This is not a :)

World according to Netherlands. 2012 edition

Let's for once skip the polite and well balanced opinions. What are the Dutch stereotypes of how they look at the world around them? Don't be alarmed :)

Aren't they lovely Alphadesigner's Maps of Stereotypes? Shocking but they seem so true to me!

Our Stereotypes:

Member state United Nations	World according to The Netherlands. 2012 edition
Jordan	Actual Palestine
Lebanon	Always Fighting
Costa Rica	Ananas. Somewhere in South America
Syrian Arab Republic	Assad Kills his People
Poland	Auswitz. Behind Iron Curtain
Switzerland	Banks & Skiing
Bahamas	Beach. No idea where on map
Belgium	Belgium Frites
Germany	Big Brother
India	Big Country & Many People
Suriname	Bouterse. Glad we Lost This Country
Turkey	Cheap Beaches. Human Rights Violations
Pakistan	Cheaters
Japan	Copy and Paste
Maldives	Diving. No idea where on map
Colombia	Drugs
Haiti	Earthquake
Bangladesh	Famine. No idea where on map
Spain	FC Barcelona & Beach
Cuba	Fidel Castro & Cigars
Netherlands	Gateway to Europe
Armenia	Genocide. No idea where on map
Iceland	Geysers
Monaco	Glitter and Glamour
Greece	Good money is turned into bad money by Lazy and Corrupt Greeks
Czech Republic	Havel. Behind Iron Curtain
Nepal	Himalaya. No idea where on map
France	Holiday
Morocco	Homeland of Moroccans
Cyprus	Independent Country?
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	Islam Extremists
Israel	Jews
Chile	Junta
Australia	Kangaroos & Aboriginals
Libya	Khadaffi Country
Mongolia	Kind of China
New Zealand	Kiwis :) but no idea what that means
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	Korea, North. Pathetic
Republic of Korea	Korea, South. Pathetic too but Free
Papua New Guinea	Little Man
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	London & Lovely Scots
Indonesia	Lost Country. Those Good Old Days
Argentina	Maxima Country
Saudi Arabia	More Oil
Denmark	Nobel Price & Vikings. Finland: unkown
Finland	Nobel Price & Vikings. Finland: unkown
Norway	Nobel Price & Vikings. Finland: unkown
Sweden	Nobel Price & Vikings. Finland: unkown
Kuwait	Oil
United Arab Emirates	Oil
South Africa	Once Our Country
Cambodia	Once War
Viet Nam	Once War & Rice Fields
Egypt	Piramides
Italy	Pizza & Mafia
Portugal	Port & Fado
Ethiopia	Poverty. No idea where in Africa
Somalia	Poverty. No idea where in Africa
Ireland	Rain
Jamaica	Reaggea. No idea where on map
Brazil	Rio: Beach & Carnaval. Vanishing Forests
Iraq	Saddam country
Thailand	Sex almost for Free
Philippines	Sex almost for Free
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Shame of Srebrenica
Austria	Skiing
Luxembourg	Small
United States of America	Super Power
Liechtenstein	Tax Evasion. No idea where on map
Mexico	Transit Country for Drugs to USA
Russian Federation	Unreliable Reds
China	Upcoming Superpower
Canada	USA but Different
Afghanistan	War
Bulgaria	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Croatia	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Georgia	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Hungary	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Romania	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Serbia	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Albania	Unkown. Behind Iron Curtain
Congo	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Côte d'Ivoire	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Ghana	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Namibia	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Nigeria	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Senegal	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Zimbabwe	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Cameroon	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Algeria	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Angola	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Kenya	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Mozambique	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Rwanda	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Swaziland	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
United Republic of Tanzania	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Tunisia	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Uganda	Unkown. Somewhere in Africa
Bolivia	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
El Salvador	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Panama	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Paraguay	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Peru	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Dominican Republic	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Honduras	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Nicaragua	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
Uruguay	Unkown. Somewhere in South America
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	Unkown
Barbados	Unkown
Andorra	Unkown
Antigua and Barbuda	Unkown
Azerbaijan	Unkown
Bahrain	Unkown
Belarus	Unkown
Belize	Unkown
Benin	Unkown
Bhutan	Unkown
Botswana	Unkown
Brunei Darussalam	Unkown
Burkina Faso	Unkown
Burundi	Unkown
Cape Verde	Unkown
Central African Republic	Unkown
Chad	Unkown
Comoros	Unkown
Djibouti	Unkown
Dominica	Unkown
Ecuador	Unkown
Equatorial Guinea	Unkown
Eritrea	Unkown
Estonia	Unkown
Fiji	Unkown
Gabon	Unkown
Gambia	Unkown
Grenada	Unkown
Guatemala	Unkown
Guinea	Unkown
Guinea-Bissau	Unkown
Guyana	Unkown
Kazakhstan	Unkown
Kiribati	Unkown
Kyrgyzstan	Unkown
Lao People's Democratic Republic	Unkown
Latvia	Unkown
Lesotho	Unkown
Liberia	Unkown
Lithuania	Unkown
Madagascar	Unkown
Malawi	Unkown
Malaysia	Unkown
Mali	Unkown
Malta	Unkown
Marshall Islands	Unkown
Mauritania	Unkown
Mauritius	Unkown
Micronesia	Unkown
Republic of Moldova	Unkown
Montenegro	Unkown
Myanmar	Unkown
Nauru	Unkown
Niger	Unkown
Oman	Unkown
Palau	Unkown
Qatar	Unkown
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Unkown
Saint Lucia	Unkown
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Unkown
Samoa	Unkown
San Marino	Unkown
Sao Tome and Principe	Unkown
Seychelles	Unkown
Sierra Leone	Unkown
Singapore	Unkown
Slovakia	Unkown
Slovenia	Unkown
Solomon Islands	Unkown
South Sudan	Unkown
Sri Lanka	Unkown
Sudan	Unkown
Tajikistan	Unkown
Timor-Leste	Unkown
Togo	Unkown
Tonga	Unkown
Trinidad and Tobago	Unkown
Turkmenistan	Unkown
Tuvalu	Unkown
Ukraine	Unkown
Uzbekistan	Unkown
Vanuatu	Unkown
Yemen	Unkown
Zambia	Unkown

