Vergane glorie : Cornelis

For all people who use the Babelfish...


De Jantjes Blues.


Jantje was aan 't wandelen op het Leidse Plein
Toen vond ie een rijksdaalder en dat vond ie fijn
Hij kocht er zoute pinda's voor, sigaretten en drop
Kortom in no-time waren al z'n centen op

Maar hij werd geschaduwd door een brigadier
Die zei tegen Jantje "Kom jij maar eens hier"
'Kweenie of je 't weet maar rijksdaalders op straat'
'Zijn verloren goederen en horen aan de Staat'

De rechter zei 'Hee Jantje, weet jij wel wat je bent?'
'Dat noemen wij juridisch een jeugd-delinquent'
'Een schande voor je ouders, je toekomst naar de maan'
'Want als je later groot bent krijg je nooit een goede baan'

'Stik maar' zei Jantje, 'met je kouwe kak'
'Ma die is de hort op en pa zit in de bak'
'Wat die er van zeggen lap ik aan mijn schoen'
'En als ik later groot ben zorg ik zelf wel voor m'n poen'

Men haalde er een heel stel psychologen bij
Die vond hem een gevaar voor de maatschappij
Vandaag een rijksdaalder, morgen een huis
Hopsakee de bajes in en weg met dat gespuis

Op z'n verjaardag zat Jantje in de cel
Er kwam geen visite maar kadootjes krijg hij wel
Ma stuurde een ijzerzaag, pa stuurde een boor
'Daar gaat ie dan' zei Jantje en hij ging er vandoor

Buiten de bajes zag hij een auto staan
'Ik leen hem maar' zei Jantje, zo gezegd en zo gedaan
Maar in een scherpe bocht kreeg die kar een lekke band
Sloeg zeven maar over de kop en vloog toen in de brand

Hiermede eindigt het verhaal van onze held
Een Blues voor Jantje zongen de vogels in het veld
Jezus, zei de dominee, sta zijn zieltje bij
Maar Jantje had er maling aan want Jantje was vrij
Jantje was vrij, Jantje was vrij...


Cornelis Vreeswijk

Ye Olde Banners

"Even if the flag burning amendment does become law, the larger problem will remain of how to respectfully dispose of older, tattered flags. Well, fortunately the U.S. official Flag Code has a suggestion about this.

Quote: 'The flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.'

Owwwwcchh.

In response, the House Republicans are calling for tattered flags to be kept alive via a feeding tube."


Jon Stewart

Jimi

The story of life


The story of Jesus
so easy to explain
After they crucified him,
a woman, she claimed his name
The story of Jesus
the whole bible knows
went all across the desert
and in the middle, he found a rose

There should be no questions
there should be no lies
He was married ever happily after
All the tears we cry
No use in arguing
all the use to the man that moans
When each man falls in battle
his soul it has to roam
Angles of heaven
flying saucers to some,
made Easter Sunday
the name of the rising sun

The story is written
by so many people who dared,
to lay down the truth
to so very many who cared
to carry the cross
of Jesus and beyond
We will guide the light
this time with a woman in our arms
We as men
can't explain the reason why
the woman's always mentioned
at the moment that we die
All we know
is God is by our side,
and he says the word
so easy yet so hard

I wish not to be alone,
so I must respect my other heart
Oh, the story
of Jesus is the story
of you and me
No use in feeling lonely,
I am searching to be free

The story
of life is quicker
than the wink of an eye
The story of love
is hello and goodbye
Until we meet again

The last words on paper of Jimi Hendrix

The Ministry of Truth at work

Found in Athens, Georgia...


I had doubts as to where we're going
but I gotta hand it to the Man upstairs
I've been put on a whole new programme
Don't have to handle my own affairs
Everything I need is on my print-out
I don't need anything anymore
I'n not confused by useless knowledge
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Rules rule O.K. ask no questions
Welcome to the Age of Consent
Fasten seatbelt, drive with caution
Don't take shots at the President
Robotman's a wonderful creation
Automatically obeys the laws
Laws of Nature, Man and Science
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

What I need is some real emotion
Little love and and a lot of despair
Robotman's got a brandnew problem
Robotman don't know how to care
I paid my dues but the dudes won't let me
I cry out but who the Hell for?
I don't even know what it means to suffer
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Nine-teen-eighty-four..?

Tim Rice/Rick Wakeman

Observations from the sideline - GWB

"George Bush often states that he reads the Bible every day. And I'm thinking: "You're 55 years old, finish the damn book!"

Towelday!

Don't forget the 25th of May is Towelday!.

The making of Superman, an interesting story from behind the scenes

This article reads like an absurdist movie... "Who is this K'Al El' you keep mentioning?"(This coming from the man who was actually heavily involved in the first Superman-movies!!!)

Superman V : The Whole Sordid Saga.

Faith-based disaster planning

"When President Bush was in New Orleans, he said 'We pray there is no hurricane coming this year.' This is what we call faith-based disaster planning."

Jay Leno

Ahhhh, the joys of Bush-bashing... :-)

B5 gives you the finger...

My new wallpaper. A bit too big to publish here, so here's the link...

50 ways to kill an ensign...

A bit of good filk is never a bad idea...

Acoustic acoustics...

Well I finally made the decision to take up the acoustic guitar again. Haven't played it seriously for 7 or 8 years now, too busy and after all; my synthesizers and the band took up most of my time. Now that Solid Air has ceased to be(at least in its last incarnation) I finally have the time to go back to 6 strings, 6 pegs and two hands and a G-string...

In the previous century(I love the way that sounds!) I used to do gigs in small venues. Mixing originals songs and covers, I always tried to find a good mix of songs. Songs that either everybody knew but hadn't heard in years, song that almost nobody knew but which were - in my opinion - absolutely brilliant, and some of my own stuff if it wasn't too bad compared to the covers I played on a night. Songs like 'Don't dream it's over' as well as the works of Loudon Wainwright and Bruce Cockburn are now much better known in my hometown than they were... Possibly because of the way I 'played' them(I ain't going there people! ;-)).

So now I'm back in that saddle, trying to get my fingers flexible enough again to work the songs I want to play. Mind you ; I am definitely not one of those guitar-wizards who can play the intro to 'Oh Well' twice as fast as Peter Green could. I get by and I can support the songs I am singing.

So what's the score Norah? So far I have made a first selection of songs to be played. This is not the definitive set because I always keep tweaking the list until say a week or so before the gig. But this is what I'm thinking of.


Neil Young - Ohio / Southern Man
Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren
Loudon Wainwright - He said, she said
Original song - Somewhere in '06
Queen - '39
Original song - After loving you
Bruce Cockburn - Outside a broken phonebooth with money in my hand
Crowded House - Whispers and moans
Robbie Williams - Better man
Rory Gallagher - For the last time
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Tracey Chapman - Fast Car / Revolution
Todd Rundgren - Love of the common man
Fleetwood Mac - Man of the world
Loudon Wainwright - Career moves
John Lennon - Working Class Hero
Neil Young - (keep on) Rocking in the Free World


Added May 11th :

The Church - Under the Milky Way
Michael Penn - No Myth


And on it goes...

Neil may be back...

