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Sunday, July 31, 2005
What the hell's wrong with Amazon? |
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On Friday, I checked out this nifty running gadget at Amazon.Com.
Never being one to pass up an opportunity to make a few bucks, I availed myself of Amazon's lowest price warranty, and pointed out that a competitor sold the same device for about ten dollars less.
I was told to check back in a few days, and so I did. Today, it turns out, they've stopped selling it altogether!
Well, that's one way to offer a lowest price guarantee - simply stop selling everything you can't offer at a competitive rate.
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15:14 |
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Saturday, July 30, 2005
And so it begins (3) |
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Via AS, this snippet in an article about China:
'Now we can see why nondemocratic regimes imperil the security of the world. They stay in power by controlling their populations. This control invariably required an increasing amount of repression. To justify this repression and maintain internal stability, external enemies must be manufactured. The result is that while the mechanics of democracy make democracies inherently peaceful, the mechanics of tyranny make nondemocracies inherently belligerent. Indeed, in order to avoid collapsing from within, fear societies must maintain a perpetual state of conflict. (p. 88)'
The anti-Japanese demonstrations in China are of course only the beginning. The Chinese population can for the moment be controlled simply by the huge economic growth that's taking place. Greed is both eternal and ubiquitous. But beware. No prizes for guessing what will happen when the Chinese economy eventually slows down.
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10:54 |
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Suicide bombers are people, too |
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The Sun makes fun of it, and so do I, but of course the would-be suicide bombers have a point. They do have rights.
Such as the one to a fair and impartial trial, rather than a kangaroo court. Or the right to be arrested without unnecessary force, rather than simply be shot on sight, as would have happened in many a Middle Eastern country. Or the right to an attorney, paid for by the state, who will be struck off if he doesn't do a good enough job representing you. Try that in Saudi Arabia. Or the right to complain about any perceived maltreatment by the police, after which both a plethora of activist groups and an independent committee will try to get to the bottom of things. Hell, you even get your troubles printed in a non-state controlled newspaper (for the sake of argument, we'll assume Rupert Murdoch is not a one man state yet).
Western values don't equate to lawlessness or impotence. On the contrary. The arrests in England yesterday are a fine example that the west can combine its humanity with decisive action, if needs be.
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10:33 |
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Good for them |
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Even the Beeb has trouble not to sound triumphant about the arrest of the suspected bombers of the failed 7/21 attacks. The Sun, however, is less subtle: they plastered 'Got the bastards' (or something to that effect) all over their front page.
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0:00 |
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Friday, July 29, 2005
Looking for a *good* RSS reader |
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Suggestions? I've tried NewsGator (memory hog and too slow), Sharp Reader (stopped working all of a sudden despite reinstalling) and RssReader (a complete disaster since it forgets which headers it has already retrieved, so I get a full header list every 15 minutes).
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22:41 |
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New comments policy |
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I've fixed the comments and will use this opportunity to do something which is long overdue: institute a few forum rules.
Some people seem to think the comments section is there to spout bigotry. A while ago there were people who thought it would be a good idea to nuke everything from Jemen to Iran, or, in another case, everything from Trondheim to Gibraltar. Now, I am all in favor of nuking the moon, but that's because (a) it's uninhabited and (b) I really like huge explosions from (c) a safe distance.
Other people like to give their emotions free reign if they run out of arguments. Since I started this blog I've been called such things as a coward (by an American who thought I was too left wing) and a Nazi (by a European who thought I was too right wing). Unfortunately, I still haven't received the brown shirt he promised. How rude.
I run this blog for fun - in fact, despite 2,000 unique visitors a day it only costs me and my hoster money (since he never sends me a bill for exceeding data traffic allowances). That's fine, because this is a hobby. But it also implies that I like this to stay fun.
So here's the new comments policy. I think most reasonable people will feel it's reasonable.
More...
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22:28 |
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Taking running seriously |
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As I am (a) due for a ten mile run in September, and (b) kinda feeling I deserve a big present for working my ass off during the past three years, I figured this would be a nice gift for a running nerd such as myself. Now all I need is a 4 gigabyte flash MP3 player so I don't have to constantly delete and upload new trance files to the 256 mb player I'm using now. Too bad they're not on the market yet.
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20:50 |
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Thursday, July 28, 2005
What the Hack photo essay |
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What the Hack is a big hacker conference which is currently taking place in the Dutch town of Liempde. I went there today to do a report for both Blognoot and NRC Handelsblad. I still have to write 1,700 words before I'll see my bed tonight, but hell, I won't be able to sleep in this humidity anyway. In the meantime, feel free to check out the What the Hack photo essay I made for Blognoot.
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19:51 |
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'Police didn't show up when Van Gogh's son was beaten up' |
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Twice. By young Moroccans, according to Van Gogh's parents, because Theo van Gogh was his father. Read the whole thing. The police allegedly declined to make an appearance. Not nice at all, if it's true.
The response of our fine government wasn't all that friendly either. According to Mr and Mrs Van Gogh, they actually got a phone call to ask whether or not they'd like to receive some flowers. Presumably so the government could save 20 euros if they declined.
