More photos of the build

Currently, the whole building is approaching the day of being finished. Last week I posted about mr. Spin moving in. Today we noticed more people have moved in, and actually live in their apartments. Naturally, we're kind of jealous, but our day will come!

I took some new images: the parking lot is finished, and the six smallest apartments (which are basically situated on the 'Teteringsedijk' in stead of the 'Beverweg') have nearly lost their scaffolding as well. It's a matter of time until the tower will be finished..

On the cars topic: stop copying, start designing!

A couple of months ago I posted on the topic of Chinese carmakers stealing designs from European and American carmakers. One of the most known cases was Chery, the carmaker who copied the Chevrolet Matiz, and the Smart ForTwo redesigned as being a electromotor driven moped.

The Chinese government/ law does very little to protect copyright infringement because they’re part of the problem and earn quite some money from all the counterfeit stuff made in China. It’s been a problem for decades: watches, jewellery, perfume and clothing: all copied by manufacturing pirates. The Chinese have the know-how to build sound quality products. They just lack the ability to design. They seem to have no sense of visual aesthetics. OK, so your designing is crap? Then learn from your mistakes. Taste is relative!

The latest crisis is about two German cars: the Chinese copies of the new Smart ForTwo (which is only recognisable on the outside, even though they added 20 extra centimetres so they could fit four seats!) and the BMW X5. Last one is build by a company called CEO. Some vague Italian businessman smelled cash and is planning on importing the wannabe-X5 into Europe. I’ve taken the liberty of adding some photo’s to let you guys decide.

German magazine ‘Bild’ was outraged by the news. They’re very proud of their country, products and knowledge (and so they should) and here's someone trying to cash in on their hard work. They almost experience this as a personal insult to the German nation. At first, I didn’t really understand the fuzz when I saw the CEO from the front (true, the profile, the bumper and the fog lights are clearly recognisable, but the grille is more Toyota/ Honda than BMW. Fact remains, nowadays a lot of cars look alike), until I looked at the rear. BMW is on the left, CEO on the right.

The thing is, personally I’m no fan of counterfeiting. It’s simple and ordinary theft. But to make things worse: buyers of these products can order special sets of (also copied) badges and logo’s from the original car brand to make their car look even more like the original. The CEO-X5 can even be delivered to the customers’ doorstep with a adjusted front including the typically kidney-shaped BMW grill to make it even more like the original. That’s sad.

These copied cars don’t deliver the original quality, comfort or safety, but at the price half of what the original would cost it doesn’t seem important. But for that kind of money you can buy a very well maintained second hand original. The real car-lovers do recognize a fake one between originals, (heck, the fake ones will very probably be recognized by a lot of people) but it would be simply stupid when you want the looks but don’t want to pay for the quality just because you want to show off. I mean, come on. When you want to feel rich and succesful, people tend to buy one original piece of A-brand clothing and wear it all the time, or buy a couple of bad counterfeits in a marketplace. Still wrong, but I can imagine people actually doing that. Success and (social) acceptance rate high in Maslow's pyramid, so to speak. But to the contrary with cars, there's no hazard in using those product, right?

Even when you're able to spend half the money a original BMW X5 would cost (approximately € 26.000,-) on a car, you're probably not too un-succesfull. Here's a tip: save your money until you're able to pay for the real deal, or buy second hand. What's so important about showing off? We’re no kids anymore, right? Here's a prediction: driving around in a counterfeit car doesn't make you look cool and succesful, it makes you look like a cheapskate and a wanne-be. Let that be a warning!

A pink solution

Once a year busloads of Nazis from all over Scandinavia arrive at the little town of Lund, Sweden. They come here to march in honour of Karl the 12th, who is buried there. Despite people disgust and negative media coverage, the Nazi community is still growing. Even here in the Netherlands, though the ‘icon’ of the Nazi-movement here (the black widow F. Rost van Tonningen) died earlier this month.

To annoy the Nazi marchers the town of Lund was covered with banners and posters for a fake "Nazi Gay Parade". All along the planned route these posters, billboards and banners were put up, creating the effect of an actual gay parade when the Nazi’s passed by.

There were some Nazi’s who besides a brain missed a sense of humour and started taking down the pink stuff, but overall the whole ordeal didn’t really stir up a mess.

The message is clear: do not take these guys or their beliefs all too serious! Mocking them has so much more effect than fighting them with stones and physical contact..

Ew!!!!!

They claim it's not on purpose

The editors and publishers of this magazine called 'Parents' claimed the artwork coincidentally spelled the word 'Penis', in stead of 'Parents'.

A lot of subscribers and readers were upset, some to the extend of even cancelling their subscription, while some others just laughed out loud and bought a copy. They say it's one of the bestselling editions of 'parents' ever.. Jeez, I wonder why..

I kind of agree on this one..

A guy who works in the department of a Human Resources consultancy company, says they made a selection process in which, among other things, they were looking for a person with ample experience in using the internet (navigation, searches, formats...). An Internet-marketeers job or something I guess.

They received 50 candidacies, from which 30 came from Hotmail-accounts. All of which were erased as they entered. The reason, and I have to agree on this to a certain point; You can't pretend being an internet expert and use a Hotmail account at the same time. Let's be honoust, Hotmail just doesn't do it. Plain and simple.

600th post!! And its about.. our new house!!

Or better, its about the kitchen in our new house. We've been looking forward to our kitchen ever since we designed it. Yesterday, after dinner, we went for a ride on our bicycles. As we tend to do more often, if weather permits. And almost always we drive by the build.

Yesterday, we noticed some-one has started moving in. On closer inspection it turned out to be our upstairs neighbour, mr. Spin, who's the property-developer to boot. He had the furniture-lift secured with ropes to our apartment! Naturally, we stopped for a closer inspection.

Suzanne yelled to mr. Spin "Excuse me, can we look inside our apartment for a minute?". "What? When? Now?" Spin replied. "I don't have the keys!". "Yes you do", Suzanne yelled back, “you used them to secure the lift through our windows". Spin smiled and then gave permission to check out the place.

He's a nice guy and we've had a good contact the last 18 months, so we know he's not all too difficult. But inside the apartment, well, we're jazzed!

