How about a "real" Bond Girl!
Inflation in Belgium has reached the highest level in 16 years. The price of consumption goods this January were 3.46% higher than they were in January 2007. This is a monthly increase of 0.41%.
A transatlantic price war is set to erupt as the first continental carrier moves in to take on British and American airlines flying from London to the US.
The European press can't spill enough ink over Sarkozy and his paramour Carla Bruni, but the latest jab at their whirlwind romance has Sarko tres irrité.
The European Commission has vowed to expose industries and companies that rip off consumers by charging them far more in one country than in another.
Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, is setting itself up as something of tax haven for people of with a wide range of incomes - not just millionaires.
Mary and Ian Tod have enjoyed what Mary calls "a very strong relationship and marriage" for more than 30 years. They lived in Toronto, and Mr. Tod worked as a lawyer before taking a senior-management role at a major auditing-and-tax firm, while Mrs. Tod climbed the ladder and made partner at a prominent international consulting firm. The couple, now in their 50s, raised two children and had many friends and an active social life. READ STORY IN WALL STREET JOURNAL
Hardly surprising that there are only guys stealing the beer.
Some pictures from the STUDS Ball. The pictures are available here, and will under the STUD Links permanantly. STUD links is in the column on the right hand side.
At the height of the US subprime lending boom, taking out a mortgage could not have been easier. Low credit score and history of bankruptcy? No problem. Income too low to qualify for a mortgage? Inflate what you earn on a “stated income” loan. Nervous that your lender might check up on your “stated income”? Visit www.verifyemployment.net.
There are few iconic images, illustrating the (supposed) effects of global warming than the photograph of an adult polar bear with its cub, apparently stranded on melting ice, miles away from the shore line.
Tickets for this Sunday's Super Bowl are drawing record selling prices nationally for scalpers, various ticket reselling outlets are reporting.
Both the Axis and Allies disributed propoganda leaflets during the war to demoralise enemy soldiers. Being young soldiers only needs were food and sex, they might have actually boosted morale. These "pinups" were probably the most collected and traded articles of the war. They were without a doubt the most widely "read" documents of the war.
The World's Finest Projection Equipment, Circa 1959. It's Time To Be Brutally Honest, Look Into Our Hearts, And Ask Ourselves This Question: How Much Progress Have We Really Made In The Past 50 Years?
A worker adjusts glasses in an attempt to break the world record for the “Largest Champagne Fountain” in the shopping center Wijnegem near Antwerp, Jan. 25, 2008. The 7 metre (22.9 feet) high pyramid will contain more than 43,000 glasses and weigh 8,750 kg (19,290 pounds) to set a new record.
Is it just me, or is the media one big cheerleader for these toy cars these days? I just hope some money was set aside for shipping charges to bring parts from the EU for warranty work.
There's not too many of you around with kids this little, as most of you are either on, or closer to the grandparent route, but here's a little guide on how to handle the little ones, in case you forgot.
Belgian chocolate my ass, give me some of the good stuff. All those high paid marketing exes, and nobody saw a problem with this?? I've got a great idea for a liquid white chocolate that comes with it's own syringe....I generally mainline this stuff anyway.
Maybe the reason the Frenchies are coming to Brussels in the article below is to make a protien donation!
Who knew eh? Maybe the country can start promoting them a bit more....Belgium, land of chocolate, frites, beer, and the best looking hookers.
I'm going to start taking large quantities of drugs. Wake me up when this is over.
Where men are freaks and women are pets. A Goth who took his 'pet girlfriend' for a ride on the bus has complained that he was discriminated against by a bus driver who refused to let them on board.
Belgium's brand new Defence Minister, Pieter De Crem, sees no problem in reversing a controversial order by his predecessor. Francophone socialist André Flahaut (a guy who obviously has never turned down a second helping in his life) earlier purchased small calibre guns that cannot be used in international operations and that use ammunition only produced in his constituency.
Which Democrat has the best healthcare plan? Settle the controversy the American way: With guns!
'Been left parked in the garage of marriage too long, battery getting flat and needs somebody to give it a spark of life, full tank and ready to go.