It's always good to know they're careful with taxpayers' money, but this is ridiculous.
Update 21.43: Lots of bickering today between the police and Van Gogh's family. The police deny they've ever received reports, however, the family insists they have called for the police. GeenStijl, which is a somewhat sensational blog, reports that the police did send officers on one occassion, then ordered a retreat when the people that were looking for Van Gogh's son looked like they were carrying firearms. As Amsterdam policemen burst out in tears after hearing Mohammed Bouyeri say he had intended to kill them, this does not strike me as exceptionally unlikely. The police then, still according to GeenStijl, asked for backup, which arrived too late.
One reason for the difference in both statements may be explained as one about a technicality: calling the police does not constitute a formal declaration ('aangifte') of a crime in the Netherlands. On the other hand, there is the possibility that Lieuwe (or his family) made this all up. This would be an incredibly stupid way of exacting revenge on the police, but it is a possibility.
I'll let the bickering continue and report on this when there's more clarity.
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7:58 |
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Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Bouyeri also prosecuted for different crimes |
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Namely for taking part in the activities of the alleged Hofstadgroep terrorist organization. It may well be the case that the D.A. decides not to appeal against the verdict in the Van Gogh murder, but instead tries to get Bouyeri's voting rights rescinded through this trial.
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13:22 |
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More on the Bouyeri sentencing |
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(The full verdict is here, by the way.)
Several bloggers have remarked on the fact that the judge didn't take away his active and passive voting rights.
However, the D.A. is still considering to appeal the verdict for precisely those reasons. The 'double jeopardy' doctrine doesn't exist in the Netherlands.
He has a fortnight to reach a decision. I'll keep you posted.
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0:09 |
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Muslims against terrorism |
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This article in the CS Monitor gives some cause for optimism.
For a while now I've been hoping for a premature 'Reformation' of Islam. Where are the Martin Luthers and John Calvins of Islam? They're not here yet. But hopefully, if the momentum grows, they'll find the courage to speak out.
It would be the ultimate irony if Al Qaeda's terrorist attacks would bring about a liberal reform of Islam.
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12:52 |
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Bye bye Bouyeri |
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Jailed for life. Which means life, in the Netherlands. He ain't coming out anytime soon.
So, as I suggested before, send him a letter or a postcard. You'd be following the wish of Lieuwe, his 14 year old son.
Apparently, Lieuwe makes postcards himself as he's a bit of an aspiring artist, but I couldn't find a website where they can be ordered.
I can give you, however, Bouyeri's contact details. They are here.
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12:42 |
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Sunday, July 24, 2005
Guardian makes non-nonsensical decision |
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They have kicked out Dilpazier Aslam:
On Monday July 18 Aslam was advised that the Guardian considered that Hizb ut-Tahrir had promoted violence and anti-semitic material on its website and that membership of the organisation was not compatible with being a Guardian trainee.
The following day Aslam told the editor, Alan Rusbridger, that he was not willing to leave Hizb ut-Tahrir and that, while he personally repudiated anti-semitism, he did not consider the website material to be promoting violence or to be anti-semitic.
The matter was subsequently treated under the paper's grievance and disciplinary procedure. Aslam was invited to a meeting with GNL's chief executive, Carolyn McCall, at which he repeated his refusal to leave the organisation or repudiate its material.
So M(r)s. McCall did the right thing. She may have to do it again very soon, if this article from the Guardian's media section is anything to go by:
The episode was a striking illustration of the way that blogs and bloggers can heat up the temperature and seek to settle scores - as well as raise legitimate concerns about journalism and transparency - when something awful happens in the streets of London.
Er, such as printing an article in which you excuse the murder of 56 Britons as a legitimate act of Muslims 'rocking the boat'?
You know, about ten years ago, I participated in anti-racism demonstrations. At that time, the main promoters of European bigotry were still right-wingers. When I went out to demonstrate against the cowardly attacks on Turkish women in the German city of Solingen, the left was there. The right wasn't, or not as much as it could have been. Helmut Kohl even denied attending their funeral.
Where is the left now? Queen Beatrix has still not met with the parents of the murdered Theo van Gogh. Prime minister Balkenende has, quite correctly, consoled the victims of the mosque arsonist attacks in the wake of Van Gogh's murder, yet failed to do the same for the churches that got torched in the same period. And as far as the Guardian is concerned: don't tell me that excusing murderers, or excusing those who excuse them, doesn't amount to precisely that which you claim others are guilty of: hatred, pure and simple.
The left has become everything they claim the right is: intolerant to ideas others than theirs, intellectualy conservative, and full of irrational anger.
(Incidentally, see the article below for more examples of the Guardian trying to turn things upside down.)
(Thanks to Filtrat for pointing me to Harry's Place.)
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0:01 |
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Saturday, July 23, 2005
Why do they call the Guardian "the thinking man's newspaper" again? |
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Obviously because even a thinking man wants a good laugh every now and then.
As Orson Scott Card once observed, manipulative people who are not too good at it, often try to mislead people by stating exactly the opposite of what is the case.
Examples of this include:
'I am not stupid.'
'You are a hypocrite.'
And, as of yesterday:
'Others have distorted history.'
