Wednesday, February 29, 2012

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

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

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?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

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?  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

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.