ending an annus horribilis

A tous ceux qui m'ont envoyé leurs meilleurs voeux pour 2008,

je leur signale qu'à ce jour cela n'a absolument servi à rien !
Pour l'année 2009 prière de m'envoyer du fuel, du fric ou des chèques-repas !

Merci d'avance.

Nieuw Vlaams Erfgoed

Als 2007 het jaar van DAAN - The Player was
en 2008 dat van ARSENAL met Lotuk, dan
wordt 2009 duidelijk dat van HANNELORE BEDERT met "Wat Als" ...
gaat dat horen!

Low Impact Man

Do you accept the challenge of bringing down your eco-footprint?
Check out this fella: http://www.lowimpactman.be/

First time I enjoyed a You-tube Movie

Bono & Sachs are blogging at the UN

Bono & Sachs, 2 protagonists of the ONE campaign (and DATA and Live8 and ...) are in NYC, covering the UN General Assembly and MDG-Summit. read their blog on the Financial Times' website at http://www.ft.com/devdiary

One thing is for sure: these 2 fella's aren't in it for the money: in fact: they are wasting their money and resources in trying to convince governments and institutions to step up AID,...drastically.

The UN meetings were abuzz that the US could find $700 billion for a bailout of its corrupt and errant banks but couldn't’t find a small fraction of that for the world’s poor and dying.

Or as SACHS puts it:

It’s easy to be cynical about grand challenges like the MDGs. When world leaders assembled at the UN in September 2000 on the eve of the new millennium and adopted eight goals to fight poverty, hunger, disease, and deprivation by 2015, most of the leaders at the UN and those in public paying attention probably expected that the goals would sink out of sight by the next week’s news cycle. Global goals are for photo ops, not for grown-ups, is a popular view of our cynical age.

Yet something has happened which brings world leaders back time and again to declare their commitment to the MDGs. Part of it is the stark reality that 10 million children under the age of 5 die each year of extreme poverty. Even the most hardened of cynics know that this stark fact is dangerous for our hopes for peace and stability, as well as for sustaining human values and quality of life on a crowded planet.

Part of the continued interest is the understanding that the MDGs are not fantasies but practically achievable objectives. Measles deaths have been reduced by 91 per cent in Africa since 2000 through MDG-based initiatives. Malaria deaths have plummeted in recent years in Rwanda, Sao Tome, Zanzibar, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other countries, because of the mass distribution of bed nets and effective medicines. Food production has roughly doubled in Malawi because of an ingenious voucher program for seed and fertiliser for impoverished farmers.

A third reason for the MDG staying power is that poor people and their governments have taken seriously the call to fight poverty. Throughout Africa, governments and NGOs have devised specific plans of action – to grow more food; train community health workers; extend coverage of medicines for AIDS, TB, malaria and other killers; pave roads; and install solar-power pumps for safe water and irrigation. The plans have been made. Special financing mechanisms like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria have been devised, and have proven their worth.

The laggards in the struggle for the MDGs are not the poor countries or their ostensibly corrupt governments. The laggards are the rich world, so full of promises and high rhetoric and so low on delivery. The MDGs are falling short because of a lack of promised financing to put in place the clinics, schools, roads, power, and other investments needed for their success. Six years ago, the rich countries pledged in Monterrey, Mexico to “make concrete efforts toward the international target of 0.7 per cent of GNP in official development assistance.” Yet the United States stands are 0.16 per cent, Japan at 0.17, Italy at 0.19, Canada at 0.28, Germany at 0.37, and France at 0.39.

Water Wars

 

Reading: Verhulst, Godverdomste dagen... and - of course WIRED NEWS
Viewing: Website stats explode over 55.000 hits
Listening to: AC/DC (|..|-)
Thinking: Speak softly and carry a big stick
Travelling: Barcelona, Paris, ...
Last picture: a copy of ROY 880.000€ (now exposed in the toilet downstairs!)

Land aan de afgrond

NV.A blaast regering op (of toch bijna), op de tonen van "Nu het lied der Vlaamse zonen".
Is het een zwanenzang, of een feniksgebroed?
Laat ons in elk geval Voltaire indachtig zijn als het gaat over "verantwoordelijkheidszin": “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.”

De Blauwvoet - Wikipedia: "De Blauwvoet"

In wezen is het een referentie aan de 19eeuwse ontvoogdingsstrijd, die poëtische én studentikoos werd ingezet, door Rodenbach e.a. (zie de volledige tekst http://cf.hum.uva.nl/dsp/ljc/rodenbach/blauvoet.htm. De her-vertolking in de huidige context is misschien wat radikaal maar heeft het effect van een zweep op een politiek debat dat regelrecht de afgrond invoert - of toch niet? Het is nu écht wel "storm op zee"

Eyskens was deze ochtend op de radio en sprak de gevleugelde woorden:

heeft Bart De Wever, die toch een fijne historicus is, zijn les niet geleerd: waar leven we hier, in Vlaanderen, dat in 50 jaar tijd een eigen parlement etc....heeft... en bovendien zijn we de meest welvarende region van de wereld, dus van het zonnestelsel, dus van de melkweg...

Nu de NV.A bijna de regering is uitgewerkt, lijkt de weg open naar een niet-communautair geladen oplossing, of toch niet? Want was Leterme niet verkozen met een duidelijke boodschap? Alleszins wordt het land onbestuurbaar: de schandalen van de politie van vorige week zijn in elk geval uit de ether gewerkt... De postjespakkerij-en bescherming teert volop, en ondertussen keldert de economische situatie verder...