Just heard the other day that Neil Young has apparently just finished a new record. That is nothing new of course. However, I heard that the album is one long attack on the current Bush-administration. Coming from the man who has become what Bob Dylan should have been, this is interesting news to me.

I heard that the album was recorded in three days(!) with a drummer, a bassplayer, a trumpettist and a 100-persons mixed choir. And Neil Young of course. ;-)

The only song on the album of which the title was 'leaked' is apparently called 'Let's impeach the President'...

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming
We're finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio"

"Ohio"

He really is one of those songwriters I have always admired. He never did fit into a box labeled 'Pop' or 'Rock' or 'Country' or or or...

Neil Young = Neil Young...

Tourism down, and nobody saw it coming??

According to MSNBC tourism in the US is down by about 286 billion dollars. And nobody saw it coming? Talk about not thinking things through before you start treating all foreigners like unwanted aliens who have to get retina-scans, special visa, etcetera.

I'd rather go somewhere where I feel welcome.

Source.

A quick Fixx

Privilege


So correct me if I'm wrong,
though a day's twenty four hours long
How come you feel unwired and disconnected
Draw attention to yourself
is your life a living hell?
Change your act, rewrite the script the way you planned it

Radio news reports
Truth and fact distorts
And the world's majority is understated
If the views are on your mind
It's the wavelength you must find
Be prepared to hold your weight
Huh! Hah!

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

When a week has just three days
It's the young that always pay
But who keeps the cold at bay with understanding?
If there's a dying urge inside
To release forgotten pride
Don't rely on words of gloom
Don't be disjointed

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing we can try
There's always something else to do

Heretic the witch was right
She had the frequency
She has the potency
Energy the time is right
To fight for decency

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's never anything to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

How?
How I begin, Tell me how, How?
I tune in, Tell me how, How?
When do I tune in for now?
Draw attention to yourself
Are you tuned into the show?
She had the frequency
She has the potency...

Times 10

Another ten years or so and we can all go to Australia and be back in time for tea and crumpets. The tickets may be a bit expensive but well, you do get a nice ride.

Whitney Houston's Fall

I never really liked Whitney Houston and I couldn't care less about "OOOOOOOWWWWW I Want To DANCE With Somebodeee-ee-eeeeee". But here is one prime example of someone going under, someone cracking up(no pun intended) under the pressure of the business and under the influence of drugs. Smokinig crack in a cigar filled with marijuana. Really...

How the hell can someone who had everything fall so deep?

To paraphrase Liz Taylor : "Whitney and Bobby, sad, sad, sad"...

This is a test using Deepest Sender

Let's see if this works. I just installed Firefox-extension 'Deepest Sender'. This extension allows me to post to my blog straigh from a Mozilla-window.

Testing....testing....

IT Agony Bingo

An exceptionally brillant installment of my favourite online-comic.

Another weblog...

A great weblog from a very intelligent guy : David Byrne.

Song to the Siren

Especially for my friend KidVic, Tim Buckley's 'Song to the Siren' by The Czars.

On the floating, shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
til your singing eyes and fingers
drew me loving into your eyes.
And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me;
Let me enfold you."
Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?

Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken lovelorn on your rocks.
For you sang, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow."
Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow.
I'm as puzzled as a newborn child.
I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or shall I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you."
"Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."

Oh, and here you can see Tim Buckley sing the song himself.

And a big thank you to Dertigers, a terrific weblog for the alternative over-aged... ;-)

Donald Fagen

And while I'm at it, you can find the new Donald Fagen here. Also very relaxed and very much Fagen...

Black Sweat... Yeah!

Anyone interested in the new Prince(video) ? I am! That man has more RnB in his little finger then most full bands have together...

Really addictive sand...

Really addictive sand...

Marlee and me

I'm going to buy this book when I can get my hands on a copy. It sounds a bit like the early work of John Irving.

Well I ain't laughing...

Just in the news :

"German sentenced for selling toiletpaper with 'Koran' written on it to mosque.

Today the 61-year old german Manfred von H. was sentenced to a probationary prison-sentence of 1 year by a German court. Manfred von H. created toilet-paper with the word 'Koran' printed on it and tried to sell it to a mosque.

Von H. included a letter with his merchandise, in which he described the Koran as 'a cookbook for terrorists'. According to the German court he is therefor guilty of insulting the Islamic faith and disturbing the peace.

Von H. wanted to use the proceeds(...) of his project to build a monument for 'all victims of Islamic terror'."

So this is funny??? Well I ain't laughing. This has nothing to do with 'Freedom of Speech' or 'Freedom of Expression', this is meant purely and solely as an insulting provocation. Not just printing the word 'Koran' on toilet-paper, but then trying to sell it to a mosque... How insulting can you get?

If this complete asshole would have had both his legs and arms broken by furious muslims I wouldn't lift a fucking finger to help him. Everybody who reads this blog(all two of you out there...) knows that I want nothing to do with organized religion, that I see it as the ancient remains of a time when gods served their purpose in society. But this has nothing to do with the freedom of expression. This is called 'unnecessary insult'.

So it is now time for me to turn the world around for a change :

These kind of western(probably white) idiots give me not only a bad taste in my mouth, they also give me a bad name in this world.

As far as I'm concerned he drops dead right now. Idiots I can do without. Sometimes I wish evolution would breed out the dross a bit faster.

Roe v. Wade

The moment everyone was waiting for since Bush appointed the new judges to the Supreme Court.
South Dakota's first, who's next?

Peasantry

I know I keep going on about this 'Fred-guy'. But he hits it right on the nail again, for me that is... Maybe that's why some people call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...WhAtEvAh!

Read it first. And look deep deep into the darker spots in your so pure and democratic soul... and THEN call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...

wHaTeVaH!

Truthdig

Today I added Truthdig to the links-list. Nice site, lots of information, lots to read.

DigiLove...or is it...?

This is an interesting article about a couple who gave each other RFID-chips for Valentine's Days. They are implanted in their wrist I assume.

The thing is, in this day of worldchaos and paranoia, that the first thing I thought was 'how many ex-CIA prisoners have been released with one of these things implanted in their bodies?'.

Paranoia spreads...

So long Andreas

"I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying." - Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar


G'Kar is dead. What more can I add than this quote?

"The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn, or Human, or Centauri, or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope; It speaks in the language of trust; It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us, And the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says: We are one. No matter the blood; No matter the skin; No matter the world; No matter the star; We are one. No matter the pain; No matter the darkness; No matter the loss; No matter the fear; We are one. Here, gathered together in common cause. we agree to recognise this singular truth, and this singular rule: That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one."

Until we meet again Andreas, in a place where no shadows fall.

Anonymous Lawyer

This is a good spoof-site.

"Sunday is help my family spend my paycheck day. Anyone want a pony?"

