Magere Hein

I watched that, ehrm, thing for a few minutes. While fascinating subject matter, I got bored by the comment voice. In the 1970s I spent many nightly hours listening to shortwave radio. It's difficult to explain what was so big about that, so allow me to use a video of a pop song from the 1980s as an illustration: Tom Robinson's Listen To The Radio: At 2:00 the third stanza (what's the English word for that in songs?) begins that explains the atmosphere much better than I can. While traversing the radio bands, I occasionally bumped into a transmission of code messages, consisting of long strings of numbers from 0 to 9, grouped in blocks of five, spoken, invariably, by a female. Some of them in English, some in German, others in French, Spanish, Russian or languages I couldn't understand. It went on for, sometimes, hours. At that time there weren't voice generators for that kind of thing, so actual human beings had, at some time, recorded those messages. As you can imagine, those messages were spoken in a completely uninterested way, causing boredom to seep from the speaker of my radio set. It was all I needed to fall asleep in minutes. Anyway, the comment reminded me of those messages, and I couldn't stand more than a few minutes. Edit to add: apparently those code messages were broadcast by so-called numbers stations. WP As an aside: now that we do have such voice generators, we also have the internet, so those nocturnal code messages have disappeared. 01673 2346 13721 67024 98762 89837 61208, Hein

Not-so-Great Britain? Shrinking Brittain? regards, Hein

We're all doomed! We are actually; if Ebola doesn't get us, something else will. Worrying it is, though. I remember, at a previous outbreak, the comments of an epidemiologist poo-pooing the threat of Ebola along the line of: in outbreaks of a virus so lethal and infectious the virus must evolve into something less lethal or run out of new hosts quickly. I guess there's truth there in low-density human populations that are regionally confined, but I'm not so sure what that theory looks like when infected people travel to densely populated areas, such as capitals. I don't lie awake over this. We can isolate cases well enough to contain an outbreak in the west. I'm not so sure countries like Brazil and Mexico, with some of the world's largests cities, would be able to cope should the virus pass the Atlantic. regards, Hein

Charles Aznavour, just a hunch. regards, Hein

I liked him in The Marriage of Maria Braun. I wonder how many male Fassbinder actors are still around. There're a lot of premature deaths among the cast of his films. This question got my interest, I've seen several of Fassbinder's works. I tallied the following, from his first three films, from Wikepedia (insert veracity warning here): Love Is Colder Than Death Ulli Lommel (alive) Hanna Schygulla (alive) Rainer Werner Fassbinder (died 1982) Hans Hirschmüller (alive) Katrin Schaake (alive) Peter Berling (alive) Hannes Gromball (alive) Gisela Otto (unknown) Ingrid Caven (alive) Ursula Strätz (unknown) Irm Hermann (alive) Les Olvides (unknown) Wil Rabenbauer (died 2007) Peter Moland (unknown) Anastassios Karalas (unknown) Rudolf Waldemar Brem (alive) Yaak Karsunke (alive) Monika Stadler (unknown) Kurt Raab (died 1988) Thomas Hill (unknown) Liz Söllner (unknown) Howard Gaines (unknown) Franz Maron (unknown) Gottfried Hüngsberg (alive) Wolfgang Gmoch (unknown) Katzelmacher Hanna Schygulla (alive) Lilith Ungerer (died 2000) Rudolf Waldemar Brem (alive) Elga Sorbas (alive) Doris Mattes (unknown) Irm Hermann (alive) Peter Moland (unknown) Hans Hirschmüller (alive) Rainer Werner Fassbinder (died 1982) Harry Baer (alive) Hannes Gromball (alive) Katrin Schaake (alive) Gods of the Plague Hanna Schygulla (alive) Margarethe von Trotta (alive) Harry Baer (alive) Günther Kaufmann (died 2012) Carla Egerer (alive) Ingrid Caven (alive) Jan George (alive) Lilo Pempeit (died 1993) Marian Seidowsky (unknown) Yaak Karsunke (alive) Micha Cochina (unknown) Hannes Gromball (alive) Lilith Ungerer (died 2000) Katrin Schaake (alive) Rainer Werner Fassbinder (died 1982) David Morgan (unknown) Thomas Schieder (unknown) Kurt Raab (died 1988) Irm Hermann (alive) Peter Moland (unknown) Doris Mattes (unknown) Eva Madelung (unknown) Ursula Strätz (unknown) Then I got bored. regards, Hein

FTFY Dunno. I have no quarrel with the 'to defend their property or for emergencies' bit, but the problem is that many owners don't keep their guns locked away all other times. I also think disarming the public is, in general, a Good Thing. I don't particularly trust my govenernment (or any other, for that matter), but experience taught me that violence like chucking bricks works just fine to change some aspect of government policy. Sometimes a government needs a bit of violence to remind it that it's governing people. The kind of government that requires fire arms to defend yourself from is rare in my part of town. regards, Hein

Not exactly a minimalist name, is it? regards, Hein

A programmer friend of mine had one of those. He called it his luggable. regards, Hein

Aha! regards, Hein

I doubt the factuality of those statements. According to that Independent article DJL pointed to: Which means 869 or about a third survived. It also seems improbable that Sheik Umar Khan treated one in nine of those survivors. regards, Hein

A few years ago a saw a documentary on the Dutch box of a (non-celeb) Dutchman, who did exactly that. In his case it was eminently plannable, since he intended to be (and was) euthanised. I'm not so sure filming your last month works that well in more traditional deaths. How does one know when that last month will start? Anyway, that Dutch docu showed a awkward interview with an undertaker, with whom funeral arrangments were made. Awkward for the undertaker, that is. His soon-to-be-dead customer cheerfully (and successfully) haggled on grounds that the whole business could be planned in advance and no rush was involved. It's obvious undertakers are used to dealing with grieved relatives, rather than the star of the show. regards, Hein

