Gimme a C, Gimme an A, Gimme an N….

I do not think I should be the one to write about healthy diet, the foods you should or should not eat and how to avoid diseases by eating the right kinds of fruit and veggies. I for once, do not eat only fruit and vegetables, I am in fact known to enjoy red meat and fried stuff. Yet, like all of us, I am aware of the dangers of certain food types, such as saturated fats, carcinogenic substances and such.

I really think it’s wonderful that so much research goes to finding the sort of things that you should not eat evn if they are really tasty. But beware, dangerous diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart diseases are mostly caused by these types of foods (you know, the typical McDonald’s fare). So one goes on eating fruits, Vegetables, Using honey instead of sugar, not drinking coffee, using less salt… And what do we get? CANCER. Well not all of us and not from eating these foods, but consider this…

Recently I read in a newspaper that honey can induce cancer. Yes, those little bees that pollinate flowers and make honey are poisoning you. Apparently, some flowers contain these substances that are picked up by the bees and these substances end up in honey that we eat. Unfortunately, these chemicals are known to induce cancer. In humans. So imagine you use honey as a sweetener and you think you are avoiding overweight and diabetes. You do avoid these, but you get cancer. Thankfully, the percentage of the honey containing those chemicals is only about 3%, so this scenario is not all that likely. Similarly, large amounts of artificial sweeteners are suspected to cause cancer. So, if you need to sweeten up your life, you should probably NOT, because no matter what you use, it will probably kill you in one way or another (there are countless types of sugar, but I’m sure they all have side effects).

Take high-fat cheeses, for exapmple. Some doctors suspect that consumption of cheeses with high fat content (the fat comes from the milk) can help prevent or reverse osteoporosis (this happened to my grandmother, her doctor was surprised when he got the bone scan results), unfortunately, such cheeses also cause all the nastiness associated with high fat levels in food. Instant food is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, but without instant soups, we’d probably have many more people walking around with stomach ulcers. Red wine can help prevent heart failures if you drink one glass a day, but alcohol kills your brain cells. Coffee is known to have some good properties as well as keeping you awake, but it ultimately makes you an addict and can also cause various ailments if you drink more than x cups a day.

And every day, you hear more about how healthy one kind of food is becuase of high fiber and vitamin content, and next day you read that a new study shows that yesterday’s miracle food might not be so good for you after all. So, what is the point of fruits and eating vegetables, if they are all pumped full of pesticides, insecticides and artificial fertilizers (unless you buy stuff at these super hippie eco-bio stores). I suppose that the motto of our time is: “Life is too short”, and instead of saying “enjoy it”, we say;”prolong it”. I’m not saying we should all eat till we burst. Of course we have to eat less saturated fat and proteins, sugars, and eat more complex carbohydrates and fiber. We can afford to be healthy, bet we can’t afford to turn food into hysteria.

Bon Appetit

Peter

Form Study 1.4

We were given a model of a square in a fictional small town in Holland. The square itself did not function well and was basically unused and wested space. We were supposed to place a given amount of the volume to help define the square and, at the same time, provide apartments for new inhabitants.

Our idea was to close the original square and subdivide it, so that each portion of the original space can have a different function. We needed to leave the square itself as whole and transparent as possible. The resulting study shows a four story building that is strategically placed on the edge of the square, one of the buildings axes following the direction suggested by the existing buildings, the other going against it. The layering of the building is used to give an otherwise small volume a large impression, so that it defines the square, and not otherwise. This is also the reason why the building is on an small artificial plateau (6o cm high). The trees further reinforce the directions indicated by the building and help to subdivide the square.

We worked on this in pairs, I worked with Martijn, even though the basic shape was my idea, Martijn just turned the components a bit (yeah, I love right angles). Anyways, Bernard (the teacher) loved it and asked if he could to keep it for an exhibition. This means 8/10. I’m back!

Oh, What Big Mouth You Have!

Sometimes I find myself in conflict with myself. As stupid as this sounds, it’s true. I am not a split personality, but I fancy myself as an idealist, but also as a down to earth kind of person. This means that if I look at an issue from one of the standpoints, I must conclude one thing, whereas, looking at it from the different point of view delivers a fundamentally different result.

Let’s take an example that is relevant right now, at least in the Netherlands. This politician (who’s also worked in the US in the past), Ms Hisrsi Ali, is upset. Couple of years before (before she went to the US) she said some rather controversial things about Islam and prophet Mohamed (to the fundamentalist saying their religion is ‘neat’ is probably as offensive to them as when Kevin Costner told this to Madonna about one of her concerts). The fact is, that fundamentalists are pissed off easily, and they look a lot like normal people, so when Ms Hirsi Ali’s life was threatened, the Dutch government provided her with bodyguards and the police monitored anyone who came within 10 metres of the woman.

This is all ‘lovely’. When Ms Hirsi Ali moved to the US because of some legal problems (or should I say ‘illegal’?), the Dutch still financed her security. Until a few months ago. Ms Hirsi Ali was naturally upset and worried for her life, because she does not have the funds to pay for her security herself. Luckily, her admirers set up a fund, so she has at least two bodyguards.

So the conflict should be clear. On one end we have the right of free speech, on the other, we have responsibility. On one hand, we should contribute to this woman’s security, because she only uses her right of free speech, one of the cornerstones of our Western Civilization. On the other hand, it’s her own fault, and is fundamentally no different from one of my ex-classmates who called our senior mentor a ‘nazi’ and got expelled. You say something, but you stuffer the consequences. Or do we need to say everything and take protection for granted? It all comes down to Ms Hirsi Ali and her choices. I hope she feels she made the right choice, and whatever er difficulties, I hope she sorts them out somehow (as I don’t pay taxes, I shouldn’t care whether the Dutch government pays for her security).

It’s all about how we chose to view this woman. If you see her as a fighter, your view is clear. If you choose to see her as someone who brought it on herself then your view is clear. I don’t know what to think. We live in a world where the line between right and wrong grows fuzzier with every moment. What should I think?

Peter

Taking It Further

With the winter coming ( a season in which many episodes of our favorite shows are produced, but not aired) and the Hollywood writers on strike, I feel like my time is coming. I’m not saying that I will make it, but it feels like an opportunity to take things further, to develop, rethink, reinvent ideas that I had over the course my life, and maybe, just maybe, come up with something good. I already got down to thinking about taking Dystopia High Further, character outlines are emerging and so are the bigger concepts of setting, etc. But it’s far too chaotic for now. So I officially open the category “Randomness Higher”, a place for me to share my quirky ideas and unexpected outbursts of meaningless creativity and a place for you to comment on them.

Yay

Peter

P.S.: Next post in  this category will come whenever.

Peter’s Top 3

I know I am kind of late, but, here it is anyway. I love this piece. I haven’t written anything like it before or since, but that’s why I really love it. I was also sure hey wouldn’t sue me, but still, it’s better if I considered all the options. The thing is, how can I mock someone million times my net worth, who does charity work for Africa, well, like this…

The Arrogance of Bob Geldof 13/7/2007

Normally, I would never criticize real people. I am OK with dissing ideas, movements, bureaucracy or the way that society runs, but there comes a time in life of every hero, when he has to change from the inside to achieve great things. And so I will diss Bob Geldof. And I will try hard to diss him bad.

It amazes me, but I suppose that unless you are a culturally aware member of our generation, you might not know much about Bob, except that he is the guy behind the hit single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. Well, I know the song, but I never knew he’s the guy that caused it. I guess that sucks. I mean, we’ll all remember that Madonna sings “Like a Virgin”, or that James Brown does “I Feel Good”, but doesn’t it suck that hordes of teenagers can’t acknowledge you as a creator of a mega hit. Well Bob, I’d feel bad for myself too, but don’t worry, it gets worse.

