Expats dumping cars, flying back home to avoid debt repayment

For many expat workers in Dubai it was the ultimate symbol of their tax-free wealth...... a luxurious car that few could have afforded on the money they earned at home.

Now, faced with crippling debts as a result of their high living and Dubai’s fading fortunes, many expatriates are abandoning their cars at the airport and fleeing home rather than risk jail for defaulting on loans. Police have found more than 3,000 cars outside Dubai’s international airport in recent months. Most of the cars – four-wheel drives, saloons and “a few” Mercedes, had keys left in the ignition.

Gee, that's strange. Who could've possibly seen that one coming? Does this mean we aren't going to get that refrigerated beach we were promised? Park and Fly just took on a whole new meaning.

STORY IN THE TIMES

Chat in any language

MeGlobe :

Language barriers may now be a thing of the past. MeGlobe is an instant messaging service with real-time translation to and from over 15 languages - allowing users to communicate with contacts from all over the world even without sharing fluency in the same tongue.

It translates your IM and sends it along to the recipient in near real-time. I gave it a spin using French to English, and as advertised it translates in real time. You see what the person wrote in small letters, with the translation showing up right above. It doesn't matter what language the other user is typing in--everything gets converted to your default language. Changing it with a quick drop down will go back and reverse-translate previous chat items.

Brussels Balloon Day Parade

Like the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Balloon Parade in New York, since 1924.... Brussels will be putting on a Balloon Day Parade for the first time.

As a carnival celebration, gigantic helium balloons in the shape of comic strip characters, animals, objects, etc. will cross the city’s main arteries from the South to the North Station.
They will be accompanied by the folklore groups of the City of Brussels. Parades by the police, fire brigades and the famous marching bands, as well as spectators in very large numbers.

The balloons will be inflated by a team of specialists from the United States to supervise the parade and direct the balloons. The different obstacles such as cables, street lamps or traffic lights will be either bypassed or the balloons will be lowered or temporarily deflated so as to get through, which will add to the show.

This popular, colourful event will last about two and a half hours and will launch the BRUSSELS 2009 BD COMICS STRIP year.

Departure: South Station at 1:30 PM
Itinerary: Boulevards du Midi, Anspach, Adolphe Max.
Arrival: North Station car park
Balloon Day Parade Website

How to make a million in five years (become a Euro MP)

Evidently the downturn in the world economy has not affected the Euro MP's much. In fact, business has never been better.

In the small studio's near the EU Parliment.....Belgians call them les cinq à sept (five to sevens) because people using them, leave work at five and arrive home to their wives at seven. They seem to have been enthusiastically adopted by some members of the nearby parliament for daytime hanky panky, or as the above video from the movie "Anchorman" shows..... "afternoon delight"

How can MEPs afford the luxuries these tough times? Well, Brussels is a bubble that has escaped the recession, thanks to the many millions that European taxpayers pour into the pockets of Euro-parliamentarians and Eurocrats alike, for adventures like this.

The Euro fatcats enjoy allowances that enable them to save £1m during a single parliament election, and vastly outpace the British for sheer effrontery, and they do so without having to account for themselves.

Read the investigative report in THE TIMES

The Walloons are "SHIT" according to Flemish football fans

French daily Le Monde reports that the Belgian Soccer Federation has ruled that fans may chant "Walloons are shit!" (Les Wallons, c'est du caca).
Despite the fact that Flemish fans chanted in French to further piss off the Walloon team, the chant is "playful and teasing," federation officials argue, not "hurtful or injurious." Who says those sneaky Flemish can't speak French if they want to.

Actually, I occasionally watch some Belgian football....or soccer as we Americans call it, and I think the Belgian Soccer Federation could eliminate the racism, and just adopt the slogan that all Belgian football is shit "Le football belge, c'est du caca!" .....problem solved

BRUSSELS (AFP) – A row has broken out in Belgium after French-speaking politicians criticised the country's football federation for not sanctioning a Flemish club whose fans chanted anti-Walloon abuse.
Supporters of Genk in the Flemish-speaking north of the bilingual country made derogatory comments about their Walloon (Francophone) counterparts during a league match with Tubize from the south. Continue reading Yahoo Sports

World Political Science for Dummies

Political Science explained through the use of cows. Stick with it...the Belgian example is probably the funniest. I take no responsibility for stereotypes if you can't laugh at yourself.

U.S. DEMOCRAT
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
You push for higher taxes so the government can provide cows for everyone.

