Ieper regio: poverty's fields

Leterme werd twee weken geleden de populairste politicus van Vlaanderen en de Ieperling mag dan wel gezien worden als een voorbeeld van 'goed bestuur'maar in zijn eigen 'backyard' of 'hood' hebben ze nog niet veel gezien van zijn goe bestier.
Vandaag verscheen de nieuwe rangschikking (aanslagjaar 2005) van de rijkste en armste gemeenten van het land .
Mesen, Lo-Reninge staan opnieuw in de top tien en zijn de armste gemeenten van Vlaanderen. Schaam op jou, Yves. Er staat trouwens maar één WestVlaamse stad/gemeente in de Top 10 rijkste (Koksijde niet Knokke !),


hoezo rijke WestVlamingen????

Top-20 van de gemeenten met hoogste gemiddeld fiscale inkomen per inwoner (in euro)
1 Sint-Martens-Latem 19,223
2 Keerbergen 18,984
3 Lasne 18,730
4 Dilbeek 18,283
5 Hove 18,116
6 Lubbeek 17,964
7 Oud-Heverlee 17,891
8 Herent 17,840
9 Aartselaar 17,822
10 Schilde 17,808
11 De Pinte 17,788
12 Meise 17,495
13 Steenokkerzeel 17,454
14 Grimbergen 17,361
15 Bonheiden 17,287
16 Kortenberg 16,888
17 Boortmeerbeek 16,858
18 Bierbeek 16,798
19 Koksijde 16,794
20 Zemst 16,781

Top-20 van de gemeenten met laagste gemiddeld fiscale inkomen per inwoner (in euro)
1 Sint-Joost-ten-Node 6,897
2 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek 8,620
3 Sint-Gillis 8,918
4 Farciennes 9,306
5 Schaarbeek 9,343
6 Lo-Reninge 9,532
7 Momignies 9,723
8 Mesen 9,770
9 Colfontaine 9,959
10 Alveringem 10,158
11 Brussel 10,162
12 Dison 10,214
13 Quaregnon 10,214
14 La Roche-en-Ardenne 10,262
15 Chimay 10,334
16 Daverdisse 10,349
17 Vleteren 10,355
18 Anderlecht 10,373
19 Rendeux 10,395
20 Froidchapelle 10,440

Bron: Algemene Directie Statistiek en Economische Informatie - FOD Economie

Can I keep my jersey?

We vergeten maar al te vaak dat 90% van de professionele sporters geen miljonairs zijn en ook moeten knokken. Paul Shirley is één van die sporters. Hij maakte een blog, ondertussen een boek, van zijn basketbal-odyssee.

Paul Shirley has played for 13 pro basketball teams, including three NBA teams -- the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns. Paul can be found at myspace.com/paulshirley. His blog, "Can I Keep My Jersey?", can be found here.

Bruce Bowen Kicks Amare Stoudamire

Op Youtube vind je gemakkelijk 4, 5 filmpjes waar Bruce Bowen opzettelijk iemand kwetst (Francis, Ray Allen, Nowitzki, Crawford, ....) crapuleus; levenslang moesten ze die gast schorsen

Demetri Martin

Droge humor voor een Amerikaan

Talk to the hand....

de mannelijke versie van Betty, we gaan er dus nog van horen...
GRINGO

Effe dimmen met die liberalisering Deel 2

OECD study links countries' child mortality rate with level of inequality.

DEATH RATES, Ten worst states in the OECD for mortality in children under five

• FRANCE 5.5 (deaths per 1,000)
• NETHERLANDS 5.50
• PORTUGAL 5.50
• SWITZERLAND 5.50
• AUSTRALIA 6.00
• IRELAND 6.00
• NEW ZEALAND 6.00
• CANADA 6.50
• UNITED KINGDOM 6.50
• UNITED STATES 8.00

The results show that the child mortality rate, based on the number of children dying before the age of five per 1,000 live births averaged over a four-year period, was below five in the top six countries - Sweden at 3.25, followed by Iceland (3.75) Norway (4.00) Denmark (4.25) Japan (4.50) and Finland (4.75). The bottom six were New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland (all 6.0), UK and Canada (6.5) and the US (8.0).

