Queensday, the Dutch national holiday, will never be the same again.
And for once, I'm out of words.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
A rock and a hard place
There's been a lot of news coverage on the Australian Miss Universe competition lately. That is, the winner didn't seem to get any coverage at all, at least world-wide, but the runner up, Stephanie Naumoska has even given an exclusive interview to Good Morning America yesterday.
This is because she is frightfully skinny, and her bony figure in a tiny red bikini has had the entire world flapping about anorexia and other eating disorders. She insists that she eats normally, that she is healthy and active, and that she cannot help being thin. She says: 'Some people are just naturally skinny... I think it is very unfair just to all the other girls out there who have the same body type as myself.'
I can relate to this, to people who continually criticize you for your bodysize. My problem, as people who know me can attest, is the other direction: regardless of what I try, I can never seem to get my weight down to an acceptable level, even though I do eat regularly and healthy. Even if I spend all my time moving and playing sports, and even if I'd eat too little for any person to live on, I'd still be overweight.
The problem is that no one ever believes you when you have a weight issue. I only have to walk into a supermarket to get the idea that there are people watching what I put in my basket. No matter who I talk to regarding food, or what I eat, I always have the feeling they don't believe me. So, I can commiserate with Stephanie for her ordeal.
And let's face it: who cares? If she is naturally skinny, let her be naturally skinny. If she's not, and she is actually starving herself, let her starve herself, it's her life. You can say she's a bad role model, but if there wasn't a Miss Universe competition in the first place, she wouldn't have been able to be a role model anyway?!?!? If she is anorexic, isn't it possible she has contracted that disease from watching beauty pageants anyway? Perhaps it's time to stop criticizing everyone on how they look and just be glad there's all kinds of people in the world.
But I must confess that I secretly had a chuckle that, after all the overweight publicity (heart disease, obesity, type-II diabetes and so on and so forth), the world finally seems to have a problem with the other end of the scale. Maybe they'll get off my back for a while!
This is because she is frightfully skinny, and her bony figure in a tiny red bikini has had the entire world flapping about anorexia and other eating disorders. She insists that she eats normally, that she is healthy and active, and that she cannot help being thin. She says: 'Some people are just naturally skinny... I think it is very unfair just to all the other girls out there who have the same body type as myself.'
I can relate to this, to people who continually criticize you for your bodysize. My problem, as people who know me can attest, is the other direction: regardless of what I try, I can never seem to get my weight down to an acceptable level, even though I do eat regularly and healthy. Even if I spend all my time moving and playing sports, and even if I'd eat too little for any person to live on, I'd still be overweight.
The problem is that no one ever believes you when you have a weight issue. I only have to walk into a supermarket to get the idea that there are people watching what I put in my basket. No matter who I talk to regarding food, or what I eat, I always have the feeling they don't believe me. So, I can commiserate with Stephanie for her ordeal.
And let's face it: who cares? If she is naturally skinny, let her be naturally skinny. If she's not, and she is actually starving herself, let her starve herself, it's her life. You can say she's a bad role model, but if there wasn't a Miss Universe competition in the first place, she wouldn't have been able to be a role model anyway?!?!? If she is anorexic, isn't it possible she has contracted that disease from watching beauty pageants anyway? Perhaps it's time to stop criticizing everyone on how they look and just be glad there's all kinds of people in the world.
But I must confess that I secretly had a chuckle that, after all the overweight publicity (heart disease, obesity, type-II diabetes and so on and so forth), the world finally seems to have a problem with the other end of the scale. Maybe they'll get off my back for a while!
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
9/11 all over again...
Yesterday morning, people in New York were shocked by a large Boeing 747 flying low over the city, trailed by two fighter jets. It came particularly close to both the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, the spot where the World Trade Center used to stand.
It seems that several people, panicked by their memories of the attacks on September 11, 2001, fled into the streets, fearing another terrorist attack.
However, their fear turned to fury when it turned out this particular plane was having a photo opportunity. This particular jet was none other than: Airforce One. Apparently, the media machine that is the White House regularly has photo's taken of the presidential ride at important national landmarks. The president was not on board.
Now if only they'd informed the people about it?
It seems that several people, panicked by their memories of the attacks on September 11, 2001, fled into the streets, fearing another terrorist attack.
However, their fear turned to fury when it turned out this particular plane was having a photo opportunity. This particular jet was none other than: Airforce One. Apparently, the media machine that is the White House regularly has photo's taken of the presidential ride at important national landmarks. The president was not on board.
Now if only they'd informed the people about it?
Monday, 27 April 2009
New Science
I'm a great fan of neo-pseudo science magazines, I think they're wonderful. They offer hours of entertaining answers to all sorts of questions I may or may not ever have had. In Holland I had my favourites, Triv and Quest, but I've been struggling to find alternatives in England.
That's how I came to pick up a copy of New Scientist this week, in which I found an interesting article about a hypothetical kind of particle, specifically a type of photon, which, if used correctly, could shine all the way through the Earth. And I don't mean a soil sample, but the entire planet. Apparently the idea is to aim a special laser at the earth so that someone at the other end, who has the right equipment, can decode it. It would be nearly impossible to intercept, and therefore excellent for, for instance, submarines or other military installations. These miracle particles might even be able to take messages where standard radio signals could not go. The dark side of the moon, for instance.