The bathroom and the toilet are amazing! Just like we ordered. They look so damn sharp! And finally, we saw the kitchen. Sure, they're still working on it, but the base is there. And it look s awesome. When we designed it, we were afraid it would turn out to be too big.

But in all, it's actually the exact right size. We're left with a huge amount of space for the dinner table and the rest of the living room. We had to take pictures. Only three, sadly, because we didn’t have much time. Yes, there's still space between the kitchen and the door, but that's were the side-by-side fridge will be placed. But in all, the height is perfect, the space is perfect.. we're so happy!!

My 'own' Fokke & Sukke

I'm a fan of the famous Dutch comic Fokke & Sukke. These two birds have a mind of their own, a view of the world which is funny, sarcastic, cruel and scary. In all, I love it. I've been a fan ever since they appeared in Propria Cures. I've been collecting their comics ever since they started publishing.

So, when Suzanne saw a publication I didn't have, she bought it without thinking. At the register the cashier told her the cartoonist was to appear at a signing session later that day. So, now I've got a signed edition of 'Fokke & Sukke's Historical Canon'! And it's not signed like 'To Jochem, because he supported us all these years', but a real cartoon, based on me! Well, actually, it's about me at Interpolis. Is that cool or what? So, without further ado, here it is!

Cartoonmodels for 'real' hairproducts

I love the idea of these four cartoon celebrities/ divas selling real life shampoo. The usage of cartoon characters as ‘spokespeople’ for a product or simple merchandising is a bit lame. It often feels like 'selling out'.

But here they haven taken the product and ‘used’ it for the purpose it is meant to be used, showing a clear effect on the characters in question. Four different haircare products used on four independant and recognizable ladies. Subtle, appealing and in no way disturbing.

All four of them (especially Marge Simpson) have very unique hairdo's. See what a difference in appearance it makes when using a certain product. In Selma's case it's even ridiculous. But that makes it funny and reminds us of what cartoons and marketing can do: make you believe the stupidest stuff..

A toy for grown-ups: insert coins 'here'

I can imagine you want to attract more tourists..

..But is this the way to do it? Don't get me wrong, I do like these ads. The great thing about these ads is the fact they translate the '69' a little cheeky and naughty. Plus the usage of typical parts of British heritage that aren't all too cliché. Not the Big Ben again, so to speak.

My favourite one is the barrister who’s holding the sheep. Hilarious. The Brits are known for a little tongue-in-cheek self reflection. But I wonder which audience they are trying to reach with this campaign.

It's a campaign for Eurostar, to tempt the viewer/ reader into travelling to London by train, through the Eurotunnel. But I expect the audience who'd appreciate a campaign like this prefers to travel by plane. So, except from creating awareness, what's to gain?

A 'Don't drink and drive' campaign that actually might work..

These coasters were printed using a special invisible red ink, which spreads only when moistened. They were placed at tables and bar counters in Mumbai's prominent bars by the Mumbai Traffic Police.

When a customer places their moist glass of alcohol on it, the red ink starts spreading and the face starts to bleed. I can very well imagine unsuspecting people getting a bit of a scare when confronted, but they sure as hell will attract attention, and maybe even raise a bit of awareness.

It seems like a lot of people still underestimate the effect of alcohol in traffic. I wonder if there are any coasters that look exactly the same, but don't bleed. In case anyone orders a soda or something else non-alcoholic..

And then, Sunday happened

Today was supposed to be a day of rest. And we did. We first thought we woke up early, until I remembered the clock needed to be set forward an hour. All of a sudden, it was 'later'. Nevertheless, we started our day relaxed. Around three o'clock Suzanne and I drove Monique home.

There, the girls showed their new footwear to their mom, who responded enthusiastically. And for a reason, I might ad. Anyway, after a cup of coffee and a cigarette Suzanne and I drove home. We both collapsed after the busy days we just had. After eating nothing but a mere bowl of soup, we surprisingly caught a second breath.

In a moment of what can only be described as insanity we decided to start packing. Not for a holiday, but for our moving. We first only wanted to pack stuff we hardly use, like CD's and DVD's, but we ended up packing most of our books too. Until we got to too tired that is.

Now, Suzanne's in bed and I'm typing this between boxes and boxes of books and stuff. Strangely enough I don't mind. Even worse, I'm very happy about it. It's like a first step. It's beginning!!

A grand day out

My bestest buddies are out of the country, on a ski-trip. And they deserve it too. They both work hard enough. But today, I had a little holiday-feeling of my own.

As I told you guys yesterday, Suzanne, Monique and myself left for Rotterdam for some shopping today. Both the girls had a blast, buying four pairs of great shoes each. That alone made the day a great success.

After the shoe store, we visited some other stores, came across and old friend with whom we spend our time in the States with and ended up on the market square. We were done with Rotterdam around 15:45.

“Anyone any ideas where he or she would want to go to next?”, I asked, when we were back in my car. "Let’s go to the beach", Mo suggested. Not a bad idea, since we were close to the coast anyway and it has been quite some time since we last saw the sea. So we did. A half hour later we were in Scheveningen were we did some more shopping (I bought myself a hat) and just wandered around at the shore collecting shells.

Though there was some wind blowing, it wasn’t cold or anything. We had ourselves a hot chocolate with whipped cream and eventually headed back for Breda. Once we got home, we ate pizza on the couch in our comfies. A great way to spend your Saturday, I can tell you that!

Friday I'm in love!

This weekend Suzanne and I have the pleasure of Monique's presence, Suzanne's sister. I picked her up after work today because tomorrow, the three of us will drive to Rotterdam. There, the girls plan on visiting their favourite shoe store, as both of them have quite large feet. And this store has great shoes in larger sizes.

But this afternoon, on the way home, Mo and I paid a visit to the build. Today, our apartment is visible without any scaffolding. But even better: we actually got the chance to go inside!

We went through the entry, which is awesomely high and beautiful. Then, we climbed the stairs to our apartment. There is an elevator, but something tells me an elevator on a constructionsite may be a hazardous thing. Nevertheless, we ended up peeking inside our place, and everything looks grand.

I took a picture of Mo ringing the doorbell, but surprisingly, no-one was home. We even called Suzanne to let her hear, through the phone, what the doorbell sounds like. She was even a little jealous not being there with us.