Phil's legacy

From my all-time favourite rock-poet.
Long may he be remembered


Got To Give It Up

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my mama and tell my pa
That their fine young son didn't get far
He made it to the end of a bottle
Sitting in a sleazy bar

He tried hard but his spirit broke
He tried until he nearly choked
In the end he lost his
Bottle drinking alcohol

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my brother I tried to write
Put pen to paper but I was frightened
I couldn't seem to get the words out right
Right quite right
Tell my sister I'm sinking slow
Now and again I powder my nose
In the end I lost my bottle
It smashed in a casbah

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up

I've been messing with the heavy stuff
For a time I couldn't get enough
But I'm waking up and it's wearing off
Junk don't take you far

Tell my Mama I'm coming home
In my youth I'm getting older
And I think it's lost control
Mama I'm coming home

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff


Phil Lynott (1949-1986)

Angels with dirty faces

To allow Iran to have a nucleair arsenal would be to introduce an uncertain unstable factor in an already unstable world. They won't throw that bomb at us once they have it. It could take years. And even if it would never happen, there would be no way to threathen Iran into normal behaviour. That goes straight out the window once the other side has nukes.

And I am not even *talking* about supplying that stuff to rogue groups and then sit back and watch...

Scenario : Iran supplies a nuke to Al Qaida who detonate it in Egypt.
Doomsdays : Israel gets the fall out and decides to act as if they were themselves the target. Who knows they weren't? Put the nuke at the border. It isn't like you can actually *see* the impact. Egypt is no more, thus giving the more militant regimes/countries the chance to take over. After an extensive investigation America finds out where the nuke came from; No More Iran. But will they have hidden two or three nukes outside of Iran? No one knows.

Scenario : Iran invades Iraq after the Americans are gone. America cannot act against a nucleair power(see first scenario). Greater Iran threathens Saoudi Arabia; comply or be destroyed. The Saoudis do not have nukes. And they're muslims anyway...

Now ask yourself : what would happen to the oil-supply?

I can think of 10 of those scenario's. Tom Clancy can come up with a hundred. Yes, I'm worried.


So many democratic countries have decided not to have nukes. And *those* countries, mainly arabic if not muslim, just can't wait. Obviously we may have learned something when we bombed Japan, the Middle East did not have that experience.

Let me ask you this : If Hitler would have had the bomb, a button right there in the bunker in 1945. Do you honestly think Europe would still exist?

Education? Nah, don't need it.

Everybody is complaining about the quality of tuition and education nowadays, both in Europe and in the United States. The forecasts are that young people will finish school allright, but they will also be less educated than earlier generations.

So you would think that the government would invest heavily into educational programs etcetera.

And what does G. W. Bush do? Cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts...

In his $2.77 billion budget, Bush asks Congress to sharply cut or eliminate 141 government programs. Almost one-third of the targeted programs are in education, including ones that provide money to support the arts, vocational education, parent resource centers and drug-free schools.

But of course there is a reason for squandering the nation's future working capital :

"My administration has focused the nation's resources on our highest priority -- protecting our citizens and our homeland," Bush said in his budget message.

Protecting them? How? With dumb people I guess. It's no wonder that the Bush-administration wants to recruit for the army on the school-campus. There won't be any education left if this goes on, so what else can you do than join the army to kill the boredom?

Bush's spending proposals are for the 2007 budget year that begins October 1. The $2.77 trillion in spending would be up 2.3% from projected spending of $2.71 trillion this year.

The administration in its budget documents said the deficit for this year will soar to an all-time high of $423 billion, reflecting increased outlays for the Iraq war and hurricane relief.

So they're too busy spending money on a war that they misjudged, and on rebuilding dikes they shouldn't have neglected in the first place. Both decisions of THIS government, not the previous one(s).

Way to go George. I think they should name a hurricane especially after you. Make it a category five.

Justified outrage...

Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim officials block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims cut off the heads of three teenaged girls on their way to school in Indonesia. A Christian school. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage.

A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. Muslims shoot children in the back. No Muslim outrage.

Let's go way back. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and busses. Over 700 are injured. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. No Muslim outrage

Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. No Muslim outrage.


Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed.

Muslims are outraged...

So this is offensive too???

Crusader

"What do I do next?" said the Bishop to the Priest,
"I have spent my whole life waiting, preparing for the Feast,
And now you say Jerusalem has fallen and is lost,
The King of Heathen Saracen has seized the holy cross."

Then the Priest said "Oh my Bishop, we must put them to the sword,
For God in all his mercy will find a just reward,
For the Noblemen and sinners, and Knights of ready hand
Who will be the Lord's Crusader, send word throughout all the land,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost;"

"Tell me what to do", said the King upon his throne,
"but speak to me in whispers for we are not alone,
They tell me that Jerusalem has fallen to the hand
Of some bedevilled Eastern heathen who has seized the Holy land;"

Then the Chamberlain said "Lord, we must call upon our foes
In Spain and France and Germany to end our bitter wars,
All Christian men must be as one and gather for the fight,
You will be their leader, begin the battle cry,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost"...

Ooh, high on a hill, in the town of Jerusalem,
There stood Saladin, the King of the Saracens,
Whoring and drinking and snoring and sinking, around him his army lay,
Secure in the knowledge that they had won the day;

A messenger came, blood on his feet and a wound in his chest,
"The Christians are coming!" he said, "I have seen their Cross in the West,"
In a rage Saladin struck him down with his knife
And he said "I know that this man lies,
They quarrel too much, the Christians could never unite!

I am invincible, I am the King,
I am invincible, and I will win..."

Close they came, the army of Richard the Lionheart,
Marching by day and night, with soldiers from every part,
And when the Crusaders came over the mountain and they saw Jerusalem,
They fell to their knees and prayed for her release;

They started the battle at dawn, taking the city by storm,
With horsemen and bowmen and engines of war,
They broke through the city walls,
The Heathens were flying and screaming and dying,
And the Christian swords were strong,
And Saladin ran when he heard their victory song;

"We are invincible, God is the King,
We are invincible, and we will win!"

"What do I do now?" said the Wiseman to the Fool,
"I have spent my whole life searching, to find the Golden Rule,
Though centuries have disappeared, the memory still remains
Of those enemies together, could it be that way again?"

Then the Fool said "Oh you Wise men, you really make me laugh,
With your talk of vast persuasion and searching through the past,
There is only greed and evil in the men that fight today,
The Song of the Crusader has long since gone away,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost...
Jerusalem."


Chris De Burgh

Civilization Part XXIII

Nope, nothing to add to this.

Bill seems to be growing...

I've said it before: I am starting to get over my dislike for Bill more and more. Thirty billion dollars in the war-chest of his charity-foundation, and now this...

Lyrics-time - ah, my hero!

A million old soldiers will fade away
But a dream goes on forever
I’m left standing here, I’ve got nothing to say
All is silent within my dream

A thousand true loves will live and die
But a dream lives on forever
The days and the years will go streaking by
But the time has stopped in my dream

We all have our everyday hopes and fears
And you’ll find no exception in me
But that doesn’t get me through a sea of tears
Over life’s biggest tragedy

You’re so long ago and so far away
But my dream lives on forever
I guess I believe that I’ll see you one day
For without it there is no dream

You’re so far away and so long ago
But my dream goes on forever
And how much I loved you you’ll never know
’til you join me within my dream

"A dream goes on forever" by Todd Rundgren

P.S. And especially for my girlfriend here is another one from Todd that I am sure a lot of people can relate to : "I Hate My Friggin' I.S.P."

Trolling trolling trolling, keep those spammers trolling...

This may take you some time to read.

