Magere Hein

I saw footage of him at a Eredivisie match a fews week ago. He didn't look well. It's never easy to predict such things, but my impression is months rather than years. regards, Hein

Allow me to add a little salt to the stew. Since I'm the one to do the work (or possibly PB, but he's on hols) I don't intend to change your name more than oncve. Choose once and you're stuck with it. regards, Hein

If he's from a hackers collective, why didn't they just hack into the live feed? It didn't take long for rumours to fly about this young man being a confused student at Delft Technical U. Completely without sources, of course. The gunman's manners are spotless. Police press conference now. Edit to add: 19 y/o man from Pijnacker, born in Zoetermeer. I know those places, they do strange things. regards, Hein

Dutch news in the news. regards, Hein

That Mr X comes from his signature on his contract, innit? regards, Hein

My advice is: don't bother reading it, your life will improve greatly. For important things there are other communication channels. regards, Hein

Cumbrian Blue, I see. Fine plumage, too. regards, Hein

Of course frail isn't the same as dead, but I just kicked him from my theme team because I couldn't find any recent health information on him. Traitors. regards, Hein

That story has malpractice suit written all over. regards, Hein

Not a particularly informing article, is it? All it says is: the virus is mutating (which it must) and we don't know how the mutants differ. ISTM the researcher is begging to keep up funding his research after the epidemic has subsided. regards, Hein

Yup, dressage is silly. A few 'sports' that come close: synchronised swimming, nordic walking (cross country skiing without skis and snow), pigeon racing and tournament fishing. regards, Hein

I did see a few European away matches of Feyenoord. I didn't quite fit in the company I went with. I remember an away match in Milan where I was pointed at for appreciating the Piazza del Duomo's architecture for its design rather than as furniture. regards, Hein

No, he has to pay extra for them. A couple of years ago he'd do the season ticket with 3 extra seats. Good grief. As I understand it, it's an outdoors pastime. I like to be outside, but I prefer good weather for that. There are many outside things that I'd rather do on a nice day than watch lacrosse. Inside sports (and sport the on box) at least have use as entertainment on rainy days, although there's competition for that. I held season tickets for Feyenoord for a few years. Wind and rain (and poor performance) didn't stop me watching from the stands. I'll stop now, we're drifting off topic. There may be some more amusement in this topic. regards, Hein

Was that one of those buy one, get five free offers? The silliest thing I remember watching (for a few minutes) was underwater chess. One I was suprised to learn I rather liked is kaatsen, best thought of as tennis for six without rackets and net. The scoring system is of a complexity that Brits must admire, but play is quick and exciting. regards, Hein

I don't give a toss about rassling, never have, but as we say in Dutch ieder z'n meug. If I'd had to get my nickers in a twist about all the silly things other people like and do, I'd be busy the rest of my life. Do you have any idea how silly cricket, bowls, american football, footy, ruggers, speed skating, fierljeppen, pole sitting, chess, sumo, or the Eton wall game look to outsiders? regards, Hein

There's no such thing as voter registration in the Netherlands. The people at the municipality who keep the register of residents send, by mail, invitations to a poll to all residents who qualify for the vote. But, as I understand it, there's no such thing in the UK, so there you go. Some ten years ago I had some trouble with those people at the municipality who keep the register of residents. I moved house two months before a general election and as may be expected, they sent my invitation to my old address. That used to be no problem, since the rules allowed any legal ID at the polling station as an alternative for the card they sent. That rule had changed a few years earlier, so that you had to bring the card to get a ballot. A short bike ride taught me that the house I vacated was demolished a few weeks after I left and the card was lost. When I phoned city hall, I was politely told to fuck off. As I had some spare time I went to city hall, where I was told by civil servants of increasing rank, respectively: "Sorry, I can't help", "I'll ask" and "That happens hundreds of times since the change." The last one gave instructions and I left with a bit of stationary that was an ad hoc replacement. Now they have a regular service to replace lost voting cards. regards, Hein

DDP updates happen as manegement sees fit. During the year, it's something like every few weeks. Since the initial release no updates have happened yet, I presume because TMiB is busy getting the write-ups done. regards, Hein

No miracle at all: regards, Hein

So if I understand you correctly, you started out here as deathra. regards, Hein

FFS! I'd have done better if I'd made that deal with all my teachers. I only started learning like a Cumbrian possessed after I left school. When final exams approached and all lesson time was used for revision it was glorious summer weather. From then I did my revision at the local swimming pool and only came to school for the exams themselves. I had a serious row with the principal about that. He threatened to kick me out (and so exclude me from examinations), but I was 18 by that time and had no legal obligation to attend. Besides my parents (who paid my school fee) supported me, so there was little he could do. regards, Hein

I just clipped mine a bit. After all, the relevant information is all available elsewhere on the web. I got used here to long signatures, but that doesn't mean I have to be part of the crowd. regards, Hein

Here you touch one of the major problems with elections: the result of an election depends as much on its mechanics as on the will of the people it is supposed to express. As far as I'm aware there is no perfect system. For me that's one major reason for random assignment of representatives. Elections of executives (a relatively rare thing in Europe) may be a different matter. Then there's all the trouble with vote rigging, gerrymandering, voter registration... regards, Hein

To quote a recently returned old member of this forum: regards, Hein

Most of my teachers at secondary school were average, some above, some below. I have fond memories of only a few. This was at a school formally run from a Franciscan monastory, with still a few monks being around as teachers, but the majority of teachers were ordinary ones. When I was a pupil it had recently converted from a boys-only school. There were few female pupils, or teachers, for that matter. My biology teacher springs to mind. Knew his stuff, kept up with developments and taught them, and also a fine teacher of laboratory skills. One of my Dutch language and literature teachers was good. I had several history teachers, of which only one did a decent job. Mr K. (I had to look up his name) was a convervative chap and a good story teller, who stuck firmly to facts and sources. He never resented me asking: how do you know? When I protested that he didn't touch the history of socialism and the labour movement much, he allowed me to do that for him. The resulting research sorted out a few of my own misunderstandings. In my final year I regularly met my maths teacher in the pub. He was a nice chap, but a lousy teacher. The book explained the matter better than he could, so I made a deal with him that I'd skive his lessons and he wouldn't report my absence. In that way I could use my time better and wouldn't disrupt his class. regards, Hein

As I understand it, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. regards, Hein