Magere Hein

Sod the snow, I get enough of that here, I am going to see if bears really do shit in the woods. Please post your results. Next assignment: Rome. regards, Hein

FTFY. The simplest way to get there is to click the little switch in the upper left corner of the edit box. It'll switch the editor to raw mode, in which all BBCode is shown. In there you can balance the BBCode tags and copy the missing ones. Click the little switch again to show your work. regards, Hein

Today in 1890 Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh died, 29 hours after he apparently shot himself, aged 37. The picture shows Vincent aged 13 or so. The prominent right ear will become an important plot device later in the story of his life. regards, Hein

Today in 1794 Maximilien de Robespierre, French revolutionary and architect of the Terror, lost his head under Dr. Guillotin´s nifty invention, aged 36. regards, Hein

Dutch "jazz singer"[1]Rita Reys died last night, aged 88. [1]Anyting sung can´t be jazz, with the sole exception of Chet Baker. regards, Hein

Shit. regards, Hein

That's a fracking shame. re fracking gards, Hein

Dutch author, journo and poet Michel van der Plas died last Sunday, aged 85. regards, Hein

There's a reason she's joker in my theme team... Vive la republique! Hein

Oooh, I'd imagine it does as it states he did die. Good spot! Oh yes, yes, YES! My very first real, points yielding hit for a Theme Team. Thank you. regards, Hein

I suppose that was because there was NO IC available. regards, Hein

Ahem, Netherlands, cough. Oh, never mind. regards, Hein

Really? Ronnie Boggs? Anniverswary? Grest train Robbert? I do hope you are a troll. It's officer Crabtree... regards, Hein

Aretha Franklin cancels hometown show citing treatment. regards, Hein

Poor. regards, Hein

Biggs, for no particular reason. regards, Hein

"Mandela responding to treatment", Jacob Zuma claims. regards, Hein

João Havelange. Of course Mandela would be the wise choice, but I have a hunch he'll last a few weeks more. regards, Hein

Dutch singer and songwriter Maarten van Roozendaal died today from cancer, aged 51. regards, Hein

Was there ever a Dutch equivalent of Doctor Who, Hein? You know: scary for kids, funny for adults, bit of leg for the Dad's sort of thing? No. I did quite some thinking about that question, but I couldn't think of anything like DW. Dutch TV couldn't, and can't, afford to spend the kind of money the BBC can pour into original drama. Yes. I quite liked it. regards, Hein

Re DL Con VI: I have some hope I can attend, depending on, among other things, what date is chosen. I´d prefer a weekend, as last Friday I started a new job of the Mo to Fr type. I hope I can get one or two days off extra to make it a short holiday. Scotland isn´t far away, but it´s still a bit of a trip. regards, Hein

It is a curious fact but there seems to be quite a lot of Doctor Who fans inhabiting this site and most British actors have some loose connection with Doctor Who and so the thread has plenety of food to keep it going. It is also a sad fact that if you have ever been in the presence of more than one Doctor Who fan at once it is difficult to get them to shut up on thier favorite topic. This topic did indeed start its forum life as a Doctor Who discussion. Many DW episodes were broadcast (with subtitles in Dutch) on Dutch TV. Early episodes I don't remember, but from the 1970's I've enjoyed DW thoroughly, several times from behind the sofa. I didn´t learn that many more people did and do the same, until this topic was started here. I declare Doctor Who on topic. regards, Hein

Ultimately we can discuss this until the cows come home (as dear old dad used to say) and as Davey rightly says it seems more useful as a political trump card to distract rather than enact upon. Personally I don't trust them enough to allow them to change the rules so significantly when they can't even produce a cohesive budget surplus or are too afraid to legalise same-sex marriage. I prefer a republic because of my belief in the legal equality of all people. A modern state has no room for hereditary public jobs, of power or otherwise. Such positions must be open to all citizens or not exist at all. A monarchy also isn't fair for the incumbent. Just two months ago my country got a new monarch, who wouldn't do the job if he had any choice. I agree that a constitutional monarchy and a republic of the German model look pretty much the same from the point of view of everyday politics. As most Dutch republicans I don't waste time on political action towards the proclamation of the Third Dutch Republic. The monarchy is quite popular. Of course this can change overnight when King Willem-Alexander does something both unpopular and unconstitutional. regards, Hein

Damn those bloody furriners. regards, Hein

Did he hurt his hands? Tragic, but not particularly on topic. regards, Hein