But then again, in a very near future, that's the place we will be about all of our time! A few pictures later we left. I'm really extatic. Without the scaffolding it's a real building. And we waited so long to get were we are now.

If it were up to me, we would move over this upcoming week. Sadly, it isn't up to me, so we'll wait a little longer. Just a little..

This guy's a hero in my book..

Nebraska man saves bulldog with mouth-to-snout resuscitation

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Lucy was drowning and turning blue, so Randy Gurchin recalled his U.S. air force training on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It didn't matter that Lucy is a 10-month-old English bulldog, because he and Lucy are "best buddies."

"Once you get a pet, it's truly part of your family," Gurchin said. "You just tend to do whatever it takes to save their life." Lucy had jumped into a partly frozen lake in pursuit of ducks and geese but the water was too cold for her. When Gurchin edged onto the ice and pulled Lucy out of the water, she was unresponsive and her face and paws were blue.

He closed her mouth, put his mouth over her nose, breathed air into her lungs and pushed on her chest and after about a minute she began taking shallow breaths. He drove her to a veterinary clinic, where she was immersed in warm water, given injections and placed in an oxygen tent.

By Friday, a week after her ordeal, Lucy was back to normal, said Gurchin, a pilot who retired from the air force two years ago.

Note from the author: the bulldogs in the pictures aren't in any way involved in these dramatic events. They're 'just' bulldogs..

Bye bye Talpa

Talpa (or rather ‘10’), that wonderful network that has brought us TV-beauty’s such as ‘The Golden Cage’, ‘Thuis’ and ‘NSE’ is falling to its knees. Brainchild to television guru and multimedia entrepreneur John de Mol has found its match in the Dutch TV-viewing audience. The channel, some time ago very pompously presented as being the next level of TV, has been a wasteland of terrible programs.

Most of them being rip-offs from successful programs (yes, ‘Gooische Vrouwen’ was a desperate attempt to copy ‘Desperate Housewives’, there’s no denial possible) or the 231st edition of formats that were big in the early nineties (Big Brother, amongst others). The level of quality was way low and they just didn’t listen to the audience the did have. They tried out a format, and if it didn’t prove itself, it would disappear fast. But some shows only got two or three episodes to try and find an audience. That’s just not enough.

The shows that actually did end up being successful were those which always attract a crowd, no matter where they’re shown. It’s Bloopers, Funniest Home Videos and.. yes, soccer. Did Talpa have it coming? Maybe not. Any other struggling channel deserves the benefit of the doubt. But it’s the attitude they started with. Buying the big stars from other networks, copying their most successful formats and then presenting it as being completely new and the thing to watch. That’s not going to work. Simple. You kind of deserve being neglected.

Now, there are negotiations going on with two former competing networks who are interested in some key stars and program formats. I’m very curios what will happen. I’ll tell you this though: it’s probably the audiences fault Talpa didn’t work. It’s never Talpa’s fault in the blame game. "Everybody is a critic", they say. Well, damn sure I am, I've been a critic from the beginning!

Russian playground monsters

Today is the official first day of spring! The weather is supposed to improve, though I am a bit sceptic. Terraces will be put out, birds in the trees, ice-cream parlours opening their doors and children playing outside. Ah, how the sun can change ones life.

Speaking of children playing; I stumbled across these playtime-beauties. To my opinion Russian designers and architects belong to the world’s upper-class. But if it were up to me, their toy-designers need a lesson in kid-friendly design. I like this dark and strange stuff, but kids.. They should be designing for their target group, so to speak.

But somehow the design team ended up in the dark end of the Siberian woods, because these designs are.. well.. disturbing.

Not just the looks, but the construction.. Damn. Maybe this is the Russian way to prepare the youth to the hardships of life. No wonder Vodka is so popular..

World Water Day: Good things come to brands that give

Today is World Water Day. A day devoted to help those in the world who are in need of clean water. We take water for granted, but it truly is an every day luxury, when you think about it. In some surroundings it’s quite the scarcity. Several companies are involved in projects dedicated to help those who are needy. Today is a good day to look at some of those projects, and the marketing effect of their actions. Because let’s face it; no-one is that altruistic. Social responsibility always has a catch. But compared to their actions, I’m totally fine with it.

In Kenya, Coca-Cola is helping teach children how to test drinking water for contamination. The company also is providing water-purification systems for some of the country's most poverty-stricken areas. In India, Starbucks (whoop, there it is!) is addressing sanitation-related health problems by donating $1 million to WaterAid. Coca-Cola and Starbucks have taken the opportunity to illustrate the good they are doing for the 1.1 billion people who lack access to clean drinking water.

Such efforts are applauded not only from a humanitarian standpoint, but also from a branding perspective. Sixty percent of U.S. adults over the age of 18 said "knowing a company is mindful of its impact on the environment and society makes me more likely to buy their products and services," according to findings in the Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability (LOHAS) Consumer Trends Database released by the Natural Marketing Institute.

The company surveyed 2,000 adults via the Web to gauge their perceptions of how companies are dealing with social and environmental issues as well as how those perceptions impact their buying decisions. Fifty-seven percent of consumers said they feel more loyal to companies that are socially responsible, and about half (52%) said they were more likely to talk to their friends and families about such mindful corporations. More than a third (38%) said they'd be willing to pay extra for products produced by socially responsible companies and 35% said they were more likely to buy stock in such corporations. "Consumers are more likely to be brand loyal and less likely to be price sensitive," said Steve French, managing partner at the Natural Marketing Institute, which was founded in 1990.

Despite that, the study found that many companies that do good, do a bad job of promoting the fact. "There's a big disconnect between what companies are doing and what consumer perceptions are," said French. The NMI combined its findings with investment analyst rankings, provided by KLD, Boston, to create the inaugural LOHAS Index of top 50 companies that are both socially responsible and do a good job communicating it. Of the companies they were familiar with, 50% of consumers surveyed weren't aware of their social or environmental practices. Wal-Mart fared the worst, as 62% of respondents were unaware of its recent green initiatives. The mass retailer, which came in at No. 40, has done a poor job touting its green efforts while also battling past workplace diversity and human rights issues, said French.

