Yes, we might possibly insult someone...

This is a translated article from dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf" :

January 20, 2005

'Dutch flag on schoolbag deemed provocative'

AMSTERDAM - Last week a pupil of the Cals College in IJsselstein had to immediately remove a dutch flag from his schoolbag. Schoolmanagement said they considered the flag to be a provocation of the pupils of Moroccan origine.

The father of 16 year-old Patrick Balk, the pupil who had to remove the flag, said that moroccan pupils have put pressure on the management of the school to remove the flag. According to him his son just wants to join the army. He often wears armyclothing and and a military bag with the flag. According to the father the boy does not have a violent nature.

I don't know about non-violent people who want to join the army, maybe for the good food and drink??? But it is still ridiculous that you cannot show a dutch flag anymore for fear of being 'provocative'. Sometimes I envy the U.S.A. Not often, sometimes...

UPDATE : Apparently the schoolteacher(s) only advised against wearing the dutch flag. They did not forbid it. So lets get this straight : they advise against wearing the Dutch National Symbol? Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said.

ANOTHER UPDATE : As it turns out this flag-ban is not just the product of a deranged mind miles and miles away. One of the biggest schools in my hometown has had a similar but compulsary flag-ban in place for over a year now! Keep up the good work and the censorship "Groene Hart Lyceum"! Bravo...not.

Red Tape

Half the time you're reading forms and the other half your filling them in. Like I don't have anything else to do...

The Weight

Holy Mozes! Anyone who still denies that the woman has to do all the work?

Thanks to Splinter Inside for the link.

This is Benji mouse, and this is Franky mouse......

O.K. These F-16s cost some money but of course 'they are essential to the country's safety'. This article reads like the army is really using those planes to the max...

For non-dutch people here is the translation :

Mice build nests in F16-jets.

Released: january 20th 2005

LEEUWARDEN - Late november last year, at the airforcebase Leeuwarden, mice built their nests in four F-16s. The planes were parked there for some time waiting for a maintenance-inspection. Last thursday, Lt. Regnery stated that the hangars have now been made 'mice-unfriendly'.

The little beasties chewed through the planes' cabling and used these materials to build their nests. No major damage was caused, according to Regnery, although "the wiring of the planes will have to be replaced".

The Rodent-control department of the Royal Dutch Army used poison and traps to chase away the mice.

The MER in action

This animation is over two years old. I put it up here because it is beautiful. It's an impression of the mission of the MER(Mars Exploration Rover) that Nasa sent out at the time. I just wish we had access to these kind of animations when I was in highschool.

Music the hard way

The work that must have gone into this, awesome. The windows-sequencer.
I use CuBase, works a lot faster...

A bit morbid at times but quite interesting nevertheless

Don't forget to check out the 'Death-section'.
Not for the faint of heart.

Lip-synching the night away

At least Michael Jackson did his live-vocals himself. I think...

Fake it if you can't make it

Michael Jackson's Face

I know, I know, I have some special weird interest in how a man like MJ can turn out the way he is(more here). So here is another little bitty for you : Michael Jackson's Face through the years.

I believe he already sued his plastic surgeons. Judging from the work they did I wouldn't be surprised if he put a contract on their heads...

UPDATE: And here you can see the changes in an animation. Freakyyyyyyy...

Comparative Science Fiction

This guy built a site to compare the size of various spaceships, mostly SF Spaceships. Nice.

What do you call 100 dead lawyers...?

Lawyers just don't have a sense of humor. Case closed.

Update : Some more info.

How to hack properly

Pretty good hacking, this guy had access to T-Mobile for a year! And in the end the Secret Service offers him a job... Not bad, not bad at all.

Jan Peter Potter speaks

Only interesting for people who understand Dutch : The BalkenendeSpeak-Generator!

Reads like actual quotes from the PM. Head on guys, head on...

Dave Barry, columnist

Always funny, sometimes very funny: Dave Barry
The column changes frequently and I haven't found an archive-link yet.
At the moment the story is about glue. Strong stuff....

UPDATE : a friendly anonymous guest supplied this link to a Dave Barry Page. This one is from the Miami Herald, not the New York Daily News and it was snowed under a bit after Barry started publishing in the NYDN.

Thanks go out to Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous.

Get a LIFE you no-good workshy idiot!

'nuff said :

Waiting for Vader

In Gates we trust.

Microsoft will introduce antispyware-software. Isn't that some kind of contradiction in terms?

Defense and the National Interest

I'm not sure I agree with these people but at least it is interesting to see military men discuss war intelligently. Lots of information by the way, quite a read.

Gravitational anomaly?

Fascinating, as Mr. Spock would say... Whatever happened to gravity?

The Alderson Drive is coming soon to a planet near you... (tip o' the hat to Niven and Pournelle).

Take Out The Trash Day

I take it every weblogger will put this on his or her page. But still, Yeck!!

Useless best wishes

And of course my completely useless but well meant best wishes for the new year. Or as I'd rather call it "the now year".

Why not start with good intentions? Donate to Giro 555 or any local organisation so they can do more for the people in Asia.