Hooverphonic - Amalfi

The Big Jump into a new depth for television

This is a show on Belgian tv now: de grote sprong = the big jump, for an hour they build up to some b-rank flemish celebrity jumping into a pool. Besides the occasional eye candy, they can't be serious right?! :p

NSA, Belgium is coming for you! (lol)

NSA possibly involved in major Belgian telecom hack

This weekend, Belgian telecom provider Belgacom unvealed to have found 'traces of digital intrusion its internal IT system'. Insiders confirm the involvement of American security agency NSA.

ENGINEERINGNET.EU – This weekend internet and telephone services provider Belgacom in Belgium revealed to have found traces of a digital intrusion in its internal IT system. Belgacom is a public company, of which the majority of shares is owned by the Belgian state.

The company claims to have taken all appropriate actions to protect the integrity of its IT system and to further reinforce the prevention against possible incidents.

The newspaper 'De Standaard' however cites anonymous but reliable sources confirming that the National Security Agency was already monitoring all Belgacom international telephone traffic 'during at least two years'.

Belgacom has filed a complaint against an unknown third party and 'is granting its full support to the investigation that is being performed by the Federal Prosecutor'.

As to the perpetrators and their motives, the company states 'it is up to the Federal Prosecutor’s investigation to bring clarity on this'.

In the meantime the Belgian prime minister Elio Di Rupo also condemned the hack in an official press release, stating: "The Government takes notice that the technology used would indicate the high level involvement of another country."

"If this hypothesis is confirmed and the intrusion is indeed of a case of so-called cyber espionage, the government strongly condemns this intrusion and this breach of the integrity of the public company."

"In that case, the government will take the appropriate steps."

The hack takes an extra dimension as Brussels, the capital of Belgium, hosts the official seats of the European Commission and the European Parliament, but also the NATO headquarters and many lobby organizations. << (BB) (photo: European Commission, prime minister Elio De Rupo)

STEPS bitch! IN YO FACE! 

YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!

Man I'm so glad they cut out Di Rupo's trademark bowtie from that picture.

I've been employed by Belgacom twice btw.

Viva la republique

Belgium got a new king, zippedeedooda. No semblance of any objective media the weeks leading up to it, what a show. Like it's still the medieval ages. The comments on the online papers articles though were gloriously around 90% negative but no mention in the news of any of that. At least they will be costing us slightly less money but the amount they cost us is still ridiculous. The day of the coronation, the Belgian national holiday, there was a top 100 of Belgian songs on the radio and after it was finished the first other song on the radio was Rockwell's Somebody's watching me, the NSA theme song lol.

Monsanto protest - in Belgium, 80 people got fined for it

Here are pictures of the worldwide protests against Monsanto, in backwards Belgium, 80 people got fined by this new fascist bullshit fine they invented, a GAS fine, which is a fine sanctioned by the city and they can go from 50 to 250 euros. No trial, no nothing, just pay up and shut up. Nice use of language btw, calling it a "fine".



Monsanto news:

• Millions March Against Monsanto: A Global Awakening Covered Up By The Media
• Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in Landmark Case
• GM foods not served in Monsanto cafeteria

Jeffrey Smith interviews Dr. Stephanie Seneff about Glyphosate

See if you can wrap your head around this

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/16376/Treinramp-Wetteren/article/detail/1633473/2013/05/15/Parket-legt-bewarend-beslag-op-bloedstalen-Wetteren.dhtml

(google translate - not optimal, "parket/parquet" just means something like district attorney or prosecution)

The authorities have confiscated blood samples of the people who lived close to the chemical train disaster in Wetteren "so they would not get lost." Everyone realizes this means the opposite. Again, never trust the government when something terrible happens. The media is just as guilty reporting this shit with a straight face. At least the comments on the article are near unanimous - this stinks to high heaven. Incredible.

Never trust your government when a disaster happens

You may have heard that in Wetteren in Belgium, a train carrying poisonous chemicals derailed and exploded. People were evacuated who live as close to 250 meters to the explosion. There was an official helpline by the government people could call for information, and I have to give a lot of credit to the public tv station that showed this on the evening news: someone who lived 300 meters away called and the helpline told him that he doesn't need to keep his windows and doors closed and the air is absolutely not poisonous and completely safe, LOL! His expression was priceless. "What kind of bullshit is this! I live 50 meters away from the evacuated houses!"