Microsoft topped the rankings, thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's efforts to enhance healthcare and reduce poverty. No. 4 was McDonald's. Said global CMO Mary Dillon: "We have a long history of social responsibility. It's part of our corporate DNA." The index divides the top companies into three tiers. At No. 15, Target rounds out the first tier of companies. The second begins with Ford at No. 16 and ends with Avon at No 29. Dell, which ranked No. 18, could do better in terms of creating more environmentally friendly products, said French. General Electric (No. 25), despite its green-tinged "Ecomagination" campaign, is suffering the ills of its environmental legacy—like the "issue they had with PCBs in the Hudson River," said French.

No. 39 Intel, meanwhile, "has the right elements for a corporate responsibility story; the challenge is to relate it in some sort of meaningful fashion." (You can check the complete LOHAS Index top 50 here.)

(Based on an article by Kenneth Hein, 17 march 2007)

This weeks greatest ads..

It looks even better without the scaffolding!

Tell me how it is!

Hobo-soup, get it while it’s.. Hot? Cold? Fresh?

On eBay there’s an auction going for some old can of Hobo Soup. Now, I know what Hobo’s are. It’s another word for the homeless and to be more precise, those who travel around on freight trains. But I never knew they made soup from them, or based on them. Hm.. Funny enough though, this can is not a rare example of mid-20th century craziness. This stuff actually is still for sale.

Hobo Soup was the brainchild to creative mind of Lem Kaercher, a small-town newspaper publisher from Ortonville, Minnesota. In 1953 he went into the "jungles" of Ortonville in search of a story on Mr. Hobo, long an American legend. After finding ‘him’ and having made conversation, Lem was treated with some old-fashioned original homemade Hobo Soup. Somewhat of a hobo in heart himself, Lem felt the world should share in this fine cuisine. For years, a proper canner was sought, and finally in 1960, Lem and son, Jim, finally saw a dream come true. From then on Hobo Soup was available in many grocery stores -- "A Jungle Recipe, Fit For A King!".

To clear something up: it’s not made of hobo’s. Here are the ingredients: water, beans, dehydrated potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, celery, dehydrated onions, bacon, turnips, salt, butter, modified food starch, tomato paste, dehydrated peppers, m.s.g., monosodium glutamate, flavourings, sugar, smoke flavouring, spices. I reckon for the authentic flavour one should eat cold or cook/ heat the whole can over a small wood fire..

When you're dead, fly British Airways!

Because when you do, you get a special first class treatment! When an elderly woman died in-flight on a trip from Delhi to Heathrow, the British Airways cabin staff from economy to first class, where there was more space. Her body was propped up in a seat, using pillows, without informing the passengers as to what was going on.

Some other airlines maintain "corpse lockers" for in-flight deaths on long hauls, but BA appeared to have no plan for this eventuality.

The woman’s daughter accompanied the corpse, and spent the rest of the journey wailing in grief. Paul Trinder, who awoke to see the body at the end of his row, described the journey as “deeply disturbing”, and complained that the airline dismissed his concerns by telling him to “get over it”. So much for that ever-heard complaint about airplanes being 'flying death-traps'.

Oh, so thats what it looks like!

Take a good look at this picture. This is what a mere $ 205 million dollars (approximately € 143 million euros) looks like. In cash. I have no idea what kind of bills they are, but still. That's some serious cash. Apparently, it's some drug lords’ cash. It was hidden in a house in Mexico city, and guarded by seven armed men. Jeez, I wonder why. This is the closest I'll ever get to that kind of cash. Not the ammount; the origin, naturally! ;p

Flashy photography, with a phone!

I love taking pictures and posting them. When cell-phones came with integrated camera's, I was ecstatic with joy. Fact is, you have your phone with you everywhere you go. Well, I do anyway. And from then on a camera too!

The quality of camera's and photo's keeps on improving. I remember my first digital camera being huge and heavy, and it had an awesome 2,1 mega pixels. The battery never lasted longer than, lets say, an hour.

Now, my phone alone has 3,2 mega pixels and has a battery life of twelve to twenty-four hours! And the memory is expandable!

I've been taking photo's my whole life, and my phone makes it so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I still would love to get my hands on a digital reflex camera with 10 mega pixels or over, but you don’t carry that kind of equipment with you all day, now do you?

I hear a lot of people mumbling about how these camera phones can't be taken serious as a genuine camera. But I've started experimenting. Today I made a photo of Suzanne I quite like. You wouldn't say it's a camera phone image, now would you? Let's see what else this thing can do..

More photos, as promised..

Where-ah I'm-ah gonna make-ah the pasta, eh?

This week the kitchen-guy has started delivering and installing our kitchen. Last week he called there were some issues (sure, why not?), but that’s all been resolved. It had to do with the hole that had been cut in the countertop to fit in the cooktop. It turned out to be too big. He offered us a bigger cooktop for no extra costs, but that kind of wouldn’t have worked. With a bigger cooktop we would loose usable workspace on the countertop and it would affect the working of the vent hood negatively. The thing is.. nah, never mind. Way too technical. So, with no other solution available, we just ordered a new countertop.

On Tuesday (or was it Wednesday?) the bill to the kitchen came in. Though we had anticipated this, it did kinda startle me. We had paid larger amounts of money for the construction of the apartment, but all of that had come out of a mortgage deposit. This money though was hard earned savings money. I paid with mixed emotions: on one hand with joy, because the kitchen now is a fact. On the other hand, I saw our savings plummet. But hey, it will be worth it.

I’m so curious on what the kitchen eventually will look like! In the apartment, with the floor and the fridge! This afternoon I’ll go and make some new photos. I’ll post them tomorrow, or Sunday! A little explanation to the image: this is what our kitchen will look like, colour, structure and worktop wise. Cool huh?

They’re heeeeeereeeee!

After being hooked on the stuff years ago Suzanne and I have been those kind of coffee-jocks who live for a shot of coffee, preferably Starbucks, on a regular bases. I know many of you don’t consider Starbucks as being coffee of great quality, but it’s not just the regular coffee. It’s the mocha’s, the frappiato’s, and the whole Starbucks vibe that makes me a fan. For years and years groups of fans (including me) have been rooting for Starbucks to come to the Netherlands. Online petitions and fan clubs have proven Starbucks has its share of loyal fans.

