21 Aug, 2024
America, China and Russia face (ever-) decreasing birth rates and to such an extent that various politicians have already claimed a demographic crisis. However, the reasons are very, very different. WSJ, 25 April 2024: “Fewer babies were born in the U.S. in 2023 than any year since 1979. American women are giving birth at record-low rates. The total fertility rate...
29 Jul, 2024
Several articles have claimed that VP Kamala Harris is ruthless (eg, Politico-2019, Nieuwsblad, de Standaard). That characteristic in her attitude, behaviour, and/or personality is rather rare for women. For men, like Donald Trump, such a feature (often) appears “acceptable”. If both Harris and Trump would be ruthless then who would win? In my view, voters are more...
22 Jul, 2024
Sometimes, I answer with a “No” to a question. Such an answer is rare for me. I prefer avoiding questions rather than giving negative answers. Our reason for (not) answering with a “No” may well relate to the following quote: “It’s not rude to ask a question. It’s rude to expect an answer.” A quote by Louis Theroux (b.1970), “a British-American documentarian,...
8 Jul, 2024
Recently, I noticed an Aeon-Psyche article with an intriguing title (see above). I didn’t want to write about it but it kept bugging my mind. My past experiences have contributed to my reluctance. Suddenly, I realised its relevance. My upbringing explains my attitude towards money. My parents owned their house, their business, and their car in the 1960s. Money was...
28 Jun, 2024
Grenzen zijn vaak absoluut: geografische grenzen (o.a. land, provincie, gemeente), tijdsgrenzen (o.a. ochtend vs middag, gisteren vs vandaag), en ook water vs ijs. Grensoverschrijdend is dan volledig duidelijk. Het verschil tussen licht en donker is veel minder duidelijk. Vandaar het gezegde: vele tinten grijs. Sinds enkele dagen wordt een "Beroemde Vlaamse...
19 Jun, 2024
Recently, I watched SE03 EP19 of The Big Bang Theory. This great TV series is rated #8.1 on IMDb. In that episode, Leonard says “I Love You” to Penny - for the very first time. Penny gets very confused and replies by saying “Thank you”. Then Leonard gets very confused. They break up soon after. After watching that episode, I suddenly remembered a similar instance in...
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