Unthreaded
In hindsight it is be regretted that Greenland chose to leave the EU, and by so doing probably became ineligible for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. We then all could have voted for their entry (Permafrost Blues?) so forcing all the luvies and hangers-on to travel to Nuuk the following year. How would they cope with singing Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit? Would Norton have swallowed his tonsils?
How Wogan would have laughed.
Alan Kendall
Eurovision 2016:
Ukraine's song was distinctive because it had a meaning. That meaning being, "Look out. Russia's dangerous".
Much of Europe would agree with that.
Polish ex-pats seem to be more loyal to Poland then ex-pat Brits are to the UK. Perhaps that's because UK ex-pats are retired / older and don't feel that the UK is the same country as the one they left. Yet Poles are effectively commuters, for the first few years in their new countries at least.
Or it may be that the juries and the public have different views on the music.
I obviously didn't watch any of the songs so can't comment on that.
M Courtney
golf charlie
I'm a bit of a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, or it is known in our house "Europe's Got Talent (but we won't see it tonight)". The voting last night was interesting, as the votes of the nationl juries and the phone in votes were given separately, and apart from Australia and Ukraine the countries getting the highest scores were wildly different. Poland going from last to third as a result of the phone in vote was probably the most spectacular but Lithuania and Russia also had a respectable performances in the second half voting
This leads me to two conclusions
1. The freedom of movement of people in the EU leads to improved performances at The Eurovision Song Contest
2 Briitish expats are not as loyal to the homeland as those of the new member states.
Make of that what you will.
SandyS
The survival of the EU, as a matter of unity, and political message has been neatly parodied by the Eurovision Song Contest. Why didn't Australia beat the Ukraine?
golf charlie
Salopian & michael hart, perhaps we should give the BBC some credit for their imaginative reporting of this sad story about lightning fatalities in Bangladesh.
Next week, they will report on how drowning people are more likely to be struck by lightning if they clutch at straws.
golf charlie
podbean download link Delingpole
stewgreen
"Tesla is this big car company," Zell said.
"You and I are subsidizing millionaires to buy these cars ... I don't understand it."
Quotes Business Insider
Neither billionaire oil man T. Boone Pickens nor real estate billionaire Sam Zell care for Tesla.
They explained why on stage during their talk at the SkyBridge Alternatives conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
stewgreen
Canada : Fort McKay fire was probably not caused by Global Warming
..but it was the oil tar sands industry that saved it. nationalpost.com
stewgreen
Re Golf and Lightning......
The story goes that, during a tournament in the US, the question of the risk of strikes was raised at a press conference. One golfer's reply was that, during storms, he would walk down the fairways holding a 1-iron above his head. When asked why that would not be dangerous, he replied that not even God could hit a 1-iron.
(Variously attributed to Arnold Palmer, Max Faulkner and others)