All over the world Starbucks is available. Better yet, in the States people are protesting because there would be too many Starbucks shops! Neighbouring countries already have one or more shops. I visited Starbucks in Zurich, in Osnabruck, Köln.. well, everywhere, if available. It’s one of those constant reliable things. Like McDonalds in a way: wherever you are, the hamburgers taste the same. You just know what you’ll get.

There is one Starbucks in the Netherlands, and it’s located inside the Nike HQ in Hilversum. Sadly though, you’re only allowed to use the facility when you’re a Nike employee. Nuts!

But now, apparently, things are about to change. Another Starbucks will open shortly. It will be located at Schiphol, our national Airport. They're recruiting frantically. The thing is, it’s on the other side of customs. So, only departing travellers can enjoy the various delicious Starbucks products. But it’s a step in the right direction.

Starbucks already declared they’re researching the possibilities to put op shop in our small country. Many have tried (Jaquimotte, Bagels & Beans, CoffeeCompany, MochAmore), and many have failed. Though the Dutch are a nation of coffee drinkers, they do expect a high standard in quality. Will the Dutch fall for that certain.. je ne sais pas?

And its ugly too!

Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
By Chris Demorro
Staff Writer

The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care.

Unfortunately for them, their ultimate ‘green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.

Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.

The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping 295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?

You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half what the Prius costs.

However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It gets much worse. Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.

All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?

Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet. When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis.

Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust,” the total combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.

The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.

One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.

Imagine, this data is based on American cars. How would European cars perform? Like the Smart ForTwo? Jeez! That's most probably the most environmental friendly car available, plus it's inexpensive!

Source: Central Conneticut State University

Poor parking everywhere!

YouParkLikeAnAsshole.com is the place to be amazed by the horrible parking some people tend to do. The owner of the site (which is for sale, by the way) recently started taking pictures of the SUVs parked across two "compact" spaces at the university he’s attending, (it's always SUVs!) and started tagging them on Flickr with "niceparkingasshole".

To show there’s a whole world of poor parkers out there, all of the images are combined on YouParkLikeAnAsshole.com. Here you can find a gallery of shameful parking and little fliers you can print and stick under the windshield wipers of the bad parkers in your life.

I’m totally inspired by this. I too am confronted on a daily bases with people who can’t park. Or can, but are too lazy/ anti-social/ selfcentered to even make an effort. Remember the post on that little red car a couple of weeks ago? Because of this I’m thinking of registering http://www.leerparkereneikel.nl/. Now, some of you might say I’m a rip-off, and in all honesty, that’s true. But I admit it and in my own defence can only say “it’s an international problem which needs to be addressed”.

The reason isn't just the fact that most of the images are funny and amazing. Poor parking can result to irritation and even dangerous situations. There are people who actually can park who turn out to be the 'victim'. That might sound dramatic, but after you find your car left damaged by someone who can't park (this happened to me on several occasions) that's what it feels like. They never leave a note, only scratches, dents and repair costs.

As an extra option to this website I want to make a database which makes it possible to search for poor parkers in your hometown. And people can send me their images of poor parkers. Naturally, I’ll make sure the number plates will not be recognizable. Don’t know if this will grow into something, but it sure sounds fun, don’t it? If there are people out there who have great ideas (or better names) on this one, let's hear it!

Development versus home-owners

A man in China refused to sell his house to project developers, and so the developers dug a deep pit around the man's house. The Chongqing Zhengsheng Real Estate Company wants to turn the area into a £40m 'Broadway' square, including apartments and a shopping mall. But the owner of the villa (well, villa) says he won't move out unless the company pays his price -- the equivalent of € 3 million.

This situation is far from unique. In the Netherlands local government can force people out of their properties when they’re ‘in the way of development’. At least there are usually large sums of money to be paid. And let’s be honest; sometimes you gain nothing when persisting on staying put. Besides possible emotional value, everything else is replaceable. For example: this house on the M62 motorway in the UK. It's a farmhouse on a remote stretch of moorland in Yorkshire (well, apart from the motorway), and the motorway splits to go around the farmhouse. Nobody likes to live like this, right? Wrong, apparently.. It's become a well known landmark.

Then there is this gentleman who has refused to sell his home to the local hospital (St. Alexius) in Bismarck, ND. Over the years the hospital bought all the homes in the neighbourhood and systematically demolished them for parking lots and future development. However, the man has refused all offers and doesn't want the hospital to ever get possession of his home. He's now surrounded by several hundred yards of concrete on both sides, but has so far won the war. The property in question is circled red; the rest of the picture is hospital property.

Another hospital-related situation: the red circle is around the house of the gentleman that has refused to ever move, no matter the offer. All of the grey parking lots used to be houses, and here too his house is the last one standing. This situation is even weirder, as this guys house is directly across from the emergency room.

A little closer to home perhaps: this is a very similar and current situation. In the city of Antwerp an elderly woman refuses to sell her house to the zoo. This eventually could mean she ends up living inside the zoo compounds, between monkeys, tigers and such. Funny idea, but I wouldn’t want the neighbours over for tea and biscuits..

A great weekend!

You cannot have lived through this weekend without having noticed the awesome weather. It’s been sunny and warm, and it seems to be far from over. A weekend of celebration, I might ad. Suzanne had her birthday on Saturday, turning 27! We had a great day. For starters, Suzanne’s grandfather visited in the early afternoon. My auntie and my dad and his wife came over a few hours later.

In the evening Suzanne’s parents and sister Monique, who surprised Suzanne with a great gift, came by. So did her brother Rob with his girlfriend Samanta and their two week old daughter Shakira. Yes, the little girl to whom we are the Godparents. We got a call from Bram and Greetje at some point, telling us they were on their way over from Utrecht. This great surprise was kind of like the cherry on the cake. We had a great day.

An intense day, but what a day it was. Sunday was a day of rest, and a day of enjoying the sun. This weekend was great. Thanks to all who contributed!

Springfields compete over being "America's Crud Bucket"

SPRINGFIELD, Oregon (AP) -- Springfield, the Oregon one, is on a list of like-named towns competing for the big-screen debut of Homer, Bart and the rest of the TV Simpson family this summer. City officials accepted an invitation from 20th Century Fox to compete for the honor of hosting the premiere screening of "The Simpsons Movie" in July.