The researchers also calculated income inequality in each country by comparing the income share of the top 20 per cent with that of the bottom 40 per cent. The ratio was lowest in Luxembourg, Japan, Finland and Norway, where the income of the top earners 20 per cent was only 1.5 times greater than the bottom 40 per cent. But the ratio was 2.5 in the UK and 2.8 in the US."There is a very strong association between income inequality and under-five child mortality among the wealthier OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries,'' said the report.

David Collison, who led the study, said: "All the Anglo-American countries do pretty badly. It is clear that inequality is linked to the poor position of the UK and elsewhere."

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little" Franklin Roosevelt

Eco nieuws uit de UK

Air pollution in major cities is potentially more damaging to health than being exposed to the radioactive fallout of an atomic bomb, according to a report published earlier this week.
The study suggests that high levels of urban air pollution cut life expectancy by more than the radiation exposure of emergency workers sent into the 19-mile exclusion zone around the Chernobyl disaster.
Although 30 people died immediately in the two explosions at Chernobyl and up to 16,000 deaths have been linked to the radiation plume that spread across Europe, the research found that moving from Inverness to London could have a worse effect on your health than moving to Chernobyl.

Jim Smith, a scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who carried out the research, assessed the health risks faced by those at Chernobyl directly after the explosion and those who set up home in the exclusion zone afterwards. He compared them with air pollution, obesity and passive and active smoking.
He concluded the Chernobyl group absorbed radiation equivalent to more than the amount emitted during 1,200 chest x-rays, which was likely to cause one extra death in a hundred by increasing the risk of cancer.
The health risks associated with air pollution and passive smoking appear more severe. Pollution in central London increased mortality due to heart disease by 2.8 per cent compared with Inverness, Britain's least polluted city, while living with a smoker increases mortality by 1.7 per cent, the study found.
Writing in the journal BMC Public Health, Dr Smith said: "It is well known that radiation can potentially cause fatal cancers in people, even at relatively low doses. But our understandable fear of radiation needs to be placed in the context of other risks. The study follows a report last month from The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, which said air pollution was responsible for 24,000 premature deaths in Britain every year. Sir John Lawton, chairman of the commission, said the Government had consistently failed to tackle rising levels of chemicals in the atmosphere of cities. Other findings showed that women living in areas of higher pollution were at greater risk of heart disease and death, while children living within 500 metres of motorways suffered more permanent lung damage and lower life expectancy, probably because of their greater exposure to pollutants in vehicle fumes.

Simple mathematics

2007: You Gots To Chill!

An investment banker was taking a few days off near a small coastal Mexican village, where he came upon a fisherman.
The banker complimented the fisherman on his catch, and was astonished to learn that it didn't take long for the fisherman to complete his daily work. The banker then asked the fisherman what he did for the rest of his day.
'I sleep late', the fisherman replied, 'fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, stroll around the village with my friends, sip some wine, play a little guitar. I keep myself occupied, senor'.
The investment banker scoffed. 'I have an MBA from Harvard', he proudly exclaimed. What you need to do is spend more time fishing. With the extra proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from that boat, buy a few more. Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would be able to sell directly to a processor. You'll be so successful that you could end up running your empire from New York'.
'But senor,' the fisherman asked, 'how long will all that take'. '15 - 20 years', came the reply. 'And then what, senor ?'. The investment banker laughed. 'Then, my friend, you'd do an IPO, sell stock in your company, and make millions'. 'Millions, senor. Then what ?'.
'Then', said the banker, 'you'd retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village. You'd sleep in late, fish a little, play with your children, take a siesta with your wife, stroll around the village with your friends, sip some wine, play a little guitar'

Funnier than neveneffecten. Amateur -Lass Gjertsen

Amazing Rap Impersonations

This cat's da bomb.