Yesterday people were allowed to go back but this morning they had to be evacuated again after new measurements taking. People are understandably annoyed at being evacuated again but man, priorities... do you want comfort or do you want to stay healthy? If something like this happened close to me, I'd be off to my folks house in a heartbeat and wouldn't go home until I was sure it was safe, which would probably mean a fair bit later than officially declared. Remembering the bs the Japanese government pulled during the Fukushima disaster.

Ten procent of the Belgian population is on antidepressants

A recent news article stated that 1.1 million Belgians are on antidepressants, there are little over 11 million Belgians... The price of these vile drugs was dropped by ten procent to bait more weak fish... Unbelievable, ten procent, how sad is that? The problem I have with these drugs is, they have a small side effect that cause people on them to go on... violent rampages like shootings (This website SSRI stories features over 4800 cases where people on SSRI's exhibited extreme violence, including 66 School shootings... good luck with that gun control Obama...). What kind of messed up side effect is that... and why is it being muted in the media...

From 2011 to compare here are antidepressant stats from the US: "The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found that 11 percent of Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant, with about 14 percent taking the medication for more than 10 years."

But hey psychiatry, let's not work on causes or helping people through it, let's ignore Neurolinguistic Programming exists which can erase some traumas in a half hour session, let's not be responsible for our own consciousness and just take pills, cause goddamn those drugs must make you so... much... money. You have to hope that this isn't the death of the mental health sector, which to be fair never really was alive. I'd rather have ten procent of the population work on their problems actively WITHOUT having the increased chance that they go on a violent rampage causing more mental health problems in the world. What a world...

Smartmatic Electronic Voting will have to pay for failing computers during last Belgian regional elections

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnenland/article/detail/1615425/2013/04/16/Vlaanderen-stelt-stemcomputer-in-gebreke.dhtml?show=react

Smartmatic will not receive 16.5% of the first agreed payment, because its systems failed repeatedly in the last regional Belgian elections which caused lost votes. They will have to improve their systems. Smartmatic declined to comment except to say that more time to prepare might have helped. Well at least it's not Diebold. The Belgian governments are not considering reverting back to pen & paper.

Bashar al-Assad (with Russia & China) Versus the People of Syria

A Belgian news journalist is in Syria reporting on the hopeless situation. The Syrians tell him they are getting hopeless that after two years the international community is still not helping. Syria is getting increased media coverage in Belgium because several Belgian young people are going to Syria to fight alongside the rebels... One father is there now trying to find his son.

This situation in Syria is of course still going on partly thanks to the vetos in the UN by the heartless diplomats of China and Russia... Incredible and just ridiculous how useless the UN is. The government are even using air strikes on its own citizens and the west is still largely ignoring this conflict... This is a country in the Middle East where people want democracy, where are the "world police" who like spreading democracy so much? Oh, what's that? Distraction incoming.

Let's promote... Sugar

The "flemish union of food specialists and dietists" in Belgium is causing a bit of an uproar because it's running campaign for the promotion of Sugar in a healthy diet... Yay for our national health association in that doesn't agree this is necessary because people are eating too much sugar already. Cherry on top, the campaign is sponsored by... Coca-Cola.

Who! can believe you?

Absynthe Minded - Space

Space is where we belong. Anywhere but heeeeeere.
Belgian band, video made in São Paulo, Brazil.

Channel Zero - Suck my energy / Black Fuel / Help

I've been awake over 24 hours now, picked up my folks at the airport at an ungodly hour in the morning with a day delay after they missed a connecting flight. I'm not sleepy, I'm not hungry even though I haven't eaten for over 15 hours, but I'm not feeling very chipper exactly either :p I heard this awesome oldschool Belgian metal group on the radio in the car and it helped me wake up a bit so here ya go, 3x Channel Zero!