Fox publicist Gwyne Ortiz said Fox has asked 16 Springfields from Oregon to Massachusetts to participate. Fox will pick the winner after reviewing short film entries showcasing the community's positive aspects and links to the Simpsons, who live in their own fictional Springfield.

The prime-time animated series created by Oregon-born Matt Groening is now in its 18th season. "There's plenty of serious issues to talk about, but this is something that we might as well try to have a little fun with," Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken told the Register-Guard newspaper. Newsweek once called the Simpsons' Springfield "America's Crud Bucket," hardly an honour worth fighting over. The cartoon Springfield has a nuclear power plant and several prisons, amenities Oregon's Springfield lacks. Groening has said he chose "Springfield" because it's one of the more common city names in the United States. He teased his audience by almost mentioning the state on several occasions, but never gave a real clue.

Having lived close to a Springfield (the Missouri one) and being a lifelong Simpsons fan its pretty obvious which Springfield I’m rooting for. Even though Springfield Missouri lacks being located at sea-side, or having a nuclear power plant or a main attraction called ‘the Springfield Tire-fire’.

However, Bart did steal his dad’s car once, and drove it to Branson, Missouri. How far could a ten year old kid drive a car, I wonder? True, in cartoons anything is possible, but still. Branson (actually, that is where Suzanne and I lived) is only a half hours drive away from Springfield Missouri, which kind of suggests Missouri might be the one..

But Springfield Missouri is also the birthplace to movie star Brad Pitt, and that fact never got mentioned in any of the Simpsons episodes. Could they resist using something like that? Anyway, I’m looking forward to the movie. We’ll see what happens!

Damn straight!

Sometimes you need a punk to say..

Another step in the right direction..

There are changes visible in the building! Just yesterday we received a call from the kitchen-guy. They're starting with our kitchen this upcoming week! That's awesome news, and it's proof we're getting closer to the end. Plus the constructor started with placing the fencing on the corridor. That's the moment they will start with handing over the keys. Normally, they do that from the top down.

But as this isn't an average project, they decided to go bottom up. We don't really care, as long as we get there. Instead of the green-ish metal fencing, they're putting up glass plates. They're not really see-through, but they won't be any problem regarding sunlight and such. Actually, Suzanne and I quite like them..

We also started thinking about how we're going to decorate the place. Where to put what and so on. We started doing that a long time ago, but now we're using model furniture on the floor plan to get a better idea of scale and such. Here's a visual of how we're thinking we'll do it. For now that is. We might change drastically. It's always different in real life, right?

Third post today: I'm on a roll!

This one's a thinker, but man, do I love it! Personally, I'm a bigger fan of the Axe print ads, rather then the TV commercials.

What would you expect to find?

Team N2i (Novo to Inaccessibility) was a adventure/ expedition of a few hard men who planned to man haul and kite ski 1100 miles to the most remote point in the Antarctic - The Pole of Inaccessibility (POI). This being the exact center of the continent, its the furthest point from the coast. It has only previously been visited by a Soviet Expedition in 1958 using massive tracked vehicles. This will be the first attempt to reach this inhospitable location without the means of direct mechanical assistance.

Rory Sweet, Rupert Longsdon, Henry Cookson and Paul Landry aimed to complete the trip in around 50 days with one re-supply when they reached the edge of the 3500m high Antarctic plateau - some 140miles into their journey. They then used kite skis to travel the remaining 900 miles with each member dragging 18 stone (120kg) pulks behind them. Upon reaching their goal they caught sight of the original hut the Soviets constructed some 49 (!) years ago. The hut bizarrely has a bust of Vladimir Lenin on its roof.

From here the team got extracted by plane and flown to Vostok Station some 600 miles away. They left the continent from another Russian base - Molodezhnaya - on a scientic ice breaker the "Akademik Feodorov" ending up in Cape Town early February. Here's a report from their journal:

"We reached the POI - the centre Antarctica - at 17.30 gmt on the 19th Jan. We had been awake for 36 hours and had kited for 25 of those hours to gain 249 km and reach our destination. When we were within 6km of the position signalled on the GPS we noticed a black dot on the horizon - as we got closer an outline of the bust started to appear - we could not believe it as we were expecting at the very best a mound of snow from when Lenin was left there 49 years ago.

He is standing on a chimney of the old Soviet hut about 2 meters above the snow line - he is a shoulder bust of Lenin larger than life size. It is made of some plastic composite - he is totally frost free as if he was put there yesterday. It so so very surreal. We are all so exhausted that we have only just put up the tent with Lenin's stern gaze over us!"

I love the bizarre. And I admire men who still have old-fashioned hearts beating for adventure. And I'm a bit jealous. This being such a wicked story, it's a matter of time before a book will be published, or a movie will be made. I mean, come on!

To be or not to be (extinct)

There’s a great article on Cryptomundo about the Honshu wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax), which is thought to have gone extinct somewhere early last century, approximately 1905. Through noumerous sightings and local fable though there are people who believe this ‘Japanese wolf’ still exists. It wouldn’t be the first time a creature which is thought to have gone extinct turns up living a sheltered life in some secluded area. Anyway, when I read about it and saw the picture, it immediately reminded me of the Tasmanian Tiger, that other creature that has been labelled extinct. That too, some people claim, still runs around somewhere.

Anyway, this world’s smallest variety of wolf supposedly became extinct in 1905 in Nara prefecture. Sightings of the Japanese wolf keep popping up, almost as if the animal went extinct at all. In Japan, its even sighted more often then Elvis. Currently there’s a debate in Japan on if the extinction date may have been incorrect, or there should be no extinction date at all.

Intriguingly, finding a taxidermy example of the Honshu wolf presently is found to be quite difficult. Only five mounted specimens are known worldwide, three in Japan, one over here in the Netherlands and the supposedly final 1905 animal, which is located at a British Museum. How does an animal get labelled extinct? Do they round up the last ones? Do they keep scores? How do you know where to look when you’re counting? I wonder..

Transformers, more than meets the.. foot?

If you are a die hard Transformers fan, this item is a must have one. As most of you already know (I did post about it earlier), the Transformers movie will premier for the first time on 4th of July 2007. In the states, that is. No idea when it will be shown over here. But it’s coming.