Did I miss something? What are the stereotypes your country places on other countries?

P.S. I took as baseline the United Nations' Member State List

Fog

#hangover #carnaval

Children on a Seesaw

Cláudia Roquette-Pinto's poem 'Cinco líções de inglês'. This poem (poema/ gedicht) is about a woman for whom 'children on a seesaw' are her biggest joy and fear.

Portuguese (original) - Dutch (translation):

Cinco líções de inglês

That summer he missed his lover — Ele puxou do bolso, com 

máximo cuidado, a última carta, a qual imediatamente rasgou-

se ao longo das dobras puídas.

The letter confused her — Mesmo depois de ler e reler a carta, 

ela não conseguia impedir que suas maiores expectativas e seus 

piores temores —crianças numa gangorra— 

se alternassem em sua mente.

She felt very sad — Ela andava, dia e noite, como se levasse no

peito a vidraça que uma pedra acabara de acertar.

He was angry — Ele batia com insistência a ponta do sapato no

rodapé, e, repentinamente, repetia entre dentes alguma frase

incompreensível, que pontuava com um soco.

She begged him to stay — Ela agarrou-se à manga de sua camisa

sem dizer palavra.

Vijf lessen Engels

That summer he missed his lover — Uiterst voorzichtig haalde hij

de laatste brief uit zijn broekzak, die onmiddellijk scheurde

langs de halfvergane vouwen

The letter confused her — Zelfs na het lezen en nog eens lezen

van de brief kon ze niet verhinderen dat haar hoogste

verwachtingen en grootste angst — kinderen op een wip —

elkaar afwisselden in haar hoofd.

She felt very sad — Ze liep dag en nacht rond alsof ze een ruit in

haar borst droeg die net was ingegooid door een steen.

He was angry — Hij tikte halsstarrig met de punt van zijn schoen

tegen de plint en herhaalde onverhoeds tussen zijn tanden een

onverstaanbare zin, waar hij met een schop een punt achter zette.

She begged him to stay — Ze klemde zich zonder een woord vast

aan de mouw van zijn hemd.

Source: Vijfentwintig keer Brazilië; Hedendaagse poëzie uit Brazilië (2011). The poem above is translated in Dutch by Harrie Lemmens.

This poem is translated in Spanish too: 'Cinco lecciones de ingles'. I couldn't find a translation in English. Will you give it a try?

Poema Simples

A litte kiss for my sweety: x
                                           .
                                           .
                                            .
                                             .
                                              .
                                                .
                                                 .
                                                  .
                                                   .
                                                   .
                                                   .
                                                  .
                                                 .
                                               .
                                             .
                                           .
                                          .
                                        .
                                        .
                                        .
                                        .
                                         .
                                           .
                                             .
                                               .
                                                 .
                                                  .
                                                   .
                                                     .......................................................\.../..@@.............
                                                                                                                                     .
                                                                                                                                   .
                                                                                                                                 .
                                                                                                                                  .
                                                                                                                                 .
                                                                                                                               .
                                                                                                                                 .
                                                                                                                                .
                                                                                                                                   .
                                                                                                                                 .
                                                                                                                               .
                                                                                                                            . a
                                                                                                                            n
                                                                                                                              d
                                                                                                                             .
                                                                                                                             a
                                                                                                                             .
                                                                                 ...........................................
                                                                                  b
                                                                                     i
                                                                                        g
                                                                                      .
                                                                                     o
                                                                                  n
                                                                                 e

                                                                                 X
                                                                     
                                                                        Happy Valentine ;)

Front Door

Would you open your front door for him? Would you invite him into your life? And mind and dreams? And in the end act alike? Would you've accepted Jesus as a prophet when you would have lived 2,000 years ago? Sure?

In retrospect it's easy to "see" who the true and false prophets were in history. In retrospect! What about the todays that are not lived yet and are not frozen into history? What to do with our present-day prophets who claim they "see" the end of time? Would you open your door for him or her? And in the end act alike?

What to do with Ronald Weinland? Is he a false prophet? The end of time did not come on September 29, 2011. Less than 3 months is left to May 27, 2012. Another false prophecy? Are you sure? Do we have to worry about: Greece in/out the EURO, killing fields in Syria, democracy in Egypt, next music CD of Madonna, holiday to Spain in July or ...?

What to do during the next 3 months? If I mock Weinland and his 'Church of God, Preparing for the Kingdom of God' (COG-PKG) I'll get cursed with "terminal diseases". After May hundreds of millions will die. According to the FAQ, his church is focused on helping those who are "genuine" in their desire to "follow and obey" God. We have to repent our false beliefs and practices, obey His ways of life and keep the Sabbath holy. "Finally, all must come to understand that there is only one true baptism in life whereby one can be forgiven of all sins. There is one true baptism into God’s one true Church, just as there is only one true Almighty Eternal God. Those who want to be baptized and desire to be begotten of God’s spirit must read and follow the instruction given."

In other words, Do We Need to Get Baptized into Weinland's COG-PKG?

How to get prepared for December 20-23, 2012? NASA has since 2007 received more than 5,000 questions from the public on this subject. Some asking whether they should kill themselves, kids and pets. 400 of those questions were answered (source). Should we Build a Spaceship and Fly Away from planet Earth - trying to escape?

• Collision or near-miss with a large planetary object (Nibiru)?
• Alien invasion?
• Being destroyed by a giant supernova or super-massive black hole?
• Geomagnetic reversal?

What's my point? Of course I'm teasing you :) ... there's no scientific proof for the doomsday scenarios above.  My real personal pleasure was puzzling on all those predicted end of time catastrophes. I looooooooooove puzzling. This is my point: Scientist are Prophets too. Making false and true predictions.  Only in retrospect we can tell which predictions were right and wrong. Who do I have to follow? What to do next?  

Little Detail

Look at this picture (November 2008) from Alvaro Ybarra Zavala - @alvaroybarra - from a soldier in the civil conflict in Congo. 

For me, at first it was just a random picture of a soldier in my newspaper. Until I realized what he is holding in his hand on the right: one hand from another human being (soldier?). Cut-off with the knife he is holding in his mouth? What horror :( My horror became even more evident and felt like a personal attack when I took a closer look at what he is holding in his hand on the left: Cut-Off Penis With Testicles! He deliberately cut off someone else's (external) genitalia. Why?

The soldier seems pretty normal to me. Rare kind of behavior in history? There is a historical parallel in Ancient Egypt. On the Narmer Palette, one of the oldest archaeological finds in Egypt, King Narmer (Old Kingdom) cut-off heads and genitalia from his enemies (source page 22). It's a find dating from the 31st century BC. 3100 + 2000 = 5100 years old! Rare in Ancient Egypt? No. "Mutilation of fallen enemies was commonplace in pharaonic Egypt. During the New Kingdom cut-off hands and genitals were dedicated to Amen-Re and their tally kept by scribes." (source)

Why? Body counting? Humiliation? Deprived of his vital body parts in this world he can never be reborn in the next? Lust for power? Souvenir? Or ...?

Please don't feel offended with this letter. I seek and want to face our human behavior. Even when it hurts.

P.S. @alvaroybarra added this caption (Spanish) to his picture.