There is this person on a forum(about the work of Joe Michael Straczinsky) that I frequently visit. His nickname is Der Mike. He posts only in one or two threads on the off-topic forum, but when He does He is right. Because He is Der Mike and He is always right. Even when He is not, Der Mike is right. So bow before Der Mike and shower him with gifts. Because He is always right.

Some links to direct postings. Read it and be amazed. This takes trolling to a whole new level for me.


First we use the Qu'ran for loo-paper.

Then, according to Der Mike, the american people don't have to show any compassion or whatever towards non-american citizens and they do not have to apply their own principles to foreigners. But still they do, just because they are such nice people.

Next is the Supreme Court, who have no right to decide if someone has the right to an attorney of not. Oh yeah; and obviously my thoughts aren't worth anything compared to the Words of Wisdom of Der Mike.

If you don't say and believe exactly what your government says you are a radical left-wing commie. George Knows Best!

It just so happens that Kaiser Mike mixes up the names of the people he is responding to. But to a giant such as Der Mike this is of no significance.

In the meantime, The Honoured One has decided to change my nickname. And along the way he states that there was no torture in Iraq, as a matter of fact "I would kill for our soldiers to be treated as humanely as we treated the subhumans opposing us". Well done Sir! Sub-humans, of course! How obvious! May I point out that subhumans translates into German as "untermensch"? It does give it a more fascist overtone doesn't it?

Oh yes: and after Theo van Gogh was murdered the only response from the dutch was to be nice to the muslims. There were no burning churches, there were no death-threats, absolutely not! He should know, for He is Der Mike.

In response to a remark about the dead civilian Iraqis, Our Lord and Saviour states that nothing is true. There are no massacres in Iraq because the Jenin massacre was not true either. I guess that's also why they don't have to count dead Iraqis: there ARE no dead Iraqis. At least none we speak of...

And again, I don't know anything about Van Gogh, Der Mike Knows All though. I take it that Our Mike especially learned dutch so he could check out http://www.degezonderoker.nl

But wait: we were talking about Iraq. And we'd better talk politely, or we are the devil's spawn. Paid by Saddam Hussein.

The brilliant Der Mike of course needs proof. Not, that anybody sees any links from Der Mike himself. They must be too highly classified to divulge to the public...

But on we go: to Iraq to dismantle the Weapon of Mass Distraction. Although, after long deliberation Der Mike decides that only 'some' of the WMD's were not destroyed.

Here is some more denial and the first mention of him 'getting personal'... The fact that he has been hammering away at everyone is of no importance. For He is Der Mike.

Of course everything is a left-wing conspiracy, not to be believed ever...

On to the subject of James Hatfield, the deceased writer of 'Fortunate Son', a book about George W. Bush. And yes, I DO know what Soft Skull Publishing is and I knew all about James Hatfield's criminal record years ago.

"I don't need to read a book before I condemn it..."

"Only people who think like me are right. I really don't give a fuck about what you say, only I am important here." Now let's have a discussion...

Here's a whole new question from DM. Which I'm sure he will also give the answer to soon...

AIDS is of course a left-wing conspiracy. I knew that...

But hold on! It's not just Europe and the Middle East: according to our saviour, Mexico is a corrupt shitheap.

Of course no Der Mike would be a REAL Der Mike if he wouldn't rehash an old posting of mine. Of course Mr. Mike does not publish a reference, supplies no links, quotes out of context, and names no author.

And in comes Mr. Godwin! I wondered where he was.

Ah but Mr. Mike did not publish my nickname and the link to the original article to PROTECT me! Isn't he a dearheart?

Denying denial! Lovely...

And of course meanwhile in Iraq, the Qu'ran is a violent and cruel book(TM: true) as opposed to The Bible...

In the meantime Mike solves global pollution, there IS NO GLOBAL WARMING! Get that through your thick skull! Thank God for this man, this giant, our hero! I'll sleep so much better now.

Oh, did I mention that Mexico is a shitheap?. And yet another fellow-forumposter is affronted. But of course Kaiser Mike would NEVER stoop to personal insults as I would...

Of course it is completely unimportant that the fellow-forumposter may not come from Mexico at all...

The benign Deity lovingly permits another person to speak too.

And for the record : 'We can do without your kind'is NOT a personal insult. And neither is calling a country a shitheap in the face of someone of whom you THINK he lives there. It is only when others do this that it is called 'insulting'. When Kaiser Mike does it it's called 'honesty' and 'frankness'.

Obviously - who could have doubted it? - Der Mike is a trained theologian. So he can explain in fine details why it is that the baptists are a religious sect. On the same note; so is the catholic church. How they ever managed to agree on never ever changing the contents of the Bible is way beyond me though.


I give Der Mike a 9.8 for trolling. He wins the 2005 Troll-Award.

A Los Angeles Times column

Regardless whether this guy is right or wrong, I imagine it takes some nerve to publish a column like this at the moment.

* update : Been reading this guy's columns, he's pretty funny...

And now for a song...

And sometimes it's time for a song...

Sketches of Pain Lyrics

Daylight Saved
Daylight Saved
To spite the dark
In spite of the darkness
There I'll crave
There I'll crave
To get to the heart
In spite of the darkness

Great wide stretches of canvas
Signed by a godless name
Strange bright colours of madness
Only a fool would frame
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain

Some cry shame
Some cry shame
We tore them apart
We failed to imagine
God might claim
God might claim
The works of art
We failed to imagine

Great wide stretches of canvas
Signed by a godless name
Strange bright colours of madness
Only a fool would frame
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain...

Roland Orzabal

What's another million searches...?

Kosh-mode

And so it begins...

/Kosh-mode

Google Suggest - Beta-version

Anybody worked with this yet? What will they think of next at Google...?

Oh, try 'towelmaster'... I'm Number One!!!

George and Jezus

An entirely aserious article with a kernel or two of truth in it.

"Cultural War Christians Rally Against Jesus on Supreme Court"

"Paul Milquetoast Wingnut, the conservative chairman of the Save Congress Foundation, warned White House Political Advisor Karl Rove against nominating Mr. Christ, whose liberal views on the poor and dispossessed are considered too radical and "out of step with America's religious values."

Between Gitmo and Gulag - American Freedom

I really cannot say that I have have a clear idea of what the American public thinks of American politics over the last 25 years. But I do know that on the outside looking in, everybody could have seen it coming and a lot people DID see it coming. The erosion of the constitution by the political elite. Politics is supposed to be a process that helps govern and unite a country. Not divide it. And then this(for instance) : Absolute despotism does not help, I think.

There is no such thing as 'an absolute truth' in politics. But the foundation should be something everybody can agree on.

Links like the one above tend to p*ss off some people, but you tell me : where are the(fundamental) differences between the Soviet State and the current 'measures' the American administration thinks they have to take? What is the difference between Gitmo and the Gulag? And I do not mean practical differences, I do not mean the nitpicking differences(we treat them better, they at least get food from us, etcetera). I am talking about holding people for years (I could understand a few months) without accusing them, without the right to a trial, without the right to appeal to the American Constitution. Well, they do have the right to appeal, if they can get the word out. But as we have seen recently, the Bush-administration threw out the Supreme Court's decision by going back to the senate and congress and have them create an exception to the rule.