So this “musician” becomes an activist. Personally, I do not agree that you are a proper activist if you say “fuck”. Which means that Bob is as much of a “musician” as he is “activist” (at least nowadays). He WAS famous at some point and he was a good musician, but you can’t really consider yourself a celebrity once you don’t do your job regularly (so try to spit out an album sometimes, Bob, “best of” albums don’t count). But seeing as I never had a job, I shouldn’t criticize him any longer.

So we come to the point (finally, I hear you say). I read this interview a month or two ago, where Bob showed his distaste over Live Earth Concerts that are finally supposed to change the world (they’ll fail, but so did you, Bob, there are still starving children and adults, and they’re closer to home than you think). So Arrogant Bob, the “musician” and “activist” says something like “Everybody knows about f*cking global warming”.

OK, Bob, I might not be Einstein, or you, but yes, I know about Global Warming, just as I know that there are children starving in Africa and elsewhere. I might not know the exact numbers about starvation, but you don’t know the exact rate at which the polar ice melts, do you, Bob? So why don’t I hug trees and send my lunch off to Africa? Well, I recycle, I take showers instead of baths, I don’t waste food, sometimes we send old clothes to where they need them, once our school even sent food to a homeless shelter. So I don’t think we’re revolutionary, but we’re doing the best we can. I don’t see you publishing the amounts of money that you give away to save the planet. You just make massive concerts and hope that the rest of us will pay, and when some other noble goal comes along, that could steal your spotlight, you fight it; so it seems. Why else wouldn’t you publish the amounts of money you give to charity. So don’t be afraid to show us all how much you give, maybe you’ll redeem yourself in my eyes.

And don’t worry, there are many people that deny Global Warming exists, take your pal Bush. Yes, I read about how you agree with his anti AIDS policy (ie abstinence). So you must know some of his other views as well. Well Bob, sue me!

To the rest of you, chill out, it’s hot summer.

Peter S

P.S.: OK, sorry Bob, I just think that everything that can save the planet should be done, not just your thing. That’s just plain selfish. And I’m just plain ignorant.

Now That’s Time Management

Although I have always managed to do quite well at school, I have never considered my time management skills as anything special. In fact, My time management is pretty poor, since I lack the will power and insted of studying, I do other stuff, like reading books I’ve already read a hundred times or writing this blog .

So what is good time management? I suppose it is knowing what you will do every minute of every day, but the work also needs to be done. Because lazy people know they won’t do anything the whole day, and while they know it, they won’t get anything done. For time management, one also needs time. I lose about 3 hours(sometimes a bit more) a day going to uni. I suppose if I got a room in Delft, I could waste less time (but I would need to cook for myself, which would take some time, but I can’t imagine that anyone cooks for three hours a day), so basically I literally waste time in the tram and train.

So do most people,  we sit in the tram pretending we’re there alone, even if we are all squeezed like sardines in a can. But there are some individuals who are super efficient.  I’ve noticed this girl (or lady?; she can’t be older than 25) that sits in the tram as long as I do, but she uses the time more wisely. She does her hair and make-up. She sits there, with a brush, mascara, foundation, lip gloss and everything, and she transforms herself from an ordinary person to a slightly prettier ordinary person in just 25 minutes. She does not need to wake up early to do this, she can sleep longer, have good breakfast and floss her teeth without worrying she won’t have enough time to make herself pretty.

That’s time management. I as a guy, do not wear make-up, but I sure would love to use my time travelling more efficiently (although I’ll probably just get a room in Delft).

So what’s the moral of this story: Do as many things as you can on the go, it means you can slack off mkore and feel less gulity about it.

Peter

No, You Shut Up, Mr Chavez!

It doesn’t happen very often that we have the chance to observe the World’s leaders, presumably the creme de la creme of human intellect, behaving like petulant children. I personally think it’s more amusing than embarrassing to have read about the showdown between Mr Chavez and Mr Spanish King.

