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)
2020-06-24
2019-12-20
Rreading list of 2019
Viewing: Joker, Star Wars 9
Listening to: Interstellar soundtrack
Thinking: "hoe doen andere mensen da?"
Travelling: saw the pyramids of Cairo, travelling soon to the Red Sea
2018-12-17
2018-12-04
MEUTE
Reading: 21 lessons for the 21st century (Yuval Harari): After Sapiens and Homo deus (*****)
Viewing: Narcos (Mexico)
Listening to: Gabriel Rios, Jef Neve & Kobe Proesmans, Ausencia
Thinking: I may be wrong, but I doubt
Travelling: soon off to the far east
2018-10-03
What I learned in the news today
- Geert Noels: "Meer dan 50% van de production die in Walmart liggen, komen uit China" - we better be prepared for another global trade war and economical downswing.
- Our politicians need to be better trained in "politicising" their body language: some advise here - https://www.nbcnews.com/better/business/how-be-more-effective-communicator-according-former-secret-service-agent-ncna876611
- The one who really screwed it up was the Brett during his hearing in the Senate Commission last week - have a look at this article - https://www.bodylanguagesuccess.com/2018/10/body-language-analysis-no-4348.html - the detailed analysis give a damning verdict: his verbal and non-verbal comms are not in synch, so one should give preference to the non-verbal indicators.... Curious to see where this is leading.
Reading: Sapiens, Home Deus and 21 lessons for the 21st Century by Harari (all merit a ***** rating)
Viewing: Ozark season 2, Fury and Better Call Saul
Listening to: de humorradio in streaming, soundtrack of Interstellar
Thinking: John Wick is man of focus, commitment and sheer fucking will...
Travelling: it's been a rough 6 months with Brasilia, Toronto (twice), Algonquin Park, Stockholm, Geneva, Vienna and of course every week Paris. Upcoming is Marseille and Thailand!
2018-01-17
Dans le désert, il ne faut pas se faire tuer par un lièvre, mais par un lion
Resolutions for 2018
- complete a 1/2 Triathlon
- make sure to not take plastic bags in stores
- read more
not bad to kick off the year right?
Reading: Het Smelt (nog altijd.... maar hij gaat eraan).
Finished reading: Oorlog & Terpentijn van Stefan Hertmans (***** hartverwarmend en echt ontroerend) en Vuile Lakens (de moeite om mee te zijn met de laatste inzichten in seksuologie)
Viewing: Gotham, Designated Survivor
Listening to: Frank Sinatra
Thinking: Less is more => Practice Kondo More
Travelling: just back from Yucatan, getting ready for Rome, Lisbon, Val Thorens, Brasilia, Geneva and last but not least.... Algonquin this summer!
- complete a 1/2 Triathlon
- make sure to not take plastic bags in stores
- read more
not bad to kick off the year right?
Reading: Het Smelt (nog altijd.... maar hij gaat eraan).
Finished reading: Oorlog & Terpentijn van Stefan Hertmans (***** hartverwarmend en echt ontroerend) en Vuile Lakens (de moeite om mee te zijn met de laatste inzichten in seksuologie)
Viewing: Gotham, Designated Survivor
Listening to: Frank Sinatra
Thinking: Less is more => Practice Kondo More
Travelling: just back from Yucatan, getting ready for Rome, Lisbon, Val Thorens, Brasilia, Geneva and last but not least.... Algonquin this summer!
2017-09-13
One should make one's own fun
We
all have a fundamental choice in life, every single morning.
Be
brave, positive, looking for the good stuff, and accept randomness and
serendipity to screw you over or offer double pleasure.
Nothing beats that
lesson except the next one learnt a long time ago but insufficiently applied:
#ATRA - these are the
things you can control and choose in life
- Attitude:
be a stoic or Marcus Aurelius and yell out loud: age quid agis, al de rest
zijn vodden
- Timing:
crucial in your self-management
- Risk
management: what kind of odds and risks are you willing to accept in all
your choices and endeavours
- Associates:
choose your friends wisely; they are more important than your ennemies
All
of this bubbles up after completing a first Marathon; a life-changing
experience, but originally not in my bucket list.