You know what ? This posting sounds dangerously left-wing and communist. Thankfully, my opinions are shared quite often with free-thinkers like Fred Reed and the likes. And absolutely no one can be serious when they accuse Fred of being left-wing. The guy worked for Soldier of Fortune for years! He's seen more battlefields than you and I can list. A commie he ain't...

As a dutchman who is on the outside looking in I ask again and again and again : What the H*ll is happening with the beautiful 'house' the Americans built? Where is the uproar because Washington restricts air-travel for 12-year olds because they share a name with someone who is suspected of having been to Afghanistan once? Where is the uproar when the government eavesdrops on THOUSANDS of its own citizen while refusing to request a warrant(that they would get without objection)?

Where are all those free-spirited Americans? Where are the completely american independents who are prepared to defend their compound in Waco, but who do not defend themselves against the most covert and powerful american administration America has ever seen? And why oh why is it now a national(mostly republican) hobby to accuse everyone who does not fully support Bush's war of being 'unpatriotic'? That last one makes the skin of a lot of people over here crawl. It leads to fascism. Nobody can say otherwise. It has been proved over and over again, and not just in Germany 1933. Everywhere except in the United Stated, the 'last beacon of hope'. Until now.

And by the way : there is a reason for Godwin's Law("mention Nazi-Germany or Hitler in a discussion and you automatically lose"). Everything bad we have seen in the last 70 odd years is compared to the Nazi-regime because it was the epitome of evil. It is indeed the end to all discussions. In this case it had better be the start of one...

Keep in mind that as good as no one in Europe gloats over this. Quite the opposite: a lot of people here are very worried. And I say with good reason too. After all, we do have some experience with these situations and so far they have all resulted in chaos.

And in this frame of mind, I am glad I come across the counter-voices, even if only on the web. Like this one :

The Declaration of independence and The Constitution built upon it make it absolutely clear that We the People of America are the only Sovereign Power of America and that any government has authority to make or execute our laws only to the extent that We grant that government our Consent to do so.

This is quite a contrast with what we are seeing from abroad. And it worries us. I am grateful that the web gives everyone the chance to speak his or her mind. You can stifle the media but you cannot shutdown the web.

Yet. For as long as it lasts.

The new Fred

The new Fred is here. "Hitler was a consumer product." Hmmm...

It's HOT! DAMN HOT!!

No worries mate. Let's find us a Billabong! Crikey! it's a bit warm...

Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West

An interesting article about a book about the relationship between Europe and the United States. I might buy the book itself.

Atheism

Why am I an atheist? Well here's a big read to clarify it a bit.

UK in the news

Big Brutha'z cumm'n a git ya...

Christmas presents ideas

Baby Bush Toys! Get them while you can!

The voyage of the Space Beagle

Well it looks like Beagle 2 has been found. Remember when it got lost on Mars?

Tom Fox

Perhaps you have heard by now that another American was beheaded in Iraq. What makes it somewhat more close to home is the fact that the victim kept his own weblog.

Read it, it will make you wonder why this man was targeted, and then you will realize once again that convictions have nothing to do with the killing in Iraq. The killings are stereotypes: "You're American so you bad man." "You Iraqi so you bad by definition". It really doesn't go much beyond that.

This man's blog proves that there may be something to be said for weblogs after all. These are all of his own words remaining and they should lack an expirationdate, they should be protected.


Waiting in the light.

Leo McGarry R.I.P.

Sad news for all West Wing-fans. John Spencer died yesterday.

Tom Cruise Fanpage... sort of...

Tom Cruise is nuts. Nothing to add...

Update : Yes I do. Here's a link I found while going through the above site : BitterWaitress.

Robert Sheckley R.I.P.

Robert Sheckley died last night. For those who didn't know him here is a famous short story.

Life imitating art

If you're seen 'The Day after Tomorrow" you should recognize this news about the gulfstream.

Sneddon, vulture by conviction.

The guy fled the country asshole. You should know when to quit.

BOFH - The Archives

There you go; the complete Bastard Operator From Hell-archives.
Enjoy... And please don't strangle you systemsoperator the moment you see him. Please?

PHaSers???

Just when you think the StarTrek-influence has gone on long enough you get this...

Rants, Raves and Reviews

Over 30 years old and feeling nostalgic? Try this...

Eat my shorts du-u-u-de! Well like gag me with a spoon, that is soooo RAD, you studmuffin!

Aaaah, memories...

Annoying phonecalls...

Read Dave Barry here. I can't seem to link directly to the article so here goes...


Lesson in futility just a phone call away

Today, I want to CLICK. Excuse me. Okay. Today, I want to talk about CLICK.

Excuse me again. Okay, where were we? Oh, yeah, I was saying that CLICK. Never mind, just ignore it. I was saying that I want to CLICK about this major stride forward in CLICK phone technology called "call waiting," which is such a big CLICKing convenience that I'd like to find the CLICK who invented it and. ...

No, wait, let me just calm down here. Some readers may not even know what I'm talking about. Some readers are probably living in backward, soybean-infested regions that don't even have the incredible convenience of "call waiting." So let me explain how it works: If you're on the phone with Party A, and Party B tries to call you, both you and Party A will hear an interruption noise, which alerts you to press your disconnect button so you can talk to Party B, who, trust me, has absolutely nothing important to tell you, so you say you'll call back and resume talking with Party A for 10 full seconds, until you hear another interruption noise indicating that you have a vitally unimportant call from Party C, and so on down the alphabet until Party A decides to drive over to your house and strangle you.

Doesn't this sound terrific, soybean people? Doesn't it sound modern? To give you a clear picture of what you're missing, let me compare "call waiting" to an everyday domestic situation. Let's say I'm having dinner with my wife and 8-year-old son, and my wife and I are discussing the kind of important issue that normal, mature, married adults discuss at dinner:

ME: It does WHAT when you flush it?

MY WIFE: It makes kind of a banging sound.

ME: A banging sound?

MY WIFE: Yes. And there are these little like electric sparks coming. ...

OUR SON (interrupting): How come. ...

MY WIFE: Robert, please don't interrupt.

ME: Sparks? MY WIFE: Yes, and they're. ...

OUR SON (interrupting): But I was just gonna ask you. ...

MY WIFE: Wait, Robert!

ME: There are sparks?

MY WIFE: Yes, they're coming from. ...

OUR SON: But this is IMPORTANT!

MY WIFE: ALL RIGHT, Robert. What IS it?

OUR SON: How come my left arm tastes saltier than my right arm?

"Call waiting" is very similar to this. It's kind of like an electronic 8-year-old who is simply incapable of shutting up while you are conversing with somebody else. The differences are that 1.) an 8-year-old does not have the gall to charge you a monthly fee for this service; and 2.) an 8-year-old can interrupt you only if he's in the same room, whereas with the incredible capabilities of "call waiting," your conversations can be interrupted by everybody in the entire world who has access to a telephone. It doesn't even have to be a person. A computer can interrupt you. In fact, through a combination of "call waiting" and "auto-dialing," it is now technically possible for your telephone conversations to be interrupted by a trained chicken.

It's just so darned convenient that I can hardly wait to see what exciting new services the telephone people will come up with next. Maybe they'll offer "call fabricating," wherein your phone becomes bored and rings for no reason; or "call misrepresenting," wherein your callers' voices are electronically altered so that you hear the OPPOSITE of what they actually said.

But what I, personally, would like to see - call me a dreamer - would be some kind of service wherein if you were talking to somebody and a third person tried to call either of you, your call could not be interrupted.

Instead, the third person would hear a special tone - we could call it a "busy signal" - telling him that a conversation was already in progress, so he'll have to try again later. But I doubt we'll ever see this come about.

The concept is far too complex to be grasped by a certain type of telecommunications consumer. I am thinking primarily of the chicken.

This is a classic Dave Barry column.

Originally published on November 26, 2005

New layout

This is the new layout. The main change is the links-section.

There are some quite creative people out there, thanks for the help!

Right, Left, Up, Down. The complete bankrupcy of the debating-culture in the Netherlands.

More and more often people sigh(and I'm one of them) : "Any feeling for proportions and nuance that the Dutch had is completely gone". People compare Pim Fortuyn's openness with the bluntness of a 'professional' footballplayer who calls the referee 'a retard with Down's syndrome'. All this carefully protected by the right to 'Freedom Of Speech' of course... They continuously confuse Pim Fortuyn with Theo van Gogh because, hey, they were both murdered and that forges a bond between them... We don't look any further back than three years because our attention span isn't that long anymore and we don't look into the future more than one day at the time. We only have time for soundbites - and only if they are under 5 seconds long and involve naked women.

The Netherlands has moved to the right of the political spectrum the last few years. And that is not such a bad thing; I personally think we needed to. What IS a bad thing, is that 'The New Political Right' almost constantly proves that the 'Elitist Leftwing' is correct in their assessment. Their prejudice that the new Right Wing dutchmen - especially the LPF-voters(Lijst Pim Fortuyn) and the LR-voters(Leefbaar Rotterdam) - are mainly anti-intellectual, non-empathic, egotistic and slightly racist xenofobes is confirmed time and time again.


So yes people; revv each other up some more, get the fire burning! Swear at the 'Old Left' a bit more, although 'Old Left' dissolved itself into more mainstream political parties years ago and only the Socialist Party is still true to their old (and misconceived) political ideas. Keep on criticizing! Keep on swearing at 'The Government', although the current government is a right-wing coalition... Keep on having a go at the policeforce, The State, The Green Left party, Bureaucracy, and so on. And if you're really out of ideas you can always bash the U.S.A. and its leader(s). Hit 'em on the Left, hit 'em on the right. Just hit them where you can.

And by all means; don't do anything about it yourself, because criticizing is so much more fun. And the moment that the 'New Right' has won the elections for a second time they can repeat history! What a great idea! They can deform the party that won to such an extent that it will again explode, preferably two months into a new term so the shit and the fall-out can keep polluting Holland until yet another election in about 46 months. Let's film it and release 'LPF : The Downfall of the Legacy of Pim Fortuyn - The Sequel".

And to think that the hero of all people who never went to the university was an absolute and pure intellectual and a former Labour Party member!

God, sometimes I get so tired of the superficiality in this country.

I would have never guessed that I would one day have something nice to say about the 'Right Wingers' of The Olden Days. But even in those days, every now and again, you would find a Right Wing Politician or even voter who would actually support his or her story with solid arguments. Yes, those were the days! It's no wonder that people like Hans Wiegel are still popular among a significant part of the population. That is just the nostalgic feeling, the nostalgic longing for the days of 'The Old Right Wing'.

Unfortunately, that section of the Right Wing was murdered some time
ago. In the Hilversum Mediapark. Together with Pim Fortuyn.

All the sound that's fit to play.

I was looking for PC-wavefiles and I stumbled across this.

Userfriendly

A bit of fun...

Five questions

He says it very eloquently.

Update on the crime-stats.

Some time ago I 'announced' that I was fed up with the ambiguity about the roots of criminals in Holland, and that I would start to count the 'autochtone'(white dutchmen) and the 'allochtone'(immigrants with usually darker skin) crimes in the Netherlands. I haven't done so until now but I haven't forgotten. The reason for my reluctance is that most of the 'allochtone' crimes tend to be high-profile-newsworthy and the crimes of the white dutch are not reported so severely and extensively. There is - simply said - a bias in the newsmedia.

As soon as I come up with a way to circumvent this bias I'll publish it. Don't hold your breath though, as I think that there are other people searching for the answer too.

Deserter in the war against the West

This is probably the best letter-to-the-editor I have read in at least 15 years.

"It was frontpage news; 'Europe, it's war!', a war against the Western Culture.

I am a traitor in this war. I desert. Cowardly I leave the battle to the martyrs, the saints and the heroes of the land ; Pim F., Theo van G., Jan Peter B., Ayaan H.A., Rita V., Wouter B., Gretta D., Samir A., Jan T., Geert W. and Jan M. and the thousand thousands who battle for the freedom of speech. The "big Say", without saying what you will do, without saying what you think.

I am tired of this war. I cease battle and wish to work. I wish to work on a house built from books of wisdom. A house where everyone is welcome who wants to search for wisdom. A house where everyone can say what you think, and where everyone does what they say; the home of wisdom.

I collaborate for this wisdom.

I am a traitor, a deserter and I cowardly leave battle to the thousand thousands, the horde."


W.H. Eek

Peugeots on Fire - The Movie

Oops, where IS that bug?

Verrrrrrrrrry expensive piece of land this...

Aaaaah, Humor!

A Sky Of Honey, A Sea Of Honey...

The only woman who can sing 'washingmachine, swooshie washingmachine' and sound bloody erotic...

Anyway ; I only heard the second CD so far and it is beautiful but quite hard to get into at first. So I'm now listening to the first CD("A Sea Of Honey") and I can only say that Kate is back to where she was 20 years ago on that disc. And I mean that only as a compliment.

I'm going to play this album a whole lot...

UPDATE : And if you don't think 'The Coral Room' is beautiful well...your loss... God wat ken dat weif zinguh...

"It's a marvellous, complex work which restores Kate Bush to the artistic stature she last possessed around the time of Hounds of Love."

Indeed. I'm impressed.

Ahmed Khatib

Jeruzalem, november 7th 2005.

The parents of the 12-year old Palestine Ahmed Khatib, who was accidentally shot by Israeli soldiers, have donated his organs to medicine for transplantation. Ahmed died last saturday from injuries sustained on thursday, when he was shot in the town of Jenin by Israelis who suspected him to be an armed extremist. The boy was carrying a toy-rifle.

Ahmed's organs have been transplanted into the bodies of three Israeli girls...

KOTM

Five more days...

My wife says I'm the second smartest. She claims there are 80 guys tied for first...

Every now and then you stumble onto some website dedicatated to a single person or project. I found this one recently and I'll tell ya; I now know things about the good luitenant that I really did not have to know...

Awesome in its scope, "The Ultimate Colombo Site".


"There are a couple of loose ends I'd like to tie up. Nothing important you understand."

Some things stay relevant

This is a very famous speech. It was also lost in the mist of time. Shame, because it's still relevant. Or should I say relevant AGAIN?



I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible -- Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.

The way of life can be free and beautiful.

But we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

The airplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me I say, "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass and dictators die; and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers: Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel; who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate; only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural.

Soldiers: Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written, "the kingdom of God is within man" -- not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men, in you, you the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power! Let us all unite!! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill their promise; they never will. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people!! Now, let us fight to fulfill that promise!! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.

Soldiers: In the name of democracy, let us all unite!!!

Hannah, can you hear me? Wherever you are, look up, Hannah. The clouds are lifting. The sun is breaking through. We are coming out of the darkness into the light. We are coming into a new world, a kindlier world, where men will rise above their hate, their greed and brutality.

Look up, Hannah. The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow -- into the light of hope, into the future, the glorious future that belongs to you, to me, and to all of us. Look up, Hannah. Look up.

Charles Chaplin in "The Great Dictator"

Kate - QUEEN of the Mountain!

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

She's back! Finally Kate is back!

*Jumps up and down*
*Feels 18-years old again for a moment*



Watch the streaming video of "King of the Mountain" here.

Official releasedate of the double-CD : november 7th.

Champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other...

I found this one as the signature of a colleague of mine over at www.jmsnews.com It sounds a bit like what Mayor John Amalfi said in 'Cities in Flight' and I cannot agree more.

So I nicked it... :)

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOW - What a RIDE!"

The artist known as Joe

This was an episode of Spiderman written just after 9/11. It may be somewhat old but in my opinion it has eternal value. That's why I post it here. It cannot be posted enough.


Some things are beyond words. Beyond comprehension. Beyond forgiveness. How do you say, "we didn't know"? We couldn't imagine. Only madmen could contain the thought, execute the act, fly the planes. The sane world will always be vulnerable to madmen, because we cannot go where they go to conceive of such things.

We could not see it coming. We could not be here before it happened. We could not stop it. But we are here now. You cannot see us for the dust, but we are here. You cannot hear us for the cries, but we are here. Even those we thought our enemies are here, because some things surpass rivalries and borders.

Because the story of humanity is written not in towers but in tears. In the common coin of blood and bone. In the voice that speaks within even the worst of us and says -this is not right-. Because even the worst of us, however scarred, are still human. Still feel. Still mourn the random death of innocents.

We are here. But with our costumes and our powers we are writ small by the true heroes. Those who face fire without fear or armor. Those who step into the darkness without assurances of ever walking out again, because they know there are others waiting in the dark. Awaiting salvation. Awaiting word. Awaiting justice.

Ordinary men. Ordinary women. Made extraordinary by acts of compassion. And courage. And terrible sacrifice. Ordinary men. Ordinary women. Refusing to surrender.
Ordinary men and ordinary women refusing to accept the self-serving proclamations of holy warriors of every stripe, who announce that somehow we had this coming. We reject them in the knowledge that our tragedy is greater than the sum of our transgressions. Bodies in freefall on the evening news. Madness in mosques, shouting down fourteen centuries of earnest prayers, forgetting the lessons of crusades past- That the most harmed are the least deserving.

There are no words. The death of innocents and the death of innocence. Rage compounded upon rage, rage enough to blot out the sun. And the air is filled with questions. They ask the question, 'Why, why? My god, why?' I have seen other worlds and other spaces. I have walked with gods and wept with angels. But to my shame I have no answers.

What -do- we tell the children? Do we tell them evil is a foreign face? No. The evil is the thought behind the face, and it can look just like yours. Do we tell them evil is tangible, with defined borders and names and geometries and destinies? No. They will have nightmares enough. Perhaps we tell them that we are sorry. Sorry that we were not able to deliver unto them the world we wished them to have. That our eagerness to shout is not the equal of our eagerness to listen. That the burdens of distant people are the responsibility of all men and women of conscience, or their burdens will one day become our tragedy.

Or perhaps we simply tell them that we love them, and that we will protect them. That we would give our lives for theirs and do it gladly, so great is the burden of our love. In a universe of gameboys and VCRs, it is, perhaps, an insubstantial gift. But it is the only one that will wash away the tears and knit the wounds and make the world a sane place to live in.

We could not see it coming. No one could. We could not stop it. No one could. But we are here. Now. With you. Today. Tomorrow. And the day after. We live in each blow you strike for infinite justice, but always in the hope of infinite wisdom. Because we live as well in the quiet turning of your considered conscience. The voice that says -all wars have innocents-. The voice that says you are a kind and merciful people.

The voice that says do not do as they do, or the war is lost before it is even begun. Do not let that knowledge be washed away in blood. When you move, we will move with you. Where you go, we will go with you. Where you are, we are in you. Because the future belongs to ordinary men and ordinary women, and that future must be built free of such acts as these, must be fought for and renewed like fresh water. Because a message must be sent to those who mistake compassion for weakness. A message sent across six thousand years of recorded blood and struggle.

And the message is this:
Whatever our history, whatever the root of our surnames, we remain a good and decent people, and we will not bow down and we do not give up. The fire of the human spirit cannot be quenched by bomb blasts or body counts-cannot be intimidated forever into silence or drowned by tears.
We have endured worse before; we will bear this burden and all that come hereafter, because that's what ordinary men and women do. No matter what. This has not weakened us. It has only made us stronger.
In recent years we as a people have been tribalized and factionalized by a thousand casual unkindnesses. But in this, we are one. Flags sprout in uncommon places, the ground made fertil by tears and shared resolve. We have become one in our grief. We are now one in our determination. One as we recover. One as we rebuild.
You wanted to send a message to us, and in doing so you awakened us from our self-involvement. Message received. Look for your reply in thunder.

In such days as these are heroes born. The true heroes of the twenty-first century. You, the human being singular. You, who are nobler than you know and stronger than you think. You, the heroes of this moment, chosen out of history.
We stand blinded by the light of your unbroken will. Before that light, no darkness can prevail. They knocked down two tall towers. In their memory, draft a covenant with your conscience, that we will create a world in which such things need not occur.
A world which will not require apologies to children, but also a world whose paved roads are not paved with the husks of their inalienable rights. They knocked down two towers. Graft now their echo onto your spine. Become girders and glass, stone and steel. So that when the world sees you, it sees them. And stand tall. Stand tall.

Joe Michael Straczinsky

Unpaid taxes, it's the thought that counts...

Just when you think life can't get any more bureaucratic you get this...

Atheists of Silicon Valley

Fun for the unbelieving infidel...

Neo-natal care???

Bureaucracy has reached a new level...

"Debbie Lawson, neo-natal manager at the hospital's special care baby unit, said: "Cooing should be a thing of the past because these are little people with the same rights as you or me."

You are like a hurricane

Trekkie gets some...

From one of Douglas Adams' favorite spoofsites : Weekly World News :


BABE TAKES HORNY NERD TO PLACES NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE ... STAR TREK TWERP GETS 1ST NOOKIE - AT AGE 43!

By Matt Kirsch

THE IMPOSSIBLE has finally happened -- a die-hard Star Trek nerd got some lovin' for the first time at the age of 43. His stunning charity-sex with a merciful babe has his family and friends' emotions set to stunned.

Gary Beakerman can recall every detail of his encounter of the sexy kind.

"I was attending an annual Star Trek Convention in California, and I was in line to get an autograph from George Takei, when this really loud and rude Klingon cut in front of me," he explains. "I was just about to use my Vulcan nerve pinch to subdue this loudmouth when I realized it wasn't a man, but a woman, and she smelled really good."