Just a blatant excuse to post a picture of Sharapova....you didn't think I actually cared about womens tennis....did you?
No.....not those Tatas, these Tatas. So, there is this Indian car company. It makes Tatas. In fact, the company is betting that the key to prosperity is having very small 
Tatas, because then everybody can get their hands on one.
, not this.
Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat said on Tuesday that it had put in a bid to buy some of the assets of bankrupt Belgian peer Liefmans Breweries. Duvel, known for its trademark bottled beer and other speciality beers such as La Chouffe, said in a short statement that it was also seeking temporarily to continue production at the brewer under the supervision of administrators.
London's East End is notorious for its criminals, from serial murderer Jack the Ripper to mobsters the Kray twins.
The following message exchange took place on Craigslist, the New York Community Message Board:
Three suspects in the killing of the young Leuven police agent Kitty Van Nieuwenhuysen have been arrested Saturday. 23 year old Van Nieuwenhuysen was shot on Dec. 4th in Lot, when she was called to deal with a break-in.The murder of the police agent, who had just finished her studies, had shocked Belgium. The men arrested in Charleroi are known to the police and have already been sentenced in the past. Two have Belgian citizenship and are of Moroccan origin, the third has Turkish citizenship.
The suspects are 29, 30 and 31 years old. Two come from the Charleroi region, the third from Namen. The three had fled abroad immediately after the murder. Two came back rather quickly to Belgium. After the third suspect came back yesterday, a special unit of the federal police picked up the trio. The police conducted searches of the residences all of three suspects in order to find useful information relating to the investgiation.
T
he murder took place Sunday, Dec. 4th at about 3am in Lot. The three men tried to steal a car. When the owner, a karate teacher, tried to stop them, they shot him down. A police patrol which was called to the site also came under fire, before the agents could leave their car. Kitty Van Nieuwenhuysen, who sat in the passenger seat, was seriously injured in her head and died. Her 27 year old colleague was seriously injured. The thieves shot at least 20 bullets at the agents.The murder of the young agent, who would have been 24 on Dec. 5th, shocked the country. She had just finished the police school in Asse.
If you've never made a trip to Beer Mecca, also known as the St. Sixtus Abbey, you might want to read this WALL STREET JOURNAL article in a previous STUDS post to see what all the fuss is about. I think there are actually guys who would leave their wife for this stuff. I had no luck getting through on the "beer phone" to get an appointment to pick up beer for myself, but Joe got lucky and got through on his third attempt, and made an appointment.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of riding along with Joe Stang our own Studs Belgian Beer guru, and John Montgomery to pick up Joe's monthly stash of Westvleteren, or "Westy" as it is affectionally called by Joe. The Abby is right outside Ypres in the middle of nowhere. We first stopped for lunch at The Trumpet, right next to the Cathedral and tried, Ypra, the local brew. It's hard to track down except in some souvenir shops and bars in Ypres. Very much in the style of an abbey Tripel, it also reflects the hop character of beers from this region.
Thank God for GPS, we arrive on Beer Street
Arriving at the Abbey, like I said, in the middle of nowhere, on a road that was about as wide as my driveway. We had to pull off into the grass to let a couple tractors squeeze by.
The first site you see, is the line of cars wound through the trees to pick up their beer. Although it took about forty minutes for us to get our beer, I'm told before there were appointments, the line snaked back for a mile along this thin little road.
We get to the front, and unload the empties. The look on these peoples faces picking up their beer reminds me of a kid on Christmas morning!
Joe gets his stash....is that the look of true love? He did sell John and I both a sixpack, as hard as that was.
To our disappointment the Abbey cafe was closed for the month of January so we weren't able to go in and try a cold one right away.
We took the scenic route back to Brussels and slid down to Wallonia to a small brewery called Brasserie Ellezelloise that is located down a farm road in Ellezelles for a beer tasting. I didn't know that my mother-in-law endorsed this beer, as she is pictured on the label.
To end our day in typical Belgian fashion we arrive at the brewery to a sign that says "closed on Wednesday". This initiated a trip to the local pub where we sampled the brew, and found a local store that sold us a boxed little five pak.