Read this wonderful piece of revisionist history in the Guardian, which of course starts with the assertion that 'others' are guilty of precisely that which the article aims to achieve.
I said it yesterday: the best pot most definitely no longer comes from the Netherlands. The Dutch should raid the Guardian's headquarters to obtain their crops so that we may secure our future prominence as the THC capital of the world.
(Via EU Rota.)
Update 18.52: The same guy who wrote the Guardian article just rambled on for over five minutes on Sky News about how it's America's fault Iran hasn't had a revolution of democratic moderates yet. This is presumably because America supports said moderates, which as a result have become unpopular.
So since nothing America supports can be good, for an effective foreign policy à la 'Guardian' it would be better if Mr. Bush came out in full favour of orthodox Islamic clerics. Those would then become unpopular as a result, and Iran would instantly be transformed into a happy place. Newspapers such as the Guardian could then write articles about the hypocrisy of the free West having supported the tyranny of said orthodox Islamic clerics, and argue how much better it would have been if people such as Mr. Bush had instead offered their moral support to Irani moderates.
But wait - isn't he doing that right now?
I need an Advil.
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15:39 |
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Cowards |
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Inter Milan cancel their tour in England because of the terrorist attacks.
Only one of their games would have been in London.
Terrorism works - thanks to spineless creatures such as those working at Inter Milan.
These are their sponsors. I suggest dropping them a line to tell them how you feel about this betrayal. Democracy and capitalism are intertwined. Without the free society that Inter Milan now spits upon, there wouldn't even be commercial soccer. If they don't understand the language of morality, perhaps it's the language of money that will do the trick.
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15:14 |
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About the Egypt bombings |
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From Stratfor's newsletter:
'We can no longer ignore a global upsurge of operations by al Qaeda and like-minded militants. The U.S. and international offensive against al Qaeda and other Islamist militants is now facing a widespread counterattack; further attacks will follow.'
I can only hope the Dutch will bear the pending attacks with the same amount of dignity and stoicism as the British have thusfar.
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10:51 |
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Friday, July 22, 2005
'Belgian civilization' is an oxymoron |
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A few guys thought it was funny to slit a cat's throat (a kitten, really) and watch it bleed to death on video.
The phrase 'sick fucks' comes to mind.
Now, if this were a vigilante blog, I would ask you to decrease your speed to about 15 mph when you see them walking in front of your car, so they'll suffer a lot of pain and don't die instantly.
But this isn't, so I won't.
Alternatively, you could tell them how you feel by availing yourself of their personal information, which is thankfully present online here.
The people involved are:
• Kishor Nokayonokatsu, 26 years old, responsible for killing the cat,
• Glenn van den Meerssche, 15 years old, who filmed the scene.
Your letters may not be answered immediately, as the people involved have been arrested by Belgian police.
May they be put in a straitjacket impregnated with mackerel essence, and thrown into an isolation chamber together with about 20 very hungry cats. Or 10, so they get nibbled to death a bit more slowly.
(You can find the video here, but I recommend that you don't watch it unless you've got a really strong stomach.)
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22:53 |
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London attacks are acts of war, not crimes |
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An expert on Sky News just offered this bit of wisdom: the attacks in London are not acts of war, but crimes. For in case of true warfare, such as the IRA waged on the UK, the terrorist group makes demands.
Here I was thinking that the Dutch make the best pot in the world.
In crime, there is usually an objective of material gain, or of personal revenge. (Drive-by shootings, mob killings, etcetera, are usually intended to indirectly maximize material gains in the long run.) That is, if there is such an objective, as some crimes, such as involuntary manslaughter, are accidental. Some criminals do make demands (blackmailers and hostage takers come to mind), others simply take what they want.
So forgive me if I don't buy the whole 'making demands' thing being integral to terrorist warfare.
What is happening in London doesn't fit in any crime category. And if no demands have been issued (I'm not sure whether that's true), it should give pause to said expert. For if an enemy doesn't issue demands, it usually means he doesn't want to negotiate, and fight western civilization to the death.
Which the next of kin of 56 Londoners can attest to.
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19:45 |
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About Ché |
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This article from The New Republic, not exactly a right-wing rag:
Guevara might have been enamored of his own death, but he was much more enamored of other people's deaths. In April 1967, speaking from experience, he summed up his homicidal idea of justice in his "Message to the Tricontinental": "hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine."
I do own a Ché shirt, but I think I can be forgiven since it's this one.
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11:27 |
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
New attacks in London |
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Godspeed to all of you. At this time, the Guardian newsblog is not a bad source at all.
Update 15.01: Also, more at Europhobia.
Update 15.14: 'Small explosions.'
Update 15.31: Of course Wikipedia already has a new entry.
Update 15.33: First pictures from Adamtime Moblog, including a pub evacuation.
Update 15.44: Four bombs that don't seem to have fully exploded? Could this be a case of one guy making four explosive devices, all with the same design flaw? I can't imagine this to be a mistake during construction, anyway.