Back 17 years ago, I was
already happy to take a shower standing and being able to wipe my own ass. I recall one
singular ass-hole saying: you'll never walk again without limping.... a
heartfelt fuck-you to that guy and a thank you for being that piercing splinter
in my consciousness. I ran, I completed that marathon for all the right reasons
and definitely not to prove you wrong. Thanks for all those along the road who brought me (back) and to this point!
Viewing: OZARK, NARCOS
Listening to: Parov Stelar
Thinking: if human rights are infringed by other citizens, what is the worth of it? (or... why are only States Duty Bearers....) - we're all in this together aren't we?
Travelling: Back from Bordeaux Marathon du Médoc
2017-09-01
O valor das coisas não está no tempo que elas duram, mas na intensidade com que acontecem. Por isso existem momentos inesquecíveis, coisas inexplicáveis e pessoas incomparáveis.
Just back from the annual pilgrimage to World Water Week in Stockholm.
What a city!
Over the last 15 years, I've been there every summer and I still find new views, interesting content and excitement in meeting the old guard while discovering new initiatives and organisations.
You' d say it's a load of bollocks, but I find the real-life discussions energizing and motivating for the next semester.
I was intrigued by a comment by one of my old water friends who said he keeps on reading this blog... and that one of the posts is currently going viral? That's kinda cool and I'm curious to be know but probably better off without.... The content of this blog is of uneven nature over time, years and subjects; but upon re-reading some stuff, it still stands the critique. Other is irrelevant, but it still is a sort of history of what has been going on around me, and in the world.
So, at the beginning of this new schoolyear, and to honour Sir David TANG - who passed away this week unexepectedly; I promise I'll write more (and hopefully a little better).
Hat-tip to my dear old friend Cesar SEARA from Sao Paulo for the quote of the title - from F. Pesoa
Reading: Het Smelt - Lize Spit
Viewing: Netflix Ozark
Listening to: Arsenal
Thinking: You make your own fun
Travelling: back from Stockholm
Last picture: instagram toiletogram
What a city!
Over the last 15 years, I've been there every summer and I still find new views, interesting content and excitement in meeting the old guard while discovering new initiatives and organisations.
You' d say it's a load of bollocks, but I find the real-life discussions energizing and motivating for the next semester.
I was intrigued by a comment by one of my old water friends who said he keeps on reading this blog... and that one of the posts is currently going viral? That's kinda cool and I'm curious to be know but probably better off without.... The content of this blog is of uneven nature over time, years and subjects; but upon re-reading some stuff, it still stands the critique. Other is irrelevant, but it still is a sort of history of what has been going on around me, and in the world.
So, at the beginning of this new schoolyear, and to honour Sir David TANG - who passed away this week unexepectedly; I promise I'll write more (and hopefully a little better).
Hat-tip to my dear old friend Cesar SEARA from Sao Paulo for the quote of the title - from F. Pesoa
Reading: Het Smelt - Lize Spit
Viewing: Netflix Ozark
Listening to: Arsenal
Thinking: You make your own fun
Travelling: back from Stockholm
Last picture: instagram toiletogram
2017-01-13
Wishing you a less busy 2017
Reading:
Just finished a monumental read from 2016, KL, a history of the concentration camps. A deeper insight in the destructive machinery and administration at the hear to the Third Reich. Scary to note the dehumanisation, the mechanics behind the organisation of the extermination of so many victims and a staunch warning:
Now reading: BUSY, an inspiring book on how to reorganise your life for more health, happiness and fun, by stopping being too busy. A real eye-opener in how we focus on the wrong things in our daily lives.
Viewing: Captain Fantastic; a moving story of a non-conformistic family trying to not fit in.
Listening to:
Thinking: Be like the rain
Travelling: from Port Elisabeth over Dubai back home, and now in the upcoming months towards Geneva, Barcelona and bi-weekly trips to Paris
Last picture: the incredible landscapes of the Klein Karoo
Just finished a monumental read from 2016, KL, a history of the concentration camps. A deeper insight in the destructive machinery and administration at the hear to the Third Reich. Scary to note the dehumanisation, the mechanics behind the organisation of the extermination of so many victims and a staunch warning:
Now reading: BUSY, an inspiring book on how to reorganise your life for more health, happiness and fun, by stopping being too busy. A real eye-opener in how we focus on the wrong things in our daily lives.
Viewing: Captain Fantastic; a moving story of a non-conformistic family trying to not fit in.