We gotta slow down the speed

The less we have is the more you need

We gotta cut off the speed

While the engines burn beneath our feet

We're running out of the fuel

It's hard to find like a jewel

We're running out of the fuel

Black fuel's the master making rules

Black fuel controls the wooooooooorld

We stand backs to the wall

And being slaves after all

We stand backs to the wall

Till the never ending story falls

And then one day you'll see

We messed it up so let it be

And then one day we'll see

There's nothing left internally

Black fuel controls the world

Every minute that we move

black fuel's being used

Depending all the time always

more water in the wine

While I'm sitting in my room

patiently waiting for the boom

Black fuel

Randomness

The War on Consciousness - Graham Hancock

Via Reality Sandwich which has the title as Giving up the Green Bitch, though the video doesn't talk about weed all that much. I heard about his breaking up with Mary Jane in this interview podcast at Psychedelic Salon. What Graham doesn't say in the video but did in the interview, is that the spirit of Ayahuasca reacted not so friendly to the question if she could be jealous of the spirit of Mary Jane, haha, for that bit alone the interview podcast is certainly worth a listen.

I've only smoked marijuana once in the last 3 months-ish I think it is now, and I didn't really enjoy it last time. Among the reasons I quit are, and even among my friends most of these reasons are unique to me so I'm in no way generalizing this. Quite the opposite, just sharing my experience: we always roll our joints with tobacco here, and that tobacco isn't good for the body. Time seems to fly and I seem to do nothing but play video games and watch downloaded tv shows and movies, pure hedonism, no self-cultivation. I don't meditate much or at all when I'm smoking weed. I can't/don't read when high. I spend a lot more money on rolling supplies, drinks for the throat, snacks for the munchies. I take in crazy amounts of sugar and gain weight. When smoking it a lot, I often wake up cranky until I've had some food after which I'm able to smoke (I can't smoke it on an empty stomach). When not having anymore, I go to two to three days of pissed off withdrawel and often revert to smoking tobacco. It becomes more expensive every year here. Dutch Coffee shops near the border require a weedpass that requires dutch nationality to buy it. Belgian dealers are unreliable to say the least and usually takes 3-5 days more than the first said day of availability, and the quality is highly variable and not always in proper relation to the price. When high and going out into society, I really don't like being judged everywhere I go for being high (my eyes ;p), even if it's only with glances. And most importantly I prefer the natural high of meditation, tai chi, yoga etc over the high of marijuana. All that being said, I could really use a toke right about now! Just kidding (maybe!), at this point I can't say I wouldn't have a toke if offered, though I doubt I would buy a supply for myself anymore. All in all, it was great for opening the fifth circuit, but I save a lot more money and am a lot more healthy and happier without it.

Femme de la rue: sexism in Brussels

Documentary by a student who was fed up with not being able to walk the streets in some quarters of Brussels without being harassed by immigrants.

When the English translation stops you can read what is said in the youtube comments here.

Madsin Ft Spok - Propaganda

Synrise by Goose & Jef Neve

Some more musical creativity and Belgian again.



Original Synth version



Piano version

Rocking Moustache!

These are funny short cover videos of songs for a promo thing for festivals here in Belgium. The original song is linked under the cover clip.


Korn - ADIDAS


Snoop Dogg - Drop it like it's hot


Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast 666


Queens of the Stone Age - Feel good hit of the Summer

The following are lesser known Belgian songs, but most are worth checking out anyway!


Absynthe Minded - Envoi


Arsenal - Mr Doorman


Broken Glass Heroes - Let's Not Fall Apart


Gabriel Rios - Broad Daylight


Stromae - Alors on danse


Triggerfinger - All this dancin around

Soulwax & Tracy Bonham - My Cruel Joke

Soulwax & Tracy Bonham - My Cruel Joke

added: if you don't know who Tracy Bonham is, check Mother, mother.

I used to think cupid was a real jerk
A child star, tormented
A faded star of yesterday
Now toothless and jaded
He shoots his arrows wildly with bottles
Scattered across the sky
He trips on clouds
With a face like Keith Richards

I am your voice what you propose
I am your choice your vow to be
Whatever you do I'll agree
Please forgive me my cruel joke

I'm everywhere, partial and entire
I'm on the inside of everything
And on the outside
I'm trembling like a man away from home
But I can't speak my heart
In case they hear me
Now, no one will listen to our song

I used to think cupid was an asshole
Thé loneliest soul in the universe
And as the wrinkled birdman approached me
I could smell his smouldering cigarette breath
And he looked at me out the corner of his head
And he spoke
So, you ask me why no one stays together anymore?

You're never around when I need you
You're never around when I need you