Afin, het was mooi zolang het duurde, een land zonder regering, en de ambtenaren waren content...nu komt daar misschien verandering in? Zal Reynders premier worden? Valt de Vlaamse regering? Krijgen we verkiezingen? Wordt de Staat verder hervormd (zoals eigenlijk iedereen wel beseft want het model draait stroef?) Kan ik nog met mijn Franstalige kerelskameraden (blijven) spreken?

Taboulé

 

Try this! (courtesy Milo : and yes, ik zit met een midlife crisis...)

Workout

 

No more excuses! Tune your Wifi to wacondah and look for workout category! (courtesy of the Stockholm Scandic)

Roeien

Zoals WF Schiltz het op De Standaard online zo mooit promootte,
geen speld tussen te krijgen tussen die Al!

Facts about Desalination

* With population growth and concerns about water scarcity increasing, several countries, especially in the Middle East region, are developing desalination plants to convert saline water (e.g. sea-water, brackish water or treated wastewater) into freshwater.

* The global market for desalination currently stands at about US $35 billion annually and could double over the next 15 years.

* In 2002 there were about 12,500 desalination plants around the world in 120 countries. They produce some 14 million m²/day of freshwater, which is less than 1% of total world consumption.

* The most important users of desalinated water are in the Middle East, (mainly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain), which uses about 70% of worldwide capacity; and in North Africa (mainly Libya and Algeria), which uses about 6% of worldwide capacity.

* Among industrialized countries, the United States is one of the most important users of desalinated water (6.5%), especially in California and parts of Florida.

Source: 1st United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water for People, Water for Life" (WWDR1, 2003)

Walk On Water - I Want One Of Those

Walk On Water - I Want One Of Those

I want one of these seems like the ultimate adult toy sotre!

Get your war on?

Onwillekeurig fronste ik mijn rimpelig voorhoofd

- Lennik hangt niet langer de Belgische vlaggen uit. Aldus Burgermeester Dewaele:"ik geloof niet meer in het Belgisch model - welke lading dekt deze vlag nog?" Vanaf deze zomer hangt de markt vol met Vlaamse Leeuwen (en een spandoek "SPLITS BHV")
- Chiro-jongeren worden in Wallonië VERPLICHT om de Belgische Vlag te hijsen. Er is VRIJHEID van BEVLAGGING tot nader order: dixit het kabinet Binnenlandse zaken:

'Wat niet verboden is, is toegelaten', luidt het op het kabinet Binnenlandse Zaken op onze vraag of de Chirojongens van Emelgem hun leeuwenvlag hadden moeten verwijderen. Volgens Binnenlandse Zaken is het gebruik van vlaggen helemaal vrij, zolang ze natuurlijk niet indruisen tegen de openbare orde. Hakenkruisvlaggen bijvoorbeeld zijn verboden. Alleen in protocollaire omstandigheden wordt voorgeschreven welke vlaggen moeten worden gehesen en hoe die moeten hangen.

- Michel Daerden, de minister van Sport van de Franse Gemeenschap, is tijdens de Olympische Spelen dronken opgemerkt op de tribunes van het tennis en het hockey. 'Michel Daerden heeft een echt drankprobleem, dat weet iedereen', reageert Vlaams minister van Sport Bert Anciaux donderdag in Het Laatste Nieuws. 'Maar hij is niet de enige. Anderen houden het verborgen, maar er wordt nog altijd zwaar gezopen in de politiek. Het ergert me dat al die overdadige alcohol zo vlot gebanaliseerd en zo makkelijk aanvaard wordt.' De woordvoerster van Daerden laat vanuit Peking weten dat 'de minister onmogelijk in de kennelijke staat kan geweest zijn waarin hij is beschreven.'
- Bart De Wever wordt steeds meer het voorwerp van doodsbedreigingen. "Von Wever"-vergelijkingen forceren zelfs de veiligheidsdiensten tot een permanente beveiliging en een onderzoek naar terrorisme: Wanneer komt de moord à la Van Gogh of Fortuyn?. De Wever zelve: 'Schelden aan de cafétoog is van alle tijden', merkte hij toen berustend op. 'In de digitale cultuur werd het internet de langste toog ooit, met onmiddellijke bediening.'
- Volgens Le Soir blijven de statistieken over verkeersongevallen in België uit, en zou dit te wijten zijn aan de trage regeringsvorming... Qué?
- Politici en mandatarissen geven hun inkomen en bijverdiensten niet aan: 650 van de 9.000 van de politici en hoge ambtenaren die hun mandaten bij het Rekenhof moeten bekendmaken, hebben dat niet gedaan. 820 onder hen lieten na hun vermogen aan te geven.

Kubrick's Boxes

First Book - that got you hooked

What got you hooked into reading as a child?

A.M.G. Schmidt? Captain Biggles? Roald Dahl, Koning van Katoren, Suske & Wiske, De Rode Ridder, Snoecks? Into the wild, Oosterschelde Windkracht 10, Tiny? Thea Beckmann? DoReMi?

In the States, they're setting up serious programmes to provide free books to the people who need them most.
Back in my own primary school, a ranking of the class was established at the beginning of the summer and you'd receive straight from the Mayor himself a PILE of literature that you could take home, proud as a monkey with a fresh banana? thankfully I hear that those taxeuros are still at work! Also, in our Jesuit College, there used to be bookfairs every trimester, which enabled you to buy whole series of trashliterature at almost no costs...

Mr. Anciaux would be well advised to keep some of our own precious literature under control (remember Gruuthuyze anyone?) and... to stimulate library visits all over the place. One of the reasons I loved going to public libraries in Dilbeek, Brussels, Namur or Leuven, was the access you got to hug amounts of (almost-nothing-to-rent) CDs! that was a huge stimulus for my reading habits!

