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...)

Happy "BillionTreePlanting" in 2008

-- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - BillionTree Campaign Site --: "The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year."

We kept our commitment for 2007 and have already planned our 2008 contribution!

Best Wishes for a happy & healthy 2008

2008 Environmental Photographer of the Year

The CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year 2008 - competition now open!

Cult Post-Apocalyptic SF feature films of 2007-2008

It seems as if post-apocalyptic movies are en vogue again.
After the hugely succesfull 28DaysLater, Danny Boyle issued 28WeeksLater and is preparing for the 2009 release of 28MonthsLater!



Earlier this month, the release of the Matheson-inspired cult classic SF thriller "I am Legend", starring Will Smith will bring us back to desolate and vampire-invested cityscapes...



And last but not least: CLOVERFIELD... the viral video

Foreign Policy: the top 10 stories you missed in 2007

Take this little quiz: which of the following did not happen in 2007

• first real-life cyberwarfare at international level


• first deployment of robots as soldiers, equipped with killing devices on battlefields


• outbreaks of Dengue all over the world get officials to worry about your kneecaps


• extremists loose faith in Jihad and abandon Al Qaida


• Thai fat cats give themselves a raise to preserve country tourist destinations


• Belgium splits into 4 parts and cvil war breaks out (oh no, this one was from 2006...): the newsstory of 2007 should be: "Belgium remains a federal country and after 192 days finally has an.... interim cabinet"

Read more on http://www.foreignpolicy.com/TopTenStories2007_print.html

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).

Stubru Music for Life - in support of the Flemish Red Cross "Water Projects"

Support the Flemish Red Cross' campaign on drinking water: donate to www.stubru.be and select your favorite song to play.
For the second time, the Flemish rock station hosts a 6day radio marathon to benefit a concrete solidarity action: our kind of music, our kind of action!

a Package of Dodgy Debt becomes a Structured Investment Vehicle

In your Faeces! what do you do with YOUR shit?

Do you know where your water comes from?
What do you do with your shit?

2 prime questions: easy to answer? Check out this viral video by India's CSE (led by Sunita Narain).

Water - H20 = Life (exhibition in NYC)

In New York, check out the exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History: Water: H20=Life. Today, more than a billion people still cannot get enough safe drinking water to keep them healthy. This kind of water scarcity isn't just about too little rain-it's a problem of lack of funding, politics, infrastructure and sustainable use. The AMNH exhibit explores the many facets of water.

the World's Worst Toilet

Another type of gift this Xmas?

Tired of early-warning Christmas decoration in the streets?
Shocked to the bone by consumeristic impulses?
Consider giving the gift of water!

Water Pump $408.00
Water is life, yet still more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and more than 2 billion lack basic sanitation. It is estimated that nearly 6,000 children die every day from diarrhea caused by poor sanitation and contaminated drinking water. By purchasing a water pump you will help provide clean, safe drinking water for a whole community. This reliable and durable deep-well hand pump was designed by UNICEF and to date, more than 1 million pumps have been installed in communities around the world.

Asian Water Development Outlook

November 29, 2007: release of the Asian Water Development Outlook

“We can confidently predict,” Biswas says, “that Asian developing member countries, (DMCs) should not experience, or expect, a crisis in the future because of physical scarcity of water; there is now enough knowledge, technology and expertise available in Asia to solve all its existing and future water problems. If some Asian DMCs face a water crisis in the future, it will not be because of physical scarcity of water, but because of inadequate or inappropriate water governance.”



Key recommendations

• Worldwide competition for water is increasing. But any water crisis in the future will not be caused by physical scarcity of water, but more likely by inadequate or inappropriate water governance
• There is a need to address the inherent relationships between water and other development-related sectors, e.g. energy, food, environment, as interactions among them will determine the future of Asian countries
  Climate change is creating a new level of uncertainty in water planning and management processes, and accelerated research is needed if serious water-related stresses are to be avoided
• Limited access to water is a key determinant of poverty. Yet the poor causes a significant proportion of water problems, e.g. uncontrolled deforestation. Investing in poverty reduction counters further degradation of water resources and the environment
• Stable institutional frameworks, strong political will, accelerated demand from civil society to solve water issues, adequate financial and managerial support, and intensive capacity development efforts are among the common characteristics of successful water management practices in the region

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

Konichiwa!