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14:44 |
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And so it begins (2) |
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From Stratfor's newsletter:
'Official leaks from the Pentagon said that India would begin purchasing up to $5 billion worth of conventional weapons, once Congress approves the deal. This requires an act of Congress because current law on non-proliferation bars the sale of a wide array of military technology to countries that have acquired nuclear weapons -- specifically focusing on any technology that might be useful to a nuclear weapons program. Since the technologies that are potentially useful are amazingly diverse, large swathes of technology are excluded from sale. Should Congress approve the bill, it would place India in a position similar to that of Israel (save that Israel doesn't acknowledge publicly that it has nuclear weapons).'
'India will be allowed to purchase Aegis technology, which is designed to protect naval vessels -- and battle groups -- from anti-ship missiles. So far, only Japan has acquired the technology, partly because of its cost. In addition, New Delhi will be able to purchase anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The United States, which until a few years ago regarded the Indian naval build-up -- based on Soviet technology -- as a threat to U.S. control of sea lanes in the Indian Ocean, has now completely reversed its posture. It is selling New Delhi naval technology that will allow the Indians to fulfill one of their key strategic objectives, which is to be able to control regional sea lanes. The United States would not be providing this technology without having achieved a far-reaching strategic agreement with New Delhi.'
All this, of course, has nothing to do with Chinese naval ambitions.
Update 17.31: Read this too.
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11:44 |
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The main problem with the draft Iraqi constitution |
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It's too European, according to Nathan J. Brown of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:
'More often qualifications on rights occur in implementing legislation. European constitutions introduced phrasing that suggested that freedoms be defined by law. The original purpose of such provisions was to ensure that only parliament (as the agent of the entire society) would define the way in which a right would operate. This took the task out of the hands of the monarch and the executive and placed it in the hands of those deputized by the nation. But over time it has become clear that defining a right might also mean limiting it.'
Indeed. The Dutch constitution is riddled with phrases such as 'limited to a citizen's responsibility according to the law'. When defining a basic right, every 'but' only serves to dimish it. Incidentally, this was a huge reason for me to vote 'no' in the EU constitutional referendum.
While I am not claiming that the USA is a perfect country - one only needs to visit Amsterdam to see the true pinnacle of civilization *cough* (hey, at least our MDMA is pure) - I do like the concept of laws being judged by the constitution, rather than the other way around.
If it's true that Kofi Annan had a big hand in this constitution, that would sure explain a lot.
(Read the whole draft here. There's some nasty stuff there about Israel too. Hopefully, that will be gone in the final version.)
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0:15 |
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Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Hulp gevraagd! / Help needed! |
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Wie kan me helpen een Exact for DOS-administratie te converteren naar een normaler systeem? Met 'dank' aan mijn (ex-)boekhouder beschik ik over twee floppies (inderdaad, die antieke dingen), waarvan er een beschadigd was (met wat hulp van Spinrite en de computer van een ander inmiddels gefixt), met daarop een kopie van mijn grootboek. Helaas kan ik de backup niet uitlezen en op internet zoeken naar conversietools levert niets op. Net zomin als mailen naar mijn boekhouder (die 'uiteraard' wel een rekening heeft gestuurd voor de gehandicapte disks).
Hulp zeer welkom! Graag via arjan (at) zachtei.nl.
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Who can help me to convert an Exact for DOS file to a slightly more readable format? I'd be much obliged. You can contact me at arjan (at) zachtei.nl
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16:19 |
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Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Chevron wants even higher share prices |
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Read this. Then read this.
I am gradually getting a very strong feeling the markets are being manipulated. Not to mention the fact that Chevron is still bidding for Unocal and may want to score a few political points. For example, by scaring a few senators into supporting their bid over China's.
Mark my words, a second Enron is on the way.
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15:49 |
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Monday, July 18, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Dutch radical Islamic group has sex parties! |
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Yes, indeed Sir, isn't it revolting? Furthermore, at full moon, they slaughter virgins while howling 'Allah akbar!' at the sky. And every fortnight, they steal candles from Catholic churches to torch young choir boys with. That is, if they don't use said candles to stick them up their...
Get out yer pitchforks!
Yes, I am being sarcastic. Because this load of drivel in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf can hardly be taken seriously. It tries to ridicule the members of the radical Islamic Hofstadgroep by asserting that they - gasp! - sleep with different girls by calling it a 'trial marriage'. They're hypocrites!
Coming from an orthodox protestant background (no longer religious though), I of course know that adolescents never, ever would try to find excuses to satisfy their natural urges.
Anyway, De Telegraaf goes about this the wrong way. When taking the piss on someone, make sure it is apparent that you do so. Do not try to give it the legitimacy (if there's any left) of journalism. There's a word for that, and it's "propaganda". It's not the job of journalists to engage in that (unless you print it on the Op/Ed page).
Plus, this kind of reporting negates the real danger. Mohammed Bouyeri, the murderer of Van Gogh, is a foot soldier. As are his peers in de Hofstadgroep. Likewise, the London suicide bombers were clean skins: they'd never been engaged in terrorist activities before. The people around them had no clue.
Now, there are a few conclusions to draw from that.
First, the fact that their career was rather short-lived makes it obvious that they are disposable.
