Snippits..

Yesterday was my neighbor's kid's (Lieke's) 9th birthday. Kids mature so much faster these days than before. Like, she's 9 years old and she can already 'no longer' entertain herself without electronics - "Sniff. Baby girls all growns up." - and therefore: 'Barbie Horse Adventure' (Nintendo DS) was liked a lot better than my 'Party Time' board game gift.

Here is: shortly: things about Europe, Holland, and Tilburgers: Ha, 'burgers': that I learned from the party:

1) Soccer Hooligans: Every team has them: They are no longer allowed in the stadium. New rule: if you touch one foot on the grass you are suspended from soccer games for life. You have to get a soccer card proving who you are before they will sell you a ticket: Soccer cards are a big deal: Hooligans no longer meet in the stadium: Internet makes it easy to meet up: People have died in these fights before: Can't believe we don't have the same thing back in North America: shocked actually. I told them sometimes our parents are pretty crazy in little league games... but maybe because our violence is inherent in the sport it doesn't spill over to the fans... I don't know...

2) English Hooligans are the worst, or best depending who you're asking: If you watched the boxing match in Vegas between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather you know what I'm talking about:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/12/10/soboxx410.xml

They love to drink and love to fight: They'll go in groups and attack anyone they feel like: Last world cup 1800 English were arrested: Last game in Eindoven was England vs Portugal: There were 3500 cops for 12000 English supporters: They had a fight in a bar and they shot tear gas grenades into it to calm them down: Cops billy clubbed everyone on their way out: Even unsuspecting old men just in the bar for a pint: England is out of the European cup this year and everyone is happy.

3) Naziism is getting big again: My Dad and I saw 150 guys all in a group in Amsterdam a while back doing a demonstration: By demonstration I mean being drunk, throwing beer bottles, and smashing things: The guys said most likely we saw Nazis: Shaved Heads: Blue jeans: White t-shirts: Black leather jackets: Black shoes with white feathers: They greet each other the same way the Nazis did back in WW2: It's coming back I guess all across Europe on account of the increase of immigrants: No such thing as a melting pot here: The immigrants either haven't been allowed or haven't wanted to fit in with the rest of society: Supposedly there's lots of immigrant gangs of 16-30 yr olds that have been denied jobs with nothing to do all day.

4) There are more bikes in Holland than people: Everyone rides: The grandparents where I was go on bike trips of 100 kms or more every now and then: Not unheard of to see a motor bike pull up, tinted visor and all, and take off their helmets off to reveal a grandma and grandpa. don't like your bike? In Amsterdam you just throw it into the canal: It takes a back-hoe to dredge up all the old bikes: Tonnes of 'em: 2 cars a week on average fall in as well.

5) Holland, Germany, and Denmark all have very similar languages all with the same root langauge: Can learn them quite easily in a matter of weeks if they move between them: But Germans can't pronounce the 'SCH-" sound in Dutch so that is how they tell the difference: School, Schuim, Schaap.

6) The reason why water costs money and there are no free refills on pop is cause drinks are the only way restaurants make money: They sell food at cost and make their money on drinks: $2 water: $2.50 non-refill sodas: $2 coffees in cups you could mistake for shot glasses.

7) Kids start learning English and French in grade 6: But usually know it because of cartoons and TV: So they can't write it, only speak it.