Only secretly gay people think it's wrong to be gay

'I tried pot once and now I'm gay'. You probably read this statement by Michelle Bachmann somewhere. Let me tell you: if you believe it, you're at least as stupid as she is. Marihuana does not turn people from straight to gay. If it would one in three Americans (including Barack Obama, Jeb Bush, Charlie Sheen and...Sarah Palin!) would be a homosexual. That's right: one in three adult Americans has smoked pot at at least one point in his or her life.

http://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12047023/i-tried-pot-once-now-im-gay

And another thing: the flyer is a spoof! The movement 'Christians for Michelle Bachmann' is fake, a parody.

But seriously: more American than Dutch teens smoke pot. Here's why: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/us-teens-smoke-more-pot-than-dutch/Content?oid=2993518

And here's a great tip for all those homophobes out there: if you hate gay men, don't marry one!

Amsterdam and The Netherlands

No doubt you get all kinds of thoughts when you think about Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands. Mind you, 'Holland' is just a part of the country and consists of the two provinces North-Holland and South-Holland. Here are a few prejudices:

And yes, we are chauvenistic so we love expressions like: 'It ain't much if it ain't Dutch' and 'And as a finishing touch, God created the Dutch' ;-) (How many people in your country do you know who are of Dutch descent?)



A blogfriend of mine (http://www.mennoalberts.nl/) made this clip depicting the real Amsterdam city life. Of course there is a lot more to Amsterdam than any movie could ever show but it really does give a great impression of Amsterdam life in the inner city. I hope you enjoy it as much as I - as an inhabitant - did.

We love to swim but hate getting wet

We people are rather strange and often live by double standards. We tell our children to say thank you when they get candy and we tell them not to speak with their mouth full!

And for instance: we love to swim but hate getting wet. Basically we are just like penguins:

Tribute to Terry Pratchett

Someone named Nick Mogavero wrote this amazing tribute to the late Terry Pratchett:

"I would like my pudding now nurse. And then I think I'd like to... write... something... I don't remember what."

Standing in the corner, he waits. The sand slowly flows, but it nears it's end. The old man still glows, as thousands of threads spread away from him.

SQUEAK.

I AGREE. IT IS A SHAME TO SEE HIM THIS WAY.

SQUEAK.

NO. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN.... BUT I CANNOT WAIT TO ASK HIM HOW IT ALL ENDS.

The old man looks up, through them at first... and then he sees them. For once, the smile on the hooded figure's skull is genuine.

"I... I remember you. The anth... ant..."

ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION.

"Yes, that. We knew each other?"

ONCE. AND WILL AGAIN, SIR.

He so rarely said it, and these feelings... remembering his young aprentice, and beloved daughter. The beautiful child they have.

"There... is a girl, yes?"

SHE IS SPEAKING TO THE AUDITORS, SIR. THEY ARE UNWILLING TO LISTEN.

"Well then. You know what they say, two things you cannot avoid. Taxes and..." He looks into the firey blue eyes, and becomes aware.

SQUEAK.

"Quite right. Is it time already? I have so much left to do."

YOU HAVE GIVEN ALL YOU CAN SIR.

"No, not cancer. Alzheimers."

I AM AWARE.

"So, where is the boy? I remember a boy."

CARRIAGE ACCIDENT.

"Ahh. Never much trusted cars. Or horses."

THEY GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

"Must I?"

SOON. BUT WE MAY SIT HERE AWHILE.

SQUEAK

DO YOU HAVE ANY BISCUITS?

"No. Shame really."

YES.

"Is it truely turtles?"

ALL THE WAY DOWN. I HAVE SEEN THEM.

"Ahh. I would love to see it. Perhaps a small trip before?"

IT WOULD BE MY PLEASURE.

"The light is slower there... and there's a monkey...."

ORANGUTAN. SAME PRINCIPLE.

"Yes... will they remember me?"

SQUEAK.

"What was that? I could not hear you."

HE SAYS WE WILL, SIR.

"I never much liked the trouble people had with you. You seem like a nice fellow."

I HAVE MY DAYS.

"Don't we all?"

SOME LESS THAN OTHERS.

"Is it quick?"

YES. AND I BROUGHT THE SWORD. CEREMONY DICTATES IT.

"Ahh. How about a cup of tea?"

I WOULD ENJOY IT. DO YOU PLAY CHESS?

"No. how about checkers?"

And so they sat, two old friends regaling each other, though the old man could not remember all of the details, the cloaked man and his rat filled him in, when it was needed.

About traditional marriage

Only the tradional marriage should be legal. Right? If you think that's the union between one man and one woman who make their pledge in church you are very wrong. Traditionally there are many forms of marriage. Take the Bible and see the examples of men being married to dozens and sometimes hundreds (Salomon!) of women! Most men in the Old Testament had (at least) two wives. So does that mean that that is normal and traditional? Or take the scientific fact that about 0,5 percent of all people is neither a man, nor a woman by birth.

Cycling

In The Netherlands we are used to using our bikes to travel from A to B and not just for leisure. Not so in most other countries. The US is a prime example of a country that doesn't take cyclists seriously. Although cycling is cheap, good for your health and doesn't require a lot of parking space.

Here a Dutch view on cycling:

Skywatch Friday

Click to enlarge.

More pictures? Check our Flickr page

Note: Every SWF-picture published here is shot with my trusty Sony Xperia s mobile phone or our Canon EOS 450D and is unedited.

For more Skywatch Friday photo's from around the globe, please check http://skyley.blogspot.com/

I know it has been a while but I have different priorities. Number one is of course my family and the new number two is trying to get an income. In the meantime I write pieces for my Dutch blog and since recently I started writing short pieces for this English blog, some of which I started posting on LinkedIn. Let me know what you think!

And please consider English is not my native tongue and I'm not a journalist. Just a guy with an opinion. And a Facebook page. And a Twitter account. And I'm even on Instagram! Working on a novel and still writing short stories. Some got translated and are for sale through Amazon (The e-book is cheaper, has a different cover and is available through Lulu). That's so cool! Don't you think?

I will not hold you in suspense but show you a few pictures from skies, because that's what you came here for and I don't want to disappoint you!

Open air cinema

Return of the Greenpeace ship 'Arctic Sunrise' after its Russian adventure

Sunrise around the corner at my girfriend's

Dito

Winter in Amsterdam: thin layer of snow covering houseboats

The sky seemed on fire. Taken from my girfriend's home.

Typical Amsterdam scene, including tourboat!

Healthcare

Health insurance is a big issue in the United States and for some reason a lot of people oppose 'Obamacare', the system that makes sure sick people get treated through cheap healthcare for everyone.
I have listened to several people opposing this plan but none came up with a valid argument. Still they oppose it.

America has perhaps the highest pricetag on healthcare per head of the population. Why? Check out this video: