Stop the horror

Today I'd like to talk about something close to my heart: animal rights. I'm a real animal lover and if I was able to pick my dreamjob it would be to rescue animals. Unfortunately my studies do not fall in that category, and I wasn't science smart enough to consider studying to be a vet. I am, however, very passionate about animal rights and get very angry when I read or see things about cruelty towards animals. So I decided to use my blog a bit every now and then to write about things in the world that shouldn't happen.

Today I'd like to discuss the horrors of the sealhunt in Canada. I've always loved seals, I think they look so cute and chubby and they look so sweet when they're lying in the sun enjoying the weather. I know nature is cruel and a lot of big mammals eat seals, but that's unfortunately how hunter-prey works. What I do not understand is the huge quota for this year's seal hunt. A whopping 400.000 seals will be killed this year, more than ever. And not just any seals, seals under three months of age, infants lying to rest defenseless.

I have nothing against people wanting to earn a living and killing animals for food (that's just the way of the world), but 400.000 is rediculous.
It's plain selfish. "There are no jobs here and it brings in buckets of money, so we'll just kill more and more, good for us!" They don't think about the wellfare of the animals, seals are not endangered so we shouldn't care how many they kill. If Canada and some other continue continue preying on infant seals, they will get in trouble. 400.000 is too much, the seal population will lose many of its young and hence a whole generation gets lost. Also, the most valuable part of the seal is not the meat but the fur, a non-essential luxury product that no-one really needs. Hence, most of the killings are for pointless things.

Europe banned all seal productsm which really pissed off the seal hunters, but thanks to China it did little good. Still, I'm proud that, like the US, Europe recognizes that it is a brutal practice and cannot be fully justified. People can't just do as they please without thinking of the consequences for the animals. It is unsure whether China will go for all those seal products, but they're going to go forward and kill that many anyway. It is the highest quota since the quotas were introduced in 1971. Unbelievable.

Not only is the amount of kills incomprehensible, the way of killing is brutal. The poor little seals are killed right in front of the mother, who is unable to help, with a club or also named hakapik. The formerly snowy landscape turns into a field of bloody gory mess.
Sorry for the gory picture, but sometimes it's necessary to see the reality. Many reports have been claimed saying the cubs are killed in an inhumane manner and are left to suffer for an eternity. These reports were claimed at moments when the hunters were unaware that they were being watched. A while back a number of vets were sent out to conduct a research, and they concluded that 98% of the kills were humanely. The killings were however done in the presence of the vets, which makes the reports pointless. Do they seriously think the hunters will be cruel when they are being watched for that purpose? They're not stupid. When they are not being watched, seals are left seriously wounded while hunters go after other seals, causing indescribable suffering. Some claims have been made that seals have even been known to be skinned while still alive. The hunters simply don't see the seals as living, feeling beings. They're money. And when money is involved, compassion dissapears.

The giant amount is more than likely approved due to regional politics played by the Prime Minister in view of upcoming elections.

What's worse is that due to the serious lack of ice cover this year a lot of cubs will drown. More the reason to call off the hunt or reduce the number so that enough cubs are left to grow up and uphold the population.
But who cares over there right?

South Park was right. I blame Canada too.

PS: Nothing against the Canadian people of course, lots of great people there, this slaughter thing just angers me.

MMMMMMMmmm

It's a lovely sunny day today and for lunch I went to the supermarket to find something to eat, and what did I spot!! Strawberrieeeees!! I looooove strawberries, shiny red, sweet, lucious goodness, I just had to have some! I took me a box of those expensive Spanish strawberries and felt like a little girl all over again at the lunchtable with my plate full of my favourite fruit!

If you don't like strawberries, you're dead to me :p HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE STRAWBERRIES! unless you're allergic, possible death is a a valid reason.

There is something sensuous about strawberries don't you think? Biting into one always makes me feel in a state of arousal :D There's a good reason why strawberries are used as a means of foreplay sometimes :D preferably with some chocolate, mmmm. Would definately get me in the mood for looove !



