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Big Sand Castles and More
Photos taken from the annual Sea Sculpture Festival in Middelkerke, Belgium.
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The Web That Time Forgot
MONS, Belgium: On a fog-drizzled Monday afternoon, this fading medieval city feels like a forgotten place. Apart from the obligatory Gothic cathedral, there is not much to see here except for a tiny storefront museum called the Mundaneum, tucked down a narrow street in the northeast corner of town. It feels like a fittingly secluded home for the legacy of one of technology's lost pioneers: Paul Otlet.
In 1934, Otlet sketched out plans for a global network of computers (or "electric telescopes," as he called them) that would allow people to search and browse through millions of interlinked documents, images, audio and video files. He described how people would use the devices to send messages to one another, share files and even congregate in online social networks. He called the whole thing a "réseau," which might be translated as "network" — or arguably, "web."
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Since there was no such thing as electronic data storage in the 1920s, Otlet had to invent it. He started writing at length about the possibility of electronic media storage, culminating in a 1934 book, "Monde," where he laid out his vision of a "mechanical, collective brain" that would house all the world's information, made readily accessible over a global telecommunications network.
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Otlet also saw the possibilities of social networks, of letting users "participate, applaud, give ovations, sing in the chorus." While he very likely would have been flummoxed by the anything-goes environment of Facebook or MySpace, Otlet saw some of the more productive aspects of social networking — the ability to trade messages, participate in discussions and work together to collect and organize documents.
MONS, Belgium: On a fog-drizzled Monday afternoon, this fading medieval city feels like a forgotten place. Apart from the obligatory G... more -
Anheuser-Busch Gets Belgian Buyout Offer
Weeks of rumor foamed over Thursday when Belgian beer giant InBev made an unsolicited $46.9 billion bid for Anheuser-Busch (BUD: 61.12, -0.28, -0.45%), sending shares of the Budweiser brewer up 5%.
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Full story at link by Bill Swarts// SmartMoney.com Weeks of rumor foamed over Thursday when Belgian beer giant InBev made an unsolicited $46.9 billion bid for Anheuser-Busch (BUD: 61.12... more -
Smurfs are to go to big 'blue' screen...
Fa-la-la-la-la-la..... great that song is stuck in my head. Well why not have this cartoon to go to.....
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I love Belgium!---funny commercials!
I love Belgium!---funny commercials! I saw this commercial on YouTube... I think it is funny! ;)
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US loses Budweiser corporation to Belgium
A possible buyout of Budweiser's parent company by InBev of Belgium is tough to swallow for residents of St. Louis, home to the last big brewery majority owned and operated in the US. A possible buyout of Budweiser's parent company by InBev of Belgium is tough to swallow for residents of St. Louis, home to the last b... more
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Plane Splits in two while taking off in Brussels, Belgium
I hate reading about this. Sunday in Brussels, Belgium (I love Belgium!!), a large cargo plane---Boeing 747 (the plane is owned by Kalitta Air, a cargo carrier based at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti...... I hate reading about this. Sunday in Brussels, Belgium (I love Belgium!!), a large cargo plane---Boeing 747 (the plane is owned by Kal... more
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Boeing 747 splits in two on take off
A Boeing 747 crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while taking off at Brussels airport, the CNN reports.
"Four of the five crew members on board the Boeing 747 were slightly injured and were hospitalized. [...]The aircraft cracked in two after it crashed at the end of runway 220, which lies very close to a rail line and houses."
A Boeing 747 crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while taking off at Brussels airport, the CNN reports. ... more -
Boeing 747 splits in two on take off
A large cargo plane crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while trying to take off Sunday at Brussels airport, authorities said.
Four of the five crew members on board the Boeing 747 were slightly injured and were hospitalized, said Jan Van der Cruysse, spokesman at Brussels Airport.
"The plane is very seriously damaged," he said. The aircraft cracked in two after it crashed at the end of runway 220, which lies very close to a rail line and houses.
Rail services to and from the airport were suspended as a safety precaution, however the crash did not affect other flights at the airport, Van der Cruysse said.
Francis Vermeiren, mayor of the nearby town of Zaventem, said the plane did not catch on fire when it crashed after attempting to take off. Vermeiren was coordinating rescue efforts at the airport.
"The plane is not on fire but it has split into two," he told VRT radio.
Firefighters coated the wings of the plane with special fire retardant foam as a precaution because the plane was still full of jet fuel, the mayor said.
He said the plane was on a scheduled flight to Bahrain. It was not known what cargo the plane was carrying.
Vermeiren said the pilot told rescue authorities he heard a large noise while trying to take off just after midday. It was not yet clear what caused the crash.
The plane is owned by Kalitta Air, a cargo carrier based at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, Michigan, and makes regular flights from Brussels, officials said. A person who answered the telephone at Kalitta Air said Sunday morning that no one was immediately available to comment. A large cargo plane crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while trying to take off Sunday at Brussels airport, authorities s... more -
Henin Quits
Justine Henin - the world's number 1 female tennis player - has announced her retirement from the game, effective immediately.
Henin said ''It's the end of a wonderful adventure but it's something I have been thinking about for a long time," she said. "I'm at the end of the road. I have experienced everything I could have. I have lived completely for tennis. I am relieved and proud of what I achieved." Justine Henin - the world's number 1 female tennis player - has announced her retirement from the game, effective immediately. ... more -
With Some Food in Short Supply, Belgium Students Get Wasteful
Thousands of Belgian students participate in a soda and Mentos fountain record attempt.
