In a recent trip to China, U.S. President Bush appealed to Beijing to improve religious freedom, but as usual his comments reveal favoritism.
His most cited quotes : 'May God bless the Christians in China' and 'My hope is that the government of China will not fear Christians who gather to worship openly'.
What about the other religions being clandestinely practiced in China? Is President Bush tacitly condoning the persecution of China's many Buddhists, muslims, followers of Falun Gong, and other non-Christian religions?
Most people are taught that God loves every creature, great or small. Every time the President of the world's superpower utters the phrase 'God bless America', the rest of the world feels excluded.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Respect to the single parent.
Since two weeks, my lovely wife has been hospitalized and last Thursday gave birth to two healthy boys, Leon & Just. Very exciting ofcourse , I can't wait until they can come home and we can be one big happy family again. For the last two weeks, I have been taking care of my other two kids, Arnout (nearly 5yrs) and Maurice (3yrs). The experience has been great but exhausting and I have gained a deeper insight in what it's like to be a single parent.
Most nights, I feel like something the cat dragged in; I am convinced it's tougher than being CEO of a big European bank because there is no delegating, outsourcing or outside consulting to do your work for you. There are no meetings which means you have to take the decisions yourself instead of 'per committee' and you can't go looking for a scapegoat when something goes wrong. The financial rewards are shite (zero actually) and there is no army of dedicated followers nodding yes to every remark you make , no matter how stupid. Parenthood is the least hyped activity one can do (it's not even considered to be 'work') and still it's the most important job you will ever do.
Most nights, I feel like something the cat dragged in; I am convinced it's tougher than being CEO of a big European bank because there is no delegating, outsourcing or outside consulting to do your work for you. There are no meetings which means you have to take the decisions yourself instead of 'per committee' and you can't go looking for a scapegoat when something goes wrong. The financial rewards are shite (zero actually) and there is no army of dedicated followers nodding yes to every remark you make , no matter how stupid. Parenthood is the least hyped activity one can do (it's not even considered to be 'work') and still it's the most important job you will ever do.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
How many species live on or in the human body?
The short answer is about 200, including 80 in the mouth alone. The total number of bacteria excreted by the body every day ranges from 100 billion to 100 trillion. Every square centimetre of human bowel is home to around 10 billion microbes. Some 10 million organisms occupy every square centimetre of flesh. The most densely populated areas of the human body are the teeth, throat and alimentary tract, where the concentrations are increased by a thousand compared to bare skin. But while such figures seem huge, it has been calculated that the amount of bacteria on the skin of the average human would be the same size as a pea.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Dictionary of BS
This is taken from the 'Dictionary of BullShit' by Nick Webb. My kind of humour.
Customer service (np.)
With a few exceptions, companies lose interest after the sale. Nothing dramatises this more than the anguish of the telephone call you attempt to make after the newly acquired dishwasher or computer has gone wrong. The call will lead you to an automated voice management system designed to direct you with maximum speed to the right department. The phone will play you homogenised Mozart or - even worse - cover versions of rock 'n' roll. Every two minutes an automated voice will thank you for your patience and assure you that your call is important. You yell, but in voice management space there is nobody to hear you scream.
Public Relations/PR (np.)
Satan wasn't so bad; he just had a bad press. Corporations are similar. It's often easier to fix the perception of the problem than the problem itself.
Accountability (abstract n.)
A mysterious virtue that all politicians claim to possess until the time comes to demonstrate it.
Buy one, get one free (enduring sales pitch)
Buy twice as many as you want at a price that still gives the retailer a profit, if only because the supplier has been bullied into funding the promotion.
Designer (n. and adj.)
You can buy a pair of jeans in a supermarket for as little as £4, or you can pay 25 times that much for a "designer" pair. Both are made in factories in the Far East by nimble-fingered women and girls working long hours on minimal wages. Possibly they are made in the same factories. The difference between the jeans lies in the stitching over the pockets, possibly the weight of the cotton and certainly the boost to the self-esteem of those who can afford the expensive versions.
