I'm fresh out of things to talk about here, so why not talk about Belgium. Interesting little country, our neighbors to the south. The country was up for auction on eBay this past week. According to the ad it was a 'Kingdom in three parts'. It was possible to buy it all in one piece, but that was not recommended. Shipping and handling were free. eBay have deleted the ad by now, which is a crying shame.
The ad was a comment on the state of the country. Three languages are spoken there, Dutch, French, and German, and the Dutch and French speakers are further apart now than they have ever been before. Months ago there were general elections in Belgium, but no new government has been formed since. The main reason for that is this rift. Right now Flanders, the 'Dutch' north of Belgium has a solid economy with low unemployment, while the Walloon region, the 'French' south are in a desperate state with low industrial activity, high unemployment etc. The population of Flanders have to pay high taxes to sustain the welfare system in the south.
As little as 25 years ago, it was the other way round, much like it has been throughout the 177 year history of Belgium. Then, however, the entire industry in the south collapsed, while Flanders flourished as never before thanks to the fact that it has sea ports. The only way for the south to survive economically was for the authorities to hire as many people as possible, with the northerners footing the bill. The south is one of the most bureaucratic societies of Europe, and it's in an incredible state of disrepair because there is no money.
The northerners aren't taking it any longer, and they want as much authority as possible transfered from the federal to the regional governments, so Flanders can decide for itself whether it wants to sustain the southern economy. The south on the other hand wants the federal government to be as strong as possible. In order to have a working government in Belgium, both sides have to be represented.
Meanwhile in Flanders, there are many people who believe Belgium should be split up in two seperate countries according to language. To the south this is unthinkable. It has no major airports, no seacoast, so it couldn't survive on its own, and joining France isn't really an option either. The entire north of France is in a similar economic state, and politically southern Belgium would be of little importance in a country as large as France. Young people would leave by the hundreds of thousands. Flanders could easily survive on its own.
The separatist movement in Flanders is quite strong, even though most Flemish parties are shunning separatist parties completely. One interesting way for Flemish people to express their sentiments is an annual hike/bicycle ride around the capital city Brussels. Even though the vast majority of people in Brussels speak French, the city is entirely surrounded by Flanders. Flemish people flock to the region in their masses once a year to hike or bike around the city, saying: 'Look, we can walk a full circle around the city without ever leaving Flanders, so Brussels is ours.'
This whole situation has led to an interesting development by the way. You know how the French are reputed to lack any knowledge of foreign languages? Well, thousands and thousands of people in the north of France are learning Dutch now, hoping to find gainful employment in Flanders. There are in fact more French people learning and speaking Dutch, than Dutch people learning and speaking French.
What about the German speakers then, you ask? Well, they are in favor of a united Belgium as well. That's a community of less than 100,000 with all the institutions any large country would have. If Belgium fell apart, and the German speaking towns would be returned to Germany, they would lose everything right away. Yet, they probably would be able to sustain themselves if they remained part of a Walloon republic, so you don't hear them complaining much.
No, I haven't returned to MySpace. This acquaintance goes back eleven years.
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You are Sandusky, OH
Loser! You are boring, have no sense of adventure, no sense of humor, you have no friends, in fact you're no good to this world. You are definitely Sandusky, OH!
Famous Sandusky, Ohio, residents: probably a few hockey players, but no one worth a second glance
* Soraya