Now, I might be biased, because I don’t like communists (yeah, living in eastern Europe for 11 years really makes you “appreciate” what communism can do to a country, even when it’s not there anymore), but I think, on the whole Mr Chavez should be ashamed. This is not really about politics or free speech, but about more about decency and politeness. Sure, we all say, that guy is a fascist, that guy is the devil and that girl isn’t getting any action, but we:

A) Don’t say these things about Mr Bush, the former Spanish Prime Minister, or Condolezza Rice; we usually talk like this about our bosses, or annoying relatives;

B) Even if we do say these things about Mr Bush, etc, we make sure that these things will not be said on occasions when the whole world would hear these things. In such cases, we prefer to say, for example: ” We believe that the American president’s actions are not appropriate and might be seen as malevolent by some of the delegate’s present”, or “We always disagreed with what we considered extreme-right nationalist policies of the former prime minister”.

This is the art of diplomacy. It’s basically telling people how much you disapprove, without the rest of the world knowing you loathe each other. Mr Chavez, is therefore, not an artist, and certainly not a diplomat. The things he said, have been said by thousands and hundreds of people around the world, with the sole difference that while Mr Chavez delivers his clever speeches from the Venezuelan presidential palace, or such, the others say these things in an inebriated state, just before the bar/pub is about to close.

But somehow, even if we are taken away by Mr Chavez’s words of wisdom, we say: “The man has the right of free speech”. Yes, that is the beauty of it. Shame that the Venezuelan people do not. But I suppose a president of Mr Chavez’s caliber can provide his people with unbiased media (which are all state run, state owned, state controlled or pro-state). And I am sure that such a man like Mr Chavez speaks for all Venezuelans, when he comments on other World leaders. What we might also note is that most great politicians, or at least the ones we remember as great, did not need to refer to one another as imperialistic bloodthirsty devils. I suppose someone like Winston Churchill could have called someone like Adolf Hitler a ‘fascist’, but in this case, the general consensus agrees with Mr Churchill. And although using highly emotive language has always been a part of politics, I suppose that Mr. Chavez has already gone too far a couple of months ago when he commented on the sex life of Ms Rice (where Mr Chavez gets his information, I do not know, I suppose Venezuelan Secret Service must be pretty good, I hope just they don’t censor me).

And while Mr Chavez used his right of free speech (I suppose that’s a presidential perk in Venezuela nowadays), Mr Spanish King also used his right of free speech to tell him to shut up. It was about time!

Is This My Religion?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not very religious. I wouldn’t say I’m a complete atheist, because I think there is a higher power, but I wouldn’t call it God. Maybe, following in the glorious tradition of Enlightenment, I would call it Reason.

Sometimes I notice when you declare you are not religious, many religious people start to think you have no conscience, moral standards, soul, etc. I will not start recounting the countless scandals that prove that even some organized faiths have experienced occasional misbehavior from their members (sometimes even the top members), because that’s all been said before, and frankly, I’m too lazy to do the research. Moreover, to argument my point of view with these would be rather weak, seeing that we have plenty of rapists, etc. around who are not religious, and to say otherwise would be misleading and wrong (see, I have high moral standards). I am not trying to prove religion is harmful, even if one of my friends goes as far as to attribute most of the word’s suffering on religion.

Now, I suppose anyone sees that being religious has advantages. The feeling of togetherness with one’s fellow believers, trying to become a better person by reflecting on one’s actions, helping the poor, etc, are all very strong points in favor of being religious. I suppose that those of us who do not have faith are still (hopefully) trying to better ourselves, and help our fellow man, but what I think we lack is the community spirit. And herein lies the rub. While religion is all about community, most of the atheists and agnostics are, in my view, somewhat more individualistic, and go by the live and let live/ die and let die motto.

The religious crowd, is naturally outraged by the idea of euthanasia, abortion and gay marriage. Why? I believe that this arises due to the fact that in order to survive, a religion has to have followers. In the old days, there were less people, so it made sense to discourage any behavior that would lead to a decrease of population. So, they did not let the ill die, hoping they’d recover and bring in more babies, the gays were forced to marry with the opposite gender in order to produce more babies, and once the babies were produced and in ‘ mommy’s tummy’, one shouldn’t get rid of them for obvious reasons.