Listening to:
Thinking: Be like the rain
Travelling: from Port Elisabeth over Dubai back home, and now in the upcoming months towards Geneva, Barcelona and bi-weekly trips to Paris
Last picture: the incredible landscapes of the Klein Karoo
2016-04-01
March 22 in Belgium
March 22 was Belgium's 9/11
There is a before, and a horrible after.
Our thoughts go to the victims of barbaric violence, perpetrated by radicals.
32 people died in Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek train station.
It could have been each and everyone of us passing through, on the way to work, to family, to love. Many of us escaped; in fact almost all of us are the "lucky ones".
United we stand, for a while at least, and we should not fear the political recuperation.
Many questions remain on underinvestment, under-estimation of the threat, under-performing political systems.
Yet, in all the carnage and violence, it's comforting to see the small signs of kindness, of courage under fire, of deep commitment by police forces and first responsders.
Over the last 15 months, since Charlie Hebdo, Verviers, the foiled Thalys plot, the shooter at the Jewish museum, the Paris attacks of 13/11 and now this brutal confrontation in the core itself of European values.
Let's not forget that the overwhelming majority of terror acts does not occur in Europe, but in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The "war" is not East vs West. This is not about Islam. This is about power, and power-shifting.
We should not allow our open and pluralistic socieites to become closed, and "in fear".
We should teach our children respect and love. We should lead in humanity.
Hopefully we can do that for other next generations as well, and not just our own.
Our response must be measured, and we have to keep faith in justice for all, and respect for each human's "human" rights. Let's promote that idea, instead of violent rhetorics.
There is a before, and a horrible after.
Our thoughts go to the victims of barbaric violence, perpetrated by radicals.
32 people died in Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek train station.
It could have been each and everyone of us passing through, on the way to work, to family, to love. Many of us escaped; in fact almost all of us are the "lucky ones".
United we stand, for a while at least, and we should not fear the political recuperation.
Many questions remain on underinvestment, under-estimation of the threat, under-performing political systems.
Yet, in all the carnage and violence, it's comforting to see the small signs of kindness, of courage under fire, of deep commitment by police forces and first responsders.
Over the last 15 months, since Charlie Hebdo, Verviers, the foiled Thalys plot, the shooter at the Jewish museum, the Paris attacks of 13/11 and now this brutal confrontation in the core itself of European values.
Let's not forget that the overwhelming majority of terror acts does not occur in Europe, but in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The "war" is not East vs West. This is not about Islam. This is about power, and power-shifting.
We should not allow our open and pluralistic socieites to become closed, and "in fear".
We should teach our children respect and love. We should lead in humanity.
Hopefully we can do that for other next generations as well, and not just our own.
Our response must be measured, and we have to keep faith in justice for all, and respect for each human's "human" rights. Let's promote that idea, instead of violent rhetorics.
2016-02-01
Post-Resolutions
What
were your resolutions in January? Is it worth making them anyway?
Mine
include for this year: write more blogposts (check!); better health thru
sports; more and better music to soothe the souls…. And more time for friends.
Here
is a list of what you and I can learn from Steve Jobs: start ticking some
boxes:
1.
Love what you do
“What had been the focus of my entire adult
life was gone, and it was devastating, I even thought about running away from
the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I
did. And so I decided to start over.” — Steve Jobs
2.
Cut out or avoid the bozos
Bozos
are incompetent, stupid, and negative people. Steve Jobs had no time for these
people and got rid of them when he could. They are like weeds and they will
also hire like-minded people. They will have a negative impact on morale. Even
if you are unable to fire them, you can make strenuous efforts to have as
little to do with them as possible. Surround yourself with positive and upbeat
colleagues who will inspire you.
3.
Surround yourself with culture to be more creative
The
best way to be creative is to surround yourself with culture, art, and history.
Enriching his life with cultural influences was an essential element in helping
his passion for design to flourish. Apple products are the perfect example.
Serendipity and connecting the dots may be more important than we think.
“Creativity
is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something,
they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw
something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” — Steve Jobs
4.
Don’t be afraid to take risks
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it
living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with
the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions
drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition.” — Steve Jobs
5.
Qualifications are not everything
Steve
Jobs never actually graduated from college. He discovered and taught us that
what really counts is to have a positive mindset and how you nurture your
skills. Paper qualifications are important, but they must always take second
place in developing our skills.
“Truth
be told, I never graduated from college. And this is the closest I’ve ever
gotten to a college graduation.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address in
2005
6.
