geography lesson

I have to admit, I'm not really a very good cook. People should stay clear of me when I'm breaking eggs, otherwise they may get shelled ... if you get my meaning. Occasionally I pick something up from the cooking shows that seem to be all over the television these days.

Yesterday it was Jamie Oliver doing his bit. Now, I'm not that big a fan of Jamie. He rarely follows a recipe and the fact that he burned his own private parts while trying to establish his 'Naked Chef' epitaph tells me something about his kitchen security procedures.

Jamie should also refrain from trying to build a story around his cooking. Yesterday he was all excited about his Mauritanian friend and the Mauritanian spices. And then Jamie said the most amazing thing. He claimed that Mauritania is close to India and that the spices are therefore very alike and interchangeable.

This claim did not sound correct, so Jamie, I looked it up ...

• The country called Mauritania is in North West Africa. It is approximately 7000 kilometers away from India and in between is most of Africa.
• There is also an island called Mauritius. It is of the coast of South East Africa. Granted, there's only ocean between it and India, but that is the bulk of the Indian ocean, good for more than 4000 kilometers. Besides, the person you showed off as your Mauritanian friend (and that spoke English as if he'd never even been close to Africa) looked - if anything - like a North African.

So Jamie, the obvious conclusion is that most of that episode was made up and unverified and probably the same is true off the cooking information you dispensed ...

human interest story - by tom mcleoid (37)

A news report about a shooting made me wonder about something yesterday. It was not a very special report. A husband and wife got into a fight, the husband got his gun, decided to really get it on and fired some shots at the arriving police. He missed. He missed the police. The bullets however found their way across the street and into the people living there.

The special thing was how the police chief described those people. Translated from the Dutch he approximately said this : The son from the year 1984 was seriously wounded and is still fighting for his life in hospital. The father from the year 1962 was less seriously wounded ...

Sounds strange to you ? Well, it is not my translation that makes it sound weird, it was a very weird sentence to start of with.

Unless of course you often read the popular press / gossip magazines. Did you ever notice that whenever a person is mentioned by name, the age of the person is added behind the name ? Like ... Tom (37) really thought that was weird. And we all know what the (37) means. None of us go looking for footnote number 37 (which would be a logical reaction), no, we just know that the Tom mentioned has to be 37 years old. And because of that the story becomes a human interest story, the fact that Tom has an age, makes him more real to us, casual readers.

Still, it would be silly to write : Tom (from the year 1972). So I presume two things :

• The police chief was already making the translation of what happened for the popular press. For really, what does the age of the victims matter ?
• The police chief had the identity-cards of the victims available, but was not able to do a quick calculation (which most of us would do without even thinking) to come up with the ages.

I wonder what those assumptions tell us about that police chief (age unknown) ...

disgusted but happy

Disgusted. That's what I am about the whole Copenhagen business.

Disgusted. When it started and I heard there were 10000 (ten-thousand) negotiators there. For ... what is there to negotiate about really ? Nothing.

Disgusted. When the nicely orchestrated differences between the rich and the poor were brought up. For ... what differences really ? None that matter.

Disgusted. When a black sheep had to be found and easy target China was readily available ... (should that be a yellow sheep then ?). Well done by the way, Mr Leterme. Your head is so deep up Mr Obama's arse that you could practically floss his teeth ... but Mr De Crem is already doing that, isn't he ? Did anyone think of the fact that it doesn't matter at all what China does if everybody else had pulled together (and China would very likely have followed if that had happened).

Disgusted. And disappointed. About Obama. The hope that things will change, that things can be done differently ... is dying quickly.

Happy. Yes, happy. For not only my offspring will suffer from this failure. They will be joined in their suffering by Malia and Natasha Obama, by Pierre, Jean and Louis Sarkozy, by John and James Brown, by Matthias, Thomas and Julie Leterme, by Constantijn, Alicia and Victoria De Crem, by Hu Haifeng and Hu Haiqing, by ... It is a very sour happiness, but that is all that remains ...

why it will not work

I recently watched (and re-watched) these documentaries :
Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist (addendum)

I advise everybody to do the same. They remind me of a series of documentaries that I watched on our national broadcasting company when they still cared about informing the public. That program was called "De keuze of Dekeyser" (The Choice of Dekeyser), with Dekeyser - the surname of the man introducing the documentaries - being a Dutch translation of "The Emperor".

The documentary parts of the above videos are verifiable and therefore probably true. Very unsettling they are too, although those of us with half a brain probably know most of what is being explained already.

The utopian idea to reform our society in the latter half of the second video is also interesting. I do call it utopian (even though the video and the site linked to the video claim it is not). It also reminded me very much of the following novel : http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1164 (Iron Heel by Jack London). And that very novel explains the first reason why the idea will not work : "The establishment, our masters, will not give up the resources necessary for the idea to work without a fight".

And we are running out of time. Very quickly. We can not wait the 200 years it took "the brotherhood of man" in the book to turn the tide.

The second reason is even simpler. The idea is based on human goodwill. On our empathy. On our judgement to do what is right for all, not just right for one. Any biologist (the one I read is Richard Dawkins) will tell you that is not a stable strategy. That without at least some tit-for-tat (read : violence, war, ...) there will always be individuals trying to profit from a given situation.


So, my conclusion is that it can not work. Do not let that keep you from watching the videos and forming your own conclusions. The Iron Heel will take us down with them, but we at least might give them a run for their money !

the age of stupid

Do you know what gastronomy and astronomy have in common ? In both cases it's all about the stars !

There, that was the funny (and unrelated) bit of this post. Hopefully you at least got a smile out of it. Although there should be more reason for joy in Belgium, since we managed to get some top-jobs in the European Union (presidency, trade).

However, yesterday I watched "The Age of Stupid". Already being called the second best film (after "An Inconvenient Truth") on climate change.

Comparing the two is actually pointless. The amazing thing about this whole climate-issue, is ... how can we (you, me, everyone, ...) carry on with our daily lives knowing what we know. We know we are going to be around when the point-of-no-return (2015) is reached. And we know we will have done nothing. We know our own children are going to suffer because of that. And still we raise them as if nothing of that sort is going to be in their future.

An Inconvenient Truth hinted at these same questions. The Age of Stupid answers them. The main point of the film is made when it shows a woman smiling radiantly after having won the case against raising a windmill-park in her village (because it would disturb the view while walking in the area) and at the same time claiming that she is environmentally aware, of course she is ...

That woman is us. Every single one of us.
And we will all go down together.

A master dies, his memes live on

I learned today that a great teacher of mine has died. I never got to meet the man that went by the internet alias of Fravia and now it seems that I never will.