Second, these foot soldiers often manage to remain invisible to security services, and in fact, may have been recruited for the very reason that they are not acting all that Islamist. Many are arrested only after they've perpetrated their attack. Mohammed Bouyeri was on a secret service watchlist, but was considered not dangerous until it was too late. The London suicide bombers were not even considered all that radical by their environment.
'Hypocrite behavior' may thus be very helpful to the terrorist masterminds. In fact, the Al Takfir Wal Hijra sect expressly uses this modus operandi. (I do suggest that if you're interested, you read the article I'm linking to. There's some helpful background information there.)
Third, I know of no case where it has become abundantly clear how and by whom the perpetrators of an Islamist attack were (1) recruited, (2) trained, (3) financed. The 9-11 case comes closest. As far as Van Gogh's murder is concerned, the Dutch D.A. couldn't even prove that Bouyeri had had help. Yet, it is obvious that this was the case. Bouyeri had no job and no money, but nevertheless managed to buy an expensive gun and to sustain himself for months on end.
So the point that De Telegraaf tries to make should be reversed. The problem isn't that some Islamic terrorists are hypocrites. The problem is that adolescent hypocrites such as Mohammed Bouyeri, not just pious zealots (if there is such a thing), become terrorist foot soldiers. De Hofstadgroep is a group of useful, albeit dangerous, idiots to the real culprits.
The organizers of terror lurk in the shadows, and ridiculing the danger that comes from them may be rather misleading, to say the least. Surely, they see no problem in recruiting more hypocrites such as Bouyeri, and, as stated before, there's an added advantage. The more normal (i.e. engaging in sex) a person will seem, the less likely it is that security services will take notice.
I expect journalists to try to penetrate said shadows, rather than using sex tales to rally their readers into a primal frenzy.
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11:28 |
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Friday, July 15, 2005
Perspective |
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'So, after 12 months of living in New York is it any surprise that Israel starts to look a little less evil? And that Europe starts to look a little more parochial? That the US starts to look a little more like it is trying to solve some of the world’s problems, and that it is doing so despite the sometimes unfair criticism of its allies? If in England it always looked like the US was the playground bully. Then from the US it looks a lot more like an embattled headteacher in a problem school.'
From Paul Berger, a left-wing Englishman in New York. (Via Andrew Sullivan.)
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23:09 |
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And so it begins |
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The Chinese threaten nuclear war with America if the latter 'attack their territory'. Rather conveniently, the Chinese definition of territory happens to include Chinese ships and planes.
So the cards are on the table. The Chinese are apparently willing to threaten the United States with a nuclear holocaust in order to scare them out of honoring their defense treaty with Taiwan. It seems likely that, considering the Chinese military buildup, they are now testing the waters for actually using their newfound power. Wait for them to start some serious saber rattling when their internal economic problems become apparent to the general populace.
After that, it's probably onwards to Japan, a country which is cozying up to the USA for a reason. Similar moves can be observed in India. And no matter how much I dislike Pervez Musharraf (or any other dictator), it had better be that he clings on to power for a few more years. A fundamentalist rising in Pakistan could indirectly lead to a premature increase in Chinese agression, as India will then have enough on its plate by having to deal with an agressive Pakistan.
Scary. I actually thought this moment would be a few more years away, but the game seems to be in full play.
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15:01 |
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A beginning of Islamic reform? |
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Seems blowing up children doesn't go down well amongst Muslims either. Anyway, it's definitely not 'Midway', but the Pew Global Attitudes survey in Islamic countries brings excellent news nonetheless:
Osama bin Laden's standing has dropped significantly in some key Muslim countries, while support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence has "declined dramatically," according to a new survey released today.
In a striking finding, predominantly Muslim populations in a sampling of six North African, Middle East and Asian countries also shared to "a considerable degree" Western nations' concerns about Islamic extremism, the survey found. Many in those Muslim nations see it as threat to their own country, the poll found.
(...)
The survey found only 2 percent of people surveyed in Lebanon and 7 percent in Turkey expressed confidence that bin Laden would "do the right thing regarding world affairs," while confidence in the al Qaeda leader dropped from almost a half to about a quarter of those surveyed in Morocco and from 58 percent to 37 percent in Indonesia. Bin Laden's standing went up slightly in Pakistan to 51 percent and Jordan to 60 percent.
The latter is something to watch out for though. If Musharraf's luck runs out, we may have a bit of a problem on our hands. Especially since his 'successor' wouldn't be as prone to please America by keeping hostilities with India to a minimum. And a renewed war between India and Pakistan might give China a window of opportunity on Taiwan.
Go directly to the survey here.
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3:06 |
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Thursday, July 14, 2005
What must change in Dutch politics |
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'Although the relativist attitudes are surely dominant on the left, they are not necessarily their excusive domain, the Dutch and continental European right are equally given to take a more appeasing approach while failing to cast the conflict in the struggle between good and bad. But more than anything else it’s an innate fear to declare “moral superiority” something that in Anglo-Saxon countries can be found both on the right and as we know through Blair, Lieberman and Hitchens: on the left too.'
Pieter Dorsman gets it, unlike poor Helen.
Just the other night I was debating (well, actually, I was rambling on as always) Dutch politics with a leftie friend of mine and I considered what frightens the Dutch in taking a moral point of view. It is that by doing so, they exclude other opinions.