Science fiction as a literature genre? lecture by Neal Stephenson

Xeno-ethnologist, confusion of genres, the standard model, post-cypberpunk.
Neal Stephenson has it all, in his ex cathedra "seminar" at Gresham College.
-> The top-10 Movies of all times are SF!

Syndicate Styled Muppets

Brooks Brothers | How To Tie A Tie | Classic Tie Knots

Brooks Brothers | How To Tie A Tie | Classic Tie Knots

A classic All-American store gives advice of note (and pictures) on how to tie a tie!

Why public toilets should pay you. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

Why public toilets should pay you. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

What? You've been giving away your urine for free?

All these years, you've been sitting there like an idiot—or standing, or squatting, or whatever it is you do—pissing away a perfectly good liquid asset. Turns out, you could have sold it.

I bet somebody will figure out pretty soon how to monetize toilet waste. And it won't be the government; it'll be the private sector. Did you see the New York Times story a few weeks back about restaurant grease? It's being illegally siphoned from filthy bins and barrels. Bandits are selling it for conversion to biodiesel. When bandits start siphoning public toilets, maybe governments will wake up and get in on the action. And you'll stop having to pay.

A Classic Case of Bad Communications

It's time to hide the valuables under the mattress... and buy a gun

Monday Morning Melancholie as the Summer starts on Canoe Lake

Are you rich

what's your annual income: approx. 45.000€? then you are the 56,480,199th richest person on this planet and you fit in the TOP 0.94%!

While you're out calculating, consider giving a bit to CARE
http://globalrichlist.com/

SHOZU

Tool, killer ap. alternative to Iphone...

The 20 Deadliest Plants of the planet... live in your backyard

Oleander, Belladonna-Deadly Nightshade, Taxus Baccata, Ligustrum, Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), Hyacinth, Digitalis purpurea, Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia)

They all live in our backyards and public parks and potentially are a hugely dangerouus threat to our lives...
http://www.purpleslinky.com/Trivia/Science/Deadliest-Plants-in-the-Planet.145297

Zombie Infection Simulation - The Original

Zombie Infection Simulation - The Original: "Zombie Infection Simulation v2.3 - The Original"

The planet is fine... the people are f$cked

George Carlin is simply too much
- the planet isn't going anywhere, we're going... Pack your shit folks
- why are we here? because the Earth wanted plastic and needed humans to make it...

Water Wiki's etc

The International Water Community is discovering new tools on the internet to hook up and spread knowledge and news. the latest discovery is SISWEB

It takes a kid to turn you into a man

Excellent article by serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson, contributor to the FT and who's having his first child later in life. some extracts of note

It takes a child to make a new man of you
By Luke Johnson

Published: June 25 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 25 2008 03:00

...But becoming a father has a healthy, humanising impact, putting all the stress and ambition into perspective.

And so I have found that the favourite small talk in the 21st century among entrepreneurs is not football - thank God - but discussing one's family, as a civilised contrast to all that wealth accumulation. This is the first generation of New Man executives, whose chief hobbies are not golf and drinking but their children. These business leaders can not only close a sale or raise venture capital but they can also change a nappy, baby-sit and talk knowledgably about schools and exams.

This is a huge behavioural change from their predecessors of the 1960s and 1970s. The old-fashioned boss delegated all child-rearing to women: the wife or perhaps the nanny. He was rarely there for carol concerts or parents evenings - sometimes he was not even there for the birth. He was too busy building a fortune and, in the evenings, socialising with work clients or bankers. But, nowadays, I'm not alone in regularly slipping out of the office early to be home in time for the children's bath and a bedtime story.

Will we make better dads? I hope so. Will it compromise our careers and stunt our material success? Will our children thank us for the extra attention? Who knows?

...Those who marry and have children young face tougher choices. Do they go all-out for success and perhaps miss their children growing up? It is pretty hard to get ahead if you are willing to do only short days and never work at weekends.

...I have met plenty of alpha males who have achieved great things but sacrificed their personal lives along the way. Often they divorced because they were never at home. Sadly, material success tends to come at an emotional price.

... (la question à cent balles)
Should entrepreneurial fathers want their offspring to follow in their footsteps?

Everyone should decide their own path in life, even if there is a family company to inherit. Dynasties and nepotism only work if the candidate has genuine talent and appetite for the role. For those who are the offspring of renowned patriarchs, I advise pursuing a completely different profession, so unfavourable comparisons are impossible. As 19th century humorist Austin O'Malley said:

"The worst misfortune that can happen to an ordinary man is to have an extraordinary father."

I was lucky in that my dad taught me to make my own way in the world and believe anything is possible. It is sad that so many captains of industry have a single overwhelming regret: that their father never lived to see them become the conquering hero.

After all, entrepreneurs and children ought to get on well since they are similar in many ways: impatient, self-centred, demanding, enthusiastic, energetic and wilful. At board meetings it can occasionally be difficult to tell them apart. But, perhaps, that is what makes them fun to have around.

The writer is chairman of Channel 4 and runs Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm

Singapore Water Week Chair: "stop using the under--developed excuse"

The remarks made below by the Chairman of the Singapore World Water Week, should shed some light on the ongoing debates of the "international water community".

Access To Safe Drinking Water Should Be Recognised As A Human Right

SINGAPORE, June 26 (Bernama) -- Access to safe drinking water and to sustainable sanitation should be recognised as a human right, according to a statement at the closing of the water leaders' summit here Thursday.

