# Today's News from Europe **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2005, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970 "2005-07-11T12:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/1 "2005-07-11T12:06:26Z")
My hometown paper, the _Arab News_ puts all the European news on one page. Nice and compact. Consider what is in the paper today. 1. The now-dead French President is shown in newly-released papers to have personally approved the destruction of the _Rainbow Warrior_ in a New Zealand harbor. An activist was killed. 2. Serbs in Belgrade noted the tenth anniversary of their mass-murder of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica by denying a) it happened, or b) we didn’t do it, or c) who cares. President Karadzic and General Mladic are still at large. 3. The ETA has broken their truce with the Spanish government. 4. A mysterious bomber in Italy failed to kill a little girl when the booby-trap he attached to her bike failed to explode. In the past he has booby-trapped boxes of chocolate and pens in the street (one child lost three fingers), a in a church (a girl lost an eye) and a flower pot in a graveyard (an old lady was injured). 5. Police in London are making progress in identifying the little bits of people left after a number of bombs went off. OK, so nasty people do nasty things everywhere. Could the Europeans please quit telling us Americans how superior their model for soicety is? Thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/2 "2005-07-11T12:12:03Z")
I know this is the Pit but… wrong side of bed much? Shit happens. Shit happens everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/3 "2005-07-11T12:22:18Z")
Wow, that paper really is scraping the barrel for ‘newsworthy’ stories. I can’t find anything anywhere about the Italian bomber. Two other stories are about events from many years ago. > [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Could the Europeans please quit telling us Americans how superior their model for soicety is? Could the Americans please stop making sweeping generalisations about Europeans? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/4 "2005-07-11T12:38:02Z")
Lamest Pitting Ever. Or a damn good contender. ---
**Author:** ![Dublin11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dublin11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dublin11)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/5 "2005-07-11T12:38:21Z")
Golly. Five whole things are happening on the entire continent of Europe. FIVE?!?!?! All hail the Arab News, it’s obviously a fantastically in-depth newspaper. Bringing you all the important stories from all round the world. Keep reading it. It might stop you posting shite on here. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/6 "2005-07-11T12:41:08Z")
Or perhaps Sunni? The Europeans are at least as least as screwed up as the Americans. That is all I am saying. (I would really like to learn more about this Italian guy, a real head job. Somehow I bet it the fault of the CIA.) ---
**Author:** ![Arwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/7 "2005-07-11T12:41:08Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > My hometown paper, the _Arab News_ puts all the European news on one page. Nice and compact. Consider what is in the paper today. > > 1. The now-dead French President is shown in newly-released papers to have personally approved the destruction of the _Rainbow Warrior_ in a New Zealand harbor. An activist was killed. > > 2. Serbs in Belgrade noted the tenth anniversary of their mass-murder of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica by denying a) it happened, or b) we didn’t do it, or c) who cares. President Karadzic and General Mladic are still at large. > > 3. The ETA has broken their truce with the Spanish government. > > 4. A mysterious bomber in Italy failed to kill a little girl when the booby-trap he attached to her bike failed to explode. In the past he has booby-trapped boxes of chocolate and pens in the street (one child lost three fingers), a in a church (a girl lost an eye) and a flower pot in a graveyard (an old lady was injured). > > 5. Police in London are making progress in identifying the little bits of people left after a number of bombs went off. > > OK, so nasty people do nasty things everywhere. Could the Europeans please quit telling us Americans how superior their model for soicety is? Thank you very much. Superior for what? And which Europeans? European Countries are actually still _countries_, and \*even more different \* from each other than States in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/8 "2005-07-11T13:02:22Z")
Excuse me while I hijack my own thread. I have found some mention of this Italian bomber. A darn sick puppy. [Here](http://www.tkb.org/Incident.jsp?incID=16022) [Here](http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=24&art_id=qw1027525501329B234&set_id=1) bobby-trapped hazelnut butter and [Here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2978509.stm) the bicycle ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/9 "2005-07-11T13:07:33Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > The Europeans are at least as least as screwed up as the Americans. That is all I am saying. Far more so, it seems…multiple bomb attacks and he still hasn’t killed anyone? Now that guy really has screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![Selenus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Selenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selenus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/10 "2005-07-11T14:09:54Z")
Umm, Paul… how did you make that jump? From European news in a Saudi paper to Europeans being as screwed as Americans? Not that I want to start an argument as to who’s more screwed up or anything but… I don’t get it… 😕 Or are you just saying that there are arseholes in Europe? no shit! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/11 "2005-07-11T14:17:18Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > 1. A mysterious bomber in Italy failed to kill a little girl when the booby-trap he attached to her bike failed to explode. In the past he has booby-trapped boxes of chocolate and pens in the street (one child lost three fingers), a in a church (a girl lost an eye) and a flower pot in a graveyard (an old lady was injured). By any chance, is [Brett Kimberlin](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0679429999/002-7020974-1497623?%5Fencoding=UTF8) (one-time Speedway Bomber) living in Italy now? This sounds like his style. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/12 "2005-07-11T14:18:25Z")
Hmmm…let’s take another Arab perspective, shall we? Al Jazeera’s [news front page](http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0D9D84D0-61FC-42D7-86C4-B730E24573CF.htm) right now has the Srebrenica massacre as its splash. One metion of the London bombs, Turkey and the EU, and the Luxembourg referendum are the other headlines concerning Europe. Wow, it’s clearly one shithole of a continent. Brazil, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, the Phillipines and Indonesia all get a look-in, too, so that’s South America and Asia also no longer allowed to criticise America, according to **Paul in Saudi** ’s logic. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/13 "2005-07-11T14:30:49Z")
How come we never hear about the arseholes that live in Australia, Asia or Greenland. Yeah, Greenland, I’m talkin’ about you! You can’t be the only country that doesn’t have any arseholes! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/14 "2005-07-11T14:33:58Z")
The Italian Unabomber is one sick individual. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/15 "2005-07-11T15:02:44Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Could the Europeans please quit telling us Americans how superior their model for soicety is? Thank you very much. Look, it’s really _very_ simple. We get to see boobies on TV; how could there be any question as to whose model of society is superior. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/16 "2005-07-11T15:08:53Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Look, it’s really _very_ simple. > We get to see boobies on TV; how could there be any question as to whose model of society is superior. Don’t forget about the weather girls that strip down during the forecast! It is the height of civilization! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/17 "2005-07-11T16:00:34Z")
Well, your right. Bobbies certainly trumps the Marshal Plan and Sauk Vaccine. You got me there 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/18 "2005-07-11T19:51:29Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > The Europeans are at least as least as screwed up as the Americans. That is all I am saying. Sure, but offhand I don’t see a lot of Europeans (leaders or otherwise) going around telling the rest of the world how their way is superior to all others and circumventing nations and international organizations that don’t agree with them. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/19 "2005-07-11T19:54:27Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Sure, but offhand I don’t see a lot of Europeans (leaders or otherwise) going around telling the rest of the world how their way is superior to all others and circumventing nations and international organizations that don’t agree with them. That’s because Bushie ain’t seeing boobies on TV. /not a bush basher. //don’t flame me. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970/20 "2005-07-11T21:04:18Z")
Now wait a minute. You talk about blowing up the Greenpeace boat as if it was a bad thing… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-news-from-europe/311970.md?page=2)