Last week was fairly quiet, with none of the heated, passionate debates that have characterized the past month or so. Some of the topics and features that did spark a bit of commentary included: our wonderful website, the Dutch in New York, ivory and blasphemy.
What happened to the charm?
First, Annie Morgan (country not cited) sent us the following - not quite - total praise:
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"When I first listened to Radio Nederland in the 1970's, I so enjoyed its format. It was folksy and felt quite personal. Later the format changed and, in my opinion, lost a great deal of its charm.
"Nevertheless, I am glad you have a website, and a very good, user-friendly one it is."
Well, Annie, we are pleased you enjoy using the website, even you believe we have lost some of our charm. One gentleman, Juan Carlos Dominguez of Havana Cuba, might disagree:
"It is a pleasure to listen to you every night, the reception is good here in Havana. I enjoy all of your programmes as well as the news.
"I'm a teacher at Havana school of medicine and I really enjoy your English broadcast. That is the time when I can listen to radio, although some times I find a break to listen to the Spanish programmes too."
At the least we can say that both Annie and Juan have found something to enjoy and utilize. One feature that caught some comment last week concerned the problems the Dutch were having in New York trying to utilize their "frugal ways".
According to the current affairs article Dutch frugal ways don't always work in New York by Gert Jan Wijma, the crux of the problem - in these credit crunch days - is that in the USA the more debt means you have more credit worthiness. This goes against the grain of the frugality of the Dutch.
The tongue-in-cheek solution offered by one group of Dutch expats:
"Lost faith in the economy? Lost your job? Lost so much in the stock market that you will still have to continue to work? Maybe a bit to blame for this misery? No worries, the solution is near. For years drinking has been the cure for more (or less) successful fellow country folks, actors, writers and others."
Bad behaviour
"Yes, this is true. But over a period of time the credit offers will flood your door. A lot of Americans like me have the same principles as the Dutch, and really are bothered by people who live beyond their means. Eventually, their bad behaviour affects the whole world economy."
Mikey, also from the USA, also agrees, but gives us the details of what he hopes will become a sort of morality tale of our time [edited, full text on website]:
"He's totally right, you do get punished for not going into debt. I remember when I graduated from high school the first thing all my friends did was get their first credit card and go on shopping sprees. They didn't see this as overspending or even as spending at all, it was all to 'start building a credit history', because, as they told me, 'you can't function as an adult without good credit'.
"The worst thing is that no credit history = bad credit history. So if you never get debts and always save up for what you want to buy, you are treated the same way as a person who maxes out their credit cards and never pays a dime back. It's a very strange system that is probably going to change soon, as we Americans are now being forced to re-learn frugality."
The ivory debate
The following current affairs article sparked an - almost, but not quite - agreement and a few.... original ideas. Conservationists up in arms over ivory auctions by Paul Anstiss reported on the decision of the United Nations to allow the first auction of African ivory in nearly a decade. The UN wants the funds raised to go towards protection and conservation, but according to those very conservationists:
"They believe that the sale will only encourage illegal trade and endanger the lives of elephants."
"One more reason not to rely on the United Nations for anything."
Pieter from South Africa saw the side of the UN:
"These auctions will prove that, given proper control, the ivory trade can benefit both the animals and the people [in the countries] where the animals roam. Poachers are mostly locals and if the animals become a good asset to the locals, they will turn from hunter to protector. It will be even better if locals can be trained to become master craftsmen and sculptors to enable them, through their governments, to become the final sellers of products that originate in their home areas."
Whereas Heather [no country cited], wanted to contribute this ... original idea:
"I wonder if anyone ever thought about this simple idea... Track the elephant herds and simply drug them, and remove their tusks to keep poachers from killing the elephants. I know that some elephants are developing a unique trait of being tusk-less, but the others could be protected if their tusks were removed. Even if they grow back over time, monitor the elephant herd and drug them up and repeat."
Blasphemy
In what some might call an original way of dealing with the problems of language and religion, and others call long overdue - the Dutch have scrapped a blasphemy law as way of halting "an extra layer of legal protection" given to religious groups.
Dick Udell of the USA wrote in to support the spirit of freedom of speech that this move makes:
"This is a good move by the government of the Netherlands! In a true democracy, people have a right to their individual opinions and freedom of speech. However, they should never be allowed to discriminate against others or advocate violent action against them. In the case of Geert Wilders, people have the democratic right to factual news, good or bad. But it should also be noted that it is not just Islamic groups, but also many other groups of various political practices and religions, even certain so-called Christian groups who are equally guilty!"
Bamboo products
"I heard a programme on radio here in St. Maarten this morning re: bamboo suitcases and other products. Could you put me in touch with the person who produces these things, either by website or by email address?"
Marnie Chesterton, of Earthbeat, responds:
"Dear Hank, thanks for your interest in the item about bamboo products on our show Earthbeat. The website is www.moso.nl, and we interviewed Dhr. P van der Lugt, from Delft Technical University, who had done his PhD in Design Interventions for Stimulating Bamboo Commercialization.
Hope this helps. Thanks for listening."
Tags: blasphemy, Dutch, frugal, ivory, New York, website