Mea culpa from a consumer.

I evade my personal responsibility for the things I choose to do. I blame the government, the oil companies, George Bush, the economy, the wealthy and anybody else I can think of for the destruction that my lifestyle causes.
I put my comfort, my convienence and my conformity ahead of the lives and livelihoods of thousands of future generations, and I try not to think too much about my daily contribution to the destruction of the world that was left to me by thousands of past generations. I put myself far, far ahead of my ancestors and decendents and take from them for the most trivial of reasons.
I ignore the real human pain, suffering and death that my behaviour causes. I turn the page, switch the channel, and change the topic of conversation. I pretend that the science isn't definitive yet, or that there's no point in changing before others do, and I convince myself that 'scientists' will come up with a technological solution that will make my lifestyle and me OK.
I avoid, I deny, I justify and rationalise, I pretend, I project, I squirm and sqeeze and do whatever I can to maintain my concept of myself as a good person while still doing what I do. I evade my moral responsibility a day at a time in the hope that reality will somehow be different tomorrow morning.
I steal from those who live far away from me, and who I do not know because I see their pain as cartoon pain, and not fully real. I casually destroy what future generations will depend upon to live because they have yet to be born and it is only me, and my time and my normalcy that is important.
I am like those who, sixty years ago, did their jobs and lived their normal lives and didn't ask questions about where their jewish neighbours had gone. I am like those who participated in slavery and other atrocities, except that the effects of my crimes will outlast all those others.
And it is OK, because today I am normal, and busy, and have other things on my mind and, if what I do is really so bad so many people wouldn't be doing the same, would they?
But when, in the hours before I die, I think back upon my life and what it has meant, I must do one thing. I must hope and hope and pray and pray that there is nothing beyond life and beyong time and beyond myself, that there is no blance, no karma, no morality and no justice.
Because if there is, and I do what I do, knowing what I know.... Well, lets not think about that.

Lookalike 6

Wentworth Miller III (Prison Break) vs Steve McQueen (The Great Escape)
And if you're wondering, I am not gay.

A day in Koln

This week I went to Koln, to personally view two basketballmatches of the NBA Europe Live Tour, featuring the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers.. The event took place in the Kolnarena, with a max. capacity of 20,000 as close as you can get in Europe to an NBA size stadium. My buddy and me had a great time, behaved like the real deal, bought the jerseys, drank the 50cl pints of beer, and eyed the cuties that were present at the time. The only bummer was the trip back in the bus, with no legroom, arriving at 4.30AM. And having to get up at 6.30AM wasn't a picknick either.

Zelfs ik was geshockeerd...

...door dit nieuwsbericht. Ik vond het beeld van die jongetjes die mee het plein opliepen met de profvoetballers altijd zo vertederend... nog een illusie aan diggelen...

Britse voetbalmascottes moeten flink betalen
LONDEN - Zelfs kinderdromen worden tegenwoordig duur betaald. Om als mascotte het veld op te lopen met de spelers van Everton dient men bijna 5300 euro te betalen. Everton is weliswaar de duurste, maar lang niet de enige club in de Britse Premier League waar de ouders van de kinderen moeten betalen. Slechts bij zeven van de twintig topteams is het gewoon nog een aardig gebaar. Daaronder zijn Liverpool, Arsenal en Manchester United. Bij kampioen Chelsea moet wel worden betaald, maar in tegenstelling tot het peperdure imago van de club valt het bedrag hier nog mee: 260 euro.
Het slimst is Tottenham Hotspur van Martin Jol, dat iedere speler met een kind aan de hand het veld op laat rennen. Afhankelijk van de tegenstander dient dan 300 tot 450 euro per kind te worden neergeteld, zo meldt het blad 'The Sunday Times'.
De clubs verdedigen hun praktijken door erop te wijzen dat er van alles vastzit aan het meelopen met de sterren. Zo krijgen familieleden gratis kaartjes, is er voor de wedstrijd een maaltijd, worden er foto's gemaakt, is er een rondleiding door het stadion en mogen de spelertjes het tenue houden.