Last picture: Tintin in Brussels
Reading: Dimitri Verhulst
Viewing: Ali G
Listening to: The Blue Nile
Thinking: Quiting Smoking wasn't soo hard
Travelling: Barcelona, Madrid
Days since I've quit smoking: 1 week, 5 days and 56 minutes. Amount Saved 44.54€. Life Saved: 9h15m

(lol) La Wallonie, c'est le gros intestin de la Belgique

Toys + Kids = Fun (or not)

The 25 Most Baffling Toys From Around the World.

Hilarious article on what NOT to get your kids for Sint Maarten, Sinterklaas or X-Mas.
I do appreciate the "teddy-bear firing gun" however...

Achmed - the dead terrorist

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

Charles!

20071017_TVW_IMG_003286
Originally uploaded by wacondah

Charles, born October 16, 2007 at 03h: 3,550kg & 51Ccm: brother to Camille & Henri... more pix on http://www.flickr.com/photos/wacondah/

Charles

We're happy to announce the birth of Charles, brother to Camille & Henri on October 16, 2007 at 03h. (specs: 51cm; 3,550kg, blond hair & blue eyes) - more soon, but sleep first

Iphone - portable handgrenade?

The gagdet for 2007-2008... The race is on.
"The difference between man and boys... is the size of their toys"

Belgometer

Een weinig-diepgravende quiz over uw separatist/federalistisch gehalte.

Into the Wild

Chris McCandles / Alexander Supertramp's sad sad stories is being released as a movie: "an aesthetic voyager whose home is the road". After Jon Krakauer landmark rendering of this travels, Sean Penn tackles the story of this ambitious and naive young traveler, who set out on the road to pursue his dream to live "off the land". A 21st century of dream-chasing, friendship and unparalleled beauty: looking forward to see whether screens can capture more than words!

Buy the book before you check the movie!

World's Weirdest/Stupidest Conspiracy Theories

JFK was killed by his driver!

Hitler and some associates escaped to the Arctic in a submarine, to live with super-advanced aliens who reside within the hollow earth. (This story originated with Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Coming Race, was treated as fact by the pre-Nazi Vril Society, was bolstered by the forged "secret diary" of Admiral Byrd, and was adopted by the likes of Ernst Zundel)

Back to the Future: (kite) Sailing Ships

Several companies around the world are experimenting with wind-assisted ships, which would reduce fuel consumption at a time where fuel can represent up to 60 percent of the running costs of operating a ship. But another goal is to reduce pollution: the toxic emission volume of the world trade fleet is roughly equivalent to the U.S. one today. In "The new age of sail," New Scientist describes a ship that will be partially pulled by a high-tech kite flying at an altitude of up to 500 meters where winds are more stable than at sea level. The German designers, who tested a prototype last year, estimate that such a hybrid sailing ship would see a 50 percent reduction of its fuel consumption. Danish and Japanese companies are also designing wind-assisted ships.

Codex Gigas - The Devil's Bible

Codex Gigas - Kungl. biblioteket: "Codex Gigas The Codex Gigas or the Devil’s Bible is a medieval manuscript at the National Library in Stockholm that is famous for two features. First, it is reputed to be the biggest surviving European manuscript. (Codex Gigas means ‘giant book’.) Secondly, it contains a large, full page portrait of the Devil. (This explains its alternative name.) This site contains a digitised version of every page of the manuscript as well as commentaries on its history, texts, script, initials and decoration. The manuscript was made in Bohemia (now part of the modern Czech Republic) between about 1200 and 1230. It is remarkable that virtually all of the manuscript, script, initials and decoration, appears to have been the work of one person who probably worked in a Benedictine monastery."

Belgian Fries - soon available in an automatic dispenser near you

Wacondah's blog was lacking something: an entry on "Belgian Fries" - probably the only product that Belgians nowadays agree to be proud off...