Fravia was like those teachers of ancient Rome, sitting down on the Spanish steps and teaching anyone that would listen to them. He was always encouraging us to not merely trust his word, but to 'go' out there and look for ourselves. He often used bits and bytes, software and the internet as the tools to teach us, but what he actually taught us was to think critically !

Fravia put me on the path that would later bring me to the writings of Richard Dawkins. I do now wonder if the two ever met, the air would have been crackling with electricity at such a meeting, even though their 'fields' could not be more apart.

I once read an article describing Fravia as a dilletant (an amateur). Indeed, his knowledge-sharing brought him no riches. In that respect he was not (a) professional. But you'd have to search (which he taught us) far and wide to find even 1% of the solid, verified information that was (and still is for the time being) available for free on his site.

His final account, which you can read here, is gloomy. Not because he was not feeling well, not because he thought negative ... but because we live in gloomy times.

From Richard Dawkins I learned that next to genes, ideas and information can (and do) also live on. He used the name memes for that. In me and in many many others Fravia's memes (will) live on !

i love europe

No I do not. Not really. But yesterday a point in favor of Europe was made. It was made by two employees of a company making health improving/healthier food products. Yes, I am talking about you, Damhert.

Here is what the first employee (a young woman very likely selected for her marketing skills) stated : "We make healthier products (Damhert actually replaces sugar with tagatose, which they claim has all kinds of benefits), but Europe would make regulations as strict as for medicine. That is ridiculous. Do they not know how many people work here ? They should take into account the possible economic repercussions of their laws".

Here is what the second employee (a so-proclaimed scientist who in my opinion has never seen the inside of a laboratory) stated : "These European lawmakers know nothing about the food business".

Now, what Europe is asking is that foodstuffs claiming to be health improving (or healthier) require scientific proof before they can make that claim. Is that not a good thing ? Should we not applaud Europe for protecting us (consumers) ? Should we not applaud Europe for following the scientific rules instead of the rules of profit ? I think we should and I for one do !

As for the point that requirements for food should not be as strict as those for medicine ... I eat every day, several times a day. I only occasionally take medicine. I therefore feel that requirements for food (and the information given about food) should be a lot stricter than those for medicine !

On a related topic I was pleased to hear in a commercial that 99% of the users of a certain shampoo are pleased with its results and I do urge remaining 1% to change their shampoo because otherwise they sort of look like idiots. At least it is a far better commercial than the ones claiming things like :

• 96% of all Belgians like product X
• 98% of all Belgian dentists approve toothpaste Y

Since nobody ever asked my opinion about a product and ... wait ... there's very small print at the bottom of the commercial ... damn ... missed it again. Could it be about the size of the sample that was used ?

Europe has some serious work ahead ... but they at least are on the right track (as is the producer of that shampoo :-) ) !

greatest hawaiian

As of today the man carrying the title of Greatest Belgian (the Flemish one at least, he was only third in the Walloon version of the tv-show) will be a saint. Jozef De Veuster (or father Damian as the rest of the world knows him) has finally interceded enough from beyond the grave to be called holy.

If that does not tell you enough about the catholic religion ... nothing will but that is not what this post is about.

I would have understood that we had made Ambiorix the Greatest Belgian. He united the tribes in our regions against Julius Caesar. Granted, Belgium only exists since 1830, so Ambiorix came a bit too soon.

And I would have understood that Jozef De Veuster was made Greatest Hawaiian. And I would have been proud to know that a Belgian got that title. It says more about the Hawaiians then about Jozef himself really, but still.

My main point is however, what did Jozef De Veuster do for Belgium ? And the answer is. Nothing. He left when he was still young. The real story of his life only started on Hawaii.

So if we named him Greatest Belgian, that also says a lot about us ...

about the hijabi (and other religious symbols)

It seems to be unavoidable that one needs to have an opinion about this, so here is mine. Well, it is the opinion from Marcus Brigstocke, but I concur completely.

So, what you do in your own free time is your own business, but as the clip states : No religious rights in the school context. None. School is for learning ...

I could add the metaphorical view that heads need to be clear on the inside and the outside to be educated, but that is soft language that those supporting the Hijabi do not understand.

O yes and for the brilliant head (but clearly not the mastermind) of the Antwerp universities I have the following points and questions :

• You do not ban the Hijabi in any of your institutions. Wonderful. Of course, the people attending those institutions are adults. And I know this is not true for all of them, but adults are supposed to make informed decisions for themselves without in any way being pressured in one direction or the other. Children can not. So parents and schools must help them.
  

• How many girls wearing the Hijabi attend your institutions ? Other than the one prominently televised during your discourse ? And is this number in accordance with the population ? I think you'll find it is not.

working with india-ans in IT

My mentor in Hyderabad - where my company set up an IT subsidiary - insisted on calling them that (well, the Dutch equivalent - India-ers). These are not Indians he insisted, these are people living in India. Hence India-ans. Beats me why he didn't call people from Germany Germany-ans, but then again, since he is Dutch he probably calls those Germs ...

Anyway, setting up an IT subsidiary in India is a pretty smart thing to do. It really is. And it can work. It really can. Just follow the list below :

Point I. Education in India means nothing
This is an actual conversation from a job interview ... "
(interviewer) So, it states here that you learned to program Java in school and did a project in it during your last year ?
(interviewee) -shakes head in Indian confirmation- ... Yes sir.
(interviewer) So how many lines of code did you write in that project ?
(interviewee) None sir.
(interviewer) -looks blank for a moment- ... None ?
(interviewee) None sir.
(interviewer) But it says here ...
(interviewee) Yes sir, it was a team effort sir. There were four of us on that project sir.
(interviewer) And your task was what exactly ?
(interviewee) -proud- Documentation sir !
(interviewer) I see. And in class, how many lines of code did you write there ?
(interviewee) None sir.
(interviewer) -looks like he has to swallow a frog- ... None ?
(interviewee) No sir. We studied Java in week 15, after C++ in week 14 and before Python in week 16. But I have a very thorough grasp of it sir !

After four or five of such interviews you realize that things are not going to improve and you restart from scratch. Still, you do want freshers. Do not hire experienced Indian IT staff ! The word experience will take a completely new meaning. No, take freshers and teach them everything (and that includes speaking, writing and reading English, how to behave in public, etc. ...). Follow your gut and weed ruthlessly during the training period ...

Point II. Your HR manager and Finance manager must be Indian
And experienced. This is the single exception to the above rule. The Indian legislation is complex, the Indian administration is corrupt. If you want things to move on, you want people that know their way around. A good HR manager will know how to split up the salaries so that you pay very little (literally speaking) and the employee gets quite a lot (relatively speaking). A good Finance manager will know who's hand to shake (and especially if his own hand should contain some banknotes during that shake).