Insider Trading

In Israël is beroering ontstaan over de stafchef van het leger, generaal Dan Halutz. Die heeft aandelen verkocht net voor de gevechten in Libanon onder zijn leiding losbarstten, meldde de krant Maariv. Hij verkocht zijn aandelen op 12 juli, drie uur na de ontvoering van twee Israëlische soldaten door de Hezbollah, op het moment dat de Israëlische artillerie stellingen van Hezbollah begon te bestoken. Op 12 en 13 juli ging de belangrijkste index op de beurs van Tel Aviv 8,3 procent achteruit. De generaal, die door Maariv wordt geciteerd, geeft toe dat hij de transactie heeft gesloten voor een bedrag van 120.000 shekels (26.000 euro). Bij de beursjongens van Goldman Sachs ging waarschijnlijk een belletje rinkelen van zodra de ene na de andere Israëlische bobo zijn verkooporders doorgaf. Kijk, zo wordt mijns inziens circa 90% van alle beurswinsten verdiend, de verliezer is meestal de kleine belegger die rechtstreeks geïnvesteerd zit in aandelen of via de pensioenfondsen. Knowledge is power (and money) .... Cash Rules Everything Around Me

Air Up There

Ik maak hier weinig woorden aan vuil. See for yourself. 720° DUNK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xpcgthwdp0

Lookalike 4

Floyd Landis , Kid Rock

Lookalikes #2 en 3

Michael Ballack vs Matt Damon




Gennaro Gattuso vs Wouter Verschuere

News round-up 08/07: The Medical Files

Een vrouw uit het Noorden van Engeland spreekt Jamaicaans na beroerte. Dat moet ongeveer als volgt klinken: 'Pass me da shepherds pie man, me feelin irie'

A Geordie woman has apparently developed foreign accents after waking up following a stroke. Linda Walker awoke in hospital to find her distinctive Newcastle accent had been transformed into a mixture of Jamaican, Canadian and Slovakian. The 60-year-old may have Foreign Accent Syndrome, where patients speak differently after a brain injury.
Researchers at Oxford University have found that patients with Foreign Accent Syndrome have suffered damage to tiny areas of the brain that affect speech.
The result is often a drawing out or clipping of the vowels that mimic the accent of a particular country, such as Spain or France, even though the sufferer has limited exposure to that accent.
The syndrome was first identified during World War II, when a Norwegian woman suffered shrapnel damage to her brain. She developed a strong German accent, which led to her being ostracised by her community.

Man ontwaakt na 19 jaar coma. Let op de spooky data in de brontekst.

In 1984, on Friday the 13th, Terry Wallace, then 19 years old, and a friend were involved in a major car accident in Mountain View, Arkansas. Terry's passenger was killed while Terry suffered major injuries and was found comatose. Terry's wife and 1 month old daughter waited, hoping he would recover quickly. The family carried him home from the Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and back during the next 19 years hoping Terry would regain consciousness.
Terry remained comatose until June 13, 2003 (yes, also on Friday the 13th) when he awoke in his hospital bed and uttered his first words. His daughter was now 19 years old. His mother and father are still alive. Doctors are puzzled by the recovery but state that it seemed to begin when Terry reacted to the news that his medical bill was in the 6 figure range.

Karel Vinck veroordeeld voor dood van Eternit arbeiders (bron: Knackblog). Jammer genoeg is er België nog geen gerechtigheid voor de asbest slachtoffers."The grisly toll now stands at 116 dead and 49 sick, out of the 250 people working for the Belg-Swiss Eternit group subsidiary when it shut down"http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/UK/newsletter/files/Pages35-38-News29UK2-13.pdf