I really need to get a sideblog. In its absence, a quick list of interesting blogs and links I accumulated these past few days.
In Ireland, they have bridges dedicated to highly obscure mathematical concepts. No wonder they have the world’s highest quality of life (according to the Economist Intelligence Unit). #1 Ireland, #2 Switzerland, #3 Norway, #4 Luxembourg, #5 Sweden, #6 Australia, #7 Iceland, #8 Italy, #9 Denmark, #10 Spain. I must say I’ve led a quality life: Born in #2; lived in #2, #5, #6, #8 and #10, with parents currently in #1.
Lindsay Beyerstein’s blog Majikthise is a great jumpsite for philosophizing blogs, but also home to fine topical argumentation.
A blog with a mission. See if you can discern what it is.
Guy La Roche, a Dutchman blogging from France, keeps tabs on immigration politics in Belgium and the Netherlands.
And the only reason I’m not posting on events in the Ukraine is to help raise the average quality of what’s available online. I believe in the division of labor, and I yield to that Fistful of Euros, who are on fire right now. Ukraine in the EU by 2010, I say.
Klart du ska skriva om Ukraina. I själva verket har jag surfat in på din blogg i praktiken dagligen den senaste veckan med förhoppningen om att hitta texter om Ukraina med den klassiska geenska blandningen av analys och fakta, och allt jag såg var en nerisad cykel.
Stefan, thank you very much for your comment on my blog concerning Vlaams Belang. And thank you for mentioning my blog here. I like your blog very much and I am not just saying that because you linked to me. Consider yourself blogrolled.
Also, on the topic of VB, here is some news I found on VRT Teletekst today:
“VLAAMS BELANG IS VLAAMS BLOK”
≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠≠
Vlaams Belang is dezelfde partij als
Vlaams Blok. Dat schrijven Frank
vanhecke en Filip Dewinter in hun
antwoord aan Norbert De Batselier, de
voorzitter van het Vlaams Parlement.
De partij kan zo haar dotatie behouden.
Partijen kunnen alleen geld krijgen van
de Vlaamse overheid als ze verkozenen
hebben. Het gaat om 130.000 euro per
maand. Met de federale dotatie erbij
krijgt de partij 6 miljoen euro per
jaar.
Vlaams Belang kan zijn dotatie nu
alleen nog verliezen als de juridische
dienst van het Vlaams Parlement van
oordeel is dat de partij racistisch is
of oproept tot discriminatie.
So, the Vlaams Blok continues to exist but under a different name. The non-profit affiliates have been condemned but now it is up to the Flemish Parliament to decide if the VB itself is racist. I suppose the VB will tone down its rhetoric considerably, making it very difficult to determine whether they are racist or not… and they get to keep their subsidies. Nice move.
Small correction: The VB will ‘probably’ get to keep their subsidies. Decision next Monday.
Gustav really thinks I should write something about Ukraine. But I really mean it when I say that I have little to contribute to the cause by blogging it. Ukraine is similar to Darfur in this respect: It’s an extremely important issue, and there is no debate as to which side is in the right, but there are bloggers who are far better versed in the minutiae of the events as they unfold and in the historical and cultural context of the situation, and I defer to them. The three kinds of blogs best suited to cover this are 1) the experts, 2) the eyewitnesses, and 3) the linkers (a role Gustav has taken on with gusto in Sweden). My own reaction is heartfelt but doesn’t pass my blogability test. The best thing to do in that case is to link to the linkers.
I lied! I forgot that on the internet, everyone’s an expert. So I went and wrote something on Ukraine, and posted it on MemeFirst.