Magere Hein

Sir Paul and Sepp Blatter? regards, Hein

Not anymore. regards, Hein

If ''cannibal'' there would be one left after a while or am I missing something? FTFY. regards, Hein

That's what all big pricks say. regards, Hein

Know the feeling. For a start, Legolas wasn't in the book. That'll be because Tolkien hadn't thought him up yet. But his presence makes perfect sense. Whilst I could just about cope with the presence of Legolas as a marketing tool and a link to the LOTR films, the presence of Tauriel and her imagined interspecies romance with Kili is unforgivable. Tolkien does have elf/human marriages, so I suppose the possibility isn't that outrageous. Tauriel is a bit far-fetched as a character though, I agree. I mean, Captain of the Guard? I'd find her easier to accept if there were a few more female elf soldiers in evidence. Still, she's bound to come to a sticky end as there wasn't a sniff of her in LOTR. There may be something more to it. Who said that Kili is male? As I understand it, male and female dwarfs look pretty much the same. regards, Hein

Simon Schama's The Embarrassment of Riches had been on my List of Books I Really Want to Read[1] for at least 15 years before I finally picked up a copy a few weeks ago. It didn't disappoint. The book presents an important part of the history of my nation in a way that isn't taught in Dutch schools. I was taught Vaderlandse geschiedenis (national history) in which the heroes of the 17th century were described in flowery prose and an unmistakable odour of sanctity, similar to that of dead resistance fighters of WWII. Those days are over, but I expect the chapters about 17th century Dutch habits in food, drink and tobacco won't become part of history lessons. A Frenchman travelling by barge was horrified by the Dutch men and women smoking on board; he wrote that "[the smoke] drove foxes from their lairs as they passed." Fine history, well written, good book. [1]Containing works like The Art of Computer Programming, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Canto General, Civil Disobedience, Crime and Punishment, The Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, Earth Abides, Faust, Ficciones, Leaves of Grass, Madame Bovary, On Growth and Form, The Red and the Black, The Road to Stalingrad/The Road to Berlin, Schoon ende suverlijc boecxken inhoudende veel constige refereinen, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, The Trial, War and Peace. regards, Hein

AIUI that young man rather fancies Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n Roll, so there are certainly possibilities there. That said, several musicians of a similar bend, now in their sixties and seventies, are still with us, so they're a dodgy bet. Nicked again, this time for drag racing and DUI. regards, Hein

From his Wikipedia article I learned that US writer Robert M. Pirsig (of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance fame) is, at 85, doing rather poorly: "Due to frailty of health, Pirsig did not travel to Bozeman in December 2012 from his residence in Maine in order to accept [an honorary doctorate]". I read his Zen in the 1970s and my life has never been the same. Anyway, he's a unique DDP pick. regards, Hein

Oh, that's cheerful news! regards, Hein

No condolence visits, no flowers. regards, Hein

Uh-oh, a BBC page relaying a Wikipedia entry. Tough call, that. I'm glad I don't have to decide. regards, Hein

Is that a baton-down shirt he was wearing on that picture? regards, Hein

Confirmed on BBC Dammit! Picked the wrong one again!! Don't we all? regards, Hein

BBC regards, Hein

Ban. Guests. Now! Please don´t quote spam with URLs unchanged. regards, Hein

You called? Atheists aren't metaphysically spooked by weather phemomena. I can imagine that believers are a bit worried, though. But let´s, for the sake of argument, assume that this is indeed a Sign of God, then what exactly would He be meaning with it? If the only thing you can think of is the imminent End of the World as we Know it, you lack imagination. regards, Hein

The English words ´city´ and ´town´ both translate to Dutch ´stad´, but I suppose most Dutch would use ´city´ to describe Utrecht. By population it´s the fourth Dutch municipality and it's much older than the three larger ones. I assure you you were there just as much as that beer. Yes, it was quite a pleasure. regards, Hein

I'd guess that it was a matter of the time taken for the doctors to conclude, and the family to accept, that there was no hope of recovery. That's pretty much what I think. Strangely, there's been very little public discussion on this. I appreciate his relatives' right to privacy in what is primarily a private matter, but I hope to learn more details before the archives become availabe in 50 years or so. regards, Hein

Two weeks ago I had the interesting experience of doing job interviews with two applicants for the position of "software release manager" in the company I work for as a programmer. In other words, I got the chance to choose my own boss. The one I liked best (an elderly programmer who hoped to get a better paid job in a management position, as opposed to a youngish geezer, who works as a product development manager at a large Dutch electronics company, obviously competent and a bit of a prat) got hired and yesterday I had a talk with him about our future collaboration. It appeared that I scared the hell out of him in that interview by asking such nasty things as: "Suppose I made a mess of my job; how would you break the news to our customer?" and "Do you drink beer?" I never met the Professional LG, but I have a hard time imaginaging you as a Grammar Nazi. This bit should really be in the Room Lovely or a DLCON topic, but my last remark reminded me of this: last Tuesday I finally got to meet Tuber Mirum IRL. He's just as nice a bloke as I imagined. regards, Hein

Yes, someone did change the subtitle, but not just; it's been like that for years. Oh, and it wasn't me who did it. regards, Hein

Yes, though the cause of Friso's trauma was oxygen deficiency, not impact. IANA neurologist, so I won't even speculate on what that difference means. Anyway, it took Friso a year and half to buy the farm. I think that the short while between his being moved from hospital to Huis ten Bosch and his death was no coincidence, but facts are difficult to find in that matter. regards, Hein

[sfx=Homer]Hmm, new producer...[/sfx] regards, Hein

Damn, he was on my first DDP team. regards, Hein

I understand your misgivings about those two, but I doubt they've been at it ever since Spartacus. :-) regards, Hein

After episodes of a more personal nature, like Woldendorp1, or simply boring, like Baarle-Nassau, MHGTotN takes us to Drenthe again. My first port of call was Kamp Westerbork, a place of national grief and shame. It's also the location of the Netherlands greatest single contribution to astronomy, Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. This array is the successor of a single radio telescope located some 30 km SW: Dwingeloo Radio Observatory. I visited its radio shack in the 1970s, with my uncle A, who knew one of the operators through his work. Decommisioned in 1999, it's now slowly moulding away, even though a club of amateur radio enthusiasts is trying to restore it. The telescope in happier times That uncle lived, with my aunt B, in the village of Dwingeloo, in a house designed by my dad. The house still exists, as does their grave in the village cemetary. 1 The place where my great great grandfather, a miller, was born. 2 Although its cruel and unusual geography is mildly interesting regards, Hein