U.S. REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?

SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine..


JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have..

TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegal.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

The Danish Language is about to collapse

Pretty well done, it's worth your time. Where I come from in northern Minnesota...this is pretty much how the older generation sounds.

The Carnival of Binche

Each year during the three days preceding Lent, the medieval town of Binche in Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region hosts a jovial carnival celebration that brings together the townspeople and attracts throngs of foreign visitors.
The Binche Carnival stands out as one of the oldest surviving urban carnivals in Europe, and is now on the UNESCO Heritage list.

The 16th Century Spanish court liked to say that “there is no more magnificent festival than that of Binche”. Binche..... about 60 kms from Brussels, has hosted Belgium’s most famous carnival for several centuries.

The celebration is said to date back to 1549, when Mary of Hungary, Mayoress of Binche at the time, was anxious to impress her brother Charles V and his son Phillip II of Spain and so arranged for seven days of dances, banquets, military parades and firework displays to be held.

As this also coincided with the return of Hispanic explorers who had discovered the Americas, the Iberian courtiers accompanying the Princes are said to have dressed up as Incas, as a reminder of the conquistadores’ recent victories. The Belgian crowd were apparently so captivated by the splendour of these colourful costumes that they continued the tradition.

The ‘Gille’ is the traditional and central character of the carnival. He celebrates the return of spring. His characteristic features are a particular dance, a brightly coloured costume and an impressive ostrich-feather hat. Each decorative detail of his costume- the lion of Belgium, heraldry, crowns or stars- has a symbolic meaning.

The national colours of black, yellow and red dominate. Certain parts of the costume may require dozens of metres of material- up to 150 metres of ribbon may be needed to make the ruff for example.

The Gille also wears an ‘apertintaille’- a belt of 7 to 9 bells worn around the waist, as well as a smaller bell on his shirt front. Each Gille is bound to respect certain customs. He must come from Binche, and must not sit down in public, ever get drunk or go anywhere without being accompanied by (at the very least) a drummer … as you might guess they are not difficult to spot.

There are two parts to the festivities: the carnival and the pre-carnivalesque performances, also called the ‘soumonces’. The carnival starts 49 days before Easter, the soumonces six weeks prior to that.

On the fifth and sixth Sunday before the carnival groups of Gilles and carnival societies met in the early evening and (although not in costume) go out into the streets of Binche to the sound of the drums.

On Shrove Sunday, the first of three days of Mardi Gras, the Gilles, and others in peasant, Harlequin and Pierrot costumes, parade through the streets of Binche and dance to music played by brass bands, showing off their dazzling costumes.

Every night the town’s central square is lit up by a firework display and the crowds throw confetti into the air, filling the streets with colour. The festival reaches its climax on Shrove Tuesday, the only day when the Gilles wear their famous hats. Weighing three kilos and consisting of nearly 300 ostrich feathers, these hats are a reminder of Inca headdresses.

Each Gille also hides beneath a wax mask. These masks symbolise equality and can only be sold or worn in Binche as they are carefully protected by the European Patent Office. Everything kicks off at about four in the morning with the ‘collection’ of participants.

To the sound of a reed pipe playing a traditional tune the Gilles go from house to house collecting all the members of their particular Gille group. They are welcomed into each home with a glass of champagne.

Next, nearly a thousand Gilles proceed to the station where they meet for a champagne and oyster breakfast. From there they carry on to a long parade where they give out (or sometimes throw) oranges to the crowd. As evening draws in everyone meets to dance around a huge carnival bonfire. The party carries on all night but the drums fall silent as the sun rises on Ash Wednesday, signalling the beginning of Lent.

"Shrove Sunday": colourful day where the future Gilles giants wear fancy costumes. Parade at 3 pm. Until the early hours, the drums resound all over town.

"Shrove Monday": children's parade where the violas are played all morning long. Children's "Rondeau of Friendship" on the Grand'Place. Fireworks at 7.30 pm.

"Shrove Tuesday": Start of the festivities at daybreak. The Gilles entertain the town from 9 am. Parade at 3 pm. The Gilles show off their hats and throw oranges. In the evening there will be a final rondeau at 7.30 pm and a fireworks display in the city centre.

This years Carnival is February 22-24

Address: Caves Bette Rue des Promenades 2

7130 BINCHE MAPS: Google Maps

Touring Route Planner
Tel.:+32 (0) 64 33 67 27

Carnival Website

A MUST READ for new Expats

About 200 million people, or 3 per cent of the world’s population, already live outside their home countries and relocation continues to rise, particularly this year as recession forces job-seekers to move to markets they might not have considered before.