I was born in June so I was a summer baby and enjoyed me loads of fruit mashes in my first months of life, hence my great love for fruit. I always look forward to the first time I get to eat a strawberry again after a long winter, you just immediately feel "summer is near". Unfortunately summer no longer = vacation :(
Right now there's only the foreign strawberries from Spain, and they're quite good! But nothing equals our very own Belgian strawberries, which won't be ready till June. They are sooo much better than the Spanish ones, even sweeter and juicier. If you're ever in Belgium in late spring, try our strawberries, they're fabulous.
A typical way Belgian tea-rooms or snackplaces like to serve them is combined with our famous waffles, which is a must say a very good combination. Belgium is not so bad! See, I do like Belgium, in spite of it's downsides, I'm even promoting it. Belgium should pay me for all the good publicity! It can use it after all the no goverment for over a year crap.
Here, have a waffle, Belgium's great! Come to Belgium.




THis ends my promotion of strawberries. Have some yourself, you know you want to..

Nicholas Gonzalez and Elizabeth Peña Returned in Off The Map Season 1

Now that we witnessed the stunning performances of Nicholas Gonzalez and Elizabeth Peña last March 23, 2011 in another ABC's medical drama-series, Off The Map, you will probably ask for more, right? Although for now, it is hard for us to determine the next appearances of the show, we really salute the two guest star who played the role of Mateo and Inez in "Everything's As It Should Be."

And of course, for more about of what happened to the last evening episode of the show, here's the synopsis which can guide you to one of Off The Map remarkable storyline that awaits you.

"A contentious transplant arrives at the clinic and thanks to an old friend of Ben (Martin Henderson). The new love interest of Mina (Mamie Gumer) arouses jealous feelings in Tommy (Zach Gilford)."

Please refer to reviews and recaps of the show for other important details you shouldn't missed with Nicholas and Elizabeth. A few taps of your computer keyboards will take you to those other important info that awaits you.

Next week, join the soft-hearted doctors once again for another story that will take you to their exciting journey somewhere in Southern American country far from their usual world in United States.

Another day in paradise

It's another funfunfun day at the office today. My co-worker, who sits on the desk accross from me (desk to desk), seems to be in a really foul mood today. I have only a few co-workers (the ambassador, the first secretary, ambassador's assistant, the driver and the other lady in the consular section where I am). She was here only a few months before me, but she's close to her fifties I think, she travelled around a lot with her husband who gets placed in different countries. She's German, so I shall refer to her as the German lady.

I don't know if it's a German thing, or if being snappy and annoyed one day and perfectly pleasant the next is just her personality but it is really confusing!! How can you form an opinion of someone if one day she's all talkative and friendly, at the other she doesn't say a word and gets annoyed when I point out something.

Now I must admit, she has a lot more to do than me apparantly. There's a lot more people coming in for passports than for visa's and this week it's been insanely quiet visawise, so I probably don't look very busy here on my computer (she can't see my screen luckily, as I tend to browse the internet all day when I have no tasks) She also gets a lot of annoying mails from headquarters in Dublin, nagging about whatever is wrong with someone's passport applications. I notice because every now and then I hear a very annoyed sigh or a "ah no" exclamation, or more loud sighs whenever the phone rings again.

Wise as I am, I tend not to enter into conversation with her when I notice she's aggravated about something, because she tends to get snappy. Take just ten minutes ago as an example. Here I was just sitting innocently at desk when the phone rang, she picks up, it's someone inquiring about their visa. She tries to transfer the call to me, but it doesn't go through. I say "hmm that's strange, happens to me sometimes.". Irritated mumbling in response as she tries again. I suggest in a very normal just casually asking tone:"Did you press transfer before putting down the receiver?" And then she totally shocks me by saying in an extremely rude and snappy voice:"Of course I pressed tranfer, I've been working here for six months, I know how to transfer a call!" I was totally dumbstruck! It was just a friendly question, would it be that impossible to forget to press that one button?
Bloody hell!

