American bumper stickers

Bumper stickers reveal some interesting insights of America about herself:

I love you America. But I think we should see other people.

Be nice to America, or we'll bring democracy to your country (seen o a car with Marine corps license plates)

Belgium: will someone put the sick man of Europe out of his misery?

The end of Belgium - language map

Belgians like to be a bit special and peculiar, maybe that's the only thing that unites them.
...errr that is as the saying goes, if there are any Belgians besides the king!

Today the "country" marks one full year since elections gave modest victories to the anti-Belgium NVA nationalist in Dutch-speaking Flanders and to the pro-Belgium PS Socialists in Wallonia. The two parties have been a 100% failure in forming a government during a year of either bitter talks or absolute silence.

The care-taker government deals well with non strategic issues, but only those. Similarly investors procrastinate any major decisions.

Gentlemen, lets face the facts: Belgium was never a nation, why keep the charade? For the sake of French jokes?

Will someone please put the sick man of Europe out of his misery?

Lets have a civilized Czechoslovakian divorce, having Wallonia and Flanders as nations within the European Union.

The German areas can be returned to Germany: they were stolen from it in 1929 anyway. Some southern areas should be part of Luxembourg.

Brussels can become "Brussels, FD", i.e. the Federal District for the European Capital.

As time goes by, nobody will be shocked if Wallonia and/or Flanders would like to join France or the Netherlands.

Lets get moving!

Ben Ali wins again

Ben Ali and wife - voting

The incumbent president of Tunisia, Ben Ali, got a ticket for another five-year term. The elderly statesman presides over a corrupt system run by himself, his close relatives and a loyal clique of cronies.

Again the election was rigged in Ben Alis favour. Any legitimacy that he could have claimed stemming from the 1987 coup d'état that deposed President Habib Bourguiba is long gone.

His grip to power is only possible thanks to the uber-present security apparatus, in particular to the feared General Directorate of Public Security. Ali's grip on the media and the economy should also be taken into account. No paragraph gets published without censorship approval. No deal is made without the presidential blessing, and obviously a cut for the Ali clan. But further to this, Ali´s power rests on a largely indifferent populace and absent intelligentsia,  for which daily human rights abuses seem to be of no consequence.

Maybe it is all for the best: Tunisia knows only dictatorship and Islam. If Ali's falls, what are the chances democracy will be on the menu?