Belgium is "famous" for its fries. The Federal Government has an official FRITES website! No wonder that in times of constitutional crisis and ever-lasting government-formation negotiations, the surrealists of the world come up with a new wonder of technology: an automated Belgian Fries dispenser...

Even the "Fritkoten" are interested because it would enable them to serve fries 24/7.


Below is the wikipedia entry on FRIES: I call upon all Belgian Fries-friends to start editing this entry...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fried_potatoes#Belgium
The Belgians claim that "French" fries are in fact Belgian, but definitive evidence for the origin has not been presented. Belgian historian Jo Gerard recounts that potatoes were already fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals."[8][9][10]

The Dutch concur with a Southern Netherlandish or Belgian origin when referring to Vlaamse frieten ('Flemish fries'). In 1857, the newspaper Courrier de Verviers devotes an article to Fritz (assumed pun with 'frites'), a Belgian entrepreneur selling French fries at fairs, calling them "le roi des pommes de terre frites". In 1862, a stall selling French fried potatoes (frietkot, see below) called "Max en Fritz" was established near Het Steen in Antwerp.[11][9]

A Belgian legend claims that the term "French" was introduced when British or American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time.[9] But the term "French fried potatoes" had been in use long before the Great War.

Whether or not Belgians invented them, "frites" "quickly became the national snack and a substantial part of both national dishes — making the Belgians their largest consumers,[citation needed] and to Europe, their "symbolic" creators.

Every Flemish Citizen pays 2.5€ / day to Wallonia

Bron: De Standaard

Een studie van de Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namen geeft aan dat in 2005 5,6 miljard euro van Vlaanderen naar Wallonië zou zijn gevloeid. Dat komt neer op 2,50 euro per dag per Vlaming, zo staat donderdag te lezen in de kranten van de groep Sud Presse.

Volgens de studie van Olivier Meunier, Michel Mignolet en Marie-Eve Leurquin betaalt elke Vlaming 929 euro per jaar aan de Walen. De krant voegt er aan toe dat Vlaanderen in 1949 een werkloosheidscijfer had van 19,5 procent, tegenover 5,2 procent in Wallonië.

De Naamse professor Robert Deschammps vindt niettemin dat we niet naar het verleden mogen kijken. Hij preciseert dat, mocht Vlaanderen zijn onafhankelijkheid uitroepen, 'de drie gewesten hun economisch welzijn zouden zien dalen'. sdg

imagini - visual DNA for the masses

imagini

A very simple 10 questions test to develop your own visual DNA: Wacondah is a "go-getter"!

;-)

SMILEY:25 YEARS OLD AND NEVER LOOKED HAPPIER!

Bulletin Boards? Sound familiar? Then you were part of the 80ies revolution! Long live dial-up frustrations...

911-debunking the conspiracies (BBC)

Watch this BBC show which gives a fairly balanced reality check of some of the wildest goose chases in the world: the 911 conspiracy theories:

Particularly of note was a key feature that had not tripped THE wire back in the early 2000s: 6 months before the 911 attacks, the USA was taken by storm by an X-Files spin-off called the "Lone Gunman".
The BBC set out to check with one of the key X-file & Lone Gunman screenwriters and had a nice chat on the need for people to be believe in conspiracies:

- when we are faced with such dramatic developments as the attacks of 911, our minds simply cannot accept the simplest explanation that this was just a bunch of lunatics that had just killed 3000 people, and had been training and planning for years under control of a madman in a cave in Afghanistan.
- if you debunk a conspiracy, you take people's security blankets away: they have been failed by their government in charge of their protection. Yet, however, they were not conspired against...
- from the documentary it is clear that their has been a cover-up after 911, not before...
- all "Loose Ends", such as the myths around the so-called 4000 Jews not showing up to work, or the missing plane at the Pentagon are adressed from both sides

Belgium: Crackdown on Religion

Heard this morning on the radio:

"Belgian Federal Prosecutor to initiate legal action against the Belgian chapter of the Scientology Church (pronounced a "sect" by the Parliament) and the European Headquarters (based in Brussels) and its 14 board members. A world première for a legal system taking action against an organisation that in some countries is a recognized religion..."