Pick experienced people you like and pay them well. You will want them to stay.

Point III. You do not want Indian management to start with
No, you really do not. It may seem a good option to hire Indian team-managers and department-managers and so on. For otherwise you would need expats for quite some time. Say three to four years while your freshers get some experience, learn the company culture and grow into management positions. For higher management it will be more like ten years. And expats are expensive.

So let me tell you why it is not a good idea to hire Indian management :

• before you know it, the number of employees will have doubled ... but hey, India-ans are cheap ... we can get lots ...

• before you know it, they will have pulled every single one of their friends from their old company into your company, actually blocking every single growth-path for your freshers

• before you know it, productivity will drop, for "no Indian company works this hard and we should not be an exception"

• before you know it, you will have a birthday-committee, a party-committee, a team-building-committee, a you-name-useless-activity-committee that will all have meetings in work-time

• before you know it, you will have a bench (a line of employees being paid for sitting on a chair against the wall doing nothing until another employee is absent)

In short, before you know it, you'll be leaking money.


It has to be said, my company did not do bad on Point I, understood Point II (and has those core people) ... but failed miserably on Point III. The results after two years :

• A lot of core people in the Belgian mother company have left.

• The subsidiary has 200% more people today than it should have, resulting in the need for more - costly - office space.

• The backlog of work which should have started to show signs of getting smaller, is actually still getting bigger.

counting on the banks

There is a consensus in the whole of the Belgian political world (which is amazing in itself). The consensus is that the banks should help out the government with its deficit. The reasoning behind it goes as follows : "the banks have caused the financial crisis which turned into an economic crisis which caused the deficit, so since they are already back to making profit, they should pay ...".

Nice. And no negative reactions from any part of the population so far. Looks like sound reasoning too ...

It is bullshit.

Let me start with the reasoning. Yes, the banks caused the financial crisis. Which in part (!) caused the economic crisis. Which does show in the deficit (less income from taxes for the government). But there's a difference between showing in the deficit and causing the deficit. Truth is, since we did the effort for reaching the Euro-prerequisites, we (the state) have been living an easy life. We could have kept up the effort, but we chose not too and used lots of one-time measures to keep the balances looking acceptable. And then the crisis hit ... No longer kept up by economic growth the proverbial pants have dropped.

My second point is about who is really going to pay this one-time-crisis-tax-for-the-banks. In the past the government usually gave itself a winning ticket from the National Lottery (yes, they really did, several times in fact). But this time its the banks. Banks are big employers. Very big ones. And trust me, it is not going to be the hotshot traders that will get their bonus cut.

Banks also deliver services to the public. Joe Public has a saving account there and gets the loan for the house there. At the moment Joe gets 1% on his saving account and pays 4% for his loan. The 1% is equal to the rate that the banks can get loans themselves. As you can see this is daylight robbery. But ... the 4% is the lowest rate in many many many years. And at this very moment many families breath a sigh of relief because the amount of their monthly payment has dropped seriously. Young couples can go for their own house sooner than planned. This is good for the economy.

Therefore I think hitting the banks - although it feels just (and maybe even is just) - is not a good idea. They will hit back very quickly and this will deepen the crisis.

There is no easy solution for the government. What has to be done is that it has to stop thinking short term and start thinking long term again. Our Prime Minister knows this, since he was the mastermind behind our Euro-efforts. So why does he not do it ?

so little creativity

This is an open letter to my fellow online-game players. At the moment that means the people that populate EVE-online (a space exploring, trading, fighting, ... game), but it might as well have been another game.


Dear game players,
Let me cut to the cheese immediately. May I beg you to choose a decent in-game name ? It only takes about one minute to create an avatar (in-game character) and it takes more than one month to really start (!) to appreciate this game. So can you please spend that minute wisely ?

I mean, meeting Legolas127 out there in space really does nothing for my immersion in the game. It does not even mean you have read The Lord Of The Rings. You probably saw the movie, thought the bow-carrying elf was cool and decided it would be very cool to have a (bow-carrying ?) space-pilot with that name. Well, it is not cool. And at least 127 other uncool persons had the very same idea before you. That is how not-cool it is ...

As for all the people that have chosen Lord, Lady, Captain, Sir, Master ... as their first name I'd like to mention the fact that only in Catch 22 Major Major actually became Major. O, and Kingwitty ... you are not, nor is any of you ...

For the sake of Deadly Dealer I hope he's good at cards (or at selling drugs ... which is actually an in-game option) and Bulls Eye is hopefully (going to be) a good shot. As for WaytooTall ... (sigh). They are not good at picking names, that is for sure ...

I've mentioned Lord Of The Rings, but a game in a space setting has its share of references to Star Wars and Star Trek of course. I noticed the whole Skywalker family is present as well as an Artoo Deato and even an ch3wb3ca. Now, having a Jedi called Skywalker was probably the silliest thing George Lucas thought of (did you know the actor that played Luke never got a decent job afterwards any more ?) and if you want to be a gay golden ... robot or a flea-infested overgrown Wookie (whatever those are) ... be my guest ... but do not do it in a game please ?

Yes, yes, of course I think Jeff Dunham is funny. And his Achmed The Dead Terrorist doll is superb. But to actually call yourself Silence iKillYou ... is a bit sad. Not so sad as Agnes Dei (Lamb of God), Hellboundman and Satanswerk (Satan's Work), but still ...

The person that came up with A wettowel for a name actually did not do bad compared to all of the above. He probably read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and knows that a towel (wet or dry) is very important to have in space travelling. However ... as a name it sucks. Sorry.

To round up my letter I'd like to repeat my request. Please choose a decent in-game name. We are not on a dating-site where all you want is anonimity (and a quick fuck) and where sexy1334333434353 is about as creative as you can get. If you are not the creative type, there are many many many sites that feature baby-names (with explanations of what they mean).

Thank you for your attention !

P.S. Selene134, you probably never thought you would reach an important political position in the game when you started out, but don't you feel silly now when your name figures in a lot of in-game news ?

science makes for early kickoff ramadan

It is that time of the year again. Muslims all over the world start the Ramadan. Most started today, but not all. Strictly speaking Ramadan starts when two orthodox Muslims see (yes, with their eyes) the start of the 9th moon cycle of the Muslim year.

That of course raises a couple of questions. What is orthodox ? Which two Muslims ? Those can be females ? Where do they have to stand ? What if it is clouded in that location ?

Because of all this doubt (doubt and religion are not good companions), a lot of Belgian muslims started one day early this year. When asked about this, a spokesman said that : "We resorted to science. We had science calculate the exact start of the moon cycle in Belgium for the next hundred years ..."

