Geschreven

Polio

Las op Medium het artikel How is Polio Still a Thing? over het uitroeien van Polio, en waarom dat toch nog steeds niet is gelukt. Behoorlijk tragisch dat het door inmenging van de CIA zo mis is gegaan.

Well, that is, most kids. In three countries — Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan — polio remains endemic. Why? Since the CIA used a vaccination campaign as cover for its attempts to locate Osama bin Laden by way of his children’s DNA, our triumphant march to the end of polio has been sidelined.

Verkiezingen

Veel gedoe omtrent de aanstaand verkiezingen.. De stemwijzer natuurlijk, maar ook bijvoorbeeld Wie kies jij met details over de mensen achter de lijst. Helaas geen details over muziekvoorkeur. Ik wil graag mijn Last.fm compatibiliteit weten met de kandidaten. :-)

Erg interessant vond ik Kiezen met kennis, waarbij je aangeeft of je denkt dat een bepaalde stelling door wetenschappelijk onderzoek onderbouwd is, gevolgd door de realiteit van de stelling.

Leuk is de Stemwijzerwijzer, Gebruik de Stemwijzerwijzer om uit te vinden welke Stemwijzer het beste bij ú past!. En niet te vergeten de PVV Kieswijzer van de VPRO.

Spannend!

Het kabinet is gevallen en totaal onverwacht blijkt Stacey degene te zijn geweest die Archie heeft vermoord. Wat een begin van het weekend!

Tivoli

PvdA wil subsidie Tivoli stopzetten: het plan van de PvdA lijkt een straf voor de popzaal, die afgelopen maand aankondigde geen heil meer te zien in het Muziekpaleis, waarin Tivoli samen zou gaan met muziekcentrum Vredenburg en SJU Jazzpodium. Schande! Tekent allen de petitie op Tivoli.nl.

Money

Just watched a documentary on America's national debt on the BBC. I know, sounds really boring, but in fact it was quite interesting.

The budget deficit of the US has risen to an eye-watering $9tn; its trade deficit is $738.6bn; its political leaders are casual about waste, and its feckless, want-it-now citizens buy stuff on credit and have abandoned the habit of saving, drummed into them by their provident parents and grandparents.
If you get a chance, you should check it out. The Guardian has a review or watch the trailer here.

Lees verder

Elections

First of all, I’d like to express my elation with Barack Obama. And I really mean that. Even here, half-way around the world, in a country so liberal your scale doesn’t even go that far left, this will be a day long remembered.
To quote Mr Heilemann in his post Games. Games. Games.

I'm pleased he's won, but I'm even more pleased it's over and we can all talk about something else. I wonder if there's some parallel universe out there where the Dutch elections (which I'll admit, aren't nearly as exciting) get the same amount of airplay in the USA as theirs have gotten over here the past few months. Somehow I doubt it.

Elections

Just did my civic duty, I voted in the current elections. I wonder which way things will turn out.

Here's an update from the following day.

The Dutch divided their votes between a government coalition that has been tough on immigration and probusiness, and socialists -- led by the Labor Party -- promoting a softer approach. No combination of left- or right-wing parties will easily muster full control of parliament, state-funded broadcaster NOS predicted after about 95 percent of the vote was counted. The vote could result in weeks, or months, of coalition haggling with smaller parties in a position to demand a heavy price for their support. Even if a coalition emerges, the result could be an unstable government that would have difficulty completing a four-year term.
So that should be fun. Find out more on Google News.