Photo: Wikipedia Commoms As always, around this time of year, the arrival on our shores, of Saint-Nicholas, with his band of merry Zwarte Piet’s (Black Peter’s), causes a few people to question the appropriateness of it all. They’re not concerned that he may be burning fossil fuels, in order to propel his steamboat all […]
Culture
“Beauty Isn’t Everything, It’s The Only Thing.”
Horror films are really not my genre, but I do admit that if the storyline is good, and the special effects not too distasteful, they can make for compelling viewing. With aspiring model, Jesse, moving to Los Angeles, and getting gobbled up by predatory beauties, Nicolas Refn’s 2016 film, “The Neon Demon”, certainly underscores my […]
Brexit Musings (8): Ain’t Britain Got Culture, No More?
Riches And Stitches in the EU It’s quite interesting to see how different European countries tackle the outcome of a general election that didn’t quite go to plan. It seems that, nowadays, the electorate want a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and end up getting nothing. Dutch politicians rhymed their way […]
Brexit Musings (7) : Sparks and Larks in the City of Westminster
When I was a child, I used to cry my eyes out on Bonfire night. I was terrified of fireworks and had to stay inside and watch behind the safety of a closed window. For those of you who may not be familiar with this, Bonfire night or Guy Fawkes night, is celebrated in the […]
Lost For Words – The Importance Of Learning A Foreign Language
I usually relate quite strongly to the opinion articles written in the Guardian. Most of them have a sort of utopic-leftish tinge that refreshes me with romanticism and idealism, so out-of-place in today’s world. The article inspiring this post, however, is filled with short-sightedness, misconceptions, and even borders on contempt towards others. The author, who […]
Pour L’Amour De La Nation (For The Love Of The Nation)
Individualism, patriotism, nationalism?…A spectre of human interpretations of the world around us – each one a potential danger. Maybe I have no sense of patriotism due to my upbringing – loving two cultures and living in a third. However, more importantly, the world I live in is my representation and no-one else’s. For Donald Trump, […]
When “Likes” Can Kill: The Darkest Side Of the Web
Sometimes by pure accident you read about an act of violence in the news, that fills you with such disgust and hate for the perpetrators that you just feel like shouting your anger to the world. Today, quite by chance, I came across this news story from the Dutch television news website. The act of […]
Pokemon Go…Going…Gone – Cyberspace And The Human Brain
Books will soon be obsolete in schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. Our school system will be completely changed in ten years. – Thomas Edison – 1913 You’ve got to give Thomas Edison credit for his vision. Of […]
René Descartes And The Internet – “I Tweet, Therefore I Am.”
It’s that time of year again, where everyone reminisces over what has happened over the year gone by and you get bombarded with reviews of this, that, and the other. Well, I’ve decided to tell you what I think the most important event of 2016 is. And…you’ve guessed it? It’s Leicester City wining the English […]