To me that sounded a bit like the joke about why Jesus was not born in the US (they could not find three wise man and a virgin there). To hear a man who had just been praying to his imaginary friend (and when you see how Muslims do that one understands why they do not like gays) claim that they resort to science, just about made my day ...

One would think that it would not be too much for an all-knowing and all-powerful (and that is a contradiction in itself) god to give an annual kickoff of his main event (another spokesman described the Ramadan as the way to get good points from god) so everybody starts at the same moment ? No, no, they use science for it ...

diamonds in the rough

It is suggested that the Internet will mean the end of our scientific evolution. Like real evolution it goes fastest on small isolated islands. With the Internet at everybody's fingertips we have become a collective brain. And this might kill creativity.

However, the Internet can also be used to further the cause of science. In this post I will put links to sites that really are gems in the pornographic rough of the World Wide Web. Here's two to wet your appetite :
http://www.periodicvideos.com/
http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

nice escape

It is cucumber-time. But the news that the pope has signed a music contract with the same record-label that also produced Snoop Dog albums (can not wait to see the video clip ... well ... maybe I can) has been put to the background by the escape(s) of a whole bunch of Belgian criminals from jail and court.

And for once I ignore the fumbling of those that should serve and protect us. For what I heard today was very amusing. The two most dangerous criminals made their escape to Morocco. They blend in very well there, having both the Belgian and Moroccan nationality. Or so they thought. Only, Morocco does take crime very serious. One of them is already caught. And - important - Morocco refuses to send him back to Belgium. As a Moroccan national he will be put on trial and serve time in Morocco. Lovely. He's looking at 20 years. Lovely. And he will serve every single day of those 20 years. Absolutely brilliant. And he clears a space in the over-populated Belgian jails. Can somebody give this man a medal ?

Maybe number two will even do better. Apparently he's already been wounded and considered armed and dangerous. In Morocco that means that with just the right luck he'll soon run into a police bullet.

O, did I mention the fact that the man breaking these two (and one other) out of jail is now himself in jail ? The helicopter he hijacked was not capable of lifting him and the escapees. So they made him stay behind. So sad ...

One thing is for sure. There may be an over-population of our jails, but definitely not in the brains-department.

doubtful Tom

These days a couple of old men are put on show in the USA. They are the first men that walked the moon forty years ago ...

... or so they say ...

For call me crazy if you like, but I do not believe man put foot on the moon. And believe is the important word there. We have all seen the television-show (although it was from a bit before my time), but ...

• Neil Armstrong must have been one hell of a witty man. I mean, here you are, the (proverbial ?) sweat dripping down your spine, you've just gone where no man has gone before and your very first words happen to be one of the best quotes imaginable. And the clicks of the radio-system just happen to punctuate your words as well. Wow ...

• Look at where we are today. The united world barely manages to keep one space-station (in close orbit around the world) up-and-running, mainly by using rockets that Gagarin would have recognized. Given the economic growth in the last 40 years, should we not be a lot further than that ?
  

• Less than 10 years (in 1977) after the landing the first Star Wars movie was released (and how long had it been in the making ?) . Pretty impressive television too, was it not ? Made with a lot less money than the Apollo guys had available.
  

• When looking at space-walks from the ISS and from the shuttle, I can not help but noticing how clumsy the astro/cosmo/taiko/... nauts look. How encumbered by there suits, which do not seem to have evolved a lot (just by the look) in 40 years either.

• ... there are loads of websites dedicated to this subject, showing proof for both sides of the story ...
  

For the sake of the old men being put on show, I sincerely hope that they did land on the moon. Having to act the part for more than 40 years now (and it looks most of them will make the 50 year anniversary as well) is quite a performance. But my personal opinion is ... no, they probably did not ...

breaking a wrist

Breaking a wrist seems to be the way to get into the international news these days. In Aosta, Italy, an 82 year old man slipped in his bath and broke his wrist. In Vittel, France, a 35 year old man fell of his bike and broke his wrist.

In both cases this is a very common injury for what happened. In both cases putting down your hands to block the fall is the natural (if sometimes wrong) reaction.

Then why-o-why did these two rate so much press. The world over. Internet is full of it. Special television broadcasts were devoted to it.

Surely not because the 82 year old man claims to have a - unverifiable - special relationship with an imaginary friend ? Surely not because the 35 year old man competed in a big sports event ? Surely there are other things to talk about ... are there not ?

A 61 year old woman was hit by a police motorcycle when she tried to cross the road after a group of cyclists had passed in the Tour De France. She died on the spot. She got a 5 second mention in the broadcast and then the show went on.

Bread, death and games ... it is a sad world after all ...

science and games

Do you know Victor Tesla ? Google had a special image to remember his birthday (10 July 1856, he died 7 January 1943) yesterday.


Still no bells ringing ? Not surprisingly (unless you studied electricity in college). And yet this man put down the foundations for the management of electricity as it (still) is today. He beat Edison (yes, the one from the bulb) in that. He is also the inventor of the radio (Marconi build on his ideas) and had several other inventions still in use today. Google rightly puts up a special image for him.

There are however some people (myself amongst them) who do know Tesla and did not learn about him in college. And no, it is not because we have a Tesla ball at home ...

No, the reason we know Tesla is ... we learned about him in a computer-game. Yes, that is right, in the Red Alert game there is a weapon called after him (not surprisingly, he invented several himself ... and blew up his own laboratory several times).

Computer-games as a medium to teach science. Well, well, well, who would have guessed it. In Ether Saga Online - a game I am playing at the moment - there are several quests that require you to know things. The myth of Romulus and Remus ? The Wright brothers ? Ancient civilizations ? You better know about them, because they get you some nice benefits in the game. Of course the game has its share of action as well, but I very much like the idea ...

a tough job, being a father

The news this week had two sad topics about fathers.

In the first case a - probably, not all the data is in yet - overworked and overstressed father drives by the daycare-center, parks his car at work, locks it, goes in ... all the time forgetting he has a toddler in his car. With outside temperatures reaching 25 Celcius one does not have to draw a picture about what happens in the car. The toddler dies.

In the second case a father takes his child to a daycare-center. He comes running in, bloodied, claiming that a man dressed in black, driving on a bike, attacked him with a knife right at the entrance. He hands over his (unhurt) child to a caretaker and is then taken to the hospital. Panic ensues. With a similar case (where a young man dressed in black entered a daycare center and started a slaughter) still fresh in the collective memory nobody takes any chances. All daycare centers are given police protection. Parents leave work to pick up their child and take it home. A manhunt is started, but nobody knows where the cyclist went of to after the attack.

Yesterday, a week after the second case started, the father himself is taken into custody. He confesses he made up the entire story of being attacked. Nobody knows why.

Being a father seems to be a tough job ...

the real martyrs

We, human beings, tend to have a very generalized view of what is remote. This is partly build in. For a white Caucasian all Asian's / Africans / ... look the same (and this works both ways) ... until he or she lives among them. This is partly because our media are biased and - whatever they may say to contradict it - give us a very limited view on what is really going on. And last but not least, this is not limited to the poor and uneducated among us.

Which brings me to the accepted views on Iran. In Europe and North America it is seen as a backward islamic country where the mullahs turned the clock back to the dark Middle Ages (that is, comparable to European dark Middle Ages). It is potentially dangerous because its leaders are bend on getting nuclear weapons and starting their version of Armageddon. In the Middle East it is seen as ... yes ... how exactly is it seen in the Middle East ? As a defender of islam ? As a raised fist against American imperialism ? And the views of the rest of the world ? See how limited our views are ? See how little we really know about Iran ?

Anyhow, surely Iran is a monolithic nation ... or is it not ? Of course not. No nation is, no village is, no family is. The recent elections in Iran have shown that there are - at least - two speeds in the Iran society. There is the god-fearing poorer, mostly rural, mostly older population and there is the more sceptical, richer, mostly city-based, mostly younger population. Again no doubt a major oversimplification, but these two are at this very moment clashing in the streets of Iran. Religion has (for once) little to do with it. Both candidates in the election were approved by the islamic council. Both are no doubt pious (at least in front of the camera) defenders of their true faith.

No, what is happening has more to do with lifestyle and looks more like a generation conflict. Sadly enough it is fought out in the street. Sadly enough people die in the conflict every day. One side uses every modern available medium to organise themselves and to show their protest (and to prove their right) to the world. The other side is supported by the state and uses force to prove their right. Both are wrong. Shouting loudly does not mean you are right and nor does having the superior force.

I have no love for Iran. Religous rule should be world-banned, for it is dangerous and will probably mean the end of our kind. But I do feel sorry for the ones that die there now. They are real martyrs. In my book martyr means : a person that intentionally (nobody else can make you a martyr even though you only become one after you die) sacrifices him-/herself for a cause without getting rewarded or knowing if the sacrifice helped.

No virgins (by the way, what do female martyrs get ?) will be waiting for them in heaven. In fact, no heaven will be waiting. That is what dead means and in that view the definition of martyr has a lot in common with the definition of idiot.

I can not help but wonder what Cyrus would have thought of all this ... He'd probably have lobbed of a couple of thousand heads and continued conquering the world. Those were simpler days.

For those who want to learn (a bit) more about what is really going on in Iran, I suggest this article.

that was the point, you i****

A school in Antwerp, Belgium forbids (any kind of) a headdress for its pupils inside the school. And they should have kept it at that, nobody would have objected, but they are honest and they add that the reason for a complete ban is : "some muslim girls feel pressured by their peers to wear one".

Next day an Imman calls hellfire down on the school. And he does it in an amazing display of religious reasoning :

• The Quran says that women must wear a headdress.

It does, actually (depending on the interpretation) a burka with veil is called for

• Every girl or woman chooses if she wants to wear a headdress.

How very nice of him to say that, the Quran doesn't.

• A girl not wearing the headdress creates a problem.

Suddenly not so nice any more.

• Others may (rightly) create trouble / problems for the girl.

I may be a stupid person, but is that not exactly the very reason for the ban ? If this was brought by a person speaking the native language (Dutch) in a literate manner I'd laugh in his face and point out why his reasoning is flawed. It was not. It was brought by somebody that speaks Dutch as if it was a kafir (yes, I know exactly what that word means) language he only sullies his mouth with when he has no other choice.

In this I follow Mr Nicolas Sarkozy. There are a lot of things he is not. Modest for one. But his comments on the burka are worthy of praise and I can only hope the Antwerp school will stick to its guns as well.

nobody cares

Politicians all over the world wonder why Mister Obama remains quite a popular president, despite the fact that a lot of jobs are being lost in the States at the moment (and more to come).

This week we had a European summit in Brussels. A lot of farmers were present. On their tractors. Several (especially the German ones) had been driving for two days to get there. They want fair prices for milk. They want their own sector regulated and reformed so those that remain (and all of them want to be one of those of course) can survive and make a living. An admirable point of view.

This week we had a European summit in Brussels. Mister (soon to be called president) Barroso almost shed a tear because he was unanimously chosen to remain chairman of the European commission (the government). He forgot to mention that several countries do not really support him ... but chose to remain quiet and not cause disent. Tears were not quite necessary.

This week we had a European summit in Brussels. Ireland promises to have a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty (which gives more power to the central European government). A second referendum on the same issue ? With exactly the same question ? As in we do not like the result those idiot voters gave us, so let us try again until the result is what we want ? If this is Europe, maybe tears are necessary after all !

Nobody, not mister Barroso, not a single European leader, nobody, ... took the time to meet a delegation of the farmers. In fact their issue was not even discussed. It was not on the agenda. Nobody took the time to acknowledge their presence, nobody but the Belgian commuters being blocked by the tractors on the main roads to Brussels. They might just as well not have bothered coming at all (the farmers, the commuters obviously had no choice). If this is Europe, maybe tears are necessary after all !

Not every politician is like Mister Obama. Our own Prime Minister is as 'grey' as they come and the last thing I want him to do is start kissing babies in an attempt to get less 'grey' (I'd seriously worry about the babies he kissed). However, Mister Obama listened to people (Joe the plumber being a famous example) during his campaign and - amazing - he listens still. That doesn't mean every decision he takes is popular, that doesn't mean he agrees with everything. It means he listens. There, another mystery solved, maybe somebody will learn from it. Especially Europe needs to learn it. Quickly.

what journalism is about

This morning there was big news on the radio. Coca Cola (no less) is going to increase the size of the opening of the cans (coke, sprite, minute maid, ...) it produces. This will make a serious saving in aluminium (or aluminum, it is spelled correctly both ways) ! Wow, Coca Cola is surely a great environmentally-aware company to do this, is it not ?

So I send a message to the radio asking them if they bought their drinks in open cans (I do not). After a bit of panic (they obviously had not thought about it) another listener came to their aid, stating that the layer over the opening of the can is thinner. Thus the saving.

This afternoon I studied the can I drank from. It may be true that the layer over the opening is thinner, but not that I can notice. But let us still assume it is true and that Coca Cola will make some savings. Does that make it a great environmentally-aware company ?

Coca Cola is a multinational. Their goal is to make profit. From us, the consumers. So let us look at it from that end:

• We will be able to drink quicker from a can with a larger opening. And since coke is not about thirst (but about sugar) we will finish the can quicker and start a new one quicker. Profit.

• If you have been around as long as me, you will have noticed that the size of the opening of the cans and bottles has steadily been increased. So how do you get publicity for something which is not new ? These days everybody is (or is starting to be) environmentally-aware. So, the multinational follows and creates a cool image of itself.
  

• Coca Cola probably thought of this too, but ... if you use less metal, shouldn't your prices drop ? No ! In fact, on the back of the environmental-awareness you can even rise the prices (manufacturing cans with bigger holes is probably a lot more difficult ... blah blah blah ...).

My message to the Belgian journalists, newsreaders, etc. ... news should be independent, critical and above-all self-critical. I have no illusions about the first and the last couple of weeks you seem to have forgotten the last one too.

between a rock and a hard place

That is exactly where Germany is at this very moment. It is taking the lead in finding a solution for the Opel (part of General Motors) car-assembly factories. Taking the lead, for the bigger part of those factories are in Germany. But in doing so it has put itself in a very uncomfortable position. The choices are :

• Going for a European solution. The chances of only factories in Germany closing are then rather big. That will not sit well with the German population. It might get Germany some European favours though.

• Going for a German solution. Closing down the factories outside Germany and concentrating the money (they are going to put 1.5 billion euros into the solution) on German jobs will probably be the most efficient solution. But there are European elections in a week. If Germany chooses for itself (even though it is the best solution for Opel) the disgust at Europe - especially in the countries where factories close - will only grow bigger.

It is lousy timing. If I was Angela Merkel, I'd haggle and stretch for another week, let the elections pass ... and then go for German efficiency. But that's my solution and I'm looking forward to hers ...

an inconvenient truth

I rediscovered the dvd this week. And re-watched the documentary. It is a good, clear, well-stated message and Mr. Gore hammers it home repeatedly. He is a politician, but in this case that only means he knows how to communicate.

It is extremely clear that the current president of the USA uses at least some of the same sources as the ones used by Mr. Gore in the past. A couple of the decisions taken today in Washington would perfectly fit in an addendum to the dvd. One can not help but feel it is too little ... too late and that eight critical years have been lost while Bush tried to police the world. Or maybe this last thing was just put in there by the bad-loser Gore ...

The main issue with the dvd's message is the one Mr. Gore also mentions in the documentary several times. Even though we know what is going on, even though none of the data is contested ... we are not really going to do anything, are we ?

So we lose the polar bears. So what ?

Yesterday very early in the morning, a thunderstorm hit Belgium. There were 30000 lightning discharges in just the 2 or 3 hours it took passing by. That is thirty-thousand. More than 15000 hit. Hail the size of big apples (and I mean big apples) fell in some places, destroying roofs and damaging cars. Only the hail is being called extra-ordinary. The lightning was labeled pretty unusual. Yes, right. I'm way over thirty now and I can remember earthquakes and heavy hail destroying a plastic roof at my home, a flooding that took out communication-lines for a week (not to mention the fact that we couldn't leave the village with the car) and more of such once-every-ten-years occurences. But I have never ever seen anything like what we had yesterday. Maybe its just bad luck ...

So maybe we are going to lose the pinguins on the other end as well. So what ?

Nuclear testing in Korea, global muscle-talk, local politicians fighting for their job in the upcoming elections (and making a mess of it), Frank Dewinne going to space for six months and pissing against the right-side front wheel of the truck before getting on board of the rocket (because Gagarin did the same), the song 'this nigger comes really hard' (and yes, that means exactly what you think it does) making it to hotshot of the week ...

So maybe we are going to lose the bigger part of The Netherlands and our own coastal area. So what ?

It is all just an inconvenient truth, is it not ? And those can safely be ignored.

this might be us ...

Today, the Google image is replaced by this image. The skeleton, nicknamed Ida but actually called Darwinius Masillae, may or may not be a link between primates and us, humans.


Do note a couple of things :
- may or may not be, not is
- a link, not the link or the missing link

For that my readers and only friends, that is how science works. Science makes premises, then tests them. Sometimes the tests show that the premise is false, but that is not failure. No, it successfully marks a premise that can be discarded in favor of another promising premise.

That's how science advances and today the premise that floods the news is that Ida might be a step in our own advance ...

she sells sea shells on the shore

The shore here being the Dutch shore in Den Helder. The shells were not sea-shells, but training ammunition from a Belgian unit there for training. And they didn't sell the shells, they passed them out - for free - to children.

A lot of questions have been asked about this, all of them about the conduct of the Belgian troops ...

Back in the day, my parents took me on walks in the border area between Belgium and The Netherlands, just above Antwerp. There's some nice walking areas there, with forests, fields, bunkers from the second World War ... Sometimes we would pass an enclosed piece of forest and along the borders of those, especially in the morning and the early evening, you could find fired shells from hunters.

I took an interest in those. And the more they looked as if they had not been fired, the better. It was rare to find a really unfired one, but when that happened it was just great.

Just as my father had once taken me inside a bunker, he now explained to me how dangerous these shells were. And when he saw that the lesson did not take, he took me one evening when the hunters were still there. I saw everything that evening and when you see what one such shell does to a rabbit or a bird ...

The questions I would ask about the so-called incident in Den Helder would mainly be about the children :
- Were they out there hunting for shells ?
- What were they doing in the area of a military training ?
- Were they under proper guidance in such an area ?
- ...

Because yes, the soldiers were wrong to give the children unfired ammunition, but they would not have been so different from the hunters on that long ago trip, who wanted to show the child in attendance everything (and let him hold the gun and showed him the shells and the game they had shot).

I hope that at least some of the parents of the children concerned had a good talk with their offspring about this.

teacher gets it on

These images are going the be Belgium's images of the week (as there's nothing that is interesting enough to go beyond a week's attention any more). A teacher, obviously fed up with the unwillingness of a pupil, completely loses his cool ...
The fact that the pupil is slightly (but still) physically handicapped is not a circumstance that will aid in the teacher's defense.

Back in the day my parents wanted me to learn a trade before I turned 18, even though I was doing pretty well (straight A's all the way). So I changed schools and ended up in a school where most classmates had doubled several years (at least). In the sixth year, as I was 17 going on 18, we had several 20+ pupils in attendance (well, if they bothered to show up anyway). Classes were often ... noisy.

However, not the Math-class. Everyone attended. Everyone paid attention. The rules were very clear, so clear in fact that when somebody's watch (we did not have cellphones yet) did make a noise on the hour, the person, regardless of who it was, would take of his watch, tiptoe to the front, put the watch on the teachers desk and tiptoe back ... without the teacher as much as looking up from what he was doing. The rule was that no devices were to make a noise ... and none did.

