Despite the fact that to win the annual competition marks one out as irredeemably naff, the Eurovision Song Contest is still passionately contested. It's divisive to the point of striking a more resonant challenge to European unity than Brexit. Yet it's the perfect projection of the European Union, because, as with the EU, every Eurovision decision seems to embarrass and annoy winning and losing nations alike, binding them ever more closely together.
With the event's TV ratings being about as vertiginous as the complaints count, most countries enthusiastically embrace its peculiarities. It's daft but it's fun.
Esta historia es de la edición June 24-30 2023 de New Zealand Listener.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 24-30 2023 de New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