Instant classic (marketing hype)
An oxymoron. (in Dutch: 'pleonasme')
Grow as a person (v. phrase)
This is a good thing to do. Growing as something else would not be so good.
Customer service (np.)
With a few exceptions, companies lose interest after the sale. Nothing dramatises this more than the anguish of the telephone call you attempt to make after the newly acquired dishwasher or computer has gone wrong. The call will lead you to an automated voice management system designed to direct you with maximum speed to the right department. The phone will play you homogenised Mozart or - even worse - cover versions of rock 'n' roll. Every two minutes an automated voice will thank you for your patience and assure you that your call is important. You yell, but in voice management space there is nobody to hear you scream.
Public Relations/PR (np.)
Satan wasn't so bad; he just had a bad press. Corporations are similar. It's often easier to fix the perception of the problem than the problem itself.
Accountability (abstract n.)
A mysterious virtue that all politicians claim to possess until the time comes to demonstrate it.
Buy one, get one free (enduring sales pitch)
Buy twice as many as you want at a price that still gives the retailer a profit, if only because the supplier has been bullied into funding the promotion.
Designer (n. and adj.)
You can buy a pair of jeans in a supermarket for as little as £4, or you can pay 25 times that much for a "designer" pair. Both are made in factories in the Far East by nimble-fingered women and girls working long hours on minimal wages. Possibly they are made in the same factories. The difference between the jeans lies in the stitching over the pockets, possibly the weight of the cotton and certainly the boost to the self-esteem of those who can afford the expensive versions.
Instant classic (marketing hype)
An oxymoron. (in Dutch: 'pleonasme')
Grow as a person (v. phrase)
This is a good thing to do. Growing as something else would not be so good.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Does beheading hurt?
Yes, but it's over quickly.:)
A medical study in 1983 concluded that no matter how efficient the method of execution, a few seconds of pain is inevitable when losing one's head. The guillotine, considered one of the more "humane" methods, relies on severing the brain and spinal cord after cutting the surrounding tissues. Even so, at least two to three seconds of intense pain cannot be avoided. There are many accounts of the heads of executed people continuing to show movement or expression long after the final blow. One particularly gruesome experiment in 1905 involved a French physician who called out the name of the condemned man in the seconds after decapitation. The response was for the eyelids over the severed head to slowly lift up and then the pupils focused on the doctor before then slowly closing again. The doctor claimed that when he repeated the dead man's name, the same actions took place. It was only at the third attempt that the head gave no response. The exact of amount of pain of course relies on the proficiency of the executioner. When Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded in 1587, the axeman took three attempts to sever the head and even then had to finish the job with a knife.
A medical study in 1983 concluded that no matter how efficient the method of execution, a few seconds of pain is inevitable when losing one's head. The guillotine, considered one of the more "humane" methods, relies on severing the brain and spinal cord after cutting the surrounding tissues. Even so, at least two to three seconds of intense pain cannot be avoided. There are many accounts of the heads of executed people continuing to show movement or expression long after the final blow. One particularly gruesome experiment in 1905 involved a French physician who called out the name of the condemned man in the seconds after decapitation. The response was for the eyelids over the severed head to slowly lift up and then the pupils focused on the doctor before then slowly closing again. The doctor claimed that when he repeated the dead man's name, the same actions took place. It was only at the third attempt that the head gave no response. The exact of amount of pain of course relies on the proficiency of the executioner. When Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded in 1587, the axeman took three attempts to sever the head and even then had to finish the job with a knife.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The first man.
A couple of nerdy questions keep popping up in my head lately.
Who was the first guy (or girl) to eat an oyster? He/she must have been really really hungry...
and when was the kiss invented? Was there a logical progression from a kiss on the cheek to a tongue-twisting French slopper, or was it the other way round?
