RubenAzarja's New Writeups

December 29, 2003 (idea)

2003-12-29T12:07:59Z

The conflict, the insanity

Suddenly they had a huge conflict. Actually they didn't even know the reason. He will probably have problems with himself, the one thought. I indeed am quite a pain in the ass, the other thought, but then again he has partly caused this misery I'm in right now.
I did only see one side of the story. And so I thought the other was a huge whiner. And with any luck you already know what should happen to insane whiners in my all but humble opinion. But if you don't, I'll hand out an explanation here.
In the old days, when everything was better, they knew how to take care of this kind of people. In the Middle Ages people thought that the insane were haunted by the devil. The perfect means to drive out evil spirits was to sentence someone to death by burning.
From the early Renaissance society would protect itself against idiocy by raising cuckoo's nests. Instead of ending up on the stake, the

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October 1, 2003 (idea)

2003-10-01T17:14:20Z

A second chance for a couple of lifeless Brits

I should have had a rush of blood to the head, but nothing happened. The music left me cold completely. In all songs the singer expressed the same boring tone. Monotone redefined by a couple of lifeless Brits.

One album earlier the good man asked Jesus to put him out of his endless misery. I heard the new record and I thought maybe the redeemer should have complied with the request.

According to M. it wasn't strange, but undeserved on the other hand, that I earmarked the songs as boring. He is knowledgeable on the subject of music, so I accepted his opinion as true. I also accepted his opinion when he said: "You have to hear it a few more times, I think". The last one who stated the sentence that convincingly was Dutch comedian Herman Finkers.

And thus I decided to give the album a second chance. I listened in the car. And another time. And another time.…

Raymond Poulidor (person)

2003-09-26T18:42:59Z

Raymond Poulidor was the most popular French professional cyclist of the 20th century. When asked which man they would like to invite for a Christmas dinner, in a 1991 survey a French audience massively answered Raymond Poulidor, beating famous movie stars like Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo on the spot.
He never won the Tour de France. He never even wore the yellow jersey!
In fourteen Tours he only won seven stages. Yet there wasn't a cyclist who was as popular as monsieur Poupou. The silent, modest sportsman from Limoges managed to become second or third too many times between 1962 and 1976. Still he holds one record. He ended up in Paris in the top 3 on eight occasions, which no-one ever did before or after him. The last time, in 1976, he was forty years old already when he managed to reach third spot again.
Part of his popularity lies in the fact that he was always himself. In good shape or in bad, he used to ride his own race, not interfering

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Jacques Anquetil (person)

2003-06-20T20:43:21Z

Jacques Anquetil is considered the best time trial cyclist ever. He owes this honorary title for a great deal to his five victories in the Tour de France, which makes him record holder with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. He was nicknamed Monsieur Chrono because of his steady, reliable friendship with the clock.

At a very young age already Anquetil proved to be an excellent cyclist. As a nineteen-year-old amateur he easily won the Grand Prix des Nations, a famous classic among time trial races in France. Looking back it was no surprise that young Jacques beat Fausto Coppi's then fourteen-year-old world hour record in 1956. One year later Anquetil debuted in the Tour de France and won it on this first attempt. He was far from an excellent climber, but always managed to keep the specialists in sight and consequently beat them by minutes in the time trials.

In his top years the Tour organisation were accused of adapting the entire race to the…

Epameinondas (person)

2003-06-18T19:18:55Z

Epameinondas was an aristocrat from Thebes who lived in the fourth century before Christ. We know he died in 362 b.C., but cannot tell for sure how old he was exactly at that time.

Epameinondas was a friend of Thebes' leader Pelopidas, who struggled to avoid the pressure of the Spartans. City state Sparta dominated the region we now know as Greece in that fourth century b.C. In the battle against the Spartans near Leuktra, Epameinondas led the Thebes army to a glorious victory. With a large number of infanterists he managed to invade Spartan territory, thanks to a new cunning strategy. The so-called oblique phalanx made the mind overcome brute strength. The fact that Epameinondas' men battled side by side in couples, proved to be too much for the otherwise stronger Spartans.

Wealthy and especially famous the general returned to Thebes. But there he was accused of breaking the law, which stated that no Thebes citizen would be allowed to exercise full power over…

Jastrebarsko (place)

2003-06-17T21:06:12Z

Just outside Croatia's capital Zagreb you will find the little town of Jastrebarsko. Despite its low number of residents, the small city from the beginning of the 15th century has a lot to offer. Jastrebarsko counts little over 5,000 inhabitants.

Already in 1520 the people of Jastrebarsko built themselves a fort to keep the Turkish enemy army out of the city. The Erdödy castle is surrounded by a beautiful park, while the citadel itself strikes the eye because of its two towers. It hosts a museum on the inside, whereas the courtyard is reputed for its acoustics. Concerts and plays are held here in summer. The baroque Marija church was built in 1740.

A small river called Reka flows parallel to the main street in town, offering Jastrebarsko some lovely looks. It ends in a pond in the park. The closeby Pljesevica hills are covered with grapes, which are the basis of the excellent wine called grasevina. The swamp area Crna Mlaka, which is also close to…