“In the last few months there has been an upturn in moves to countries off the beaten track, such as Libya, Syria, Yemen, Mongolia and isolated areas in China and South America,” says Richard Tyrrell of global relocation company Going-there.

In crisis-hit Iceland, polls show that one-third of the population is considering emigration. And in London and New York, bankers are joking about a new ultimatum: “Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai or goodbye.”

So, for all those who have recently relocated or expect to soon, here are some tips on how to do it. Some come from expats themselves and some from the professionals who get paid to help them settle.

Valentines day Sex and Chocolate in Belgium

What better place than Belgium to close the deal on Valentines Day with some chocolate and lingerie.

Chocolate isn’t just a tasty, superficial indulgence. There’s more talent in this candy than simply pleasing the taste buds. It actually contains ingredients that help with depression and makes people feel really good. It’s the most appropriate gift for Valentine’s Day because when women feel good, they emanate love, and isn’t that what the day is all about?
Read more about the secrets of chocolate

But for you guys....just make sure you do something....women tend to have long memories when you forget this mother of all Hallmark holidays. If you don't believe me...watch this Valentine TV commercial from Agent Provocateur.

European officials warned of 'interns trading sex for secrets'

Somebody's been up late watching too many James Bond movies....or in the case of Eurocrats, more like Austin Powers.

European Commission officials are being told to beware of the charms of Mata Hari type interns, who are accused of trading sex for the innermost EU secrets....like how to draw a huge salary as a Eurocrat without actually doing anything.

Paranoid Brussels security officials fear that Eurocrats might be susceptible to the attractive guise of the "pretty trainee with the long legs and the blonde hair". I'm sure they spent about three million euro's studying that....not including hotel rooms.

Every year hundreds of "stagiares", or interns, work at the Commission's Berlaymont HQ in Brussels. Many of them are young, female and some, it has been claimed, are engaged in espionage. Rumour has it that Monica Lewinsky has just been hired as Barasso's personal aide!

"I think men working here in boring jobs would love to believe that sexy women spies were after their bodies and their secrets. I personally think it is unlikely," said Petra, a 24-year old stagiare from a Baltic country.

STORY IN THE TIMES

Capa Retrospective at the Jewish Museum of Belgium

This exhibition takes a broad look at the work of Robert Capa (1913-1954), the legendary war photographer and founder of modern photojournalism. His photos of the Spanish Civil War and D-Day are etched in everyone’s memory and have shaped our image of the twentieth century.

Capa was commissioned by French, British and American photo magazines to cover all the major conflicts of his day. In 1938, following the publication of his photos of the Spanish Civil War, Britain’s Picture Post acclaimed him ‘the greatest war photographer in the world’.

As well as photographing frontline fighting, Capa also captured the suffering of the civilian population. He had an unparalleled eye for the destructive effect of war on the lives of ordinary people. His photos can be hard and confrontational, but are more often subtle and moving.

As a photographer with a social conscience and as a passionate anti-fascist Capa regarded his photos as a weapon in the struggle against injustice, persecution and oppression. As he always said: ‘The war photographer’s most fervent wish is for unemployment.’

The founder, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, of the famous Magnum agency, he is being exhibited with 150 photographs at the Jewish Museum of Belgium.

January 23rd through April 19, 2009

A Blatant Push for more Belgium STUDS members

As companies are cutting back on their expat assignments due to these difficult financial times, we have had a number of quality people leaving STUDS as they repatriate to their home countries.
If you are new to Belgium, or even if you've been here for awhile and are looking to make some new friends, please come on by to our weekly lunch on Fridays and meet some of the group.
Read more about what STUDS is, in the "What Is Belgium STUDS" column on the right hand side, or visit the STUDS website for more details and pictures.

Please keep in mind, you do not have to fit the generic profile listed to be a member of STUDS. If you can drink a beer, and manage to spew a little conversation or bullshit, at the same time...you pretty much qualify.

We intend to keep this blog updated with upcoming events in and around Belgium, and personal articles written by our members. It will also be used to update any STUDS events upcoming.
We will take submissions also, if we feel it would be of expat or group interest.

If you desire a little daily news, humour, politics and debate, check out our STUDSBLOG which is updated several times a day. Please keep in mind this is a little boys club and some of the material can be a bit cheeky and not always safe for work. You have been warned!