Singapore International Water Week chairman Prof Tommy Koh said the governments of developing countries should stop using their "under-developed" state as an excuse for not fulfilling their responsibility to their people.
Presenting the statement here, Koh said there were over one billion people in the world, 700 million in Asia alone, who did not have access to safe drinking water which was essential for life.

He said the problem was not primarily due to inadequate financial resources, but to the absence of political will, mismanagement, lack of coordination, marginalisation of the poor and lack of a coherent water strategy.

Koh said there were many success stories on water from developing countries such as Cambodia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Fiji.

It was also important to educate the people on the value of water and the need to conserve and not waste water, he said, adding that water should be sold at a price which reflected the real cost of water.

Koh said the summit acknowledged that the people lived in a diverse world and different countries needed different levels of water technology.

The summit concluded that more investment in research and development in water and the environment should be encouraged, and efforts to foster public-private partnership in solving water problems be doubled.

Koh said recent progress in water technology, such as desalination, reverse osmosis, membrane technology and their declining costs had enabled many cities, regions and countries, including Singapore, to solve their water problems.

R.I.P. George Carlin

Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits.

R.I.P

See this great routine on STUFF and below on the FLAMETHROWER

Fresh fruit salad for young kids, an "original" recipe

It may be a bit of a drastic approach,
but it sure as hell is tasty...

Throw away the organic materials into the compost vat


MixxieMixxie Overdrive

Serve for 2

Charles & Vitaly: born entertainers

The Power Nap

No comment: read and sleep!

Verplicht boom te planten bij huwelijk

De Standaard Online - Verplicht boom te planten bij huwelijk: "Verplicht boom te planten bij huwelijk
In Brazilië wil men pasgetrouwde koppels verplichten een boom te planten. Het gaat om een wetsvoorstel dat uit ecologische overwegingen is gelanceerd.
Het voorstel is ingediend door de PDT (Democratische Arbeiderspartij) bij het Braziliaanse Huis van Afgevaardigden. Zo wil men bruidsparen verplichten om tien bomen planten. Als een koppel gaat scheiden moeten er 25 bomen geplant worden.

Daarmee is het nog niet afgelopen. Ook kopers van auto's moeten hun steentje bijdragen voor het milieu. Zij moeten 20 bomen planten. Als het om een auto gaat die veel verbruikt moeten er tot 60 bomen geplant worden. thv"

Bad Taste?

Movie "POSTAL" by Uwe Boll, listed on the Deutsche Börse,
Would be a great asset in an unethical portfolio...

Love & Toilets: don't mix?

Water Wars?

Water wars ? - According to a study by Oregon State University, the world’s 263 trans-boundary rivers (whose basins cover nearly half the land surface of the world) generate more co-operation than conflict. “Over the past half-century, 400 treaties had been conducted over the use of rivers. Of the 37 incidents that involved violence, 30 occurred in the dry and bitterly contested region formed by Israel and its neighbours, where the upper end of the Jordan river was hotly disputed (…), before Israel took control in the 1967 war. And some inter-sate water treaties are very robust. The Indus river pact between India and Pakistan survived two wars and the deep crisis of 2002”. (The Economist – May 03/09, 08)

Boon's Fenomenale Feminatheek en nog meer "kunst" die jij niet mag zien

In Antwerpen werden ze verboden om de "goegemeente" tegen verderfelijke invloeden te beschermen... Resultaat: De Morgen zet ze online en De Standaard geeft het boek opnieuw uit ;-)

Via http://verlichtingshumanisten.web-log.nl/museum_kwetsende_kunst/

Climate Change: Beer at risk!

Climate change: Beer at risk

New Zealand - People who now dismiss the effects of global warming may soon take it really, really seriously. Climate expert Jim Salinger of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Wellington, New Zealand predicted that warming and water shortages will diminish the production of barley within ten years. Barley malt is the main ingredient in beer. If barley harvests drop, beer prices will go up significantly, Salinger said.

Migrating toilets?

Duncan's sanitation blog is really insightful: a cool example of migratory toilets to induce trees to grow strong lateral roots!

Free Speech in Belgium

11.11.11. is suing Mr. Thierry Debels who has written a best-selling and insightful, yet critical book on the way Belgian development organisations work, raise money... campaign and then spend the remainings on real cooperation. Citing moral and economic prejudice, the leaders of the organisations bring Debels in front of the courts on May 22 2008 calling it "already proven" that Debels has damaged 11.11.11's reputation.

questions from our side:
- please please please let the courts decide...
- and then... let's have a DEMOCRATIC debate in Parliament, and not through the media
- while there is nothing against devcorp in general and 11.11.11 practices in particular, let's have an open discussion on how we want to fund development activities? and please, do not proclaim that NGO's are democratic and representative...
- as citizens we must call our governments to responsibility: there is a long-taken commitment to spend 0,7 % of GDP (dates from the seventies...): let us spend that money wisely through democratic and transparent channels that deliver results, for the poorest of the poor, and in areas where real differences can be made

Serentiy in the debate can only start by full disclosure and transparency: the cases cited by Debels in his book should be brought into the open, through parliamentary inquiries. Until further notice, free speech stands.

Climate Change: Expert-Lord Stern admits he was underestimating...

Lord Stern, author of the landmark 2007 Report for the UK Gov't admitted earlier this month that he underestimated the
- risk
- damages
-.... and probabilities of
increasing temperature beyond +3°C over the next 100 years.

In the report, he estimated the costs of climate change at between 5 per cent and 20 per cent of global gross domestic product. But Lord Stern said data published since the report came out had led him to change his mind.