This is even true in the case that your basic moral conviction is that freedom is good. The latter is the one thing I will never compromise on, but it is also a tenet which is directly at odds with that of Mohammed Bouyeri. He obviously doesn't believe in freedom. only in forcing people to abide by his interpretation of sharia, and killing them if they don't.
So adopting the conviction that freedom is good is, in a sense, very much exclusionary to people such as Mr. Bouyeri. I am not attempting to be sarcastic here, but simply trying to point out the very real philosophical consequence that even freedom has to limit the freedom of some, namely the freedom of its enemies to destroy freedom. In other words: freedom has to deny those who use freedom to disrespect the freedom of others the possibility to become powerful, or freedom itself will cease to exist. It is the classic paradox of the impossibility of being tolerant towards intolerance. Only Jesus could do that, and so we killed him.
(If you do want to read a sarcastic version of this paradox, Douglas Adams' wonderful story about the fictional people of Krikkit is highly recommended.)
Of course, the possibility exists that Mr. Bouyeri is right: that his warped version of God does exist, did order the death of Mr. Van Gogh, and doesn't give a rat's ass about our freedom. However unlikely, I cannot logically disprove that possibility (yes, I've read Popper).
So it is not just a matter of likelihood, but also a matter of faith that I choose to believe in freedom. And unlike Mr. Bouyeri's world view, freedom is the one way of life that excludes the least amount of people and offers the most guarantees (or the biggest lack of dangers, for all the 'half empty' people out there) that it will stay that way.
That's why I believe freedom is good.
And if embracing this value makes me a cultural imperialist, so be it.
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20:30 |
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New artwork |
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When I started my company ISOPEDA nearly three years ago, I was flat broke. Which may have had something to do with the fact that I had spent the preceding seven months getting wasted in such colorful Australian pubs such as the MeatWoolshed. Any and all sober time left was used pursuing fun but useless hobbies such as obtaining a few diving licenses, camping in the Nullarbor, swimming with sharks (well, it swam away real quickly, to be honest) and sea lions, as well as flying a plane to an altitude of 2,000 feet without any qualifications or assistance (but with a really laidback instructor sitting next to me).
Anyway, Joost Mattheij, a former colleague at Elsevier News Weekly knocked up the business cards at the top of the image. I was and am very happy with them, especially since they hardly cost me anything.
But I figured it was time for something a bit more stylish. So Kay Coenen had a go at the spider (the Isopeda montana or Huntsman spider is what ISOPEDA derives its name from) and the result is at the bottom of said image. Today I went to the printer to pick up the result.
I am very happy and promise not to harm any spiders for the rest of my life, or the end of the month, whichever comes first. Which is hopefully the latter, although some spiders might disagree.
Click on the picture to see a highres version, and click on Kay's name in case you need a good designer.
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17:13 |
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Bouyeri on acid |
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That's the way to treat these morons: ridicule them. Truly pious people can withstand the test of laughter - Saint Francis comes to mind - but I doubt Mohammed Bouyeri can.
So do check out this hardcore trance file featuring the assassin of Theo van Gogh himself. Yes, that's Mohammed Bouyeri (no, not the guy who yells in Arabic - the guy who speaks in Arabic). He starts speaking right after the D.A.'s cameo in the tense part, who in turn comes after two journo's.
This one's fun too. Or this one. And does anyone care for some Heavy Metal al Assassin?
(More brilliant stuff here and on the following four pages. 'Page' is what 'pagina' means - it's not a male version of... Anyway. Yes, I am a 30 year old adolescent. So sue me.)
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11:59 |
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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
They still don't (want to) get it |
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From the BBC website:
'I am surprised. If they are UK born, surely they must have seen the thousands of Londoners marching in protest against the War in Iraq back in 2002 and 2003. Why would they kill those same people?'
(Helen, Oxford, UK)
Because these people are fascists, Helen. They consider your respect for the rights of the individual to be perverse, and likewise, don't think your personal opinions should exempt you from their righteous wrath. In their eyes, there's only God's mob and the devil's mob.
It's time to quote good ol' James Woolsey once more:
'We and you are cordially loathed for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, open economies, equal - or almost equal - treatment of women, and so on. It is not what we have done wrong that is creating the problem; it is what we do right.'
In other words: if you don't want them to kill you, you'll have to rescind your right to protest - even if it is an anti-war protest. Or, perhaps, especially. For it doesn't seem to be peace that they're after.
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13:24 |
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Things to blow up in Amsterdam |
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This roundup of locations with explosive chemicals (factories and the like) is courtesy of the Dutch government (note: I have left out the address information. On the public website where this map comes from, the zip codes can be easily found).
Am I giving terrorists new ideas? I don't think so. This particular government website has been online for three years (!) already. And all the people in my street know that when the local paint factory blows, our windows will too.
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9:02 |
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Why the Netherlands will be next |
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Just take a look at this Al Qaeda timeline.
So while some people might prefer debate on 'why they hate us', I prefer to keep on voting for parties who send our troops into Afghanistan (there's about 600 Dutch special forces there), lest we stay on the offensive.