From that web article: Don't they have anything with spam in it? regards, Hein

A bit drastic, but it's the Japanese way. regards, Hein

He had a pet lion and smoked cigars. Would have been more amazing if it had said he had a pet lion that smoked cigars ! Or if he had a pet cigar and smoked lions, for that matter. regards, Hein

I wasn't aware that colon cancer affects writing skill. Perhaps it's just my furrin ignorance, but it seems to me a sentence like does not mean what the author intends. regards, Hein

Why the fuck should that be "Breaking news"? regards, Hein

Thank you for your words of condolence. Today the bodies of the Dutch victims are flown back to the Netherlands, for which occasion the government has declared today a day of national mourning, the first since Queen Wilhelmina's death in 1962. The most visible aspect of a day of national mourning is that most government offices fly a flag at half-mast. regards, Hein

Oh fwip. regards, Hein

A budget funeral, surely, offering endless sausage rolls from value backs. Owt else would be inappropriate. And the coffin should suddenly snap just when it's about half-way lowered into the ground. Coffin? Cardboard box, you mean. regards, Hein

Some 190 Dutch died in the crash. One of the dead is MP Willem Witteveen. regards, Hein

It was one of the more bizarre twists in the Marvel world, is he/she going to have a sex change or is it going to be a "someone broke his hammer" kind of thing? What puzzles me is the question: will a female Thor wield a handbag rather than a hammer? regards, Hein

That's a big target for a torpedo, I'd say. BTW, Allseas was customer of a company I used to work for. I've been on board of their MV Lorelay several times. regards, Hein

1987: de Cesaris, Osbourne (2/31) 1989: Bruno, Ditka, Ian Paisley, Osbourne, Brian Wilson, Jenkins, Cole (7/32) 1990: Noriega, Aznavour, Queen Elizabeth II, Alliss, Ditka, Williams, Winfrey, Waite (8/42) 1991: Gabor, Beenhakker (2/40) 1992: Ryder (1/37) 1993: Bennett, Ian Paisley, Kissinger, Ray Kennedy, Lineker, Jerry Lee Lewis (6/56) 1994: Castro, White, Kirkbride, Holly Johnson, Thorpe, Shilton (6/50) 1995: Castro, Holly Johnson, Forsyth, Connery (4/50) 1996: Mr T, Thorpe, Domino, Castro (4/50) 1997: Domino, Kirk Douglas (2/50) 1998: (0/50) 1999: Leeson, Simon (2/50) 2000: Farrakhan (1/50) 2001: Tutu, Minelli, Pincher, Wouk (4/50) 2002: Brady, Kirk Douglas (2/50) 2003: Gabor (1/50) 2004: Brady, Musharraf, Kirk Douglas, Michelmore, Mugabe (5/50) 2005: Karzai, Maradona, LaMotta, de Havilland, O'Sullevan, Castro, Jerry Lewis (7/50) 2006: Kirk Douglas, Lynn, Bouteflika, Graham, Ali, LaMotta (6/50) 2007: Castro, Graham, Tim Johnson, Piper, Kirk Douglas, de Havilland, Lynn, LaMotta, Molinaro, Vigoda, Jerry Lewis, Farrakhan (12/50) 2008: Castro, Pincher, Kirk Douglas, Domino, Gabor, Lynn, Graham, Watson, LaMotta, Karzai, Charles Taylor (11/50) 2009: Havelange, Pincher, Castro, Kirk Douglas, Graham, LaMotta, Nancy Reagan, Christopher Lee, Cardin, B B King (10/50) 2010: Gabor, Pincher, Castro, Kirk Douglas, Wouk, de Havilland, Healey, Tork, Edrich, Graham, Bough, O'Sullevan, Molinaro, LaMotta, Norden, Attenborough, B B King, Lansbury, Jerry Lewis, Domino, Garner (21/50) 2011: Gabor, Kirk Douglas, de Havilland, Healey, Edrich, LaMotta, Khamenei, Jerry Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Dole, Cheney, Pincher, Ellison, Schmidt, Molinaro, Brady, Cardin, Lynn, Michael Douglas, Nancy Reagan, (20/50) 2012: Harper Lee, Kirk Douglas, Adulyadej, Gabor, Graham, Pincher, Wouk, de Havilland, Mubarak, Lawson, Castro, Healey, Schmidt, O'Sullevan, Molinaro, LaMotta, Kissinger, PD James, Macnee, Mugabe, Van Dyke, Randi, Aziz, Ali, Berry, Domino, Gaddafi, Hawking (28/50) 2013: Clive James, Pincher, Gabor, Havelange, Bush, Prince Philip, Whitlam, Mubarak, Paisley, Kirk Douglas, de Havilland, Castro, Lynn, Healey, Harper Lee, Dole, O'Sullevan, Graham, Schmidt, Molinaro, Attenborough, PD James, Adams, LaMotta, Nancy Reagan, Sallis, Day, Stan Lee, Kissinger, Parsons, Stritch, Domino, Garner, Brady (34/50) Update for Di Stéfano

A. Because that would be a douchebag thing to do? B. Also even if they wanted to they couldn't be arsed. C. It's probably fun to imagine them trying to remember what their passwords are 5-10 years later, like an old Alzheimer's-riddled bat trying to remember what year she got married in. About once a year I do a pruning session, in which I remove members who have registered several years ago and never logged in again. Members who did log on even once stay, because of A. regards, Hein

1974 was also my first World Cup. I saw only two matches, Netherlands v. Brazil in the second round and the final. As in many Dutch who did watch it, my memory of that final is somewhat traumatic. regards, Hein