Anyway, its probably smart marketing, but all of a sudden Transformers are everywhere. For example, there’s a collaboration based on a transforming Nike Air Max commercial. A company called Takara has released the Transformers Sports Label series! This new series features 1/2 scale transforming Nike shoes! These licensed items should be somewhere around 15 centimetres in length in shoe mode and it looks like they even have real laces connected to the top of the shoe.

Naturally, Nike can’t pass on an opportunity like this, thus introducing actual Transformers sneakers. Not that they transform, but anyway. The ‘Autobot’ logo on the tongue of the shoe is a very nice touch. There is no info on when (or if) this shoes is going to be released or if its not for public to consumed. The one in these pictures is a look see sample, so we’ll just have to wait and see. The shoes very much reflect the movie, with the used of 3M and patent material also the silver theme they have on them. If you ask me, it looks more like a toy than a sneaker. But that’s OK, because I like toys and sneakers.

As is be expected, the competition couldn’t just sit back and wait. So, within months, Reebok followed the idea. Inspired by another robot-related cartoon of the 80s, Reebok introduced “The Voltron Collection.” The brand developed a series consisting of five classic Reebok models all representing a different lion from the animated television series.

The five standard RBK silhouettes represented are the Court Victory (Black Lion) Pump Omni Lite (Yellow Lion) Ventilator ( Blue Lion) ERS Racer (Green Lion) and the Insta Pump Fury ( Red Lion.) Rumour has it that each sneaker will be accompanied by the corresponding figure so you could re-build your own Voltron. Wow. How surprising. The only thing they’ve got on the Nike Transformer sneaker: these will be on sale shortly.

If I’m honest, I’m more a Nike guy then a Reebok man. Plus, I prefer Transformers any day over those sassy Voltron lions. No competition. I’ll just wait until those Nike’s actually go on sale. Until then my wallet stays closed for shoes. Well, sneakers anyway..

Just a reminder

Because it's been over a year (15 months, to be precise) since Suzanne and I signed the contract to our apartment and sharing this with you, some of you might have forgotten what its going to be like.

Especially considering that the images of the build so far haven't helped shedding some light on what its supposed to look like. So, here are some visuals of how the architect has designed the whole complex. And what it eventually should look like within a couple of months.

At least now you can compare these visuals with the images I posted yesterday. Maybe you'll recognize something. And dad, remember we've been discussing those strange panels between the windows? I found out they're part of the design. These visuals clearly show that. But if these panels will be plastered or simply painted, I don't know.

Oh right, the pictures!

Back to the middle ages with the CU

A couple of months ago there were elections in the Netherlands. Surprisingly enough (not really) small parties which usually are part of the opposition received a lot of votes. Not that everyone was rooting for the parties in question, but more or less as some kind of protest against the three biggest parties. Three smaller parties stood out: Geert Wilders’ PVV, which received enough votes to claim 9 seats in the government. Then there’s the ‘Partij voor de dieren’ (the ‘Animal Party’), and the very Christian CU. Now, of these three smaller parties, only Wilders would gain even more when new nationwide elections would be held today. He’s predicted to get enough votes to claim 15 seats. One might say the public is trying to say something.

But as the main parties who are involved in shaping the actual government aren’t willing to talk to Wilders because of his beliefs and opinions (but silently many of them agree with him), the CU is asked to join them. This means a very Christian party in our eventual government. This may not look like a bad thing, but everything this country has achieved in the area of personal freedom and liberties now is at stake. Gay marriage? Probably not. Euthanasia? Hell no! Shops opening on Sundays? Oh my dear lord No! Sundays are for prayer and walking to church, three fucking times a day.

The CU would rather see all those blasphemous things disappear and/ or forbidden. Back to the middle ages. And it has already started. Ab Klink, our freshly assigned minister of public health and welfare (don’t know is this is translated correctly, but it kind of covers the title) has forbidden two posters used in a government campaign to create awareness about organ donation after ones death, and to raise the question if partners in couples actually know about each others wishes about donating. A good cause, right? How would a message like that be translated, visually? Not a lot of options. But no, these two posters are forbidden, without a good reason. Besides being 'inappropriate' that is.. It’s a campaign that has been in the making for several months and has cost a lot of taxpayer’s money. Now there’s a new guy at the wheel, and based on his personal beliefs a decision like this is made? Setting back an important campaign by months, simply throwing away the invested money on what one guy thinks is inappropriate? Fuck! Church and state have been separated a long time ago, let’s try to keep it that way.

Now, today again, we get the chance to vote. For semi-local government: the provincial government. Luckily, the CU can not be elected here. Well, they can, since they have one seat already, but I predict that will change: after today it will most probably be reduced to zero. They’re not represented on every list of candidates, slimming down their chances. And the effect eventually can be seen nationwide: depending on the amount of seats a party has in the various provincial governments reflects on the amount of seats the party would have in the ‘first room’, a ‘lower’ section of the nationwide government. So, one trying to save the Netherlands from going back in time and civilization, I ask of you: please do not vote CU! Anything but the CU!

Step right up, step right up!

Some months ago I posted about the curse that seemed to be haunting my car. It got dented, peed against and broken into. I hoped for some improvement, and the last weeks it looked like my wish had come true. It even passed its annual technical check-up without any ‘big’ problems. ‘Big’ is a relative term for a car that has had its share of problems already, but OK. Not bad for a 15 year old car up for its 155.000th mile. That’s 248000 kilometres!

Alls well that ends well? Maybe, until these last couple of days. A new dent has appeared next to the drivers side door on Wednesday or Thursday. A small one, but a dent nevertheless. Friday, a peddle hit and damaged my windscreen, leaving (yet another) hole. Not the entire way through, but this will eventually turn into something ugly. I stopped by a company specialised in repairing or replacing damaged windscreens, and they told me that a simple repair would set me back € 45,-, whilst replacing the whole thing would cost me €145,-. That sounded not all too bad. I’m glad I hadn’t had my windscreen replaced then, because once again yesterday, something hit the windscreen, a smaller yet clearly visible mark being the result.

Now, it’s not my driving. I don’t drive too close to those in front of me (usually does the trick when you want your windscreen damaged), nor do I speed. It’s just.. I don’t know. Am I driving along in a shooting gallery or something? Since I’m not sure if my car will pass its technical test next year (it’s kind of coming to its end) or that it will make any cash on selling it, I’m not sure if I’m going to replace the windscreen. I can see through it, and though the damages do irritate me, at least now the windscreen suits the rest of the car. And God knows what else will happen to the car before the year has passed..