I can remember this teacher getting angry, but usually over absolute incomprehension from our end, very rarely over our conduct. In the first lesson of the year he laid down the rules ... and from the way he did that (and from the way he taught) ... you knew that the only thing that fitted this man was respect. For the rougher crowd that was sufficient, the better pupils (like me) also tried to get his respect. Mr Candau, this is now almost twenty years ago and you were not a young man then, so I hope you are enjoying your well-earned pension. I've forgotten most of my teacher's names ... but yours pops up every time I run into something Math-related ... or when teachers get in the crossfire ...

I can and will not take up the defense for the actions of the teacher in the images. But I do know this. When a teacher these days tells a pupil to leave the class, the answer often is a bold no, followed by the pupil continuing the actions that got him the remark in the first place. When a punishment-work is given, it is often not made (with approval from the parents in some cases). Put yourself in the place of such a teacher ... what would you do ? Only if the school supports you can you overcome such trials.

european union ?

So Belgium didn't make it through the semi-finals of the European song-contest. Good riddance. When you have three official languages and still want to sing in English, that's what you deserve.

Good job Bosnia ! Didn't get a word of it, but what a song, what a performance. Bosnia is my favorite for the finals. No, not Turkey (Belgian singer) or Malta (Belgian song). Bosnia. Because it has the best song & performance ...

For can somebody please explain why Sweden went through ? And why Israel got the sympathy vote ... again ? Even the hosts could not find anything else to say than that Israel had the only politically correct song.

The European song-contest is rigged. It always was, but now that cellphone-voting is the way to get the famous "points from the jury", it becomes even more so. Honestly, how many of the Turkish community voted for Turkey from Belgium ? And how many Belgians in Turkey did the same ? What Belgians in Turkey ? Exactly ...

I hope Norway gets a tough time on Thursday. For with Finland, Sweden and Iceland all through this Tuesday, who's going to vote for them ?

I also hope Britain changes it's mind and sends Susan Boyle instead of Andrew Loyd Webber & Cats ... sorry ... & Co ! Now, there's a voice ...

politics

You've got to grant it to politicians, when elections are coming up they show up on tv like clockwork. So far this week, the prize goes to Hilde Crevits who got prime-time to explain that walkers on organized walks should throw their garbage in the bin. Recognizing the fact that this was maybe not such a great performance, she explained today that the reason there's roadworks going on or starting up in almost every possible location in the country is that she doubled her budget for roadworks this year and that now is the best time to start them ...

Surely nothing to do with the upcoming elections ? At least we all have a lot more time to think about our vote while we are locked in traffic.

There's also the usual politicians publishing a book these days. Former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt and Bart Maes went down that road. I do wonder who pays for the surplus stock of these books. Could it be ... no ... the taxpayer ?

Also unable to kick from prime time is Mr Toady, Guido De Padt. And what the hell was Bert Anciaux doing in Doel, trying to make it into an artists village. Forgot that the Flemish government (with you in it Bert) decided to demolish it ? What was your answer to that ? O yes, it's not forbidden to 'think', even when in the Flemish government. Glad to hear it Bert, glad to hear it ... no, don't start crying now ... I can't stand it (and you).

I'm not even going to mention the spat between Open VLD and LDD. Too ridiculous for words. Lots of prime time for it though ...

Look, my dear politicians. It's simple. Back in the day I voted for the man that abolished the military draft in Belgium. He wasn't a good politician, but he did something for me, so I did something for him. On June 7th I'll vote for the person that promises (and has a change to pull off) the abolishment of the mandatory vote in Belgium. Then, when we don't like the way politics go in Belgium or Europe, we can just stay home and give you all the proverbial finger. So, I'll be watching and listening the next couple of weeks for that particular promise ...

national tv not too shabby

Yesterday Richard Dawkins got an interview on the Belgian television. He had gotten an honorary degree of the University of Antwerp and he stated his usual (but for Belgium new) views on religion, Islam and especially on indoctrination of childeren in religion. This - according to him - is child abuse.
Richard Dawkins is not a young man (yes, this is relevant)

Today on the Belgian television we got an interview with a new political party, the VCD. They want to return the Catholic ethics. They are against abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage and lesbian marriage (yes, they seem to think the two latter are 'different' things).
Except for one complete -young - idiot, the members of the VCD seem to be in the same age bracket as Richard Dawkins.

These were obviously two opposites (the news-reader thought so as well). And although I know where I stand, I like the fact that both 'ideas' got equivalent exposure on tv, brought - in this case - by parties that looked exactly the same, neither side having the advantage. We need ideas - and the logic behind them - explained, so we can weigh and judge and form our own conclusions. Good job by our national tv !

let us be fair

I don't like politicians. I agree with Plato that "our guardians are not to have houses or lands or any other property; their pay is to be their food, which they are to receive from other citizens, and they are to have no private expenses; for we intend them to preserve their true character of guardians". For then there would be - for the first time in history - a useful priesthood. One that could truly save us.

The situation today is different. Politicians have to be popular. There's so many elections and election-campaigns that there's hardly any time for serious work. On top of that they have a private life and when you control your own salary, you're not going to make it "just enough for buying your food".

Having said all that, my personal opinion is that our politicians are not all that bad. Most are not mafia-controlled (as they were/are in Italy). Most don't steal too much and most genuinely have good intentions.

Throughout the years I've really liked what our foreign ministers do. Louis Michel was not afraid to tell Israel to back off from the Palestinians and he got his share of comments about that, but he was right (without denying that the Jews had a troubled past, but a troubled past does not give you "rights" over others today). Karel De Gucht is not afraid to tell the government of Congo (or whatever they call it today) that they are corrupt and basically just filling their own pockets. For they probably are. And yes, Belgium did a lousy job during the colonial days and yes, that is part of what is wrong in the region today, but emotional blackmail based on past mistakes is just not the way ...

So, what happened this week ? Well, one of our more radical politicians sicked a private detective on Karel De Gucht. He was to prove that said minister was corrupt. The detective found nothing. In a poll following these events a big majority of the respondees said they thought that Karel De Gucht is corrupt. And - more worrying - the majority agreed with the technique of sicking a private detective on another person.