(Maybe my pal BigBuddha can shed some light on this, given his infinite knowledge on large primates and his degree in history.)
Who was the first guy (or girl) to eat an oyster? He/she must have been really really hungry...
and when was the kiss invented? Was there a logical progression from a kiss on the cheek to a tongue-twisting French slopper, or was it the other way round?
(Maybe my pal BigBuddha can shed some light on this, given his infinite knowledge on large primates and his degree in history.)
Friday, September 30, 2005
Flipper the firing dolphin
This is the post-Katrina story with the highest ThatsQuiteInteresting rating of them all.
Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico. Their coastal compound in Louisiana was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea.
Divers and surfers risk attack from bottlenose dolphins carrying 'toxic dart' guns.
Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The navy launched the classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission in San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fitted with harnesses and small electrodes planted under their skin, were taught to patrol and protect Trident submarines in harbour and stationary warships at sea.
I smell a Hollywood screenplay.
Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico. Their coastal compound in Louisiana was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea.
Divers and surfers risk attack from bottlenose dolphins carrying 'toxic dart' guns.
Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The navy launched the classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission in San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fitted with harnesses and small electrodes planted under their skin, were taught to patrol and protect Trident submarines in harbour and stationary warships at sea.
I smell a Hollywood screenplay.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
What's your UCR?
I picked up an amusing concept on ESPN2.com , the UCR or Unintentional Comedy Rating.
This is a rating you give to people who are funny, without realizing it. For instance, in the eighties, the late Arafat, had a high UCR when he adressed the Tv cameras in his broken English. So did the late pope Karol Woijtila, when he said 'Dankoe foor de blumen' during his annual Urbi et Orbi speech.
In sports, the basketball players Dikembe Mutombo and DJ Mbenga, who were both born in Congo, have some of the highest UCR scores.
Here's a list of other people who score high on the UCR scale.
BUTINA: goalkeeper from FC Bruges. His interviews and interventions during corners are hilarious.
EDDY WALLY: I am still not sure if he realises he's so funny or not. Either way, his best years are behind him.
GERT VERHEYEN: anybody who has seen this guy play, knows what I am talking about.
ETIENNE VERMEERSCH: the ethics professor from Ghent. His greasy hairstyle does it.
JAN HOET: the Czar of Art.
WACKO JACKO: when he keeps his hands of little children he has a high UCR.
ARNO HINTJENS: c-c-c-c-cool
GW BUSH: only when you don't think about how much harm he can do. A lot of comedians are jealous of his wide array of idiotic facial expressions.
MARGARET THATCHER: the same condition as above applies. Her voice is classic.
STEVE BALMER: Microsoft geek. Anyone who hasn't seen these videostreams yet, should do so right away. It's also a bit scary actually.
http://www.tarmo.fi/arc/monkeydance.mpeg
http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg
This is a rating you give to people who are funny, without realizing it. For instance, in the eighties, the late Arafat, had a high UCR when he adressed the Tv cameras in his broken English. So did the late pope Karol Woijtila, when he said 'Dankoe foor de blumen' during his annual Urbi et Orbi speech.
In sports, the basketball players Dikembe Mutombo and DJ Mbenga, who were both born in Congo, have some of the highest UCR scores.
Here's a list of other people who score high on the UCR scale.
BUTINA: goalkeeper from FC Bruges. His interviews and interventions during corners are hilarious.
EDDY WALLY: I am still not sure if he realises he's so funny or not. Either way, his best years are behind him.
GERT VERHEYEN: anybody who has seen this guy play, knows what I am talking about.
ETIENNE VERMEERSCH: the ethics professor from Ghent. His greasy hairstyle does it.
JAN HOET: the Czar of Art.
WACKO JACKO: when he keeps his hands of little children he has a high UCR.
ARNO HINTJENS: c-c-c-c-cool
GW BUSH: only when you don't think about how much harm he can do. A lot of comedians are jealous of his wide array of idiotic facial expressions.