But the first encounter didn't go according to plan.

"We instantly got into an argument over who was better, Captain Kirk or Captain Piccard," he says. "That quickly escalated into which Enterprise ship would win in a dog fight, the NCC 1701 or the NCC 1701 D, before it was destroyed in the Viridian System.

"Suddenly, in the middle of this heated argument I noticed a funny feeling coming over me. I was completely turned on, and I had a feeling I was about to boldly go where I've never gone before!"

Luckily for Beakerman, the "Klingon," Carrie Transom, 32, also felt a twinge.

"I liked how he was really passionate about Star Trek," she says. "Also, he looked so dorky in his Vulcan uniform -- it was cute."

Normally, she'd never consider a space docking with such a nerd, but "I hadn't had anyone beam aboard me in a while," she explains.

Also, one look at the ultra-twerp convince her that he needed a close encounter worse than she did.

"I knew he was still a virgin simply because he was really nervous," she says, "and I noticed his car keys belonged to his parent's station wagon.

"Man -- he was pitiful. So I made the first move -- I grabbed him and planted a kiss on him."

Beakerman adds, "It was so weird. While the kiss was great, her Klingon headpiece was digging into my forehead. She suggested that we get out of there and go back to my parents' house. It was 8:30 p.m., so I knew I had to sneak her through my window. It was exciting. I felt like Spock undergoing the Vulcan mating ceremony from Season two, Episode one."

Beakerman recalls sneaking her into his room "so my parents wouldn't hear."

"He no idea what to do," she chuckles. "Getting that Star Fleet uniform off of him was tough, but luckily his love phaser was locked and loaded!"

After docking with the mother ship, Beakerman was excited and relieved that he had finally "done it."

"It was the best 2 minutes of my life!" he exclaims.

Nukehavistan; the new global threat?

U.S. Intelligence: Nukehavistan May Have Nuclear Weapons

Remember this guy?

When the media where still funny every now and then...

"It has been rumored that we have fired scud missiles into Kuwait. I am here now to tell you, we do not have any scud missiles and I don't know why they were fired into Kuwait."

Opinion - Huffington Post

This lady started her blog with lots of broohaha and I was kind of sceptical. But there's a rather interesting collection of columns there...

Rehnquist

My god, A Speaker For The Dead!

Fuck politics and do what Winston said : "Action Today!"

"Oh, a storm is threat’ning
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away..."

New Orleans

Some people just won't learn. You still feel for them though. I remember thinking 'ohhh, shit' when I heard about that Hurricane in the south of the U.S.A. Begin born dutch helps when you think about the dangers connected to water. It looks so nice, but give it the chance and it will roll over you and destroy you. Something the americans have just found out for themselves. And I don't want to blame Bush for a hurricane of course, but cutting back on you expenditures re. waterworks is NOT a very good idea George. Remember : these rules were enforced for a reason. That you don't understand that reason does not mean it is a bad one, it means your intelligence is under par.

And in the meantime the only thing we can do is watch.
Have they found Fats Domino yet?

Gimme those BASS-linezzzzzzz Bob! Gimme that PHAT SOUND!

Sad news, Robert Moog is no more. He has kicked the bucket, gone to meet his maker. For those of you who have never heard of him; he was the inventor of the portable synthesizer, and his name is pronounced as 'Mogue'. not Moog..

Anyone who has ever heard a real MiniMoog will know why this man's instruments were unique. The story is that Bob Moog developed synthesizers(in modules) for Walter Carlos and Tomita when they were doing their groundbreaking work in the late sixties. From this came his 'assembled' synthesizers, the MiniMoog and the PolyMoog being the most important and famous. When Moog finally had something he could sell he wanted to patent his stuff. Unfortunately everything he had invented cost about 10.000 dollars to patent so he only had money for one thing, one component. He(wisely) chose his 24dB filter. In no time all the other hardware, all the other features were stolen/copied by the competition, but not his filter. And that is what makes/made his synthesizers so incredibly PhAt. There still is no better filter than the analog 24dB-filter you could find in his synths.

Thanks Bob. And I'm sorry everybody pronounced your last name wrong.

So long and thanks for all the sounds.

Christopher Walken for Prez?

I would really like to see him run, just for the fucking fun of it. But then there is this. What a shame...

Still, nice touch.

Power in the Darkness

Especially dedicated to all those right-wing wankers who only see the splinter in their neighbour's eye but do not consider the beam in their own.
This week on offer : Michiel Smit., Or Schmidt, I'm not sure anymore.

Or to quote Joe Jackson :

"Kill all the reds, kill all the blacks"
"And if there's war between the sexes
then there'll be nobody left"...


Power In The Darkness

Tom Robinson

Power in the darkness
Frightening lies from the other side
Power in the darkness
Stand up and fight for your rights

Freedom... we're talking bout your freedom
Freedom to choose what you do with your body
Freedom to believe what you like
Freedom for brothers to love one another
Freedom for black and white
Freedom from harassment, intimidation
Freedom for the mother and wife
Freedom from Big Brother's interrogation
Freedom to live your own life... I'm talking 'bout

Power in the darkness
Frightening lies from the other side
Power in the darkness
Stand up and fight for your rights

(Voice from The Other Side:) "Today, institutions fundamental to the British system of Government are under attack: the public schools, the house of Lords, the Church of England, the holy institution of Marriage, even our magnificent police force are no longer safe from those who would undermine our society, and it's about time we said 'enough is enough' and saw a return to the traditional British values of discipline, obedience, morality and freedom.
What we want is:

Freedom from the reds and the blacks and the criminals
Prostitutes, pansies and punks
Football hooligans, juvenile delinquents
Lesbians and left wing scum
Freedom from the niggers and the Pakis and the unions
Freedom from the Gipsies and the Jews
Freedom from leftwing layabouts and liberals
Freedom from the likes of you..."

Power in the darkness
Frightening lies from the other side
Power in the darkness
Stand up and fight for your rights

R.I.P.

Sad day. A friend of mine passed away on sunday and was cremated today. There's never much to say, except maybe just 'Goodbye Cora, it was real fun knowing you'.

Digital Fortress

Just finished reading 'Digital Fortress' by Dan Brown, you know, that guy who wrote 'The Da Vinci Code' a few years later. If you want to know a bit more here is a link.

Now, I don't want to be a bore, but the whole 'plot' is about breaking the password of a worm so it does not open up every security-protocol the NSA uses. If it does the whole world will be able to read everything in the NSA's database.

It is written like a filmscript with our heroes frantically trying to figure out what the password is. Just one simple question : every computer that is connected to the outside world is connected through a communication-interface. This may be a WIFI-setup, an Ethernet-backbone, you name it.

What is to stop these people from just literally pulling the connectors out of the communicationshardware...? O.K. So you won't have a climax anymore but at least it's consistent with the real world.

Tie a yellow ribbon round the....

Do you hate those stupid 'support-ribbons'? Go here and get something different...

Space, the final frontier...

It is as I thought: after SpaceShip One there were bound to be more entrepreneurs who think going into space is a pretty neat idea...

Fred about kids...

"Anyway, I guess the Chinese will be merciful. Maybe they will put us in special homes, with soft walls."

Cropcircles

A nice site by and about cropcircles and their creators.