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8:32 |
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Send a letter to Mohammed Bouyeri! |
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You can find his address here or at the bottom of this entry.
There's really no excuse not to send something nice to the murderer of Theo van Gogh as he will probably be serving a life sentence. That's what the D.A. demanded today, anyway. Contrary to popular myth a life sentence does mean a life sentence in the Netherlands. Only under very rare circumstances is it possible to be pardoned - and you have to wait for 20 years before you can even request a premature release (i.e. one without being enclosed in a wooden box).
So even if your letter has to come from McMurdo Station or the ISS, it will arrive in time for Mohammed to read it.
As for what kind of mail he'd like to receive, well, that's up to you of course (note: the prison will screen it). Mohammed really likes everything that has to do with Islamic extremism, and dislikes everything else. Please don't ship goats. I don't approve of cruelty against animals.
Here's Mohammed Bouyeri's addresss until, say, about 2050 and onwards. (I've made a few minor improvements to facilitate international shipping.)
Penitentiaire Inrichting Amsterdam
Locatie De Schans
attn. Mohammed Bouyeri
P.O. Box 41901
NL-1009 CE Amsterdam
The Netherlands
(For case details, please read Peaktalk. He does it so well there's really no point in me doing the same thing.)
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22:33 |
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In the spirit of my visit to Ireland |
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This quote from The 25th Hour:
"Fuck Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and backward-ass, cave-dwelling, fundamentalist assholes everywhere. On the names of innocent thousands murdered, I pray you spend the rest of eternity with your seventy-two whores roasting in a jet-fueled fire in hell. You towel headed camel jockeys can kiss my royal Irish ass!"
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2:22 |
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My very concise review of Sin City |
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Wonderful.
(Oh, and can I have Jessica Alba's phone number, please. Thank you.)
(The former paragraph was not officially part of this review, and neither is this one. Please ignore them at will.)
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1:27 |
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Back in town |
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The problem with a few days of R&R is that it makes you realise you need even more.
Anyway, sorry for those of you who had to stare at my webcam. The software I use for that had inadvertently written over the index.html file. All is back to normal now.
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1:04 |
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Friday, July 8, 2005
Off to Dublin (Baile atha Cliath) - watch my cat! |
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For a few days of well-deserved R&R, if I do say so myself. If any readers know of good gigs there Saturday or Sunday night, me and a mate will be staying at the Westbury in Grafton Street, registered under the name of 'Dasselaar'. (Yes, it's a posh hotel but I got a free coupon...)
Feel free to drop us a line. Or text me at +31 6 45190498. Any excuse for a pint is welcome (not that we'll be needing one).
Anyone feeling the need to look after my cat: click here (and please text me if you see anything out of the ordinary - a mate of mine is checking the cam too and has keys to my appartment.
(Would-be burglars can be consoled that the cat cam takes images of the front door of my house as well (as you can see at the right hand side of the images in the gallery), and sends them to an FTP server at a safe distance from my house, to someone who will call 112 (the Dutch 911) instantly. Smile! Besides, as you can judge by the quality of the carpet, it's not exactly the Hamptons in my house. There's not even a computer, only a laptop, which is coming with me... The webcam is hooked up to a 500 MHz AMD (no, that's not enough to deserve to be named a computer...))
(Oh, and a note to overly cautious readers: the neighbour will be checking on the cat on Sunday and Monday - so if the door on the right side opens, don't worry. However, if you see the door at the BOTTOM side of the screen open, please do worry. This is the door that the cat cam is mounted on - so if the perspective changes radically, there might be something going on as well, and you'd be quite welcome to text me.)
(And yes, I am always this perfectionist.)
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18:16 |
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About a cat and a vet |
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Tomorrow morning I'll be off for a brief (two night) holiday, but I figured it might be a good idea to put Ender, my cat, in an animal hotel because he's never been alone for more than a night before.
Dierenpension Amsterdam-Noord seemed like a good idea when I visited their website - after all, it is owned by a vet.
A week or so ago I went there to take a look. The parents of the owner were there and they were a delight. I got an extensive tour and got shown some rather large as well as quite small cages for cats to stay in. Ender does not relate well to other cats, so I asked whether it would be possible for him to stay alone in one of the large cages. They said yes, and I made a reservation.
Today I met the vet herself, and it was not a pleasure.
Despite being five minutes earlier than I had agreed with her parents, I immediately got reprimanded for being late.
Things went downhill from there. I asked whether I could put Ender in his cage myself, but she denied that request. She said she would put Ender in his 'hokje' (a Dutch diminitive meaning little cage) herself. Needless to say, this got me worried further. When she refused to explain why she wouldn't let me put him in his cage myself, I'd had enough. I went home, taking Ender with me.
As Jeff Jarvis might say: caveat venditor.
I won't be going there again.