Keep it simple
When
the engineers were developing the iPod, Jobs insisted that there should be no
buttons at all and that the only button would be the on/off one. The engineers
were skeptical to say the least, but Jobs would not relent. Keeping the whole
operation simple was essential to this and many other projects. In the end, the
scroll wheel was developed and is still a feature of IT today. We can learn
from Steve Jobs that laser focus can sharpen our minds and help us to
prioritize.
“That’s
been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than
complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move
mountains.” — Steve Jobs
7.
Money need not dictate your projects
Jobs
wanted to change the world and put a “ding in the universe,” as he himself put
it. His projects were all designed to create amazing products to make the world
a better place. Making money was not his primary aim. Here is a very valuable
life lesson. If we focus on making profit without worrying too much about
giving value or in helping society, then perhaps we should rethink our
objectives.
“Being
the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night
saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” — Steve Jobs
8.
Learn to be bold
At
the age of 12, Steve Jobs telephoned Hewlett Packard to get some spare parts he
needed for a project he was working on. As a result of that telephone call, HP
gave him a summer job and he never looked back. The lesson we can learn here is
to always try, even if we are turned down.
“If
you don’t ask, the answer will always be no.” – Nora Roberts
9. Question everything
Steve
Jobs often told interviewers that he had always questioned everything. For
example, he questioned his religious beliefs when he saw starving children. He
advised people to question rules and assumptions. This questioning was the foundation
for many of his most creative ideas. That should be an inspiration for us when
we examine how we live and work. If we continuously question why something is
always done in a certain way, we are well on the way to success.
Steve
Jobs questioned everything about the building of his yacht Venus, which was to
be sleek and minimalist and cost $138 million. The owner of the Dutch shipyard
where it was built, Henk de Vries, said that Jobs was always telling them that
they could do better!
“Everything
was questioned and that made it very challenging,” — Henk de Vries
10.
Technology can change the world for the better
Apparently,
Steve Jobs as a kid was struck by an article which listed the most efficient
species with regards speed and locomotion. He noticed that the condor was in
the first place while human beings were way down the list. Put a human being on
a bicycle and that combination shot to the top of the list, way ahead of the
condor. Jobs later used this in an ad for Apple when he called his computer the
bicycle of the mind. That sort of smart technology is the way to change the
world for the better.
Steve
Jobs was an inspiring example we need to follow.
- Reading: Wrecked by Charlotte Roche
- Viewing: re-viewing the entire X-files episodes, on a stationary bike, practicing for a 1/4 Triathlon
- Listening to: David Bowie, Under Pressure
- Thinking: Today is a good day to create better memories than yesterday
- Travelling: back from BCN, looking forward to Zürs, racking up my mileage on the #Thalys this year; and then onwards to maybe Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Ended last year with a trip from Bremen to London to Jordan to The Hague to Dakar to Marseille.....
- Last pictures
2015-01-21
Gram
Today's "Gram" inaugurates a new serial project, trademark Wacondah ventures, right?
Confined to our frustrations, we suffer; it is so much better to try to compile & cross-reference statements on current affairs and voice opinions. Lead example used to be the "Journaal" by Mark Grammens, who in the best of Anglo-Saxon journalistic tradition, tried to question our reality and comment the commentators!
Today's frontpage:
World-famous Belgian painter Luc Tuymans is all over the news: he was convinced of plagiarism and fraud by a lower court, for having shamelessly copied a photograph through painting.
While you can argue about that, and cite the "imitatio" principle honoured by timeless traditions in all types of art; one can't help to wonder "why" he was convicted.
His lawyers state that is was full of "parody" and thus exempt from the copyright protection act under Belgian law. However, the judge did not follow this line of argumentation.
For the time being, the photographer is right and should have her work protected in the public domain.
But beneath it all; isn't this case about "hybris"? Maybe it has to do with the way Tuymans looks down on other people (which is his absolute freedom of speech-protected right). I think there is an element of "attitude" that was judged yesterday. In any case, there will be an appeal. If I were the photographer, I'd drop the case and bask in the attention of media,to promote my work and be remembered forever as having been copied by a "Master" yourself! In addition, by dropping the case, you'd be able to demonstrate a much grander attitude. People are indeed remembered not only for what they produce, but for how they behave. Grandiose! Attitude!