A student association in Leuven, Belgium, arranged the record breaking attempt at a historical square in the city.
1360 students simultaneously placed a tube of sweets into a bottle of soda to create the fountains.
The mixture shot into the air covering the revellers in sticky fluid. The concoction of sodas and Mentos became popular on the website YouTube after two men, known as EepyBird, from the USA posted videos of them making the fountains.
The EepyBird website says the coke and mentos cocktail works because of a process they call 'nucleation' where the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to the mentos, creating enough pressure to form geyser-like fountains.
The two men, Fitz Grobe and Stephen Voltz who describe themselves as mad scientists were present at the event and said it was an 'astonishing' experience. Thousands of Belgian students participate in a soda and Mentos fountain record attempt. ... more -
1,360 students in Leuven, Belgium, set Mentos/Diet Coke fountain record!
It is the kind of experiment which gets even older kids excited about science.
Students in the Belgian city of Leuven have set the new world record for most Mentos fountains by launching 1,360 simultaneous geysers.
After they each dropped a tube of the mints into a bottle of Diet Coke, Ladeuzeplein square became a sudden sea of foaming soda yesterday, with carbonated streams shooting up to 29 feet high.
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More at link. One word of advice - perhaps you should avoid eating Mentos and drinking Diet Coke at the same time... It is the kind of experiment which gets even older kids excited about science. ... more -
Johnny Galecki - Wikipedia
Did you know he was born in Belgium?
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What Europeans think of each other
This is a basic backgrounder for Americans, primarily, who might think Europeans do nothing all day but bitch about Americans. Don’t get me wrong—they do love bitching about Americans. But they also like bitching about each other, as well. Bordering countries, especially, have complex caricatures of each other, even when an outsider might think they’re more or less the same. This is a basic backgrounder for Americans, primarily, who might think Europeans do nothing all day but bitch about Americans. Don’t g... more
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Main course mouse
Honestly, do you expect anything less from hospital food?
"A hospital patient in Finland found a mouse head among the steamed vegetables on his plate. The severed head most likely originated in a bag of Belgian vegetables. The body has not been found and being a Belgian mouse, the rest of it could be anywhere in Europe."
Zing! Honestly, do you expect anything less from hospital food? ... more -
Geek chic: Raf Simons
Belgian intellect and electro fan Simons brings his passion for art, culture, and futurism to his fashion collections, which, although wearable, have something of the art gallery to them. He has not been afraid to reference global politics in his work. A 2001 show called Sometimes You Have to Fight for Your Freedom 'referenced anti-globalism and eco-terrorism'. His shows have been described as 'eerie' and 'otherworldly', but have made a sneaking impact on what hip, with-it, bright young things are wearing all over Europe. The Guardian pays him a visit at his new show, where models prance 'in navy minis, voluminous jumpsuits, dresses of smoky grey tulle and shoes which look as if they're covered in elf scaffolding or something equally otherworldly'. Simons 'has curated exhibitions at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and collaborated with photographer David Sims on a book project'. Belgian intellect and electro fan Simons brings his passion for art, culture, and futurism to his fashion collections, which, although... more
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The Smurfs Turn 50!
Happy Birthday to Papa, Sleepy, Baby, Painter, Grandpa, Sneaky, Dreamy, Nosey, Smurfette, Gargamel and Azrael! (Those are all I remember...)
"The Smurfs have turned 50 and a host of events are planned to celebrate the birthday of one of Belgium's greatest exports. 'Les Schtroumpfs' as they were originally called in French, first appeared in Le Journal de Spirou comic strip in 1958 as the brainchild of the Belgian comic artist, Peyo. By 1960, they had their own comic strip series and with the advent of the Hanna-Barbera Productions animated cartoon in 1981 secured a global fan base."
Happy Birthday to Papa, Sleepy, Baby, Painter, Grandpa, Sneaky, Dreamy, Nosey, Smurfette, Gargamel and Azrael! (Those are all I rememb... more -
FAQ commentary on a Nepalese Women Leader
Newly appointed Hon. Minister Ms. Sujata Koirala is a strong and active women personality of Nepal Congress Party of Nepal, who holds special expertise in national and international political arena. She has been working as a capacity of chief: International Division of Nepali Congress Party. She is executive member of central committee of Nepali Congress Party and member of Interim Parliament too.
More in given link: Newly appointed Hon. Minister Ms. Sujata Koirala is a strong and active women personality of Nepal Congress Party of Nepal, who holds ... more -
Al-Qaeda Jailbreak Foiled
Belgium authorities have unearthed a plot which could have seen a member of Al-Qaeda out of jail and back on the streets.
Fourteen people have been arrested over the attempted jailbreak of Tunisia' Nizar Trabelsi, who was jailed in Belgium for planning to attack US targets.
The alleged plot to free Trabelsi, who's been in custody since 2001, are said to have involved explosives, security around Belgium has subsequently been stepped up amidst fears of a possible attack. Belgium authorities have unearthed a plot which could have seen a member of Al-Qaeda out of jail and back on the streets. ... more -
Walloons and Flemmish Kiss and Make-Up...For Now.
"'The prime minister has unblocked the situation,' a spokesman for Mr Verhofstadt said of the decision by the Christian Democratic party to join an interim government.
The interim government now faces a parliamentary vote of confidence on Sunday. Assuming it passes the vote, it will remain in office until no later than 23 March next year. " "'The prime minister has unblocked the situation,' a spokesman for Mr Verhofstadt said of the decision by the Christian Democratic par... more
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