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17:54 |
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Hold the line |
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Coincidence or not, just last week I started reading Victor David Hanson's excellent book Carnage and Culture. The book doesn't paint a pretty picture. Hanson is unequivocal in his praise for Western values - but one. The downside (for our enemies) of freedom is that it also makes us the most efficient killers the world has ever seen. We've got something to fight for: ourselves. And though we can be scared, we aren't nearly as easily scared as the enemy:
'In Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War, nearly 2,500 years ago the Spartan general Brasidas dismissed the military prowess of the tribes of Illyria and Macedonia, who confronted his Spartan hoplites. These men, Brasidas says of his savage opponents, have no discipline and so cannot endure shock battle. "As all mobs do," they changed their fearsome demeanor to cries of fright when they faced the cold iron of disciplined men in rank. Why so? Because, as Brasidas goes on to tell his soldiers, such tribes are the product of cultures "in which the many do not rule the few, but rather the few the many" (Thucydides 4.126).
In contrast to these enormous armies of screaming "barbarians" without consensual governments and written constitutions--"formidable in outward bulk, with unbearable loud yelling and the frightful appearance of weapons brandished in the air"--"citizens of states like yours," Brasidas assures his men, "stand their ground." Notice that Brasidas says nothing about skin color, race, or religion. Instead, he simplistically connects military discipline, fighting in rank, and the preference for shock battle with the existence of popular and consensual government, which gave the average infantryman in the phalanx a sense of equality and a superior spirit to his enemies. Whether or not we wish to dismiss Brasidas's self-serving portrait of frenzied tribesmen as a chauvinistic Western "construct" or "fiction," or debate whether his own Spartan oligarchy was a broad-based government, or carp that European infantrymen were often ambushed and bushwhacked by more nimble guerrillas, it is indisputable that there was a tradition of disciplined heavy infantrymen among the constitutionally governed Greek city-states, and not such a thing among tribal peoples to the north.'
I see no difference between the Greek phalanxes, and the brave Londoners that are holding the line by continuing to use the Tube.
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12:45 |
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Thursday, July 7, 2005
The European Pearl Harbour |
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Of course, I am not happy about the events of today, and my sympathies are with the victims and their families and loved ones. Nevertheless, I've been afraid of something like this for a long time (link in Dutch).
But unlike the Spaniards, the British will not let this get by. Just check out this link at Daily Kos (fer crying out loud) to see what I mean.
Dutch readers may be interested in this roundup by yours truly.
Al Qaeda may just have awakened a sleeping empire.
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12:17 |
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Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Monday, July 4, 2005
Learning Avid |
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(Sorry for the crappy picture, which was taken by my cell phone during a thunderstorm.)
As I strongly feel no journalist will be able to get by in a couple of years without at least some rudimentary knowledge of shooting and editing video, I felt my keyboard needed a bit of 'redecorating'.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with video editing software: I applied stickers to my keyboard corresponding with the appropriate command keys in Avid, which is an industry standard in video editing.
Now all I need to do is to learn to actually use it.
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12:00 |
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Sunday, July 3, 2005
Sensation White |
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Really too tired to write much now, so I'll suffice with hyperlinking some photographs of last night's dance event in Amsterdam.
(Insert usual clichés on debauchery, sin city, usw usf.)
Check out Patrick Savalle's blog as well, if not for his rather concise but apt review of the event, then for his ventures into model photography (which are quite good for someone who describes himself as an amateur - mark my words, Savalle is one to watch).
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15:44 |
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Saturday, July 2, 2005
Diplomacy, American style |
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Americans have a rep for being terrible diplomats (Rumsfeld, for one, comes to mind). This snippet from the most recent issue of The Economist got me thinking, though: (incidentally, if you only have time to read one mag a week, buy the Economist. I know no other publication that I find pleasant to read even on issues I disagree with them on.)
'Warships from across the world gathered in the Solent on June 28th to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson's victory at the battle of Trafalgar. (...) The Americans had planned to send the USS Carl Vinson, one of their enormous aircraft carriers. In the event, the USS Saipan, an amphibious assault ship, replaced her. Officially, the Americans blamed "operational availability" for their carrier's absence. But some thought they detected a tactical retreat: the Carl Vinson dwars even the Charles de Gaulle, the pride of the French navy and the biggest ship present at the celebrations - while the Saipan is 38 feet shorter.'
Like quite a few other Dutch, I hate the French for a plethora of reasons (criticism of Dutch soft drug policy (yes, American politicians make comments about that too, but they have no real power over us, unlike the French through the EU, meaning that American comments are intended mainly for their own constituents), 1996 nuclear tests, Rainbow Warrior, agricultural policy in the EU, flooding the market with bad blended cognacs (don't EVER let anyone tell you Courvoisier is good brandy), holding back European economical liberalization, behaving like neocolonials in their former colonies in ways that surpass anything they've ever claimed the Americans are guilty of, being a political but not a military member of NATO, still managing to maintain a virtual class society in the bloody 21st century, them being arrogant wankers in general, etc etc etc).
Therefore, I applaud American self-restraint. Seems they can be diplomats, if they like to be. (Were I in command of the American navy, I would probably have sent the entire 6th Fleet.)
Incidentally, this is what the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle looks like, next to the USS Enterprise (please, do snigger):
Soon it turned out that American Hawkeye planes couldn't land on the CdG. The French first had to weld an extra piece of 4,4 metres to its landing deck since it wasn't long enough...
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10:40 |
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Friday, July 1, 2005
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