On the PS: I’ve seen and have taken place behind the wheel of the new Smart ForTwo. That’s seriously a car! Mercedes Benz technology, all the equipment one would wish for, very fuel-economic, cheap in every way, and nine out of ten times I drive my car all alone. So, why go bigger? Plus, in case we need bigger, Suzanne has her Matiz. That's bigger then you might think! Hmm… Makes you wonder..

Another two weeks!

This weekend Suzanne and I received a letter from the project developer. A letter we had been expecting for some time, but hoped wouldn’t come. The date we would receive the key and we would be able to start moving in got postponed. By two whole weeks.

Though we are bummed out about it, it’s no big deal. We’ve been waiting for over 15 months, so what’s two weeks? We had this feeling it would get postponed for a few weeks. We’ve checked out the build site on several occasions and every time we said to each other ‘No way they’ll be finished on schedule’. And there we go.

So, in case you’re wondering what’s keeping that ‘we’ve moved’ card or that ‘you’re invited to our housewarming!’ card (or both?); we haven’t forgotten any of you, but it’ll get to you later. Approximately two weeks later. And no, I haven't forgotten: new pictures will follow shortly! I just have to transfer them from my phone to my PC.

A chance to be one of the first!

Because I’m such a big Efteling fan (in case you’re new to this blog, you hardly know me or if you just mist a dozen or so posts over the last two years: I am) I have a subscription to the ‘Eftelist’ digital newsletter. It’s a newsletter written by and for Efteling enthusiasts. I’ve never written anything, but I sure do like reading articles by those who have the same (or even bigger) enthusiasm for this awesome theme park.

This weekend I received the latest edition, and it has a great competition! Because the Eftelist has a good understanding with the Efteling itself, it is given the opportunity to fill one of the boats of the Flying Dutchman ride on a sneak preview date, a few weeks prior to the official opening. The Eftelist translated this to a sonnet-writing competition for it's readers/ members, just to see who’s keen on climbing aboard. No idea how many people can fit in one of the boats, but hopefully I’m one of them.

Naturally I started writing on my competition-entry, and sent it in. Let’s hope I’m one of the lucky few! I’m not that big on sonnet-writing, nor did I have a whole lot of inspiration, but still, we’ll see!

Girl stops car after mom faints at wheel

Emily Lineberger missed her gymnastics class this week, but thanks to the 11-year-old's heroics, she and her mother survived what could have been a tragic car wreck.

Emily was riding in the back seat of the family car Tuesday when her mother, Dayna Lineberger, started feeling lightheaded. Ulcerative colitis had caused Lineberger to feel faint before, so she decided to get food at a nearby restaurant."Then it just hit me," said Lineberger, 40. "The last thing I remember is screaming to her, `Tell me where to turn,' because I couldn't see. ..." While heading into the restaurant parking lot, Lineberger's head rolled back and she passed out, Emily said. "I just screamed like crazy," Emily said.

She leaned forward and grabbed the wheel. Her mother's foot was still on the gas pedal, but Emily steered to avoid a car before their car hit a telephone pole and stopped - unharmed. Doctors later said Lineberger was dehydrated from the colitis. "It was just her instinct and God riding on her shoulders," Lineberger said.

Besides God apparently being a good co-driver, there’s a lesson to be learned here. Whenever you’ve got kids, and you have an illness, you might want to teach your kids how to react in certain situations. Like something like this. Not that you have to teach your kids the whole ‘driving a car’ thing, but the basics: steering, and most important of all, braking. You never know if and when it might come in handy.

Rolling Stone magazine does it again

Check out this ad, and let me know what you think..

Pretty unreadable maybe, but the pay-off in the right corner states "Rolling Stone, where music and sex coexist". Now look at the ad again..

Lonely man in latex with donkey in hotel room arrested

If you check into a hotel wearing latex and handcuffs with a donkey in Ireland you shouldn't be at all surprised if you'd get arrested. A man who was found dressed in latex and handcuffs brought a donkey to his room in a Galway city centre hotel, because he was advised “to get out and meet people,” the local court heard last week. Right.. 'people'. He was trying to get a piece of 'ass'. Get it? OK, bad joke. I admit.

Thomas Aloysius McCarney with an address in south Galway was charged with cruelty to animals, lewd and obscene behaviour, and with being a danger to himself when he appeared before the court on Friday. He was also charged with damage to a mini-bar in the room, but this charge was later dropped when the defendant said that it was the donkey who caused that damage. If I were that donkey, I'd be in need of a drink too.. I wonder how this would be stated on your criminal record. A hell of a story to tell on parties though.. Sounds like something the Jackass crew would do. Isn't this just a hoax? I mean, how do you present yourself at the desk with a donkey? Or did he smuggle the donkey into the room later? And if so, how the hell do you smuggle in a donkey? I don't know, there are pretty sad people on this planet..

Somewhat strange, creepy, but appealing ad..

This ad for 'Little Boys Chicken & Herb sausages' looks very sweet, and poetic to some extend. The pay-off 'Doing what comes naturally' seems odd, because anyone has his or her view on what comes naturally, right?

Anyway, when further inspecting the ad, you notice two little boys. One of them is holding a chicken and a hand full of herbs. "This" you think "is a reference to the 'Chicken & Herb sausages!'". Then you notice the other little boy, holding an axe. And he's about to do what the ad thinks is 'Doing what comes naturally'.

So they think it's natural for little boys to kill chickens with axes? Or is that just the conclusion you, being the viewer, come to? It's quite interpretable, but 1 plus 1 makes 2, right? And where do the herbs go? What the hell? It's maybe a little shocking, due to the sweetness of it all, but fuck, I like it! It sure as hell captures your attention.

Neat window / balcony!

Bloomframe (from the Dutch firm Hofman Dujardin Architecten) is a cross-over between a picture window and a balcony -- it slides out of the side of the building to convert to a balcony when the need strikes, then retracts when you're done. It's a shame we didn't have those incorporated in our apartment. I'd love a novelty like that. Plus, a retractable balcony always comes in handy when you're having a party. Speaking of which (the apartment, not a party), I'll be posting new photo's shortly!