MARGARET THATCHER: the same condition as above applies. Her voice is classic.
STEVE BALMER: Microsoft geek. Anyone who hasn't seen these videostreams yet, should do so right away. It's also a bit scary actually.
http://www.tarmo.fi/arc/monkeydance.mpeg
http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Newton was wrong?
Inspired by their recent succes with the 'intelligent design' theory , it seems the US creationists are taking it a little too far with their latest theories.
A museum in Arkansas tells it visitors that, contrary to common belief, dinosaurs actually walked the world with humans, and that Noah took , albeit small, dinosaur species with him on the Ark.
http://www.moeh.org/
And in Kansas, scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held "theory of gravity" is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512
If they keep this up, pretty soon the US will be an Intelligent Country.
A museum in Arkansas tells it visitors that, contrary to common belief, dinosaurs actually walked the world with humans, and that Noah took , albeit small, dinosaur species with him on the Ark.
http://www.moeh.org/
And in Kansas, scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held "theory of gravity" is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512
If they keep this up, pretty soon the US will be an Intelligent Country.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Summer's almost gone...
As the summer of 2005 draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the past months by why of a personal (s)hit list.
Biggest thrill/scare: when my darling wife told me she was pregnant with twins.
Biggest disappointment: the weather
Biggest festival: the Pope festival in Köln
Biggest Anthem: Washin Up by Thomas Anderson (tiga remix)
Biggest hype: evacuation of jewish colonists in Gaza.
Biggest shock: London tube bombings
Biggest violation of human rights: shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes in London in the aftermah of the bombings
Biggest accident waiting to happen : Iraq
Biggest Woman : Cindy Sheehan
Smallest President: GW
Biggest thrill/scare: when my darling wife told me she was pregnant with twins.
Biggest disappointment: the weather
Biggest festival: the Pope festival in Köln
Biggest Anthem: Washin Up by Thomas Anderson (tiga remix)
Biggest hype: evacuation of jewish colonists in Gaza.
Biggest shock: London tube bombings
Biggest violation of human rights: shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes in London in the aftermah of the bombings
Biggest accident waiting to happen : Iraq
Biggest Woman : Cindy Sheehan
Smallest President: GW
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Ancient beliefs.
I apologise for the summer lull in my blog. :]
Here are some quintessential QI facts (courtesy www.qi.com).
Three tribes in the world- the Ainu of Northern Japan and two tribes in the Pacific North-West of America- believe that the world is supported on the back of a giant trout.
Columbus believed the world was pear-shaped.
Descartes asserted that monkeys and apes probably were able to talk but kept quiet in case they were asked to do any work.
Alexander Graham Bell believed moonlight was dangerous.
Bertrand Russell believed that if a man was away from his wife for more than three weeks it was acceptable for him to have sex with other women.
Here are some quintessential QI facts (courtesy www.qi.com).
Three tribes in the world- the Ainu of Northern Japan and two tribes in the Pacific North-West of America- believe that the world is supported on the back of a giant trout.
Columbus believed the world was pear-shaped.
Descartes asserted that monkeys and apes probably were able to talk but kept quiet in case they were asked to do any work.
Alexander Graham Bell believed moonlight was dangerous.
Bertrand Russell believed that if a man was away from his wife for more than three weeks it was acceptable for him to have sex with other women.
Friday, July 15, 2005
One dollar, one vote.
#1 Schwarzenegger, the governator of Calli, signed a contract to "further the business objectives" of two body buildingmagazines on 15 November 2003 - just two days before he was sworn in as governor of the Golden State. He's being paid more than $8million over five years. Most of the advertisements in the magazines come from the 'performance-enhancing substance' industry. We all know that those bodybuilders don't stick to Aquarius to help them train.