Victim of ferocious attacks, calling Stern a "scarmonger", his Lordship traveled the world trying to convince public opinion and world leaders that immediate, thorough and desperate actions are needed... which led to the December 2007 UN Agreement in Bali that we'd negotiate for another 2 years to find some way of following-up on Kyoto.

You'd become a sceptic reading this stuff... or you could go about changing your own habits?

Wanted: Special Forces for the Belgian Army: Civilians may apply

This is simply unbelievable:

the Belgian Special Forces cannot find enough recrutable candidates within its own ranks: this has today with lack of motivation, according to De Standaard...

Out of 60 (! WOW!) operator positions, 23 cannot be filled with current "specialists"...

Applicants send CV to http://www.specialforcesgroup.be/

Schoolboeken bevestigen oude clichés...

Ondanks alle goede bedoelingen bevestigen schoolboeken nog heel vaak de bestaande stereotypen. Leerlingen die 'anders zijn' krijgen daardoor nog meer het gevoel dat ze afwijken van de norm.

Wanneer leerlingen op school over het gezin leren, krijgen ze als voorbeeld meestal een vader en moeder met een of twee kinderen. Wanneer ze over het Zuiden leren, gaat het meestal om arme mensen in hutjes.

(bron: De Standaard)

Commentaar: ja maar ja maar: we moeten toch oppassen dat we al die boeken niet volstouwen met zaken die niet in de meerderheid der gezinnen voorkomen.... Het is niet omdat het sociaal geaccepteerd is dat er nieuw-samengestelde gezinnen zijn etc... of dat er in het Zuiden ook Paleizen zijn dat je nu plotseling die kinderen moet gaan overtuigen van dat "anders-zijn" dat dat normaal is. Wanneer krijgen de "normale" kinderen ook eens de aandacht die ze verdienen....

Zie ook G.Paltrow die een depressie overhield aan haar bevalling van 2-jarig zoontje, notabene zegt ze zelf door al die "new-age" behandelingen...

Mogen we dit eigenlijk nog zeggen, laat staan schrijven?

Find a bunker (now!)

Blogging from UFA, Bashkortostan, Russian Federation:


German schoolboy, 13, corrects NASA's asteroid figures

Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported.

NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right.

Both NASA and Marquardt agree that if the asteroid does collide with earth, it will create a ball of iron and iridium 320 metres (1049 feet) wide and weighing 200 billion tonnes, which will crash into the Atlantic Ocean.

The shockwaves from that would create huge tsunami waves, destroying both coastlines and inland areas, whilst creating a thick cloud of dust that would darken the skies indefinitely.

The 13-year old made his discovery as part of a regional science competition for which he submitted a project entitled: "Apophis -- The Killer Astroid."

Cats - as explained by engineers

When the FT encourages you to read up on chicken behaviour

Roosters & Hens: we're in for some serious societal changes:

A roosters' job is to watch over the hens. Even if he has only one female, a rooster will stand near her through the day as she scratches in the dirt for morsels, and takes dirt baths. He will crow throughout the day, letting the world know, "I'm the man!"

Build your own coop! Give more freedom to your chickens (and design...)
More information: "Backyard Chickens"

Dude!

Gaasbeek - prettiest town of Flanders

Starting April 26, please go vote for Gaasbeek: since we're probably the lowest populated village among the 15 nominees in Flanders, we rely on your votes!

More information and campaign details:
http://mooistedorpgaasbeek.blogspot.com/
http://www.lennik.be/h111bepc161gg.aspx

Arsenal: new album "LOTUK" (*****)

Avant-garde Flemish humor: de Kennedys

De Kennedy’s zijn terug. Maar ze komen niet uit Amerika! En ze zijn nooit dood geweest! Nee, ze wonen bij u om de hoek en ze hebben een mening over alles en iedereen. Wie weet herkent u uw buurman wel als een lid van de Kennedy’s

Het gaat namelijk over u!

Funny Games

Funny Games (EU 1997)



10 years later, Michael Haeneke delivers a powerful blow to what he calls "the american way of life". Some repeat this mantra over and over again that the US way of life is "negotiable".

from Lebombo Bone -- oldest mathematical artefact to Tesseract: math rules!

The Lebombo bone is the oldest known mathematical artifact. It dates from 35000 BC and consists of 29 distinct notches that were deliberately cut into a baboon's fibula. It was discovered within a cave in the Lebombo mountains of Swaziland.


Just when you think you're freed of Maths forever, here it springs back to life! Including 3-d representation of fantastic objects with a real sci-fi feeling (hypercube anyone, or do you view it as a tesseract...)

The fastest blogger on the planet - thalysnet @ 300k/h

A through masterpiece of contemporary engineering, and a classic example of prime and luxurious European-style travelling, the Thalys connection between Paris and Brussels now offers high-speed internet! Blogging at 300km/h! Welcome to the future...

... and now: the news!

Gehoord op Radio1 vanochtend: uitspraak van Karel De Gucht, overal gelauwerd minister van Buitenlandse Affaires étrangers/étrangères:

de Quintessens van Europa is de communautaire methode

...als reactie op de creatie binnenkort van de nieuwe post van Europeens "Voorzitter van de Raad" (om het vuile woord "Europees President" niet in de mond te moeten nemen).

Zegt De Gucht nog: Volgens 'België' (ik dus ook), moet het standpunt blijven verdedigd worden dat diegene die "Voorzitter" wordt, uit een land moet komen dat écht alle Europese mechanismen volgt; inclusief Schengen, EUROzone, etc... zodanig dat het VK en meer bepaald T.Blair uitgesloten zijn van deze post. Enne... die persoon mag zich zeker niet te veel voorstellen van diene post, want er is ook nog de speciale Europese vertegenwoordiger voor buitenlandse zaken, en de Voorzitter van de Commissie...