"Belgian Federal Prosecutor has sealed the offices of the Moslim Executive in Brussels, accused of trafficking, money laundering, falsification of bills and general misadministration." The former Secretary-General was already emprisoned in the past. The Moslim Executive is the official body recognized by the Government for representing Muslims in Belgium towards the administration (//just like Belgium recognises the Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish, ... and maybe some other religions as well) and is funded by tax-money at work, just as the taxpayers fund the other religions.

This reminds us of course of the intention of the Belgians, a couple of years back to go after any US General ever setting foot on our soil (especially when they need to visit any of the 2 NATO HQ's located in the country) or developing world-class international legislation that would have turned our lower courts into serious competitors of the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague...

Could this be some spin to drive attention away from the Belgian Institutional Crisis? For more info on conspiracies, check out the BBC

For all tie-suckers out there: the WINDSOR

Rain: the sweetest entry full of British humour (h2g2/BBC)

This will kickstart your rainy day! Rain does not affect you while traveling in a submarine - honestly!

BBC - h2g2 - Rain: "If cows are seen to be lying down, rain is imminent (this, supposedly, is because when it rains the ground gets wet. So cows, like any other sensible creature, don't like to lie down in the wet. Hence, they lie down before it rains)."

Lost in Translation star Bill Murray; caught drunk driven a golfcart in Stockholm

Apart from this being one of the greatest movies ever made, Lost in Translation should be mandatory viewing for any melancholic frequent traveler. An hommage to Japan by itself, the movie paints a sorry portrait of success and our unability to understand different cultures.

Update - B.Murray has just been caught by Stockholm traffic police, for driving a golfcart -drunk - in downtown Stockholm: another classic example of real-life being weirder than some movies...

Art (A.Pacino in Scent of a Woman)

Brad Pitt - saving landmarks!

Aside from suffering his wife's campaigns, he found time to save some architectural landmarks in the USA. Insisting on shooting at an endangered location: great idea. What's next? Brad could have a look at UNESCO's World Heritage List or at the World's Intangible & Oral heritage

Dads, Geeks - Wired has a new blog

Geeks & Dads united on one of Wired.com coolest blogs. interesting articl on how to "loc8te" stuff.... Clip it to your kid, and "hide-n-seek" becomes childplay - NOT!

Geekdad - Wired Blogs: "Aside from the obvious keys/wallet finding benefits, it doesn't take much imagination to think up more fun applications like digital treasure hunts and hide-and-go-seek. On a more practical level I admit that if my cat Kylie were the outdoors type I would definitely buy one of these and tag her collar, and in certain circumstances (i.e. something involving big crowds) would certainly clip one on my daughter's belt. "

August update

Reading: Jared Diamond: "Collapse"
Viewing: Grizzly Man
Listening to: Vive la Fête
Thinking: "1,5 children die every year from drinking polluted water"
Travelling: From Heist to Stockholm
Last picture: see flickr for new set (Cities Visited)

Terrorism, Part II - Freakonomics

Terrorism, Part II - Freakonomics - Opinion - New York Times Blog: "the main reason we aren’t currently being decimated by terrorists is that the government’s anti-terror efforts have been successful."

Now that's a great line!

Kruger Battle

Called one of the most amazing videos on Youtube... The epic battle in Kruger park between prey/predator and the outcome is quite unexpected. Also interesting are the comments by the safari tourists and guide: you clearly hear a very typical antropomorphic view on the buffalo...

Summer Holidays are over

20070730_TVW_IMG_002027
Originally uploaded by wacondah

Summer holidays at the Flemish North Sea Coast:
- sailing my 5.0 Nacra Cat (in 6 Beaufort, 2,5m high waves and no rudders) and still getting certified
- spending 2 weeks with Camille & Henri (what an adventure!)
- biking, strolling, blading and generally refraining from CO2-emissions
- mentally preparing for la rentrée & October!
- building sandcastles and watching them being swallowed!

more pix on http://www.flickr.com/photos/wacondah/sets/72157601321252674/