Magere Hein

My response was of an ironic nature. There was, however, a slightly serious side to my remark. I first tried her entry in the Dutch Wikipedia. As you can see, that article is rather brief. I assure you that Dutch Wikipedia articles about popular artists mention every fart, so Anita Baker isn't popular among Dutch Wikipedia writers. I had to switch to the English page to learn that I know a few of her songs. regards, Hein

Who's Anita Baker? regards, Hein

I see not only Dutch department stores are suffering. One of the larger chains here, V&D has been in trouble for a while now. Renegotiating rents helped a bit, but not enough. They announced pay cuts a few weeks ago, which staff didn't receive well, as one may imagine. regards, Hein

The bloke in the middle looks familiar. regards, Hein

If I understand the peeps at harddawn correctly, everybody is part of the conspiracy. Can't argue with that. Have they been notified of the dangers of DHMO yet? regards, Hein

Passed sell-by date? ETA: or: regards, Hein

I just saw a documentary (on Dutch telly) about Dutch F1 driver Jan Lammers. Doesn't look bad for a 58 y/o. That documentary is in Dutch of course, but should you want to see it: it's online. I don't know how long it'll stay. regards, Hein

I found the following passage interesting: That translates to: "Two burglars raided the house, he said and he pointed to a fresh plaster on his brow. At 2 at night! Bel Air isn't what it used to be." Do German burglars keep office hours? Regards, Hein

Closer... Or perhaps clutching at straws. I'd be, ehrm, disappointed if he'd end up in the List of the Lost. regards, Hein

If only that were the case. See (for example) this and this. And that's just the kids, never mind the recent case (on here somewhere?) of 'bra-carry'... Law abiding citizens are also part of the problem. It's a strange thing, this "right to bear arms" idea. It resembles religion closely, as in that reason has little to do with it. The two stories of children shooting children you linked to give clues that it's not just the legality of gun ownership that is at stake, it's also the lack of responsibility some owners show to ensure their precious guns are, and stay, locked away safely. Parents who let 'loaded guns "just laying on the floor"' ought to be locked away safely as well. Why one would want to give a 5-year-old a .22-caliber Crickett rifle as a present I can't imagine. Just to give an idea what we're talking about: (I nicked that image from http://www.crickett.com/crickett_22_LR.php, proud manufacturers of My first rifle.) Oooh, pretty! ETA: I have a marketing suggestion for those creeps: regards, Hein

Excuse me if I ask something stupid, offensive or blasphemous, but wouldn't it be better if the Scottish footy leagues played their games in summer, as the Swedes and Norwegians do? regards, Hein

Tulips up in price. Edam down in price. It's criminal, Track Cycling and Speed Skating are still minority sports in rest of world. Terrain out of window still flat, says geologist. Watch out for tomorrows exciting report on repairing a puncture. (with sincere apologies to Hein). You forgot a few headlines: - Number of windmills steady - Clog production down - Cannabis production up regards, Hein

Belgian cyclist Claude Criquielion died last Wednesday, says Belgian newspaper De Standaard. He was 1984 World Road Race Champion and had five top-ten finishes in the Tour de France. He died from a stroke, aged 58. regards, Hein

Not very unexpected.... Nobody expects the ehrm, unexpected. regards, Hein

Never mind that. You've made at least one member happy by giving him an opportunity to set you straight. regards, Hein

Back to toys attacking at night: I stepped on a model car once. It started to roll, I lost my footing, fell and banged my head on a table. I'm not sure if the table was part of the conspiracy. My foot hardly hurt. regards, Hein

Now is 81 and has found out that he has terminal cancer: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/oliver-sacks-on-learning-he-has-terminal-cancer.html Although at 81, lots of things are terminal. Bad orbit looking for a good obit... Hmm, no more Sacks life, soon. regards, Hein

Uh-oh. That was the only film I saw during which members of the audience left in digust . regards, Hein

regards, Hein

They must be so proud. regards, Hein

Ah, the Legend of the Lost List. Perhaps we could sneak that in the plot of DeathList, the Movie. regards, Hein

But you do get all the best jobs and better pay.... ...oh wait. At least you get into clubs for free on a Friday night whereas us blokes have to pay. On average women live a few years longer than geezers. I don't know how much fun those years are, living with faulty plumbing. regards, Hein

We're getting closer: Washington Post regards, Hein

Chinese is indeed a smart choice, and an admirably difficult one. Learning a tonal language isn't easy when your first language doesn't know that. Learning some 2500 common characters to get basic literacy is quite a job. As the joke goes: learning Chinese is much easier when you know Chinese. A colleague of mine of Chinese ancestry (but Dutch upbringing) speaks Chinese. Last year he paid a visit to China and soon experienced that what he learned from his parents didn't work in Peking. He can't read Chinese, so he often used English. I suppose your nephew learns Mandarin. Apart from the UK (and perhaps Ireland), things have changed in Europe. Even in large nations with a tradition of language chauvinism, say France, Germany, Italy or Spain, the majority know one or more foreign languages at a useful level. In the 90s I went to France for business a few times, and without some French one was fucked there and then. In 2013 I was in Paris and Normandy for hols and was pleasantly surprised by the number of locals whose English was better than my French. The Americans I meet are not average yankee Joes and Janes, after all they moved here at some time. Their language skills vary. I met a 23-ish student (at some business school) from Lansing, Michigan, in the pub last year. She'd learned German in high school and had been learning Dutch by trial and error for a month. She asked me what I was reading (a novel by W.F. Hermans) and she read out loud a passage -in an unusual accent- and translated it almost perfectly. I was much impressed. Of course the same pub is full of Americans, Australians and New Zealanders who don't even try. regards, Hein

I love you for posting that, but it's not what the doctor ordered. The DDP celebrity rules state: It seems those bloody Brits can't be arsed to copy and paste it to a DDP approved news site. Oh well, 10 more months till 2016. regards, Hein