... "wie gelooft die diplomaten en ambtenaren nog"? Postjes creëren, mandaten en generale staven...

... Als dus Bush of Medvedev binnenkort zeggen: get met the President of Europe: wie gaan ze dan bellen? Drie man tegelijk?

QED: dat was dus de communautaire methode

Aesop's Fables and Hundreds of Children's Stories

The Bear and the Two Travelers

TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on their path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he could. The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch a dead body. When he was quite gone, the other Traveler descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear. "He gave me this advice," his companion replied. "Never travel with a friend who deserts you at the approach of danger."

Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.

National Geographic Desktop Wallpapers - Nice Rat!

RAT: Don't be too quick to squeal in revulsion: Rats are surprisingly intelligent and, actually, quite a bit like us. They giggle when tickled, they're sociable, they appreciate, even anticipate, sex. They also know their own intellectual limits, called metacognition, a trait thought limited to apes. In audio tests in which rats were rewarded for correct answers, given nothing for incorrect answers, and given a small reward for admitting "I don't know," they opted for reliable (albeit meager) "I don't know" treats when they lacked confidence in judgment. Not too shabby for filthy alley vermin.

National Geographic: Desktop pictures per monthly issue

Fonts (for Kids & adults..)

Listed on the Telegraph's 101 Useful websites, DAFONT.com enables you to download any font you might think off... Try the "Kids" category for hours of fun printing invitations, cartoons & drawings...

50 Movies That All Guys Should See Before They Die

50 Movies That All Guys Should See Before They Die - A Modern Guide

Reading: The Ruins (soon to be a major blockbuster movie?)
Viewing: Star Wars (but fell asleep halfway through, chronic fatigue)
Listening to: Daft Punk
Thinking: Damn, I've still got to run 15k before Sunday...
Travelling: soon to UFA, capital of the Bashkortostan Republic

Techno for Kids

Vandaag speciaal voor die jonge ouders die begot nie weten wat aangevangen op een druilerige vakantiedag!

- http://techno.wikispaces.com/
- www.technotkeek.be
- www.klasse.be/ouders

Water - Viral Video

Wie gelooft die mensen nog?

Heden op de radio: Bart Somers becommentarieert de "regeringsverklaring", die in de maak is en dringend af moet, daar Leterme binnenkort het roer over neemt:

B. Somers - "het zal geen écht regeringsakkoord zijn, want op 10 dagen was er niet genoeg tijd om in de details te treden"

Hoe zoe? geen tijd, en wat zijn die mannen al 9 maanden aan het doen? de anti-politiek aan 't voeden, me dunkt...
Geen tijd: if they'd be working in the private sector...

Global Sanitation Fund launched

Press Release


Forty percent of the world’s population - 2.6 billion people - do not have access to basic sanitation. The Millennium Development Goal target of halving the number of people without access to sanitation is the furthest from being achieved. However, the estimated annual cost for attaining this goal is only $9.5 billion. If sustained, the same investment could ensure basic sanitation for the whole world in one or two decades. To help reach this target, the WSSCC is launching the Global Sanitation Fund, one of the major initiatives of the International Year of Sanitation 2008.

7(+) List of Deadly sins

The Vatican has (unilaterally) and (without consultation with the constituency) updated the list of 7 DEADLY SINS (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride) as follows:

The New Mortal Sins

1.) genetic modification

2.) carrying out experiments on humans

3.) polluting the environment

4.) causing social injustice

5.) causing poverty

6.) becoming obscenely wealthy

7.) taking drugs


and... as a sidenote, released the Automobile Driver's 10 Commandments (!)
The "Drivers' Ten Commandments"

1.) You shall not kill.

2.) The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3.) Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4.) Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5.) Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6.) Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7.) Support the families of accident victims.

8.) Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9.) On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10.) Feel responsible toward others.

Only in Belgium

1 of the 6 reasons to invest in Belgium: "the intelligent tax system"

9/11 - the truth is out there

Deux terroristes aux commandes d'un avion (Postal) - Vidéo

Jacht versus Vogelbescherming: JEP veroordeelt Rodts & Co

De Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen probeert op een "vernederende" manier leden te ronselen. Als weidelijk jager en natuurliefhebber voel ik me dan ook persoonlijk aangesproken door de onderstaande clip. De JEP - Raad voor ethische praktijken in de reclame - heeft beslist om de spot uit de ether te halen (zie besluit op deze link). Toch blijft Youtube meedraaien in propaganda: oordeel zelf:

uittreksel uit de argumentatie:

De Jury is dan ook van oordeel dat deze spots:
kleinerend overkomen door de jagers in diskrediet te brengen ( vermaak jagers wordt op overdreven wijze uitvergroot waardoor de jagers in het belachelijke worden getrokken);
stereotypes en vooroordelen tav jagers bestendigen die indruisen tegen de maatschappelijke evolutie mbt wildbeheer en aanvaard gedrag van jagers, en derhalve stigmatiserend overkomen;

2008 - International Year of Sanitation / World Water & Sanitation Day 2008

Reading: Ten things you should know about Sanitation
Viewing: http://esa.un.org/iys/
Listening to: DAFT PUNK - Alive 2007: "Around the world, Harder Better"
Thinking: 20k in May - how the hell am I going to run 15k every 3 days...
Travelling: from Cotonou,Benin to London, UK

SANITATION Blog by Prof. Duncan MARA

S a n i t a t i o n: "S a n i t a t i o n
Personal and fairly maverick views on how international sanitation targets can be achieved"

Risotto, Red Wine & Salami: what more can you wish for?

