world in meat consumption with the massive statistic of 321.7 pounds per capita annually! I salute you, carnivorous Denmark! The Danes are closely followed by New Zealand, Luxembourg, and Cyprus. The US comes in at #4 with 275.1 pounds of delicious dead animal per capita.

Oh, and do check out the completely awesome graphic. It's even got the title "LET THEM EAT MEAT." Golly, I am so hoping it gives some of those obnoxious PETA activists nightmares. Because I am evil and unrepentantly so!

PS: All this reminds me -- I'm supposed to post an excellent (and meat-based) recipe soon from a friend of mine. Tomorrow I'll give you the delectable secret of "Alessandra's Bowling Daisies Sauce."

Quirky Euro Files: Coffee Art with Famous Faces

Dedicated to Il Barista, here's something fun by Danish coffee artist Søren Stiller Markussen (via Serious Eats):


More videos like this on www.t5m.com

Quirky Euro Files: It's Time for Eurovision 2009!

You know, we spend a lot of time on this blog talking about (more or less) serious issues of education, history, politics, foreign policy, and so forth.

But it's almost summer, which is "silly season" for just about everybody --including me. So, instead of talking about cross-Atlantic relations this afternoon, I give you a lighter side of Europe -- the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest! (If you're a little fuzzy on this little pop culture habit, read this.)

The thing is an absolute temple to silliness -- and I mean that as basically a good thing. Check out this handy list of some of this year's songs (with YouTube music video links!). Some of the entries are OK (Denmark's isn't too bad), some are horrible, and some are just plain crazy.

Take a look at Macedonia's entry (we're back to big-hair 1980s rock), or the Netherlands' weird middle-aged "boy band"-- their lyrics include the line "love will make us glow in the dark." Really! I laughed out loud when I watched the music video. Golly, there's something really gloriously silly about Eurotrash dance pop.

The act from the Czech Republic, though, qualifies for the tag "weird with crazy on top." (No, seriously, you have to see it to believe it. A guy in a red jumpsuit -- with cape! -- raps about gypsies while other people play violin and guitar. No, I'm not making this up.)

Random speculation: Romania's entire national supply of eye makeup was used in the production of its music video.

Still, nothing I've seen this year comes close to the winners of the 2006 Eurovision contest -- the Finnish band Lordi.

Euro Notes: Hang Onto Your (Monetary) Euro Notes

Euroland is feeling the chill. Bank bailouts are in progress, and now different nations are scrambling to shore up their shaky finances:

Sweden became the latest European country to offer protection for bank deposits, after the German government offered blanket guarantees Sunday to all private savings accounts. Austria and Denmark also did the same.

Britain’s government on Monday scrambled to find ways to help the country’s ailing banking sector and even considered a part-nationalization of the industry. Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling on Monday continued to consult with advisers on ways to stabilize the banking sector, which may include a recapitalization financed by taxpayers, said a person at the Treasury who declined to be identified because the discussions are private.

Stocks fell sharply in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Monday.

New bailouts were arranged late Sunday for two European companies, Hypo Real Estate, a large German mortgage lender, and Fortis, a large banking and insurance company based in Belgium but active across much of the Continent. Under the agreement, BNP Paribas will acquire the Belgium and Luxembourg banking operations of Fortis for about $20 billion.

Well, it looks like another addition to the Financial Apocalypse soundtrack is due.

Euro Notes: Danish lawmakers cancel visit to Iran

Danish lawmakers have canceled a visit to Iran after the mullahs demanded an apology for the now-infamous Mohammed cartoons. Plus the Danes refused to apologize.

Good on the Danes.

Besides, I don't think they have any actual right to apologize anyway, since that is the place of the cartoonists. The last thing we need now is more blame-spreading and blame-sharing and yes, group-blame.