There goes my initial impression that I has nothing but nice co-workers. So another downside to this job! Stuck with a really strange German lady, who mostly doesn't say a word and seems to really dislike her job. Not my fault that I'm not busy today, and she's overloaded. She never lets me deal with passport customers at the front desk, if I do, she says I should call her over. I'd be more than willing to help her is she's swamped, would give me something to do!


Another annoying factor about German lady is that she speaks at the top of her voice on the phone and to people behind the window at the front desk. It's almost like yelling. If I have a customer too, I can't understand what they're saying because she talks so loud, and the same goes for the phone. That's really annoying, and she doesn't seem to have a clue she does it. Even the First Secretary joked about it once to me. Maybe I should start doing it too, bet she'd end up saying snappy about it.

Anyway sorry for the little rant, but I was utterly shocked!

I wish we had a radio here. All my temp jobs had a radio, it's common to have a bit of radio playing in the background in Belgian offices, which is really nice I think. No radio here, and because it's mostly just the two of us here, it's so silent sometimes, very tedious.

Sigh, maybe not ideal job after all.

Smoking ban

Belgium finally decided on having a smoking ban! Well, not Belgium, more like the European Union nudged Belgium to stop procrastinating and do it now. First it was going to be 2011, then 2012, then 2014 (the politicians were worried about the complaining voters), but the EU and the Health Department told them that's three more years of living in smoke. So they did it. And to this I say YAAAAAAY!
Finally I can go to the pub without suffocating to death.

Lots of Belgians are displeased, and not a little bit. I was reading an article about the ban on one of the news websites, and my my you should read the comments!You'd think they banned beer. "Facism, discrimination, selfish non-smokers, too much perfume and farms smell too and nobody's banning that, there goes the pub atmosphere..blablabla"
Those are just a few of the comments I read by disgruntled smokers. Really! Selfish non-smokers?? How rude! So just because we had the cleverness of not getting addicted to a cancer-causing smokestick, we are forced to spend our nights out with your bad habit in our face. How is that for selfish. What about all the people who work in pubs and spent night after night in the smoke of dozens of people's cigarettes, their lungs must be pitchblack, smokers or no.

My own grandfather died of lung cancer caused by years and years of smoking since the age of 15, so I know first-hand what that little cigarette can cause.
Smoke does not make the pub's atmosphere better. Just because we're used to it, doesn't mean drinking is not the same without it. How much effort does it take to go outside for a few minutes if you simple must have your smoke? And hey maybe now you won't smoke one cigarette after another like my friend does on nights out if you need to go outside for it.
There's no fun in sitting in front of a friend who smokes through the night, blowing smoke in your face. Not only does the stink of the smoke get in your clothes, hair and even skin, it often causes me to have a sore throat.
In Ireland they've had a smoking ban for years now and I always enjoy the absence of the smell and not having to air or wash clothes every time you go out. They complained a bit at first, but now everyone is used to it, and there's no bother. People still go to the pub, and smokers still come too, they go outside and chat other people who smoke up even! Smirting it's called. So not so bad!

I guess none of them realise the risk they're taking smoking for many years, to most, lung cancer happens to others, it's far from their bedside. And most come with the argument non-smokers can get lung cancer too. True, but the odds for smokers are a lot higher. And there are other downsides too. Avid smokers usually end up with yellow nails, yellow teeth, the worst breath in the world (I know because of a teacher I used to have explaining something close to me, yuk! horrible smell), a scary cough, wheezy breathing when doing exercise..
All for that cigarette.

Be smart, don't start. That's what my mom always said, and it sunk in.

Mike "The Situation" gets humiliated on The Roast of Donald Trump http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEx3mYck-2c

http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=db03cfa3-66b4-4d5a-9732-4e85998e725b Usher Raymond getting kicked in the face by a fan