What we forget is, that in the old days, nearly 100% of people in a given area followed a given religion. Now, however, this is not the case. And for some reason, the church leaders feel the urge to inflict their will upon everyone in the given region. When they say abortion should be banned, are they aware that a deeply religious woman, one of their flock, would never have an abortion no mater what? Do they think that to those without faith, a decision to have an abortion is made on a whim, just because one feels like it? Do they not realize that people choose not to be religious because they do not want to follow centuries old dogmas. Do they really believe that their children, if taugh evolution at school, couldn’t learn the Intelligent Design in Sunday school, at the place of their worship, etc. Surely, if you reaised your child as proper believer, he/she ill not believe tha ‘crap’ anyways. Kids can just learn it for the test and forget about it the next day.

This is not a clash between good and bad morals; this is not a clash between right and wrong. This is about one community trying to make many individuals accept what they think is right. Of coure, one community has more strength than the same amount of individuals individually. And while, for example, all religious people in a given area might disagree with abortion, this is not to say that all the non-believers support abortion. It really all comes down to having a thick skin. I disagree with binge drinking, and would advise anyone not to do it, but I know there are a lot of people doing it, some of them are my friends. But do I care? No, their choices affect them, and them alone. What happens to me when a friend of mine gets drunk on a Friday night? Nothing; my life goes on as usual and sometimes I don’t even know about it.

Hypothetically, what would happen if the girl across the street had an abortion. To her and her family, it would be a big deal, but what does this mean to me or any of my neighbors. Perhaps only that when she goes over for a cup of coffee next time, we won’t be making jokes on abortion. What happens if a lesbian couple moves in next to an old married catholic couple. Nothing. It might be actually worse for the old neighbors if some alcoholics moved next door, but those charming lesbians invite them to tea and bake marvelous cookies for their neighbors.

The point is, that when religious people hear stuff like this, they often spray themselves with holy water and exclaim; “It’s a sin, an abomination to God”! But do they stop to think how it affects them on an individual level. Just because your neighbor does something that isn’t illegal, but not compatible to your views, does not mean you will not go to heaven. And if your neighbor is not a believer, his soul is probably the last thing on their mind, they still have to pay all the bills, cook the dinner and wash the car. And don’t worry, it is known to happen that in old age, and before death, people turn religious and spiritual, so their soul will be saved. And you can take a break.

Something Stupid

I know art isn’t all about the aesthetics anymore, and it’s definitely not something you can do by putting a burnt out light bulb into a glass. But hey, I think it looks kind of neat.

SuperStrom 9 November 2007

It seldom happens that I bitch about the weather. But this time, I must. But be warned, this is not about the weather per se, but about the way it affects our lives. Some of you might have known this, but last Friday (9th November), we had really strong winds over the North Sea, all blowing toward the wonderful place I have been calling home for the past 7 years, The Netherlands. Due to this wind, the water level in the sea was way higher than usual, causing worry that Holland may be done for good now.

However, a student’s life cannot be interrupted by such petty things as apocalyptic storms about to flood your home, so I went to school as usual (along with countless other individuals who went to school and work that day). What really pissed me off though, was that my tram did not run the full route. Before going to Central Station, where I usually take the train, it goes through a tunnel. For some reason, the tunnel was closed and I had to run to catch my train (I was just in time).

Now, perhaps the fact that the tunnel was closed and the Friday’s super storm going on were unrelated, but I don’t think so. I’ve been around long enough to know that two things like this are always interlinked. I think that the authorities were worried, that if we really were flooded, the tunnel was the least safe place to be (and I think they were right).  The point is, that extreme weather, end of the world, and such things usually cause irritant minor delays that piss you off.  Occasionally, shit happens, and we get Katrina in the USA, or floods in the UK. But I think that statistically, when the media tells us the world is going to end (by any means), this is not all that likely to happen.

I suppose this entry’s moral is: don’t take everything so seriously, serious things only happen once in a while.

Peter