1st part of a new sub-cat for Wacondah: cooking, wining, dining and gastro-sharing!


Salami and red wine risotto
A few years ago, we learnt that risotto had to be made with arborio rice. Since then, other varieties such as carnaroli and vialone nano have come along and things are no longer quite so simple.

There are, in fact, hundreds of different varieties of risotto rice. I think it is best to choose a superfino such as arborio or carnaroli: they take longer to cook than others but are slower to turn to pudding if slightly overcooked. If using a new type, be extra vigilant in checking when they are cooked.

Ingredients
125g Italian salami, in a piece
1 onion
1 large carrot
1 stick of celery
100g butter
450g risotto rice
350ml Dolcetto or Barbera (red wine from Piedmont)
3 bay leaves
700ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
100g fresh grated Parmesan

Method
● Peel the skin from the salami and cut it into small dice, definitely no more than half a centimetre square. Peel the onion and carrot and cut them, with the celery, into dice every bit as small as the celery. Melt half the butter in a heavy sauce pan and add the salami. Turn up the heat and fry the meat until it’s crisp and has rendered much of its fat. Add the vegetables and stew on the same lively heat, turning regularly until they begin to soften. Bring the stock to the boil in a separate pan.

● Add the rice to the vegetables, season it well with salt and milled pepper and turn it in the mixture until every grain is well coated in the butter and fat from the salami. Pour in all the red wine, add the bay leaves and stir well. Turn down the heat and let the liquid come gently to the boil. Let it simmer slowly, stirring it occasionally until the wine has been absorbed and the rice starts to stick. Now start to incorporate the hot stock ladle by ladle, stirring as you do so. Continue, adding a little more stock every three minutes or so, until the rice is cooked to your taste. When the whole is completely amalgamated, serve forthwith with plenty of Parmesan.

Rowley Leigh is the chef at Le Café Anglais

Nulla Dies Sine Linea - Hubert van Herreweghen

Hubert van Herreweghen, Vlaanderens' grootste nog levende dichter: huldigt nog steeds Plinius' adagium: "Nulla Dies sine Linea" en vertoeft nog maar al te graag op 87-jarige leeftijd in zijn (en ons) geliefkoosd Pajottenland:

"Verloren woorden en gebaren,
die niet bij Bruegel waren
zullen de vreugde niet verstaan"

"de dagen dat ik nog de tijd vind en de rust om het gedicht te lezen...
die dagen... zeldzaam zijn ze, en niet genoeg geprezen"

"al wat ik kreeg van taal en kunde, bleef ik slijpen tot het zong,
al was 't van 't slijpen, ...dat 't verdunde..."

Bedankt, Hubert, voor vriendschap, emotie en ontroering! (en natuurlijk 87 jaar Pajotse ontroering)


Meer info: Hubert; Nog meer Hubert

Eco-driving: become an E-pilot

1/ keep Diesel fuel RPM below 2000: SWITCH to higher gears ASAP (check)
2/ maintain constant speed as much as possible, no or few acc/deceleration (not there yet...)
3/ anticipate what traffic will do (check)
4/ easy on the gas throttle, easy on the brakes (check)
5/ brake on the engine, with clutch engaged (check)
6/ do not drive fast (faster than 100km/h is tooo fast) (not there yet)
7/ maintain optimal tire pressure (???)
8/ do not over-use defrost/airco. Do not open windows as it augments wind-braking (check)
9/ keep weight of stowage below optimal levels: do not overcharge vehicule (check)
10/ to measure is to know is to reduce: keep log of fuel consumption at gas station (check)

Help! The Human Civilisation is loosing its memory

Extracts from an excellent article in Le Monde:
as the humans advance into the 21st century, they started to rely exclusively on badly performing data storage... One glitch... and it'll all be gone... Doomsday Scenario? Think again - quickly ... and then go backup your stuff

« La mémoire de l’humanité est devenue de plus en plus numérique (information administrative, artistique, médicale, scientifique, …). (…) Dans toute son histoire, l’humanité n’a utilisé de techniques aussi instables pour enregistrer ses données ».

Franck Laloë, directeur de recherche émérite au CNRS, regrette la négligence de notre société à développer des technologies adaptées pour éviter que les « supports sur lesquels est inscrite l’information numérique ne soient constamment rongés de l’intérieur par le temps ».

L’auteur insiste : tout patrimoine numérique (bandes magnétiques, disques durs, CD enregistrables, DVD enregistrables, etc.) abandonné à lui-même, ne fût-ce que 5 ou 10 ans, risque d’être définitivement perdu. (this already happened to wacondah...)

« Comment en sommes-nous arrivés à une telle régression, alors que les parchemins du Moyen Age ou les tablettes cunéiformes assyriennes ont traversé des dizaines de siècles ? (…) On peut craindre dans quelques années de grandes difficultés dans bien des branches de l’activité humaine si le problème n’est pas pris à bras-le-corps pendant qu’il est encore temps. L’humanité perd la mémoire ». (Le Monde – 27/28.01.08)

Contemporary Flemish Artists - AMVK

Chapter of Opening the Mouth of Time: "Chapter of Opening the Mouth of Time is a non-stop digital vortex for which AMVK intercuts the images of AntiSade Press Calendar for 2007 with 365 snapshots, more images, notes, words and things from her DAAD-residence in Berlin."

To be produced in WIELS in 2008

Sports: B.Fischer dead

Usually, Wacondah.com does not post any news whatsoever on "sports", yet this item deserves an exception: B.Fischer, legendary Grand Master of the game of Chess, passed away in Iceland this week.

