Column

Wekelijkse notities in de kantlijn van waar de wereld over praat. En waarover ik vind dat de wereld moet praten.

De maandagcolumn is een institutie in niemandsland.

Ducks on Dawkins

Our Reflection is sometimes quite astonishing.I got carried away a bit by a series of "related videos" about Richard Dawkins and his quest to extirpate religion. His eloquence is mighty and delightful, and I do agree with most of his arguments. Of course science offers a far better explanation of natural phenomenons, and its ...
Two Strangers

How much peace is in an evening walk
of two near strangers at the bay
when they hold hands and gently talk
even if their peace - has gone awayHow much truth lies there, for a little while
when of human needs the most divine
between a thoughtful nod and then a smile
is ...
Ugliness

Is it ugly to snitch pictures from the web?Beauty is not eternal, neither is it projected on a blank, neutral canvas by the mind of the visual, auditive or tactile beholder. It is an in-between: between the recognition of eternal abstract truths perfectly embodied in a work of art, and the unique creation of ...
“OMG!” look at these ads on Huffpost.

Advertising on "Huffington Post", December 6th, 2011
The 99% are 1%. The majority of the people is not on the streets, but sits at home watching sit-coms. And that is not just some politician's quote.

What is the real sentiment of "the people"? To get a good indicator, we would have to assess ...
The Enduring Fight Against Fire

The next morning I wake up in an acclimatised room with a large tv-screen showing "France 24". Breakfast with papá. I spent the day in the house looming, large TV movies keeping a tired soul busy. We had Mauritanian Tajin, goat meat and liver served on a plate of rice and eaten in balls ...
Notes from Tanger

After a wild and secret roadtrip from Berlin to Algeciras near the rock of Gibraltar, touching some of the most beautiful scenery and medieval towns Europe has to offer, we took a ferry to Morocco. That was three days ago, days I passed cherishing my status as new arrival on the African continent, adoring ...
Minor Inconveniences

Caravaggio - The Sacrifice of IsaacCan we all contribute a little bit to make the world a better place? It sounds easy, and it feels good. There are thousands of web sites and campaigns clamoring people into donating a few percent of their wealth to the Good. There are even courageous politicians who dare ...
Green Senegal
Green SenegalOctober 2011. St. Louis, Senegal.Kamiel visits the small NGO Green Senegal during a brief stay in St. Louis. The organisation works with local communities on sustainable agriculture and has several projects in rural areas around the old colonial town of St. Louis in the north of the country. Kamiel visits the NGO together with ...
Humane Recycling
We love recycling. We promote every transition of the prevalent system of exploitation and resource depletion to something more in harmony with the planet and her fragile cycles. Recycling is a new way of being, and well understood it is a truly sustainable way of living together with the landbase and ecosystems that support us. ...