If I were Tuymans, I'd put up a big smile, and share some of the royalties to initiate a new collaboration; but sourly, and surely, that's not gonna happen.
We should like artists for their work; but it's even better if we can also like them for their morals and attitude!
So, having promoted Tuymans here; I think it's only fair and square to post a link to young photographer Katrijn Van Giel
Question of the day: do the produders of radio commercials conspire to "not" make us laugh? Clearly, there is a general lack of imagination. Airtime is expensive, and so is my time: as a result we turn to other media. Note to self; next car should have the best state-of-the art private media channels.
Benoit Poelvoorde; of "C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous" fame, declares that his dog is fed up with interviews! Up for the watchlist: "La rançon de la gloire"
Reading: The Strain Trilogy by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan (vampires! pandemonium! virusses!)
Viewing: American Sniper (slated for best-actor Oscar later this year?): Clint Eastwood directs Bradley Cooper in a high-intensity based-on-a-true story: are snipers cowards, or defenders of freedom?
Listening to: Spotify! and Parov Stelar
Thinking: Voltaire is en vogue after last week's attacks on Charlie Hebdo: let us therefore "Judge a man by the questions he asks, not the answers he gives"!
Travelling: Paris, Barcelona, Santiago, Daegu, Washington, Algonquin Park(*), Stockholm, Dakar (that's what's on the agenda so far)
Confined to our frustrations, we suffer; it is so much better to try to compile & cross-reference statements on current affairs and voice opinions. Lead example used to be the "Journaal" by Mark Grammens, who in the best of Anglo-Saxon journalistic tradition, tried to question our reality and comment the commentators!
Today's frontpage:
While you can argue about that, and cite the "imitatio" principle honoured by timeless traditions in all types of art; one can't help to wonder "why" he was convicted.
His lawyers state that is was full of "parody" and thus exempt from the copyright protection act under Belgian law. However, the judge did not follow this line of argumentation.
For the time being, the photographer is right and should have her work protected in the public domain.
But beneath it all; isn't this case about "hybris"? Maybe it has to do with the way Tuymans looks down on other people (which is his absolute freedom of speech-protected right). I think there is an element of "attitude" that was judged yesterday. In any case, there will be an appeal. If I were the photographer, I'd drop the case and bask in the attention of media,to promote my work and be remembered forever as having been copied by a "Master" yourself! In addition, by dropping the case, you'd be able to demonstrate a much grander attitude. People are indeed remembered not only for what they produce, but for how they behave. Grandiose! Attitude!
If I were Tuymans, I'd put up a big smile, and share some of the royalties to initiate a new collaboration; but sourly, and surely, that's not gonna happen.
We should like artists for their work; but it's even better if we can also like them for their morals and attitude!
So, having promoted Tuymans here; I think it's only fair and square to post a link to young photographer Katrijn Van Giel
Question of the day: do the produders of radio commercials conspire to "not" make us laugh? Clearly, there is a general lack of imagination. Airtime is expensive, and so is my time: as a result we turn to other media. Note to self; next car should have the best state-of-the art private media channels.
Benoit Poelvoorde; of "C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous" fame, declares that his dog is fed up with interviews! Up for the watchlist: "La rançon de la gloire"
Reading: The Strain Trilogy by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan (vampires! pandemonium! virusses!)
Viewing: American Sniper (slated for best-actor Oscar later this year?): Clint Eastwood directs Bradley Cooper in a high-intensity based-on-a-true story: are snipers cowards, or defenders of freedom?
Listening to: Spotify! and Parov Stelar
Thinking: Voltaire is en vogue after last week's attacks on Charlie Hebdo: let us therefore "Judge a man by the questions he asks, not the answers he gives"!
Travelling: Paris, Barcelona, Santiago, Daegu, Washington, Algonquin Park(*), Stockholm, Dakar (that's what's on the agenda so far)
2015-01-08
Je suis Charlie
all our thoughts go out to the victims of the barbaric attack on "Charlie Hebdo" yesterday in Paris.
Eight puzzling questions:
1. why did one of the terrorists pauze to pick up a shoe on the ground before entering the runaway car after executing an already wounded police officer?
2. the attack seemed carefully prepared and orchestrated: however: how come did they end up in the wrong appartment building and why did they have to ask for directions to the right adress?