The 1993 Movie: "Searching for Bobby Fischer"
The Luzhin Defence (2000)

Copenhagen Consensus - what should be the World's Priorities

Copenhagen Consensus – addresses 10 major challenges in the world. - Home

Back in 2004, a panel of world-recognized experts prioritised the challenges of the world, for the first time in history. the initiative came from Bjorn Lomborg, of "Sceptical Environmentalists" fame, a Danish statistician formerly deeply involved in the conservationist-environmentalist movement.

Lomborg developed an alternative vision and is now widely regarded as a serious, yet dissenting voice that brings new ideas to the table.

You can prioritize what you believe are the world's most important challenges here



This was Wacondah's list

Gamine

Gamine
Originally uploaded by wacondah

A new friend has arrived: Gamine the Danish/German Dog (a few weeks old), yet already great friends with the kids. Pure snoezigheid!

Red een Boom

Red een boom & give Belgacom the f$nger: "Bent u een fervent internetter en wenst u liever geen papieren telefoongids te ontvangen ?"

Top shelves - the World's Top 10 Libraries

Inspiration for your next Thematic Trip around the World?

Top shelves | Shoptalk | Guardian Unlimited Books: "6) Posada in Brussels
Located in a dear old house near St Magdalen's church in Brussels, Posada Books is as famous for its pretty interior as it is for its collection of new and second-hand art books. Has a remarkable collection of exhibition catalogues, which goes back to the beginning of the last century, and holds occasional exhibitions too."

Red de Volkscafés!

Volkscafés: "Ken je een volkscafé in jouw buurt of ben je er zelf stamgast? Laat het ons dan weten. Vul het formulier in op onze website en help ons het volkscafé redden!"

Wij nomineerden "in de verzekering tegen de groten dorst" in Eizeringen

Henri's at Work

Un quartier de Bruxelles déja dirigé par l'islam (?)

Deutsche Welle TV (in English): reporting on the situation in Molenbeek / Brussels

World's Largest Collection of "Rules of Thumb"

Category - SURVIVAL:
- If you are assaulted, scream Fire! People are more likely to come to your aid than if you shout Help!
- If you are lost in the woods, always travel downstream.
- Bears can outrun, outclimb, and outswim a human. Your only hope is to run downhill. A bear's center of gravity makes it difficult for them to run downhill. (Wacondah does not fully agree on this one... you might also take your chances and "play dead" or not venture into the woods at all... Or jump into a canoe, as the bears surely does not paddle as well as you...)


Category: kids
- A child will become as you describe him to others.
- Children should get library cards when they can write their full names.
- Crabby babies get more attention than quiet babies, and babies who get more attention have higher IQs.
- Parents teach more by example than by words. Reading parents have reading children; achieving parents have achieving children.
- When babies start grunting, wait 20 minutes before changing them. That way you will change only one messy diaper, not two.
- The number of guests at a child's birthday party should be limited to the age of the child. Invite three for a three-year-old, five for a five-year-old.
- Inappropriate seasonal dress is one of the first signs of a youngster abusing drugs.


Category: Romance & Marriage

- Shut the heck up, feed him what he likes to eat, and sex on Saturday that he can take a nap after.

Guy turns 50 - shares 50 lessons

50 lessons in 50 years: "49. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are."


Makes me smile and think about that video Baz Luhrman made a decade ago (God, we're really on our way to joining these sad dudes turning 50 and sharing 50 lessons): Wear Sunscreen

Pourquoi Arrêter de Fumer?

De Europeanen (Caroline de Gruyter)

De Europeanen / Recensies / Politics.be - Jouw politieke portaalsite: "In de Belgische hoofdstad wonen zeker 150.000 professionals uit allerlei Europese landen. Ze houden vooral van Brussel omdat ze er kunnen zijn wie ze zijn. Brussel is zo internationaal dat je nauwelijks de indruk hebt in België te zijn. De meesten hebben dan ook nauwelijks Belgische vrienden en zien vooral elkaar. Ze voelen zich Europees, omdat ze met hun neus op de Europese besluitvorming zitten en vooral met lotgenoten in contact komen. “Deze mensen leven in een ander Europa dan de gemiddelde EU-burger”"

Listening to: "Bloc Party" + soundtracks from 28DaysLater

The Cosmic Calendar

Understanding the Universe - It's Awesome - Cosmic Calendar - DiscoverySchool.com

Carl Sagan was the first to depict the history of the universe on a 1-year scale... starting with the Big Bang on Jan.1 and showing the appearance of Homo erectus on Dec.31 at 1048PM...

A hunger for books - The guardian

A hunger for books | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books: "A hunger for books: Last night Doris Lessing, aged 88, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In her acceptance speech she recalls her childhood in Africa and laments that children in Zimbabwe are starving for knowledge, while those in more privileged countries shun reading for the 'inanities' of the internet"

Ask any modern storyteller and they will say there is always a moment when they are touched with fire, with what we like to call inspiration, and this goes back and back to the beginning of our race, to fire and ice and the great winds that shaped us and our world.

Some argue this to be one of the best speeches delivered EVER.
The burning passion for knowledge and stories: Doris Lessing drives the message home.

Welkom in 2008

Reading: 416 non-read emails + http://vliegendeiland.blogspot.com/ en "Dear John" by N.Sparks
Viewing: House of the Flying Daggers (eindelijk zend Canvas nog eens een film uit van niveau op een deftig uur!
Listening to: Bloc Party
Thinking: "Lattoflex rules". "Do not deal with emails before 10 AM" (dixit Tom V!)
Travelling: in 2008: Istanbul, Zaragoza, Stockholm, Singapore, Geneva (and that's just the start...)