My Life on this planet.

A month or two ago I heard an interview on the radio about Congo and its first PM Lumumba who was assassinated on order of western countries, including Belgium that was its past colonizer. The interview The person who was interviewed seemed to be quite right-wing as he didn't seem to understand some of the nonsense he said. For instance, he included PM Lumumba in the same list as other leaders such as Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, Romania's Ceausescu and other dictators, all killed he said because the West didn't want them (this should include "any longer" as they became uncontrollable and thus unwanted). The person added that PM Lumumba was killed only months after taking office and thus before he could become a dictator whereby the respondent seemed to suggest PM Lumumba would have become a dictator if he wasn't murdered, thus one can conclude that his assassination was an act of mercy. He continued to explain that even...

Unfortunately but anti-science movements continue to try to install their agenda , not only in developing countries but everywhere. In the US, anti-abortion laws may again be introduced under the pretence of "pro-life". This change may be possible when sufficient numbers of politicians, even when they don't agree, vote in favour of these laws as the pro-life movements are often extremely wealthy persons who unite in powerful political-religious organisations such as the Tea Party and Scientology and finance the campaign of candidates on condition they are not independent but accept the organisations influence. Reasons why abortion should be possible Of course, few person will defend abortion as a method to control childbirth: those who don't want children should use contraceptives. Ironically, the pro-life movements are mostly also against contraceptives for ordinary people. But, I think and so do many, that abortion should be possible in certain cases such as: ...

Waste, often dangerous, from many rich and thus developed parts of the world, is dumped in Africa and other places. A few years ago there was a major scandal in Belgium when dioxins where found in chicken (eggs), leading to another government after the election. Now, people in Ghana are eating also dangerous eggs that contain the same toxins because the developed world dumps their electronic waste in that country. It was to be expected that this practice whereby developed countries dumb their (dangerous) waste in other still developing countries can no longer continue. For instance, the Philippine  President Duterte is warning Canada to retake its waste that it exported to   the Philippines or face its anger. I think we should not take this light. And he's right, as a president, he should protect his own people. Undeveloped countries are developing and no longer accept waste from others so their own people become ill, just as people in developed countries don't accept ...

Nick Clegg, criticised by the EU because, as an senior employee of Facebook (FB), he helped FB to create rules to prevent foreign interference in (EU) elections . The rule: companies that want to run advertisements (in short: ads) on FB (to influence elections) in a certain country can do so only if they are registered in that country. It seems logic although, this means ads can be blocked. And this may be a problem for the EU: as it seems it is only registered in Belgium, i.e. Brussels, the capital of the EU, these rules may not allow the EU to show ads in other countries than Belgium about the elections it organises and that concern itself most. Indeed, although in each country other candidates campaign to become MEP (Member of the European Parliament), the EU wants to run ads via social media throughout the EU (as it already does) to convince people of the importance to take the European elections serious and thus to vote as it concerns a decision-making power that concerns all Eu...

That's why I don't go in Belgian or Flemish politics. Nothing can be done. Another reason is that it's difficult to understand everything from about half the Belgium population. An example, certain Flemish politicians were in favour of a kilomet er s charge. Indeed, there is too much traffic in Flanders that result in daily traffic jams, a waste of money in time and fossil fuels that also cause air pollution. A charge would be able to reduce traffic and if not, at least the government would benefit from it to invest in better public transport and safer streets. No longer, the politicians who said they were in favour are too long members of certain political parties so they are now convinced that the charge can be consideredas an extra tax for which citizens receive nothing in return. Indeed, I too am in favour of as low as possible taxes but in Belgium this will never be achievable except for short periods during which budgets derail so afterwards even more actions are...

I agree with the article , old politicians who had their time in office (thus not in the sense of age) should retreat from active politics or at least listen to what people, the current and upcoming generations want. Even former President Obama, a politician I liked, seems to have lost his way. Too slow during his first two years as president when he had a majority in Congress as he tried to reach agreements with industrials and Republicans who opposed to be humiliated by a black man by agreeing on any reforms he suggested, even when he tried to involve them. And thus, he achieved little that is now reversed by the Republicans. He could have taken the opportunities the electorate gave him after his first election victory. Of course, he should have tried to reach agreement but he should quicker have accepted the opposite party didn't want any agreement with him. After 2 years he lost his majority. He even found it difficult to condemn obvious violence against black people as he h...

It seems lower and middle ranking universities in the UK are wasting lots of money on ads to attract students . Indeed, wasting. But also higher ranking universities are begging but differently and hidden, i.e. by contacting old students to ask money to support students from poorer background; unfortunately, I'm not rich myself. Great institutions in London, both old (such as UCL and King's College London) and new (such as the Francis Crick Institute - why not named after the woman Rosalind Franklin who had a major contribution to the discovery of DNA but was not awarded the Nobel price and is now refused that a building was named in her honour) But these universities, certainly the higher ranking ones, knew this would happen or they should not be allowed to teach economy. Yes, some advertisements are needed but waste large sums of money on ads to attract students while the problem is that courses became too expensive at over £9000. A bigger effect on student numbers ma...

Grayling claim Brexit block could boost far right is 'gutter politics' I think minister Grayling is right when he says that blocking Brexit could boost extreme right. But, I think the opposite can have the same result. Brexiters Imagine people waited 40 years before the 2nd referendum about Europe was organised (the 1st was when people agreed to join the EU) and then their vote will be ignored, whether via a 3rd referendum (still the possibility people vote out) or because UK's government decide to stay (this is possible until the 2 year transition period is over or longer in case that period is extended). Or maybe the EU offers the highest position to a British politician in return that the UK remains part of the EU. Such a politician may be old PM Tony Blair, admired in the EU as we recognise him as a good PM that resulted in UK's golden age after PM Thatcher's time. But, he's hated by a large section of the British public who claim this is because he remo...