Last year, the governor vetoed a bill by a state senator that would have required sports coaches to take a course in performance-enhancing supplements, created a list of banned substances for school sports and barred supplement manufacturers from sponsoring school events.
Mr Schwarzenegger's office has argued that there is no conflict of interest.
#2 The global steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal (owner of the world's biggest steel producer), one of Britain's richest men, announced yesterday that he had given £2m to Labour funds - making him the party's biggest donor alongside Lord Sainsbury, the supermarket tycoon turned science minister.
Now that's how modern democracy is supposed to work.
Last year, the governor vetoed a bill by a state senator that would have required sports coaches to take a course in performance-enhancing supplements, created a list of banned substances for school sports and barred supplement manufacturers from sponsoring school events.
Mr Schwarzenegger's office has argued that there is no conflict of interest.
#2 The global steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal (owner of the world's biggest steel producer), one of Britain's richest men, announced yesterday that he had given £2m to Labour funds - making him the party's biggest donor alongside Lord Sainsbury, the supermarket tycoon turned science minister.
Now that's how modern democracy is supposed to work.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Degussa Degassa
Fact #1: During WWII, Degussa, the German chemical company, provided Zyklon B to the nazi death camps.
Fact #2: in 2005, Degussa provided the anti-graffiti coating for the Holocaust Memorial sculpture in Berlin.
Conclusion: This example of business strategy will probably feature in the courses of the prestigious U.S. business schools. Chapter 1. How do I get paid twice for assisting a genocide?
Fact #2: in 2005, Degussa provided the anti-graffiti coating for the Holocaust Memorial sculpture in Berlin.
Conclusion: This example of business strategy will probably feature in the courses of the prestigious U.S. business schools. Chapter 1. How do I get paid twice for assisting a genocide?
Friday, June 24, 2005
Choosing between two (d)evils.
The Iranians have a tough choice to make in the upcoming second round of the presidential election.
Either they pick the 70yr old billionaire Rafsanjani who ruled between 1989-1997 and robbed the country blind in the process
or they pick the mayor of Teheran, 51yr old Ahmadinejad, who wants to segregate the sidewalks for men and women and who also wants to outlaw double beds (!?).
Like John Travolta said in Face-Off: 'What a predicament!'
Either they pick the 70yr old billionaire Rafsanjani who ruled between 1989-1997 and robbed the country blind in the process
or they pick the mayor of Teheran, 51yr old Ahmadinejad, who wants to segregate the sidewalks for men and women and who also wants to outlaw double beds (!?).
Like John Travolta said in Face-Off: 'What a predicament!'
Saturday, June 11, 2005
WK Voetbal tot 20j
I was reminded of the stupidity of the human race when I was watching the world championship football for players aged 20 or under on Dutch television. Before the match Australia-Benin kicked off, there was a minute of silence for the deceased keeper of the Benin team. During the qualifying stages he was stoned to death after he had a bad game. I bet Tristan Peersman is happy he wasn't born in Benin.
The Dutch team has an awesome player in its ranks: Quincy and then something (he should shorten his name to Quincy, like the Brazilians)
The kid playes like Ronaldo Squared (the one from PSV/Madrid and the one from Man U)and makes Arjen Robben look like a snail (and Baseggio like he's running backwards)
Tonight/ Argentina vs the U S of Aaaaaa, featuring 16yr old Freddy Adu, the next Pele.
The Dutch team has an awesome player in its ranks: Quincy and then something (he should shorten his name to Quincy, like the Brazilians)
The kid playes like Ronaldo Squared (the one from PSV/Madrid and the one from Man U)and makes Arjen Robben look like a snail (and Baseggio like he's running backwards)
Tonight/ Argentina vs the U S of Aaaaaa, featuring 16yr old Freddy Adu, the next Pele.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
EU in tatters?
What's all the negativism around the NO verdicts delivered by the French & the Dutch in the EU constitution referenda? Some commentators are acting like we're doomed. Wake up and smell the coffee! This is how democracy is supposed to work , not by ramming political decisions down people's throats. There is only so much change people can take in a certain amount of time. Let's see...
