Corona

Over the last 105 days, I've learned a lot about myself, society, the willingness and kindness of people that do share my values. From charity to personal commitment, from artists to entrepreneurs, from simple customs agents to senior managers; of all these interactions, I learned a lot.
Today marks my first, back at the office in Paris; in front of Pompidou (under revamp-construction). Will it mark the beginning of the phoenix-re-rise of this blog? Not sure.

But there are too many stories that need to be told.

I witnessed lethargy, apathy, ambition, intolernance, stupidity and kindness, longing, reflection and support.
We all witnessed that and we all had to look ourselves in the mirror these last months every single morning. We had families to run, jobs to do, kids to homeschool, colleagues to help out. We sat in soo many webinars that we lost count.

Today marks a special day, as we witness the second wave of Corona resetting us?

What are the questions we should be asking each other, a part from the obvious ones?
What are the actions we should be undertaking, a part from the obvious ones?
What are the things we need to do, for the generations down the line, to enjoy the same standards of living (or better)?
What are our possible contributions to help those that do not have it?

I lived through a war-zone. People compare it to WW2, the 1929 financial crisis, or our generation's 9/11 but at world level.
I feel humbled by the energy spent, the courage of people taking decisions under fire and all our "caretakers" whether they were frontline medical staff, or teachers homeschooling, but also the administrative and local police personnel who kept on going.

Our family, for now, is quite safe but I have not hugged my parents for many months now.
Our kids are doing not too badly, although they had too miss soo many things.

In the beginning, I tried calling up at noon, every single day - a person that I had not spoken to in ages (through the social media randomization you witness someone liking a post and then you call them up).
And from day one, we started cooking for Elke, so that she would not need to go into the canteen.
But there were many other actions around mouth masks and setting up a collective garden. (more on that later).
I also signed up as a volunteer for our village to open up the weekly market early on Tuesdays.

Today, June 24, I'm extremely grateful for being in the office in Paris and witness an almost "normal normal". We have to be vigilant. And remain vigilant.

I'm also worried about what is going on in other parts of the world. This crisis is far from over.

Reading: Peter Verhelst
Viewing:  28 Days Later
Listening to: "het Marc Van Ranst Lied"
Thinking: "In crisis, only 3 to 5% of the population acts, everybody else just stands by in apathy" - Daniel Solvay
Travelling: Brx - Paris today, for the first time in many months. It interrupts my 19year ongoing streak (never been absent so long since October 2001)

Wereld Toilet Dag (Haiku)

Our dear Prime Minister Van Rompuy may be named the First President of the European Union today, he's well known to be a proficient haiku-master. In honour of World Toilet Day,we posted the one below to his site!

En vandaag 2009-11-19 Wereldtoiletdag één speciaal over de 2,5 miljard mensen die aan open defecatie doen (ook "flying toilets" genoemd)

Wereldtoiletdag
Leg een drol en spoel de chasj
Elders vliegt een zak

Water & Health: the real and hidden casualties... right in front of us

From the excellent CNN article

The next time you fall sick and someone suggests it's because of something in the water, they could be right. According to the World Bank, 88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. The number are daunting. Annually, water-related problems are responsible for:

4 billion cases of diarrhea, resulting in the deaths of more than 6 million children.
300 million malaria sufferers;
200 million schistosomiasis sufferers;
6 million people who have been struck blind by trachoma;
and 500 million people who are currently at risk of contracting it, the World Bank says.
The U.N. also suggests that unsanitary water is to thank for 1.5 million cases of hepatitis A (and 133 million cases of intestinal worms).

At any one point in time, 50 percent of all people in the developing world will be in hospital suffering from one or more water-related diseases. Most will be children, water-related diseases being the second biggest killer of children worldwide (after acute respiratory diseases like Tuberculosis), according to Water Aid. (Diarrhea alone has killed more children in 10 years than all the people killed in wartime since World War 2, according to UNICEF).

WASH - Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

"What if a postcard could save a life? These cards may shock you, but they can make a difference. Send them to the government officials responsible for water supply and sanitation and let them know how important these issues are to you and your environment. Make a difference by creating the political will to end the tragedy of inadequate water supply and sanitation. Take a stand, send a card, save a life!"

Wacondah invites you to take a look at the WASH Campaign: Sign up, become a member and send your politicians postcards! 2008 is the international year of Sanitation: our collective aim should be to get politicians to really do something about shit!

Hurry up! 2.6 billion people want to use the toilet
Millions of women have to do it with an audience
1.2 billion people drink dirty water every day
Diarrhoea kills babies every day
Dirty water kills
In some countries women risk rape by collecting water

Obesitas has reach global epidemic proportions (WHO

While a staggering number of people are living on less than 1 dollar per day, an increasingly large number of large people is sufferin from obesitas... According to the World Health Organization, the obesity problem has reached epidemic proportions. The statistics are alarming:

• Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.
• Worldwide, 22 million children under age 5 are estimated to be overweight
• Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. (World Health Organization)
• Although many think of obesity as affecting only industrialized societies, over 115 million people in developing countries are estimated to suffer from obesity-related problems. Among the affluent and the impoverished alike, the obesity epidemic is an extreme manifestation of the problem of malnutrition.