3. appearantly, the police found one of the perpetrator's identity card in the Citroen C3 car. This points to poor tradecraft? Or was it a deliberate clue? Do they want to be caught?
4. Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous in Paris and on French highways: the last runaway car must be known by the police. The exfiltration plan was appearantly well-prepared, yet sloppily executed - they choose random 2nd and 3rd stage vehicles: how long can you stay underground in our society?
****update: suspects located at 11.00 in the AISNE region*** (2015-01-08)
5. French TV coverage is very limited in images; it seems as if there is a ban on information release at this stage. There is an appearant lack of investigative reporting going on.
6. Charlie Hebdo was a very high-profile "soft" target. Close protection was "in place" and "in person" yet unsufficient against a direct hit. Appearantly, there has been increased pressure in the last weeks, why wasn't security beefed up?
7. Almost 24 hours later, no claims for responsibility have been posted on the Internet?
8. How plausible is it that a returning Jihadi trains his brother in just a couple of months in the art of urban guerilla warfare? Both seemed extremely well-trained, cold-blooded and methodic. are there training camps in Europe? And how difficult is it to get modified AK47s these days?
Eight puzzling questions:
1. why did one of the terrorists pauze to pick up a shoe on the ground before entering the runaway car after executing an already wounded police officer?
2. the attack seemed carefully prepared and orchestrated: however: how come did they end up in the wrong appartment building and why did they have to ask for directions to the right adress?
3. appearantly, the police found one of the perpetrator's identity card in the Citroen C3 car. This points to poor tradecraft? Or was it a deliberate clue? Do they want to be caught?
4. Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous in Paris and on French highways: the last runaway car must be known by the police. The exfiltration plan was appearantly well-prepared, yet sloppily executed - they choose random 2nd and 3rd stage vehicles: how long can you stay underground in our society?
****update: suspects located at 11.00 in the AISNE region*** (2015-01-08)
5. French TV coverage is very limited in images; it seems as if there is a ban on information release at this stage. There is an appearant lack of investigative reporting going on.
6. Charlie Hebdo was a very high-profile "soft" target. Close protection was "in place" and "in person" yet unsufficient against a direct hit. Appearantly, there has been increased pressure in the last weeks, why wasn't security beefed up?
7. Almost 24 hours later, no claims for responsibility have been posted on the Internet?
8. How plausible is it that a returning Jihadi trains his brother in just a couple of months in the art of urban guerilla warfare? Both seemed extremely well-trained, cold-blooded and methodic. are there training camps in Europe? And how difficult is it to get modified AK47s these days?
2015-01-05
New Year's resolutions
This guy has it right in today's FT
In his brilliant article on the January Jinx that could be titled "hmmpphh.... got to have a good New Year's resolution -- just to abandon it a couple of days later when the first work party kicks in again"; it is refreshing to read things such as
voilà; so a part from planning (my own agenda as a referee) for the boys' games of soccer in the next months and marking a couple of Sprint and Olympic distance triatlons; I'll try to up the ante and train for the 1/2 'Halven van Damme"
and a bonus one that everybody should try: "alco-lessing"; for at least a day! (objective attained already ;-) cross that one of my list
So We Wish you a lot of Optimism in 2015
In his brilliant article on the January Jinx that could be titled "hmmpphh.... got to have a good New Year's resolution -- just to abandon it a couple of days later when the first work party kicks in again"; it is refreshing to read things such as
- Most resolutions, he explains, fail because no thought is given to how they will be implemented or measured.
- “The idea is to cultivate a model of frequent re-examining.” By creating new habits, you improve your productivity in small steps.
- Continuous self-improvement should be approached in a spirit of optimism. “It’s about making good things better.”
voilà; so a part from planning (my own agenda as a referee) for the boys' games of soccer in the next months and marking a couple of Sprint and Olympic distance triatlons; I'll try to up the ante and train for the 1/2 'Halven van Damme"
and a bonus one that everybody should try: "alco-lessing"; for at least a day! (objective attained already ;-) cross that one of my list
So We Wish you a lot of Optimism in 2015
2014-11-26
World Toilet Day - 19 November
Please reflect on the fact that 1 billion people are condemned to practice open defecation and that more than 2 billion people lack access to safe sanitary services!!