One scientific commentator says: '...these particles, if they exist, would have potentially useful real-world applications.' Imagine that, a particle with a real-world application. Another commentator states that the signal capacity would be so low that it would take '...about a year to download an mp3 file, so I'm not sure who would use it.'
Now I'm positively ignorant when it comes to quantum mechanics. I've been trying to read up on quarks, muons and besons, and I just don't get it. To me, it seems that trying to smash two particles into one another in order to see what happens (and spending trillions of Euro's building the equipment for it) is just the most elaborate (and expensive) way to show our prehistoric, cave-dwelling roots. I imagine the conversations would go just about the same: 'ooh, I wonder what would happen if I smash this particle into that particle '. I generally have the greatest admiration for people with intelligence, so I'm sure there's some underlying reason that I'm missing, but it has yet to be explained to me.
But with all my ignorance, I spotted something in this whole article that, apparently, the brainiest of scientist has missed:
Guys... these particles are hypothetical?!?!?!
That's how I came to pick up a copy of New Scientist this week, in which I found an interesting article about a hypothetical kind of particle, specifically a type of photon, which, if used correctly, could shine all the way through the Earth. And I don't mean a soil sample, but the entire planet. Apparently the idea is to aim a special laser at the earth so that someone at the other end, who has the right equipment, can decode it. It would be nearly impossible to intercept, and therefore excellent for, for instance, submarines or other military installations. These miracle particles might even be able to take messages where standard radio signals could not go. The dark side of the moon, for instance.
One scientific commentator says: '...these particles, if they exist, would have potentially useful real-world applications.' Imagine that, a particle with a real-world application. Another commentator states that the signal capacity would be so low that it would take '...about a year to download an mp3 file, so I'm not sure who would use it.'
Now I'm positively ignorant when it comes to quantum mechanics. I've been trying to read up on quarks, muons and besons, and I just don't get it. To me, it seems that trying to smash two particles into one another in order to see what happens (and spending trillions of Euro's building the equipment for it) is just the most elaborate (and expensive) way to show our prehistoric, cave-dwelling roots. I imagine the conversations would go just about the same: 'ooh, I wonder what would happen if I smash this particle
But with all my ignorance, I spotted something in this whole article that, apparently, the brainiest of scientist has missed:
Guys... these particles are hypothetical?!?!?!
Friday, 24 April 2009
RyanAir
BBC Breakfast said this morning that Ryan Air - the crappy low-cost airline - is proposing a 'fatty-tax' on their flights. They want to start charging overweight people over, if you catch my drift. In other words, there you are, shedding thousands of pounds (sterling) in order to weigh not one ounce less, and still being charged more.
This comes, of course, a few months after the same-self airline proposed charging its customers for using the toilet during a flight. In other words, you're not even allowed to redistribute your weight when you come in.
I have some other proposals for Ryan Air:
*Why don't they make it a standing-room-only flight, and charge double for people in wheelchairs? They do, after all, take up more space.
*Charge people with small children, disabled people and the elderly extra for taking longer to board - after all, every second spent on the ground costs.
*Charge anorexics extra for a seat: if you are light enough to be used as a streamer, you don't deserve a seat, after all.
*Charge normally sized - and under - for the seating space they don't use. If you have 4 people who each have 10 cms left in their seat, they are denying someone else room to sit. The same counts for people who are short.
*Instead of seats, have individual cubby-holes that people lie in, a bit like the pod-hotels you see in Tokyo. I can just imagine it, each traveller gets a space of their own, which can then be redistributed through the plane in order to make more fit in. You could then call the flight a regular coffin ship...
I suppose that one RyanAir adagio stands: you get what you pay for. In other words, you don't pay much, but you get even less.... respect, that is.
This comes, of course, a few months after the same-self airline proposed charging its customers for using the toilet during a flight. In other words, you're not even allowed to redistribute your weight when you come in.
I have some other proposals for Ryan Air:
*Why don't they make it a standing-room-only flight, and charge double for people in wheelchairs? They do, after all, take up more space.
*Charge people with small children, disabled people and the elderly extra for taking longer to board - after all, every second spent on the ground costs.
*Charge anorexics extra for a seat: if you are light enough to be used as a streamer, you don't deserve a seat, after all.
*Charge normally sized - and under - for the seating space they don't use. If you have 4 people who each have 10 cms left in their seat, they are denying someone else room to sit. The same counts for people who are short.
*Instead of seats, have individual cubby-holes that people lie in, a bit like the pod-hotels you see in Tokyo. I can just imagine it, each traveller gets a space of their own, which can then be redistributed through the plane in order to make more fit in. You could then call the flight a regular coffin ship...
I suppose that one RyanAir adagio stands: you get what you pay for. In other words, you don't pay much, but you get even less.... respect, that is.
Oh dear...
Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted anything... I've been so incredibly busy with myself! I'm afraid emigrating is not an easy thing to do, and somehow my life just kept getting harder. But I'm in England now, and althoough the problems have not yet all passed, I'm feeling much better. The winter is over, it's glorious weather, and I'm roaring to go!
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