I don't care whether or not our foreign minister is corrupt. Probably no more or less than your average politician. What I care about is that this country was build on the balance of three powers (executive, legislative, judicial). If a person has a problem with another person, you use the law. And the law will decide what to do (or not to do). This counts for our politicians as well. You don't take matters into your own hands, for that is not democracy, that is anarchy !

tricky situation

Belgium blocks a website. And that raises a couple of doubts with me. True, the website contained disgusting information. When a person has done his time in prison, he's done his time. He has rights and that includes the right to privacy. Even more so if a person has not been judged yet. Everybody is innocent until proven otherwise. I agree that this site - that moved to South America to avoid Belgian legislation - should not have a place on the internet.

However, in a reply to the newspaper the main Belgian providers (telenet and belgacom) stated that this is not the first time. Belgacom even went so far as to imply that this happens ... maybe not on a regular basis ... but not that infrequent either.

That has me worried. For what is it I'm not allowed to see ? Where's the list of those sites and who takes these decisions ? I remember a time when catholic authorities (a bunch of old men) censored the movies we were allowed to see in school. They claimed to know what was "good" for us and what was "bad". Let's not go back to those days. Please ?

all hail diane

No, this is not about the former Princess of Wales. That was Diana. Diane (surname unknown at this time) has done a lot more for humankind in her final days than Diana did in her whole pampered life.

Diane's body was paralyzed through an accident. And she decided that life had no more value for her. However, this woman's jumping days were over (I seem to read a lot about those kinds of women these days), so she needed help. Which was denied.

And then this woman did something that will make her legendary. She thought of something she had available - and no use for any longer - that is in high demand. Her organs. And she struck a bargain. Of course, you'll not read that in the papers. The hospital doing the euthanasia is not the same one that will use her organs.

Thank you Diane ! When at last the right to die is up there with the other human rights, we'll remember you as one of those that cleared the way for us.

abbruzo people too fat dixit pope

In a great TV commercial the pope claimed that the Abbruzo people are too fat and have high cholesterol. This may or may not have caused the earthquake that recently hit the region !

In order to put them on the right path the pope sends them - for free - some low fat, low cholesterol cooking oil. If all the mama's in the region use this oil to prepare their pasta, all the problems in the Abbruzo-region will soon be a thing of the past.

This oil can be yours too, for a special price ! Be aware that this will be a limited time offer ! Operators are standing by to take your orders !

the power of government

There is a famous quote that states : "The only power a government really has is to crack down on criminals. So if it feels it needs more power, it will make more things a crime ..."

Our beloved Belgian government knows this very well and abuses the legitimate concerns of people to get more power. Just in the last couple of weeks we had :
- A proposition to make smoking in your own home illegal (near children)
- A proposition to make wearing an mp3-player in traffic illegal for pedestrians and
cyclists.
- ...

Smoking is bad for your health. Smoking near children is bad for their health too. Let's educate people about this instead of telling them what to do in their own homes and installing Big Brother devices. Let's see ... would the mandatory smoke detector (under the cover of a mandatory fire-security action for insurance) be the first step in this ?

Hearing oncoming traffic is just as important as looking left-right (right-left in the UK and others) before crossing the street. Let's educate people about this instead of cracking down on the evil mp3-player-wearers. Today you can easily unplug one ear, hear the traffic and still hear the music. The people proposing this today are the same ones that wore a walkman with fixed headsets not so long ago.

Yes, I feel sorry too for every child, every person that dies in traffic. Don't get me wrong about that. And losing a child must be horrible. But over-protection will not make them stronger and safer. It will make them weaker. Education will make them stronger.

how close to big brother are we

Two issues caught my eye in the press today. A research in schools pointed out that 1-2% of the pupils might be considered psychopatic. And physicians are allowed to break confidentiality by informing the partner of a HIV patient of that condition.

Well ...

I suggest we just give in and have a chip inplanted in our arm right away, for obviously that's where this is heading. No, I'm not against scientific research, but I do hope for the sake of the pupils that the research was completely anonymous. And I personally already changed physician twice because they could not keep their big mouth shut about a lot smaller issues than HIV. Giving them a license to blab will only be the first step. For sure, a partner has a right to know that he or she is in danger. But mark my words, next thing you know the state will claim the same right ...

my rights as a human

An old woman wants to die ... she has lived a long life, probably already contributed more than the average share in taxes. And yet the law does not allow her to die in peace. O, sure, she's allowed to jump from a building or something like that (as long as she doesn't destruct property), but this lady's jumping days are over. She would take the pills herself, nobody has to help her do that ... but merely prescribing her the pills would be illegal. Why ?

A young woman in Italy has been in coma for most of her life. She's not going to wake up. Her father has to fight for the right to ... stop her treatment ... and allow her to die a natural death. He's lucky. So is she. She does die. With the new law passed in an amazing Berlusconian hurry the same now becomes impossible. His reasoning ? She still might have conceived. Excuse me, but how exactly was she going to accomplish that ? Through a divine intervention ? Through rape by an orderly or such ?

One can't but wonder about this clinging to life. It's not understandable from any point of view. From a religious point ... why not hurry the way to the afterlife ? And from a secular view ... wouldn't you prefer a controlled exit to the - usually - messy exits we have today. We might have some less traumatized train-drivers.

As a human being I claim the right to have a dignified control over my own life, and that includes the right to a dignified death.

let's create a new religion ...

This guy may have a good point ...

Let's create the religion of Freedom based on the trinity :
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom of Thought
- Freedom of Identity

In this time of economic decline, a job in the church of
Freedom (paid for by the state as a major religion is)
might be a good choice.

on the origin of ...

On the celebration of the fact that Darwin was born 200 years ago and that On the origin of Species was published 150 years ago, one of our radio stations had an interview with a young-earth creationist. Now, for one I fail to see how you actually celebrate Darwin's insights with such an interview, on top of that the man was a - probably highly-paid - chemistry scientist for a government-run laboratory.

And that I fail to understand completely. I haven't had a university education. But what I remember from basic chemistry in secondary school and some basic interest in the subject, is that the decay of radioactivity in chemical elements is used to measure time. These decay rates are measurable today and are not under discussion.

So there's a couple of questions that come to mind :
How can he function in his job ? Are we talking about a schizophrenic here ? How does he reconcile these views ? Does the government require it's employees to undergo a frontal lobotomy before putting them to work ?

guns don't kill people but video games do

At some point in your life you may be asked to comment on me before a camera. In that case I want you to know I do often play violent video games ! And hey, my blog even has a black background !

I'm just mentioning this because that's the only thing an ex-classmate of the killer in Winnenden, Germany (which by the way means 'those that are winning' in Dutch) could come up with. His statement came down to :

He was always very quiet, calm and didn't say a lot. But we should have seen it coming ... for he played a lot of violent video games ...

So, obviously the fact that his parents had a large collection of weapons with assorted ammunition was not a factor at all. Of course not, they did after all have a license for them.