2014-11-18
to watch: Interstellar
Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
2014-08-29
Matt Damon digs the real "Ice Bucket Challenge"
the only thing missing in here is that in fact more than 2 Billion people do not have their right to safe drinking water fullfilled.... and that more than a billion people are forced to practice open defecation daily.
Timely video, ahead of next week's www.WorldWaterWeek.org in Stockholm.
2014-03-31
We are f*cked
While reviled and bashed by some, it still remains an interesting read; "10 Billion" by Stephen EMMOTT details the next decades' evolution of life on planet earth, pointing out some harsh truths that we seemingly WANT to keep on ignoring.
Finish it in a speed-read session and then reflect on his conclusions "we are f*cked".
Asked what the one thing would be to teach someone that could change the course of things, the answer is
"Teach my kids how to shoot a gun".
While you can, remain an optimist!
But it doesn't hurt sometimes to delve a bit deeper into realism...
Finish it in a speed-read session and then reflect on his conclusions "we are f*cked".
Asked what the one thing would be to teach someone that could change the course of things, the answer is
"Teach my kids how to shoot a gun".
While you can, remain an optimist!
But it doesn't hurt sometimes to delve a bit deeper into realism...
2014-03-26
#ObamainBelgium - part2
@Newsmonkey_BE @FilipBelgie @vrtderedactie @destandaard @demorgen @florisvc:#ObamainBelgium: BE leads against NL pic.twitter.com/XT8nVPq6Av
— ThomasvanWaeyenberge (@thomasvw) March 26, 2014
2014-03-20
Proven - Big MoFo Bang happened, almost instantanously, everywhere, at speeds higher than speed of light: question: what came right before?
Source: FT.com - http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dd301e00-ade1-11e3-bc07-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wV5hjpjc
"Astronomers say they have found the first evidence of “gravitational waves”, ripples in the fabric of space-time, bolstering the Big Bang theory of the birth of the universe 13.8bn years ago."
"Astronomers say they have found the first evidence of “gravitational waves”, ripples in the fabric of space-time, bolstering the Big Bang theory of the birth of the universe 13.8bn years ago."
Scientists can now be more confident that the Big Bang triggered expansion at an unbelievable rate, with the newborn universe growing a trillion-trillion-trillion times in an infinitesimal fraction of a second.
“Detecting this signal is one of the most important goals in cosmology today,” said John Kovac of Harvard University, the project leader. Cosmologists not directly involved in the research joined the team in acclaiming the discovery as a landmark in understanding the universe.
Everything we can see today – galaxies, stars, planets and people – originated in tiny “quantum fluctuations” in space that were amplified exponentially by cosmic inflation.
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves almost a century ago and modern astronomers have been looking for them for several years with increasingly powerful instruments. Now the Bicep 2 radio telescope at the US polar base in Antarctica has achieved success.
“This is the most important result in our field so far this century,” said David Wands, professor of cosmology at Portsmouth University in the UK. The last discovery of comparable significance came in 1998 when astronomers found that mysterious “dark energy” was counteracting gravity and fuelling the expansion of the universe today.
The Bicep 2 telescope was built to analyse the “cosmic microwave background”. This faint radiation, which perfuses space, is often referred to as an “afterglow of the Big Bang”. It was released when the universe was 380,000 years old and, for the first time, cool enough for light to pass through space.
Although the microwave background has been mapped with increasing accuracy by satellite observatories – most recently by Europe’s Planck telescope last year – these maps have so far just shown variations in the temperature or frequency of the radiation.
Bicep 2 found subtle variations in the polarisation or orientation of the electromagnetic waves. Gravitational waves spawned by cosmic inflation would have squeezed space as they travelled through it, producing a characteristic polarisation pattern in the radiation.
“The swirly B-mode pattern [that we detected] is a unique signature of gravitational waves,” said Chao-Lin Kuo of Stanford University, another team scientist.
The South Pole is an ideal place to look for such signals because the atmosphere there is so cold, dry and stable.
The team says the polarisation is stronger than many cosmologists expected. Three years of data analysis ruled out other possible causes of the pattern and left primordial gravity waves as the only plausible explanation. “This has been like looking for a needle in a haystack but instead we found a crowbar,” commented Clem Pryke of the University of Minnesota.
Scientists will be looking to the next release of Planck satellite data later this year, which will include polarisation analysis, to confirm – or possibly disprove – the Bicep 2 discovery. Then they will be able to build confidently on inflationary theory as the basis of cosmology.
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