1999: a new currency; that's quite a huge change , affecting everybody's lives
2004: EU-15 becomes EU-25, former communist countries (some piss poor) join the club
2005: Turkey is about to join and a constitution of 480 pages is drafted
no wonder people voted for a time-out.
Did you know that the constitution contains passages minutely describing the wages and severance packages of the EU bureaucrats? Does that belong in a constitution?
The referenda will restore part of the public's lost confidence in politics and may benefit the political project called EU in the long run.
As the French would say: Reculer pour mieux sauter.
1999: a new currency; that's quite a huge change , affecting everybody's lives
2004: EU-15 becomes EU-25, former communist countries (some piss poor) join the club
2005: Turkey is about to join and a constitution of 480 pages is drafted
no wonder people voted for a time-out.
Did you know that the constitution contains passages minutely describing the wages and severance packages of the EU bureaucrats? Does that belong in a constitution?
The referenda will restore part of the public's lost confidence in politics and may benefit the political project called EU in the long run.
As the French would say: Reculer pour mieux sauter.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Monsanto is not worried about mon-santé.
Researchers at Monsanto tested rats and covered that their GM MON 863, a modified corn already grown and eaten in the US and Canada, causes the rodents to develop kidney disease and low blood count . The results weren't supposed to come out and when they did, Monsanto dismissed the results as meaningless and due to chance, reflecting normal variations between rats.
I still would like some more testing done please, preferably by a third party, before the EU grants permission to sell Monsanto's products to my kids.
Six years ago Dr Arpad Pusztai , a British scientist and a GM fan, already found disturbing evidence that the GM potatoes he was studying damaged the immune systems, brains, livers and kidneys of rats. He mentioned it briefly in a TV interview and at the same time threw his career out the window. Read what happened to him in this article: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=640402
I still would like some more testing done please, preferably by a third party, before the EU grants permission to sell Monsanto's products to my kids.
Six years ago Dr Arpad Pusztai , a British scientist and a GM fan, already found disturbing evidence that the GM potatoes he was studying damaged the immune systems, brains, livers and kidneys of rats. He mentioned it briefly in a TV interview and at the same time threw his career out the window. Read what happened to him in this article: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=640402
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Mystery Piano Man
You have probably read or heard about the Mystery Piano Man, that guy who showed up April 7 in Kent, England, wearing a drenched suit. All the lables from his clothes had been removed. He hasn't uttered a word since but give him a piano and he plays concertos for four hours straight or he draws detailed pictures of wing pianos.
I'm calling David Lynch tonight to pitch him this idea I have for a new movie:)
I'm calling David Lynch tonight to pitch him this idea I have for a new movie:)
Monday, May 09, 2005
Naked in the rain.
Wassup with this Spencer Tunick hype and the nude people he photographed in Bruges over the weekend? Every newsshow and paper had an item on it and especially women around 40 seem to find his 'art' very provocative, hip & interesting. I don't get it.
Tunick is a one-trick pony. Is it art simply because they're naked? If everybody wore fleshcoloured or white spandex jumpsuits would it still be considered as high art and more importantly: would the media cover it??
Come on Spence, time to move on to something new...
If you want to see some real art check the post right below www. banksy.co.uk
Tunick is a one-trick pony. Is it art simply because they're naked? If everybody wore fleshcoloured or white spandex jumpsuits would it still be considered as high art and more importantly: would the media cover it??
Come on Spence, time to move on to something new...
If you want to see some real art check the post right below www. banksy.co.uk
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Guerilla Art
Check this guy out: http://www.banksy.co.uk
Next level graffiti. He clandestinely hangs some of his stuff in art galleries between 'real' art.
Next level graffiti. He clandestinely hangs some of his stuff in art galleries between 'real' art.
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